New House Michaelmas 2015 - Second half
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Well, I think it is fair to say that was one memorable term! We are writing this from the still bedecked halls of New House, reflecting (as one does at the end of a calendar year) on the events of the past twelve months. For the Wilton family - and, we are sure, for the new additions to B and L6 New House - the last four months in particular have been the happy focus of much of that thinking. In particular, we remember that the question we were asking ourselves way back in the long Half Term Break: 'can the second half of Michaelmas hope to live up to the first?' When you scroll through the contents of this Michaelmas newsletter, part two, we hope you agree that it surpassed expectations...
Honours Board
New Houseians continue to distinguish themselves...
First up, in recognition of some excellent work organising New House's charitable efforts this term, and for setting a consistently good example to all in House with his fine character, we welcome Jack Milligan-Manby to the Prefect Team - well done Jack, and thanks for your hard work in New.
Commendations for excellent Junior School MAs were awarded to:
- O Block: Kento Hirano & Thomas Mueller
- A Block: William Needham
- B Block: Kian Modhwadia
Many congratulations to to them all for the high standards they are setting themselves.
And finally, congratulations to Bill Foley who was given the significant honour of playing the Last Post at this year's Remebrance service, which was as moving as ever. Many thanks to him for his part in that superb memorial.
Well done all!
Sale of Work
If you were wondering what we are doing on chairs in the middle of a cold, wet field, you missed a treat!
Specifically, that treat was firing water balloons at high velocity at Matthew Proudlove, Harry Bennett, and in the end, Mr Wilton. This opportunity was afforded by the inventiveness of Messrs Proudlove and Chukwumah who contrived a device made of an old towel and some resistance bands:
This rare privilege was complimented by another arguably less inventive way of causing discomfort, the ever popular 'Pie Face' stand:
There was also stalwart work done by the lads manning the Crossbar Challenge stall, which Mr Wilton found basically impossible to master, then in a move which made him very much the bad workman, blamed this on his Wellington boots.
The day was great fun, and allowed us to add several hundred pounds to the monies already raised at the Sale of Work dinner. That taken alongside more internal fundraising via selling breakfast in bed to the lads and running a pool and football tournament, should mean we have a very healthy donation to make to the chosen charities next term. Many thanks again to the Lower Sixth for running things so smoothly, and with such commitment.
Dressing to impress!
The hard work of the Lower Sixth was complemented by every boy pitching in to the Dress to Impress day. The boys don't seem to need a great deal of encouragement to get into daft gear, but it seems they got the spirit of the day spot on, with our U6th in their "Kangaroo Nectar" cans making the front page of the Burton Mail!
There was a great deal of invention amongst the boys, but we were particularly impressed by the L6th working out a Repton inspired costume based on OR Olympian Harold Abrahams. The day was brilliant, and the spectacle of boys dressed as cans trying to eat their lunch was one that will stay with us for a long while - as, for quite different reasons, will Harry BlacH's decidedly unsettling Germanic barmaid costume!
Sport
Junior League
The Juniors really grew as a team in the second half of term, and the solid groundwork put in to previous performances was built upon to the point where the lads became a dominant force.
After a narrow defeat to Orchard in the second half term's opener, in which we really should have had more goals, an outstanding performance against School House saw us make the semi finals with a goal-fest, including a super hat-trick for Henry Blencowe and absolute screamers for Ren Tabata and Max Kennedy.
Cross, always a challenging House to play against, gave it a good shot in the semis but there was too much attacking force in the New House side, shorn up by totally dependable keeping from Will Tomalin. 3-1 to us, and we were heading for the final!
The boys went into the Final with heads up, but the memory of that first meeting with opponents Orchard was hard to shake. Going ahead early put great spring in everyone's step, and we were comfortably the better side for the first half. Orchard showed great resilience and belief though, and with a few opportunistic long balls over the top and some good finishing they shut out the New as the rain began to fall. There's no shame in losing in a really hard fought final, and the boys can be very proud of their efforts in each and every game. Indeed, New House got pretty used to being in finals this half term...
Junior Basketball
With the Senior Basketball trophy secured, the Juniors were inspired by Coach Karai to give a confident account of themselves in the Junior competition.
Priory were convincingly seen off in a 15-7 game, and we showed a great deal of potential with bright, attacking play. Once again, having had a bye through the first round, New House were in a final! This really had become a habit this term, and we were confident but not presumptuous of our ability in the big game to come against Cross.
The opening exchanges looked very promising, and once again we showed strength in attack and precision in shooting. Our defence started strong too, but Cross had the edge over us when it came to speed and fitness. The key to their game was the rapid counter attack on the rebound, and they played that well each time. In a hugely tense, very close final, Cross just edged it in the end, but our boys gave everything they could down to the final seconds. We may not have won the day, but the other Houses were getting used to how serious an opposition New House are!
Senior League
And so on to another hard fought campaign, the Senior Football League, in which our unbeaten Senior side had every reason to believe themselves the favourites. Confidence without arrogance was consistently on display and the boys wore the New House green with pride in both semi final and final.
We were tremendously pleased with our performance against Orchard; they really did give us a tough time in places, and it was particularly satisfying to banish the ghost of the Reserves final in which they had toppled a very similar New House side. This time, 3-1 was the score line, and with Latham taken to penalties by Priory on the adjacent pitch we knew that either side would prove tough opponents in the final.
The day of the final came, and we were certainly ready, going ahead early and keeping Latham firmly at bay with our very strong defensive expertise. We had the better of them in midfield too, though the wetness of the weather made it tricky for Middleton and Bennett to be quite as agile on the turn as they would ordinarily be. Bankhurst was seemingly everywhere in midfield, and was talismanic to the spirit of the team, who gave 110% at least.
In the end it was deadlocked to a goal each, and despite an energetic period of extra time, we couldn't quite sneak another. Penalties had to decide, and they are always a cruel mistress. Callum Middleton's miss may well live on in his memory, but what the rest of us took from the day was respect for his skill and determination that led to the first goal of the final - that, and the great group of lads both on the team and in support who stood together to cheer them all on to the last. Another great day for New, despite the result.
House Swimming - Victory is ours!
Having been in, well, almost every final going this half term, it was probably time that the skill, talent and energy shown by New House was rewarded, and rewarded it was! Another big one too - the House Swimming - saw our boys distinguish themselves under the great example of Cayman's own Simon Butler, who captained our boys to 2nd in the Seniors, 2nd in the Inters and a big hefty 1st place in the Juniors! The strength and depth on show saw us take a comfortable first place overall despite a touch of overenthusiasm out of the blocks meaning we were dq'd in a relay or two. Who needs double points anyway, eh?
Individual distinctions went to:
- 100IM winners - Butler (Snr) Rice (Jnr)
- 50 BS winner - Westwood
- 50 BK winner - Needham
- 25 Fly winner - Rice
- 100 FS winners - Butler (Snr) Wilcock (Int) Westwood (Jnr)
- 4x25 Jnr Relay winners
- 6x25 Jnr Relay winners
It it all made those 6.30am starts (for swimmers in training and for the Housemaster letting them out of the building!) worthwhile - well done to all the boys on the team who gave a great deal to this, crowning a seriously successful term for New House sport.
Drama
New House Does the Bard
It was superb to see New House so well represented in the main School play, a ravishing production of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. The ever popular classic was given a sharp twist with multiple staging, beginning in amongst the audience in the 400 Hall foyer with Liam Karai's Theseus and George Shirley's Philostrate setting up the inter-familial conflict that underpins the play.
Of course, many of the most cherished scenes from the play are provided by the so-called 'rude mechanicals', a team of hapless tradesmen-cum-wannabe-actors who attempt to stage 'Pyramus and Thisbe' in celebration of Theseus's marriage. The catastrophic incompetence of said production always gets the belly laughs, and Henry Perks was joined in this by Charlie Furniss in hilarious sequences of physical and verbal humour, both boys showing that the future of Repton comedy-drama is in safe hands!
The boys did superbly well handling the ebb and flow of Shakespeare's dialogue - not an easy task - and the impressively designed backdrop run backstage by, amongst others, Ed Albone, Tom Owen and Alistair Westwood, was slick and gorgeous to look at. The House can be proud of all they gave to this production and we look forward to even more when it comes to Cabaret and the Junior Play later this year...
Music
Jazz...Nice!
We have some exceptional musicians in the House, and this term has afforded them plenty of opportunity to show their talent. Last half term we had the fun and syncopated, multi-genre Jazz stylings of the Filthy Six jazz sextet with whom Matt Bankhurst, Alistair Westwood, James Donegan, Henry Blencowe, Bill Foley & Will Balderston did some decidedly funky work. To complement this, early this half term Henry Blencowe and James Donegan had the fantastic opportunity to do a workshop with internationally renowned classical saxophonist, Amy Green - amazing to get to work with someone at the absolute top of her field.
Michaelmas Bands Concert
There have been a number of wonderful Coffee Concerts and other showcases for our boys' several talents, but rarely have we seen them come together so cohesively and impressively as at this term's Bands Concert.
It was not merely Mr Wilton's nerdy weakness for the Star Wars soundtrack that made the evening so memorable; amazing ensemble playing in all the various groups (which included our men Westwood, Blencowe, Balderston, Foley and Bankhurst) was really outstanding, and some - Messrs Westwood and Bankhurst, for example - switched and swapped instruments many times through the programme. Many of these lads played in all the different groups who performed that night, giving some sense of how much time they mortgage to practice. Seriously impressive.
Individual Distinction. (Literally)
The House Music competition is already cranking up, and Bill Foley and Liam Karai are already through to the finals in Classical and Contemporary singing - congratulations to them! Very best of luck to the rest of our musicians who will embark on their own rounds of qualification shortly.
We must also make a quick tip of the musical cap to those among our number who are readying for one of the two highest Associated Board grades, 7 or 8, in their respective instruments:
- Liam Karai: Flute and Singing
- Alistair Westwood: Double Bass
- Henry Blencowe: Saxophone
And finally, we cannot let it go unmarked that Matt Bankhurst - cornerstone of our Highly Commended Unison entry - has not only gained offers at some of the most prestigious contemporary music schools in the country in competitive auditions, but now has a Distinction in Grade 8 Drums - 91/100 marks! A superb achievement and a great way to end the musical term.
Social
New House Cookery School
In the name of preparing them for the world outside (and who knows, perhaps getting them to lend a hand in the kitchen when we send them back to you!) we have started an in-House cookery school, beginning with the basics of how to deal with eggs...
Well, we say the basics - though A Block were content with sweet and savoury French toast, and the Upper Sixth occupied themselves with the fine art of omelette making, the Lower Sixth determined to push the envelope and went for full-on eggs Benedict with freshly made hollandaise!
When B Block and O Block take to the stove, we shall see what they opt to tackle - let's hope they enjoy the fruits of their labours as much as the other lads did...
Nights Out On the House
One of the key things about getting to the end of such a frantic and long term as Michaelmas is remembering to make time to bond as a House. A cinema trip for B and A block kicked off a string of nights to get us through the last weeks of term with a smile on our faces.
On a bowling night with O Block we found out that Matron has her own bowling ball and shoes - total pro! We also found that there are few things the Sixth Form like more than Nandos chicken, but one of them is Nandos frozen yoghurt - the demand being so high from our boys that the machine in the Burton branch malfunctioned. We also discovered that if, like Simon Butler, you wear a certain style of t-shirt, you may well be mistaken for a waiter...
In-House Festivity
Of course, there was the usual quality range of entertainment within Repton; our boys won the annual House Christmas Quiz in the JCR, and both Senior and Junior socials were a great success, not least for the sartorial elegance on display at the 007 themed Senior Christmas Ball:
The boys also got thoroughly into the Christmas spirit decorating the dining hall, and any rumours that the festive cheer grew into out-and-out daftness have been grossly exaggerated...
House Supper
Undoubtedly one of the highlights of the year is the House Christmas Supper, and as the kindly donated Combe Christmas tree sparkled in the background the rest of the dining hall glowed and twinkled thanks to the efforts of Matron and Mrs Wilton - as ever, where would we be without them?!
It wasn't just the baubles and lights that were sparkling either - Kevin Hynes, Head of House, gave a supremely witty, perfectly pitched speech which went down an absolute storm. Rarely have I seen a young man in such consummate control of his material and his audience, and the rest of the House responded with laughter and cheers. Brilliant stuff.
Before the boys went home to you all, we asked them to leave something behind for us to remember them by over Christmas. Mrs Wilton had painstakingly written each boy's name on a festive bauble which the boys then hung on the tree - a tradition we hope to keep in years to come. It was a fantastic night, and a suitable way to end what has been a fantastic term. Merry Christmas indeed!
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Thank you
As a parting word, we in the Wilton family would just like to say a very heartfelt thank you to all the boys and their families for making us so welcome in our new role. We could hardly have hoped for a better first term, full of fun and sharing in the boys' many achievements. We are very proud of the House, and look forward to all the terms to come.
Thanks again, and a Happy New Year to you all!
New in Repton News
And, in one of his best ever rides, William Hingley achieved third place in the worldwide Horse of the Year Show at Birmingham NEC in the following category: UNDERWOOD 153CM WORKING HUNTER PONY OF THE YEAR.