worth insight spring 2014

Spring 2014

INSIGHTWorth School enizagamWorth School enizagamWorth School enizagam

Worth School enizagamWorth School enizagamWorth School enizagam

Pages 12 & 13

Transported to Arcadia

En garde!

Pages 6 & 7

Worth School magazine

Worth’s love of fencing continues

A60594 Worth Insight Spring 2014 P3.indd 1 17/03/2014 16:45

Worth School magazine2

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Offers from top universities have been pouring in for Worth students, including seven Oxbridge offers: Angelica Grusovin has a place at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge to read Mathematics; Marcus Fletcher has a place at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge to read Natural Sciences; Emily Townsend has a place at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge to read Psychological and Behavioural Sciences; Henry Jacobs has a place at Wadham

College, Oxford to read Chinese; Jakub Nagrodzki has a place at Trinity College, Cambridge to read Medicine; Luke Navin has a place at Keble College, Oxford to read Music; and Alex Davis-White has an open place at Oxford to read History.

Further good news comes from Oliver Pateman who took his A Levels in 2013 and has been awarded a place at Merton College, Oxford to read Ancient History and Classical Archaeology.

Anne Lynch, Deputy Head (Academic) commented: “The offers from Oxford and Cambridge show once again that Worth can take students to the very highest levels of performance.”

3www.worthschool.co.uk Spring 2014

OXBRIDGE

Image: The seven current Worth School students holding Oxbridge offers.


4 Worth School magazine



Oliver Campbell and Toby Jozwiak stride out

for the Philippines

On a chilly December morning, the Worth community rose to the challenge of raising funds for disaster victims in the Philippines with a colourful, fun and noisy sponsored run. Thanks to the generosity of students, parents, staff and the monastic community, a total of £14,622.86 was raised.

Head Master Gino Carminati, who had asked students to make a

personal response to the crisis in the Philippines, said: “The response from the whole Worth community has been magnificent. I was in the Philippines at a Benedictine education conference just the week before Typhoon Haiyan struck and the plight of these people is close to my heart.”

Other fundraising initiatives included a sale of Worth clothing organised

by James Ferguson and Peter Webb in Year 13. They raised over £1,500 and were awarded the highly prized Head Master’s tie for Outstanding Achievement in recognition of their work.

All the funds raised will go to the Sisters of Scholastica in the Philippines for distribution to those most in need.

Sponsored run raises over £14,000 for the Philippines



EN GARDE! FENCING IS FLOURISHING AT WORTH.

CAPTAIN OF THE FENCING TEAM HENRY JACOBS GIVES US THE BACKGROUND

ON THE SPORT HE LOVES.



Contrary to an easily more popular opinion, the origins of modern fencing lie with 15th-Century Spanish duelling practice, and not so much with drunken, swashbuckling pirates. When the practice was banned in Spain by Catholic monarchs, the sport travelled across into Southern Italy and France where it evolved into distinct schools of fencing. Finally, as duelling grew ever more popular amongst French aristocrats (at least by those who hadn’t been killed by the practice), it finally hopped the Channel into England. William Shakespeare then introduced the word ‘fencing’, to mean the Renaissance sword practice, into the English language in his play The Merry Wives of Windsor with the word itself deriving from the Latin verb ‘defendere’ meaning ‘to protect’ or ‘to defend’.

Modern fencing now consists of three distinct, one-handed weapons, each

with its own rules and technique. Some fencers will choose to specialise in just one weapon, whereas others will swap between swords. These are foil, épée and sabre.

If I’m honest, when I started at Worth, fencing was not a sport I ever imagined myself doing. Aside from appearing overwhelmingly technical, fiercely aggressive and incomprehensibly fast, there was not – to my disappointment – a single pirate in sight, but rather a group of ordinary people in uncomfortable-looking white suits. Unlike football, hockey or cricket, fencing is neither a widely available nor a widely accredited sport. Perhaps this is because, following on from its roots amongst the aristocracies, many believe it to be a sport for public schools only and, more often than not, boys. Nevertheless, I am both grateful and delighted to say that this not the case at Worth.

When I started fencing in Year 9, the group consisted of about six boys, but the past few years has seen promising growth, with the senior group alone now having over 20 members of which an ever increasing number are girls, and with the junior group quadrupling in number over the same period. As more and more students join the fencing team, so do an increasing number of supportive parents realise, come match day, that the prospect of a seat in a dry, indoor sports hall is, hands down, more appealing than standing in a muddy field in torrential rain or wrestling for a parking space. Most importantly is that, true to its philosophy, the fencing team at Worth has established a real sense of camaraderie between Year Groups and sportsmanship within what is essentially a highly personal sport.

The foil is the lightest and most flexible sword and points are scored on the opponent’s torso with the tip of the blade. Developed as a means of teaching formal duelling technique, the foil is governed by rules of ‘right of way’ which determine who scores a point in instances where hits are simultaneous.

THE FOIL THE EPEETHE SABRE

The épée is the heaviest blade and points are scored with the point of the weapon anywhere on the entire body. If players hit simultaneously, within 40 miliseconds, both are awarded a point.

The sabre is unique in that it can score points with both the tip and the edge of the blade anywhere above the waist except hands and the back of the head. Sabre is generally considered the fastest and the most aggressive weapon, with entire matches that rarely exceed 20 seconds. To give you an idea, one sabre move, the ‘flunge,’ involves the sabreur attempting to make contact with the opponent while airborne in order to bypass foot-crossing rules.



Everest and the RED NOSE

Worthian Daniel Hughes was a big hit with students when he returned to the School to give an inspiring lecture on how he put the Comic Relief red nose on the top of Everest. On top of his day job as a British Airways pilot, Daniel undertook a strenuous two-year training programme for the climb with the intention of raising £1 million. He also became the first person to ever send a live broadcast, shown on BBC News, from the summit of Mount Everest. In the words of Carlo Lucarelli in Year 12, “Daniel is a prime example of what Worthians can achieve.”


Recent visitors to Worth may have noticed that the tie cabinet on the way to the Cowdray Room has undergone a major facelift. The cabinet had not been updated since the School went co-educational, so the girls’ pins needed to be put on display. The overhaul also gave the opportunity to change the cabinet lining and upgrade the labelling.

The pins are the girls’ alternative to ties. There is now a pin for St Mary’s House and one for St Anne’s House which the

girls can wear on their School blazers with pride. The designs are based on the House crests which the girls created themselves. There are also 15 award ties on display, covering everything from Captains to Schola to Voluntary Service, with a corresponding pin for the girls. The three new additions to the cabinet are the awards for Debating, Drama and Chess which are a welcome part of this colourful reminder of the variety and achievement within the School.


Pin-terest



Students shine in production

of Arcadia



Within an elegant set built from scratch by theatre technician Giovanni Manno, the students transported the audience delightfully through convolutions of dialogue, plot and time. Director Helen Brown pulled out brilliant performances from lead actors James Caruana as Septimus Hodge, Ellie McKillop as Lady Thomasina Coverley, Henry Jacobs as Valentine Coverley and Ned Caderni as Bernard Nightingale. The discovery of the production was novice actor Jakub Nagrodzki whose scene-stealing depictions of Mr Noakes the landscape gardener were a joy to behold. Congratulations to the Director and all of the cast and crew.

SIXTH FORM STUDENTS DID THE SCHOOL PROUD WITH A MAGNIFICENT PRODUCTION OF TOM STOPPARD’S ARCADIA.


14

“The word Arete is Greek and refers to virtue, excellence and being the best you can be.”

Being the best you can be...




CAN YOU REMIND US ABOUT THE AIMS OF THE PROGRAMME?We want students to engage creatively, critically but also at a serious academic level with what is at the heart of everything at Worth – our Catholic faith. The word Arete is Greek and refers to virtue, excellence and being the best you can be; we hope this will be the driving force behind the programme. We want students to consider the main teachings of the Catholic faith and work out, in a more mature way, how they could respond to them. Fundamentally we are saying ‘Look at this, it’s brilliant. Now, what do you think?’.

CAN YOU BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE CONTENT OF THE COURSE?Students begin with a survey of the main teachings of the Catholic faith based on the Nicene Creed and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We then examine a number of responses to those fundamental teachings, namely artistic responses, ethical responses and philosophical responses. There is also some exploration of apologetics (defending the faith) and liturgy, before looking at worship as a fundamental response to faith. There is a section on Catholic response to sexual ethics called ‘Theology of the Body’.

Students are then invited to prepare their own academic response in the form of a research project which can have any outcome (almost). The project is based on some aspect of the Catholic faith and how it impacts on a subject the student is studying or an area of life which is of particular interest. For example, an economist might prepare a business plan for a charity in the developing world while a student of English might look at the theme of wonder in the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins. The possibilities are endless and stimulating. Students will then be invited, after their academic project, to develop a personal, reflective response to all of this work under the theme of vocation which will conclude with a retreat experience.

TWO TERMS IN, HOW DO YOU FEEL THE PROGRAMME IS PROGRESSING?I feel the programme is progressing extraordinarily well. After a few teething troubles with timetabling, the response of our students speaks for itself. It has been greatly enjoyable and really stimulating for staff and students alike.

WHAT FEEDBACK HAVE YOU HAD FROM STUDENTS?Feedback has been almost consistently positive and entirely constructive. We have been very keen to shape the programme in response to what the students are telling us in order to ensure that it is relevant, engaging and stimulating. I am pleased that we have been able to do this all the way along.

ARE THERE PLANS TO EXTEND THE PROGRAMME?Next year the programme will be available to our Year 13 students. Opportunities for learning outside the classroom are something that I am trying to embed into each module, as well as bringing in outside speakers. I have lots of ideas and enrichment activities in the pipeline.

WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL VIEWS ON THE PROGRAMME?I am thrilled with what we, as teachers, have managed to achieve in preparing the programme but this pales in comparison to the degree with which our students have engaged with the programme and have made it their own. They have really impressed me. I am hugely excited about where the Arete programme is going and cannot wait to see where our students will help lead it in the coming terms.

THE ARETE PROGRAMME FOR THE SIXTH FORM HAS NOW BEEN RUNNING FOR NEARLY TWO TERMS, SO ALEX BRAMMER CAUGHT UP WITH MR EAMON MANNING OF THE CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY DEPARTMENT TO SEE HOW IT’S GOING.



A LEAGUE of THEIR OWN

The response from the Housemaster and Housemistress was to create the Abbot Leagues of Ortiger, Jamison and Taggart, each with an equal mix of boys and girls from Years 7 & 8, and an even split of day boys, boarding boys and day girls.

The original focus of the leagues – named after the last three abbots of Worth at the time – was to promote integration through a variety of competitions. The even split between the leagues ensures that there is fair competition, and also allows internal tournaments in single-gender sports such as netball. In addition, Year 7 & 8 pupils can compete together rather than just within their Year Group. Sports Day for junior students is run along league lines and there are other competitions throughout the year, the most recent being a hotly contested and very noisy dodgeball tournament held in the Sports Hall. The league which accumulates the most points throughout the year is awarded the Abbot League Cup.

As the Abbot Leagues evolved, activities expanded to include lunches and tea parties and now there are three Prefects assigned to each league. Niccolo Carlotti is a Year 7 & 8 Prefect assigned to Jamison League and sees his main purpose as “being an elder brother to the younger students”, socialising with them during breaks and spending at least one whole lunchtime with them a week, as well as being their number one cheerleader at sporting events.

The approach seems to be working. Mrs Kaaber who is the Assistant Housemistress at St Anne’s with specific responsibility for the junior girls says: “At this pre-teen age it is sometimes difficult to get girls and boys to integrate with each other. By mixing them into leagues and giving them specific goals or a competition to work towards, it means we develop a bond and a loyalty towards each other which bridges the gender barrier. I have witnessed this loyalty remain intact even after the pupils have left Year 8.”

Pupils are assigned to an Abbot league when they join the School by their Housemaster or Housemistress. Students tend to identify strongly with their House, so does the allegiance to a league as well as to the House create any tensions? According to Mrs Cook, “The girls say they are St Anne’s first and foremost. The Abbot League comes into play in competitions and fun evening events as another way of grouping themselves.”

“On reflection,” says Mr Matthews, “I’m delighted at how the Abbot Leagues have helped Year 7 & 8 students encompass the Benedictine values through participation, teamwork, and – ultimately – fun.”

ENCOURAGING TWO YEAR GROUPS OF 11- AND 12-YEAR-OLD BOYS AND GIRLS TO MINGLE IS NOT THE EASIEST TASK, BUT THIS WAS THE CHALLENGE FACING HOUSEMASTER MICHAEL MATTHEWS AND HOUSEMISTRESS JULIA COOK IN SEPTEMBER 2010.



ANDRE GUSHURST-MOORE, MA, WILL BE JOINING WORTH SCHOOL AT THE START OF THE SUMMER TERM AS THE NEW SECOND MASTER. HE CURRENTLY IS DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL CARE AT DOWNSIDE, THE BENEDICTINE SCHOOL IN SOMERSET. EMILY RICHARDSON INTERVIEWED MR GUSHURST-MOORE TO FIND OUT MORE.

YOU STUDIED ENGLISH AT HERTFORD COLLEGE OXFORD. WHEN AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GO INTO TEACHING?I went straight into teaching from university. I’d felt from the age of about 16 that I would like to teach; the question I considered was whether to join a teaching order, such as the Jesuits, or to be a lay-teacher. Once I met the woman who would become my wife the decision was sealed. The great thing about teaching is two-fold: you work with the subject you love – in my case literature – and you spend a great deal of time with young people who constantly renew your spirit. I’ve learnt much through teaching: it’s always a two-way process of learning and teaching.

YOU LIVED IN AMERICA FOR A WHILE WORKING AS A WRITER AND A RESEARCH FELLOW. CAN YOU TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE AND HOW IT AFFECTED YOUR LIFE?My wife Bruna is American, and we had the opportunity of moving to America for a while, giving our young children the chance to live on the other side of the pond. It gave me the chance to do something different for three years, and to read and study again. It made me realise how important it was for me to live and work in a Catholic school. I love America, but England is home.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE DOING OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL?What I like doing when I can is

reading and writing and I enjoy most country pursuits – although I’ve never ridden a horse.

YOU’VE BEEN AT DOWNSIDE SCHOOL FOR 10 YEARS AND NOW YOU’RE MOVING TO WORTH. WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO TEACH AT CATHOLIC BENEDICTINE SCHOOLS?I’ve always been a Catholic, so teaching in a Catholic school was like coming home after teaching in non-Catholic schools. I’ve come to know and love the Benedictine tradition of work and prayer while at Downside; nowadays it’s almost exclusively in Benedictine schools that clergy and laity, priests and families come together to form a community of learning and prayer. This is a very precious gift to us and the world.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WORTH AND DOWNSIDE?The similarities are more important I think. However, the architecture of the two schools is quite different; at Downside there’s a feeling of things tending towards a centre, and being quite cloistral. At Worth one seems always to be looking outwards. I do believe that the buildings we inhabit affect our experience greatly, and therefore form part of who we are.

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE GREATEST REWARDS OF WORKING AT DOWNSIDE?At Downside there is a great tradition of learning and scholarship: I’ve

been privileged to teach some fantastic pupils and to help them love literature. The greatest reward for any teacher is when a pupil says thank you for something you’ve done that has really made a positive difference to them.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AND AMBITIONS FOR YOUR TIME AT WORTH?I want to help Worth become an even more successful version of itself, more helpful to each pupil, and more fulfilling to each teacher. I’m a great believer in the power of the imagination – in faith, in life, in work and in relationships. Any human being is capable of extraordinary things if their imagination is caught up in them. The great thing is to say ‘yes’ to what is good: in ourselves and others. The things I want to help develop are the Catholic and Benedictine curriculum, community service and leadership. I’m looking forward to being more involved in the organisation of sport, as it’s been a while since I’ve coached rugby and cricket. I think all pupils should be able to find at least one sport that they can enjoy and be successful in.

The current Second Master at Worth, Dr James Whitehead, will be leaving Worth to become the first lay Head Master of Downside School.

in the power of imaginationBELIEVING


20

Oliver Campbell worked in the Learning Resource Centre at Lycée Emile Duclaux, William Masters worked at the Europe Language Organisation (ELO), Monica Marsh tried out her librarian skills at the Library Point Virgule, Peter Vangelatos worked with Aurillac Youth Development while Toby Pullan was placed with the Development Authority of Greater Aurillac. Also on the trip was Georges Abousleiman who threw himself into life in a French middle school:

“On my first day at work at College de la Ponétie, I met the Headmaster, Monsieur Force. He gave me a tour of the 600-student state school, introducing me to the members of staff. Then, I sat with the Headmaster in a Senior Leadership Team meeting. I found it interesting to find out what the teachers actually talk about in these meetings, and yes, it is mainly about students.

“I also taught English. Believe me, standing in front of a class of 12- to 14-year-olds is more daunting than it sounds. In my first lessons, as you can imagine, I was very nervous and slightly terrified, but as the lessons went on my confidence grew until I was enjoying each and every lesson.

“On top of this, I spent time in the school’s administrative department called ‘Service Vie Scolaire’, which I really liked. I also spent time with the department which works with students with learning difficulties, helped in sport classes and went on a business trip to a logistics company.

“By the end of the week all the students knew me and would say hello. I would get mobbed in the playground every time I went there! The staff were great too. I also really enjoyed being a teacher and I am now even considering being one when I’m older. The last day when I had to say goodbye to my students and to the school was truly heartbreaking.”

The placements are another example of the innovative language teaching at Worth. As explained by Head of French, Mlle Anouck Brenot: “We firmly believe that exchanges should be an integral part of a language department’s programme for students at all levels in order to broaden their linguistic experience. It is beneficial for their personal development and wider learning, as well as for reinforcing classroom learning. From Year 11 upwards, all modern language students engage in speaking practice with a native speaker, and there are many opportunities to visit other countries and experience different cultures.

“Students are also encouraged to put their language skills into practice with events such as debating competitions in French and in the UK Linguistics Olympiad. I’m delighted that the students of French had such a great opportunity in Aurillac, and that they absolutely made the most of it.”


A World of WorkA LUCKY GROUP OF SIXTH FORM STUDENTS FROM WORTH MADE THE MOST OF THEIR WEEK-LONG WORK PLACEMENTS IN AURILLAC, FRANCE.



“I also really enjoyed being a teacher and I am now even considering being one when I’m older.”


22

Photography IN RESPONSE TO THE GROWING INTEREST IN THE FINE ARTS, WORTH RECENTLY REFURBISHED THE ART BLOCK TO INCLUDE A NEW PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO AND TEACHING ROOM. THIS IS A FANTASTIC ADDITION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHY AT WORTH, SAYS KAESHINI SIVANANTHAN WHO TALKED TO SOME OF THE FIRST USERS.

The new studio provides much more space for the increasing number of students who are taking up photography at A Level and teacher John Everest can see many benefits: “Importantly, we have managed to create a few separated and personal working areas for A2 students to work independently on their Contextual Projects. The increased space is also much more flexible, with sketchbook working areas as well as practical areas for demonstrations and experimentation. Large backdrops can be used with lights to run studio-based photographic workshops without disrupting the other students working in the studio. Furthermore, the environment offers us more space for printing, trimming and mounting large photographs.”

A Level student Daniel Carminati says: “The extra space has enabled the department to provide a larger variety of materials for us to use and experiment with. The proximity of the studio to the senior art studio means that we can share ideas and resources easily, and this enables students also to share their ideas and skills with other fine artists. In addition, we are able to produce photographic images in sculptural forms and experiment with film and installation.”

Amelia Nunes-Carvalho agrees, “I find that the new photography studio definitely helps my studies as there are more desks, computers and spaces to work at. At A2, you get your own section to work from, which has definitely helped me in terms of organising my material and various projects.”

These new facilities have enabled photography to come into its own and be represented as an equal partner within the art department. Thanks to the additional facilities, students can come in and work on their photography portfolios during free periods without disturbing other lessons. After the success of the photography exhibition in June 2013, it is clear that the photography department at Worth is growing steadily, both in terms of students and in terms of artistic excellence. The next steps will be offering photography at GCSE level from next year and creating a darkroom facility in the Senior Art Studios to further extend the techniques on offer to students.

The image (right) was taken by Daniel Carminati using the School’s new macro lens and then edited in Photoshop. It was shot in Ms Chamberlain’s lab where the A2 biologists had been cloning cauliflower – they plan to move the plantlets onto potting compost at Easter.

FINDS A NEW HOME




Photography


Printed on environmentally friendly paper made from raw materials sourced from managed and sustainable forests.

Insight Editorial Team:Simon FisherCatherine ForresterHenry Jacobs (Year 13) Andrew LavisFrancesc Mora Ortega (Year 13)Emily Richardson (Year 12)Kaeshini Sivananthan (Year 12)

For the latest Worth School news and events, please visit www.worthschool.co.ukFurther news and views from around the Worth community can be found at www.worthschoolvoices.co.uk.Worth School, Paddockhurst Road, Turners Hill, West Sussex RH10 4SDt: 01342 710200 e: [email protected]

Registered charity number 1093914Company registration number 4476558

Photography: Images by Emma Duggan Photography, except Arcadia images by Robbie Jack Photography, Philippines run image by Sylvie Wootton, Everest red nose image by Alex Burge, Arete image from the Photography Club, Aurillac photos from various sources in France via Anouck Brenot and photography article image by Daniel Caminati.

Worth School pupil Dylan Lall has been named as one of the Next 20 ambassadors for football’s ‘Kick It Out’ campaign which is designed to promote quality and inclusion in the sport. Dylan has been a Worth School pupil since 2007 and is now in the Sixth Form where he combines studying Economics and Business Studies with playing for the Youth Team at Brighton & Hove Albion where he is also in the Development Squad.

Football Ambassador

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