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Omnibus December 2013

Bonjour la France! Harry Sugden on last summer’s Year 9 trip to France

OMNIBUS The termly newspaper of Wilson’s School

At the end of the last summer term, 71 Year 9 students (now Year 10) headed to France to enjoy the annual MFL trip to enhance what we’d been learning in our lessons and to get a feel of what the language is really all about.

It all started at 7:45am on the Monday morning, where everyone met at school eager to get on the coach and go. Unfortunately, there were a few delays on the road and we arrived for our Eurotunnel crossing only to find out there were train delays as well! Finally, at 2:50pm we descended into the depths of the English Channel, unfortunately miss-ing a few activities that day. We did, however, arrive safely and were ready for the activities the next day.

First stop in the morning (after a hearty breakfast) was Le Blockhaus d’Eperlecques. We stopped at various points around the German bunker from WWII as we learned how the V1 and V2 rockets made in the ‘factory’ were produced and launched those many years ago. We could still see some of the holes where bombs had been dropped on the site! In the afternoon, we arrived at a French sports centre for a carousel of athletics activities. This was cut a little short but plan B was just as good! We spent a few euros and tested our vocabulary as we got an ice cream before enjoying games on the beach.

The next day started with a trip to a Boulangerie (a bakery if you didn’t know) where we were shown how bread is

made before a very mad baker tested us on the ingredients of a croissant- it was surprising he didn’t make a dent in the table after the amount of times he whacked it with his roll-ing pin! Rolling croissants was certainly his skill though; I don’t think any of our croissants quite matched his stand-ard. The coach took us to a snail farm afterwards, where we learnt about the ‘life of a Bourgogne snail’. My group was certainly a little stumped when it came to answering how you tell if a snail is a boy or girl… they are in fact both! Finally, to finish off the day, we travelled to Mon-treuil for a rallye (put simply in English, a town quiz finding places in the town). Well done to Ms Lemaire’s group who won - now I wonder which teacher wrote the instructions for the town quiz…

We were certainly reminded we weren’t on holiday, as we had a few French lessons in the evenings, in particular to prepare ourselves for our next morning activity! Some would say speaking to the people of France is easy; others would argue quite the contrary but nevertheless, we were fully prepared with our questions to interview Le Touquet’s market merchants and shoppers! After our hard work in the morning, we spent the afternoon on the beach testing out our market purchases and enjoying the sun!

Time really does fly when you’re having fun- the final day had arrived already and on the itinerary for today was a visit to the Nausicaá Sea-Life centre in Boulogne. A small few of us managed to catch the feeding time of the Sea Lion’s which was a highlight of the visit! Our final stop before getting back on the coach to return home was a gift shop where we spent a few last euros… I wonder if any of the teachers were a little wound up when a few of us came out with recorders? Those musical instruments certainly make a noise!

And with that, we returned home back to England! Special thanks must go to Mademoiselle Lemaire and all the sup-porting staff for doing a great job in making the trip fun, a learning experience and overall, a success! No doubt this year’s group of Year 9’s will enjoy the trip just as much as we did. Merci de votre attention, au revoir!

Omnibus December 2013

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A trip to Fishbourne Palace Arjun Bahra tells us about a Year 8 trip to see the remains of a Roman palace

On Friday 18th October, Year 8 spent the day at Fish-bourne Palace looking at the remains of a British-Ro-man Villa. At 13:30 the coach pulled into Fishbourne Palace and the museum was the first stop. Inside the museum were pictures and diagrams of the palace that used to stand there.

Inside, there were cross sections of typical houses and construction plans as well. As well as this, there were materials found when archaeologists excavated the site.Real remains of wall paintings and the hypocaust systems were also on show. In a typical roman house, ceilings were very low and the rooms very small. In the model on the right a brazier would have been carried from room to room to keep the heat in.

After the museum, we were guided to the main part of the exhibition: the mosaics. A boardwalk has been built across the remains of the villa to show the mosa-ics that are displayed across the floor but they have not been moved. The picture below shows the mosaics and the hypocaust systems. Cupid on a Dolphin is one of the famous mosaics in the room.

Outside was the garden that has been remodelled to how it looked in its heyday. Bushes line the field with single pathways surrounding it with seven olive trees at the very end. There used to be two gardens but only one of them could be recreated.

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Omnibus December 2013

Roman Ray-Bans and the Pompeian Pavarotti Oscar Taperell on the Year 8 trip to Naples

In the October half-term, a group of Year 8s flew out to Naples to visit the historic site of Vesuvius. However, on that very same day, the Roman God Vulcan willed it that Mount Etna should erupt, 200 miles from where we were staying… Perhaps this could be a bad omen for the trip?

However, all sacrifices to the Gods proved positive and so, after reaching Naples, we decided to climb up Mount Ve-suvius and claim it for the glory of Rome. Many obstacles hindered our advance up the still-active volcano’s side, such as souvenir stalls and photo opportunities, yet we finally reached the crater. Once everyone had peered anxiously down into the titanic caldera and bought a fridge magnet or two, we trotted off down Mons Vesuvio (Italian for Mount Vesuvius) to visit the unfortunate town of Herculaneum.

Buried under almost 20 metres of volcanic stone, the place was a remarkable sight, as the town is preserved incredibly well. All of the buildings’ second floors remained intact, as did some of the furniture and even food! Mr Lawson, the expert on all things ancient, was roamin’ all over the place as he explained the 2000 year-old buildings and grotesque corpses in the town.

Next morning, after a light continental breakfast, our Centurion Miss Nichols led us on to the coach, where we proceeded to follow the narrow, perilous path of the Amalfi coast drive. It was a sight to behold, as was evident by our badly depleted camera batteries. Driving past Christiano Ronaldo’s villa and finally ending up at the beautiful wind-ing streets of Amalfi and Ravello. Allowed to wander for a while through the different allies, all of the Wilsonians finally emerged with humungous ice creams of assorted flavours an hour later (as every good tourist must do).

After the legions of Wilsons were filed back onto the coach, we drove on to the titanic Greek temples of Paes-tum further down the road. These gleaming white pillars glinted in the Mediterranean sunshine, as did awesome Mr Chappell’s Ray-Bans. Despite the attraction of these ma-jestic columns that stood as a monument to the legacy of

the Greeks, all were ultimately drawn to the lure of a good souvenir shop. Surfacing later from the labyrinths of the shops, hands full with dubiously priced items, we drove on back to the hotel at Sorrento and finished off the day with proper Italian food: pizza.

Waking up the following morning and sadly acknowledging that this was to be our last day in Italy, we visited the site that everyone was looking forward to: Pompeii! The site was far larger than anyone had previously imagined, and even the most orientated of our group got easily lost. After visiting the one-and-only, Caecilius,’s house, everybody felt a pang of pride, as they were all finally able to say that they had visited the Book 1’s main character’s house. Strolling through the magnificent streets, the town seemed to be more populated now than it ever had been before the erup-tion.

Reaching the theatre at the centre of the town, our group sat down as if we were proper Romans awaiting a Greek tragedy. However, little did we know that Mr Lawson had prepared a performance of his own... Halfway through explaining what the uses of the theatre were, the veteran classics teacher burst into song, belting out a perfect tune for almost two minutes. As well as Wilson’s, tour groups from around the world who had come to the theatre just then couldn’t help but admire the man’s singing talent, and eventually Mr Lawson got a standing ovation. We were too busy scrambling for cameras so as to record this once in a lifetime spectacle to notice the particular song, but all witnesses to the event swear it was something by Pavarotti. Everybody now regards Mr Lawson with a greater deal of respect. Perhaps teaching in music is also a viable path for Mr Lawson?

Later that day we headed back to the airport, all sad that our time-travelling adventure in Italy had now come to an end. Many thanks must go to Miss Nichols for organising the trip, as well as Mr Pav...er…Lawson, Miss Tattersall and Mr Chappell for helping out. It was a spectacular trip worthy of record in the histories of Polybius.

Omnibus December 2013

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If you haven’t already given up following the appalling quality of puns present in the title, it is inevitable that the remaining 20% of you will be swiftly departing come the main body of the article. For today, I attempt to entice every one of you Earthlings to throw wool to the wind! (as it were) and travel, with a somewhat jaunty spring in your step, F13-wards. But please, do not be so hasty. For if you do choose to travel, at precisely 1.05 this Friday lunchtime, you may just happen to encounter us, the Wise Men of the West, brandishing strange, unfamiliar tools which – if you are wise – you will be drawn to, or from which – if you are unworthy – you will recoil. But these are no miracles of science, no weapons forged from celestial bronze – indeed, something far more fearful: knitting needles.

Under the watchful gaze of seasoned stitchers, Her Maj-esty Tattersal and Barbara (alongside willing sidekick Miss Lambert), pupils have flocked here by the dozen in eager anticipation of this brand spanking new, ultra-exciting activity. H.M. ‘Stringo’ Tattersal provides many new and different types of wool each week for the community to babble over, and gives frequent enthusiastic demonstra-

A close-knit communityPupils left highly-strung after attendance of Textile Club rockets

Michael Ahearn on the joys of textile club

tions on the various complexities of knitting, whilst Her Ladyship ‘Threadbare’ Barbara is always on call to prevent incidents of wool-based crimes descending into violence. The ‘Patchwork Trio’ (as we like to call them) would not be complete without the hard work and dedication of Miss Lambert, who selflessly dedicates the majority of her time to laughing at the confused nature of our needlework.

The handling of such a fine art is, upon the first try, very difficult to grasp – and I mean that quite literally. It will have you in stitches. But once the initial horror of being associated with such a ‘feminine’ activity has departed his woolly mind, a man realises that the tools of darning and drapery are not his enemy. Let the needles be your friends. For only then will you be able to ‘cast off ’ your cap of ignorance and sail merrily, joyously, into the golden sunset of manhood, leaving behind you only the silent reproach of those who refused (as you settle into the comfy armchair by the fire). But just remember, comrades – knitters have balls.

There was once a boy called Bob who was very naughty. He would often mock the teacher and shout out in class; he thought he was funny and that everyone liked him. One day, the teacher got fed up with him, and moved him into the corner of the room, where he couldn’t distract the class as much.

Bob became very proud of this, as he thought that this proved he was the coolest in the class, and he began to show off to other people in the year. He began to brag so much, that he was even more annoying than he was in the class.

Eventually, one of the more intelligent people in the class went up to him and popped his balloon.“You are only there because the teacher has deemed you to be a very rude boy. It is not the sign, but on the contrary, the sign of disgrace.”

Modernised from Aesop’s Fable, the Mischievous dog

Fabulae omnibus (fables for all)Kevin Gu and Parth Gundi from 8H

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Omnibus December 2013

This term Wilson’s was filled with groovy melo-dies and funky refrains, and though the performers wouldn’t be caught dead describing their music as ei-ther ‘funky’ or ‘groovy’, they rocked the establishment regardless.

The second ever “Battle of the Bands” took place on Friday 15th November amidst tumultuous applause, and was a certain success. The Year 11 band Midnight Feast opened and closed the evening, and between their pieces came musical treats from Skybound, PVA, the duets Ramon & Caleb and Satchit & Jack, and Mind the Gap. The songs played spanned the spec-trum of genres, with crooning, lilting love songs lulling the enraptured audience into a romantic haze before being pulled onto their feet by a whizzing and twirling rendition of a classic floor-filler. The performances were so good they kept the audience agog - even through Archie MacGillivray’s seemingly inexhaustible stocks of appalling puns as he compered between acts.

The Battle of the Bands heard some of the best music played by the school’s students, who put more joy and happiness into that evening than they do into many other musical events. That was the aim and intention that the event’s architect, music teacher Mr Rogers, had in mind when he originally conceived the idea for the Battle. The reasoning was that if the students can perform so wonderfully when doing classical and traditional pieces that are in keeping with the school’s conventional music events, just imagine how excellent they would be when playing music of their own selec-tion which they love and listen to in their spare time! Battle of the Bands allows students to express them-selves in music without constraint or creative shackles,

Battle of the Bands 2013 Archie MacGillivray tells us all about it...

Omnibus December 2013

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Having completed my Extended Qualification Project on Athol Fugard’s play Sizwe Banzi is Dead during Y12, I was delighted to learn that two of Fugard’s plays, Sizwe Banzi and The Island, were to run at the Young Vic theatre during this autumn term. I quickly put my name down for both thea-tre trips.

We saw Sizwe Banzi on 19th September. The theatre took the unusual step of segregating the audience, to give us a taste of the injustice faced by the vast major-ity of South Africans for so long. It was a salutary experience to be separated from my friends on the grounds of race. However, the play itself was every-thing I expected and I very much enjoyed an excellent production of a play I had studied and knew well.

Then, last week, we went to see The Island.

Like Sizwe Banzi, this is a play devised by the play-wright Athol Fugard and the original cast of John Kani and Winston Ntshona. It is based on the actual experiences of prisoners on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 27 years. The play tells the story of a couple of cellmates rehears-ing scenes from Sophocles’ Antigone, during which one learns that his appeal has been successful and he is shortly to be released, while the other is to remain a prisoner for life.

The play begins with a non-speaking scene, during which the prisoners fill and refill wheelbarrows with sand, only to dump their load on the pile that the other is digging. Each man pushes his wheelbarrow around and around a bare concrete slab, the size of one of the cells in Robben Island, sweating and straining to complete a never-ending, back-breaking, futile task de-signed only to break their fellowship. Back in the cell, the gentleness with which they tend each other’s hurts and the honesty with which they confess their recent hatred for each other is intensified by the enforced hard labour.

A review of ‘The Island’ Jack Robertson tells us about a sixth form theatre trip to see Athol Fugard’s ‘The Island’

The dialogue is at times very funny, often witty, and always powerful. John’s imagined phone call home is incredibly moving; Winston’s outrage when John laughs at his costume is hilarious; his worry when John is taken out of the cell, initial joy at his friend’s good fortune, and then growing awareness of what that means for him, puts the audience through the emo-tional mill. Everything occurs within the ten by five feet of the concrete slab, which holds only a bucket of water, two tin mugs and two bedrolls. The characters’ physical closeness parallels the necessary emotional dependence of two very different men. The final scene, in which John and Winston present their play-within-a-play, Antigone, to the ‘audience’ of prisoners and guards, is hugely powerful. Winston, having been persuaded to don a blonde straw wig and wrap his blanket around his waist like a skirt, delivers Antigone’s defence and, when he tears the wig from his head and completes his plea in his own person, de-manding justice and respect for all, he is transformed from a reluctant player to the embodiment of human dignity. The force of his passion and the justice of his words hits the audience like a hurricane.

Mr Hudson, who mentored my EPQ, told me that ‘The Island’ was the better play. He was right.

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Omnibus December 2013

Miss Gibson

1. ‘Curious incident of the dog in the night-time’ by Mark Haddon

2 The boy in the story has Asperger sydrome, a form of Autism. It’s written from his perspective, explaining the condition in a light-hearted way.

3. Young adults.

Ms Cowell

1. ‘Delirium’ by Lauren Oliver

2. Set in a post-apocalyptic time, like the Hunger Games.

3. Appeals equally to teenagers and adults

Mr Clayden

1. ‘Death and the Penguin’ by Audrey Kurkov

2. It was a witty crime story, starring a pet penguin and the mafia. This made it very whimsical, but compelling at the same time.

3. It’s an adult book, but those of all ages will enjoy it

Mr Coop

1. ‘Purple Cane Road’ by James Lee Burke

2. It was a descriptive read, with an excellent plot.

3. Recommended to Sixth Formers and adults

Miss Tyler

1. ‘Engleby’ by Sebastian Faulks

2. I enjoy reading first person narratives. This story is told

An interview with teachers: What book have you enjoyed reading this year?

Charlie D’imperio and Rohit Prabhu interview teachers on a book they have enjoyed reading this year.

from an unreliable narrator, which makes you feel quite uneasy!

3. Sixth formers and adults would enjoy it.

Mr Mulcahy

1. ‘Ulysses’ by James Joyce.

2. Encourages you to have sympathy for all of the charac-ters in the novel.

3. Recommended to people who have a lot of time on their hands.

Mr Johnstone

1. ‘May We Be Forgiven’ A.M Homes (won women’s prize for fiction)2. Plot is too outrageous to think that it would actually oc-cur in real life. Says something profound about modern life.

3. KS5+GCSE students.

Miss Nicholls

1. ‘Game of Thrones’ by George R.R Martin

2. The wealth of characters, and the fact that you can never predict the story really gripped me. It’s also got quite a political intrigue about it.

3. I’d recommend it to those who enjoy political thrillers or fantasy.

Bonus question: “Any last words to the Wilson’s pupils, seeing as you’re leaving at the end of this term?”

I’ll miss everyone at Wilson’s greatly, but it’s time to see what adventures the frozen north has in store for me.

Charlie D’imperio and Rohit Prabhu asked teachers three questions:

1. Could you name a book you have enjoyed reading this year?

2. Why did you enjoy this book?

3. Who do you think would enjoy this book and why?

Omnibus December 2013

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A Gothic Ode to Fried Chicken

As I stood there tired and wearyThe thought of it did make me drearyCould it be that it was reallyAll of what it claimed to be?

I walked in to the room and spiedThe box as on my plate it liedThe smell told me that it was friedThe chicken, all of it for me.

I opened it, and I did seeThe chicken fried, from KFCOn the box the words told meMy fingers needed lickin’.

It all spilled out on to my plateThe chickens in the farmyard’s fateA better food no one ateThan the great fried chicken.

Into my mouth the banquet wentTo the stomach it was sentMy money must have been well spentEvery piece I cherished.¬¬¬¬

Like all good things the chicken thoughDespite my wishes it must goI mourned the meal later, OThe chicken, it was finished. Arun Prabhakar

Cristiano Ronaldo 7

He has the mercurial flareAnd the perfect hairHe has those dench legsCheeky nutmegs.

On the grass he’s so fastHe’s never ever lastHe’s no lousy mouseHe’s a 6ft powerhouse.

Let the dipping knuckleballMeet the Nike footballIt swerves in the goalLet’s rock and roll.

Pace. Power. Precision.There’s only 1 decisionHis 6 pack is crazy

Creative corner

Messi’s just lazy.

Who’s the new kid BaleHe’s always on my tailDon’t vex me BaleOr be an epic fail.A pass from IscoA cross from AlonsoHe shoots an exploding rocketA goal in his pocket.

So I say againBut it’s not vain Pace. Power. Precision.There’s only 1 decision.

The God from heavenIt’s CR7.

Michael Banh

Modern Love

You’re the friends to my facebook,You’re the fruit to my salad,You’re the I to my phone,You’re the six to my nine,You’re the car to my race,You’re the one I have to love.

You’re the G to my oogle,You’re the tweet to my twitter,You’re the teacher to my school,You’re the black to my white,You’re the dark to my light,You’re the one I want to love.

You’re the you to my tube,You’re the story of my plan,You’re the woman to my man,You’re the saucer to my pan,You’re the pews to my church,You’re the one I need to love.

You’re the players to my game,You’re the letters to my name,You’re the key to my lock,You’re the hot to my coldYou’re the silver to my gold,You’re the love of my life.

Elliot Roberts

A selection of poetry from ‘creative writing enrichment’..