MAGAZINE 2019 the MAGAZINE of BOOTHAM SCHOOL and the BOOTHAM OLD SCHOLARS’ ASSOCIATION Volume 42 / Issue 1 / December 2019
MAGAZINE 2019 THE MAGAZINE OF BOOTHAM SCHOOL AND THE BOOTHAM OLD SCHOLARS’ ASSOCIATION Volume 42 / Issue 1 / December 2019
THE MAGAZINE OF BOOTHAM SCHOOL AND THE BOOTHAM OLD SCHOLARS’ ASSOCIATION
Headmaster Chris Jeffery Deputy Headmaster Martyn Beer Head, Bootham Junior School Helen Todd President of Bootham Old Scholars’ Association Peter Warn
03 The Headmaster 04 - 21 Bootham Features - 04 - 07 - A Year at Bootham: Head Reeves’ Speech 2019 - 08 - 09 - Interview with Ruth Crabtree - 10 - 11 - Openshaw Travel Bursary: Grace Whorley - 12 - 13 - The Fish You Don’t Eat: Abi Hayward - 14 - 15 - Natural History Society Field Trip 2019 - 16 - 17 - A Year at Bootham Junior School - 18 - 19 - Openshaw Travel Bursary: Maddie Pope - 20 - 21 - Are you resting at the moment?: Frances Marshall 22 - 23 Richard Burton, Bootham School 1986-2019 24 - 31 Student Work - 24 - 26 - Southall Archaeological Awards - 28 - DT work - 29 - Art - 30 - 31 - New Work 32 - 37 Leavers 2019 - 32 - 33 - Photograph - 34 - 35 - College Leavers’ Results - 36 - Leavers’ destinations - 37 - Staff Leavers 38 - 43 School Record - 38 - New staff and students - 39 - 43 - Sport 45 - 61 Old Scholars - 44 - 46 - Across the months - 47 - Something to celebrate: David Hughes - 48 - 49 - Ken Wood - 50 - 51 - Stephen Richardson - 52 - 53 - John Dowell - 54 - 56 - Old Scholars remembered - 57 - Deaths since 2018 - 58 - 59 - Ypres, Belgium, France: Andrew Robinson - 60 - 61 - Reunions 62 Proud of Bootham? 63 School Reunions 2020
02 The Headmaster
HEADMASTER Chris Jeffery I knew there was something fundamentally My appreciation of just what it was he was referring different about Bootham a few moments after I to has, of course, deepened and broadened over subsequent years. In fact I’ve discovered that Bootham picked up a letter from Jonathan Taylor from my doesn’t just educate you or employ, it invites you into a in-tray in the early weeks of 2015. It announced to relationship. One consequence of spending any period all HMC Heads that he was retiring the following of time in a close relationship (or when you get used summer and that his job was up for grabs. I was to a place or when a place absorbs you as Bootham used to receiving such letters, but reading this inevitably does if you surrender to it) is that you almost one as I walked back from my PA’s office to my inevitably risk beginning to lose sight of the very many small things that make it different; the things that make own I was so struck by the unexpected language it truly remarkable. he used to describe the school, and so intrigued by the unusual sentiments expressed – he called In response to this, as I completed my third year as working at Bootham, for example, a ‘radical Head, my talk at the 2019 Parents’ Day explored many and varied examples of ‘The Bootham Difference’. I delight’– that even before I had sat down at my hope that this magazine, lovingly and tenaciously put desk I found my hand reaching out for the phone together by Elaine Phillips – to whom many and grateful to ring for more details. thanks – further exemplifies that difference in the many aspects covered in the pages that follow. In doing so, we would in particular acknowledge the community’s sadness at the very untimely and distressing passing of our colleague and friend Richard Burton, and the many ways in which his life spoke of and exhibited that Bootham Difference so clearly.
That difference is why I and my colleagues come to work every day. It’s what our old scholars – young and less young – talk about when they come back to see us. It’s what parents say, with increasing frequency, is the main reason they send their children to us. And it is what we are going to continue to try to foster, day-in-and-day- out, over the years ahead. For that’s who we are.
Chris Jeffery with Old Scholar, Ben Leftwich
03 G: There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give A YEAR AT our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings. These were the words of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, and we can say with confidence that Bootham has not only provided us with strong roots, and memories that we will forever hold dear, but also the wings to flourish. As we have reflected on our time here, we have come to realise that we will always feel welcome in this community, and even when faced with new and exciting opportunities, this is not something we will lose sight of. R: Some members of staff are also leaving this year. After 6 years at Bootham, Kirsten Cooper is leaving her role as Head of Physics. Between leading fantastic physics trips and running philosophical or fitness-filled activities, she’s left quite the impression on both the physics department and the whole school. Her enthusiasm for science and the environment is truly infectious, and closely rivalled by her love for streaming TV- if she couldn’t convince her Upper Seniors to take up A-level physics she’d certainly succeed in getting them to catch up on Game of Thrones. We thank Kirsten for her wit and knowledge, and we wish her the best of luck in future adventures. G: Simon Benson, who has headed up the Bootham drama department for 10 years, is now leaving his role to become a peripatetic LAMDA teacher here, and we’d like to take this time to thank him for his work as head of drama. Having directed 12 school productions, and given countless evenings up for GCSE and A-level performances too, Simon really has contributed so much to the school. WITH GEORGIA HAYNES I’m sure many of his students are particularly grateful & ROB DAVIDSON for the selection of pizzas he provided during rehearsals, which was often a great incentive to learn their lines. Gillian England is leaving too, having taught Latin and Classics here for several years. She has brought life and excitement to such ancient storytelling and notably THERE ARE ONLY TWO LASTING helped ISSP students so much with their GCSE Latin. We’re also saying goodbye to Alison Spalding, our chemistry BEQUESTS WE CAN HOPE TO GIVE technician, whose ability to make experiments totally safe is impressive, given the Lower Schoolrooms’ excessive OUR CHILDREN. ONE OF THESE IS addiction to Bunsen Burners. R: It is also with great sadness that this year we said ROOTS, THE OTHER, WINGS farewell to Ian Small, headmaster at Bootham from 1988- 2004, who passed away in October. Under Ian’s leadership, Bootham thrived. Student numbers increased, boarding Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe was extended to include girls, Bootham took over Ebor Prep and eventually moved the Junior School to a purpose built site in Rawcliffe. He is very fondly remembered by those who knew him, including of course many of you who knew him as headmaster, from staff to our current HMC bursary holders.
Ian Small 1943 – 2019
04 Bootham Features - A year at Bootham: Head Reeves Speech 2019
G: This year we have welcomed a few new members of G: We have had a fantastic year of sport, with successes staff to Bootham too. Along with a brilliant Res Grad team here at home, away and on an international level too. who have played an active role in activities, assisting PE Football at Bootham has really kicked off, and for the first sessions and helping run the boarding houses, Stephanie, time, Bootham has created a girls football team, helped by the cover librarian, has successfully coped with the res-grad and keen footballer Georgia Traill-Scott. Bootham stampede of college students registering at the start of hosted an under 12 and 13s tournament which gave the period 4 in the library, on a daily basis- a commendable girls a lot of new match experience and has prepared achievement. them for more competitive games next season. At the top end of the school, the First XI, captained by Will Stevens, R: John Lee has been a welcome addition to the English has had an outstanding season - finishing their final game department, Victoria Sellars has brought another friendly with a 5-1 victory against Birkdale School. Other college face to the PE department, and Ben Jackson has joined pupils have enjoyed the convenient clash between PE as the new art technician too. We were also happy to sessions and the first XI games, insisting to Andy that welcome Beth Steer to the school, who has made an spectating and supporting really is, a form of exercise! impression not only as director of wellbeing and boarding but also with the shiniest of shoes. Jenny Adams has R: The Under 16 basketball team won the District title joined the EAL department and Liam McCreesh has – having had an unbeaten record in the competition joined the learning support department too. Many throughout the season. A new addition to the list of congratulations also to Elizabeth McCulloch who got Bootham’s sporting successes has come from the man, the married over the Easter holidays, straight after returning myth, the legend Toby Price, who competed for Team GB from the Normandy Landings trip with her upper- at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in October, finishing schoolroom students. 17th in the world, a fantastic achievement and great experience for Toby. The drama department has continued to amaze, and its most recent production of The Lion, The Witch and The G: Congratulations also to Nikita Tcarik, who achieved 1st Wardrobe which was performed in February was fantastic. and 2nd places for both single and team events in the Flora Guildford’s ‘Aslan’ was a roaring success, and Mair wind tunnel discipline of the Skydiving Championships Thompson managed to cast a spell on the audience as the in St Petersburg recently. Lower schoolroom student White Witch. Well done to all the cast on stage who gave Millie Haynes has qualified for the British Schools Judo us two very entertaining evenings, and of course everyone Championships after winning gold at the Northern Area backstage who kept the show running smoothly as usual. Regional Competition. We hope they continue to excel in This year we’d like to thank Alex Johnson in particular, who their sports. has fulfilled his role as technological wizard in Luke’s box Millie Haynes for so many years now- there are countless school events that would not have been so slick if not for him.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
U16 Basketball team Toby Price
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
U12/13 Girls new Football Team
05 R: As ever, the Art department continues to produce R: Well done to all bakers, and particularly Lower impressive works, and this year, we have seen a number of Schoolrooms’ Ruby Salters for winning this year’s events hosted by students. College 2 created and hosted an Valentine’s-themed fairtrade bake-off with her double exhibition of their works at Spark York, an event organised decker red-velvet and cheesecake cupcake which included by the students themselves, with the help of resident artist, chocolate dipped strawberries and a white chocolate and Emmy Simpson. College 1 produced a fantastic exhibition, raspberry ganache. Quite the mouthful. which gave them the opportunity to showcase their work G: I’m sure it was.In March, Sarah Allen organised a to a public audience. phenomenal night of music for the Dragonfly Schools G: Speaking of showcasing art, Benny Santos-Pearcy in Foundation, a charity run by former head of the Junior College 2 produced a stunning documentary, along with school Sue Bretherton and her husband, familiar exam Dami Ayo-Vaughan, a Bootham Old Scholar, looking invigilator Ian. Performances were incredibly varied and into the youth creative scene in Lagos, Nigeria. ‘If not us’ some spontaneous, ranging from Harriet Ennis and Bella premiered in London in December and impressively, Spensley on the didgeridoo to a beautiful piano piece by was recently screened at Tate Britain. The images show Anton. Well done to all the performers, who altogether some of the photographs the pair took whilst filming the raised an outstanding £762.53 for a charity so close to the documentary. Benny also teamed up with Alex Johnson, school’s heart. another college 2 member and produced an exhibition R: We’re all well aware of the current climate crisis, showing their own works as well as other young creatives something which we should be especially concerned about in York. as we strive to follow the Quaker testament of stewardship. R: Aspiring engineers Kiran Scott-de-Martinville and Zach Mark Robinson delivered a particularly thought-provoking Chan have gained prestigious Arkwright scholarships, meeting on the effects climate change is having right now, and Deneth Ramanayake is an Arkwright Associate. This and will have if we do not act. Many students took part in is an impressive feat considering 1600 students applied the recent climate change protests, who, along with those from across the country and fewer than 400 receive it. As who have filled their eco-bricks, should be very proud of future engineering leaders perhaps they can inform the their efforts. Keep it up! This year, once again, form groups builders of the structural advantages of having a table worked together in our annual Reverse Advent Calendar. tennis table in the upcoming college study space. Many Over the Advent period tutees brought in items to go into congratulations, and good luck to those applying for this in their form’s box which then went to the local foodbank. We years to come. managed to gather 1126 items. G: Students and staff have, as usual, taken part in various charitable events and should be very proud of what Arkwright Scholarships they’ve achieved. College II students Will, Rob and Chenry completed the National Three Peaks Challenge- that’s climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon- in an impressive 22 hours and 22 minutes, raising over £1500 for the Emma Maltby Memorial Fund, a charity which provides education to children and adults with cancer. In other charitable news, bars regulars were treated to several bake sales throughout the year for various charities, raising a total of £499 for the NSPCC, Centrepoint, Comic Relief, Children in Need and the Bhopal Disaster charity.
Ecobricks
National Three Peaks Challenge
Ruby Salters
06 Bootham Features - A year at Bootham: Head Reeves Speech 2019
Climate Change protests
G: Paul Feehan has produced two fantastic school concerts R: Yilin and Yiyang Xu also competed at the Mrs this year, as has just recently been announced as artistic Sunderland competition - Yilin won the sterling open class director and principal conductor for the Yorkshire Youth and Yiyang was successful in the piano classes, receiving Choir. We wish him the very best with this. Emily Watson, two 2nd places - well done to you all. Benedict Baily, who’s Ellie Maury and Sammy Johnson competed in the Open leaving with us this year, is going on to study music at Woodwind classes at this year’s Mrs Sunderland Music Guildhall School in London, having received a scholarship Competition. Emily was awarded first place in the year 11 on Viola - we hope he can come back and perform at one class - winning the Holmes Cup for the third consecutive of the schools lunchtime concerts. year. Ellie came 2nd and Sammy 3rd. Siblings, Rachel G: A particular highlight of our year was the pilgrimage. and Leon Zhuang were also successful, winning two 3rd There’s much to be gained from a tour of 1652 country, place, one 2nd place and four 1st places. Tommy Sun was including the fact that strong wind is remarkably helpful successful too, placing in all four classes that he entered. when climbing hills. As of this year, Lower Schoolrooms now also climb Pendle Hill to gain a greater appreciation Tommy Sun for Quakerism and it looks like they had a great time. From what we hear, staff also thoroughly enjoyed a training day exploring Pendle and Kendall. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Martyn, the clerk of student council, Kate Hey, as well as the rest of the head reeves team, Will Stevens and Livvy Thew, for being so supportive through the year. Next year’s team is Charlotte Dean, Theo Riches, Chacha Bho-ob and Kiran Scott de Martinville and the new clerk of council is Carina Tsang. We’re positive they’ll enjoy their roles as much as we have. R: We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our time here at Bootham, from the lessons to the lovely lunches, the maths exams to Leon and Rachel Zheung the marvellous morning meetings, and the English lessons on overusing alliteration. So to return to Goethe’s quote, we’re undoubtedly rooted in this school. It’s nurtured us, challenged us, and encouraged us to have a set of principles; not to be oblivious to the world around us, but to have an opinion and to actively care for it. Even long after we’ve left school, with our memories to cherish and with our wings to fly, this will be a rooted feeling we hold with a deep fondness.
07 Interview with
Ruth DEPUTYCrabtree HEAD
hat does the role of Deputy How is Bootham different from your W Head, Academic involve? previous schools? I had previously worked in traditional schools where It’s an all-encompassing role, but I think teachers are seen as authority figures, students there are three key strands. Firstly, I’m where uniforms and discipline systems are very responsible for the quality of teaching and rigid. I found it very strange to be called by my first learning in the school. This involves working name when I arrived, but I now find it empowering with staff to promote the best working as it reflects the strength of relationships based on practices and includes a regular programme respective interactions. I enjoy the way problems of lesson observations. Last year we focused are resolved through conversation and mutual on the use of feedback across the school with the aim of helping students to reflect respect. on the quality of their work. Did you always want to teach? I am also responsible for what we teach in I wanted to be a teacher from a young age. I loved the senior school. I review the schemes of being in groups like the Brownies and Guides, and work across departments and look at the really enjoyed working with the younger children. subjects offered and examination boards I always had a passion for all things French and used. The curriculum has changed over knew I wanted a career that included languages. time and I’m particularly pleased that we Teaching combined the two things. have recently added A Level Politics to our College offering. What do you think about Bootham’s Quaker I also monitor student progress and values? regularly discuss performance in tests and I think the Quaker values can only really be the content of reports with teachers and appreciated when you experience them. I tutors. If we identify students who we think particularly value regular silent meeting. I find it need extra help, then I will hold meetings soothing and a time for reflection; it sets me up for with the students and their parents. It’s the day and I’m always amazed by the silence held important the students have the right level by over 460 students. of help, motivation and support. I’ve already mentioned the use of first names and Why did you choose Bootham? the lack of traditional hierarchy. Our students are I had been Head of Modern Foreign bold and prepared ‘to speak truth to power’ which I Languages in another school for a while find refreshing. and was looking for a leadership role. The advertised role at Bootham appealed to me because it was about teaching and learning. I looked on the website and thought Bootham looked really interesting. I particularly remember seeing the school video and thinking the people seemed nice, and I was intrigued by the Quaker ethos. When I came for interview, everyone was very friendly, I was treated kindly and the school felt ‘down to earth’. I like working here: I particularly like the ethos and I think the relationships between staff and students are the best I’ve seen in any school.
08 Bootham Features - A interview with Ruth Crabtree
What’s your vision for the academic development of the school over the next five years? I’m working on quite a few new things at the moment. I’ve already mentioned the restructuring of feedback to help students form their own independent study habits. I think this is such an important skill, particularly at a time when the dropout rates from university are so high. Students need to be equipped with the right study habits and resilience to thrive outside of school. I want to imbed ideas of metacognition into everything that we do, again to give our students every chance to deliver good self-directed and reflective habits. We are also looking at ways in which year groups can undertake research projects. Ideally this will focus on topics that they are passionate about and shouldn’t be driven by exams. It’s so important for students to learn about, and experience research at first hand. I’d also like us to take more risks with our education. Our students should be encouraged to live adventurously and this may mean doing things outside of the curriculum. I’d love to be in a position where Bootham isn’t driven by exams and where we could create our own courses. This would also allow us to do a lot more cross-curricular work and to break-down barriers between subjects. What advice would you give to the What do we gain from studying another Education Minister? language? There are three things I would do straight away. I went to South America over the summer and Firstly, there should just be one exam board and had fantastic trip in four very different places. My it should be a ‘not for profit’ entity. The current journey was enriched by my being able to speak system isn’t fit for purpose and needs to be radically French, German and Spanish. I used Spanish, changed. One of the first things the new board and a little Portuguese in Brazil, to order food and should do is ensure exams are timetabled in a made friends with some Belgians in the Amazon helpful and supportive way. Students should never because I could speak French. I think I found out a be expected to sit three exams on one day. lot more about local culture because I could speak Secondly, I would change the university application with people in their own languages. It’s important system so students could only apply post A Level. to try; my knowledge of Portuguese is quite limited This would take so much stress and anxiety out but we wouldn’t have eaten some days without it! of the system and would allow everyone to make I think learning and communicating in other much better choices. languages also helps to build confidence. It’s also Finally, and I know I won’t be popular with some the way I really started to understand English for this, I would move to a semester system and not grammar. There are so many problems in the have the very long summer holiday. I think the long world at the moment, anything that helps improve summer break disrupts student learning and we communication and understanding has to be a need to have a year that is more consistently paced. good thing. Finally, tell us about your ideal weekend What are you interests outside school? I like to spend time with friends on Friday evenings I am addicted to musicals and I’m really looking when we can enjoy some good food and wine. If I forward to seeing ‘Hamilton’ in November. I’m also have a free Saturday, I like to go out for lunch and a film buff and particularly like 1940s black and to do some shopping before going to the cinema or white films. I like wine and enjoy wine-tastings theatre. Finally, Sunday is a day for getting outside and learning about different wines and regions. for a nice walk along the river with my dog and then Finally, I now have a dog and we’re enjoying perhaps a long soak in the bath in the evening. exploring the local area together.
09 Openshaw Travel Bursary: Grace Whorley I left Bootham in 2018 after 7 years, with a heavy My 10 week placement was in conjunction with TLED heart. I decided to take a year out from studying (Tanzania Local Enterprise Development) and was a to volunteer and see more of the world before business project working with small and medium sized going to university. I am now in my first year enterprises in the municipal area. Myself and my fellow volunteers helped the businesses grow by designing studying for a Master of Pharmacy at Newcastle and making business cards, logos and branding slogans University. and also assisted with business plans and cash flow. In College 2, I heard about the Voluntary Service Fortunately, we had an intense week of training in Dar es Overseas International Citizen Service programme Salaam and a few days in Iringa where we were taught (VSO ICS) from a friend’s mum and after some how to use the design software and the in’s and out’s of research felt it would be perfect for me. ICS is a global cash flow and business plans, otherwise I would’ve really volunteering programme for 18-25 year olds, funded struggled. It was such a good experience working in a by the UK Government Department for International cross-cultural team as there would be so many different Development and offers volunteer placements in view-points to a situation and everyone could bring eight countries around the world. ICS works hand in something different to the table. hand with a selection of different charities but I chose As well as the business side to the placement, we also VSO, an international development charity with over facilitated sessions in a local secondary school, speaking 60 years’ experience, after hearing about the positive, to students on topics surrounding the Sustainable sustainable work they had been doing in Nepal after the Development Goals. These sessions were often nerve- 2015 earthquake. After a selection day in London, I was wracking as we could be talking to a room of around over the moon when I received an email congratulating 100 students, some of whom were around 21 years old me on being successful. And thus began my gap year and sometimes weren’t overly engaged in the topic, journey! but through perseverance and adapting our sessions I first travelled to Dar es Salaam (the commercial capital to the students, we ended up having so much fun! We of Tanzania) on 30th September 2018 for a week of also conducted three Community Action Days in Iringa training before heading off on a 12 hour bus journey to Town, where we aimed to engage the whole community Iringa, a reasonably large town in the centre of Tanzania in issues that were of direct significance. Topics were: between the Ruaha and Mikumi National Parks. This the Sustainable Development Goals, Entrepreneurship bus journey, on a public bus route, was incredible. We and Business Development Training and Addressing passed zebra, wildebeest, gazelles and also saw giraffe Opportunities (career options for young people). in the distance!
10 Bootham Features - Openshaw Travel Bursary: Grace Whorley
Whilst in Tanzania we all lived with a different host This was such a great event and enabled me to meet family and this was a rewarding experience that I am other people from all walks of life with similar interests very grateful for. I lived with a family who had 3 grown- and share my experience with VSO. up children, one of whom got married whilst I was My time in Tanzania definitely gave me the travel bug staying with them, and this was such an amazing event. and as soon as I was home I was reading brochures Meals were definitely very rice based, I really don’t think and searching the internet for my next adventure: New I could count how many biryani’s I had whilst I was at Zealand. Travelling alone I jetted in June and July of my hosts’ home! They were always so tasty, and we used 2019 and joined Kiwi Experience, a flexible hop on hop to eat as a family every night which made me feel very off tour company in New Zealand. As soon as I arrived, accepted. We did have a 6.30pm evening curfew which I made a group of lovely friends and we travelled both was definitely different to home but was imperative islands together for the two months I was there, and for our safety. This meant that we were able to spend I’m still in contact with them planning future trips. We quality time with our host families and really get to saw some incredible wildlife and scenery, and did some know them. amazing activities; skydiving, bungy jumping, whale At the end of the placement we were given the chance watching, zorbing and parasailing to name just a few! to reflect upon our 10 weeks and look in-depth at our New Zealand is a country which definitely needs to go personal development. For me, I came back home on everyone’s bucket list. The north island is so beautiful as a more well-rounded individual, with a better and green which is such a contrast to the south island understanding of the world and also of other people. with all its snow-capped mountains, ski runs and I developed my communication and people skills vast mirror lakes. I loved the fact that Kiwis are very massively through the programme and think that my switched on about protecting the environment and the placement has helped me already with the skills I will natural habitats of their country. This was shown by the need at University. Because I really valued my placement attitudes towards protecting the Kiwi birds and towards and the opportunities it gave me, I fundraised a further recycling and reusing/upcycling what you can. £200 for VSO and ran the London Landmarks Half Taking a gap year was probably the best decision I could Marathon in March of 2019. have made; I definitely wasn’t ready to go back into education but wanted to do something exciting and make the most of my year off. I think I got the mix just right and now I am at university I feel more confident and able to get stuck into my work and both societies and sports clubs. I would highly recommend taking a year out to see more of the world, meet different people, and develop as a person.
- Grace Whorley (Bootham 2011-18)
11 The Fish You Don’t Eat: Abi Hayward Old Scholar, Abi Hayward, has worked on a year-long journalism project: The Fish You Don’t Know You Eat. This was a Global Reporting Centre investigation, in collaboration with NBC News, into the global trade of fishmeal – a fishy powder made up of small fish like sardines that are churned up to feed other fish. Abi travelled to West Africa last December as part of the team that was investigating the effect that this trade has on communities in Senegal and The Gambia – and she wrote the third chapter of this project: https:// globalreportingprogram.org/fishmeal/#west-africa. The website is live with the full story but here is an extract from her chapter:
Metal strikes metal on Sanyang Beach in Gambia. Abdou As the industry became more lucrative, the first fishmeal Kunta Fofana hefts a mallet over his head before bringing factories started production in Gambia. it down again and again, hitting screws holding a pipeline “The very first evening, when they started their engines, it in place. His muscles strain with the effort and sweat beads was a shock to everybody,” says Lamin J.J. Jawla, a business on his forehead as he stands in rushing tide, oblivious to owner who runs a tourist resort down the beach from the water soaking his jeans. the Nessim factory in Sanyang. “The stinking smell hit the “We do not want this factory!” he shouts, breathing hard. village. It was a smell we have never experienced in our The hammer comes down again. lives.” Within a matter of minutes, a small group of men dig the Then in July 2018 the factory was closed down for almost black plastic pipe out of the sand, forcing it from concrete six months because it was not meeting environmental holdings, and discard it, triumphantly, into the ocean. standards mandated by Gambia’s National Environment Agency (NEA). The factory was dumping untreated waste The wastewater pipe connected the ocean with the on some of Sanyang’s fields and community gardens, Nessim Fishmeal Factory, one of three Chinese-owned where residents grow vegetables. Within a day, residents fishmeal production facilities built along the 50-mile say their tomatoes changed color and a foul odor made it Atlantic coastline of Gambia, the smallest country in West difficult to breathe. Africa. The factories buy small fish, including sardines and bonga shad, from local fishermen, and process it into The community responded by staging a peaceful protest, fishmeal—creating a waft of putrid odor that permeates which temporarily stalled factory operations. The Gambian the area, and producing an effluent that pollutes the sea. environmental agency issued the company an ultimatum: stop processing until wastewater is properly treated. By These and other foreign-owned factories along the the end of the six months, the company had taken heed West African coast are creating conflict within local and built a wastewater treatment plant. The NEA was communities and economies, and inspiring the young satisfied with the water samples they tested, and Nessim people who live near them to take action. got the go-ahead to continue operating. But not everybody is satisfied. “We’re not even complaining Productive fishery draws both anymore,” says Fofana, the mallet-wielding protester who helped remove the Nessim pipeline in Sanyang. “We are industry and the ire of locals fighting.” An online petition started in February this year calls on the Gambian government to close all three of Gambia’s Fueled by global demand, fishmeal is a growing industry fishmeal factories. It lists close to 3,000 signatures. in West Africa. Today, three million people work in the region’s fisheries, which generate $2.5 billion each “All the people here don’t want the factory, because we year from legal catches. The area has one of the most have seen what it already does,” says Fofana. “It’s not good productive fisheries in the world, thanks to a natural for our health, it’s not good for our plants, it’s not good upwelling system in which cold water rises from ocean for our birds, it’s not good for our fish. It’s not good for depths and flows down along the northwest coast, nothing.” bringing with it rich stocks of fish. The monochrome Nessim Fishmeal Factory looms large behind the Fishmeal factories started operating in West Africa during brightly-colored fishing boats of Sanyang, as teenagers play soccer with a the 1970s and 1980s, when some coastal countries signed destroyed wastewater pipe standing in for soccer goalposts. fishing agreements with the Soviet Union in exchange for Photo by Abi Hayward investments in the region. At first the industry struggled to gain a foothold—the first factories in Mauritania closed due to low profits. Decades later, the industry took off. In neighboring Senegal, for example, fishmeal production in 1967 totalled just 2,000 tons. By 2016, the yield had increased sevenfold, to 14,000 tons, according to data from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
12 Bootham Features – The Fish You Don’t Eat: Abi Hayward
The growth of the fishmeal industry Foreign investors drive comes at a time when West African fisheries are already under pressure from lucrative fishmeal business overfishing, a problem made worse by illegal fishing. Six West African nations— Locals are even less inclined to accept the downsides Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea of fishmeal production knowing that the facilities are Bissau, Guinea, and Sierra Leone—lose operated by outsiders—foreign business owners capitalizing a staggering $2.3 billion in revenue on the region’s natural resources, but without ties to the annually as a result of illegal, unreported community. and unregulated (IUU) fishing, according The Nessim fishmeal factory is Chinese-owned. “The reason to a 2017 study published in Frontiers in I chose Africa as my investment location is the source Marine Science. here is cheap,” says owner Du Qi Chao. “The price of fish is “Gradually, we are determined to cheap.” address those challenges,” says Banja Du owns two other fishmeal factories outside of Gambia. Bamba from Gambia’s fisheries ministry. He says the fishmeal produced by the Nessim factory is “It is happening not only in the high exported not only to China, but also to Russia, Turkey, and seas, but in our rivers.” some other countries in Europe. Regulations to combat illegal fishing exist, but are weakly Some locals feel that foreign stakeholders are using local enforced. Bamba says that countries, including Gambia resources without regard for local interests. “They do what and Senegal, are increasingly working together to crack the foreigners want,” says Fofana. “They don’t do what the down on enforcement. citizens want.” The lucrative draw of fishing for fishmeal only adds to this Sharif Bojang is known throughout Sanyang as the person problem. “Maybe in 10 to 20 years, we have no sardinella,” who supported bringing the fishmeal factory to their says Alessane Samba, the former head of research at village. Bojang was the youngest chair of Sanyang’s Village Senegal’s Oceanic Research Institute. Development Committee, a government-recognized body, He warns that depleting fish at the bottom of the food before the fishmeal factory came to town. chain, such as sardinella, could lead to a collapse of the “I didn’t do it, you know, in ill faith. I did it to support the marine ecosystem. development of my community, as I did with the other Research shows that such dark predictions could come projects,” says Bojang, who counts a library, school, and true. A 2019 report from Sea Around Us found that 88 community center among the projects he has backed. “If percent of West African fish stocks had biomass below development is to come to my community, I will support sustainable levels and 6 percent of them had collapsed that development.” entirely. He got involved in the fishmeal factory, where he is now Unfortunately, Pauly knows these numbers too well. The a supervisor, when the company needed local workers. marine biologist predicted the collapse of the sardinella Bojang condemns the activists who dug up the pipe, but fishery further down the coast, off Namibia. By the turn of he’s in an awkward position because Sanyang is a close- the century, jellyfish filled the void of the sardinella in the knit community. ocean ecosystem, and the fishery never recovered. Pauly “I am in between the community and the factory,” he says. says that this was the first system where fish were replaced “It’s very difficult for me sometimes.” by jellyfish. Oceanic researcher Samba says the collapse of sardinella in Senegal would have the worst impact on the poorest The future people. Families that depend on the small fish for both food and work could really suffer. He advocates a radical response to the threat. Fish is not only central to the working lives of people in the region, it’s also a vital source of protein. “If there is no fresh “The only solution I see is to close all fish feed factories,” he fish, we eat dried fish,” says Ndiaye, the fish processor from says. “There is no benefit to us. It’s foreign owned and it’s all Joal Fadiouth. exported.” The national dish of Senegal is thieboudienne, a hearty But Pauly notes that the solution is not so simple and plateful of spicy tomato rice topped with vegetables and trying to turn back the clock could lead to unintended bony fish, often sardinella. But with a growing West African consequences. fishmeal industry exporting overseas, the star ingredient is being diverted from these communities. “What would the Senegalese government offer to young people that are fishing?” asks Pauly. “Go work in Silicon “The system as a whole cannot produce an infinite number Valley or go work where? There’s no other job. So they have of fish,” explains Daniel Pauly, a marine biologist that runs to let them continue to operate.” the University of British Columbia’s Sea Around Us project. “So if you take them for exports for fishmeal, then they are Bamba says the factories are here to stay, “I think the right not available to be eaten as food for humans.” thing to do was not to give them approval in the beginning, but having done that, now you have to support them.” That change could have health consequences in a region reliant on the sea for protein. Meat is expensive and bean For people like the protesters in Gambia and Senegal, crops in sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly threatened by however, resistance seems like the only way to protect their climate change as the Sahel desert creeps southwards. health, their economy, their agriculture—and especially their fish. “If a product is eaten by humans and eaten by animals, humans should go first,” says Pauly. “But these humans Ndiaye puts it simply: “If there is no fish, there is no future.” happen to be African, and they never go first.” - Abi Hayward
13 Natural History Society Field Trip, July 2019 Following on from happy and successful trips to Howsham Mill in Ryedale for the previous two years, the Bootham NH society revisited the site for a few days at the end of the summer term this year, with a larger group and a more ambitious observing programme set up. Given that we had already filmed badgers and otters, photographed several species of small mammal and made the first known biological survey of a minor tributary of the Derwent, it was hard to see how we would top our previous performance.
RSPB Nature Reserve, Bempton Cliffs
14 Bootham Features - Natural History Trip, July 2019
But of course, we did. Directly after arrival we worked with Once our mice had been released and breakfast was a team of ornithologists led by York’s Paul Thorpe, who washed up, we took down the campsite and packed were doing a survey of bird life in nearby Sand Hutton. everything back into our transport, but the trip was by no Everyone got to hold a wild bird while it had a leg-ring means over. We had an early appointment at Cayton Bay fitted, and many of the group saw a Yellowcrest (a very to meet with a palaeontologist from “Hidden Horizons”. tiny and elusive species that lives near the top of forest This Scarborough-based firm offers expert tuition on the canopies) for the first ever time. After this, we moved fossils and geology of the Yorkshire coast, and Cayton bay straight to Spittalbeck, a shallow stream that runs near is an ideal place for young fossil hunters to sharpen their Barton-le-Willows. This had previously yielded good spotting skills. We heard about the amazing and complex populations of many interesting invertebrates, but in July it history of the bay’s last 150 million years, and were shown gave us a much-reduced sample. Evidence of some factor what to look for in a fossil-bearing rock. (essentially, dull in the weather this year, or a perhaps a pulse of pesticide grey rocks hold fossils that nicer-looking coloured pebbles from nearby crops? This is certainly worth another visit could never have). You can find an awful lot within a few next summer, to see if a recovery has been made. metres of your base, simply by keeping your eyes open and looking carefully. Ammonites, Gryphaea and Belemnites Our afternoon was spent setting up motion-activated were the star finds, and many of these are probably on infra-red cameras around a huge badger sett on the brow display in various York bedrooms even now. The Sun was of Howsham Wood, dubbed “Badgerton” by the group. by now very hot, and it seemed a long way to haul our There were plenty of prints, and lots of evidence of new goodies back up to the minibus for one last activity, a few burrow-digging. It was no surprise that we got excellent miles south of Cayton. footage of that night’s badger-activity. Below Badgerton there is a south-facing meadow on a steep slope. This is Bempton Cliffs, on the northern side of Flamborough Head ideal for butterflies, and we spent a pleasant hour making is an RSPB nature reserve like no other. It is a must-see for a species list of the site. Most spectacular were the huge any British natural historian. The heat-shimmered air was and charismatic Marbled Whites that are something of a full of the cries and, frankly, smells of many thousands Wolds speciality, but Speckled Woods, Meadow Browns, of nesting seabirds. There were Razorbills, Guillimots, Green-veined Whites, Commas and Tortoiseshells all vied Fulmars, Herring Gulls, Kitiwakes, Cormorants, Gannets for attention too. The wild flowers of Howsham wood are and, of course, Puffins. We could have stayed for hours extremely good, because the area has been a patchwork taking photographs through telescopes and binoculars, of plantations, bogs, meadows and forest tracks for several but the journey back to York could not be put off. After centuries. It was therefore very pleasing that we were able what seemed like a very short time we had to down tools to spend some time learning the names of a few species as and gather at the café for one last cool drink and a few we made our way to and from Badgerton. thankyous. We thanked Robert Gardiner for planning the whole Following an excellent supper of salad, lasagne and thing, and Cathy Rowell for garlic-bread sent up from the Bootham kitchens, we organising the camping, as well busied ourselves setting up small-mammal traps around as offering her own considerable the island woodland that surrounds the Mill. These traps expertise to so many of the put the welfare of the trapped animal first, so you have activities we enjoyed. We awarded to make them comfy with bedding and nibbles for the prizes for our best young natural overnight stay of anyone dropping by. There were hidden historians, and promised to all carefully in likely mammal-routes, and left overnight. come back soon for another visit As the mid-summer twilight gathered, North Yorkshire Bat to natural Yorkshire. Group’s Lesley Helliwell dropped by to give us a fascinating presentation on bat biology and natural history. She brought a few live bats with her, and showed us how Robert Gardiner to use our ultrasound bat-detectors to best advantage. These convert the high-frequency squeaks of hunting bats Mike Shaw into something that humans can hear, and can be used to identify individual species. We spent an enchanting Cathy Rowell star-lit hour following the succession of species that came out to hunt over the weir at the Mill complex. Pipistrelles, Daubenton’s and Noctule bats all came to visit in a swirling display of aerial dexterity. It was a late night for everyone, but high-spirits and the need for an early start kept sleep to a minimum until it was time to rise with the dawn and check the mammal traps for new arrivals. Perhaps all the excitement about the bats had kept their heads down, but the morning bag was mostly wood mice, relaxed and supine after a night of munching too much granola.
15 Children from the Junior School wanted to share the high-lights of their year. A year at Bootham Junior School
Early years Year 3 The year flew past with visitors, trips and adventures This year, Year 3’s topics were on Victorian times, Roald galore. As well as trips to the theatre, the library and the Dahl and Ancient Egypt. We caught a Victorian thief on park, we enjoyed a very magical visit to Northwood Fairy Kirkgate at the Castle Museum, and put him on trial! As trail, where we walked through a wardrobe into fairy land, part of our topic, we made decoupage Christmas baubles. trip trapped across a troll bridge and found evidence of We then invited our parents to a German Christmas fairies high and low. Forest School proved yet again a market, where we sang some German carols and sold firm favourite, with the children finding special places to biscuits and decorations we had made, raising a total of hide, sliding down hills and splashing in muddy puddles; £50.23 for the Dragonfly Schools Foundation. from Bolton Abbey, to Homestead Park! We finished the We learnt about how shadows grow and shrink when you year with a fun and lively Sports Day and picnic in glorious move an object closer to and further from a light source. sunshine. We created shadow puppets of the characters from Year 1 George’s Marvellous Medicine, and used this knowledge to make the characters grow and shrink, just as they do in the We have had a fantastic year spending time outdoors as story. We also had a lot of fun doing a drama workshop at well as in the classroom learning, One of our favourite the Theatre Royal all about George’s Marvellous Medicine, topics this year was ‘Animals’ and we had a fantastic and got to have a tour of the theatre, too! time researching and learning all about them. We visited Lotherton Hall, talking to the Penguins, Peacocks and Year 4 Flamingos! As well as spending time at Askham Bryan One of our topics this year was on the Prehistoric Past, College to learn all about some cool creatures. Finally we we practised our prehistoric skills in Outdoor Education, enjoyed an exciting and interesting workshop with “Sam’s making paint brushes from twigs and leaves, and using Safari“. What a fantastic way to learn! them to paint with natural ochre pigments. We also Year 2 made Stone Age tools and necklaces. We then invited our parents to the opening of our “Journey Back to Prehistoric Holá! This year we have really enjoyed learning Spanish. Past” exhibition. We turned our classroom into a museum At the end of the year, to celebrate our language skills, and treated guests with an erudite guided tour. It was we opened a Spanish Café for our parents and served great fun designing a quiz to test our parents’ knowledge Napolitana and Hot Chocolate. We have also been lucky of the Stone Age to Iron Age period. enough to have had a visit from an Antarctic Explorer and Field Scientist, as well as learning all about Grace Darling’s rescue attempt. This year we also learned to play the recorder, teaching us all about pitch and rhythm.
16 Bootham Features - A Year at Bootham Junior School
Year 5 This year’s Chocolate topic proved as popular as ever! We were very proud to attend Teesside University for the We designed, created, advertised and priced our own Primary Engineer Leaders Award this year, where three of chocolates ready for the Grand Opening of our chocolate our Year 6 pupils were honoured for their amazing work: Shop. We spent the day visiting the Chocolate Story, we • Gil Andrew has won first prize for his project were able to share our knowledge through the tour and ‘The Energy Bike.’ then enjoyed making cholate lollies before using our teamwork in a workshop. • Naman Patel has been highly commended for ‘Upsoles’, his electricity producing insoles. We had a great morning ‘playing’ the Game of Actual Life, where we explored how bank accounts work and the • Ali Almazedi has been shortlisted for ‘Bend’, importance of different jobs compared to their rates of pay a tool to help pick things up. – is it right that football players get paid so highly? The competition is a ‘creative, problem solving, literacy and entrepreneurial project.’ Pupils were asked to interview Year 6 an engineer and research engineering in general, before Another fun packed 3 terms for Year 6 this year, ready coming up with a solution to an everyday problem. for the transition to Senior School in Sept. This year in Congratulations to all of our pupils, who worked so hard. English, we have been working on newspaper articles And a huge thank you to engineer Dr Ruth Graham, of York and we linked our work on our articles to news-casting on University, who mentored everyone so wonderfully. issues surrounding ‘acts of kindness’, ‘good to be different’ Junior School student Zac Edwards and his horse Steady and ‘choose respect’. Subjects ranged from respectful Neddy competed in the NSEA Arena Eventing for the footballers, Barack Obama and Little Miss Muffet! Science school in the 70cm and 80cm class. Zac came 5th out of this year saw us look at a range of subjects and skills, from 30 competitors in the Forensic Science: solving a Christmas crime after Santa 70cm class, narrowly had been stolen, and apprehending a burglar in the EYFS missing out on a national section of the school; to Mechanical Engineering, where qualification spot by we learned about pulleys, levers and fulcrum points and one place. Zac and Ned how they can be used to gain mechanical advantage. also came 21st out of 60 Then as part of our work on Shakespeare, we were treated competitors in the 80cm to a fascinating talk on Shakespeare himself and ‘The First class. Folio’, the first printed publication of Shakespeare’s plays, published in 1623, seven years after his death. We were then able to actually hold a fragment of the publication itself! And finally…
17 Openshaw Travel Bursary: Maddie Pope Saying goodbye to my mum at the Gatwick Terminal which helped me in so many ways was the Openshaw 1 security gate at 6am on Saturday 16th February 2018 Bursary, which I had applied for at Bootham. Set up by was quite possibly the scariest moment of my life thus an Old Scholar, the bursary aims to support Bootham far. Every ounce of my being was screaming at me to students in carrying out effective and positive voluntary turn right around and take the red LNER train back up to work across the world. This really encourages recipients lovely York - even writing this now, I feel my heart rate of the bursary to practice what the school preaches (or quicken. rather, ministers!): the importance of community, integrity and walking cheerfully over the world. I arrived at this point having decided that I wouldn’t go to university immediately after completing my A Levels. And it begins…. Instead, I had a deferred place to read Spanish and Arabic Arriving in Costa Rica was, of course, a mixed bag of at Durham in October 2019 and in the meantime, I wanted emotions. I was unbelievably terrified of all that was to explore the world. A big part of this was a desire to carry to come whilst simultaneously off-my-rocker with out some volunteer work – without a doubt something excitement that I was finally in Central America, about to Bootham instilled in me– stretch myself and burst through speak lots of Spanish and experience what I already knew the little bubble in which I have lived my whole life. After was going to be the most incredible 7 months. I have to all, I am a born and bred Yorkshire girl who has been lucky admit that the 30-degree heat didn’t hurt either, especially enough to have lived a very privileged life. having just left the UK in the freezing depths of February! After a couple of months of scouring the internet and A Raleigh expedition is split into three phases of three sussing out the different kinds of things I could do as an weeks each. Whilst volunteers changed what they do every 18 year old to better the world somehow, I came across three weeks, each project is sustained for 2.5 months – with Raleigh International: a sustainable development charity the same Raleigh project leaders, but different volunteers. that has been operating for over 30 years (and with some of the highest health and safety standards in the La Marta whole sector). Currently operating in Costa Rica, Nepal and Tanzania, every project they undertake is very much The first phase of my time with Raleigh was spent in a informed and led by at least two of the United Nations nature reserve called La Marta - just south of the capital Sustainable Global Goals, such as Clean Water & Sanitation San Jose – where I would be carrying out conservation and Climate Action. This certainly wasn’t a “voluntourism” work and supporting the 6 rangers who maintain and scheme – exactly the type of thing I wanted to avoid. protect the 1,900 hectare jungle – more or less the They also operate with a focus on youth engagement – equivalent of 1,900 football pitches. Our role there was harnessing the power and influence that we, as the world’s very much multifaceted, but our main task was to build next generation of leaders, have. Whilst almost anyone can new trails through the jungle to encourage tourism partake in an expedition, the majority of volunteers are within the park, which is instrumental in providing funds under 25. for conservation. This was tough work indeed: we were essentially digging up thin strips of virgin jungle on a 25% Once my place was confirmed, I had to begin fundraising. incline (Costa Rica is very hilly!). As this was very much The first 6 months of my gap year were spent working in weather dependent (it was deemed too dangerous to order to gather the necessary funds – at one point I had work on the trails if there had been heavy rain due to three jobs, working in a Montessori nursery, at a local fruit the possibility of land slides) we also helped to maintain farm and as an events assistant at an art gallery. I had tourist camping areas. also decided to apply for the Openshaw Bursary from Bootham School, a fund advertised to us in College 2 and Another key aspect of our work was interacting with the open to those undertaking voluntary work in their gap local community. We led action days within the local year. I was lucky enough to be awarded £500 towards my school to educate the children around climate change, the fundraising, which certainly took some of the pressure off Life on Land Goal and the importance of La Marta, their (vaccinations alone came to £550!). local jungle. There was also more administrative work to be done - I produced both a blog post regarding the Fundraising importance of reforestation and a project report detailing all the work we were doing, which was then sent Raleigh In the seven months after finishing my A Levels, I had to Internatonal head office. fundraise enough money to allow me to go to Costa Rica. This was perhaps one of the most rewarding aspects of Having completed a CELTA (English language teaching) my year out - instead of doing the usual bake sales or qualification before leaving the UK, I also taught English to sponsored runs, I decided to set myself the challenge of the park rangers every afternoon after the physical labour earning the funds myself. I spent most of the summer at for the day had ended. a local family fruit farm, then as September approached, Of course, we worked a lot, but we also had free time I found myself working in a Montessori nursery. Here, the to fill. This generally involved swimming in the jungle days consisted mainly of squishy foods and, of course, river, playing cards and spotting some really rather crazy all of those lovely bodily fluids children seem to love animals – that’s a 2-meter-long boa constrictor…! It was a producing…! As well as this, I babysat regularly and was simple but effective existence which I whole-heartedly an events assistant for an art gallery. However, something embraced.
18 Bootham Features - Openshaw Travel Bursary: Maddie Pope
Trek Dorbata After La Marta, it was time to move on to the next phase: My 3rd and final phase was based in a remote indigenous trek. Whilst this phase doesn’t necessarily subscribe to any community called Dorbata. The village had no electricity one of the UN Global Goals, it very much functions upon or mobile phone signal, was 10km from the nearest town one of Raleigh’s main pillars, youth leadership. We were and its inhabitants had never seen white people before. challenged with an 18 day, 300km trek (all whilst carrying Our primary purpose whilst there was to finish building a 15kg rucksack) which we, as a group of venturers, led. the school previously started by our fellow volunteers. The It was essentially DofE on steroids. Leadership skills are community’s old school had been knocked down after a primarily developed through being a ‘day leader’ – the dispute over land ownership between two local families, director of the day who manages all other roles, such as and the Indigenous Assosciation of Costa Rica had asked the navigators, cooks and cleaners. Raleigh to help build a new one. The terrain we covered was vast ranging, from roads and We chopped wood and painted walls and treated wood fields to jungle and many a mountain, notably Cerro and hammered nails to make a new three-classroom Dragon. This was the phase I was most anxious about – in school. Again I taught English, which was very much a fact, I was terrified. In all honesty whilst II had done DofE case of trial and error. The community’s first language is at school and didn’t dislike it, I certainly didn’t LOVE the Cabecar – a tribal language – and so not many of them expedition part of it - so the prospect of walking for more spoke Spanish, let alone English. Furthermore, the rate of or less 3 weeks straight wasn’t filling me with pure joy. Yet illiteracy was incredibly high – as it is across the indigenous deep down I knew that I would benefit hugely from it, and populations of Central America. I thought a board game …. I did.! Surprisingly, I loved it. Yes, it was tough – mentally style of activity would engage them all and get them and physically – but it was one of the most rewarding interested as it had done with my previous beginner things I’ve ever done. students in York… but they had never seen a board game before. So, I had to pare all teaching right down, back to It was an amazing kind of existence: it stripped back all the basic basics! the excess of normal life to the point where I was carrying everything I needed on my back. I was more or less self- As in phase 1, we also held action days to promote sustaining. In doing the trek I saw parts of Costa Rica education in the area. These were great fun, with loads of and met people I would never, ever have encountered games and treats for the children. As well as this, I helped had I simply visited as a tourist. Two things struck me, to produce and paint a map of the village – the hope being number one being the kindness of people. There were that the locals would then be able to learn how to read the farmers who gave each of us an orange on one of maps, as they traditionally have no sense of North, South, our toughest days; the family who let us sleep in their East, West and so on. Meanwhile, free time was mainly garden when we had nowhere to set up camp; the old spent playing football with the locals and occasionally lady who gave us a bottle of ice as we walked past her some pigs who liked to join in from time to time. house in 30 degree heat. If you do everything with a smile, Volunteering, as well as travelling afterwards, allowed me people will generally give you one back. Secondly, I was an almost revolutionary perspective on home life. It made taken aback by how each and every one of the places we me truly realise that there is so much more to life than just walked through was highly conscious about recycling and school. Yes, it is important to do well, as it can often enable separating their waste, despite their extreme remoteness. these kinds of experiences, but there is a whole world out Nearly every village we passed through had waste there literally waiting for you. What grades you get, the separation stations with separate bins for plastic, paper, clothes you wear or the friends you have don’t determine aluminium and food waste. All I could keep asking myself this. was why we didn’t do the exact same at home – after all, we have a much more developed infrastructure! I truly believe that my time spent with Raleigh has changed my life, as clichéd as it is to say. I know now that Our typical day looked like this… my career will be sustainability/environmentally inclined, 1. Wake up at 4 am. 6. Finish any time between I’ve met some of the most incredible people and I feel like I 12pm and 4pm, recognise both my own self-worth and privilege more than 2. Eat breakfast (usually depending on our ever. To those of you who are currently at Bootham, my porridge), pack up all distance for the day. advice is this: take any opportunity you can, don’t think any our tents and be on our idea is silly and remember that any positive change you way by 6 am, just as the 7. 4pm set up our tents, make in this world – no matter how small – is incredible sun was rising. usually in a community and worthwhile. centre. 3. Walk. - Maddie Pope (Bootham 2011-18) 8. 4.30pm sort out blisters… 4. Lunch at 10am. The not so-delicious bean paste 9. 5pm, eat dinner. with wraps was a 10. 7pm, go to bed (my regular. earliest bedtime since I 5. Walk. was about 6!)
19 “Are you ‘resting’ at the moment?” ‘What have I seen you in?’ These are questions actors know all too well (and most dread). I look forward to them slightly more than I used to as, after 13 years of my career, I have finally prepared responses along the following lines... ‘No. Actors can’t afford to rest’ ‘I don’t know – because I don’t know what you watch. If I did, it would be weird!’
These took me a long time to formulate, however, during which there were many years of smiling politely and pretending I could take it all in my stride, while wondering why it was a full six months since I’d even had an audition, let alone a job. It is a tough career. 98% of actors do not earn their living solely through acting work. It takes sticking at - though determination and talent are absolutely no guarantee of success. And, yes, being thick-skinned and good at dealing with rejection will help you. Unfortunately, I possess neither of these useful qualities.
Why then? I continued to sign up for the Junior Productions at the start of At Bootham, the Junior Production, rehearsed throughout the each school year and even moved on from mothers to playing autumn term, was the highlight of my year and now, looking back, people of my own age. The most enjoyable of these coincided it is clear why. Theatre is well-known as a world that transcends, with and probably helped influence, my decision to try and or should transcend, usual social divisions. Working on any show do this thing I found fun professionally. It was Cathy in Richard means working on an equal footing, mixing up ages, backgrounds, Taylor’s beautiful ‘Whistle Down The Wind’, a score that has life experiences and abilities to create a final product. School sadly been subsumed since by an interpretation of the same productions really sum up the Bootham Quaker ethos of equality story by a certain Andrew Lloyd-Webber. As far as I remember, and unity. For me, it was also a chance to discover something I this production not only handed me an opportunity but also was good at and, importantly, to get better at it. I once heard an continued to highlight the immense performance talent in the actor say that the acting profession is made up mostly of those rest of my year group. We decided we wanted to do more … more, bullied at school. I don’t know whether there are any statistics to more, more theatre than was scheduled for us by Bootham back this up, but I’d certainly felt a bit isolated at primary school tradition and, during our College years, we did – thanks to the and, to me, Bootham and my first Junior Production seemed a seemingly endless support and encouragement of Richard Burton pretty glorious and addictive world. and our headmaster, Ian Small. We did ‘I Was A Teenage Jekyll and Hyde’, under the always expert Upon learning of our eagerness, Ian produced, as if by magic, a direction of Valerie Allen and Richard Burton. I was a mother. (I script he had written and long wanted to direct. Very silly indeed played mothers a lot and especially as I got taller!) In fact, I played and entitled, ‘Withering Depths’, it fitted our year perfectly. Antony Jardine’s mother. He was the eponymous Hyde, so not Gleefully, Ian moved on – with a group of A-level students now awfully nice. Two years ago (after a wait of 24 years), Ant and I more than happy to give up lunch hours, after-school hours and actually got to work together professionally, playing an absolutely revision hours for the benefit of rehearsal – and directed us in ‘The despicable couple in ‘The Secret Garden’. Shakespeare Revue’, an evening of sketches and songs by writers such as Victoria Wood, Monty Python and Fry and Laurie. At the same time, we in College II had co-opted Richard and the theatre- keen members of College I into an evening of extracts of all our favourite musicals. I particularly remember David Reed (now actor, writer and comedian and a member of the brilliant Penny Dreadfuls) and I doing the ‘Timewarp’ in suitably crazed fashion.
20 Bootham Features - Are You Resting at the Moment?: Frances Marshall
Without quite knowing it at the time, I think we all learnt the There is a real love for Ayckbourn in New York, but a scene set in valuable lesson of doing it ourselves. If the opportunities aren’t rehearsals for a very traditional English pantomime (dame and always there or you want more of them, you learn to create them. principal boy included) led to rows of fairly baffled faces, one or This was certainly the mentality behind my degree course in two registering actual horror at the anticipation of what might drama at Hull University which, thanks to those College years at occur. “Are you ‘resting’ Bootham, seemed a natural progression. As part of this article, I was asked to give advice to those aspiring I took the university route, mostly because I already knew I didn’t to a career in the arts and, when I sat down to write it, as you will want to plunge myself straight into a world surrounded only by have read, I found the first few paragraphs had headed into the actors. I then followed it up with a two-year post-graduate course more negative side of the profession before I got round to the at drama school. My work since has been mostly in theatre, with positive bits! I can’t pretend the former doesn’t exist. Because at the moment?” the odd filming or recording day thrown in here and there. On the highs of our job are so very high, the lows can be very low. leaving drama school, my principal told me in no uncertain terms It is a natural assumption that actors are a bunch of confident that I wouldn’t work much, if at all, before I was 30 but not to people. On the whole, this is entirely untrue. They are professionals worry about that, as he had said exactly the same thing to Sir who have to fight for every single job they do (whether for one Antony Sher ….. day’s filming or a year long theatre contract). Acting requires vulnerability – there aren’t many careers that are scrutinised by Instead, my first professional job was at home in York, playing hundreds of people every night of the week – and the ‘not-acting’ Phyllis (who is 9! Ha!) in York Theatre Royal’s production of ‘The time requires self-confidence and stern stuff. The two halves are Railway Children’ at the National Railway Museum and this really diametrically opposed but must work together. does remain a career highlight, both for the experience and for a wonderful company, who taught me more in one summer than And we desperately need the arts. They show us life in all forms I’d learnt in five years of training. By that point, I had also started and ask us to empathise. This last is surely invaluable – it is a working for Shakespeare’s Globe, both as actor and director, and simple matter of putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes. If this relationship has continued through to today. we, as a society, can do that – at the theatre, cinema, concert hall, gallery, watching television, listening to the radio, at school …… Everyone has an influential teacher – or three, or four – in their surely we can be better at just living! past. I’ve mentioned a few already. I have never forgotten arriving at a Lower Schoolroom English lesson to find a shipbuilding class My advice would be to follow the path with your eyes fully open, going on. Under Jenny Bailey’s careful direction we built a ship ask questions and be willing to learn for the rest of your career. from desks, chairs and anything else we could find. A violent You will not be working in your chosen profession all the time, but storm hit, we on board grappled with ropes and clung on for – and this is the crucial bit – you will get to spend some of your life dear life. The swell grew and our vessel was destroyed, casting us doing the thing you love. For me, that makes it worthwhile. all into the waves …….. and thus beginning ‘The Tempest’. In our first ever lesson on Shakespeare, we’d learnt the most important P.S. and train as a plumber on the side – it is well-paid! Bard fact of all; he must always be freed from the page. Taken out of the classroom, Caliban emerged from the bushes at the side of the cricket field to answer Prospero, the following year, – Frances Marshall (Bootham 1993 -2000) Portia dispensed justice amidst the ordered symmetry of the Master’s Grass. Jenny (Mrs Bailey) encouraged me all the way through school, her one annoyance with me, as my A-level Eng Lit tutor, being my inability to disengage my emotions and analyse literature dispassionately (very necessary for exams). I’m afraid on this point, I continue to let her down on a daily basis! Several years and ups and downs later, I’m still here, still acting, and that feels like an achievement in itself. For the last three summers, I’ve been just down the road at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough working with Sir Alan Ayckbourn (80 this year and simply amazing!). Every rehearsal room and process is different. Alan’s involves a deep trust in the actor and a quest for truth, even at the expense of a good gag! Often described as a writer of farce, he has actually strictly only written one, his 1979 play, ‘Taking Steps’. Instead, each situation is played honestly and his company, myself included, are generally surprised (and not a little relieved) when the play is put in front of an audience who laugh! This working relationship has not only enabled me to play some truly wonderful women, but also to take a play to New York for the first time. In spring 2018, we took ‘A Brief History of Women’ to 59E59 Theaters for a run of five weeks. It was an inspiring and exciting experience as well as an amusing one.
21 Richard Burton, Bootham School 1986-2019 Richard arrived at Bootham School in 1986 on a one year Resident Graduate position. After that year he briefly worked at The Mount before being offered the chance to teach in the music department at Bootham as well as becoming a deputy housemaster in one of the boarding houses. It is Bootham where Richard found a place he loved to work in a city he loved to live in, and his many skills and professional talents led to a long, varied and fulfilling career.
Over the years at Bootham, Richard taught piano, he taught His face in the staff room was comforting. He was one of the academic music and R.S, he led musicals, he was a deputy people you looked for during break times. He would listen when housemaster, he tutored hundreds of students, he was Head of people had problems. Richard seemed to know everything that Careers and also until last year he was Head of College (Bootham’s was going on because people always found him easy to speak Sixth form). to, and they always looked for him when they wanted help or advice or just a listening ear. When you had a bit of gossip and I am sure that Richard would be very quick to tell me the ‘accidentally’ disclosed it to Richard he would raise his eyebrow, numerous other things I have missed off that list – sorry! tilt his head and nod – which was generally the sign which meant Through these roles he helped so many students to develop he knew what you were telling him two weeks ago. positively as young people. Richard has inspired students to Richard was a reliable, trustworthy and kind friend to many. follow their dreams, be creative and helped students try and find Throughout his Bootham life he gathered so many friends. Talking something in life they find fulfilling and enjoyable. He always saw to many colleagues and ex-colleagues it seemed like Richard the light within students and embodied the Quaker principle of quickly became an integral part of their lives and their family’s finding that of God in everyone. lives. He would readily agree to offer his musical talents, either Richard was exceptional at helping students out in difficult singing or playing the piano at all sorts of special occasions. situations. Students sought him out due to his caring, kind, non- Friends of Richard felt reassured if he was in charge of the music. judgmental manner. Richard was a good listener. He talked to Professional, talented and calm. Richard was an exceptional students on the same level and always gave freely of his time. performer and musical friends of his spoke so highly of his ability He had the capacity to make students feel comfortable and also to make them feel secure and confident when performing with make them laugh. He offered students endless amounts of his him. expertise, energy and enthusiasm. Richard was a proud person. He always appeared well dressed, Richard was a fantastic colleague. He was a gentle presence in the smart and professional. His walk was unmistakable and you could staff room and had a unique capacity for friendship. He would be always recognise him approaching from far off when meeting welcoming to all new staff, quickly making people feel as though him. He liked buying nice things for himself and his home but also they belonged. he liked buying other people presents. Richard loved going on many school trips both home and abroad. He went on language, art, history, classics and skiing trips as well as the many end of year College excursions. It was a good way for him to travel extensively, with his friends, whilst also helping to assist with the care needed for students on the trips. Richard was always the first person you would look to invite if you led a trip. Reliable, fun and also calm when things didn’t fully go to plan.
22 Richard Burton, Bootham School 1986-2019
Richard Burton, Bootham School 1986-2019 He had a very good memory (and a full diary!) and always During his short illness Richard remained remarkably positive remembered birthdays and special occasions. Many of us will when meeting friends. He knew from fairly early on that the have looked forward to a beautiful photograph Richard had taken prognosis was not good but tried so hard to protect his friends on the front of their birthday card and a thoughtful present he and family. During his final weeks at Mulberry Court he managed had taken time to select. He had an eye for beauty in his everyday to see a good number of his friends in the short time he was there. surroundings, and was intuitive in the way he captured images The staff had not seen the quantity of visitors that Richard had on camera. He loved living so close to the city centre and often received there. There was unfortunately not enough time for him extended his walk home on his half day off to capture the sights to see everyone…..there would have never been enough time for and the seasons within the city. Richard to see all his friends. Richard enjoyed going out, he loved to be with friends. So many On the Sunday before Richard died a number of his close people saw Richard as their very good friend that much of his Bootham friends arranged a small party with Richard at Mulberry time (especially holidays) was devoted to catching up with people, Court. It seemed a fitting way to try and say goodbye to Richard; going out and socialising. all together, glass of Champagne in hand, chatting and laughing. With friends who thought so much of him! Richard loved a party. He was great fun when out. His laugh was infectious and he certainly knew how to have a good time. A No doubt Richard’s family are hugely proud of Richard’s few times during lent he would exclaim when out that he had achievements and the person he was and will find comfort in the decided to give up drinking wine….choosing merely to drink gin fact that Richard lived in a way that positively impacted the lives and prossecco instead! Fizzy wine didn’t count! of so many people – especially during his time at Bootham. He had a mischievously fun side and a cheeky sense of humour. Bootham summer balls were always fun with Richard, taking Ricky B centre stage, singing loudly, dancing and partying the night away. Rich When Richard left a party you knew that the party was over. No Richard gathering or party will quite feel the same without his presence. However he would want his friends to continue to have good Uncle Richard times together, making memories with friends, as he did, and living life in a fulfilling and adventurous way. We miss you! Richard had plans for the future. He had so many people to visit. He had a desire to enjoy a busy and fun retirement when – Andy Bell it came. He wanted to play the piano more and perhaps re-start piano teaching again so that more people could benefit from his musical experience and talents. He wanted to travel.
23 Southall Archaeology Award July 2019 Toby Haswell Jasper McCarthy Liam Roche
Athens Paradoxically the earliest temple in Athens, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, is also the most recent. This is because the construction of it kept being interrupted due to political instability in Athens. The temple of Olympian Zeus was meant to be the largest temple in the world at the time of its construction. It was first started in the 6th century The temple itself is mostly Doric with the outer columns BC under the tyrant Peisistratus. It was originally going having the simple capitals. Above the pillars are the to be made out of limestone in the Doric style. The Doric metopes which are square carvings telling a story. From style meant that the columns which held up the roof had the surviving metopes the stories being told are of the no base to them and that the top or capital was a simple gigantomachy and the Amazonomachy. circle with little detail. In between each metope are triglyphs showing again It would also have a frieze of triglyphs telling a myth all that it is a Doric structure. However, in the inner chamber, around the top of the temple. If it had been completed the cella, it has a frieze running all around it with no at this time, it would have been the pinnacle of Doric triglyphs. This part of the structure is in the Ionic style designed temples, but after the fall of Peisistratus, the showing the evolution of the architecture. This style is construction of the temple stopped for 336 years. It was also shown in another temple in Athens, the temple of continued in 174 BCE by the Seleucid king Antiochus 4th Hephaestus. Unlike the Parthenon this temple is not - he revised the plan by increasing the size even more located on the Acropolis, but down below, in the agora. and changing the material to marble. The style was also This temple was created a little while after the Parthenon modernised to follow the Corinthian order. This meant but shows the same style. Like the Parthenon it has a that the capital of the columns was more elaborate Doric outside but has Ionic friezes running around it instead of the original dull circle. Again, if this had been continuously. finished, it would have been the first major temple to use the Corinthian columns, but construction stopped in 164 46 km outside Athens at Cape Sounion is the sanctuary BCE, with the death of Antiochus. It wasn’t till 124 CE that of Poseidon. In 444 BCE the temple to Poseidon was it was finally finished by the Roman emperor Hadrian. built on the site of an earlier temple from the archaic Hadrian finished it to Antiochus’ original plan as well as period. This temple follows the same style as the ones building a statue to Zeus in it. The temple was damaged in Athens as it was built during the same time. It too has during the sack of Athens in 267 CE and was finally surviving Doric columns. The columns that stand today closed in 425 when practising the pagan religion became are similar to the previous columns meaning that it is illegal. This led it to its current state with only 16 columns now believed that it was made by the same person who remaining of the original 104. made the temple of Hephaestus in. But as it does not stand today with little evidence the interior is a mystery, The most famous temple in Athens is the Parthenon, but it probably had the same style on ionic interior as the on top of the Acropolis. It is built on the site of the old temple of Hephaestus. temple to Athena, which was destroyed thirty years beforehand in the sack of Athens in 480 BCE.
24 Student Work - Southall Achaeological Award
look similar in structure. For example, they are of similar heights and inside are split into three sections by columns. However, this temple was constructed earlier in 590BC, rather than the in around 420BC like the temple of Zeus, and seems to have been originally dedicated to a different god, although we don’t know which one or when the dedication changed. The temple is one of the earliest Doric temples in Greece. Originally the columns were made of wood, as when it was built this was a much more common material, and not purpose built in stone like the most of Olympia. As the wood rotted over time, it was replaced by stone pillars. As these pillars vary in style wildly, archaeologists reckon they were replaced at different points in the temple’s history, with different architectural methods and styles being used depending on the methods and styles of The most important church in Athens nowadays is the the time. The construction of the walls reflects the earlier Agia Eirini. This is an old Byzantine church which was build date, as instead of being made wholly of limestone it rebuilt in 1835 to celebrate Greece’s independence. This is mostly constructed of a mudbrick layer on top, followed church demonstrates best what a modern-day place of by a bottom course of stone. Other parts of the temple, worship looks like in Greece. The church has two steeples however, are made of limestone, but unbaked bricks in a neoclassical style. As it is in a neo-classical style it and terracotta tiles were also used. Holes in the walls of is calling back to the ancient times of the Parthenon the temple suggest that the outside was clad in wood showing that the architectural style used in the time of to protect it from the elements, something not needed classical Athens is still being used in modern-day. It also on later temples – and indeed churches – that were built has a domed roof: this refers back to earlier Byzantine of sturdier marble, bricks or stone. The roof is a more churches like the famous Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Laconian style, however, which is very common in modern This church is a prime example of the way in which Mediterranean architecture. Inside the temple, the walls the ancient styles of the past are still being used in the housed many statues, including one of Zeus and Hera architecture of Greek orthodox churches. sitting together, inlaid with gold. However, it is difficult to Olympia know what the interior of the temple originally held as in Roman times it was turned into a sort of museum, housing The temple of Zeus in Olympia is the main attraction many treasures from the earlier Olympic games. However, within the site. Despite the fact that all that is left are a we do know that the temple was where the athletes few low walls surrounded by some battered pillars, the were given their olive wreaths by the priests. Halfway reconstructions show that it was once an imposing yet between the two temples is the altar of Zeus. This was beautiful place of worship, with 60-foot pillars and a open air and consisted of some steps running up to a flat lifelike pediment on either side showing various myths base, surrounded by pillars. The base was used to sacrifice to the crowding masses once a year at festival time. This animals, as the ashes of said animals were found in a heap threatening stature was almost certainly intended, as it on top of it. seemingly conveyed the god’s message of power. The inside of the temple was equally impressive, with more The best example of a modern religious building in the pediments and pillars covering the inside, splitting the Olympia area is the Ekklisia Agios Athanasios in Pyrgos. Like main section of the temple into three sections, and the main temples of Olympia, it is large and imposing, and mosaics and friezes coating the walls, floors and ceilings. inside it contains lots of friezes and colourful artwork, as These would have displayed more myths to educate the well as lots of gold and marble. However, this is where the less literate in the gods they were worshipping. However, similarities end, as instead of being fierce and angular, the the main attraction inside the temple was the giant building is full of curves and arches, inspired by at first the statue of Zeus at the end, sitting in a golden throne. This Byzantine-Romans and then, possibly more importantly, painted figure would most likely scare the suppliants into the Ottoman empire that ruled the Peloponnese for 400 submission to him, and proved the god’s terrifying power years. The cathedral was either originally a mosque or at in their eyes. All of this was made out of poor-quality least inspired by one, with a central dome surrounded by limestone, so it was covered in a thin layer of stucco to give two high towers, also domed. There are small, geometric the appearance of marble. The roof was tiled with marble windows surrounding the building, a staple of Islamic that was cut in such a way so that it gave the appearance architecture. Inside shows the Byzantine influence, with of “a 20-watt lightbulb” on a bright day. This would have friezes depicting people in togas praising Jesus, or Saints solved the prevalent lighting problem that could have covered with gold ascending to heaven. Like the temple rendered the friezes and statues useless as an intimidation of Hera, the building has a Laconian roof but unlike both or learning tool. temples the building is made mostly from stone and clay covered in yellow plaster. Another major place of worship at Olympia was the temple of Hera, parallel to the temple of Zeus. The temple, although slightly smaller, was probably equally important, as there are reports of it being used to store several important artefacts to Greek culture, such as a small statue of Hermes holding a baby. At a distance, the two temples
25 Delphi The mountain-city of Delphi brought many different The columns surrounding the building are, despite first temples and architecture. This city was of great religious appearances, very different from anything previously significance as it was the site of the ancient oracle to seen. They are constructed to be relatively weatherproof, Apollo and was claimed to be the centre of the universe and bottom-heavy as given the mountainous nature of in ancient times. The oracles were a voice from within the area. Measures to combat the runoff of mud were mount Parnassus which gave the gift of prophesying the employed. The temple itself screams newness because it future. Throughout classical literature, it is referenced has on its pediments and metopes, instead of scenes of to predict the birth of children, the defeat of a nation deities and myths, scenes from the Persian Wars and the in battle or even the coming of the end of the empire. battles of at the time recent history. This shows a drastic The fact that this place is in the mountains brought the shift in the architecture of these buildings as before this ancient people closer to their gods. the temples were purely for the divine and their worship, but now by using this as the principle art piece of the The Temple Of Apollo building it brings the mortal to the immortal and shows the pride and greatness of the Greeks. To begin, the Temple of Apollo at Delphi was constructed in approximately 300bce and boasted some of the most Appearances prominent examples of Doric architecture. This was where The family who raised funds to restore it was called ancients would leave offerings to Apollo to gain his favour the Alcmaeonid and the temple was renamed in their in many different endeavours. Because of this it is and was honour. Centuries later it was destroyed by an earthquake. one of the largest and most significant religious buildings Corinthian architects rebuilt it in 330BC, and Athenian which we saw. The Greeks themselves believed that this artists made a new sculpture on the metopes and temple was the centre of the universe as a whole. pediments. Our impression of it as a yet grand building Construction after thousands of years is partly because 5 of the columns have in recent years been restored, which shows the Forty-two Doric columns ordered the outside of the sheer enormity of the construction. Another moving temple. Although this type of column is not as ornate as fact regarding this building is that on its north side some of the other examples, it fascinated the group how there are inscribed the names of over 800 people. These its grand appearance could even withstand the tests of were ancient slaves who were freed on this spot in the thousands of years. The temple was damaged at many presence of their gods. This building truly exudes power differing times. To begin, it was reconstructed in the 6th and prominence to the beholder in a very significant way. century after a fire devastated the entire city. This building Delphi was not only a place for the divine but also the shows clear evolution in its architecture. near-divine Greeks.
26 Student Work - Southall Achaeological Award
The Sibyl Rock Destructions Next, the Sibyl rock is highly significant as people would The first destruction in 480BCE saw the temple nearly come to this spot to consult with the oracle. It was on destroyed by the Greeks themselves. This was around the this spot that according to accounts, a woman who had time of the famed battle between the Greeks and the been gifted with the speech of the god Apollo’s oracle Persians who were advancing on Delphi. To combat this would stand. She would be asked a series of questions attack, the Greeks dropped rocks off of the mountainside by many different peoples requiring guidance, and with onto the army. The next time was in 373BC when it was the wisdom of the gods, she would provide them with destroyed by the same earthquake which felled many an answer. It is as well significant to mention that there other buildings in the city, including the aforementioned is ample space behind the rock, where some believe that Temple of Apollo. there stood a priest who would either speak or advise the Decorations “oracle” on what response should be given to a question. Although it may have been a pure hoax, it is undeniable As to the question of its decoration, the answer to this that many people trusted the words spoken on this rock comes in the fact that this temple was meant to be and had it lead them to untold riches, or their gruesome prominently unique. The tholos which was constructed death. a few years before the temple was ornately built. It had metopes and pediments displaying the labours of The Temple of Athena Pronaia Herakles or possibly Theseus, Doric columns and most notably a large dome which covered the entire building. The temple of Athena Pronaia is the largest building in a The temple’s simplicity is what makes it so undeniably small compound of smaller temples outside of the city. unique in this respect. There are littered around the site altars to different deities. The temple we see today is, in fact, that of the goddess –Toby Haswell, Jasper Mccarthy, Liam Roche of the hunt Artemis. However, this is disputed widely, and it seems that the favour of dedication is falling back onto Athene. It has as well been suggested that below the temple was previously a rare temple of Gaia, the mother of the earth. The temple was constructed many times including 510bc, the 7th century BC and the 4th century BC. It is named in this way because two temples were constructed in precisely the same spot before its construction.
Construction For such a reconstructed temple, however, it was a wonder to the group why it was not beautifully decorated as the other temples, and buildings nearby were. The answer to that question came from within the question itself. The later buildings were Athenian in the foundation and were not constructed to stand out from the rest but instead decorated to do so. The temple, however, is beautiful and useful in the conveyance of the divine. Its sturdy construction and large altar are reminiscent of more massive temples. This shows that despite first appearances, all temples were crucial and regarded with adequate care. This temple, despite its seemingly insignificant nature, when compared to the temple of Apollo, shows evolution as it was regularly updated to be more applicable to the times. This was able to be done mostly because of it often being destroyed, but it is still fascinating to see.
27 DESIGN28 & TECHNOLOGY 2019 BOOTHAM ART 201929 Bootham Art 2019 Art Bootham NEW WORK 2019
30 Student Work - New Writing
Weathering I am having a break down A chemical alteration perhaps, I am rock getting closer and closer to the earth’s surface I am weathering Weathering all the time. Erosion I am material being physically removed over time Water, wind and ice are my enemies Bits of me are slowly fading away I hate it I am constantly being eroded Day by day Night by night Fight! I, weathering, am so much more than erosion will ever be! I am complex and sophisticated I can be chemical if you want me to be Or biological Or freeze-thaw And so much more!
Agreed, you do have many things going on But is that necessarily a good thing? You must be extremely stressed all the time I am a simple thing Give me a cliff to pick at with my melted glaciers Oceans and rivers and I will be happy!
Connie Penty
Climate change negotiation simulation exercise write-up
In the climate conference simulation on Thursday 17th October I was chosen to be one What I think about the delegates and their countries’ decisions was that some gave of the five Australian delegates. What I found out about Australia in the conference all they could even though they were running low on money, but some were rich and though was pretty shocking. What I found out about Australia was that Australia gave not enough for their wealth. For example, Bangladesh which has around $1,906 might not have been the worst emitter as a country, but per capita Australians emit per capita compared to Australia’s $44,354 per capita, pledged to cut emissions by 25% 26 tonnes compared to the global average which is around 7.3 tonnes, and is higher which I think is a big push but is possible. Another example, Russia pledged a medium than the USA and China, with the USA with 19 tonnes and China with 16 tonnes. This donation to the climate fund, which is a bit pitiful, but they did this so they had enough is because Australia has a smaller population than China and the USA with Australia money to be able to cut 50% of their emissions, which is a true reflection of what they having roughly 22.51 million inhabitants and China with around 1,356 million, so can realistically do. Finally, a country whose choice was poor was the EU, they chose Australia has approximately 60 times less inhabitants than China. to do the 75% cut when they could have done the 100% carbon neutral because they have the money to do the cut. Yes, Hungary is poor but not as poor as Bangladesh, and Another fact I learnt in the conference was that Australia is pretty wealthy as the per in the EU there are many wealthy countries, even wealthier than Australia. So, I think capita is ranked 18 out of 194 countries. The per capita GDP (gross domestic product) they could have gone for the 100% emissions cut. is 998,300 million US dollars compared to Niue with 10 million US dollars but it isn’t the richest because the USA has 16,720,000 million dollars. How they earn their income: Overall I found the negotiations process to sometimes be slow to get useful 3.6% of employment is in agriculture, forestry and fishing; 21.1% is in manufacturing information so politicians have a harder job than you would think, and that many and 75% is in services (tourism) etc. countries have variety in their economic and financial status and hence their ability to contribute and participate. I thought the quality of useful information provided varied In addition to the relatively high GDP in Australia their electricity consumption is also significantly from country to country, for example, China provided comprehensive high. They are ranked 16 and consume 213,500,000 Mega Watts per Hour (MWh). information whereas USA provided a minimum. Nearly 80% of this comes from fossil fuels, which I think needs to change, 0% from nuclear and 18.7% from renewable energy. Considering Australia is an island, and in I think I participated pretty well with China’s and Russia’s position but what I got with parts is hot and sunny, it is the ideal place to have tidal and solar power, so they can the USA could have been improved. As well, I contributed with working out how much adapt from fossil fuels to more renewables easier than most other countries. tax we would get over a year if we went for the very large donation, and with how much money we would be giving India, Maldives and Nigeria. What I could have done Current greenhouse gasses can affect Australia because one of their main sources better was to help with the speech which a fellow delegate gave to the other countries of income is through tourism and their main attraction is the Great Barrier Reef and and to improve on finding knowledge because I didn’t find anything useful from the that is being destroyed by global warming (coral bleaching etc.). So Australia’s facts USA. show we can adapt and mitigate against CO2 emissions by reducing fossil fuels and increasing renewable energy, this also benefits our income because the country What I think could be improved is more up to date information because the data we depends on tourism and it is at risk. were using was from 2011 so this didn’t include Venezuela’s economic failure and political instability, and Rohingya immigrants entering Bangladesh from Myanmar We (Australia) pledged that we would reduce our emissions by 50% in 5 years and will cause the per capita to drop, and that President Trump withdrew the USA from gradually be carbon neutral in 15 years. Since we were pretty wealthy we donated the Paris agreement. Another slight improvement would be to maybe add the the very large contribution (1% overall income) to the climate fund. We would have global warming graph to show which countries will be affected more if it was a 2⁰ donated 2% of overall income, so $26 billion (1/4 of climate funds) but there was a temperature rise. limit. As well, since we had the money, we gave 0.4% of overall income to India and the Maldives and 0.2% to Nigeria. I think we gave as much as we could to not make the tax go over $100 per year so the citizens wouldn’t be struggling for money (we got around $80 for the tax). Douglas Brewer
3131 COLLEGE LEAVERS AND TUTORS 2019
32 Leavers 2019 - Photograph
COLLEGE LEAVERS AND TUTORS 2019
33 College Leavers 2019
Diane Akolzina took A Levels in Physics, Laura Hagmann took A Levels in Lucy McWilliam took A Levels in Mathematics, Further Mathematics and French, Art and English Literature Spanish, History and Latin, and an EPQ Chemistry, and an EPQ Maya Haigh-Greaves took A Levels in Jack Miao took A Levels in Psychology, India Andrews Esteban took A Levels in Art and English Literature Business Studies and DT, and an EPQ French, Spanish, Art and Biology George Hall took A Levels in Geography, James Otley took A Levels in Art, Kate Atherton took A Levels in Physics, Business Studies and Religious Studies, Classical Civilisations and History Biology, Mathematics and Further and an EPQ Eric Papp took A Levels in Physics, Mathematics Freya Harris took A Levels in Physics, Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Benedict Baily took A Levels in Biology, Mathematics and Further Chemistry Psychology, Art and Music Mathematics, and an EPQ Toby Price took A Levels in Physics, Frankie Bartlett took A Levels in Georgia Haynes took A Levels in French, Biology, Mathematics and Further Geography, DT and History Geography, Art and Music Mathematics Freddy Bettam took A Levels in Physics, Ben Healey-Smith took A Levels in Fed Ricci took A Levels in French, Economics and Mathematics Economics, Mathematics and History, Spanish and Italian and an EPQ Nico Cavadias took A Levels in Business Fergus Ruart took A Levels in Business Studies, Classical Civilisations and Frances Hearld took A Levels in French Studies, DT and English Literature History with AS Level Politics Kate Hey took A Levels in Art, English Tom Sanderson took A Levels in Joshua Chan took A Levels in Chinese, Literature and History, and an EPQ German, DT and Music, and an EPQ DT, Economics and Mathematics Toby Houldridge took A Levels Benedict Santos-Pearcy took A Levels in Henry Chen took A Levels in Physics, in German, Business Studies and French, Art and History Chinese, Mathematics and Chemistry Religious Studies Louis Slater took A Levels in Spanish, John Chen took A Levels in Physics, Stacy Huang took A Levels in Art, History and Latin, and an EPQ Psychology, Mathematics and Further Business Studies and Chinese Joe Smart took A Levels in Classical Mathematics Alex Johnson took A Levels in Civilisations, History and Religious Christopher Chivers took A Levels Psychology, Art and History Studies with AS Level Politics in Physics, Mathematics, Further William Johnston took A Levels in Ben Stephens took A Levels in Mathematics and Chemistry, and an Psychology, DT and History Geography, Physics and Mathematics, EPQ and an EPQ Misan Kakayor took A Levels in Physics, Anna Clarke took A Levels in Biology, Biology and Chemistry, and an EPQ William Stevens took A Levels in Classical Civilisations and English Physics, DT and Mathematics, and an Literature Jack Kennedy took A Levels in EPQ Geography, Biology and DT Freya Collins took A Levels in French, Rebecca Sun took A Levels in Biology, Geography and English Literature Nayaab Khan took A Levels in Biology, Chinese, Mathematics and Chemistry Chemistry and Religious Studies, and Luke Conkleton took A Levels in an EPQ Joseph Swift took A Levels in Spanish, Physics, Spanish, Mathematics and Mathematics and Latin Further Mathematics Lewis Kilbride took A Levels in Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry Livvy Thew took A Levels in Psychology, Daniel Costello took A Levels in Physics, English Literature and Latin DT and Mathematics Josephine Lee took A Levels in Art, Business Studies, Chinese and Finn Van Der Voort took A Levels in Rob Davidson took A Levels in Physics, Mathematics Biology, Mathematics and Chemistry Economics, Mathematics and Further with AS Level Physics Mathematics, and an EPQ Daniel Limb took A Levels in Psychology, Biology and History Eliot Watson took A Levels in German, Will Elsome took A Levels Physics, Physics, Mathematics and Further Mathematics and Chemistry Irene Lu took A Levels in Art, Chinese, Mathematics, and an EPQ Economics and Mathematics Max England took A Levels in Yasmin Wild took A Levels in Art and Geography, Art and Economics Katie Lund took A Levels in French, Physical Education Biology and Latin Joseph Fielding took A Levels in DT, To Kiu Wong took A Levels in Business Classical Civilisations and English Peiyu Ma took A Levels in Physics, Studies, Economics and Mathematics Literature, and an EPQ Economics, Mathematics and Further Mathematics Marco Yuen took A Levels in Physics, May Fu took A Levels in Physics, Biology, Mathematics and Chemistry Chinese, Mathematics and Chemistry, Dorian Macak took A Levels in Physics, and an EPQ Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Shihan Zhao took A Levels in Biology, Chemistry Economics, Mathematics and Chemistry Joel Gallagher-Coates took A Levels in Psychology, Economics and History Oliver Martin took A Levels in Physics, Angel Zhen took A Levels in Physics, with AS Level Politics Mathematics and History Mathematics and Further Mathematics Caroline Gu took A Levels in Amy McFadyen took A Levels in Physics, Psychology, Biology, Mathematics and Business Studies and Mathematics, and Chemisty, and an EPQ an EPQ
34 Leavers 2019 - College Leavers’ Results
35 Bootham School Leavers Destinations 2019
Diana Akolzina Manchester Physics with Philosophy Peiyu Ma Lancaster Business Management
Katherine Atherton Birmingham Biological Sciences and Dorian Macak University Engineering Laura professional placement of Turin
Benedict Bailey Guildhall Music Oliver Martin Newcastle Electrical and Electronic School of Music Engineering
Francesca Bartlett York St John Product Design Amy McFadyen Northumbria Finance and Investment Management Nicolas Cavadias Sheffield International Relations Paul and Politics Lucy McWilliam Lancaster Law
Kwok Chan Bath Accounting and Jack Miao Military Service Chung professional placememt Singapore
Henry Chen UCL Engineering (Electronic Erik Daniel Papp Leeds Chemical Engineering Hanying and Electrical) Toby Price Bath Mechanical Engineering Yongjiang Chen Edinburgh Engineering (John) Federica Ricci Essex Business Management and Modern Languages Christopher Chivers Cambridge Engineering Thomas Sanderson York St John Product Design Anna Clarke Hartlepool Veterinary Nursing Matthew Science Benedict Santos-Pearcy UAL Film Practice Freya Eve Collins York Human Geography Antonio
Luke Conkleton Newcastle Mathematics with Louis Slater Manchester Chinese Studies James Economics Joe Smart Northumbria International Relations Rob Davidson UCL Philosophy, Politics and Economics Benjamin Stephens Nottingham Aerospace Engineering Louis William Elsome TU Delft Computer Science with Thomas a Year in Industry William Stevens Bath Civil Engineering Peter (with placement) Max England Leeds Arts Art Foundation diploma University Joseph Swift Chester Modern Languages,, Translation and Joseph Fielding UCL Ancient History Interpreting
Mei Yan Fu Cardiff Bio Chemistry Olivia Thew Newcastle English Literature
Joel Gallagher Northumbria Law Finn VanDer Voort Mastrict Medicine -Coates University
Yue Gu Imperial Medical Biosciences Eliot Watson TU Delft, Aerospace Engineering The Netherlands Laura Hagmann ECAL Fine Art Foundation Lausanne Yasmin Wild RAU Agriculture and Farm Management Maya Haigh-Greaves SHU Events Management with Foundation Year To Kiu Wong Exeter Accounting
George Hall Northumbria Business Management Cho Ming Yuen Sheffield Biochemistry Hugo Shihan Zhao Imperial Biochemistry Freya Harris Birmingham Mechanical Engineering Yongxian Zhen Manchester Mathematics Georgia Haynes Edinburgh Geography Eleanor Previous College Years Benjamin Healey-Smith Cardiff Economic & History Freya Anderson SHU Foundation Year Health, Frances Hearld Sheffield Geography Sport & Social Care Emily Joseph Elliott NOTRE Construction Katherine Hey Edinburgh History Management Eleanor Bethany Glover QMUL Marketing and Toby Houldridge York St John Film Studies Management Charles Charlotte Horberry Manchester Sociology Siqi (Stacy) Huang Edinburgh Business Management Kate Jeffery Goldsmiths Anthropology Alex Johnson Leeds Beckett Fine Art Sian Keag Manchester Social Anthropology William Johnston Hull War and Security Studies Hannah Long Bristol Sociology with Study Grace Abroad (4 years) Lewis Kilbride Birmingham Physics with Particle Physics and Cosmology Asa Pomeroy Sussex Physics (4 years) Madelaine Pope Durham Modern Languages Ho Yan Lee Manchester Management and Cultures (with Year Abroad) Yuxiao Lu Creative drama (Irene) course in China Isaac Vohra Glasgow Neuroscience
Kathryn Lund Leeds Beckett Nursing (Adult) Bea Watkins Goldsmiths Fine Art
36 Leavers 2019 - Leavers’ Destinations, Staff Leavers Staff Leavers 2019 and always serious. After seeing their version of Hamlet, one young Changes in our support staff team student went home and announced that “Hamlet was the funniest play she’d seen.” Dot Dot Dance, a flamenco company was another fantastic visitor.
Thank you for sharing your gifts with me over the last 10 years. We have worked well as a team any number of times, and shared lots of thoughts about our ways of being – whether as teachers, or simply as people. I know that recent times have not been easy for you health-wise, and hope that this side step will give you the time and space to Marji Cryans Sandra Gallagher Peter Webster Brian Stobbart fully recover and reclaim your energy. I am so pleased that you are not going to be completely gone, and hope that we will share lots We said ‘Goodbye’ to a number of long-serving members of more teas and coffees in the coming times. our support team this year. Marji Cryans, Sandra Gallagher and All the best with the next part of your journey. Malcolm Wilson left our Housekeeping team and we will miss their friendly faces around the school. Peter Webster retired from Hamba Kahle (literally = Go well) his role as Deputy Bursar after many years of service at Bootham. Joan Attwell Peter worked quietly in the background overseeing our school’s finances, and he will be greatly missed. Finally, we recently celebrated the retirement of Brian Stobbart from our catering Kirsten Cooper team. Brian was one of our talented team of chefs and we’re sure Kirsten Cooper was head of Physics for 6 Years. many will remember his cheerful presence and welcoming smile. She was passionate about the students in her Our current students are very sorry to see Brian go and we wish care, teaching them in a relaxed way, engaging him very well in his retirement (and are delighted he’s going to with them in an open manner. She taught help with some exam invigilation next year). her classes as a group of individuals, making every lesson feel like a personal tutorial directly Simon Benson, Head of Drama targeted to each student. Simon arrived at Bootham in 2008 fresh from submitting his PHD She is part of the school community, she helped out as a staff thesis, ready to stir things up a little. His academic rigour and his consultation rep sitting on the staff nominations committee, imaginative approach was an exciting challenge to all of us in the looking at standards across the school and helping staff analyse drama department. data to make sense from it. She was Chair of Science for two years, His very first production at Bootham, a promenade performance of promoting Health and safety in the department. She continued Timon of Athens, set the tone for the innovation and creativity that the winning streak of the School in the St Peters annual Science he has brought to the productions he has directed here. Quiz and has furthered the level of philosophical debate though the Sci Phi club she ran with Mark Robinson. Timon of Athens took the audience through the school, with scenes taking place in passageways, stairwells and the staff She organised two fantastic Physics trips to France, taking dining room, where a feast of stones was presented to the students to the forefront of Physics and Engineering, inspiring the characters. Betrayed by his false friends, Timon curses the city students to see Physics as a fun challenge. walls and goes into the wilderness and makes his crude home She will be missed from the school community. in a cave, sustaining himself on roots. Simon’s production saw us standing next to a low wall on the edge of the school playing field, Robert Gardiner looking into the shed and garbage bin area of the res-grad house, watching Timon rifle through the bins looking for food. Gillian England This challenge to the more traditional theatre forms set the We were sad to say goodbye in July to Gillian pattern for productions to come. Next followed a production England who worked in the Classics department combining two stories from the Middle East – one ancient, one from 2015. She brought with her a wealth modern - meshed together to reflect on choices made in difficult of skill and experience, having taught at circumstances–The Passion from the Mystery Cycles and My name several schools in and around Yorkshire over a is Rachel Corrie. number of years. Her keen eye for detail and a Simon’s pioneering continued with productions involving, among meticulous approach was of huge benefit to all her Latin students other things, new ways of using projections, zimmer-frame in particular. Furthermore, she engendered in the students an dependent characters in Shakespeare, a Medieval feast with the infectious sense of enthusiasm for learning Classics, aided by many Bard, live sheep on stage and 3 fantastic ensemble productions of top-notch resources and language games. classic works; The Wind in the Willows, Peter Pan and The Lion, the Arguably, Gillian’s greatest achievement was her outstanding Witch and the Wardrobe. work with the ISSP Latin classes. In her time at Bootham she This is by no means a complete list of the productions Simon has enabled two cohorts of year 9-10 students from across York from produced, just a taste of the range of work he introduced to the knowing no Latin at all to sit a GCSE by the end of their second school. His focus was always to encourage students to perform year. A certain and rare magic occurred in the twilight zone of in new ways, using new staging forms and challenging texts and Room M each week, with the palpable buzz of enjoyment and ideas. sense of purpose in all the students in her care. Impressively, the vast majority of last year’s cohort achieved grades 9 and 8. Gillian, Simon has been instrumental in enriching our student’s skills always up for a challenge, decided to take on two new groups last through inviting in theatre practitioners and visiting theatre September, now with a total of nearly 50 students fizzing about companies to run workshops with both drama and other groups of Latin. students. Frantic Assembly, an outstanding mainly Physical theatre company have been to the school on a number of occasions to Gillian has the gift of being able to see straight through to the nub assist our students with devising and developing theatre, a major of a problem or situation on which she would bestow her own focus in the examination work at both GCSE and A level. Their brand of direct and kindly wisdom, usually with a large dose of work has enriched the work of our students and introduced humour. This, along with her experience of many changes and them to a way of working that has challenged them to work in re-inventions of wheels in education during her career, honed her different and innovative ways. He has also brought to the school, judgement for what is both worthwhile and what is less so. the fabulous ‘bean tossing,’ ‘bell ringing’ and cycling company Sally Gray and I miss her greatly and would like to take this – The Handlebards. Their antics with Shakespeare’s plays have opportunity both to thank her and to wish her all the very best for encouraged our students to play with Shakespeare’s texts and a long and joyous retirement. characters, and enjoy them, rather than see them as untouchable
37 During the year we bid fond farewell and grateful thanks to: Deborah Leadley (Exams Officer),Marji Cryans and Sandra Gallagher (Domestic Supervisors), Alison Spalding (Chemistry Technician), Lisa Dixon, Steven Langhorn (Catering), Brian Stobbart (Chef), Graham Smith (BJS Caretaker), Linda Salkeld (BJS Teaching Assistant), Malcolm Wilson (Housekeeping), Peter Webster (Finance Manager), Christopher Allanson (IT), Radek Terry and Peter Thornhill (Facilities), Hannah Tomlin (Attendance Officer),Kirsten Cooper (Head of Physics), Gillian England (Classics and Latin). New members of staff: Joanne Leigh (Curriculum Assistant), Claire Bedford-Downey and Elaine Langan (Cover Supervisors), Nigel Langford (Exams Officer),Philip Cockerill (Domestic Supervisor), Ben Jackson (Art Technician), Kenyatta Fanning (Chemistry Technician), Hazel Gordon (BJS Head’s PA), Christopher Booker and Lyn Dodds (BJS catering), Stephen Harrison (BJS Caretaker), Rich Woods (Facilities), Amy Wood (catering), Isla Pyke (Chef), Tom Wailes (IT), Claire Halstead (Attendance Officer),Fran McCarthy (Receptionist), Steven Everest (Head of Physics), Andrew Quarrell (Head of Drama), Lucy Huelin (Classics and Latin), Jo-Anne Trevenna (Music). Resident Graduates 2018/19: Esther Worrall, Alice Findlay, Andrew Bassett, Hannah Ferreira, Cameron Wallis, Jen Craven. New senior school students:
SPRING TERM 2018/19 AUTUMN TERM 2019/20 Hailey Wong Molly Malone Anson Wong Panda Penty Lower Schoolroom Lower Schoolroom Kaylee Wong Bella Sharp Dominic Thunhurst Jack Bailey Leon Zhuang Dicken Wong Kingsley Cheung Alexei Bassi Candy Xia Violet Bennett SUMMER TERM 2018/19 Sam Bulman Middle Schoolroom Logan Anderson Pre-A- Level Course Lower Schoolroom Felix Cardwell Chloe Atkinson Artem Krylov Lola Berry Karl Chui George Gunn Rachel Henley Sam Dewhirst Felix Dodds-Aston Lizzie Hughes College One James Linch Holly Feasby Lucy Ainger Charlie Grant Caspar McDermott Jake Allagoa Daniel Healey Smith Claudia Mendez Garcia Eloise Blake Robin Wilcox-Wood Oliver Heppell Dylan Bloom Peter Herman Tab Chambers Isabelle Hyams Upper Schoolroom Harry Chiu
Matthew Jamieson Eleanor Cairns Lhotse Cosgrove-Stephenson
Cameron King Caspar Dallas Owen Cui Eliza Loftus Lucy Donaldson Gina Dickinson
Imogen Lowe Zoe Garrett Rebecca Driver
Olly Mair Silas Gunn Henry Hartley Bart Ottaway Freddie Hewitt George Horberry Imogen Pearcy Joe Murphy Somto Kpajie
Augustine Pointon Ned Ottaway Connor Malone Leo Porter Hannah Reid Raheemah Oyekan Dinithi Ramanayake Scott Reid David Paulinus-Ozonnagbo
Noah Rowntree Matthew Tang Ellie Redshaw
Evelyn Russell Bobby Ren Benjamin Scurrah-Smyth Lower Senior Ellen Rowlatt Zahra Sharif James Atkinson Nadja Stojanovic
Thomas Stranger Elsa Bucelle Juan Oscar Tso Macy Taylor Audrey Cheung Beatrix Wilson Robin Taylor Candy Ko Archie Wright
Alfie Tomlinson Karl Lee Tom Yu
Kaitlyn White Kimberly Leong Yaowen Zhang
38 School Record - New staff and students, Sports News Sports News: 2018-2019
Bootham sport has had a great year. Participation levels in all sports have grown (especially amongst the girls) and there is a tangible enthusiasm for sport across the school. Whether it is participating in house matches or playing in national competitions, Bootham students have competed with huge amounts of spirit, enthusiasm and a desire to succeed. Girls football and cricket have taken off and it will be fantastic to see these sports develop further over the coming years. The 1st XI football team had a record breaking season and represented the school as far away as Harrow in London. Our athletes also had a record breaking year on the track – 26 District medals! The aim of the department is to inspire students in physical activity and develop a love of sport that will help them to remain active throughout their life. Whilst we highlight the team sports and the players involved in representative school matches, the importance of the range of others physical activities offered such as our amazing outdoor education programme, indoor climbing, yoga, personal fitness, swimming etc should not be underestimated. Well done to all Bootham students involved in sport this year! Andy Bell Director of Sport
Individual Success Toby Price Modern Pentathlon for Great Britain Yelena Davies County Hockey
Ellen Gordon National Diving competitor
Tom Hayes County Basketball Finlay Coad County Basketball Montgomery Grenyer County basketball Oona Gregory National swimming competitor
Millie Haynes National Judo competitor Maya Lindridge York City athletics representation Finlay Coad York City athletics representation Josie Marr York City athletics representation Toby Price qualifying for Lilly Toure York City athletics representation the World Championships in Modern Pentathlon
U15: Aidan Cardow, Euan Brooke, James Brierley, Harry Clough, Finlay Coad, Jacob O’Brien©, Charlie Phillips, Elliot Blackstone, William Kirby-Welch, Benjamin McCartney, Oscar Manners, Tom Otley U16: Finley Richardson, Daniel Raubitschek ©, George Bristow, Jacob O’Brien, Archie Kaye, Eli Tomlin-Kent, Jack Frampton, Evan Shelton, Peter Woodmansey, Oscar Spink, Harry Wooldridge, Elliot Chan, Parker Cantrell, Jay Boughflower 1st XI: Will Jennings, Harry Loseby, Eddie Monkman, Louis Otterburn, Eddie Phillips, Charlie Longbottom, Daniel Raubitschek, George Bristow, Elliot Chan, Finn Van Der Voort, 1st XI Football team Luke Conkleton, Will Stevens ©, Joel Gallagher-Coates, Joe Fielding, Joshua Chan, Joe Swift, Dorian Macak Football Girls U13: Millie Haynes, Maya Lindridge, Robyn Harrison, Effie • 1st XI had their most successful year. Winning games in the Dodds- Aston, Gabi Wolfenden, Sophia Mesa, Rosa Carter, ISFA National U18 Cup Competition. Reaching the semi- Charlotte Jacobi, Lilia Dean, Caty Gardiner, Joanne Peng, Emily final of the County Cup Brereton, Charlotte Brown, Nell Maughan • U15, U16 & U18 all played in National ISFA competition Girls U15: Zara Forbes, Eleanor Cairns, Ava Harris, Isabelle Martin, • Competitive girls games for the first time in Bootham’s Freya Forbes, Ida-Sofie Parsbo, Hattie Hills, Laura Daniel, Daisy history Kraemer-Dent, Gaia Gausden Emily Brereton, Charlotte Brown, U12: Finn Cook, Will Griffiths, Matthew Horne, Ralph Plowman, Kitty Fisher, Maya Lindrige, Joanne Peng Henry Sprake ©, Douglas Thomas, Zeid Abu Zannad, Arun Brar, Nick Lapish, Riwan Rawnsley, Freddie Thornton, Javi Under 12 Girls Football team
Malagon U13: Matty Parlett, Yiyang Xu, William Abbas, George Anderson, Harvey Tomlinson ©, Edward Barton, Max Brooks, Ollie Hudson, Luca Kennedy-Foster, George Pearcy, Luke Higgins, Matthew Horne, Will Griffiths, Isaac Cardow. U14: Tom Hayes ©, Finlay Coad, Toby Shillabeer, Max Cooper, Ben Lees, Mani Cobb, Charlie Kuylenstierna, Alexander Stark, Tommy Sun, Harvey Tomlinson, Charlie Fricker, Tom Carter, Montgomery Grenyer, Edward Barton, Matty Parlett.
39 Netball U12 - Olivia Whitby, Caty Gardiner, Millie Haynes, Marina Perez- Mendosa, Lilia Dean, Carmen Perez-Mendosa, Sabrina Agius, Aria Gausden, Sofia Mesa, Indi Bray, Winifred Leung, Rosa Carter, Martha Clough, Robyn Harrison, Summer Harvey, Kate Hayes, Yasmin Seedat, Romiliy Tuckley U13 VII - Charlotte Brown, Daze Kraemer-Dent, Effie Dodds-Aston, Connie Plenty, Emily Bulman, Yasmin De Souza, Maya Lindridge, Ellen Pickervance, Aurelie Gale, Nell Maughan, Emily Brereton, Rachael Zhuang, Joanne Peng, Aurelie Gale, Aria Gausden, Robin Harrison, Lilia Dean U14 VII - Amy Douglas, Lucy Glover, Poppy Lea, Emma Templeman, Anna Waterman, Phoebe Watts, Alice McWalter, Under 15 District Champions Ellen Gordon, Julia Kusmierek, Oona Gregory, Eleanor Gardiner, Molly Blacklock, Lily Ho Basketball • U12 played in the NBA regional competition for the 1st time • U13 & U15 teams reached the District play-off final after unbeaten league seasons • U15 & U16 teams were District champions • U15 team came runner’s up in the County final. • Numerous Bootham students representing York Eagles U12: Theo Lindridge, Rory Powell Smith, Henry Sprake, Douglas Thomas, Zeid Abu Zannad, Arun Brar, Nick Lapish, Freddie Thornton, Will Griffiths U13: Edward Barton, Max Brooks, Oliver Hudson, Luca Under 14 Netballers Kennedy-Foster, George Pearcy, Yiyang Xu, William Abbas, George Anderson, Isaac Cardow, Matty Partlett, Harvey U15 VII - Hannah Bettam, Chloe Willis, Hattie Hills, Josie Marr, Tomlinson Libby Tomlinson, Hetty Kirkby, Robyn Munday, Connie Hopwood, U14: Tom Carter, Finlay Coad, Mani Cobb, Tom Hayes, Max Poppy Lee, Ava Harris Cooper, Ben Lees, Montgomery Grenyer, Toby Shillabear, U16 VII - Lilly Toure, Freya Leaf, Hannah Redman, Elise Hills, Alexander Stark, Will Abbas, Jessica Leaf, Sarah Templeman, Molly Bray, Emily Watson, Jamie U15: Euan Brooke, James Brierley, Harry Clough, Charlie Johnson Phillips, Benjamin McCartney, Cameron Pickavance, Aidan 1st VII - Amy McFadyen, Anna Clarke, Charlotte Dean, Amelia Cardow, Tom Hayes, Finlay Coad, Montgomery Grenyer, Johnson, Annie Gransbury, Megan Gransbury, Anna Keag, Gordon Kam, Parker Cantrell ChaCha Bho-ab, Freya Leaf, Libby Tomlinson, Josie Marr, Lilly U16: Elliot Chan, Zehan Hu, Finlay Richardson, Edward Toure Hopwood, Jack Frampton, Benjamin McCartney, James Hockey Brierley, Euan Brooke, Charlie Phillips, Anton Furniss, Yifan Pang U12 - Caty Gardiner, Lilia Dean, Rosa Carter, Aria Gausden, Millie Haynes, Sofia Mesa, Charlotte Jacobi, Indi Bray, Sabrina Agius, U19: George Van Dam, Gerald Ng, Nikita Tcarik, Edward Issy Ashforth, Kate Hayes Hopwood, Toby Price, Anton Furniss, James Brierley, Charlie Phillips, Euan Brooke
Under 16 District Champions
Middle Schoolroom Hockey Team
U13 - Emily Bretherton, Charlotte Brown, Yasmin De Souza, Daze Kraemer-Dent, Maya Lindridge, Connie Plenty, Nell Maughan, Ellen Pickavance, Rachel Zhuang, Effie Dodds-Aston, Emily Bulmann, Irie Thyers U14 - Phoebe Watts, Gaia Gausden, Evie Latham, Jess Spence, Ellie Gardiner, Alice McWalter, Lilly Ho, Amy Douglas, Poppy Lea, Alex Broughton, Yelena Davies, Anna Waterman U15 - Connie Hopwood, Rania Harper-Hindy, Ava Harris, Hattie Hills, Hannah Bettam, Immy Eyre, Josie Marr, Libby Tomlinson, Alice Hetherton, Chloe Willis, Laura Daniel, Grace Wiggers, Anna Waterman, Yelena Davies, Lucy Glover 1st XI - Georgia Haynes, Anna Clarke, Katie Lund, Laura Hagmann, Freya Leaf, Charlotte Dean, India Leonard-Morgan, Izzy Levin, ChaCha Bho-ab, Annie Gransbury, Megan Gransbury, Amelia Johnson, Eve Payne
40 School Record - Sport
Cricket • Competitive girls team at U15 U12: James Bailey, Douglas Thomas, Henry Sprake, Will Griffiths, U15: Will Kirky-Welch, Montgomery Grenyer, Toby Shillabear, Freddie Thornton, Sam Candy, Finn Cook, Ben Houlston, Rory James Brierley, Aidan Cardow, Euan Brooke, Tom Otley, Finlay Powell-Smith, Ralph Plowman, Forby Penty, Nick Lapish Coad, Tom Hayes, Charlie Phillips, Edward Barton, Charlie Fricker U13: Henry Sprake, Will Griffiths, Freddie Thornton, William 1st XI: Louis Otterburn, Harry Loseby, George Van Dam, Theo Abbas, Max Brooks Riches, Will Kirky-Welch Luca Kennedy Foster, George Anderson, Ollie Hudson, George Ben Barnett, Dan Raubitschek, Deneth Ramanayake, Joe Pearcy, Ed Barton, Harvey Tomlinson, James Bailey Shillabear, Toby Shillabear, James Brierley, Aidan Cardow, Charlie Longbottom U14: Montgomery Grenyer, Toby Shillabear, Finlay Coad, Tom Hayes, Edward Barton U15 G: Josie Marr, Ava Harris, Laura Daniels, Isabelle Martin, Yelena Davies, Hetty Kirby, Alice McWalter, Saskia Bindloss, Charlie Fricker, Benji Alwiss, Ollie Hudson, Mani Cobb, Alex Stark, Jasmin Smale, Kiko Lee, Libby Tomlinson, Julia Kusmierek, Max Cooper, Harvey Tomlinson, George Pearcy Hattie Hills, Freya Forbes
Athletics Silver medalists: • A record breaking season for Bootham Anna Waterman in the javelin. in athletics Zara Forbes in the discus. • 9 Gold medals in the District Josie Marr in the 200m. competition Tom Hayes in the hurdles. • 26 medals overall Hattie Hills in the javelin. Yasmin De Souza in the hurdles. York Champions - Gold medalists: Y7 boys relay team. Libby Tomlinson in the 300m and triple jump. Bronze medalists: Josie Marr in the high jump. Henry Sprake in the hurdles. Finlay Coad in the 300m and high jump. Yiyang Xu in the hurdles. Tom Hayes in the discus. Toby Shillabear in the hurdles. Maya Lindridge in the javelin. Aidan Cardow in the hurdles. Theo Lindridge in the 800m. Hannah Battam in the hurdles. Charlotte Brown in the hurdles. Aidan Cardow in the javelin. Yelena Davies in the 800m. Maya Lindridge, Finlay Coad, Josie Toby Gleadhill in the 200m Maya Lindridge in the 200m. Marr and Lilly Toure were selected to Matthew Horne in the 300m. compete for York in the North Yorkshire Effe Dodds-Aston in the discus. Competition in June. Y10 Girls relay team
41 Under 18 York Tennis Champions Swimming • ESA Relay Gala Success • Senior Boys won silver medals in Freestyle and Medley relays • Intermediate Boys won silver medals in Freestyle and Medley relays Junior Girls - Charlotte Brown, Effie Dodds-Aston, Nell Maughen, Yasmin De Souza, Maya Lindridge, Emily Bulman, Ellen Pickavance, Lilia Dean, Caty Gardiner, Olivia Whitby, Eliza Fielding, Nell Maughen Junior Boys - Finlay Coad, Douglas Brewer, Lawrence Brewer, Harvey Tomlinson, Edward Barton, Tom Carter, Ollie Steane, Rory Powell-Smith, Toby Gleahill, Benji Alwis Inter Girls - Libby Tomlinson, Emma Van Dam, Grace Wiggers, Kitty Fisher, Oona Gregory, Amy Douglas, Vidya Prithivija, Amera Brar, Marion Dutton, Eleanor Gardiner, Amelia Lawery Inter Boys - Charlie Phillips, Harry Clough, Jasper Dodds-Aston, Ben Brown, Charlie Fricker, Toby Chan, Elliot Heald Senior Girls - Charlotte Dean, Jamie Johnston, Erin Davies, Carina Tsang, Katie Lund, Ffyon Gregory Senior Boys - Guy Lawrence-Downs, Zach Chan, Theo Riches, George Van Dam, Eddie Phillips Tennis • U18 Boys District league winners U13 Boys: Ralph Plowman, Yiyang Xu, Raphael Last, Harvey Tomlinson, George Pearcy, Lawrence Brewer, Freddie Thornton, Omar Habli U14 Boys : Montgomery Grenyer, Tom Hayes, Alex Stark, Charlie Kuylenstierna, Finlay Coad, U15 Boys: Euan Brooke, Elliot Blackstone, Tom Otley, Cameron Pickavance, Jamie Brierley, Harry Clough U18 Boys: Finlay Richardson, Peter Woodmansey, Freddie Thornton, Euan Brooke U13 Girls: Emily Brereton, Effie Dodds-Aston, Martha Clough, Ellen Pickavance U14 Girls: Bette Gleadhall, Alice McWalter U15 Girls: Connie Hopwood, Hattie Hills, Libby Tomlinson, Josie Marr Rounders U12 Girls - Lola Berry, Caty Gardiner, Lillia Dean, Indi Bray, Sofia Mesa, Sabrina Agius, Izzy Ashforth, Summer Harvey, Francesca Equestrian Seedat, Romily Tuckley, Gabby Wolfinden, Millie Haynes, Robyn • Bootham were represented for the first time in Harrison, Charlotte Jacobi, Rosa Carter, Olivia Whitby, Rachel equestrian events Henley • Zac Edwards qualified for the National Championships U13 - Martha Clough, Emily Bulman, Emily Brereton, Joanne Peng, Rachel Zhuang, Maya Lindridge, Daze Kraemer-Dent, Sports Day Ellen Pickavance, Nell Maughan, Charlotte • A great afternoon of athletics at York University Brown, Yasmin De Souza • Swarthmore overall winners U14 Girls - Darcey Cameron, Eleanor Gardiner, Ellen Gordon, Poppy Lea, Alice McWalter, Vidya Prithiviraj, Emma Templeman, Anna Waterman, Phoebe Watts, Gaia Gausden, Alex Broughton, Lilly Ho, Jess Spence, Yelena Davies, Julia Kusmierek, Hazel Tomlinson, Eleanor Gardiner U15 Girls - Hannah Bettam, Josie Marr, Ava Harris, Connie Hopwood, Immy Eyre, Hattie Hills, Libby Tomlinson, Hetty Kirkby, Freya Forbes, Laura Daniels U16 Girls - Emily Watts, Freya Leaf, Lilly Toure, Hannah Redman, Elise Hills, India Leonard-Morgan, Molly Bray, Yi Lin Xu, Qui Qui Chen, Sarah Templeman, Jamie Johnston Senior Girls – Charlotte Dean, Amelia Johnson, Cha Cha Bho Ob, Nell Judge, Ella Brooks, Megan Gransbury, Annie Gransbury, Elizabeth Reed, Anna Keag
Sports Day
42 School Record - Sport
Valencia 30 members of the U13, U14 and U15 boys football teams travelled to Valencia during the Autumn half term to undertake five days of warm weather football training. The groups base for the tour was a 4* hotel next to La Liga side Valencia’s impressive training ground. Daily coaching sessions were taken by some of Valencia’s academy coaches at the training complex. During the visit a mixed 13/14 team and an U15 team played against Spanish opposition at the training ground. As well as training and playing football, students explored the impressive city of Valencia, took a tour of Valencia’s Mestalla stadium, visited the Cathedral quarter in the Old Town and also attended a La Liga game – although we had to vacate the game half way through the match due to torrential rain and lightning. It was a fantastic experience for the boys and the department will hopefully be repeating the same trip for boys and girls in 2020. Wimbledon 10 students attended the opening Monday at Wimbledon and experienced the action on court number one.
Valencia
Valencia
Wimbledon 2019
43 Visitors December 2018 In early December the Max Planck Institute honoured etween November 2018 and October 2019 the the late Michael Hillas (Bootham 1947-50) with the ‘Hillas following Old Scholars visited staff at Bootham: Symposium’ in Heidelberg. Michael was an outstanding BSamson Mak (B: 2014-18), Luke Norman (B: 1998- physicist with a particular interest in cosmic and 2005), Isaac Vohra (B: 2016-18), Ross Kessel (B: 2011-18), gamma ray astronomy. He had been a keen astronomer Dami Ayo-Vaughan (B: 2015-18), Asa Pomeroy (B: 2011-18), at Bootham and continued to support astronomy at Marcus Hirst (B: 2006-13), Richard Taylor (B: 1943-1946), Bootham throughout his life. Maya Gallagher-Coates (B: 2011-15), Annie Evans (B: 2007- It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces at our 14), May Yu (B: 2015-17), Laura Herman (B: 2004-10), Jane annual Bootham Fellows mince pies get together - and Apperson (nee Atkinson) (B: 1999-2000), Angus Bindloss sad to remember those friends and colleagues who were (B: 2016-18), Zoe Bagley (B: 2011-18), Eleanor Stainforth (B: no longer with us this year. It is this sense of community 2006-18), Keith Uttley (B: 1942-47), Benjamin Leftwich (B: which helps make Bootham such a special place. 2001-08), Will Sessions (B: 1987-94), Robert Goh (B: 1983- 84), Owen Hui (B: 1983-87) Images speak a thousand words. These photographs were taken nearly 70 years apart and feature Old Scholar Michael Breeze (Bootham 1943-50). In the first photo, Michael is with our current DT teacher Eammon Molloy. In the second, Michael is on the far right, with his back to the photographer. This picture was taken in 1949.
Old Scholar Gareth Hardware, who is responsible for maintenance of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in France – pictured here in June (sporting magnificent beard) January 2019 Monthly News On 23 Wednesday, Old Scholar Grace Whorley (Bootham November 2018 2011-18) spoke in Morning Meeting about her experiences volunteering in Tanzania with VSO ICS and the It was with great sadness, that in the same week we importance of making a difference in your community, received news of the death of Ian Small, Headmaster no matter how small. Through working on her project in of Bootham School from 1988-2004, following a short Iringa, Tanzania, she saw first-hand the incredible value of illness; we also marked the passing of Jeremy Heywood, the work of VSO. Civil Servant (OS 1973-1980) at the ludicrously young age The Geography Department were delighted to receive of 56. some stunning images of the Atacama Desert in South On 27 November, we were pleased to welcome Old America from Old Scholar, and A-level Geographer, Olly Scholar Dominic McGregor (Bootham 2004-11), Founder Longbottom (Bootham 2014-18). Olly felt inspired to send and COO of award winning marketing agency Social the photos to Anne Partridge as she taught his class a unit Chain. Dominic spoke with honesty, courage and on Deserts last year. We think you’ll agree they are pretty humility about his stunning. - not always easy - journey since leaving Bootham; and why success at a young age is not always a good thing, to students in morning Meeting, as well as Specials that evening. A truly inspiring young man!
44 Old Scholars - Across the months
February 2019 Colin (Bootham 1947-49) and Jane Henderson celebrated Old Scholar, Becca Bolton, got in touch to tell us about this Golden Wedding Anniversary on 24 May and we wish what she’s been doing recently. ‘I went about my them many more happy years. university application in a slightly unconventional way and am currently doing a postgraduate diploma in Social Innovation Management with a Social Business. I will also be volunteering with the NHS in creating an online platform for young people to seek guidance on how to manage their mental health.’
March 2019 As always we were delighted to welcome back so many Old Scholars for the Sports Reunion. The weather was fantastic and made for a great day. It was lovely to welcome back Old Scholar Benjamin Leftwich (Bootham 2001-08) to school on 29 March, ahead of his much anticipated concert in York Minster that Congratulations to Charlotte Yeldon and Stephen Myers evening. Ben spoke in morning meeting about the journey who were married on 25 May. The photograph shows his life had taken from Bootham student to celebrated Andrew Myers (Best Man) Bootham 2005-10, Nigel singer-songwriter, as well as some of the lessons he had Myers (Father of the Groom), Beverley Myers (Mother of learned along the way. He then had a chance to catch up the Groom), Stephen Myers (Groom) Bootham 2003-10, with proud members of staff. Charlotte Yeldon (Bride) Bootham 2005-10, Elizabeth Yeldon (Mother of the Bride), Belinda Yeldon (Maid of April 2019 Honour) Bootham 2005-12, and Thomas Myers (Best Man) We launched our first ever Careers / University fair on the Bootham 2011-16. 2 April and what a success! More than 13 Old Scholars were kind enough to volunteer their time for the afternoon June 2018 and answer questions on their chosen subject choice, their University and even what it’s like to be a student, to How many of our Upper Seniors and College students. If you would be you saw this interested in participating in next year’s fair, please do get incredible piece in touch, we’d love to hear from you. of art showcasing on ITV in June? Congratulations went to Bootham School’s Director of Created by Music Paul Feehan who was appointed Artistic Director/ our very own Principal Conductor of Yorkshire Youth Choir. Very well Florence Mytum deserved! (Bootham 2004-2011). May 2019 After leaving Bootham Florence went on to study at Leeds We were delighted to see that Old Scholar Lawrence Abu College of Art, then Wimbledon College of Art and then Hamdan (Bootham 1995-2000) had been shortlisted for the finally a Masters at The Slade School of Art. prestigious Turner Prize. His work examines the political Congratulations to effects of listening, using audio to explore its effects on Ariane Buteux and human rights and law. This has led to him testifying as an fiancé Dan Chick who expert witness in asylum hearings in the United Kingdom. welcomed their second His works, along with those of all shortlisted artists, is on baby, Lila into the show at the Turner Contemporary in Margate until January family this June, joining 2020. The winner will be announced in December. older brother Jesse. Another fantastic annual reunion weekend here at Members of the Bootham. It is always fun to reminisce and catch up with Bootham School everyone! From the evening buffet on Friday, to Cricket, community travelled Tennis and the legendary afternoon tea on Saturday. And to London on Thursday the sun shone too! 20 June, to attend the memorial service for Bootham Old Scholar Jeremy Heywood. During the service at Westminster Abbey, four Prime Ministers paid tribute to the man described by Theresa May as the ‘greatest public servant of our time.’ It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces at the Old Scholars’ Reunion in London. Current Headmaster Chris Jeffery, Director of Development Elaine Phillips, former Deputy Head Graham Ralph and longstanding science teacher Mike Shaw played host at the event, which took place at The Antelope pub in Belgravia. Georgia Hudson (Bootham 2004 -11) on her marriage to Karl Hawkes in May 2019
45 July 2019 Leavers Supper - Saying farewell to the College 2 students is always hard, but they are moving on to their next adventure and we wish them every happiness and look forward to hearing all about where life takes them. Welcome to the Bootham Old Scholar family.
August 2019 It was with immense sadness that we shared the news that our colleague and friend Richard Burton had passed away peacefully on July 31st after a short illness. His contribution to the life, atmosphere and success of Bootham over the 32 years he was on the staff, was both generous and huge, and will have been long-lasting in the lives of many of the students for whom he cared.
October 2019 Congratulations to Bootham Old Scholar, George Winfield. George’s company, Spyras, has just been named one of the top entrepreneurial talents by Santander https://www. spyras.com/news We also sent congratulations to Dominic McGregor. The company he co-founded, Social Chain, went public on the German stock exchange after merging with a German company, Lumaland https://socialchain.com We were delighted to take delivery of the new school minibus, very Old Scholars in the North West met in October. Attendees kindly donated by BOSA ready for the new school term. in the photograph include J C David Allan (52-56), Bryan S September 2019 Holmes (45-49), Michael A Crook (50-54), Richard J Taylor (43-46), John D Mounsey (43-48), Gavin K Macpherson (48- Over 600 past and present students, staff and parents 52), John B Caldwell (40-43), J Stewart K Whitaker (48-53), joined us in school on Sunday 15 September to remember and Julian A Bedford (51-57). Thank you to David Allan for the life, and honour the memory of Richard Burton. It was the photograph a lovely occasion, full of laughs as well as tears, but above all memories of a man who changed the course of so many lives for good. This month saw the return of the Recital Room programme, opened with a beautiful performance from Josephine Peach, pianist and Amanda Crawley, Soprano. Every Thursday (term time only) 1:05pm – 1:45pm, doors open at 12:55pm. To see the full programme please go to https://www.boothamschool.com/the-recital-room/ or pick up a copy from reception.
Old Scholar Tom Parsons (Bootham 2008-15) returned to the MFL Dept to give an account of his gap year in Germany. In the furtherance of his Chemistry degree at Durham University, Tom spent his gap year in Würzburg, Germany. He went as part of the Erasmus scheme and enjoyed a fantastic year at the Julius –Maximiliian Universität.
46 Old Scholars - A celebration with David Hughes Something to celebrate: David Hughes
David celebrated his 100th birthday on 17 July 2019. He was brought up in York and attended Bootham, 1934-37. In 1938 he cycled (with tent etc) from York to Berlin, via Paris, French Alps, Swiss Alps, Black Forest, Nurnberg, Prague and the Harz Mountains and then travelled back to Mainz, canoed down the Rhine to Cologne, and toured around Holland for a few days. He entered Cambridge University (Emmanuel College) in 1938 to study Geography. He used his Christmas vacation as a volunteer welcoming Kindertransport children at a reception centre near Harwich. He left Cambridge in 1940 and as a member of the Society of Friends Relief Service spent 1941-47 in London, Holland and Germany. He taught at Ottershaw School in Surrey, 1948-51. He married in Ireland and then taught 2 years in Tasmania (having travelled around the world by sea). He was married to Betty for over 65 years (sadly she died earlier in 2019 aged 93) and they had two lovely daughters, Lotte and Tanya. Finally, he taught for 24 years at Wellington Grammar School. He published books including, ‘The Seven Ages of William Shakespeare’ and ‘ Jesus Teacher of Moral Law’. His memories of Bootham: We all revered Donald Gray (‘D.G’) though I understand he wasn’t the greatest of orangisers. If he had occasion to cross the playground while the eternal football match was in progress, he would briefly join in to good effect (I believe his father had been a professional in Scotland). I remember looking down on his garden from my first floor classroom (the Lower Senior) and seeing his babies at play, one of whom would eventually become Headmaster. I’m amused to hear you still punish with ‘columns’ of words commonly misspelt. One favourite sequence was ‘cottage, couple, courage, cradle.’ I was a day boy, cycling from Acomb every day. I wish I could remember the names of more of the staff. Dear John Dell taught biology and was a polymath. S.K. Brown inevitably became ‘Scabby’. Tony Pim, with his endearing Dublin lilt, taught German. He would return my translation with the comment ‘stewed knitting.’ J Bellingham Grubb taught English well, but was rewarded with the nickname ‘Jelly Belly’, If snow closed the football field, we were sent on a cross-country run (would be banned now under ‘Health & Safety’). Neave Brayshaw, retired teacher, and historian of Quakerism, used to take some of us to study church architecture in and around York (an illustration from one of David’s notebooks is shown). Bootham had an annual excursion to a place of interest, but you could only join if you had given a talk to your fellow scholars. The illustrations show the high standard the school demanded.
- David Hughes
47 Ken Wood 1940 – 2019 • Bootham 1965 – 1991
The death of Ken Wood at the beginning would invariably be spent on the golf course, in the of May 2019 caused a good number company of fellow staff members - and even the of Old Scholars to write to the school, occasional member of College. expressing their dismay and recalling But of course languages, and the teaching of some of the outstanding qualities that he them were his main concern. He was appointed exhibited as a teacher. ‘A pleasure to have Head of the Modern Languages Department and, known him and been taught by him…’, whilst increasingly focussing his own teaching ‘…had a most pleasingly fair attitude….’, upon German, he offered support and guidance to ‘a kind and generous person…’, ‘a true those teaching French. Each year he would aim to and lifelong learner, who respected all take a group of pupils abroad during the summer learners, whatever their ability..’, ‘a great holidays. ‘He was always very relaxed when taking teacher of German…’, ‘had a very dry sense groups abroad’ recalled one Old Scholar. No doubt of humour…’. These are extracts from the it was easier to be so then, before ‘health and various tributes. safety’ became such an issue within schools. These Born in 1940 and brought up in Lincolnshire, Ken trips were indeed happy and successful ventures, was educated at Brigg Grammar School. There and much appreciated. he acquired his interest in foreign languages, as Eventually Ken grew restless, initially moving out of well as playing a great deal of sport. He gained his residence and, ultimately, seeking fresh challenges degree in Modern Languages at Hull University, in Europe. He was well equipped to do so. Perhaps before moving to Cambridge for a year to train as surprisingly, and after some hesitation, he chose a teacher. France rather than Germany, settling in Rouen, Bootham was his first teaching post. He arrived where he taught English as a Foreign Language to in 1965 as a resident master and a teacher of adults and further education students. When he French and German. He adapted quickly to the returned to England he set about continuing this ethos of the school and took a great deal of work, most often on a one-to-one basis, and often satisfaction from his pastoral role as a resident. at the dinner table. His appreciation of fine food Boys responded well to his sense of humour - and wine developed at a rapid rate! ‘impish’ one called it - and to the practical jokes Although a little indecisive in his later years, he he was prone to play on them. ‘Cool Ken’ he was nevertheless enjoyed retirement back in York, sometimes known as, or ‘Smooth Ken’ - perhaps where he was able to maintain contact with in part because he seemed so adept at finding many of his old friends from his Bootham days. He pupils where they were not meant to be. He gave generously of his time, actively supporting ran a well-ordered and a happy house in ‘Fifty various charities, and showing the same sympathy Four’, and enjoyed his contacts with both staff and thoughtfulness in his relationships with the and pupils. He [and we] enjoyed his dramatic disabled and the elderly that he had first exhibited performances in the annual staff plays. in his handling of foreign students at Bootham. His Sport was always important to him. He was a death came as a shock to his many friends and to good tennis coach, and the school did well in his sister and her family, all of whom will miss this competition matches under his guidance. He kind and gentle man. also coached football. However, it was golf to - Michael Allen which he increasingly turned, and half days
48 Old Scholars - Ken Wood
Ken Wood 1972 (Back row, far right)
Lower Senior with Ken Wood 1974 (Front row, centre)
49 Stephen Alexander Richardson
Stephen was one of three children adopted Just outside St John’s, Newfoundland they were by Lewis Fry Richardson (meteorologist torpedoed but the ship was towed back to port for and physicist) and his wife, Dorothy. He had repair. At one stage he tied his precious clarinets to been born in Yorkshire and was 9 months a lifebuoy and towed them behind the ship. old when adopted. He later managed to Due to the war ships were often in a poor state and track down some members of his birth needed constant attention and breakdowns were mother’s family detailed in his book ‘Lost not infrequent. One ship he was on was brand new, and Found - the search for my family’. built in Sunderland. His first ship was a passenger/ cargo ship but otherwise he was on cargo ships Initially they lived in London and due to a lack carrying a variety of goods from newsprint paper, of boys at one stage he joined the Brownies. TNT, phosphate and scrap iron. In 1929 his father was appointed principal of Paisley Technical College so he was able to On one of his shore leaves he met his wife-to-be, take advantage of the surrounding Scottish Peggy, and they were married in 1945. As leave countryside for adventures of cycling, camping time was short they were married by special and skating in winter. At the age of 15 he and a licence in the front room of Peggy’s home. They friend cycled to Loch Ness but saw no monster, had four children. Peggy died of cancer in 1980 only a patch of water ruffled by the wind. He and he married Marion, who he had known for sometimes helped his father with experiments. some time, in 1983 and they were together till she died in 2016. Bootham had 140 boys when he was there. He started to play the clarinet which was to give him After leaving the sea he went to Harvard and pleasure all his life. He did some acting including Cornell universities and finally graduated with a Cassius in Julius Caesar. He was involved in PhD. After university he had a job researching the several sports including running and rowing. At causes of mental impairments, this was followed the age of 60 he ran a mile in 30 seconds less by a professorship of paediatrics research at the than when he was 15! He got into marathon Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York running and did the New York marathon aged until he retired, although he also had several other 70. He ran other races and often won in his age positions connected to child development and bracket. behaviour and wrote a number of books. He had not excelled academically so left school I spent the summer of 1963 with the family just at 17 and joined the Merchant Navy as an after I had left Bootham. They lived just east of apprentice. His 9 year spell at sea is recorded in New York and Stephen, David (one of the sons) ‘School of the Sea’. Apprentices were often not and I sailed their 20ft open catamaran about 350 treated very well but he persisted amidst the miles up to their summer house on an island near often very hot conditions below decks and the Boothbay Harbour, Maine over a week. There was cockroaches which brought back memories of a tent on board that could be put up at night. The biology lessons. In spite of the conditions he did a boat folded so could be towed by car. We went up correspondence course and in 1941 he gained his Buzzard’s Bay with large waves and through the Second Mate’s Certificate, he later got his Master’s Cape Cod canal being towed by a yacht as one Certificate just before he left the Service. Voyages cannot sail through. The island had about 15 other were mainly to India and transatlantic routes. houses so everyone knew each other.
50 Old Scholars - Stephen Richardson Stephen Alexander Richardson 1920 – 2019 • Bootham 1934 – 1937
Sailing was another passion of Stephen’s and he had only recently bought another catamaran with Katy (one of the daughters) but a much smarter looking boat than the original. He has also enjoyed rowing on the water. He rowed in numerous ‘head races’ including the famous ‘Head of the Charles’ in Cambridge, MA. When unable to row on water he took up indoor rowing and several times won ‘the Hammer’ for winning his age group in International competitions in Boston. He and Marion had lived for a long time in a retirement complex north of Boston where they were very involved in the activities. Georgie and I visited them there a few years ago and were very impressed with the facilities. We were also fortunate to meet them in California when they were staying with David having just done a 1000 mile coach tour of Baja, California. We also met the other two children – Beth and John, the latter died a few years ago. He continued playing the clarinet till he was about 95. He was a member of the Seacoast Wind Ensemble, a near professional outfit performing around Boston. He was also a youth counsellor working with children in difficulties and through the courts. He had certainly led a full and interesting life, fortunately well recorded by him. With thanks to family members including Jamie Richardson, a cousin of Stephen, for added information. - John Richardson, Bootham 1958-63
51 My friend John Dowell John and I met in September 1943 as The winter of 1947 was very long and hard. No new boys at Bootham School, York. Our athletics in the spring term but we were able to go dormitory was a small room with seven beds skating every afternoon. The school boilers had run - one for the Prefect, Ian Prest, the others for out of coke so the classrooms were freezing but us new boys. skating was exercise that warmed us up. During the thaw that followed the streets of York flooded and we Outside, in the light evenings, we could see a bat took drinking water to the nearby houses in a large, flying around. Our first project was obviously borrowed, tin bath, carried between us in John’s to catch it and identify it! Two long poles were canoe. The marooned residents lowered bottles and borrowed from the school workshop and a length jugs from their upstairs windows for us to fill. of fishing line, complete with fly, poked out the window. ‘Caught!’ The line was hauled in and the John’s canoe was also useful when the water level bat and line put into a suitcase. When the case was back to normal in the summer for exploring was opened in the morning at bed-making time, the River Ouse. On one trip we decided to go to the bat flew out. Fearful that it might fly into our the pictures, a forbidden pastime, using the canoe, hair, we all grabbed our pyjamas and put them leaving it in a muddy back alley off Coney Street and on our heads but the bat flew into a window and sneaking a quick look for prefects before entering the knocked itself out. Later, at the museum, it was cinema! identified as a common pipistrelle. In the summer term one master organised weekend The school was keen on natural history and camping trips, like visits to Bempton Cliff to see evidence was to be found in the nature lab nesting birds. On these trips, John and I always with its collections of butterflies in jars, grasses, managed to camp somewhere different from the wildflowers and old birds’ nest etc. others. Once it was in a hay barn where, in the morning, I found that rats had gnawed the leather Most of us had bicycles for going out on half-days: traps of the rucksack I’d been using as a pillow! our interests included going to the various local Another time we chose a nissen hut, but the concrete nature reserves and air bases of the flat Yorkshire floor turned out to be very cold and we were woken Plain. Air crews used the school swimming pool in the middle of the night by the loud screams of a to practice rescue techniques during the winter vixen. So it wasn’t a good place to camp! We went to when the pool was closed to us. It was kept full the countryside near Ampleforth where John wanted as a water reserve and was very cold. Needless to photograph nightjars in the dark. He produced a to say, some of us would sneak in for a later night camera and a flashlight - a length of magnesium he swim! ignited with a match. It went off with a tremendous As far as bikes were concerned John outdid the flash; the nightjar wasn’t pleased! I don’t think we got rest of us by having a tandem which we often any photographic results from the experiment. used for our trips out. Back in school, John and I were involved in the Sunday Meeting was in the large Quaker Meeting school’s amateur dramatics; John was in charge House in York, the boys entering from one side, of lighting effects and I helped more on the the girls from our sister school, The Mount, construction of scenery. One play. Androcles and from the other. We sat facing girls. On Sunday the Lion, required a tunnel for the lion to go through. afternoons it was possible to obtain Mount Leave Hanging about twelve feet high, off the end wall of for those who wanted to see their sisters or the bombed-out school sanatorium, was a wooden friends. John and I were usually occupied with staircase. Just what we needed to construct scenery! other things, mainly working in the workshops. With the aid of a saw from the school workshop and the groundsman’s ladder we sawed it down. When school work was done, or in classes, we It fell with a crash but was ideal for the job. This were busy with woodwork or metalwork projects production was staged at The Mount - which made - I built a single-seater canoe. John built a double. our work more interesting. These came in useful on more than one occasion.
52 Old Scholars - John Dowell
As we moved up through the school, our dormitory was in another building and this one was just for four of us. It was across the road. In the mornings we stayed in bed till the last possible moment and then threw on our clothes and raced across the road doing us our ties as we went, in order to get to Assembly before the doors were shut. John, who was always experimenting, invented a cat’s whisker which was an early method of picking up the BBC. After the member of staff had come in to say goodnight, we laid out four wires and four earphones and then we were able to go to sleep listening to big band dance music. Later, in the summer term, John and I were cycling past York Aerodrome when we noticed a Tiger Moth, a twin-wing, two- seater plane, that was taking people for short trips. ‘Yes, I’ll take you up for a trip. It costs 5 shillings,’ said the pilot. That was our first ever flight and it was very exciting. At the last evening meal of each term, train tickets were issued for us to travel home the next day. John and I decided on one occasion that we would catch the very earliest train from York Station. It went at 6 in the morning - so at 5.30 am we were dressed and down on the doorstep, putting on our shoes and off to the station. As a result of our early departure that school policy was changed and tickets were given out after the last breakfast instead! During school holidays we met and stayed in each other’s family homes - we lived fairly close to each other - and we climbed Scafell Pike and descended Gaping Ghyll. We planned to say in Youth Hostels at Eskdale and Seathwaite. I was 16 but John was only 15 and to join the YHA, you needed to be 16. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘I’ll just put my age up to 16 on the application form!’ Our friendship lasted throughout the years, long after our school days. We remained friends and especially so after we both retired and Anne and John came to their cottage at Holme Mills and Liz and I were able to see them quite frequently. Laterly, we would call if we were travelling through Birmingham on our way south or north. We shall miss John, but he has left me with many happy memories. He was a great man and I’m grateful to have known him as a true friend. - David A Lawson, Bootham 1944-48
(Very sadly, David Lawson died in February 2019, and we include these memories as a tribute to both John Dowell and his friend David Lawson.)
53 Old ScholarsRemembered
Jeremy John Barker (Bootham 1942–45) sentences long. I gave it back, saying coaxingly ‘Nicholas you need to fill the whole side of the file paper.’ As well as being bright academically, Jeremy excelled at sports at Bootham including cricket and tennis. He continued to play Next day there was a knock on the staff room door. Jenny tennis later life and was a long standing member of the Town answered it, and came over to me (grinning widely) bearing a Tennis Club in Grimsby. piece of file paper, carefully shaped into a bird’s next. I opened it – there was his essay – still only 5 sentences long, but written From school he went straight into the family business, Marshall, VERY LARGE, to cover the whole page. Knott and Barker, a timber company, where, apart from a gap for national service, he stayed until his retirement in 1980. Well we progressed, and the essays grew longer. There was still the oral element of the exam to deal with. All students had to As he had been unable to go to university straight after school, participate in some sort of dramatic presentations, and they also he took an external degree in Economics from the University had to make a speech to the whole group. Two things Nicholas of London (without taking any courses, just by reading found really difficult. relevant documents and studying old exam papers). He was later awarded a second degree from the Open University in The dramatic bit was solved by one girl’s brilliant idea. They’d Mathematics. decided to do a bit of Macbeth. Rebecca suggested Nicholas could be the Porter, and he could shout his lines from outside He was a magistrate from 1962 to 1993. the classroom window (luckily we were on the ground floor). After paid employment he followed various interests including So everyone clustered round the open window, and Nicholas as a volunteer helping with the accounts of the local Cheshire squatted on the tarmac outside and bellowed ‘Who’s there?’ and Homes, as chairman of the governors of a local secondary school various other things. We were over the first hurdle. and stock market investments. He was also, editor of Bootham But there was still the speech to get through. We all knew magazine for a number of years. Nicholas had many interests and hobbies – but to get him With his wife, Muriel, who died eight months before him, he was to speak about them to an entire class would be a real test. involved in organisations such as the Fabian Society, the Workers Everybody helped. The waves of support that came from the Educational Association and the United Nations Association. rest of the group, the silent respectful attention they gave him Notably, however, they both dedicated their lives to the Labour was tangible. I wanted to hug them all, and give them all A* - Party. As well as working tirelessly in a variety of roles locally, they especially Nicholas.’ had many friends involved in politics both locally and nationally, including local MP Anthony Crosland (who was Foreign Secretary Tom Lester (Bootham 1996–2003) when he died in 1977). It’s a testament to how well-loved Tom was, that his friends Although a very quiet person, Jeremy shone when surrounded travelled from America, the Philippines, Hong Kong and around by his family who were very important to him. He had 11 the UK to celebrate his life. Tom’s mother, Pam, had worked grandchildren and loved playing games with them – hide and at Bootham as a swimming instructor and Tom had enjoyed seek, football, snowball fights and board games. He was also an his time in the school. He went on to study Computer and inveterate story teller. Entertainment Technology at Leeds, and there he gained a 1st and made friends with his future employer and his family. Tom Nicholas Carpenter (Bootham 1991–98) was a talented graphics engineer. All four of the Carpenter children joined Bootham in the early Friends remembered his fondness for games and collectibles, 1990s – first Clare and Martin, followed a year later by James and and his love of receiving parcels from Amazon! He was always Nicholas. there for his friends: happy to talk to Danny Chan in Hong Kong After Bootham, Nicholas went to Bangor to study Environmental late into the night. He had been Best Man at Danny’s wedding. Science and then returned to York where he had a number He is remembered as a loyal and loving friend and he is greatly of volunteering roles. He was particularly interested in the missed. environment and particularly bird-watching. He was an important member of local bird survey teams and was planning a new survey when he died. He was a gentle soul who was much loved by those who came into contact with him, whether helping at a local garden nursery, volunteering at St Nicholas’ Fields or playing a central part with his local board game community. Friends and colleagues share many stories of Nicholas at his memorial meeting and he will be greatly missed. Val Allen shared her memories of Nicholas from Bootham in the 1990s: ‘I first came across Nicholas in his GCSE years. I knew from my friend Jenny Bailey, who had been teaching him before, that he wasn’t too keen on writing essays, and was very unwilling to contribute to any sort of oral work. And for GCSE (a new exam then) students had to write essays for course work and they had to take part in oral work assessed in class. For the first GCSE coursework essay I explained that they must try to write something that covered at least one side of a piece of A4 file paper. The essays duly began coming in, after a few days, for marking. Nick’s wasn’t there. Eventually it arrived. It was 5 A last farewell to Tom with his favourite Banana Cocktail!
54 Old Scholars - Remembered
John Malcolm Melling (Bootham 1947–52) Thomas Harling Park (Tom) John Melling was born in Leeds in 1934. After leaving Bootham (Bootham 1939–40) he had an extensive career in nursing: charge nurse, Royal Dr Tom Park worked for decades at a surgery in York Road, Edinburgh Hospital, nursing officer, Professional Psychiatric Acomb, having begun his medical career in York working as Unit St George’s Hospital, senior nursing officer, Day Services, a locum for Dr Reginald Dench, the father of Oscar-winning Lewisham Hospital, divisional nursing officer (twelve hospitals), actress Dame Judi Dench. Acute & Elderly, Canterbury & Thanet Health District, and district This was followed by a house physician’s post at the city’s nursing officer, Highland Health Board. hospital, where he met his future wife Doreen, who was He was also committed to support the Liberal International working as a radiographer. British Group and stood as a Parliamentary candidate three After spending three years doing National Service as a times. He also supported the Far North Line (railway group) and medical officer, he returned to York to work as an assistant to was a lifelong Quaker. a Dr Dudgeon in the busy practice in Acomb, with every night John enjoyed his time at Bootham and maintained an interest in on call and an occasional weekend off if it could be arranged. the school throughout his life. Over the years he and Doreen also became involved in the life His friend, Malcolm Page (Bootham 1946-53) remembers John: of York. As I look back on Bootham in the late 40s and early 50s, I think He became a member of the Local Medical Committee and the boys divided into 3 groups: the sportsmen, who aspired to a served on the City Health Committee, and joined the York place on teams; the academics, university-bound; and those for Round Table, becoming chairman and then area chairman. whom leisure-hour activity (camera, radio, astronomy, botany, He joined the management committee of The Cheshire Home and more) was central. John, whose varied interests included at Alne Hall, his involvement in the home lasting for more archaeology, belonged to none of these groups. I see him as than 40 years. part of a fourth group, for whom friendship and sociability was key, and he may well have been the heart, the cement, of such a He became interested in medical orthopaedics and got group. . a clinical assistant post and later became a specialist as a ‘hospital practitioner.’ Malcolm Page He took up spinal manipulation in his clinic and became a tutor for the British Association of Manipulative Medicine and John Clifford Woof (Cliff) was made a Fellow. (Bootham 1941–48) He gave up general practice at 60 but kept up hospital work for another five years, and also became president of York Cliff was born at New Medical Society for a year. Earswick In May 1930 and at the age of three moved He also became a church warden at St Stephen’s Church in to Acomb. He attended Acomb, and he and Doreen hosted a church garden party in the local council school their garden every year and organised the raising of £15,000 to until the age of eleven at repair the church’s steeple. which point he successfully He was also chairman of the parish church hall committee for took the scholarship a number of years, organised the making of 170 new hassocks examination and moved to after a church fire and wrote a book on the history of the Bootham. Cliff thoroughly church. enjoyed his time at He also enjoyed sailing and sailed an Enterprise dinghy on the Bootham and the school river in York. remained close to his heart Doreen became a magistrate and was also chairman of The throughout his life. Church of England’s Children’s Home and was on the board of Amongst his papers was visitors at the then Wetherby Borstal. a testimonial from the The couple enjoyed walking and went on long distance walks Headmaster: such as The West Highland Way and The Cotswold Way. They also went on safaris in Kenya and trekking in Nepal and ‘Very few day pupils have established themselves as firmly in Kashmir, walked the Inca Trail to Machu Piccu and spent the life of the school as Woof has done. I can testify without three weeks on a botanical trip to Outer Mongolia. hesitation to his personal integrity. He has a friendly disposition Dr Park leaves Doreen and three children, Lindie, Jonathan and readily wins the confidence of other people.’ and Susie, and five granddaughters and two great grandsons. Those that knew Cliff throughout his life would recognise those comments. After national service Cliff took up a position with Fishburn Printing Ink (now part of BASF) where he occupied various roles over his 42 year career at various locations around the UK. With his accrued technical knowledge Cliff also became a City and Guilds examiner and also wrote and delivered a range of training materials. Cliff came from a strong Methodist family and throughout his life, wherever he was in the UK, he was a very active member of the local church, frequently becoming church organist and choirmaster. Cliff had a passion for music and in addition to 70 years as an organist also enjoyed playing the violin. It was through the Methodist church that he met his wife of almost 65 years – in the local youth club. Cliff and his wife, Margaret, were devoted to each other and it was no surprise when Margaret passed away three days after Cliff – they could not live without each other. Cliff was essentially a family man and leaves two sons, six grandsons and one great grandson.
55 Old Scholars - Remembered
Michael Gilderdale (Bootham 1939–40) 27 years, with Jenny working for BUPA and Michael as a director in Ad agencies. He was sometimes called a polymath because he Born in a village near York, Michael came of a Quaker family, the wrote books, no less than 15 in all, was a Monk of St Giles for 30 second of four sons. His father was a director of the well known years, composed more than 200 verses and was an artist. Quaker chocolate company of Rowntrees. All four boys were sent Michael and Jenny had over 48 happy years together. They moved to Quaker boarding schools and Michael went to Bootham and to Elie in 1995 and regularly enjoyed golfing holidays at their time Ackworth. share at Quinta do Lago in the Portuguese Algarve. Our sympathy Michael really enjoyed sport at school. In school holidays his new goes to Jenny and family. much loved home was Brackenhill with its croquet and tennis lawns, a walled garden, orchard, paddock, vegetable garden and David Andrew Lawson (Bootham 1944–48) hens. He would have played as junior at Wimbledon but the war took over. David was a devoted family man whose polite manner and In WW2, Michael, as a Quaker and pacifist, refused to join the tireless work with a host of community groups endeared him to Armed Forces. A Government tribunal decreed that he should everyone who knew him. help the war effort by growing food and he thus became a farm He was a lifelong youth worker, beginning his career as an lad in Cumbria and Yorkshire before being allowed to join instructor at Eskdale Outward Bound School and moving to The Friends Ambulance Unit. He spent the final year of the Kendall in 1966 as young farmers’ leader then youth leader for the war in Belgium, Holland and Germany dealing with 11 million Westmorland region, a post he held until he retired at 59 in 1990. refugees and displaced persons. On VE Day, he found himself in He was a magistrate for more than 30 years and was a Duke of a devastated Hamburg with another 25,000 refugees, many from Edinburgh’s Award assessor for even longer, meeting Prince Philip concentration camps, and destitute. three times during that time. Post war he was sent to Le Chambon in France to build a new He set up a youth club in Kendall and the Sunbird sailing project school and which made an interesting soft landing after what for the disabled at White Cross Bay on Windermere. He loved had been a harrowing experience dealing with the horrors of to ski, and as well as being past president of the Lake District war and the devastation that followed. He then went on to study Ski Club, he was instrumental in setting up the Kendal Ski Club, English Literature and Philosophy at Manchester University. where he was a voluntary instructor for many years. After training as a journalist, Michael joined the News Chronicle, After his retirement from paid youth work, David continued a national newspaper in Fleet Street. He spent the next 10 years his involvement with Westmorland Agricultural Society and as a news reporter and became a well-known Feature writer. especially with the County Show. He continued as a ski instructor, He interviewed the fabulous and famous in the worlds of stage even after two replacement knees were fitted. and screen; his interviewees included Ella Fitzgerald, Laurence David lost his first wife Jane to leukaemia in 1971, but is survived Olivier and Winston Churchill. When the paper closed, Michael by his second wife Elizabeth, his three children, Jamie, Jane and moved into the advertising business and spent another 10 years Sam, and six grandchildren who all dotted on him. as a “creative” in Barclay Square, the London office of the world’s largest agency. (David had paid tribute to his friend, John Dowell (who died in In 1969 he met Jenny who was working as PA to the legendary September 2018), by sharing memories of their time at Bootham. cancer surgeon Dickson Wright. After their marriage in St This tribute has been printed on pages 52-53) Cuthbert’s Church, Edinburgh became their home for the next
56 Deaths notified to the Trust Office since the last edition of Bootham Magazine
Name Bootham Dates Date of Death
(Stanley) Tom Pickles 1942-44 2018 David Lawson 1944/48 27/2/19 Robin Waddacor 1950-53 25/2/2019 Harry Ransom Rose 1939-42 29/1/19 Patrick Garnett 1946-50 21/1/19 Alex M Webster 1947-52 12/3/19 (John) Clifford Woof 1941-48 15/3/19 (Geoffrey) Michael Wood 1944-50 April 2018 Nicholas Carpenter 1991-98 20/3/19 Jane Spickett 1972-93 Nurse 30/3/19 Andrew Senior 1971-75 2017 John Spence 1938-41 Kenneth Wood Teacher 1965-91 1/5/19 John Malcolm Melling 1947-52 20/5/19 Thomas Harling Park 1939-40 5/6/19 Jeremy John Barker 1942-45 27/6/19 William Noble 1949-52 12/2016 Richard Burton Teacher 1986-2019 31/7/19 Tom Lester 1996-2003 8/19 Stephen Richardson 1934-37 2019 Michael Gilderdale 1939-40 25/9/19
57 Ypres, Belgium and France
Nearly a year ago, the Grenoside Singers, based in the North of Sheffield, arranged to be the guest choir at the famous Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres on Saturday 18th May 2019. The choir also decided to sing at two cemeteries and lay wreaths and we prepared two songs - “We Will Remember” by John Rutter, and “Ave Maria” by Giulio Caccini, for the trip. The choir set off by coach but my wife, Olwen, and I decided to take our car and have a longer break in Belgium and France. In Ypres, some of us went to see the ceremony on the Friday evening where we heard a semi-professional Dutch choir of 96 singers give a flawless performance! As we had only brought half our choir, so a quarter of the size of the Dutch choir, we were slightly worried how we would fare in comparison but we were there to do our bit to remember the fallen so were even more determined to do our best.
On Saturday morning we boarded our coach and headed for the first of our singing and wreath laying events at Tyne Cot cemetery where many from Passchendaele are buried. This is the largest Commonwealth war grave site in the world with 11,965 individual graves, of which 8,369 are unnamed, and in addition nearly 35,000 names of the missing from the Ypres Salient inscribed on the commemorative wall. The scale of their sacrifice was immediately apparent when looking across this vast expanse of gravestones in its lovely and now peaceful setting. We assembled in front of the memorial wall and sang three pieces, adding “I Vow the Thee My Country” by Gustav Holst to the Grenoside Singers at Tyne Cot other two. Around 20 visitors stopped to listen and it was both humbling and incredibly moving to be in that place and helping in a small way to show that this sacrifice will never be forgotten. One visitor, a tenor from Northallerton Male Voice Choir, was invited to join us and would also sing with us later at the Menin Gate. We then moved on to Langemark cemetery which commemorates 44,294 German war dead, many moved from smaller burial sites so half are unidentified in a mass grave. This is a much more sombre place with tablets of black stone laid flat on the ground with several names on each stone. There are large oak trees which were planted as the cemetery was first developed and although well cared for, there are none of the flowers and careful planting as in all Commonwealth cemeteries. Sadly there were relatively few visitors whilst we were there but we sang three pieces, adding “Ich Hatte Einen Kameraden” Langemark which is a 19th century German song of mourning for lost comrades, to the other two. Surprising to us, the array of wreaths were all from British visitors except one from Germany.
At 7 o’clock that evening we assembled under the magnificent stone arch of the Menin Gate to prepare for the Last Post ceremony. The Menin Gate is perhaps one of the most well-known war memorials in the world. Designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield, the memorial stands as a reminder of over 54,602 men who died in the battles in Ypres Salient who have no known grave. It was opened in 1928 and this ceremony has taken place, other than during WW2, every evening since then at precisely 8 o’clock. By 8pm a large crowd in excess of 1,000 had gathered and as the church bells struck the hour the volunteer buglers of the Menin Gate Last Post Association played the “Call to Attention”. We sang our first piece, “We Will Remember Them” and the buglers then sounded the “Last Post” followed by one minute’s silence. After this, it was our turn again and as we sang “Ave Maria” a number of organisations came forward to lay wreaths, including one from the Grenoside Singers. The “Reveille” sounded and the ceremony ended. It had been an incredibly moving experience to sing there surrounded by the names of thousands of allied soldiers who had never made the journey home. As we were packing our things together a Belgian lady who was a tour guide came up to us and said that she had brought over a thousand groups to the Menin Gate but that she had never heard a more poignant or moving performance than ours. This made it even more special and very emotional. Choir members with friends and family then walked back into Ypres to enjoy the rest of the evening with some visitors applauding us as we passed.
58 Old Scholars - Andrew Robinson’s Trip Ypres, Belgium and France – Singing, Cemeteries and Peace Old scholar Andrew Robinson, from Ecclesfield in North Sheffield, recalls a recent visit in May 2019
The following morning the coach left to return to Grenoside, and Olwen and I set off to drive to Rouen in France for a few nights where we hoped to find the graves of 4 Ecclesfield people. We knew that there were many war cemeteries and memorials en-route and, almost by chance, we stumbled upon the absolutely massive memorial at Thiepval. This was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens to commemorate all British and French who died on the Somme and it is the largest memorial in the world to the missing and has a wall of 72,337 names of those who have no known grave. The memorial with its base is nearly 50 metres high – Cathedral proportions! From Thiepval, we then went to the Sheffield Memorial Woods within which are separate memorials to the Sheffield, Barnsley and Accrington “pals”.
All these pals suffered massive casualties in a single day – 1st July 1916 which was the first day of the battle of the Somme. A mile away, we visited the separate cenotaph dedicated to the Sheffield men who died in the battle for Serre. We then headed to Rouen where we looked for the St. Sever War Cemetery This The Last Post is a huge extension to one of Rouen’s civil cemeteries with an area for French war graves and a large part for Commonwealth war graves. In WW1, Rouen was behind allied lines and had 12 major hospitals for treating serious casualties. Sadly, many did not survive their injuries and St. Sever has 11,427 graves from WW1 and also 328 graves from WW2, almost as many as Tyne Cot. Here we found the graves of Charles Jarvis, Horatio Malyan, L. Robinson and Thomas Hodges all from our home village of Ecclesfield. We had an interesting conversation with one of the gardeners who remarked that it is only the British and Commonwealth countries plus USA who visit the war graves. Germans and French generally do not do this which explained why nearly all the wreaths at the German Langemark cemetery were from British people. With our base at Rouen, we Sheffield Cenotaph Thiepval Memorial visited St.Wandrille’s Abbey which was the Benedictine monastery whose monks founded Ecclesfield Priory and in the late 12th century oversaw the re-building of Ecclesfield church. Parts of the 1200 church are still visible in the current building, notably the main pillars in the nave.
Back home, some of our friends wondered why we continue to “glory” in war and celebrate lives lost 100 years ago.
Our response is, in respecting the millions who were massacred for no benefit other than wasting a huge amount of the earth’s resources and laying the foundations for the 2nd World War, there cannot be any stronger symbol in the world of the need to live in peace. These sad cemeteries recording the millions who died needlessly, the hundreds of thousands lost without even a grave, make it so clear that we must find a different way, a peaceful way,to resolve our differences. “We can truly say that the whole circuit of the Earth is girdled with the graves of our dead. In the course of my pilgrimage, I have many times asked myself whether there can be more potent advocates of peace upon Earth through the years to come, than this massed multitude of silent witnesses to the desolation of war”. King George V, 11 May 1922 - Andrew Robinson Monastery of St. Wandrille
St. Sever Cemetery 59 60 Old Scholars - Reunions
61 Proud of Bootham? Help us shout about it! We are very proud of our Bootham community and We are looking for Giving Day Ambassadors – Old it’s always a pleasure to welcome Old Scholars, Scholars, staff members and parents past and former members of staff, and past and present present – to help us get the word out and help make parents into the school. We want to thank you this a success, and we’d love to have you support us for the support you’ve given us over the past year; in doing this. whether you’ve generously given us donations or supported us by attending events. What’s required? On Wednesday 29 April 2020 we will be holding • Mainly your help to disseminate messages from Bootham’s first Giving Day, which will have as its the Development team on 29 April to your theme, Bootham Proud (#BoothamProud). Giving Bootham networks via social media and email. Days are events that a small but increasing number of schools and universities in the UK are organising • We’ll send you all you need and just ask that you to celebrate their alma maters as part of their annual share it with your contacts. If you’re able to reach fundraising efforts. out to friends who might like to also be ambassadors on the day, we’d be thrilled if you We believe that Bootham’s longstanding Quaker could, and we can help with the comms around ethos, embodied most visibly in the quality this of our education programme and strength of our community – along with so much more – is • We will also plan social media activities for 29 April something that the entire Bootham community can that you could be involved in beforehand and on be extremely proud of and delighted to celebrate. the day – selfies, short videos, etc – which you share with us to use in our messages, and which
you ideally would share on your main social media channels, where appropriate.
Our combined creativity and sense of fun will make
Bootham’s first Giving Day a guaranteed success,
so we look forward to your help in showing why we we’re all #BoothamProud!
PROUD 62 Old Scholars - School Reunions 2020
Reunion Weekend Programme - Friday 1 May – Sunday 3 May School Friday 1 May 6.30-8.30pm Buffet Supper - Staff Dining Room
Bootham School welcomes you back with a delicious informal buffet supper in the Staff Dining Room at Reunions ‘20 Bootham School. You and your significant other are invited to catch up with fellow Old Scholars from both The Mount and Bootham Schools. Please RSVP online Saturday 14 March 2020 to reserve a plate! RSVP at www.oldscholars.boothamschool.com/event/ Sports Reunion fridaybuffet Dig out those old boots, trainers and shorts and join us for a Later in the evening Old Scholars will be meeting in range of sporting activities throughout the day. Basketball the Ye Olde Starre Inne, Stonegate. tips off at 11 am in the sports hall, with 7-aside football and netball following at 2pm. Lunch is at 12 noon and 8.30pm School buildings close – no overnight parking afternoon tea at 3.45 pm. Last year saw a record number of on site Old Scholars participating in the different sporting events, everyone is welcome especially spectators. Saturday 2 May The Old Scholars need as much support as we can get! 9.00am Reflect 30 Contact Robbie Millar ([email protected]) Thirty minutes of silent meeting with Bootham staff Tel 07770 600144, if you would like to play. and parents. All Old Scholars are welcome to attend. Followed by coffee in the Dining Room Friday 1 May – Saturday 2 May 2020 See separate programme. 9.45am AGM in the Auditorium Thursday 18 June 2020 Coffee in the Dining Room with past & present London Reunion 10.30am members of staff The Antelope in Belgravia, 6.30pm - 8.30pm. 11.15am Address from the Head, Chris Jeffery, in the Early September 2020 Auditorium Celebration with College leavers. Look out for forthcoming information on the website and by email. 11.30am Head Reeves’ speech in the Auditorium Reflect 30 at Bootham 11.45am Tours of the school Join Bootham’s regular thirty minute Quaker Meeting on a Saturday morning for the wider Bootham community 12.45pm Lunch in the Dining Hall (former parents and staff, Old Scholars and other friends of Bootham, as well as current parents) who want to explore a 1.15pm Sporting fixtures will begin. Come along and cheer little of the benefits of Quaker silence and ideas. It will last on current students as they play tennis at 1.15pm and cricket at 1.30pm; it’s your chance to relax and enjoy 30 minutes, starting at 9am. There may be a few thoughts the sporting atmosphere! offered by a member of our community, but plenty of time for reflection and refreshment…a little oasis of calm at the end of a busy week, as well as the chance to sample 2pm Swimming Gala in the pool, Old Scholars v current students something of what our students experience here, and, in so many cases, grow to really value. The meeting will be followed by coffee and croissants provided (as ever) by the 3pm - 3.45pm The Old Scholar Big Splash - the pool and the inflatables will be made available to Old Scholars and wonderful Bootham School Association. their families for some splashy fun Everyone is welcome to attend: Saturday 18 January 2020 3.45pm - The Legendary Afternoon Tea in the Dining Room Saturday 8 Feburary 2020 4.30pm Saturday 21 March 2020 Saturday 2 May 2020 5pm School buildings close Saturday 13 June 2020 During the afternoon on Saturday, Old Scholars will be able to Bootham Breakfast explore the school and grounds, but will be expected to wear a We would like to invite you to our traditional Bootham name badge at all times when on site. breakfast on dates throughout the year. As usual, coffee will be available in the Committee Room from 8 30am, with PARKING AT BOOTHAM ON SATURDAY breakfast served between 9.00 and 9.30am in the Dining Hall. Parking will be available to Old Scholars from 11.30am on Saturday morning, and cars can be left overnight, preferably in parking Saturday 11 January 2020 bays. Any cars which are left on the playground are done so at the Saturday 1 February 2020 owners’ risk. The School site will be locked up promptly at 11pm on Saturday evening, any cars left in the car park will not be able to be Saturday 18 April 2020 removed until Sunday morning at 8am. Bootham Old Scholars’ Events 2020 A warm greeting to all Old Scholars! Are you a Reunion Sunday 3 May regular? Or maybe you haven’t been back to Bootham for 10.30am Old Scholars are very welcome to attend Friargate a Reunion for a few years? Either way, there’s plenty going Meeting on in 2020 to enjoy and experience with your old friends, as well as the chance to make new ones! We would really appreciate your help in re-connecting with as many Old Scholars as possible, especially with the Bi-Centenery in 2023 Take a look at what’s in store this year with 2020 Reunion approaching. If you know of anyone we may have lost touch with programme. please do ask them to get in touch with us, we’d love to catch up.
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