Welcome to Stoke Park 5 Star Hotel and Two AA Rosette Restaurant 49 luxury bedrooms and suites 27 Hole 1908 Championship Golf Course 8 Meeting and Private Entertaining Rooms State-of-the-art Spa and Gymnasium Superb Tennis Courts inc. Grass and Indoor Only 35 minutes from Central London and 7 miles from Heathrow For all things Porsche. Breathtaking design, innovative engineering and a virtually limitless Memberships - Conferences - Golf Days - Spa Days - Weddings number of options to choose from. Contact us about the Porsche range including our Porsche Approved used cars. Prepare to be inspired. Call 01327 438041 or visit www.porsche.co.uk/silverstone Porsche Centre Silverstone Please contact 01753 717171 or email [email protected] Old Tiffield Road Towcester Stoke Park . Park Road . Stoke Poges . Bucks SL2 4PG Northamptonshire www.stokepark.com NN12 6PF ★★★★★ Porsche Centre Silverstone are proud to support Stowe School Cricket Team [email protected] Owned and managed by Old Stoics! Hotel The Editorial Team writes: All of us on the Editorial Team have immensely enjoyed the opportunity not Editorial only to edit, but to produce a ‘new look’ Stoic magazine. It has been a combined effort from nine pupils in the Fifth Form to the Upper Sixth, with invaluable guidance Mr James Peppiatt from Mr Peppiatt. For the past year, we have all enjoyed working alongside each other, notwithstanding a few minor When I first arrived at Stowe for interview on disagreements along the way... a bright and crisp February day in 2009 I was struck, like so many others, by the sheer We hope this Stoic reflects all the magnificence of the buildings and surrounding remarkable aspects of Stowe, including grounds. In his Speech Day address this year, a range of activities from the arts to the the Headmaster spoke of Stowe as ‘an iconic sports field. As well as showing both the brand...with its numerous temples, grottoes, achievements and talent which the pupils lakes and cascades that adorn the garden’. And embody, our objective was to portray the this is, of course, what is conjured up in the minds of most people when sense of community within the School. you mention Stowe – a quite stunning and privileged environment in which The idea of ‘giving something back’, which to teach, learn and pursue the myriad of activities on offer in a boarding was pursued by this year’s Prefect Body, school of this size and calibre. effectively reflects the School coming But in his address, the Headmaster also spoke of Stowe as ‘a community together to achieve an aim that has at its that pulsates with energy, promise, hope and possibilities’, and it is this side heart the community, rather than the of Stowe that I hope comes across in the 2009-2010 edition of The Stoic. individual. Events such as James Larter For however spectacular the surroundings, any school as a whole is only as reaching the finals of the BBC’s Young successful as the accomplishments of the individuals within it; while this is Musician of the Year 2010 and the 1st XV indeed, architecturally and aesthetically, an exceptional place to live and work, appearance in the semi-final of the Daily it is the talents and achievements of the pupils and staff that are celebrated Mail Cup show what successes can be and emphasised in these pages. What I hope also comes through, as Isabella achieved through not only the dedication and Laura mention on the right, is the sense of community spirit and regard of the individual, but also the unified for others that permeates throughout the School: by no means a given in this support of both pupils and staff alike. type of environment, and an ethos that is developed and ingrained only through the altruism and conscious effort of all involved. On behalf of the Editorial Team, we And this magazine would not, of course, have been produced without the should like to thank Mr Peppiatt and tireless energy and hard work of so many people. My thanks, firstly, to all everyone else who has contributed to members of staff who have put so much time and effort into producing copy this year’s Stoic. Happy reading! and photographs, and putting up with my increasingly terse requests when submissions were (very rarely...) ‘unavoidably delayed’. A huge thank you also Isabella Cameron (U6th, Queen’s) and to the pupils on the Editorial Team, pictured right – I do hope you enjoyed Laura Carey (U6th, Queen’s), on behalf taking part in the production of this magazine, and I am enormously grateful of the Editorial Team for all your efforts. I must also thank Tim Scarff, Stowe’s Marketing and Old Stoic Director, whose advice in terms of design and publication has been invaluable. The real heroine of the piece, however, has been Angela Bartlett at MCC Design: it is her creativity and eye for detail, employed over countless hours, which have given this magazine such a professional and polished finish. My heartfelt thanks for your good-natured and patient approach throughout. Without further ado, then, I hope you enjoy reading The Stoic 2009-10, and that it provides you with a greater insight into the rich and vibrant community that is Stowe School. Editorial Team 2009-2010 Left to right: Lucy Milburn, Francesca Lockton, Nicole Banks, Max Sanderson, Daniella Allard, Mr James Peppiatt, Mike Gutkins, Laura Carey, Ed Borland and Isabella Cameron James Peppiatt, Editor The Stoic Editorial 1 Stowe School 2009/2010 ON THE COVER... BBC Young MusiCian of the Year 91 James Larter (Temple) in Percussion Final 1st xv REACh rBs DailY Mail Cup 124-125 seMi-final School Rugby taken to new heights in the 2009-10 season Mother Courage anD her ChilDren 98-99 Senior Congreve 2009 Review Walpole Wins the ColDstreaM Cup 114 Mr Last’s men achieve success for the second year running AcAdemic 124 speeCh Day 04-10 Lyttelton 40-41 valete 11-15 nugent 42-43 FEATURE: annie niChols 16 Queen’s 44-45 AcaDeMiC report 17 stanhope 46-47 prefeCts’ report 18 teMple 48-49 FEATURE: ‘Movember’ 19 Walpole 50-51 Creative Writing: 20 FEATURE: the neW aRT School 52 16 ‘Mother of us all’ Creative Writing: ‘a TALE OF Two lovers’ 53 Old StOicS FEATURE: the DaviD WYnne ColleCtion 54 gallerY: ‘subwaY neW YorK’ / ‘tokyo’ / 55 FROM THE CHAIRMAN / Data Census upDate 21 ‘Image anD text’ MiChael DeeleY’s life in Cult Movies 22 i roWeD aCross the atlantiC anD then 22 clubS And SOcietieS ClimbeD everest DeBating / the XX group 56 olD stoiC sports 23 ars longa, vita Brevis soCietY (ALVB) / 57 AmanDa seymour’s saharan Marathon 24 the anaCreon soCietY Will Kemble-ClarKson’s Mongol Derby 24 the BioMeDiCal soCietY 58 OS EVENTS REVIEW 25 Business stuDies / the ClassiCal soCiety 59 FEATURE: leavers’ Ball 26 geographY 60 gallerY: ‘stackeD’ 27 65 Current affairs 61 anD international HOuSeS relations BruCe 28-29 literarY soCiety 62 ChanDos 30-31 Creative Writing: 63 ‘a tragiC AcciDent’ cHATHAM 32-33 FEATURE: THE Branson 64 CoBHAM 34-35 Scholars grafton 36-37 gallerY: ‘DisCarDeD’ / 65 grenville 38-39 ‘interior’ 2 Contents The Stoic tripS And ViSitS ActiVitieS 2009 McElWee Award 66-67 the DuKe of EdinBurgh Award 110-111 MYles henrY AwarD: 68 stoWe CCf: army, RAF anD naval seCtions 112-113 tanzania 2009 the ColDstreaM Cup 114 76 gap Year ScholarshipS 69-71 Beagling 115 Washington trip 72 serviCe at stoWe 116-117 FEATURE: BehinD the Scenes 73 Chapel 118 FEATURE: sTOWe IN THE sNOW 74 Crossfire 119 Creative Writing: ‘Ice trap’ / ‘Winter’ 75 FEATURE: stoWe School, stoWe house 120 salMon fishing in alasKa 76 preservation trust anD the national roMe 2010 77 trust: partners in heritage MusiC trip to BangKoK 78 gallerY: ‘saturation’ / ‘Contain’ / ‘orange’ 121 FEATURE: stoWe-harvarD Dinner speeCh 79-81 thirD forM BattlefielDs tour 82 SpOrt rugby 124-130 stoWe MusiCians taKe on the Big apple 83 hockey 131-137 CALIFORNIA laCrosse tour 84 laCrosse 138-139 polo tour 85 Cricket 140-143 south afriCa anD MozambiQue expeDition 86 TENNIS 144-147 Warriors south afriCan trip 87 BasKetBall 148 FEATURE: stoWe enterprises 88 netBall / footBall 149 gallerY: ‘laYereD’ 89 FEATURE: SPORTS DaY 150 muSic athletiCs / Cross-CountrY 151 thoughts froM the DireCtor of MusiC 90 SAILING / roWING 152 an intervieW With JaMes larter 91 GOLF / POLO / Equestrian / 153 ClaY pigeon shooting sCHOOL EVENTS 92, 94-95 sQUASH / Badminton 154 an intervieW With augustus perKins-ray 93 Swimming 155 FEATURE: reSTORATION OF THE LIBRARY 96 Water polo 156 Creative Writing: ‘esCape from 97 the MotherlanD’ drAmA Mother Courage anD her ChilDren 98-99 a MiDsummer night’s Dream 100-101 AS DraMa anD theatre stuDies 102 a2 DraMa anD theatre stuDies 103 gCSE DraMa 104 UNPLUGGED 2010 105 FEATURE: THE BEATLES AT STOWe 106-107 Creative Writing: ‘alone’ 108 gallerY: ‘stuDio spaCe’ 109 98 The Stoic Contents 3 Stoic singers in full voice on Speech Day has supported us, whether for the School, or the restoration of the Mansion. Through that generosity the David Donaldson Athletics Track was re-opened Speech day last September by Lord Coe and former Athletics coach David Donaldson. The Art School is on track to be finished and re-opened in September, thanks principally to the generosity of the Linbury Trust. The generosity of three sets of parents has made it possible for us to start building our equestrian facility down the hill at Home Farm – it will open in January. Another parent is providing equipment to help us convert the old squash courts into a Social Centre, to open later this year.