Headmaster's Message Academic News Cultural News Clubs And
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MICHAELMAS TERM THE MITRE 2019 Tel: +27 (12) 348 -1221 | Fax: +27 (12) 361-1917 | Twitter: @thegreyandblue | Webpage: www.stalbanscollege.com Editors: Mark Stenhouse Ilse Marlow Kath Lowe Mitre Chairman: Sebastionos Papavarnavas What’s Inside? Headmaster’s Message Academic News Cultural News Clubs and Societies News Sports News Chapel News Community Service News Staff News General News TheMitre // MichaelmasTerm2019 1 Headmaster’smessage As we come to the end of a very successful year at It is with this in mind that we should engage our children the College and as we contemplate taking our summer in conversations which remind them of the small things breaks and spending time with our families, I would which are good and uplifting and positive in their lives. like to remind you of the importance of relationships, Your sons need a break after an emotionally exhausting particularly with your son. At times like these where we and physically challenging term and it is my wish that are often influenced by the negative media, friendship you will take time for the things that build community groups and our own perceptions of a range of issues and positivity within the family context and that you will in our country and around the globe, it is important to find time to laugh, engage and celebrate. remind ourselves that our sons (and daughters) need our love and thrive in the assurance that they are heard and This edition of The Mitre might help you to engage in seen in the protective and comforting arms of family. these conversations. There are a number of amazing stories and experiences celebrated here and I am We are bombarded with an explosion of information continually amazed at the excellence and ingenuity of on a daily basis and we are overwhelmed by it. In your sons. fact, we are terrorized by it – it causes us to become anxious, suspicious of each other and over burdened We wish all in our community a peaceful and loving in our decision-making. It polarises us and forces us to Christmas and every blessing for the new year! take sides and it seems to be impossible to navigate the middle ground anymore. This complexity, if not Shane Kidwell managed, causes relationships to break down and Headmaster ultimately a pessimistic and cynical approach emerges which erodes our humanity and holding our breath seems safer than breathing. It is easy to focus on the negative even when there is indisputable evidence of positive and affirming stories of success. I would encourage you, as parents, to engage your sons in a conversation about the positive aspects of their lives at the College this year. Hear from them and listen to the stories, no matter how insignificant they may seem, of how they have navigated their way through difficulty and how they have progressed in the classroom context and on the sports field. Jacob Burak says: “It is important to note, whether we like it or not, that negative events affect us more than positive ones. We remember them more vividly and they play a larger role in shaping our lives. Farewells, accidents, bad parenting, financial losses and even a random snide comment take up most of our emotional space, leaving little room for compliments or pleasant experiences to help us along life’s challenging path. The staggering human ability to adapt ensures that joy over a salary hike or a good Science exam mark will abate within months, leaving only a benchmark for future raises and exams. We feel pain, but not the absence of it.” TheMitre // MichaelmasTerm2019 Academicnews Academic Innovation Michaelmas 2019 This term’s focus was on plans for the creation and development of a MakerSpace. There is great interest and need for this so as to prepare our boys for the future. The MakerSpace will be used by multiple departments including Science, Life Sciences, Geography and Art. This term, the Science Department built a Formula V car and is busily engaged in generating funds in order to participate in next year’s Solar Car Challenge. The boys particularly enjoyed the Robotics module and we plan to extend this. A conference was held for the Academic Team where new ideas, such as our academic vision and bringing the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) into the classroom, were discussed. A Creativity and Innovation Think Tank was also held in which we invited other schools to attend and share ideas regarding creative and innovative ways of teaching. We shall continue to build our network with other schools in order to share ideas. The implementation of the Laptop Policy has meant that staff and boys are able to use technology as a tool to implement creative and innovative ways of teaching. Training for staff was held and we will continue to hold sessions in which we provide staff the opportunity to share new and exciting ways of using technology in the classroom. Innovation and creativity do not have to involve technology. In Form 3 English, the boys are allowed to select one of five films to study. They then do an alternative assessment. This class was given the task of moulding their own chess pieces, which were then fired in a kiln. We look forward to implementing more ideas next year in order to ensure that St Alban’s College as a place of teaching and learning is ahead in terms of creativity and innovation. 3 Culturalnews Music Department Report • The R13 000 prize for the best performance of a South African composition, sponsored by the With the Form 3s on Journey and the Form 5s writing SAMRO Foundation, for his performance of Nos 2, Prelim exams, the Music Department group rehearsals 3 and 6 from R Temmingh’s Ses Oorblyfsels. came to a halt. Nonetheless, many other activities continued as normal, resulting in just as many successes, On Friday 11 October, our first ever Matric Music which we can celebrate in true fashion. Tribute Evening was held in the Pavilion. The Parents and the 36 Matrics, who have been actively involved Jacob Christoffels left his Journey group on 21 in Subject Music, Band, Barbershop Boys, Choir, September to join the Standard Bank National Ensembles, Drum Circle and Gumboot Dancing over Schools’ Big Band for rehearsals and workshops the past 5 years, were invited to this evening where we in preparation for the concert on Heritage Day, 24 were able to pay tribute to and thank them for their hard September, at the Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, work and commitment at the innumerable events over Soweto. After the performance, Jacob was taken back the past few years. It was a resounding success and the to Journey to rejoin Group 4 for the last few days. The evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. candidates who wanted to join the National Schools’ Big Band underwent a rigorous audition process before and We would like to extend a huge thank you to all our during the Standard Bank National Jazz Festival held in parents for their amazing support at the many functions Makhanda (Grahamstown), between 26 June and 3 July. during their son's time here at St Alban's College. Next Under the leadership of Justin Sassman, they rehearsed year, we look forward to extending an invitation to all the three times daily and gave a riveting performance at the Arts’ events - Music, Art and Drama, which will be held end of the Jazz Festival. They met up again between at the College. 21 and 24 September to work and perform with world- renowned jazz trumpeter, Wynton Marsalis, and The Note-4-Note Concert on 30 October featured members of the Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra from some individual performers, the String Ensemble, and New York. our guest performers, the St Mary’s DSG Rock Band, under the guidance of JP Rossouw. The Subject Music In the Regionals of the Kids with Talent SA Competition, Recitals on 31 October were well attended and brought Caleb Bediako (Form 2) achieved a 3rd place for Piano, the year to an end for the Subject Music performances. a 3rd place for Drums, and a 1st place for Guitar. He then The Choir and Barbershop, however, continued went on to the National event in the Guitar Category, preparing for the annual Carol Service, held for the first where he received a Certificate of Participation. time in our new Chapel on 22 November. As always, the Carol Service was a festive occasion that filled many a Due to achieving 87% for UNISA Grade 8 Piano, Louis heart with joy and peace. Nel was invited to participate in the UNISA South African Music Competition on 10 and 11 October. On Sunday 3 November, the Music Department was Only a select few candidates from across South Africa privileged to host the Paraguayan Ambassador, his wife get invited to participate in this prestigious event every and invited guests from a number of embassies for a year. Louis won three awards in this competition: cocktail function and performance by the “Recycled Orchestra Cateura” from Paraguay, in the St Alban’s • The overall winner of the 2019 UNISA South College Auditorium. The function was arranged by African Music Scholarship Competition, receiving a the Embassy of Paraguay and featured talented scholarship to the value of R16 600. young musicians from this country who performed • The R13 000 SAMRO / Vladimir Viardo Piano on instruments which included violins, violas, cellos, Scholarship, sponsored by the SAMRO Foundation, flutes, saxophones and drum kit, made out of recycled awarded to the best pianist 20 years or younger. materials found in local rubbish dumps and landfill areas.