IN THIS SPRING 2013 ISSUE Jazz Legend Ronnie Ross Musicians salute master saxophonist Going to Extremes 1500 miles on kite skis Richard King CBE Latin no bar to American dream Pandæmonium DRIVEN TO How an OP’s SUCCEED vision kept the world watching OPs steer motoring in new directions There’s a story that the School only moved from Free School Lane when the name CONTENTS SCHOOL News MUSICAL became too ironic, but we’ve long had a wide social mix, continued to this day by Awards & Talents! means of more than 120 bursary places. Page 2–4 UNIVERSITIES The Perse Music Department has received In 2015 The Perse will celebrate its 400th School News the prestigious Pro Corda Special Award for birthday and will be launching “The 400 Clamour for Schools in recognition of its outstanding Moving On Campaign” to help ensure its future success. contribution to chamber music making. Our primary goal is to raise a significant sum Perse Leavers Two Perse musical ensembles - the U12 for bursary places so that we can keep our After four hugely enjoyable years, this Violin Quartet and U19 Saxophone Quartet - will be my last OP News as Development doors open to talented children no matter Page 5–6 There have been 564 offers of university also qualified for the finals of the Pro Corda Director. I warmly welcome my successor: what their financial circumstances. I’m places to Perse students, including 16 from Chamber Music Competition. Dr Maša Amatt, formerly Assistant hugely grateful to everyone who has already Your news and views Cambridge, 14 from Oxford and 19 from Development Director at St Catherine’s made a donation; I hope we will all respond medical schools. In March, 150 Perse musicians demonstrated College, Cambridge. I know she will look positively when asked to make a gift to the their talents to a packed audience at the campaign. forward to meeting you in due course. University Concert Hall. Performances Page 7 were given by ensembles including the It’s been a real eye-opener to see the School We should be proud to be alumni of MATHS ACES Senior Symphony Orchestra, Senior String as a member of staff. When I first returned Cambridge’s oldest school: an institution Spotlight on Richard King CBE in 2009, it was surreal to be greeted by that has produced two Nobel Prize Beat Harrow Orchestra, Wind Band I, and the Senior my former teachers as their colleague. winners, one of the most celebrated Brass Ensemble. The Perse won the Eastern Region final The discovery that they had first names literary critics of the English language, of the Year 10 Team Maths competition To lift the quality of Perse music still was something of a revelation, and I was a world-leading astronomer, one of the further, the School is currently raising open up additional opportunities such as always anxious about being accosted for greatest documentary film makers, and Page 8 beating Harrow School into second place. funds to purchase a Steinway B Grand the promotion of higher-level concerts and some past missing piece of homework. Yet countless others whose achievements are Competitors tackled a mixture of quick Upcoming Events – drinks, master classes and recordings.” If you would in working with them, I’ve discovered that too numerous to list here. Having seen the questions, co-operative problem solving Piano. Director of Music, Gavin Richards, Perse staff are some of the most committed successes of some of our youngest OPs, lunches, dinner, sport and a studied round for which they had stated that the piano would be “a real like to support this project, please visit: professionals you will find anywhere in it’s clear that the roll call of outstanding prepared. For the final, the topic was the inspiration to our musicians. It would also www.perse.co.uk/annual-fund education. Seeing how much thought goes achievement will continue. Whether it’s Binomial Expansion, covering questions the into planning a lesson has been nothing with a donation, a legacy, or by offering Lower Sixth might find tricky. short of inspirational. time and advice, let’s all do what we can to curriculum for Year 7 pupils. The course ensure that The Perse long remains one the Page 9 – 12 is intended to prepare them for the later The Perse also recorded some fantastic COMPUTER Having met hundreds of Old Perseans UK’s most outstanding schools. introduction of GCSE and A levels in the Kings of the Road – individual achievements in The Intermediate I’ve learned something about the OP subject, and will help them understand Olympiad. This followed on from the Inter- SCIENCE community, too. I realise now that not Best wishes, OPs at full throttle how computers work, not just how to use everyone enjoyed their school days, but I’ve mediate Maths Challenge and participation Introduced them. The School’s approach will be to been pleased to find that OPs are happy was by invitation only. Six Perseans came in teach the subject like a rigorous science, to see just how far the School has come. the top 50 of their year group and a further Having long run a successful programming including a strong grounding in problem Today, Perse pupils have opportunities to four in the top 100. club, from next September The Perse will solving skills, understanding algorithms, and succeed no matter where their talents lie. Page 13 introduce a rigorous Computer Science programming. The Perse is fortunate to be I’ve also learned that OPs value the fact that Eddie Copeland (OP – 2002) Past Events located on the doorstep of one of Europe’s The Perse has never been a ‘posh school’. Development Director most successful technology clusters, and will work in partnership with local companies YEAR 10 SCIENTISTS and academia to secure opportunities for students wishing to apply their skills in a Page 14 Recorded For Radio professional setting. Staff changes and BBC Radio’s the Naked Scientists programme visited The Perse to further their quest other news “to answer questions from everyday chemistry to quantum physics”. Three Year 10 students took part in an experiment to reveal their own DNA using nothing more than CHEMISTS salt water, washing up liquid, isopropyl alcohol and food colouring. Three others explored emulsification, making lava lamps from yellow oil, coloured water and salt. Excel at Lindy Clegg Roxanne Napier Page 15 Olympiad Alumni Relations Officer Development Officer [email protected] [email protected] King of Cool – There was an impressive haul of medals for Perse sixth formers taking Facebook Page: OP Ronnie Ross part in the UK Chemistry Olympiad, ‘The Perse School’ with five of the School’s students placing in the top seven per cent of Page 16 more than 4,000 entrants. Twitter@OldPerseans Nineteen students took medals, with Development Office 400 Campaign report five achieving gold, 11 silver – of The Perse School, Hills Road whom six were Lower Sixth LinkedIn Group: Cambridge pupils – and three bronze. Our Old Perseans CB2 8QF gold medalists were Shaan Tel: 01223 403 808 Page 17–18 Autoin Chhabra,Theo Clark, www.perse.co.uk/oldperseans Alexander Fanourakis, Elizabeth Obituaries Gaunt and Rachel Tyte. Page 1 Page 2 SCHOOL SPORTS ROUNDUP STAFF FIT Extra Curricular Activities NASA PRIZE: For Purpose Students shaken TIM COMPETES Inspired by the youthful energy all around them, 18 Perse staff turned out in bitter and stirred weather to complete the Cambridge Half For England William Drake (Y11), Pratap Singh (Y9), Marathon. School fitness instructor Jared There was international success for Tim Thomas Myers (2012) and Thomas Read Bethall practised what he preached and (Y9) won an all-expenses-paid trip to NASA Harrison (Y9), who was the fastest English stormed home in 1:19:55. Upper School in Florida for their victory in the 2012 UK orienteer in his group, males 14 and under, Deputy Head Daniel Cross was not far Aerospace Youth Rocketry Challenge – in the Interland Cup, held in Breda, the behind at 1:26:43.The team raised more Netherlands. It may have been Tim’s first than £650 for the Christel House education enough to put anyone in a spin. But if the time in the tournament but the England charity. Congratulations to all Perse excitement alone wasn’t enough, the gyro team carried home the trophy for the 19th representatives, including Hugh Chatfield trainer finished the job, as demonstrated. time in succession. He finished second in his (U6) who ran the race in 1:24:13. The special treatment began before they group. had even touched down on US soil when they were invited to a cockpit chat with the Meanwhile, a TriAdventure sprint event in pilot of the 747-400. London was a new departure for The Perse TRAMPOLINISTS but the run-navigate-mountain bike format DEEP, CRISP At the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape proved a winner with members of the well as locations and maps marked with Reach Finals Canaveral they met astronaut Robert C. School’s Adventure racing Club. On arrival ten control points to reach on foot or bike. Springer and took part in a simulated Three Perseans represented the School at and uneven competitors were issued with electronic Then it was down to tactics to decide mission, testing their ability to prepare a the British Schools Trampoline Competition dibbers – a modern take on the traditional how best to navigate the complex and shuttle for take-off, transfer a payload to the and all reached the finals of their respective Deep snow softened the landings for those orienteering clip – which recorded times as very muddy course.