THE DORKINIAN EDITORIAL During the last year the wind of change seems to have swept through the school in no uncertain manner. However the rest of the school may have been affected by it, the prefects at any rate have never had it so good. Room P., recently decorated and suitably upholstered, provides a refuge for the jaded prefect, whilst this and the boys' trilbies combine to lend an air of dignity and progress to the whole school. The now frighteningly efficient system of electric bells, in comparison with the old hand bell system, must also be regarded as an advance, since its peal, ringing out on a hot summer afternoon, seems calculated to rouse even the most drowsy of schoolchildren. Amid such marks of progress the "Dorkinian" remains unchanged, and testifies, we hope, to the value of tradition. Although the greater part of school life remains, like an iceberg, below the surface, and never reaches these pages, we feel confident that this year's magazine will prove representative of the year as a whole, and reflect its interests and enterprises SCHOOL NOTES, 1960-1961 This year, although the school has undergone no great internal change, outside improvements have been extensive. A new hard surface, unfortunately not yet surrounded by netting, has been constructed near the boys' quadrangle, whilst the girls' field and the "Rough Field" have been ploughed, "flattened" and seeded. While these changes have been taking place, the new Surrey County playing fields at Westhumble have been utilized by the school, and this year the Staff Hockey Match was played there. Electric bells have also been installed, and new blue curtains provided for the Hall. Similar improvements have taken place the sartorial elegance of the prefects. The girl prefects acquired new pleated winter skirts, whilst the boys are leading local fashion with their new trilby hats. This year, Room P. has been made into a Prefects' Room, and was redecorated by them during the Autumn Term. We are very sorry that at the end of this term we shall be losing Miss Kneath, Mrs. Smith, Miss Johnston, Mlle. Ribanier and Herr Knappe. Miss Kneath, who has been teaching French at this school for 4 years, is leaving to take up an appointment at Swansea High School for Girls, and Mrs. Smith, who has already moved to Lancing, is going to teach Art at Westlain Grammar School near Brighton. Miss Johnston is to be married to Dr. George Robinson, and the foreign assistants are returning to their respective countries. We hope that all of them will take away happy memories of the School, and we wish them every happiness for the future. During the Summer Term, Mrs. Thorn was appointed as our second Laboratory Assistant. Next term we shall welcome Miss M. S. Price, B.A.Hons.(Bristol) to take over from Miss Kneath; Miss G. M. Reekie, N.D.D., A.T.C., (Beckenham School of Art and Bournemouth College of Art), who will succeed Mrs. Smith, and Miss J. Bowd from St. Francis College, Letchworth, Herts, who is to take charge of the Needlework department. We are again fortunate in having two Foreign Assistants appointed for next year. They are Herr Danner and Mlle Valbrun. At Sports Day, the prizes are to be presented by Mr. H. W. Trim, one of the School Governors. This year the President of the Parents' Association was Mrs. F. Broomhead, and the President of the Old Dorkinians Association was Mr. N. W. Bradshaw. Once again Mr. Wolff is organising a party to Hamburg, and this year 16 pupils will be taking part. Mr. Bradshaw, Scoutmaster of the School Troop and District Commisioner, has organised a camp at Leusden on Dartmoor, where the Scouts have already spent enjoyable times in past years, and 29 boys will be under his able command during the first fortnight of the holidays. This term, the Model Railway Club took a small party to an Exhibition of locomotives at Marylebone Goods Depot and to Camden Town Motive Power Depot, and Miss Barter, as always, continued to arrange Theatre Parties throughout the year. The School Play, "The Imaginary Invalid" by Moliere (adapted by Miles Malleson) will be performed on 7th, 8th and 9th December. Next year's dates are :- Autumn Term: 12th September--20th December, 1961 Spring Term: 9th January 6th April, 1962 Summer Term: 30th April-27th July, 1962 At present there are 628 pupils in the School, and it is expected that there will be about the same number next year. 59 candidates sat for the Advanced Level Examination this year, as did 134 for the Ordinary Level. The Prefects for the year 1960/61 were:-- C. S. Heaps (Head Boy) Jennifer Hudson (Head Girl) R. J. Edser (Deputy Head Boy) Angela Pegg (Deputy Head Girl) R. A. Christian; R. A. Grinsted; P. G. Maule; D. G. Minto; D. C. Norkett; R. B. Rossner; I. H. Rutter; M. J. Smith; M. Toop; B. T. Weatherill; Christine Bulled; Judith Constable; Catherine Dryer; Jacqueline Hoadley; Jane Hoey; Pauline Johnston; Jacqueline Kirkman; Margaret Meech; Margaret Minns; Vivienne Mitchell; Frances Moore; Carol Smith; Patricia Wareham; Frances Wright Sub-Prefects were:— R. N. Bowes; Christine Boxall; G. F. Bradford: A. D. Eye; R. J. Casselden; Ruth Chappell; C. S. Duns; Judith Everett; P. J. Gates; C. G. Gear; J. Gent; Barbara Grimsley; Janet Hayns; Sandra Kerwin; R. T. C. Lynch; Fiona McLeod; V. A. Moss; Jill Oakshott; R. C. Parkinson; R. F. Peters; D. Russell; R. J. Scammell; Barbara Toogood; Pauline Yarrow. Last year, D. J. Adams and Joan Dowson were awarded State Scholarships, and this year Paunline Johnston gained the Major Scholarship in Modern Languages at Exeter University. So far this year, 24 members of the Upper Sixth have been accepted at Universities, in most cases provisionally, as follows :-- G. F. Bradford, Leicester; R. E. V. Buckle, King's College, Durham; Christine Bulled, Leicester; D. C. Bundy, Southampton; R. J. Casselden, Exeter: R. J. Edser, Southampton; Ann Finch, Swansea; J. S. Gandee, Leicester; J. Gent, Imperial College, London; C. S. Heaps, Exeter; .Jane Hoey, University College, London; Pauline Johnston, Exeter; Sandra Kerwin, King's College, Durham; R. J. C. Lynch, King's College, Durham; D. G. Minto, Southampton; Frances Moore, Birmingham V. A. Moss, Imperial College, London; D. Russell, Hull; I. H. Rutter, Queen Mary College, London; P. Scammell, Leicester; M. Toop, Southampton; B. Weatherill, Queen Mary College, London; J. Wilcockson, Imperial College, London; J. H. Wood, Exeter. In conclusion, the School would like to thank the members of last year's Upper Sixth for their kind present of a selection of vases. These have been greatly appreciated. SPEECH DAY At the 1960 speech Day, Mr J. E. Pratte Chairman of the School governors, presided and the prizes and trophies were presented by Lord Shackleton. With reference to the Headmaster's stressing of the School's need of an adequately equipped gymnasium, Mr Pratt said that the governors hoped that a new gymnasium would be provided in the near future. Lord Shackleton, in his interesting speech, advised the pupils to be tolerant of other people's opinions and also, before they settled down, to take any chance they had of travelling. The School Madrigal Society sang ‘Now is the month of Maying' by Thomas Morley, three Christmas carols arranged by David Willcocks and three choruses from Faure's Requiem. The senior recorder group played 'Pavane' and Galliard' by Holborne and Riquadon, Gavotte and Gigue by Boismortier, and the programme ended with the School singing Parry's 'England'. The Headmaster began his speech by welcoming Lord Shackleton. In commencing his fourth annual report he first referred to the Staff changes. In July Mrs Redwood and Mr Davies left and the headmaster thanked them for their services to the School and wished them every success and happiness in the future. He welcomed Miss Henderson, Miss May and Mr Macklin and said that the duties of careers master had been undertaken by Mr Galbraith. In August Mr Wolff had gone to Hamburg to spend a term in a German School and the headmaster hoped that Dr. Petersen, the master from the German School who had replaced Mr Wolff, had enjoyed his term at Dorking. The headmaster welcomed the two foreign assistants, Mlle Ribanier and Herr Knappe, and mentioned that the Education Authority had recently allowed the School a second Laboratory Assistant. He then continued "I now turn to the School's academic record. During the year 1959-60, four Open University Scholarships were awarded to our pupils. Karen McLeod distinguished herself by gaining the Senior Scholarship (in English Literature) at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. She was also awarded an Open Scholarship at Girton College, Cambridge. It must be rare indeed for a girl to have the choice of these two Universities, and for some reason or other Karen elected to go to Oxford ! Another girl, Angela Creasey, won an Open Scholarship in German at Leicester University, and R. G. Jones upheld the honour of the male sex by gaining an Open Exhibition in Natural Science at Christ's College, Cambridge. All these awards entitled the recipients to the equivalent of State Scholarships from the Ministry of Education although, in fact, Karen and Jones had previously obtained State Scholarships on the result of the 1959 G.C.E. Examination. In the 1960 Examination, we had 46 candidates at Advanced Level offering between them 144 subjects, and 115 passes (including 11 distinctions) were obtained, that is 80% level of success. State Scholarships were awarded to Joan Dowson and D. J. Adams. It so happened that this year all candidates were in the Second Year Sixth and were thus taking the examination for the first time.