hitchin boys’ school the...

HITCHIN BOYS’ SCHOOL

The ChronicleThe Hitchin Boys’ School Newspaper Summer Term 2012

One of the most important duties of the Head Boyis to make a speech at the Old Boy’s Association,which, for those of you that don’t know, is anorganisation that was set up in 1909 for all of theex-students of Hitchin Boys’ School to stay in touch.It was amazing to see all of the different generationssitting together with just one common experienceand having had such good memories of their schoolthat they choose to come back and relive some ofthose moments. There were people who had left theschool in 1941 and others who had not longgraduated from university. Yet here they were underone roof sharing their stories and reminding eachother of what an incredible school this is. It truly wasan honour to speak in front of them all.

When I came to write my speech, I looked backupon my seven years at this school and wonderedhow it had helped to make me the man I am today.I looked at the big things in my school life: the publicspeaking competitions, the school plays, the Houseevents, the comprehensive curriculum, the Founders’days, the choir services, the sport matches, theschool trips. I would like to thank every student andevery teacher who has given up their time to makethese possible and for making Hitchin Boys’ what itis.

Look around and realise how incredible your schoolis. You have so much offered to you. Hitchin Boys’School has something to offer every single studentwho walks through its doors. The vast numbers ofclubs provide chances for the sportsmen and artists,the musicians and actors, the journalists and chess

players, while the extensive curriculum hassomething to offer ever single student and thenumerous schools trips allow everyone to becomecultured citizens. I implore you: do not waste theseopportunities.

Yet, despite all of this, it is not these noticeablyvisible things that have made the biggest impact onmy life. It’s the little things: the small nuances ofeveryday school life; the atmosphere of this school.That is what makes it so special. That is what makesit unique. When I joined the school, the DeputyHead, Mr Parr said to our year: “You have enteredthis school a boy. You will leave it a man.” I am nowa man and it is now my time to leave. I have hadthe most amazing seven years and will always lookback on my time here with nothing but fondness.Hopefully, I’ll see some of you at the Old Boys’Association in a few years. Goodbye and good luck!

Markian Mysko von Schultze - Head Boy

The Head Boy Speaks

To get involved see Mrs

Gale or just come along

to a meeting

GET INVOLVED

CREDITS

This edition:

EDITORS:

Mrs Gale

PROOF READING:

Conor Black

WRITERS:Conor Black

Ben Chennells

Jack Coleman

Miss Foster • Archie McPhee

Miss Ganguly

Adam Gore

Julian Greenbank

Tom Hills, Matthew Lisles

Alex Morris, Ally Munn

Markian Mysko Von Schultze,

Mr Pinhorn

Peter Saville, Andy Smith

Sam S. Wannell

PHOTOGRAPHS:

Joe Wilmot

Mr Dawson

Mr Streets

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When first asked to write a report on the Queen’s DiamondJubilee for the Chronicle, my first thought was ‘where to start?’The celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the Queen’sascension to the throne took place over 4 days, consisting of avast array of varying events across the country. However, withso many events having taken place, I thought it best to start atthe beginning.

The day of the 2nd of June dawned bright, if not particularlysunny, and the eyes of the nation shifted to the Epsom Downs inSurrey for the Queen’s first engagement of the weekend.Present to watch the Derby, she was first driven around theracecourse, and then watched Katherine Jenkins sing theNational Anthem. After spending time in the Royal Box withother members of the Royal Family, she was given the chanceto inspect the runners in the Diamond Jubilee Coronation Cup,a new event commemorating the Jubilee, and present the trophyto the winning horse. The Derby itself was won by the favourite,Camelot, who finished 5 lengths clear. Elsewhere, gun saluteswere fired in London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

Sunday saw the busiest day of the Coronation, marked by themain event-the Jubilee River Pageant. Nearly 1,000 vesselstravelled down the Thames in a 7-mile procession, one of the mostspectacular the Thames has ever seen! Watching it on TV, theboats just seemed to keep on coming, from the lead boatGloriana, carrying a number of well-known Olympians (SteveRedgrave et al) among its rowers, to a number of the Dunkirk littleships, to a floating belfry, complete with 8 bells, even to Venetiangondolas and a Maori waka, all watched by the Queen and theDuke of Edinburgh from their barge, the Spirit of Chartwell.

Although the weather took a turn for the worse, more than amillion people stood and watched the procession go past. Theycertainly outnumbered the members of a protest march,organised by the pressure group Republic, where the shouts oftheir 500 members were drowned out by members of the publicsinging ‘God Save The Queen!’ The procession finished with abarge carrying the London Philharmonic Orchestra, who haltedin front of the Royal Barge, and finished their performance byplaying Rule, Britannia! and God Save The Queen, at which

point, Tower Bridge erupted with fireworks as its bascules werelowered. Despite the grey skies, this made for a fantastic sight,one that those watching are unlikely to ever forget!

The 4th of June unfortunately saw Prince Philip taken to hospitalwith a bladder infection, which forced him to miss the Jubileeconcert held in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. The concert

itself featured many of the biggest names from the world ofmusic, including Elton John, Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams,Tom Jones and Kylie Minogue. Also present were Sir PaulMcCartney and Sir Cliff Richard, who performed their hits fromthroughout the Queen’s reign. Her Majesty herself concludedthe concert, lighting the last of 4,000 beacons ignited acrossthe Commonwealth, while another massive fireworks display litup the Palace.

The final day of the Jubilee was certainly less strenuous than theprevious three. The Queen marked it with a service of thanksgiving

at St Paul’s Cathedral, before a Diamond Jubilee lunch atWestminster Hall, at the heart of the Houses of Parliament. Shethen travelled from Westminster to Buckingham Palace, where shewitnessed a 60-gun salute from the balcony, followed by an RAFflypast featuring World War II aircraft and the Red Arrows.

At the end of the celebrations, the Queen thanked the nation forthe events, saying that it had been ‘a humbling experience’,and she hoped the memories of this year would ‘brighten ourlives for years to come’.

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On Tuesday 20th March everyone in Year 8 took part in an

Enterprise Challenge day. The main event was that everyone had

to design an idea that worked to a different brief. There were

lots of different categories including; transport, catering and

building. The ideas could be used or sold at the Olympics but

would also be sustainable so that they could still be used after

the Games.

My team consisted of Monty McPhee (8Ft), David McGill

(8Hn), Chris Plummer (8Mt) and Billy Mulley (8Pn). We were

in the Industry of Public Services and our brief was that we had

to design an information kiosk for tourists from all over the

world. Our idea was called the British National Kiosk. The

concept was that it would have a microphone that could be

spoken into and upon recognition of the speaker’s language the

screen would change into that language, making it easy to

navigate for everyone. It would also use a touch pad and

keyboard system and cost £1 to use. It would have information

on everything so it could be used after the Olympics in busy

towns and city centres.

After we had designed our idea we had to make an advert, a

presentation and a miniature model. Our idea got us through

the first rounds and in the final we had to present our idea to

the whole of Year 8 and all the judges. Our idea of the British

National Kiosk was the winning idea and we were told that we

had created a concept that was new but also sustainable after

the games. It was an amazing experience and I really enjoyed it.

Matthew Maylin 8Gy

Young enterprise day

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The much-anticipated annual football match between the Year 12s andYear 13s did not fail to live up to expectations this year, with the bookiesfavourites, the more experienced and shield holders, the mighty year 13s,being smashed by the more-organised and energetic year 12s, by six goalsto one - as you can tell, this report will be written from a completelyunbiased viewpoint.

This match was the talk of the common room. Players from both teamswere placing sporting bets, psyching each other out with cunning mindgames and exchanging good natured banter for weeks leading up to thebig day. The prospect of playing at the world-renowned stadium of HitchinTown Football Club also added to the excitement. Unfortunately, thisexcitement was short-lived due to the consistently inconsistent Englishweather resulting in Hitchin Town FC suffering from a waterlogged pitchonly a week before matchday. A much-debated decision was made andthe match was called off. Word of this spread quickly around the school.Heads dropped. Hearts melted. We thought the dream was over, but ourhopes were soon revived when Mr Dawson pulled Baldock Arena out ofthe hat, allowing us to play our match on a world-class 3G pitch. It wasback on!

The teams for the match were picked by self-appointed teamcaptains Sam Swanton (Year 13) and Connor Vincent (Year 12)and were as follows:

Year 12: J. Hamilton(GK), M. Bandama, A. Smith, A. Munn, L.Shilton, J. Abbott, M. Taylor, C. Vincent , J. Clark, J.Ridler, K. Dzapasi. [Subs] S. Draper & B. David.

Year 13: S. Swanton(GK), M. White, M. Howard, C. Evans, W.Pike, B. Morris, E. Ringe, J. Miley, L. Crosby, T. Payne,O. Sunderland. [Subs] J. Wolstencroft, R. Bailey & H.Wallace.

Supporters for both teams came from all over Hertfordshire, piling throughthe turnstiles in their tens - the atmosphere was breath-taking. The umpire,Mr. Kelly who was taking the reins for the first time, was ready and poisedwith his newly purchased Poundland whistle and the teams were in position.Everything was in place … but oh no, wait, Mr. Dawson, the organiser ofthis huge event, had left the kit back in Hitchin. Whilst Big D quickly whizzedto the minibus and back to HBS to pick it up, Ref Kelly decided to kick offwith the year 12s playing in ‘colours’ instead. We had kick off.

The match started off well. Both teams were settling in, and the crowdbegan to expect a close, nail-biting contest. Year 13 striker B. Morris madea few breaks, but was soon put back in his place by the 12s watertightdefence. Keepers at either end were making ‘Hollywood saves’ and bothsets of midfielders were threading balls through the eye of a needle – thiswas shaping up to a be a quality game of football (shame Mr. Dawsonwas somewhere on the A1(M) at this stage).

The deadlock was finally broken after about 20 minutes, with captain C.Vincent slotting the ball in the top corner at S. Swanton’s near post, 1-0Year 12s.

After the goal, the momentum stuck firmly with the 12s, resulting inanother one quickly following just before half time, this time from the leftboot of J. Clark. Mr. Kelly blew the whistle – half time 2-0 to Year 12s.

Teacups were thrown, substitutions made and tactics changed, (the term‘tactics’ is used lightly in this context as the Year 13s decided to put theirkeeper upfront – definitely an unorthodox move). Mr. Dawson had returnedin a sweat, bearing the kit on his left forearm accompanied with a face ofdisappointment after being informed that he had missed the first half. The‘Colours’ became the ‘Blues’ and the Year 13s remained in their yellow strip,however this time with a rejuvenated team, up for it and ready for a battle.

The second half started with a vengeance. O. Sunderland picked up theball just outside the box and drove confidently towards the goal line. Closemarking from Bandama and Smith, forced Sunderland to attempt a crossat a tight angle. Due to the pressure from the roaring crowd, Sunderland‘fluffed’ his cross off the outside of his boot, wrong-footing goalkeeperHamilton and leaving him scrambling off-balanced only to see the ballcrawl in to the near post. 2-1, game on!

The close score line and unexpected pressure from the year 13s resultedin heightened emotions and fierce tackling. Mr. Kelly was blowing upfouls, left, right and centre – things were really kicking off. The 13s werepushing for the equalizer. A great ball was played into M. Howard in thecentre of the park/3G artificial playing surface, which was met by a strongtackle by opposing midfielder M. Taylor, which was felt by every player,supporter, and teacher on the sidelines as well as those back at school.The force of the tackle sent Howard flying up into the air and falling backto earth the wrong way up - ouch. Some members of the 13s squadthought it was a bit too ‘competitive’, not mentioning any names, butEVANStually, the players calmed down and the match resumed.

The tackle proved to be a game changer and the tables had turned oncemore. Now the Year 12s were back on top. Attack after attack, substitutekeeper H. Wallace was bombarded with crosses and shots. The 12s wererelentless and inevitably another goal was scored, this time from a setpiece. The ball was whipped in from the left by J. Clark and met by thenot-so-small-target of captain Vincent’s forehead, powering it into theback of the net. 3-1 with little time remaining, putting the game prettymuch out of reach … but the rampant 12s weren’t finished there.

Attacks continued to come flooding in; the Year 12s weren’t just lookingfor a win, they were hell bent on demolition. The ball was played out ofthe back into the path of Taylor, who slotted the ball down the left channelfor Clark to run on to, Clark skinned the full back and smashed the ballinto the top corner at the far post – a superb goal! 4-1 now, however the12s still weren’t content, they were hungry. Clark picked up his third ofthe game with a ‘not-so-cheeky’ dink over keeper Wallace whosepositioning was somewhat questionable – a great hat trick to top off agreat personal man of the match performance for Clark. The 13s weretruly deflated now, and as the match neared the end Munn cracked a killerpass splitting the defence and setting up Ridler for his first and last of thegame. Humiliation complete, here endeth the lesson. Final score: 6-1 tothe Year 12s and a long trip home for the Year 13s.

Andy Smith

‘They think it’s all over … yep, it’s definitely over’.

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On Tuesday 12th June, Felix Harris and I were given theopportunity to visit the University of Southampton, as winnersof this year’s Dux Awards. The Dux Awards were a new award,

introduced to recognise top performance in year 9 pupils. We wereselected by Mr Pugh and Miss Foster and as a result we received anall-expenses paid trip to visit this highlyregarded Russell Group University.

After an early start and a long, tediousjourney, we arrived at the HighfieldCampus, where we found our way to thePhysics and Astronomy department. Wewere welcomed by some students andstaff and briefed in a lecture room beforebeing split into groups and taken on a tourof the campus by a student ambassador.Whilst on our tour we discovered thatwhen the University was first built andfinished in 1952, the architect haddesigned the buildings on a nauticaltheme. This meant that the buildings wereall meant to look like things you wouldfind out at sea. There were buildings in theshape of ships, submarines, oil rigs and I’msure much more.

Following this we were taken to a smallsub-lecture to learn about UAVs(Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), and whatthey are used for. In the USA they useUAVs or drones as they call them, to firemissiles at the enemy in a war, to spy onpeople and even to find people that arestranded on a mountain path or naturewalk. If it spots something, like a human,it will send a signal to the nearest rescuecentre and then the stranded or injuredpeople can be rescued. If there is a sniperon a roof, these drones can shoot themdead before he has even shot. Wediscussed the controversy surroundingthis, in that it could be unfair and could lead to more “Cold War”situations as more countries develop this technology.

Next, we went to the Astrodome; a small, inflatable, black igloo. Wewere shown all of the different types of star forms from a blue dwarfto a supernova and a neutron star. We were told the story of some ofthe constellations and what each one is meant to be. We saw a star

625 light years away that could have already had a supernova,something which we might not see in our lifetime. After a short breakfor lunch we headed to the main lecture room in the facility. Here fourpeople showed us how to bend a laser round a corner and gave us ahighly impressive light show. They also showed us how music was

played using lasers, how laser light wasmade into different colours by combiningthe yellow, blue and red lasers togetherand how the lasers can be used to burstballoons. This may all seem trivial, but wewere later to find out the true extent ofthis research.

Finally, we once again moved into theoriginal room where we were to berewarded for our achievements inwinning this award. We took our seats inalphabetical order and awaited thearrival of the Vice-Chancellor of theUniversity, Professor Don Nutbeam. Hemade a speech about how we were solucky to have this opportunity. He alsospoke about how this is the DiamondAnniversary of the opening of theUniversity of Southampton and one ofthe first things that HM The Queen didwhen she was crowned was to open it.He also took this opportunity to tell usabout some of the impressive researchthat has taken place at the universitysince its opening. Something I had notrealised was that their research in lasers,as mentioned earlier, had led to theinvention of fibre optic broadband that isnow used worldwide to provide us allwith our internet access, something manyof us now take for granted.

We then made our way one by one to thefront of the room and received acertificate as a memento of the day. I felt

proud to receive this and it is something that I will cherish for years tocome. I enjoyed this trip a lot more than I expected and I expected it tobe absolutely brilliant. I hope to be able to do something similar in thefuture as it is a superb opportunity. I’d like to give a huge thank you toMiss Foster for organising and taking Felix and I on the trip.Additionally, I’d like to thank Mr Pugh for selecting me, and theUniversity of Southampton for welcoming us with open arms.

The Dux Awards 2012: Trip to the Universityof Southampton by Sam S. Wannell

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Earlier in the summer term, some of our most able year 7and 8 mathematicians were invited to take part in thecounty maths challenge. The Year 7 and 8 challenges havebecome a popular annual event. Each year approximately800 Year 7 and 800 Year 8 pupils enter the competition.The heats are always exciting; with an enthusiastic buzz aspupils engage in ever more challenging questions.

The first heat for year 7 was on the 26th April 2012, wheretwo teams of four competed against other schools to wintheir place in the finals. Team one was made up of TomPickett, Tom Livesey, George Hann and George McElroy.Team two was made up of Ajay Sharma, Stepan Mysko vonSchultz, Will Rodway and Joe French. The two teams wereplaced 4th and 2nd respectively, and team two went on tocompete in the finals.

The final round involved around 20 other schools, allcompeting to be the Hertfordshire maths champions. Thestakes were high, the maths was challenging, but theenthusiasm remained. The boys fought until the bitter endand were placed fourth overall. George McElroycommented “I think everyone enjoyed this experience andI would definitely like to do this again in year 8.”

At the first round of the year 8 maths challenge, HitchinBoys’ had great success as both teams qualified for thefinal. Team one was made up of Alex Evens, Adam Lund,Jordan Lavialle and Elliot Colman. Team two was made upof Raza Chandna, Matthew Maylin, Kieran Morar andDominic Taylor. Both teams battled against 12 otherschools, to be placed 4th and 2nd respectively and teamtwo were awarded for their efforts with a silver medal.

September’s new Head boy introduces himselfAfter a four week selection process that included both student and staff nominations,writing a 200 word application letter and an interview with; the Headteacher: Mr Brown,the Head of sixth form: Mrs Lansdown and the acting Head of Year 12: Mrs Hankinson,the 2012-2013 senior prefect team has been chosen. 16 people applied butunfortunately only 10 could be selected, this is still two more than last year showinghow hard it was to separate the candidates. I have been chosen to take over fromMarkian Mysko von Schultze as head boy and with that take I will on all hisresponsibilities. Although the rest of the team and I don’t take over officially untilFounders Day, we have already taken on our individual roles around school. For the restof the article I will tell you what the roles of the senior prefect team are as a whole,each individual’s personal role within the team and what we aim to achieve this year.We are all aware that the senior prefect team has a major role to play in the school’sday to day life, acting as a bridge between staff and students. We also represent HitchinBoys’ School in the local community and carry the image of the school. Besides myselfthere are nine other members of the team and I’m sure they will do an excellent job.There are 3 deputies this year, the three Smiths! Ben Smith has been appointed to thesixth form, Rob Smith to years 7,8 and 9 and Andy Smith is promoting the link betweenthe school and the community and organising charity events.. We then have one prefectappointed to each year group to work closely with that Key Stage. Jack Colman is withthe Year 7’s, Tom Murrell is with the year 8’s and Khush Barhey is with the Year 9’s.Please feel free to approach them and talk to them about whatever is on your mind,they are there to listen and help! Lastly but by no means least the final 3 prefects allhave dedicated roles; Adam Cooper has been appointed to make the transition between

Year 11 and 12 easier, Tom Worbey will be workingwith the new deputy head and will also be helpingto organise gifted and talented sessions and finallyCiaran Goold has been appointed to be the SEN link.I am immensely privileged to be able to lead such abrilliant team and I hope we will have manysuccesses in the future. I have many aims and ideas for this coming year.Firstly I want to keep up the excellent work done byMarkian and his team in the local community byorganising more interactive fund raisers. Secondly, Iwould like to increase the participation in the extra-curricular clubs and activities from boys in the loweryears right the way up to the sixth form. This may be in sport, music, drama or any ofthe other clubs run in the school, boys may want to take an active part in these clubsor perhaps help coach them. I believe that the more you put into the school the greaterenjoyment you will get out of it! Finally I want to give students in years 10 and 11 moreopportunities to talk to the students in the sixth form to help them decided on whatthey want to do in the future. This should give you a greater insight into what sixthform entails and if it’s right for you, but also help you decide if you want to go touniversity or not and what courses you may look into doing there. The rest of the team and I can’t wait for September to really get started and we hopethat you will enjoy and get involved in the work that we do!Ally Munn

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Year 7 & 8 Hertfordshire Maths Challenges


Moonrise KingdomA hit at Cannes film festival makes its way into a limited releaseof Europe and its all-star cast mesmerizes audiences almost asmuch as Magnolia did over a decade ago.

On the coast of New England in the 1960’s, a young scout,Sam, and a melancholy teen full of angst Suzie run awaytogether in love and leave their families searching. Along withthe trials and tribulations of the young runaways with adetermined scout master (Ed Norton) and a small town cop(Bruce Willis) on their tails the entire time.

Seeing as Wes Anderson has become the go-to Indie director ofthe past 10 years, we expected a lot from Moonrise Kingdomand it did not disappoint. The quirky relationship between Samand Suzie capture a film style that has not been seen since the70’s. Ed Norton is loveable as a bewildered scout chief and BillMurray and Frances McDormand as the couple shattered bytheir troubled girl’s constant abandonment, are perfect in everyway. On the other hand, Bruce Willis does not match the othercasts ability and merely acts the same way he does in each role

he tackles. Starring other well-known actors such as JasonSchwartzman and Tilda Swinton, the acting in the film certainlyhits a high standard and creates the fantastic effect that will belikely to make the film one of Anderson’s best (obviously withthe exception of Rushmore).

The soundtrack is brilliant and fits the mood of the filmfantastically. Does the film meet the 5 star heights of Anderson'sRushmore? Maybe not but it’s a damn good effort that will reignas the top indie film of 2012 so far.

As far as Cinematography is concerned, it is classic WesAnderson. His shot style and use of Mise-en Scene create theclassic quirky approach that any fan of Anderson knows andloves. It is instantly recognizable from the start of the film andcontinues throughout; following a bright and interesting patternthat is not uncommon to Anderson’s previous films.

Undoubtedly Anderson has created a masterpiece in MoonriseKingdom, bringing his classic style to an otherwise bleak andfairly static film industry in current times. It’s certainly a lift fromother disappointing Hollywood actions such as Wrath of theTitans and The Darkest Hour. Anderson’s latest has, indeed, leftfilm audiences around the world thirsty for more.

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2012 is a big year. The Olympics are coming to London, crucial examshave come and gone and the World is supposed to end. However for62 students and 8 teachers, it will be remembered for completelydifferent reasons – 2012 was the year we visited China. We journeyedfar and wide – with a detour or two - to reach the country with over1.3 billion people and the origins of one of the World’s greatestwonders… Chinese food.

When people think of China, their mind immediately turns towardsthe obvious: stir-fries, smog and shaolin monks. These typical westernstereotypes don’t even begin to cover the extent of the Chinese worldand the wonders it possesses.

One of the features that really hit home throughout the trip was thevast amount of history that China holds in its ancient arsenal. It’severywhere and anywhere, and with the right guidance, the potentialintriguing information that could be extracted from the variousfeatures we visited was endless. Fortunately we received exactly thissort of guidance and the team of guides, led by the impeccable andhonourable organizational skills of Richard Yu, proved to be the keyto unlock China’s many treasures.

With the “never waste a minute” attitude that was taken during thetrip, the rate of monuments and features that we visited nearly reachedone per person. The itinerary was regularly chopped and changed, butmanaged to produce an intricately balanced experience whichcombined the headlining structures of the Great Wall and TerracottaArmy with certain hidden gems such as the traditional rickshaw ridethrough the narrow streets of Beijing which led us to visiting a localhome. The old and the new were also finely measured with the ancientForbidden City and – my personal highlight – the breathtakinglymodern Bird’s Nest Stadium, also providing suitably impressivelocations for us to visit.

With all this deep, inspirational and historical information being fedthrough our ears 24/7, you’d be forgiven for expecting us to becomedistinctly more intelligent and less dopey throughout the week.However this was wrong, so very wrong. The iconic Blue shirt of thatclub next to Liverpool also made a visit to China alongside itsnewfound sister, the horrific Pink away shirt of 2010/11 – if youhaven’t seen it, Google it. Both shirts were easily dished out on eachday of the trip and inevitably produced a sense of pride and – moreobviously – embarrassment as each student and teacher were forced

to publicly show their Everton side by wearing the shirts. The list ofthoughtless acts which led to the distribution of these shirts is toolong for this article and truly do deserve their own article, so watchthis space for that; it’ll be worth a read.

With a combined number of hours travelling that is too high to evencomprehend, energy levels were regularly depleted yet everyone keptgoing strong, as if being fuelled by the dynamism of the Beijing citylife. You can’t prepare for it but when it hits, you’re immediatelyengulfed in the intriguing culture of this fascinating country. Whetherit be hassled by street venders to buy a “Genuine Rolex Watch” orapproached timidly by locals for a photo; you couldn’t help but feelpart of China. That feeling itself was an honour and if given theopportunity I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Xie Xie China- a truly incredible and inspirational country.

The Great Wall, Fake Rolexes and Sticky Rice – The China Trip of 2012. By Jack Coleman

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Chi-naaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! In an instant the camera flashed and we whizzedinto action. Our photograph captured, we were in a vast and voluptuouscountry full of Eastern promise tinged with a sinister, secretive past; its darkand murky history fascinating.

The moment had arrived, we had landed in Beijing our expectations inoverdrive urged on by a strong desire to see the sights, especially the GreatWall; we were all agog; of course somewhat hesitant but eager; eager to seefor ourselves what China really offered.

Perhaps short Mandarin night’s enjoying the tremulous tones of China’s sing-song vocatives?

Our expectations were thwarted; Beijing is a sizzling city teeming withtantalising views.

Its four lane traffic zinged along occasionally slowing down by a thrummingpopulace snaking to work or on their return two hour drive, home. A smog-filled journey- the view from our hotel bedroom window confirmed this!Beijing, dusty, daunting, dewy-eyed monster of the East! But, what we couldsee clearly is China modernising, emerging like some serpent metamorphous;growing and expanding rapidly before our very eyes. It seemed like one vastbuilding site; although occasionally, back streets revealed tiny crooked roadspopulated by Mahjon maniacs engrossed in competitive board gaming;thumping jovially into the spirit of China’s emerging economy. People sizzledon relentless in the hustle and bustle of life. New cars zoomed by without duecare and attention and strange three wheelers piled up with waste paper,zipped by in the ‘slow lane;’ a misnomer if ever there was one. Our coachdriver was on a mission and no Beijing peasant was going to curtail him.Bejiing loomed over us like Mao’s portrait in Tian’an men square; imposingand serious. Or like Chairman Dawson, his balcony moment and speech,clarion calls for the proletariat to enjoy: we did! For if we didn’t, dark thoughtsthat punitive measures awaited us in the labour camps of Dazu, somewherein North West China, toiling in Everton shirts, tormented!

On route long advertising boards flashed by bedecked with angry dragons,they added vitality to the wonderful intricate Chinese characters adorningthem-a crisscross of weird messages from another world! Now we were thealien presence and our hosts peeked at us as if we all looked the same; theircuriosity marginal.We expected state communism; secret police: instead we were offered astrong dose of China’s ancient past: The Forbidden City; The Palace Museumand Chengzhen gate; Beihai Park and Yi he Yuan. The beautiful Su Zhou Jie,with its long corridor murals and of course the Great Wall; yes the GREATWALL OF CHINA; in spring; massive, spectacular and foreboding; our zenithwas reaching its highest point overlooking the mountains that surround it,imbued with the spirits of the dead: ‘sheer and irregular mountain projectionsof strategic importance’ rubbing chop sticks with the Changping county,northwest of Bejiing; Ming tombs also towered the skyline against its Dragonand Tiger mountains leaping out at us majestically.

Chi-naaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Would we experience the real dragon? Tamed butweakened by its poverty; it crouched lurking menacingly in the back streetsof the City. The Hutongs, quaint little village buildings that oose China’scultural past; their hidden revolutionary fervour spiced with communistideology!

The Hutongs of Beijing suggest a wizened people living cheek by jowl incrowded conditions whose only means of escape by rickshaw or bicyclecreaking its way to democracy. On each corner of each Hutong, lanterns hangfaded, whimpering but whispering in their commune, secrets of a totalitarianpast. Hanging there in a spring roll breeze faded by the shadowy pace of timeand the smell of noodles that clung to one’s memory like every takeaway youever experienced. The Hutongs hugged each other for fear that ‘big nose’ (usWesterners) would see too much; they reinforced our cracker-like brittleprejudices based loosely on history steeped in sweet and sour subjectivity. Itwas difficult to know how much was real or how much was briskly served upto us, much like an opaque cream corn soup; cloudy uncertainty to what wemight receive.

Dog-tired we set in search of a different China. Our long overnight trainjourney to Xian brought us a little glimpse (although you had to be up at 4A.M) of rural China: magnificent mountains edging alongside the railwaytracks; rice fields reaching out into the distance and scrubland; villages indecline where lone cyclists slowly pedalling creaked to work.

Xian, capital of the Shaanxi Province, is very different to Beijing; less smog,brighter and diverse in its architectural styles. It has a cosmopolitan feel to it;perhaps the Amsterdam of China? An ancient cultural city, its treasures manyand its delights tempting; it incorporates four important dynasties includingthe Zhou, Han, Sui and Tang but dominated by the Ming.

We sped through the city amazed by its striking bell tower and its solid citywalls while imbibing the breath-taking giant wild Goose pagoda; half-dazedby its magisterial elegance we tired in our dogged determination to fiteverything into the short time we were there. We huffed and puffed throughour tour sleepy; dream-like, flitting in and out of consciousness, happy thatwe were visiting yet another of China’s imperial gems. Like terracotta soldierswe marched on to Qin Shi Huang mausoleum absorbing their officialdom.Thousands of life sized warriors China’s supreme relics established by its FirstEmperor Qin Shi Huang; each one carefully designed to suggest culturaldiversity.

The return rail journey to Beijing, again at night, was interrupted by inquisitiveticket collectors who practiced their broken English on unsuspecting students,hoping for a good night’s rest.

Back in Beijing drained, zombie-eyed but replete with mad joy, we crammedin our final visit. Like tumblers and acrobats we whizzed on to the Bird’s NestStadium savouring its immensity and its Olympian aura. Once around thearena, soaking up the atmosphere we then moved quickly to the FriendshipStore bartering our Yuan notes irresponsibly but with excitement.

Next, the long flight back to London longing for clean latrines but eager toimpart our experiences, we gathered our thoughts.

Chi-naaaaaaaaaaaa! Our time was up; exhilarated, exhausted but entrancedwith what we had seen and felt, we headed home into the Hitchin night.

Fast food for thought, indeed!

China: A personal view by Mr Pinhorn

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On the 13th May 2012 at approximately 4:53pm thepower shift was complete…at least for a season. AsMartin Tyler’s everlasting scream of“AGUERRRRROOOO” rang around millions ofhouseholds around the UK and a sudden realisationdawned upon football fans. Manchester City haddefeated the United. At the end of December, Man City were 5 points aheadof their rivals and in the middle of a sparkling run ofform. Unbeaten at home and with all players firing on allcylinders. The pundits were already declaring the title asCity’s but as most fans know Manchester United are oncruise control in the 1st half of the season and manyManchester City fans were wary of not getting too farahead of themselves. However surely this time it wouldbe a step too far...Alas no, several factors turned the tables in January.Firstly the return of Paul Scholes, to anchor the midfieldkick started the United comeback. Secondly there wasthe departure of the gigantic beast of a CentreMidfielder, Yaya Toure. Then the results began to deteriorate. First there camethe damaging FA cup loss to their local rivals, even morepainful for the stirring but too late comeback. Althoughresults continued to be positive the squad was rife withproblems only fuelled by Mario Balotelli’s petulant antics.

Then came the loss at Everton which unmasked clearproblems, one being the lack of cutting edge usuallyprovided by a certain Mr Tevez. February was consistentbut March was horrific. A lacklustre display at Swanseacost them a 1-0 loss before they crashed out of theEuropa League to Sporting Lisbon. A 2-1 win overChelsea was overshadowed by draws against Stoke andSunderland, where they were 3-1 down.Problems were clear and at this point they were 8 pointsbehind going into a vital away game with a resurgentArsenal side. A slack display and a late Mario Balotellired card capped off a 1-0 loss which led Roberto Mancinito declare the title race over. Then the return of the pariah. Carlos Tevez’ return fromArgentina after 6 months playing golf and insulting hismanager inspired a stunning rally. Wins against Wiganand Norwich (where Tevez scored a hat-trick) then set upa tantalising meeting with Man United who had lostaway at Wigan and drawn with Everton after leading 4-2. After their last meeting in the league ended 6-1 thegeneral consensus was that it would be a much tighteraffair. So it proved, a thumping header from the skipperVincent Kompany was all that separated the teams andthe result brought the teams level on points with twogames remaining. The day that was supposed to be perfect started well. At

half time as things stood City would be champions,thanks to a Pablo Zabaleta goal, however United werealso leading away at Sunderland. Then it all wentdownhill. A horrendous mistake by Joleon Lescottallowed Djibril Cisse to pounce and hammer the ball pasta previously unused Joe Hart. The crowd was silent untila moment of madness from Joey Barton. The former Cityplayer made contact with Carlos Tevez off the ball. Thiswas deemed a red card offence and in an angry hazeBarton proceeded to kick Sergio Aguero in the leg beforeunwisely attempting to head-butt the City captainVincent Kompany. The momentum appeared to haveshifted City’s way until Jamie Mackie got on the end of aperfect cross to send the QPR fans nuts. As the secondsticked on, fans became evermore nervous and thebranding of ‘chokers’ was bandied around. Disaster wason the horizon until in the 90th minute Edin Dzekopowered home a header to give the city fans some hope.Then it happened the ball was passed to Balotelli whosquirmed it through to Aguero who in one touchdismantled the Rangers defence before slamming theball home. Cue chaos. The sea of blue erupted and theunforgettable scream was emitted. Alex Ferguson’s eversullen face became darker and the noisy neighboursroared with pride. 2011/2012 the year of the sky blues.

Noisy neighbours turn Manchester sky blueBy Tom Hills

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On 14th June 2012, a very important personcame to town, I doubt you missed the newsand I bet that you can guess who it was, after

all it was widely reported on and I have included it inmy title! That's right, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth IIof the United Kingdom of Great Britain and NorthernIreland visited Hitchin as part of her Jubilee tour…and I was there.

The news was announced two weeks before theoccasion and huge excitement swept through bothtown and school. This would be the first royal visitsince the Queen Mother opened the theatre namedin her honour in 1983 and people were so excitedthat many set up camp the day before in order tosecure a good view of her Majesty.

We arrived early in the morning and by the time theQueen arrived, only ten minutes late, the streets andsurrounding windows were heaving with people. HerMajesty first went to Bancroft, watched byapproximately half the town. She smiled and wavedand was clearly genuinely pleased to see her peopleand celebrate her Jubilee with us. I have never seenso many people congregated in Hitchin, it felt like theentire town had turned up. I even saw a few HBSstudents there (you know who you are!) In adesperate attempt to get one good picture I ran asfast as I could to the town square. My plan, to beatthe Queen to her next location was flawed though.After only four metres, I had to stop due to thecolossal number of people in the way. I had tosqueeze through gaps, politely of course, and weavemy way through the crowd who were pressing in allaround me. At some points I could barely breathe.

Eventually the Queen arrived at the town square andwas greeted by the other half of Hitchin, includingyours truly and my trusty camera! She was greeted bythe choir of Saint Mary's and a band that, somewhatsurprisingly, played the theme tune from Pirates ofthe Caribbean.

Her Majesty got out of her car and was introduced toseveral people. She smiled, shook hands and spent acouple of minutes talking to representatives fromBID. Having received a bouquet of flowers it was timefor her to move on to Sun Street and the DiamondJubilee Maternity Ward. Having officially opened thematernity ward the Queen spent several minutesvisiting the new facility and meeting expectantmothers and new parents.

Looking back it was a fantastic day and I think thatthe Queen enjoyed it too. I can generally tell when asmile is real and hers suggests that she was having agood time. It was a real pleasure welcoming HerMajesty to Hitchin and I hope that she returns tocelebrate her next Jubilee.

The Queen comesto town.

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Markian Mysko von Schultze - Head BoyTwo years ago, the Head Boy at HBS (Alex Coles) and the Head Girl at HGS(Danni Swinburne) decided to set up a competition between their twoschools for the leaving Year 13s, which aimed to be friendly, yet competitive.Each year the contest has grown with more events and the inclusion of ThePriory School and has now become a distinctive tradition of the HitchinConsortium that everyone wants to get involved in.This year was the most closely fought, while brilliantly sustaining thebalance of competition and sociability. Starting the proceedings was theNetball, played just before Christmas, where the boys had to play inWellington Boots to handicap their height and speed. Our Hitchin Boys’played very well against a strong Priory team, but were left trailing onepoint behind Hitchin Girls’ School, who won both of their matches to securean early lead in the competition. Next up was the football with boyswearing dressing gowns and slippers as handicaps. Some beautiful lastminute goals, reminiscent of Man City’s and Chelsea’s recent matches and acouple of penalty shootouts led to an HBS victory, with TPS coming secondand HGS in third. Following this was the University Challenge style quiz,where the Boys’ School devastated the opposition, setting them up in acomfortable position at the halfway point, where the scores stood at:HBS 8 –HGS 6 – TPS 4Up next was the Rounders. This time the Boys’ handicap was to play onpiggyback (considerably more difficult than it sounds, trust me!). Despitethis difficulty, HBS managed a tie with the Girls’ School, but it was ThePriory, who added a well needed 3 points to their tally. Fitting in with the2012 Games, the next event was the Olympics. However, there were no100m sprints or Javelin throws in this tournament. Instead the Silly Olympics

were played out, with events ranging from WellyWanging to Hula Hooping, all culminating in a fierce Tug of War and SillyRelay Race, consisting of four legs (egg and spoon race, three-legged race,wheelbarrow race and sack race). HBS pulled it off again, getting back intoform and leaving themselves in a secure position for the last event, whileTPS moved into second place after a fantastic display of strength and skill.Finally, the biggest and most prestigious event came upon us: the Gym andDance display. This event has always eluded Hitchin Boys’ School and yet, asthe year who pulled off Strictly Come Dancing, I wanted our year to put anend to this! The costumes were on, the atmosphere was tense and thestakes were high. With a mash up of Street Dance, Gymnastics, Ballroomand Freestyle, HBS hit the floor first and blew away the opposition. Thoughboth other schools performed excellently, it was Hitchin Boys’ School thatwon the event and the competition in convincing style, while a second placefor HGS left them tied with the Priory overall. The Boy’s performance isavailable on YouTube by searching “HBS Gym and Dance”, as are the othertwo schools’ dances.We hope to see next year’s Year 13s upholding the spirit of the competitionand playing just as well. What would be fantastic, though, is to see some ofthe younger students coming along to support the teams. So ask next year’ssenior prefect team when the events are being played, so you can come towatch – it would be so good for this competition to be something that thewhole school are involved in. I hope this teaser has made you feel excitedabout your chance to compete in the Swinburne / Coles shield, so have funwhen it’s your turn and let’s see if anyone can beat our “interesting” Gymand Dance display!

The TV shows you are missing out on By Alex Morris 10BJ

The quality of television being made today has considerably improved. TV is now being labeledthe “new independent cinema”. Years ago people would look down on TV writers for thesimple fact that Television was not well respected at all and with the amount of talent showsbeing made you can see where they were coming from. However, in the last 10 years or so,programming has reached fantastic standards. The UK is now making shows that the US aregoing crazy for like Downton Abbey and Sherlock. Here are just a couple of shows I think youare missing out on:

Breaking Bad (2008-)Created by Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad sees Walter White, a family man and high school chemistryteacher fall ill with cancer. The dilemma is he’s broke. To pay for his treatment he looks to an oldstudent of his, Jesse ( A meth dealer ). They team up and cook the purest crystal meth in NewMexico. Walt must hide his secret life to his family and we see many bumps along the way.

A few months off premiering season 5, Breaking Bad has already turned into a cult classic ifever there was one. Lead Actor Bryan Cranston has gone from a supporting actor onlyrecognized as the father in Malcolm In the Middle to multi Emmy award winner. His portrayalof a desperate father is spot on and his partner Jesse played by Aaron Paul is also brilliant.The synopsis above is only relevant for season 1 because the brilliant thing about the show

is all the twists and tribulations that lie ahead for Walt. Once you start, you will never lookback. Definitely not to be missed!

The Sopranos (1999-2007)The Sopranos was an HBO show about a New Jersey mob boss called Tony Soprano havingto juggle his “ waste management “ business with his family problems.

The Sopranos is regarded as the greatest show ever made and for good reason. It is incrediblybrutal but then can change in a second and be hilariously funny. It was an overnight sensationwhen it premiered and the cast were instantly popular. James Gandolfini is Tony Soprano,Edie Falco is his troubled wife and many New York veteran actors steal the show as variousgangsters. Each episode could be a five star film. Quotable, witty, remorseless.

Mad Men (2007-)Don Draper is an Advertising Executive in 1960s New York. His constant need to cheat on hiswife with luxurious women and avoid his children as much as possible gets Don in somescrapes. The office he works in is full of personalities and the show also closely follows hissecretary Peggy as she begins a career in the two faced world of advertising.

The reason Mad Men is without a doubt the classiest and most attractive show on TV rightnow is down to the cast. When watching an episode, not for a second do you believe you arewatching a script being read but instead that you have the privilege of getting a slice ofmodern history right in your living room. Jon Hamm steals the show in this electrifying taleof deceit, passion and greed.

The Swinburne/Coles Shield

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You’ll discover the history of elementary educationhoused in two impressive grade 2 listed school buildings.

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I was incredibly fortunate to have a quick 10 minute interview, eventually lastingan hour, with the much loved and missed Mr Bedford to discuss his time at thisschool and his plans for life after HBS.Mr Bedford has spent 21 years teaching boys in Hitchin and still fondly recallshow the first view of the school he got was of the head master, a Mr Garvey atthe time, with his head lodged firmly under the bonnet of the school minibustrying to fix it. Over the years some major changes have taken place, the ICT rooms, sixth formcentre and the new sports hall and extra science labs have all appeared andcertain features such as a lecture theatre cum informal canteen have disappeared!But some familiar faces were teaching even then. Mrs Konanec, Mr Simms andeven Mr Morgan were all here to welcome Mr Bedford to the school and havebeen maintaining excellent teaching practises ever since; so much so that even21 years ago Mr Bedford prophesised that he was “going to retire from thisschool because it’s so good”. When asked if he was sad to leave after so long at the school he said “I’m nottoo sad to go in some respects as I’ve got to the end. I don’t want to be anorganised teacher anymore, I wasn’t much of one anyway but I’m lookingforward to being a bit more ad hoc. However I’ll be sad to leave, this is the bestschool out of the five I’ve taught at.” After all he’s taught some famous individuals over his years, Joe Worsley being themost famous but not forgetting TV stars Matt Clark and Peter England who used

to invite Mr Bedford to the BBCstudios for recordings of their shows.I am sure the only problems MrBedford will face will be decidingwhat to do in retirement, for this isa man who confesses to having “too many hobbies”. Not only is he an avidhistorian and friend of many WW2. He is also a member of the LincolnshireLancaster bomber association and many other aviation groups. Amongst hisother hobbies are art collecting and music, how many of you knew he sung invarious choirs and was a frequent entry into the school’s music competition? Other plans for his retirement include walking, bird watching and photographingvarious RSPB sites across the world with two other former teachers of HitchinBoys’ school; Mr Allard and Mr Baker. It sounds as if he will be busier inretirement than in school life!I will leave you with some words of advice from the great man himself: “Behonest with yourself, if you want to do something in life, do it. Don’tprocrastinate and be idle.” One thing is for sure though, whatever sir decides to do in the future he’ll bemissed by all of us. This is undoubtedly proved by the fact that at the end of thisinterview we were swamped by year 7’s and 8’s shouting ‘Legend’ and wantinghi fives. Let’s face it with Mr Bedford leaving we’re losing more than just an R.Eteacher; we’re losing an institution and part of the very fabric of the school.

A Farewell to a King

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The Olympics (insert sigh here) are coming. Whether welike it or not they’re just around the corner, like a sneeringhound ready to pounce. As you can probably tell I’mviewing the whole experience with a certain amount oftrepidation. But before you judge me you should reallyhear what I have to say:First off (yes there really are that many reasons) there’s thehuge cost. The original cost was estimated at a cool 2.4billion pounds. Fair enough major sporting events arerather expensive, but the cost has seemingly jumped to astaggering 9.2 billion! How can a nation, which hasrecently entered a double dip recession and has over 2.67million people unemployed, justify paying such vast sumsof money in a time of austerity? Especially when the moneycould clearly be put to better use such as possibly paying63,500 nurses salaries for a year or 41,000 teachers. Surelypaying for a spectacle, however ‘wonderful’, that lasts fora matter of months pales in comparison to the good thatcould be done with the money.On the other hand we’re told that most of this money willbe repaid to society through the good done to grass rootssport from an increase of interest due to the Olympicsright? Well not necessarily. With the huge cost of theOlympics and the budget cuts felt throughout society thebudget of such grass roots schemes can be no way asnear as large as they might have been. There is also noevidence of an increased uptake of sport. The CEO of TheSport and Recreation Alliance, Tim Lamb, has said that the

Olympics “has not lead to a mass take up of sport” thismay indeed be because "The Olympics is a greatspectacle you sit and watch"...So I can't see why everyonewill get up off the sofa and start taking more exercise. Ithasn't happened anywhere else.In fact, the Olympics are too over- reported in the media.For those of us wishing to escape the dark depths of theOlympics this summer the only solution will be to find a nicerock to hide under as the television, radio and internet willbe awash with ‘Olympic Nutters’. The overpoweringcoverage will echo around society creating a clear lack ofdiversity in reporting and destroy any remaining enthusiasmleft in the British Broadcasting Corporation.Another problem we all face is the destruction of our trafficsystems as millions of tourists, with the obligatory socksand sandals, clog London’s Underground and NationalTrain Stations. Freedom of movement will be undoubtedlyhampered, unless the only movement you wish toexperience is that of a Camera toting tourist’s bowels ona crowded train, bus or stadium?Overall it looks like the Olympics won’t be what they’recracked up to be. If you want to view a sporting spectaclewhy not make your own? It’s healthier than watchingothers do it on the telly and you could get wonderfullydistracted from the chaos ensuing around you.

Peter Saville

The Olympics? On yourmarks, get set… go away!

As the Olympics approach two of our resident writersdiscuss the pros and cons of having the Olympics onour doorstep.I will begin this debate with one word. Tourism. Soimportant that some countries actually depend upon it tosurvive. Here, in the UK, it's the fifth largest industry andworth over £115 billion a year. I am willing to bet thatbecause of the Olympics, it will double. Generating moremoney for the economy and who knows, it might be justthe thing to help get us out of the double-dip recession.After all, the 1936 Olympics, hosted in Berlin, helpedGermany out of the Great Depression.Next, housing. When the athletes aren't taking part in theirevents or waiting for the next stage in their event, they waitand live in the Olympic Village. The sceptical among youmay think the Olympic organisers built a new town that willbe abandoned after the games, right? Wrong. After thegames, they will be refitted so that millions of people willbe able to live there. Can you imagine waking up to theOlympic Park and the Orbit Tower outside your window?Personally, I'd love to live there. Let's face it, it's time to findhomes for the people living in the OCCUPY camp.Now, I bet Peter will say “What are we going to do with the

stadiums after the Olympics?”I'll tell you. Use them for exactlywhat they were built for… tohost events. In 2015, theAthletics Championship will come to London and will beplayed in the main stadium. In between that time, they'llbe used by the public. Plus, some of the stadiums werebuilt to be dismantled. They were only meant to betemporary anyway. In the Olympic Park, we're basicallykeeping the Athletics stadium, Aquatics Centre, theVelodrome and the BMX track. And they'll be used for whatthey were made for. Finally, did you know, Paris is the only city to host the Olympicstwice? And they were our main rivals for 2012 Olympics. If youdon't like the Olympics, then like it for this reason because it isthe most important one...France really, really wanted 2012.So, whatever you do, stay in Britain for the Olympics. TheOlympics are good because of what they represent, worldunity. Russia withdrew from Georgia because of theOlympics and I think we should all accept the Olympicmotto Citius, Altius, Fortius (Higher, Faster, Stronger) as ourown motto. The Olympics are simply inspiring. by Julian Greenbank

The Olympics?

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