No . 135 The Trusty Servant invited to the final selection training camp over Easter . The Physics Olympiad showered the school with a further 40 medals , six of them golden , and pupils ( including a different member of College in JP ) in the Biology Department won twelve gold medals , with five of the winners selected for Round Two .
A team of Wykehamical biologists , codename Bactoplastics , has also made it to the last ten of the massive Geneva-based Earth Prize , with a potential $ 100,000 to be won ; and , more importantly , with their method to make biodegradable plastic on an industrial scale from food waste , using genetically-engineered bacteria . The product reduces pressure on landfill with its 7-week degradation time , while repurposing up to 1.5 million tonnes of food waste annually . A second team , Veggie for Schools ( see more in Sustainability below ) was selected as one of the Earth Prize Scholars .
It ’ s not all about the sciences , however , though the Olympiads can sometimes make it look that way .
Seventeen pupils won medals in the UK Linguistics Olympiad , of whom five , including two members of VBk , were in the top 5 %, and have the chance to make it onto the UK Team . It ’ s worth pointing out that the school gives no specific preparation for the competition , though William Thomson ( see Mathma news above ) gave some informal tasktimes to fellow competitors .
Two teams from Winchester represented the school at the finals of the Central London French Debating Competition , competing against each other for third place in this incredibly challenging combination of skills .
In news from the English Department , Michelle Meitner ( H , 22- ) won the Edward Thomas Fellowship Close Reading Competition , setting an example to all with an essay ‘ steadily observant and perceptive … clearly written with no pretentious flourishes .’
William Newport ( E , 21- ) was one of the six finalists in the BBC ’ s Chorister of the Year competition .
Win Coll Round-Up
Music Benjamin Cunningham ( K , 07-12 ; Co Ro , 18- ) writes : Three major concerts concluded a busy Short Half for the musicians : the Glee Club Concert in the Cathedral , a Chapel Choir concert in St Cross , and the Cantores Mince Pies concerts . Glee Club sang an impressive programme under the masterful direction of Director of Music , Sarah Baldock ( Co Ro 22- ), and music included Poulenc ’ s Gloria and the rarely-heard For St Cecilia by Gerald Finzi . The solos were sung by soprano Anna Dennis and Nicky Spence respectively . The Chapel Choir performed music by Bach , accompanied by the English Chamber Orchestra , and the Quiristers performed Britten ’ s ever-popular Ceremony of Carols accompanied by harp and conducted by Director of Chapel Music , Howard Ionascu . The Mince Pies concerts , always the highlight of the festive season at Winchester , brought in the usual throng of Wykehamists , and featured a characteristically eclectic mix of music , from medieval carols to a cappella arrangements of popular classics . The group is directed by David Hurley ( E , 76-80 , Co Ro , 16- ). The main event of Common Time was the Concerto Concert in which Christopher Leung ( see above ) thrilled the audience with a superb performance of Beethoven ’ s Piano Concerto No . 3 , accompanied by the Chamber Orchestra , and conducted by James Toll , Head of Strings . In the second half of this concert Glee Club sang Schubert ’ s large-scale Mass in Bb , conducted by Sarah Baldock . You can marvel at Christopher ’ s performance for yourselves : it is available to watch on the College YouTube account . Common Time also saw a 24-hour livestreamed concert for Charity which contained boys and girls from across the school performing solo and ensemble pieces across all genres . It ended with the Vocal Ensembles concert in New Hall – an impressive 100 + singers from across the school – and raised over £ 7000 for charity .
Drama Sam Baddeley ( Co Ro , 16- ) writes : QE2 has been busy this year . There have been two house plays so far , with the Philites opening the season with an energetic and colourful production of Peter Schaffer ’ s Amadeus . Seb Walsh ’ s ( G , 18- ) performance as Salieri skilfully conveyed the frustration of an old man who can ’ t quite accept that God might have bestowed genius on a boorish and much younger man ; the immaturity , energy and talent of the young Mozart shone through in Michael Nevin ’ s ( G , 19- ) portrayal . Immediately after Christmas we had the Cookites ’ lively , cohesive and energetic staging of Robert Bolt ’ s farcical comedy A Butler Did It ! The production was directed by two top years , and was a great hit with audiences .
Short Half saw a VIBk play for the first time for some years : Dennis Kelly ’ s DNA , whose thoughtful cast treated the text ’ s main concerns – bullying , group dynamics and social responsibility – with great seriousness , creating intense , authentic relationships . The Junior Drama Festival also now takes place in Short Half . A huge undertaking , it is nevertheless a lot of fun , and a fantastic opportunity for new JP and
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