the wellington college year book 2010/2011
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the hardinge
The Hardinge leavers of 2011
consisted of the last group of ten
boys to join The Hopetoun in the
Third Form and twelve who began
their Wellington careers in Michaelmas 2009.
The Lower Sixth was made up of the first
group of Anglesey boys to move as that House
evolves into a girls’ house, joined by eight new
pupils. In addition to these, three members
of The Hardinge began their Third Form years
in different Houses. Representatives of nine
different nationalities and fourteen countries
of residency added to the cosmopolitan
atmosphere of the boys’ Sixth Form house,
and with half the leavers studying the ib
Diploma, The Hardinge continued at the
centre of Wellington’s recent changes and the
forefront of new developments.
Traditional values were equally represented,
however. Four members of the Hardinge were
awarded 1st xv colours (Kyle Ross, Peter
Davidge, Elliott Markham and Ollie Williams),
three played in the winning Rosslyn Park
side, and the House narrowly lost the sko
final to The Beresford on the last weekend.
For the second consecutive year the Head
of House (Jack Harcourt) was also rsm of
the corps, which contained twelve other
Hardinge ncos. With hearty performances
in the House singing and art contests, the
Hardinge’s contributions to the cultural life
of Wellington were led by Christian Schmitz
and Tom Wessely, respective winners of the
David Moreland-Green and Batchelor Art
Prizes, while musicians James Mulvaney and
Gary Zhang were awarded Arts Colours, the
latter also receiving the Silver Bugle on Speech
Day. While the Hardinge boys’ a level and ib
results again placed them in a more favourable
light than the regularly published league tables
of effort grades, the outstanding exponent
of the Logical Aptitude was Ryan Wield,
French resi dent Australian, who won the
major College prizes for Maths and Physics,
the Duke of Wellington’s Prize for academic
scholarship, and an offer to study Engineering
at Pembroke College, Cambridge.
The nature of a House depends entirely
on its members, and the population of The
Hardinge sees an even quicker regeneration
than any other boys’ House thereby ensuring an
effervescent freshness always alive to change.
The Hill demands
not that each member
is the best at everything
or indeed anything
but that they will show
non-depleting courage,
enthusiasm and passion
for all the challenges
that they face.
the hill
If I told you that I didn’t
feel intimidated when I
first walked into the Hill
I would be lying. But I
would also have to tell you that the Hill is in
fact one of the most welcoming, warm and
friendly Houses in College.
‘Death or Glory’, the motto by which
every Hill boy lives throughout his time
as a Wellingtonian, clearly demonstrates
the notorious house spirit that resonates
from our historic foundations. The Hill
demands not that each member is the best
at everything or indeed anything but that they
will show non-depleting courage, enthusiasm
and passion for all the challenges they face.
Be it house sporting competitions, the interhouse quiz or even the infamous house dance
competition, what makes The Hill great is that
each member is willing to give their all and full
heartedly tackle even of the most gargantuan
of duties thrust upon them. As one of the
‘in-College’ houses The Hill is not only in a
prime location, but is a crucial component of
the beating heart of the College.
As far as the house’s recognition goes,
our cultural and physical diversity sees us as
one of the best all round singing boys houses,
sko rugby semi-finalists, winners of jko, jko
cricket, bims rugby, top three finishes in the
past three athletics days and twice crowned
the wellington college year book 2010/2011
champions of hockey in both jko and bims
format. Adding to this we have a young man
who shoots for Scotland and two members of
the all conquering College squash and rackets
teams who were victorious in their national
tournaments. As well as our fantastic and
persevering record in all sporting domains,
this year we have six pupils appearing in
three major theatre productions, the top
music scholar performing extensive concerts,
four boys in the school choir, twelve boys in
various orchestras and bands and are finalists
in the inter-house quiz 2011.
The Hill is a successful House in so many
ways, especially when you consider our size.
In that regard we punch well above our weight
Finally, but by absolutely no means least,
the Hill’s academic affluence ranked us one of
the top male Houses for effort at the end of
2010. As challenging as this was to uphold,
the junior and intermediate year groups
of the house maintained this spectacular
achievement by remaining in the top two male
houses in College thereafter; similarly the
upper end of the house achieved 100% Gold
and Silver placing us well above the college
average. In terms of gcse, the House has
maintained an impressive 75% a* & a result
while at as an average of 78% a & b has been
achieved. At the all important a2/ib level the
House has recorded an average of 88% a*, a
& b: all excellent results.
t h e h o p e to u n
With the last Hopetoun skullcaps
having been tipped on Speech
Day, to be replaced evermore by
boaters, the 2010/2011 school year marks the
end of The Hopetoun’s four-year transition
from a boys’ house to girls’. This milestone
has perhaps been overlooked, whether due
to The Hopetoun’s mounting successes
across the board this year, or the physical and
attitudinal changes the College continues to
undergo. Nonetheless, I hope to reassure
Hopetounians past, present and future that
the house’s brick walls have retained every
ounce of Hopetoun spirit felt within them.
Hopetounians met the start of the year
with anything but reluctance; in particular, the
Upper Sixth took on their prefectorial roles
with a confidence that has set a high standard
for future Hopetoun leaders.
The second half of the Michaelmas term
saw the Halloween party and more importantly Wellington’s Remembrance Service, to
which many Hopetounians dedicated both
their thoughts and their efforts in the Choir
and Concert Band. In what seemed like no
time, Advent candles were lit and calendars
were pried open, heralding the traditional
Hopetoun Christmas tree-decorating, and the
Christmas entertainment evening. This entertainment evening was one of many opportunities for Hopetounians to show off their
artistic talents, with many girls taking part in
the Dance Show and Wellington’s pantomime
interpretation of Snow White. The final week
or so of term were more festive than ever in
recent years, as this year Crowthorne saw
snowfall as early as November.
The extreme weather conditions, however,
were less on Hopetoun minds than were the
House Dance Competition, which Hopetoun
girls managed to win, as well as to get Mrs.
Waugh on stage for a twirl or three, and the
fast-approaching House Singing Competition.
Practising was a tiring but indisputably fun
process, and although we were not awarded a
prize at the competition, there was a sense in
House that something had been won merely
by sharing the experience with one another.
Later in the Lent term was the inter-house
Lacrosse competition, which, although including great sporting efforts and enthusiasm from
those willing to brave the collision of metal
sticks in the numbing cold, was particularly
memorable due to the cake sale organized by
Hopetoun girls, which was startlingly successful despite the weather. The Summer term
has been much quieter, if no less busy, than
the other terms, due largely to exams, which
pupils of every year knuckled down for while
the sun shone gloriously during the first half
of term. The end of the school year, too,
does not in any way mean the end of school
involvement, with Hopetounians planning to
be a part of Round Square and phab courses
during the summer holidays.
Despite all this involvement, though ? ??
despite break-times spent lamenting about
how unfair Geography coursework is, or
hours of sleep sacrificed to perfect a music
composition — Hopetounians stand strong;
if each Wellington House has a different
personality, ours must be determination. It
can only be hoped that The Hopetoun’s future
is full of this same spirit, with similarly able
leaders and diverse successes, as it has been
in the 2010/2011 school year.
I hope to reassure
Hopetounians
past, present and future
that the house’s
brick walls have retained
every ounce of
Hopetoun spirit
felt within them.
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