End of Michaelmas Term Update - December 2017
End of term Carol Service
The boarders enjoyed an evening end of term carol service on Thursday 14 December. In previous years carol services had been split for Juniors and Seniors, and were held on the last afternoon of term – but this change meant that the boys could experience a night-time carol service that was truly special. Andrii Iermolaiev read one of the lessons in what was a lovely last evening in School.
End of Term Awards
During the end of term assembly, House ties were awarded to those boys that had earned them through gaining commendations across a range of areas over the term. Senior colours went to Will Roberts, Tim Bamberger, Clarence Chen, Jonathan Burke and Alex Moskalevskyi. Junior ties were awarded to Vladimir Averin, Matthew Burke, Ian Chan, James Chen, Alex Collin, Howard Goldstraw, Mayaz Shabab and Arsenii Steshenko. Endeavour Awards, as always, were presented to three young men who had done much for the House over the term. The Senior Endeavour Award went to Andrii Iermolaiev, who had given superb academic effort over the Michaelmas term, also setting a fantastic example to those around him in terms of helping out and being proactive. The Junior Endeavour Award went to Vladimir Averin, who had really impressed in his first term at Bromsgrove with a fantastic attitude towards his work and his Housemates. The Commitment Award was presented to Mayaz Shabab, whose high standards of effort and helpful and supportive attitude has really impressed. Well done to all.
Fun in the Snow
The snow that arrived on Friday 8 December brought many opportunities for fun (as well as a little disruption to normal proceedings) over the next four or five days. For many pupils it was one of their first experiences of such weather, which made it a really exciting event.
With day pupils leaving at 4pm on the Friday, the boarders had an opportunity to go out to play in the snow. Generally speaking, they were much too well-behaved to try to throw any snow balls at staff members…
The snow did mean the cancellation of the W-G Christmas party, which had been planned for the Sunday evening. Unfortunately, the catering staff who could make it into School were working flat out to feed the boarders and our festivities had to be postponed. We hope to enjoy another event in its place during the Lent term. The snow did make the week before the Christmas holiday feel very festive for the boys, though, particularly with the Christmas tree on Gordon Green.
A few of the Upper Sixth stayed away from the snowballing for a while to create a snowman in the W-G garden, which lasted for a good week. All of the boys are to be commended on their fortitude in dealing with the inconveniences that were inevitably a factor of this break from the norm.
The Pierglass - School Production
Congratulations to Vinzenz Freigassner for his excellent performance as part of the School’s production of ‘The Pierglass’. Despite the snow also meaning that one of the production’s shows had to be cancelled, the play was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Vinzenz contributed to a little bit of School history, with the play being the first School production to be performed in the School’s new Cobham theatre.
Junior Debating
Congratulations to the Junior Debating team of Howard Goldstraw, Mayaz Shabab, Connor Mills and Owen Price who argued convincingly and passionately when opposing the motion ‘This House believes that school students should not participate in contact sports’. The boys prepared well and put their case forward effectively in their debate against representatives of Oakley House. Although the team were not selected for the final, they showed great promise in this competition. Well done boys.
Opening of Cobham and Routh
Well done to fourth formers Ian Chan, Owen Price, Andy Chia and Donald Li, and to seniors Theo Bell, Xaver Freigassner and Vinzenz Freigassner for their involvement in the opening performances in the School’s Concert Hall and Theatre development, which saw performances in the revamped Cobham and Routh on the 22 November. The concert and theatrical performances were really exceptional, being very worthy debuts in the new state-of-the-art facilities. Renowned cellist Professor Julian Lloyd-Webber formally opened Routh, and Cobham Theatre was officially opened by Lord Cobham on the night.
Senior Swimming
Congratulations to the Senior W-G swimming team for an excellent display in the inter-House competition, which saw the boys finish as runners-up. Good heat wins for Andrei Vashkevich, Ivan Lee and Harry Pugh were backed up with lots of second place finishes too. Well done to captain Marcus Ng and the rest of the team, Cristian Cires, Andrei Vashkevich, Andrii Iermolaiev, Georgy Muradov, Jonathan Burke, Jason Fan, Ivan Lee, Vitaly Zakalaskiy, Harry Pugh, Sam Foulds and Dzhemal Avdoi.
Inter-House Table Tennis
Well done to Donald and Vova who both won their respective competitions in the Junior inter-House table tennis competition. Vova won the A competition, defeating Elmshurst in the final, with Donald defeating his opponent from Lyttelton in the B competition’s final.
Inter-House Badminton
It was really pleasing to see some excellent performances in the Upper Fourth badminton competition, with Michael, Sam, Andy and Barney playing superbly. Sam and Andy made it to the final after a round-robin competition, where they were unfortunate to lose narrowly to Elmshurst.
House Song Success
The Unison House Song competition saw the young men of Wendron-Gordon put on a fantastic performance. Their version of ‘Billie Jean’ by Michael Jackson (the theme this year was songs with girls’ names in the title) was the best performance that the House had put on in many years. The adjudicator awarded the boys the runners-up prize, with Thomas Cookes taking the trophy for first place, but the boys were hugely proud of their performance which saw them finish as best boys’ House – this had not previously happened in the 21st century! Indeed, judging by the comments of staff and pupils for the remainder of the week, W-G were definitely the ‘people’s choice’ of favourite performers in this competition. Weeks of practice, superbly organised and led by Xaver and Vinzenz Freigassner who conducted on the day, with huge support from the rest of the Upper Sixth form, saw the boys put on a real show, complete with ‘MJ’ white socks. The performance can be viewed on the School’s Youtube page, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMWjCH7zVz4
Senior Rugby
The Senior Rugby team made another fantastic effort this term following last year’s runners-up spot. The boys made it to the semi-finals, despite having a squad that was more than three-quarters full of Fifth Formers. The lads really stepped up to the challenge of playing against their older opponents, drawing with Elmshurst, beating Walters and defeating the strongly fancied Housman Hall side. The boys lost by three tries to one against eventual winners Lyttelton, but this was a genuinely feel-good competition with lionhearted performances from the boys and superb support from the sidelines. The team was: Jack Gibson, Callum Lee, Jonny Burke, Theo Bell, Andrei Vashkevich, Dean Zulu, Alex Hinkley, Artur Levashov, Max Lee, Dzhemal Avdoi and Georgy Muradov (captain).
Pizza Night
As a reward for such a fine performance in the House Song competition, which itself came from many hours of practice, where the boys gave up much of their free time after evening roll calls, the lads were treated to a pizza night on the last Thursday of half-term. The boys finished their prep time a few minutes early so that they could kick back and tuck into their pizza, chocolate and pop. A well-deserved, and fully enjoyed evening was had by all.
Junior Rugby
The junior rugby teams pulled on the green jerseys, some for the first time, to take part in a thoroughly enjoyable Junior inter-House rugby competition. The A team performed manfully, but came up second best in their pool games against Walters and Lyttelton in two narrow defeats. The B team fared a little better, making it through to the semi-finals, courtesy of a good win against School House, but they were beaten in the semi by Lyttelton. The A team was represented by Sam Roberts (captain), Simi Jolaoso, Kody Chik, Jamie Wood, Matt Burke, Jamie Rodway, Vinay Nayak, Daniel Wan, Alex Collin, Sam Sung, Michael Malam and Sushant Gurung. The B team squad was comprised of Joaquim Pang (captain), Victor Mikov, Barney Shin, James Chen, Ian Chan, Kirill Durov, Max Opengeym, Arsenii Steshenko, Steve Nguyen and Kostya Chistyakov. Well done all!
Bingo Night
Mrs Hibell, aided and abetted by guest bingo caller Mr Baldrey, organised a hugely enjoyable bingo night for the W-G boys on Saturday 14 October. Some 30 lads got involved and ticked off their numbers in the hope of earning some edible prizes. For a pastime sometimes associated with our more senior generations, it was interesting to see the excitement mounting amongst some very competitive teenagers! Great fun had by all.
Informal Concert
It was a pleasure to see the Routh Hall stage in use again on Tuesday 10 October, when Vinzenz Freigassner took part in an informal concert, which marked the first performance in the wonderful old building which has had such a beautiful renovation. We look forward to the official opening of Routh Concert Hall later this term.
Junior Swimming
The Junior Swimming competition saw fine effort from all involved; it was particularly pleasing to see so many Lower Fourth Formers wanting to get involved. Although on this occasion the W-G team were not strong challengers for the trophy, well done to all who took part. The squad was: Alex Collin, Stepan Bobrenov, Victor Mikov, Matt Burke, Jason Yiu, Ian Chan, James Chen, Kostya Chistyakov, Leo Hemberg, Sam Roberts (captain), Dan Wan, Max Opengeym, Vinay Nayak and Sam Sung.
Junior Badminton competition
The Lower Fourth badminton competition saw Leo Hemberg and Victor Mikov get to the final, where they were unlucky to lose out on top spot. Well done to the boys for getting the runners-up position!
In the B competition, Donald Li and Connor Mills played with skill and application in their matches, beating School House before losing to Lupton.
Junior Basketball
The Wendron-Gordon basketball team were hugely unlucky not to come away with the trophy in the inter-House competition. Fine wins in the pool matches against Elmshurst and Lyttelton saw the boys meet Lupton in the semi final, with the W-G lads again victorious. A final against Elmshurst, whom we had already beaten, was a close encounter, with W-G leading until a very late basket saw Elmshurst take the trophy. Well done to the Elmshurst team – and congratulations to the whole W-G squad who performed with a fantastic attitude throughout the competition. The team was: Steve Nguyen, Sam Roberts, Sam Sung, Simi Jolaoso, Jason Yiu, Leon Yue, Daniel Wan, Victor Mikov and Kody Chik.
New Joiners
A busy international induction saw some 21 new joiners get acclimatised to Wendron-Gordon and to the School. A whirlwind few days, which saw the boys take part in a number of on-site activities, as well as heading out for a trip to Warwick Castle and the shops in Birmingham, allowed to boys to get to know some of their peers, as well as the School’s routines and expectations, before term officially started. It was a delight to meet the new joiners and many of their family members, who had travelled over to see the School. The first Sunday of term saw us welcome back many old faces, and the new joiners from the Prep School who had undertaken their own two-day induction in June.