was being tortured in the common room, the boys were soon singing – rather than shouting – and doing it quite well. The addition of some choreography brought some much- needed flair and, on the night itself, the House all came together to earn a well-deserved 3rd place in the song competition. The small instrumental group of James Burt (saxophone), Ryan Gu (piano), James Drury (trumpet), Andrew Welsh (drums), and Eli Clarkson (double bass) also delivered an excellent performance, while the vocal group of Ollie du Toit, Marcello Ferguson, Hugo Miller, Andrew Welsh, Alex Johnston, Eric Kuo, James Burt, and Samuel Belcher sung well in the heats but were not selected to perform on the night. Well done to all the boys for stepping up to represent the House at such a big event. REACTION House Plays Festival Like House Music, the House Play is a time-consuming event. A huge
– impressive given that boarding students had the advantage of living next to the library. In the end, Somes did well to finish 2nd out of all the day Houses, and 5th overall. In the interhouse chess competition, a team from across the year groups, led ably by Henry Acton-Adams and James Burt, secured 3rd place. The boys were on track to a win until an unexpected upset. In an inaugural STEM Week Beat the Chasers -style quiz, Somes was the only House team to beat 'The Chasers'. The next day, a less successful bridge-building team found its bridge suffered from a few critical design flaws. The structure, comprising 70% glue, 20% popsicle sticks, and 10% wishful thinking, did not quite 'slay the competition'. The top House mathematicians competed in a
Cantamath-style competition and were more successful, finishing 3rd overall. In the interhouse haka competition, Armani Lemalu, Ihaka and Tawhiri Cate, Sam Chittock, and Hoani Ifopo- Togia led a tightly choreographed, sharp, and perfectly enunciated haka that impressed the judges. We tied in top spot with Richards House, which was a great outcome considering the House was missing several Year 13s on the day. INTERHOUSE EVENTS: SENIOR This year, the seniors won the table tennis and basketball competitions and reached the semi-finals of the volleyball competition. Table tennis was perhaps an upset, but a blend of talent and tenacity resulted in the Somes team of George Howard,
amount of practice, planning, and effort went into the House
production of The Lorax . It shone through in an excellent performance, and anyone who attended would agree that the hard work the boys had put in over the previous weeks paid off. While Somes did not place in the top three, Alex Johnston won Best Director and James Burt and Josh Shannahan both won Acting Awards. Somes also won a House Ensemble award for the best whole- House involvement, which was good to see. Highlights of the night included Alex Stead in a fake beard, Ali Coles being carried off the stage by a baying mob, and Will Coughlan as a Shakespearean 'truffula tree'. It was especially good to see so many junior students involved as it showed that the House was a welcoming enough community in 2023 for a Year 9 student to get up on stage alongside boys four years his senior, and in front of the school. Other competitions This year included the second Christ’s College Reading Competition. Ethan Kepple and Eli Clarkson launched the House into 2nd place after three weeks
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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