Lodge
L odge started the year by welcoming eight boys into the Third Form; Arman, Biplove, Daniele, Prajwal, Tadhg, Spandan and Qinzhen joined us from Kirby House, while Allwin was new to the College. A further five boys joined us in other year groups; Emeka, Jacob, Beni and Freddie bolstered the numbers in the Fourth Form, joining the three amigos of Philip, Enzo and Terry, while Robert was added to the Fifth Form. All of the boys, whether they were new or returning, had many changes to adapt to, with the restrictions posed by coronavirus creating many new ways of living. For example, every morning the boys would have their temperature taken before they went downstairs to breakfast at their allocated year group slot, after which they would head off to their Tutor to be registered and to watch a pre-recorded Chapel or Assembly. The year group bubbles were probably the hardest aspect for us all, as the integration throughout the house was limited. Despite this, the first term did witness the Inter-House Drama Competition, albeit as pre-recorded videos rather than the live event in a packed Taylor Hall! The boys worked hard as a team and created two entries, an abridged version of ‘ Coach Carter ’ and a duologue from ‘ The Joker ’. The house picked up the awards of ‘Best Overall Performance’ for ‘Coach Carter’, ‘Best Actor’ for Zayne and ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for Joon. Also awarded to the House was the prize of ‘Best Duologue’, featuring Amir and Alejandro, as ‘the Joker and ‘Murray Franklin’ respectively. During the second half of the term Naji arrived, joining the Lower Sixth and also swelling the numbers of skateboarders in the house. No evening has been complete this year without the sound of a half dozen skateboards hurtling down the drive towards South Lodge. This hobby featured on the opening sequence for a number of weeks on the Virtual Chapels, with Alejandro demonstrating his skills. Thankfully not caught on camera was the fall by Freddie, which resulted in a long night at A&E in QEQM.
Sadly, Michaelmas Term ended without the traditions that usually mark our preparations for Christmas. The Catering Department did however lay on a banquet of Chinese food on the last Saturday. Following three weeks of rest we were all geared up for the new term, only to discover at the eleventh hour that all schools were to return to online learning, following a new wave of infections. This news came too late for some of the boys though, as they had already arrived or, in the case of Nael, when he was just stepping on board a plane in Kaligi! Some of the boys managed to return home, but about a dozen remained in Lodge. As a result, we created a boarding bubble and joined forces with those in Tower. It was a strange existence for us all but the atmosphere was relaxed and we all settled into a new routine. The weekends featured double brunches with an activity, usually food related, in the evenings. The boys also made a lot of use of the Sports Hall, with basketball being a particular favourite.
The re-opening a few weeks before the end of term created a mix of emotions. In many ways, we were pleased to see our friends
LAWRENTIAN 2021 30
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