Newlands House
Newlands
Head of House Report: T hroughout this year, Newlands House has continued to prevail despite Covid-19 affecting the regular school routine. Michaelmas Term saw Newlands preform an excellent rendition of ‘ Forrest Gump ’ for the House Drama competition even though the result unfortunately didn’t reflect the hard work and dedication given from our boys. For the first year ever, an outstanding monologue was recited by Samuel Le Baigue, which made the whole house proud. Following the nation-wide lockdown and a return to home learning in the Lent Term, the House Singing event was not possible. Despite the gruelling pain of being stuck indoors, a weekly virtual quiz from Mr Gunn brought the house together everyWednesday. The Summer Term saw Newlands preform a brilliant cover of ‘ Johnny B Goode ’, that not surprisingly won ‘Most entertaining’ in Battle of the Bands. A special mention goes to Christian Francis for, in my opinion, the best guitar performance in the whole competition! With the school year coming to a close, it’s great to see Newlands keep going to the end, achieving the most Merits for the year. As we say goodbye to our Upper Sixth Newland boys and wish them luck for the future, we also say goodbye to Mr Gunn as he leaves Newlands for a boarding role in Tower. It will be a shame to see him go, especially after all the great things he has done for the House over the past two years as our Housemaster. Looking to the future, we are proud to support Mr Stevens as he takes over this role which no doubt will bring Newlands to the next level. Will Mead, Head of House
HSMS Report: I t is fair to say that none of us knew quite what to expect from the academic year of 2020-21. As a House (and school community), we have learned that our circumstances can change very quickly and that more challenges lie ahead. Coronavirus and its variants have made anxieties over the future seem ever more prescient in our lives, and this can clearly have an impact on a community such as Newlands. I remember, therefore, discussing the nature of an uncertain future in one of my assemblies from early in the year. I referred directly to a sermon from CS Lewis titled ‘ Learning in War-Time ’ delivered in Oxford, 1939. The aim was to encourage the boys to reflect on the genuine uncertainty of all futures, all the time, and to embrace an adventurous spirit in the face of potential anxiety. In my view, we needed to work especially hard to stay united, especially in the face of physical division (such as those caused by restrictions), whilst also respecting the need to keep everyone supported mentally and physically. It really was quite a challenge and a pressure placed upon growing boys. As I write, I can report that I am so proud of their efforts and achievements. They, too, can forever be proud of the manner in which they handled the unprecedented circumstances in which we live. Newlands boys pride themselves on sporting success. In this academic year we competed well in every competition and even won the House badminton competition jointly with Deacon. This is the first time a Day House has won in 21 years! Special congratulations should go to Jack Cohen for serving in his leadership role. Equally, Christian Jacob King and Christian Tomlin for their performance in the competition itself. Another memorable moment comes from the boys’ performance of ‘ Forrest Gump ’ in the House Drama competition. The story was constructed by Sam Le Baigue from the movie and Sam, along with the rest of the cast, kept us all entertained with the edited version of the story. Well done to the wider ensemble cast members. Again, to work as a community, despite some challenging restrictions, was mightily impressive and I was delighted by Sam being congratulated with the award of ‘Best Sound and Lighting’. Elsewhere in the arts, the House took to the stage in the ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition.
LAWRENTIAN 2021 38
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