Three pupil volunteers prepare back copies of The Alleynian.
Author Visits The library organises visits from authors to encourage boys to read around their subjects and discover new writers. In the past year these have included the French physicist and author, Christophe Galfard, OA nature writer Henry Nicholls and two Old Alleynian novelists, Taran Matharu and Tom Pollock, who are established as successful authors for young adults. ‘One of my favourite talks was from Tom Pollock. He was really interesting to listen to and gave brilliant writing advice.’ Oscar Cunningham, Year 9 The Archive and Fellows’ Library The Archive is an important resource in the College, accessed by pupils from DUCKS right through to Year 13 (Sixth Form). Lessons based on archival material give an added breadth and dimension and the boys recognise the uniqueness of the chances they have to use the Archive. In more recent years this has been extended to the Free Learning Days and the Sixth Form Symposium. Apart from formal, timetabled lessons, boys can use the Archive for extension projects like the Extended Essay, Liberal Studies or their own research, be it writing an article for The Alleynian or a personal hobby such as collecting medals. ‘One of the benefits of the College is the vast repository of material in the Archive.’ Zeb Micic, Year 10 There are also many opportunities to help in the Archive, boys volunteer as part of Community Service:
‘I have found it both intriguing and entertaining slicing open 100+ year old copies of The Alleynian . Despite the fact that I was never especially good at DT, I am becoming increasingly proficient with a scalpel, and am learning about the history of DC; in particular its 1874 cricket teams and various school “expeditions.” ’ Henry Hall, Year 10 Or to complete the volunteering element of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Many enjoy the atmosphere and diversity so much they continue their involvement: ‘This is my second year at the Archive digitising indentures for scholars who took up apprenticeships in the 17th and 18th century. I feel that the work is important, as it is an integral part of our College’s history that should be preserved for future generations to see or use as a reference.’ Andrew Ng, Year 11 When the boys help in the Archive it is very symbiotic, as the staff learn about the current life of the College while pupils learn about the history: ‘Working in the Archive has been interesting, as one gets a glimpse into the history of the College. It is easy to forget how long the school has existed, and to ignore the contributions which Old Alleynians have made. Seeing that current students are living on a legacy left from our predecessors is exciting and humbling.’ Kwaku Gyasi, Year 12
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