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Omnibus December 2013
THERE’S SOMETHING TODD WITH THIS PIE!
OMNIBUS The termly newspaper of Wilson’s School
Ever wondered what might be in those mysterious “meat” pies they
serve you in the canteen? Give a moment’s pause to those
disappearing Year 7s, but contentedly carry on eating your burger?
Well, Wilson’s recently staged a produc-tion that will cast no
shadow of a doubt about what you’re eating at lunch time…
After months of tiring rehearsals, a talented group of Wilson’s
finest musicians and actors, as well as Coloma Convent’s best
actresses, gave a chilling performance of Stephen Sondheim’s
Sweeney Todd. This spine-tingling tale of the infamous barber of
Fleet Street was a musical, in fact, Mr Rogers has said this is the
hardest the school has ever done. The script was packed with
razor-sharp wit, and as the audience sat down in their barbers’
chairs, they knew they were in for a memorable night. It was a
close shave even for the audience to get out all in one piece.
Although the run was cut short to one night only, fear not, as you
will be able to see plenty of the great pictures on the website.
(No director’s cut).
Not only was the marvellous Satchit Srikanth, as Mr Todd, rather
dangerous (he got a little too fond of the excellent razors the DT
department made for him), but the score was lethal to the
musicians. During a rehearsal, the strings were broken off from a
violinist’s instrument after a particularly frantic piece. His
partner in crime, Mrs Lovett, as played by the brilliant Catriona
Darroch, helped dispatch his victims and then grind the meat into
pies to help her business thrive.
As Sweeney’s arch nemesis, Jack Robertson was perfectly cast as
the creepy and scheming Judge Turpin, with his tall and imposing
top hat sitting on top of his powdered grey hair. Turpin’s
snivelling, slimy servant was brought to life by Jack Taperell, who
was right at home playing a supercilious
and deceitful character. In addition, there was a whole cho-rus
of fully-costumed Victorians, as well as pale make-up to complete
the ghostly and macabre theme.
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom in this murderous musi-cal, as
Anthony, a naïve young sailor recently returned home to London.
Rory McNevin was fantastic as the love-struck Anthony who finds a
beautiful girl, Johanna, played by Sophie Tetlow, and both fall
madly in love – yet this girl is the Judge’s ward. And Sweeney’s
daughter.
As the plot thickens and the audience was enticed closer into
the dense, tangled beard of inter-weaving plots, everyone realised
how well cast the entire company was. Nevertheless, the thanks for
this great production must not only go to the amazing actors, but
the great musicians and costumiers, who helped make the production
as fantas-tic as it was. Yet even the effort these people put in
are dwarfed by those of Mr Rogers, the musical director, and Mr
Kavanagh, the acting director. Despite many hardships and hairy
moments, both managed to make the production amazing.
Oscar Taperell tells us all about Wilson’s production of ‘Sweeny
Todd’
Omnibus April 2014
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Omnibus December 2013
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CHECKMATE!Tharshan Kuhendiran tells us about the joys of Chess
at Wilson’s
On the surface you might think chess is just a boring board game
played by people who have nothing better to do. “Who cares about
chess? It doesn’t help you in any way?” Well, you are all wrong!
Chess is a fun, yet very knowledgeable game which pushes you to the
limits of your mind,
Chess originated from India in the 6th Century AD when it was
then called chaturanga however the early beginnings can be traced
as far back as the Kushan Empire in Ancient Afghanistan! As time
flew by and as the game of chess ‘chaturanga’ was spreading
throughout the world, more and more versions of the game were
introduced and all having a part to play in the way we play chess
today. The most interesting thing that we inherited from these
versions of chess before us is the words we shout out. For example
‘Check’ which we say when the king is being attacked came from the
Arab Muslims, who used to say “Shah” and “Shah Mat” for checkmate..
A game of chess is very beneficial to anyone who has time to play
it. It makes you- the player- think outside the box, putting your
mind before your move. Think-ing of the right move is crucial in
order for you to prevail with an advantage, consequently winning
you the game. It requires determination; years of practice with the
right state of mind. Additionally, the ability to allow defeats to
exit your mind and believing in your-self are qualities that make a
great chess player stand out from the rest.
Over the years, this game has been dominated by Russia with many
great chess players emerging such as Gary Kasparov, former world
champion and who many believe to be the greatest chess player of
all time.
On the other hand, England is the 12th best country in the whole
world with our best player at the moment being GM Michael Adams but
many believe that the children who play from an early age can
surely be the next world champions.
Similarly, chess at Wilson’s School is expanding rapidly with
many young talents emerging from lower years who are totally
dedicated to this game. Hopefully in years to come, with many
months and years of practice and deter-mination, many young talents
will follow in the foot- steps of Harry Golombek OBE, GM and old
wilsonian and become masters of the art of chess.
Like Gary Kasparov once said, “Enormous self-belief, intuition,
the ability to take a risk at a critical moment and go in for a
very dangerous play with counter-chances for the opponent - it is
precisely these qualities that distin-guish great players.”
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Omnibus December 2013
THE CADETS VISIT ST MARTIN’S TRAINING CAMP Osaid Adil on the
Cadets’ recent trip to St Martin’s training camp
On Saturday the 15th of February, the cadets of Wilson’s school
CCF army section headed to St Martins Plain train-ing camp to spend
24 hours in the field.
It all started at 9:30 where everyone met at the CCF building-
eager and positively bristling with anticipation. I counted off all
of my equipment: mess tins and cooking block- tick, water bottle-
tick, Cadet vest- tick and Bur-gan- all present and correct. I, for
one was very proud of my packing of the standard issue Burgan (a
type of army backpack if you didn’t know) as it had taken many
hours of persistence and a few bloody fingers to get the whole
thing zipped up. However, much to everyone’s dismay and utter
horror, we were told that we had to take everything out of the
Burgan and pack it again into another Burgan; as you can probably
imagine there were many cries of outrage but, in the end everyone
underwent the gruelling process again and got their Burgan packed
and ready. I am a glass half full type of person so I spotted two
positives to all of this: one we got our army ration pack food
which, as I would later discover, was truly divine and my sense of
accomplishment was doubled as I looked at my new Burgan.
After that rather unfortunate delay, at 11:00 we got on to the
coaches and set off on what was, not only a true test of my mettle
but a battle between man and nature. Ok. I admit that I may have
slightly romanticised my expectations of the trip, but to be fair-
this was the first outdoor camp-ing experience of my life so I had
nothing but stories and novels to draw my expectations from.
Owing to my internal excitement and the rather dreary weather
outside the coach, for me at least, the coach jour-ney was but a
blur and it seemed that in no time we had ar-rived at the training
camp. Although the name - St Martins Plain training camp- meant
almost nothing to me, when I saw the camp (at about 12:30) I
realised that it was the same training camp that I had gone to in
year 7. Reminiscing about the happy memories of fried bread and
baked beans that I had the privilege to eat in year 7 February
camp, I decided that this trip was going to be AWESOME! I think
that it is fair to say that I was initially disappointed.After
arriving we had to walk a mile or so with a 10 tonne bag on our
shoulders just to get to our platoon harbour site (army language
for basically saying our camp site). So with practically dead arms
we got to what was to be my home for the next 24 hours.
At first I didn’t notice my surroundings- due to my groggy and
heavy head but, once we were told to lie low and keep guard I could
finally take in the woodland. There is no escaping it, there were a
few down sides- the ground was moist and boggy, there were hidden
thorns and concealed puddles that were at least 6 inches thigh deep
but there was still only one word to describe the scene.
Magnificent. Let me take you there: Imagine that there was a serene
quiet-ness in which you could hear the kiss of falling leaves
and the tweeting of the petite birds-that was the wood-land;
Imagine that every inch of the woodland floor was covered with a
multitude of autumn leaves searing red, deep orange and a golden
yellow- That was the woodland; Imagine rays of sunlight trickling
through the canopy and on to the leaves making it seem as though
the whole forest floor was a sea set ablaze by a divine fire- That
was the woodland.
Now, if you have read any good book then you will know that this
is the point where everything spirals downwards (I think the
literary technique is called foreshadowing) and unfortunately this
trip followed that trend. At as night ap-proached the temperature
dropped dramatically- I mean, seriously it was about -50o C out
there- and then we were met with the unwelcome news that we will
have to go on a night patrol. Let’s just say it didn’t go too well
for our group… we were blind in the absolute darkness, guided by
nothing but the footsteps of the person in front of us and to add
to our misery- the moonlight that shone from between the trees and
all of the numerous puddles on the track (thanks again rain) were
indistinguishable in the dark, leading to us being tired, cold and
soaking wet. After about 2 hours of us lying, silent and alone in
the bog, observing ‘the enemy base’ we had a pleasant surprise! We
would have to go on sentry duty i.e. another hour of lying, in the
freezing bog. However, thankfully we would get some company this
time. I don’t know what I would have done without my sentry duty
partner Jack as, even with him around, running off into the woods
was starting to look like a very good idea.
Anyways, I got through the night (I even managed to get a few
hours’ sleep) and as the sun rose, so did my spirits. I looked back
over the night and instead of feeling: angry, upset and put off I
only felt a profound sense of accom-plishment and pride. I had done
it! I had bested my fears, my mortal weaknesses and become – even
if it was for a few hours- something more. That CCF 24 hour
exercise has undoubtedly changed me, it has given me a taste of
what hardships other, less fortunate, people have to face on a
daily basis; I had a home and comfy bed to look for-ward to after
that short exercise but for homeless people- that life is all that
they have. It therefore, strongly recom-mend all future cadets to
go on this trip as, although it may be hard “The ultimate measure
of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and
convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and
controversy.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Omnibus December 2013
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The World is stood on the edge of a technological revolu-tion.
everywhere people are more connected, more inte-grated than ever.
And when we pay hundreds of pounds for our smartphones, few of us
ever look further than the made in China sign, and that is where
the true atrocities lie.
“Because of the welding, the temperature is uncomfortably high,
and the smell is toxic.I don’t get mouth protection.” These are the
words of Zhao, and all too typical ones. He is a worker for
Foxconn, the main supplier of Apple, the biggest brand on the face
of the planet. But their succes has been built on cheap labor. In
America, the birthplace of Apple, the minimum wage is 7 dollars an
our. How then , Apple allowed Foxconn to pay its workers such a
pittance, $1.78 per hour is beyond me, especially in such horrid
con-ditions. And the strain on the workers is horrendous.
In 2010, from January to November 18 employees of Fox-conn
attempted to take their own lives.14 succeeded. These workers were
stuck in an inhuman cycle, due to their low wages. TO scrape a
living, they must work hours and hours of overtime, in working
conditions that Britain left behind in the VIctorian era. China
allows a maximum of 36 hours per month of overtime. Foxconn workers
only average 15 hours of overtime per week - Foxconn has pledged to
re-duce the number of total hours that an employee can work per
week to 40, but the working conditions are so abhor-rent that no
one should have to work in their factories.At the Minshou factory
there was found to be one toilet per 55 workers, and one shower per
room for every 90. The workers are pushed past their breaking point
- forced to work four hours of overtime per day, and fined for any
mistakes. And the more competitive the smartphone business becomes,
the worse it is going to get - there is no reason for Apple to stop
these practices - they are reaping
THE SWEATSHOPS OF CHINAToye Oladinni’s shortlisted entry for the
annual Amnesty International essay writing competition
the rewards of their malpractice - sales of Apple’s iPhone 5
have broken all previous records
Action desperately need to be taken. The Chinese Govern-ment has
failed. Apple has failed. Foxconn has failed. The Burden now falls
upon us, especially young people - 79% of whom own a smartphone -
to use our purchasing power to create real and lasting change in
the sweatshops of China. Smartphones have always been expensive.
But they have far too high a cost.
Due to severe occurrences in the past several weeks, the people
of the village met to discuss the best means of securing themselves
against the thief and criminal. After several suggestions and
debating, a young man stood up and said “I think I have hit upon a
plan which will ensure our safety in the future. We should have
shifts where we all stay up at night in order to catch the thief.
We will have to stay awake for many hours as there we are low on
numbers. If the thief is seen, you must call 999 and attempt to
catch him.”This proposal was warmly applauded, and it had been
decided to adopt it, when an old man got upon his feet and said, “I
agree with you all that the plan before us in an amazing one; but
may I ask who is prepared to stay awake for many hours and catch a
thief who could be a threat?”
Moral of Aesop’s Fable: It is easy to propose impossible
remedies
Fabulae omnibus (fables for all)Kevin Gu and Parth Gundi from
8H
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Omnibus December 2013
I think that the free music lessons are a great idea, because it
is an opportunity to introduce people to the world of music. When I
came to Wilson’s I had never seen a drumkit before – only heard
rumours of bands which used them to make energetic music. I have
played the djembe in my old school, but I had never felt proper
wooden drumsticks before, so it is amazing to see that this school
has provided free music lessons with authentic instruments for us
to practise and play with. This is why I chose to play percus-sion
– I had some experience but I wanted to improve it. In the Autumn
term we learned about the drumkit, and how playing the drumkit is
not just the case of banging sticks on drums! We are given handy
pads which were quiet and portable so that we could practise
anywhere. After many instrumental lessons we arrived at the day of
the concert and it was a huge success! Now we are learning the
xylophone which has a really beautiful sound to it. As you can see,
I think these free music lessons are really good to give pupils a
chance to learn the wonderful art of music – maybe they just didn’t
get the opportunity to learn instru-ments like this before…
Neel Maniar
YEAR 7 MUSIC Neel Maniar and Nathaniel Green share their
experiences of music lessons this year.
This year, Year 7 students have enjoyed having the op-portunity
to learn a new musical instrument free of charge. Each pupil has
also been given an instrument to borrow for the year so that he can
practise at home. I have been learning the French horn. As a
trumpet player I was used to the style of mouthpiece and I could
read the music already but I have found the French horn challenging
because the technique of pitching is harder. I have enjoyed
learning as part of a group as it has helped me to make friends
with boys from other forms.In Music and Drama on a Wednesday
afternoon we join together in our instruments or sections to
practice and play together. It is enjoyable to play altogether and
see how the other groups are getting on. When we come together as a
year, it sounds brilliant!In the Winter term we put on a concert
for our families where we performed what we have been learning. We
played a piece based on the William Tell overture as a brass group
and we played Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid altogether as a
year group. There were also vari-ous smaller quartets of the
instruments we are learning.This scheme is very beneficial as it
gives us opportunities to do something you wouldn’t usually have
the chance or funds to proceed in. Nathanial Green
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Omnibus December 2013
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With Easter fast approaching and the exam season lurking
ominously on the horizon, a week of musical indulgence seemed only
fair to lighten the mood. Since its establish-ment, House Music had
proven to be one of the highlights of the musical year at Wilson’s,
and this year has proven no different, with an extremely
commendable total of over 150 boys entering across the seven
classes. As noted by the adjudicators, the standard of playing was
extremely high across the board, showcasing an abundance of talent
from both the junior and senior classes.
The week began with the guitar class. The junior guitar class
was won by Gautam Vyas (9C), with James Creik and Ramon Nartallo
placed as runners up, whilst Sroud Salih (10S) triumphed in the
senior class with his salsa-infused performance of Vincent
Lindsay-Clark’s Rio by Night. Joint second place in this class was
awarded to Will Porter (12S) and Cameron Overyender (10B).
Also on Monday, the ever popular piano class proved as ex-citing
as ever, with over 50 competitors across the two age groups. This
makes Shavindra Jayasekeera’s (9B) first place achievement in the
junior class, playing Debussy’s Valse Romantique, even more
commendable, as this class alone was contested by 36 performers.
Joint second place was awarded to Praveen Sivakumaran (9G) and Max
Robbins (8S), and third place was also split between Alexander Dang
(9S) and Gabriel Lumsden (8C). Meanwhile in the senior class
Debussy also proved to be the key to victory, with an exhilarating
performance of General Lavine by Michael Ahearn (11C). Year 11’s
pianists continued to dominate this class with second and third
places going to Timothy Cheng (11B) and Will Honeyman (11G)
respectively, and Daniel Jacob-Ormson given a highly commended
award.
After an exciting first day Tuesday followed suit with the brass
and vocal classes. In the junior brass class Solal Bou-chon (7C)
and Peter Wales (7H) were awarded first place and second went to
Nathaniel Green (7G). Not only is this a fantastic achievement for
some of the youngest pupils in the school, but also demonstrates
the increasing musical talent at Wilson’s. Although he doesn’t like
to blow his own trumpet, Michael Ahearn’s spectacular performance
of the first movement of Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto earnt him his
second win of the week in the senior brass category. Oliver De
Carteret (12H) followed in second place and Jack Sinclair (11S) was
placed third.
The voice class was also widely competed, reflecting the ever
increasing vocal talent at Wilson’s. In the junior class Sashank
Srikanth (9S) and Max Robbins (8S) were given first place, Sam
Belgrove (8G) and Oliver Cavadino (7C)
HOUSE MUSIC 2014Linden Hogarth updates us on this year’s House
Music event
took second and Hani Elsayed (8G) was placed third. Satchit
Srikanth (13S) emerged victorious in the senior class with an
accomplished performance of Sondheim’s The Road You Didn’t Take.
The Robertson brothers fol-lowed, with both Jack (13B) and Ewan
(11B) receiving second place. Third place was similarly split
between Ben Barry (11B), Jamie Barry (12B) and Jemil Seelan
(10C).
The strings were up next and it was truly propelling to witness
such an influx of talented musicians in the junior class. Third
place was shared between cellists Ted Perkin (7G) and Luke Patel
(9C), and Kai Chang (7H) was placed second. However it was Saju
Raguseelan (9C) who tri-umphed with an incredibly mature rendition
of Vivaldi’s Allegro, in turn defending his title from last year.
In the senior class Harry Perkin (12G) won with his transcending
performance of The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Wil-liams. Linden
Hogarth (12C) and Sam Gates (10S) were both awarded second
place.
The sixth class of the week was percussion, with an array of
performances on a variety of different instruments; the marimba and
mringdangam, to name a few. For this class prizes were awarded
overall rather than between junior and senior classes. Liam Grant
(10C) came first, whilst the Southwark Samba Band were awarded
second, performing their own composition entitled BOOM! Joint third
place won by Benjamin Jacob (11C) and Tai Jeyapoalen
(9H).Unfortunately the woodwind class had to be postponed because
the adjudicator was unable to attend due to illness. Despite this,
this week has truly showcased the ever grow-ing standard of music
at Wilson’s. Whilst the senior classes witnessed performances from
Wilson’s most accomplished musicians, the junior classes bode well
for the future of music at the school, demonstrating a wealth of
potential across the classes. The hard work and dedication of the
music department in organising this event has evidently paid off,
and undoubtedly the House Music final will prove an exciting
affair.
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Omnibus December 2013
Mr Weston
1. A Latin poem by Calpurnius Siculus 2. I had to translate it
into English for my degree3. I do read a lot but I don’t feel like
I read enough new and modern poems4. I’m going to Turkey with the
classics depart-ment, which I’m really looking forward to. My
favour-ite Easter egg is a cream egg, although I don’t really like
chocolate
Miss Waterhouse
1. ‘If you see a fairy ring’ by William Shakespeare2. It’s the
one that I remember from childhood and the language was
captivating3. Not as often as I’d like but I do feel people should
read more. The reason I don’t read many poems is because I love
getting to know characters in books and getting enthralled in a
plot, which I don’t get with poems4. It depends on the weather,
which I hope will be sunny
Mr McLaughlin
1. ‘If ’ by ‘Rudyard Kipling’2. The range of topics and the
emotive language3. No, although, when I do read them, I really
enjoy them4. Spending time with family and decorating our house,
which I don’t enjot, but has to be done
AN INTERVIEW WITH TEACHERS
Ms. Lambert
1. ‘Red’ by Ted Hughes2. It was the one poem that really
convinced me to study English, instead of Philosophy, at
university3. Yes, quite a bit, being an English teacher!4. Lindt
Bunny
Miss Atwell
1. ‘If ’ by Rudyard Kipling2. I really enjoyed the moral message
contained within it3. No, not a lot, I tend to prefer non-fiction,
autobiographies and travel journals4. I don’t really like Easter
eggs but do enjoy a hot cross bun.
Miss Tattersall
1. ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day’ by William
Shakespeare2. It’s full of emotion and I learned it by heart when I
was five, which I haven’t forgotten to this day3. I wouldn’t say
that I read a lot but I probably read more than others4. I really
enjoy the Easter egg hunts I have with my family, when we hide
cream eggs, foil eggs and a big egg each
Mr Poole
1. The Owl and the Pussycat2. Played the part of the pig3. No4.
Seeing family
Charlie D’imperio and Rohit Prabhu asked teachers four
questions:
1. What poem has had most impact on you2. Why?3. Do you read a
lot of poetry?4. What are you looking forward to about
Easter?/What’s your favourite Easter egg?
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Omnibus December 2013
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The Strange Mr Jefferies
I remember the way his eyebrows flared, Manic wisps of hair set
upon a callous frown,Shadowing his eyes;Piercing, Murderous,
Bottomless whirlpools of darkness and despair and anguish and
death.Yet possessing the sinisterEmptinessOf an omniscient
ghost.
I remember the way his lips curled,Framed by a sunken mess of
skin and bone, Weighed down by nothing but sweet innocence,Yet
still they howledFrom front pagesAnd flat screen TVs, In the
comfortable living roomsOf hoity-toity mothers,And complacent
fathers.
I remember the way the reporters sangAnd church bells rang, With
ominous gongs; a warning callFor the heartless killer,“Obsessed by
death!”Night fell, the silhouette of a lost soul,Cavorting in
ecstasy under the languid moon,But day brokeAnd the flies swarmed
in his shadows.
I remember the way his cheeks drooped,Like those of an abject
king,Branded by the keyboards of zealous journalists,And prying
photographers,Snooping around,“A Peeping Tom!”Snap! Snap!
Snap!Distant echoes in fitful torment,Haunting his dreams.
I remember the days and months that passed,As the world revolved
with peaceful tranquillity.Life went onAnd the flies flew to other
horizons.And his eyes opened,With tender hesitation, And the serene
delicacy of a new-born lamb.And he saw himself;A fading imprint of
ink and dust,Gone from the minds of those who have long since
forgotten,As his eternal sufferance Lingers in the dust. By Linden
Hogarth
CREATIVE CORNER
White Man) In Stratford Westfield’s
If I could push a button in and out,Switch off and out their
terraced castles, their misplaced medals oneBy one, which shifty
con would I start with and thumb, prodMy thumb at the shining-red
line that breaks the glimmer-green ring?What scum, who come to run
about my town and upAnd down and leap off the ground and spin
missiles throughMy air, hits my castle grounds, and play and eat
and screw and do nothing of trueValue, should I destroy first? No
verseOr rhyme in their philistine talk (can’t talk the talk) just
gawk - just squawk! - unoriginalSkin shall flap and sniff up mucus
through, thus causingPausing, light-headedness, blight-deadened
guesses at ex-cuses,‘I feel ill’ excuses, ‘long hours’ excuses,
five rings of excuses eachA different unclean colour of humour
(sanguine or spleen) plus green, moral crap.O, their castle, how I
envy the stretched polar-pelt and the meltedSteel boys and toys of
blue or orange spinning plastic and their games:Elastic-free limbs
spastically swing ‘cross gymnastic steel rings, deft but endorses
brute, leftBack riding horses by our gentile genteel. And pelting,
heaving we’re spinning‘Round with dizzy lunges or my dizzy lungs
kissing the concrete and glass with all of theirHearts, they’re in
parks, casually strolling through border control and martyr Powell,
overpaid inStadiums, first better by birth then sweaty lies then
rebirth into harder,Faster, nasty plasterersWho come and do what I
was born to do.
By Lewis Harrington
A taster of the poetry written by Sixth form students as part of
the Christopher Tower Poetry Competition 2014
Omnibus April 2014
