Brentwood School - Brentwoodian 2020

77 The return to school in September brought with it the usual excitement of the build- up to the House Music Competition. The sight of exhausted and stressed Music Captains, and First Years running to lunchtime rehearsals is very much part of the September landscape at the School! But it’s all worth it! On the 25th September, Courage Hall filled with parents (who would have thought how things would change a year on!) in anticipation of one of the great events in the School calendar. Our Part-Song performance of Goodnight Sweetheart was very impressive, having been expertly conducted by Poppy Skingle. This was followed by the Ensemble, a rousing Guardians of the Galaxy Medley , arranged with great skill and perseverance by Jessica Mills. The Unison rehearsals had been a bumpy ride, as First Years and Sixth Formers alike struggled with the challenging Don’t Stop Believing by Journey. It all came together on the night as the choir of 65 sang their hearts out to great applause. Well done to Matz Kiernan and Megan Buntrock for all their hard work in the lead-up to this performance. I am always astonished how such amazing performances can be put together so soon after the start of term (the First Years only have a couple of hours in total to rehearse for the Unison) and everyone involved should be congratulated on their efforts. As the year progressed, individual Houses hosted their respective House Weeks. These began in December with West Week. The highlight of this week was the outstanding performance by our chess team. Led by Alex Watkins, the team (comprising Jaideep Cheema, Alex Blee, Dmitry Molostvov, Nat Hughes, Sam Pepper, Aaron Samuel and Lucas Wright) defeated East 5-0, School 4.5-0.5 and North 3.5-0.5 to claim the title. Other events during this week were Giant Jenga, which we also won, and Frisbee Golf, held on the Heseltines, which proved to be a very memorable and fun event. At the start of the Lent Term, School House hosted their week. The chess team reassembled with the aim of defending their title, with Fin Hughes making an excellent addition to the team. They reached the final again, only this time to be defeated by Weald. However, it was another excellent performance. The week also saw two fantastic events running side-by-side in the Courage Hall. Volleyball proved to be a great success, with no fewer than 35 pupils signing up to be involved during the week. In a highly competitive semi-final, we were narrowly beaten by North House. Meanwhile, on the other side of the hall, the Basketball team (an intimidating line-up consisting of Surya James, Gabriel Austin, Tom Ridgwell, Tom Adams, Ize Binitie, Toby Kidd, Ryan Fedi and Scott McKenzie) marched into the final with some devastating play. Here, they met Weald. It was quickly apparent that these were two very well- matched teams, and extra time was needed to find the winner. It was end-to-end stuff, with both sides scoring and missing their fair share of chances, until, with the last move of the game, Weald scored the decisive points. So, 2nd place, but great fun and well done to all involved in these two competitions. Preparations then began in earnest for our own South House Week at the end of the Lent Term. Events were planned, venues booked, teams prepared...and then came 23rd March and lockdown. A hastily rearranged set of virtual events was offered, allowing pupils throughout the School to show their creative skills in baking, writing and art. South House ‘Bake-Off’ was a popular event as pupils spent their first week at home during lockdown. Amelia Blee was placed 2nd in the Middles competition for this Easter-themed creation: In the Art Challenge, with a theme of “At Home”, Tilly Fisk won the Middles competition: South