2023 ISSUE 192 THE JUDDIAN
2 Editorial 3 Editorial Board Features 4 Update fromThe Judd Research Institute 6 Y7 Firsts Trips 8 Intermediate Rugby Tour, Italy 9 Barbados Senior Cricket Tour 11 Classics Trip, Italy 15 German Exchange (Overview) 16 German Exchange (Away) 19 German Exchange (Home) 20 French Exchange (Overview) 21 French Exchange (Away) 22 Classics Greece 23 Snowdonia 24 Ski Canada 25 Berlin 2023 27 Paris Snapshot 2023 28 Auschwitz Remembered Trip 29 Year 10 AncHi British Museum 30 Lanzarote 31 Washington and New York Trip, Politics and Economics 33 DofE Silver 35 World Challenge 2023 Academic &Society 38 Junior Ancient Greek Club (Y8) 39 Greenpower and Soapbox Race 40 TTC and MakerLab 41 German Society and BioSoc 42 PEACAS Overview 43 Bio Club, Geography Club and Geography Society 44 Research Project, E Gadsby 45 Junior Prizegiving Winners 46 Senior Prizegiving Winners CCF 47 Army Section Report 48 AEF RAF Wittering 49 RAF Benson Flying Muster Contents The cover design for this year's Juddian was created by Bohni Datta (Year 12, Taylor). In order to produce her cover artwork, Bohni attended extra-curricular art sessions over a period of several weeks. The brief was to create a lino print response to the new Sixth Form centre. Having no prior experience of lino printing, Bohni went through a process of learning how to design, carve and print a lino print, and then worked with Mrs Porter to create a final graphic version of the artwork for the cover. Since creating this artwork, Bohni has been appointed Creative Prefect for the forthcoming academic year, and intends to pursue a career in a design-related field. L Bartholomew
50 CCF Trip to Bisley 51 Y9 New Recruit Exercise 52 Cyprus Trip (RAF) The Arts 53 Art Department Overview 55 Y9 Portraiture 56 GCSE Highlights 58 A-Level Highlights 60 Music Department Overview 62 ABRSM Achievements 63 Music Clubs Overview 65 Belgium Music Tour 66 Winter Concert 67 Carol Service 68 Soloists Concert 69 Battle of the Bands 70 Jazz Cafe 71 School Musical 72 Summer Concert Sport 73 Rugby: Judd 1st XV vs Skinners Centenary 74 Junior XC 75 U12A Rugby 76 U13A Rugby 77 U12B/U13B Rugby 78 U14A Rugby 79 U15A Rugby 80 U14B/U15B Rugby 81 Senior XC 83 Girl's Rugby 84 U12A Cricket 85 U13A Cricket 86 U12B/U13B Cricket 87 U14A Cricket 88 U15A Cricket 89 U14B/U15B Cricket 90 Sports Day Community 94 Head of House Notes: Rendall 95 Head of House Notes: Bryant and Evans 96 Head of House Notes: Starling 97 Head of House Notes: Taylor and Morgan 98 Staff Changes 99 Mrs V Baldock 100 Final Word
Editorial 2 I’m not sure why, and I’m quite certain that I’m breaking some unwritten journalistic Code of Conduct in doing this, but I always feel like writing the Editorial for the magazine at the start of the process, rather than at the end. I do of course have my final word to close each edition, which I always write towards the latter stages, but I suppose it’s nice to write the “welcome” without knowing what’s really in the coming pages, as it mimics the unknown that a reader feels when they pick up a copy of The Juddian. The thing about the magazine is that it’s never a straight path to the end, so looking forward to the hope the magazine’s production inspires without the temptation to mention the odd jolt in the road, allows me to write an Editorial which feels like a warm welcome, instead of a desperate attempt to justify the fruits of my labour. To that end, I think it’s necessary to reflect on the year that this edition represents. The period from September 2022 to July 2023 has been full of change. Within the gates of the School, we have built new facilities, changed reward systems and created a revived ethos. The return of international trips has been a godsend for many, especially those in Year 10, who have been grateful for the return of both MFL exchanges, the Classics Trip as well as several more across the whole school. The German Exchange has celebrated a landmark 50th anniversary, meaning that the department responsible for one of England’s largest A-Level cohorts is now responsible for one of the country’s longest running foreign exchanges. And all of these momentous occasions for our school in a year framed by the backdrop of changes in Number 10, and, more than that, a new regnal era, after the death of the country’s longest serving monarch in history. So, it’s difficult to know what tone to strike. For The Judd School’s community, the year has been superb; one of the best in recent memory. But outside of the hallowed gates, the world’s gone a bit mad again. In the hope of wisdom, I did as any selfrespecting man in my position would do, and paid a visit to A22 to look through Mr Taylor’s boxes of editions from years gone by. I stumbled across a series of editions starting in 1954, covering the entirety of the 60s, and coming right up to the early 70s without missing a year. I discovered however, that the then editors-inchief were interestingly samey. The same editorial was transposed across every year’s magazine in the period, and it had been the same for many years prior, judging by the 1934 and 1946 editions too. Boring and short though it was, it was the perfect design brief off of which to create my NEA, as it were. “The purpose of the school magazine is to document the events of the year inside the School, and record the year for posterity and future reading. The editor hopes that this edition will uphold the magazine’s aim”. “If I can do that,” I thought, “I’ve done well.”
Thank you to all staff, students, parents, OJs and friends of the school who contributed to this magazine in any way.Thank you to the Headteacher for his support. Any feedback on this magazine would be welcome; contact - juddian@judd.kent.sch.uk Editorial Board Mrs J Porter . Conor Winspear The Hoppress, Marden Design & Artworking Printer Editors Production Mr J Taylor Aaron Watts Sam Lumley . Edward Hurst . James Bretz Conor Winspear . Isaac Clarke Editor-in-Chief Teacher-in-Charge 3 EDITORIAL And that’s what this is all about. We aim to make the year something to remember, so as to enable you all to look at your bookshelf in 15 years’ time, pick up one of our magazines you picked up begrudgingly because your mum would want a read of it, and be taken back through the gates, blazer on and homework in hand. Because it seems that this is the essence of Judd, no better demonstrated by the number of OJs now on our teaching staff: it gets into you, regardless of when you come here. That’s why I will always want to do this role. It does matter, and it will to all of us one day. On that note (which was a touch more sentimental than I – along with anyone else who knows me well – was expecting), I am left with little else to do than dish out thanks. Firstly, to Sam Lumley, Edward Hurst, Isaac Clarke and James Bretz for staying on for another year under my leadership, which must be a frankly awful experience. Secondly, to Conor Winspear who has shown great enthusiasm and has joined our slowly-growing team for this edition. Onwards, thanks to Mr Taylor for being a superb right-hand man and also for returning to an active editorial role on the magazine (mostly in the gritty formalities towards the magazine’s end) as well to Mrs Porter for her tireless work on the magazine’s design, and for not losing the will whenever I go back and forth with more edits to her PDF proof. But finally, and perhaps most importantly, thank you to you, readers, for looking at this. It is the school community and student body who this magazine is made for, and whose interests are at the centre when I put together the contents. I only hope I’ve done you all justice and have produced a half-accurate representation of what your year has been like, somewhere in here. So, thank you. This is my second edition at the helm, which I certainly do not take for granted given previous tenures, and I must say that this is true privilege. I only hope I get a third year, and that the future is bright. But, for now, “the editor hopes that this edition will uphold the magazine’s aim”. Enjoy, and welcome to The Juddian 2023! Aaron Watts Editor in Chief, Sept 2022 - present
Judd Research Institute began quite spontaneously in late December. Its aims? To convene a group of students throughout the school, who were interested in conducting research, mainly focused on School Life and how it could be improved. As aforementioned, the Institute began just before the Christmas break. Mr Davies, the teacher in charge of the Institute, hosted several assemblies, introducing the idea, and by January, over 50 members had assembled to work on the three main projects presented in the assemblies by Mr Davies the previous term. The Judd Student Researchers Projects: These are directly aimed at positively impacting school life, through 6 different projects of which Institute members could choose up to 2 to partake in. These included: institute All members of the various projects voted on one research question which they were to explore over the coming months. Many projects have progressed productively, and we are hoping to release our findings soon. • Effective Teacher/Student Relationships • Student Motivation • ITTools for Learning • Consistency in Behaviour • Student Participation in Lessons • Assessment in Lessons Designing a Judd ‘Impact’ Magazine: This project is focused on creating a magazine covering events that have had an impact on people. These include scientific discoveries, international conflicts, the environment and culture, languages and humanity, and are aimed primarily at how the events in those topics have impacted the modern world. The Magazine is set to be released in the near future. Features Judd Research 4
Judd ‘In Our Time’ Podcast: The podcast, as I’m writing this, hasn’t progressed very much, but is set to begin during the Winter Term of 2023. It will include various topics involving science, technology and the arts, and will follow a similar format to a usual ‘In Our Time’ podcast (albeit slightly shorter). Students from throughout the School will have the chance to show off their expertise in the various topics set to be recorded, and we are hoping for a successful start to the project soon. There are also many opportunities for anyone interested in the Research itself. The Institute has plans to book many professionals in the sector of research, as well as institute trips to various places of research, such as universities or libraries. As well as being an interesting thing to partake in, these trips and talks will also provide an insight into how to properly conduct research; an important skill to have for the future. All things considered, the Institute has had a very successful start and we are looking forward to another rewarding year. For anyone interested in joining as of March 2024, message Mr Davies at cdavies@judd.kent.sch.uk to become part of it. The precedent projects have likely been completed by the release of this Juddian issue, so there will be a new set of projects for the Institute to work on, and everyone is welcome. W Law I joined the Judd Research Institute as soon as it started. I was curious to find out what it entailed, and what would come of it, so I signed up. The institute ended up being in 3 parts: the ‘Impact’ magazine side, the ‘In Our Time’ podcast and the ‘Student Researchers’ side. On the magazine side (the clue is in the name) we have been working towards publishing a magazine that details things that impact the world long term! Hopefully, by the time you are reading this, which is probably sometime in 2024 if things go to plan, we will have more than one edition published and possibly sent to print! For the podcast side of things… well…we haven’t done anything yet! We are hoping the podcast can be our project for next year. We plan to have an informal debate/chat show style interviewing some experts on the chosen topic, and have some cool music. We may publish the podcast on Apple Podcasts or similar! Finally, probably the largest chunk of the Institute: the Student Researchers. We split into 6 groups each focusing on different topics. One group focused on IT Tools in lessons, another one on consistency in behaviour, one on assessment in lessons, one on effective student/teacher working relationships, the penultimate one on student participation in lessons, and finally one on student motivation. The amazing Mr Kemp, Mr McCafferty, Mrs Reilly, Dr Courel and Ms Eamens were the staff sponsors, AKA the group leaders. We researched relevant questions to do with these, some examples being, ‘What are the most effective ways to reward students?’ and ‘How effective are the current teacher/ student working relations?’ So far, in the group I was in (effective student/ teacher working relationships), we have successfully surveyed multiple teachers and their relationships with their students and hope to present our findings to the senior leadership team in October 2023. Of course, thanks must go to the awesome Mr Davies, who has spent countless hours on the Institute and its running, Ms Eamens and Mr Vorster for being the editorial board for the 'Impact' magazine, all the group sponsors and the people who have committed a lot to the institute. In 2024, we will be recruiting for the new year: I highly recommend joining! If you want to find out more about the institute, or want to read our magazine or listen to our podcast, here's the link to our website: http://tinyurl.com/judd-rsrch-ins CWinspear 5 FEATURES
Looking back on the (almost full) year since I joined Judd, I’d always been told (or it had been hinted at) that secondary school teachers are super strict and always shout at you - but this is hardly ever true, even at a school like this one where we have to work really hard. I have to admit, I was quite scared of the Year 13s at the start of the year, but I got used to them eventually, and I discovered that loads of them were really friendly and talented. Looking back, I wished I had gone to the Ashton building at break time because it was only in early May that I discovered they were selling bacon and egg muffins! Life would never be the same after that discovery… Within the first week-or-so, almost half my class and I had already dissected an eyeball in Biology Club with Ms Coombs and learnt to use Cubase (music production software) with Mr Baker. The great thing about Judd is that there are so many awesome clubs and everyone is just so friendly. Being in school choir meant I could be in the chorus for The Judd School Production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (page 69) which was a real honour, and super fun (free Domino’s Pizza and brownies were also a plus). On the academic side of things, all the teachers are super passionate about their subject and the lessons are really fun (especially Physics - setting fire to popcorn and cheese-puffs was not something I will forget in a while). Our German lessons were also great fun - Mr Dabbs is awesome! We get rewarded in our lessons a lot as well: Chocolate, commendations and a whole easter egg from my English teacher, Mrs McBride!) Overall, My First Year at Judd was undoubtedly a success. Writing this is making me hungry, so now I’m going to go to the canteen and get a bacon and egg muffin! MY FIRST YEAR AT JUDD FEATURES 6 The great thing about Judd is that there are so many awesome clubs and everyone is just so friendly. CWinspear
The Judd School has been an incredible experience for me with so many new exciting opportunities. My first day started out with me being incredibly nervous for what would lie ahead. The transition was very daunting for me, as you go from being able to answer every question to finding a lot of subjects quite challenging. I hopped off the train with a mix of emotions. We had a brief introduction from Mr Wood and headed to our form room. Walking through the school gave me a sudden realisation that I was going to be spending the next 7 years here. Looking at the stunning buildings like Ashton, Atwell and so many more. That day, there was a lot of information given to me such as our timetables, our planners, rules, expectations and more. We had breaktime, which I found a great opportunity to meet the people I would be taking the rest of my school journey with. Lunchtime was amazing with lots of options and tasty food. That afternoon, we had Geography & Latin. Our Geography teacher greeted us with a warm smile and our first lesson was a lot of fun. Next, was Latin, something I was very curious about as I had never done it before at primary school and it proved to be exciting as it is a mix of language and Roman culture. As that was the last lesson of the day, I walked with my new friends to the train station and left Tonbridge reflecting on what a fun day I had. After my introduction and taking it easy for a while, I decided to pursue my hobbies using Judd’s vast array of extra-curricular activities. I joined Year 7 Singers in my first 2 weeks just to see what the music programme was like but I found it amazing and stayed with it for the whole year. My passion for music made me join Music Creator Club on a Thursday lunchtime and what fun I had! We used professional music software to create our own music using piano tracks, drums, violin and much more! I also made use of the library as it is definitely one of the highlights of my Judd experience with lots of events running there. It was very refreshing to know that all my teachers were experts in their fields and every single one wanted you to do your best. Another surprising thing about Judd is the range of food offered. With the Pod for snacks and fast food, the Annex for sandwiches and paninis and the Canteen for hearty meals, you will never be left hungry! Also, I had decided to start piano lessons at Judd which was so convenient for me, and my piano teacher has really helped me with my musical journey. Later in the year, I auditioned for the Lower School Play (Performing Arts being my favourite hobby) and I got a part. The part was not very big but helped me become an even bigger part of The Judd community. Judd has become a part of who I am and I cannot wait to go into Year 8! MRensman 7 Judd has become a part of who I am and I cannot wait to go into Year 8! FEATURES
Trips Intermediate Rugby Tour to Italy 8 TRIPS During the February half term, the U15s and U14s went on a week long rugby tour to Italy. It was an early start, leaving Judd at 2:30am for a 6:45 flight from Heathrow to Milan. On our first day we had a great experience in one of the best stadiums in Europe, a guided tour of the San Siro stadium. We then set off for a 4 hour coach journey to our accommodation, the Getur Sports Village. Day 2 consisted of a day trip to Venice. We travelled there by boat, once we arrived we had a guided tour of the picturesque city and saw many people wearing masks, since it was during the Venice carnival. Later that day we went to pizzeria Bella Napoli and enjoyed some authentic Italian cuisine. We also managed to enjoy the sports village, playing basketball, football and had a gym session. The 3rd day brought with it a long odyssey to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, an arduous 4 hour coach drive away, we spent the day touring the Museum and learning of the audacious history of the Ferrari. After that we spent a few hours bowling which was a good team bonding activity before travelling to Treviso that evening to watch a pro basketball match between Treviso Basket and Napoli Basket with unmatched perspicacity resulting in a win from the home team. The good atmosphere put everyone in high spirits for our match the following day. On day 4 it was our first set of fixtures. The U15s and U14s played Frassinelle and Pieve Rugby Clubs respectively. The U15s match against Frassinelle was first and it was a great competition between two great sides; it was a tight game until the last 15 minutes where Judd came out on top, winning 25-12 thanks to our sheer indefatigability. The U14s then played Pieve and it was a great match with the U15s supporting the younger year. The Year 10s motivated the U14s with chants and it was a very close game, however they lost 19-17. Then we stayed at Frasinelle RFC for the rest of the day, playing games and we watched England decimate Italy in the Six Nations. On the 5th day we started the day off with a refreshing swim in the facility’s swimming pool and then had the amazing opportunity to have a training session with the first team coaches of Benetton Treviso RFC, who play in the United Rugby Championship, at their facilities. We had some training with some world class coaches. Following that we had a delightful meal and we met some of the players. We then made our trip back to the hotel, going to the beach to play some sports such as American Football, also enjoying the facilities at the sports village. On day 6 we were up for an early start to head down to Grotta Gigante, the 2nd largest show cave in the world, it was a true spectacle and we were enthralled by the sheer scale of the cave. But that was not the peak of day 6's excitement as that evening brought along with it match number two of the tour; first up was Judd U15s vs Rugby Orderzo, the game opened up to a strong first half, with valiant shifts from Ed Karsak, Ollie Finch and Riley Young in particular, but the second half is where it became clear who was coming out on top: Judd U15s, with a supreme try from Ben Allman to win try of the tour. Judd U14s vs Rugby Orderzo was another success for our side, with strong shifts put in all across the board, a stellar performance from Oscar Schkoda and the U15s William Blackmore was influenced by some great support from the spectating U15 side. With two wins under our belt, we returned home with a jubilant attitude. Day 7 brought our tour to a satisfying conclusion. With one final early start and the journey home. We boarded our second flight of the week that afternoon and returned back to England at around 11pm. This concluded our spiffing rugby tour to Italy. B Allman & R Young
SENIOR CRICKET TOUR 9 TRIPS As we left everybody else to suffer through the English winter and school, the mood from the moment we got on the bus to Heathrow was wonderful. Having settled into our hotel ten hours later and spending an afternoon at the beach without getting sunburnt, we thought we were ready for anything. The singing in the bus on the way to the first game definitely showed our self-confidence, if not our singing ability. Unfortunately Mr Richardson’s brutal assessment of our performance in the first game as simply not good enough was definitely fair. After restricting Beacon School to 166 from their 32 overs, we fell short by 38 runs, being bowled out for 128 from 21.2 overs. With the exception of Ekansh Singh scoring 81 off 65 as well as figures of 2-20, 2-23 and 2-30 from Gregor Wheatley, Joshua Eaton and Will Hobbs respectively, it was clear we hadn’t adapted well to the Bajan way of cricket yet. Game two, and we were much more switched on, knowing full well what we needed to do to win here. A cagey bowling performance despite Parth Tewari taking 5-22 and some massive sixes from the Grantley Adams batters meant Judd were set 207 to win from 29 overs. A stunning Ekansh century later and at 153/1 from 17.2 overs, Judd looked set to cruise to victory for the first win of the tour. However, in true English fashion, the next 9 wickets all fell for 29 runs to leave us 26 runs short. The only thing more spectacular than that batting collapse was Ekansh, who left the opposition so in awe they simply had to get his Instagram. After a second slightly disappointing defeat in a row, Judd had everything to prove against Coleridge and Parry school. Under the dynamic captaincy duo of Will and Gregor, we won our first toss of the tour, which allowed us to bat first. Whether the local music from the cultural assembly beforehand had focused our minds or not, it certainly seemed like it, as the batting for the first time on tour was cool, calm and collected. A partnership of 96 between Finlay Cross and Gregor set the tone as we racked up 181 in our 30 overs. As we went out to the field, we were motivated to make sure we brought this first win home. A much improved fielding and bowling performance led by Jonah Prior’s three wickets and a one-handed catch, meant Coleridge and Parry needed 56 off the last three overs. Despite Amol Dhamrait’s best attempts to make the game more interesting, this proved to be too much, handing Judd a deserved first win of the tour by 20 runs. There was another exciting moment on the way back as we met international England cricketer Jofra Archer for a photo. This set up the evening perfectly as everyone was now ready to celebrate at Oistins Fish Fry. Don’t let the name deceive you; this was a full-on Bajan Friday night party. For some this could be the highlight of the tour, and for others perhaps sleep would’ve been preferable. However it was an experience like no other and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Having slept a little less than the nights before, we were raring for the next game against the esteemed Combermere, the school of Rihanna as well as numerous leading international cricketers including Frank Worrell, Kraigg Braitwaite, Carlos Brathwaite and Chris Jordan. Prepared for a tough game, Judd again batted well with half centuries from Finlay and Parth, setting Combermere 233 to win. BARBADOS
10 TRIPS This was followed by a near perfect bowling and fielding performance, with Ekansh, Will, Finlay and Archie S with 2 wickets apiece, which resulted in having one of best schools on the island all out for 130. This overall performance was good enough to even make Mr Richardson smile. Our final game on Sunday was against a revered club side Isolation Cavaliers. At the most beautiful ground on the island, we again batted first. Whether 5 games in a row was one too many or the live commentary on the loudspeakers got in our heads, we did not perform, getting all out for 106 with a top score of 39 from Ekansh to an admittedly talented bowling line-up. Despite this, as we walked out to California Girls blasting through the loudspeakers there was plenty of motivation for one last fielding performance on tour. Despite a wicket with the first ball of the innings by Ekansh, everyone’s best efforts and some unnecessary sledging from the commentator onto some of their own batsmen, our score proved too little as the Isolation Cavaliers won comfortably by 5 wickets. Whilst this was a disappointing end to the cricket, there was no time to be sad about it as with only a couple more days in paradise, we were going to enjoy every minute. While everyone back home was arriving at school, we boarded a catamaran cruise as part of our post cricket recovery. The unlimited soft drinks rule was used very well as we cruised our way towards the turtles and a shipwreck. Snorkelling with turtles and seeing a shipwreck was a truly breathtaking experience for everyone and something we will never forget. As we messed around in the sea after another delicious lunch we learnt that while he might be the best at throwing a cricket ball, Ekansh cannot be trusted with a vortex. After tending to our sunburn from the cruise we made our way down St Lawrence Gap one last time for our end of tour dinner and awards ceremony. While we can’t list all the awards here, the cricketing highlights were: Ekansh with the most runs, 283 at an average of 57; Will with the most wickets, 6; Finlay with consistent all-round performances (172 runs and 5 wickets); Parth with the best individual bowling figures, 5-22 off 5 overs. Other awards included Jonah for being the worst dressed (not that the girls would agree), Josh for being late the most and finally Mr Richardson for the worst tan line. Our final day began with a morning at the Boatyard, a beach with inflatables in the sea and more unlimited soft drinks. Mr Dobson showed us why being tall is better for basketball and Zak Head showed us what his muscles were for during last-man standing on the trampoline. Getting back on the plane to the UK was probably the first time anyone was sad all tour, the thoughts of economics tests and cold weather were not pleasant. If you ask anyone on tour they will tell you they had the time of their lives. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience for all of us, as cliche as that sounds. A special mention has to be made for the food of Barbados, which we all felt England could learn something from. Obviously massive thank yous have to be said to all the people who hosted us in Barbados from our tour guide to the schools and the hotel; everyone was amazing. And finally a huge thank you from all of us to Mr Richardson and Mr Dobson for making it as amazing as it was. 1st XI Cricket Team
11 TRIPS CLASSICS ITALY 2023 Rome and the Bay of Naples An essential part of the studies of any self-respecting Judd classicist, the annual tour to Rome and the Bay of Naples is sure to help you very little when OCR ask you to translate a passage about a man on a ship, but it will help certainly help you to learn more about the context in which everyone’s favourite language existed, and about the Roman world; a splendid insight for anyone even subtly considering Classical Civilisation at A-Level. And, from a purely Latin perspective, it is inevitable that visiting certain sites will prompt discussions of the Literature component of the GCSE, again, everyone’s dead-set favourite thing. Beyond all of that, it’s rather good fun. If you love Classics or if you “just do Latin ‘cause there's no speaking exam” (yes, you lot are def initely seen), then do go on it when you get the chance. However, to bring our weary heads crashing back down to earth, we had to be at school looking alive at 1:30am. I opted for the “drift in and out of sleep on the sofa all night and survive on coffee” approach to the few hours between school dismissing on Friday and arriving back at school in the dead of night, and the halfdead faces I was greeted with on the coach would have appeared to confirm that this was the consensus. Anyway we could sleep on the coach and maybe the flight too, even if you were sure to be rudely awoken by the characteristically firm Ryanair landing at Roma Ciampino. After touchdown, we were happy to clear immigration and be deemed as duly unthreatening (an interesting verdict for a group of Judd boys to receive, though), and we then made our way to Hotel Noto, which was described online as an “unfussy lodging with free breakfast”. I was glad to hear that it was unfussy, as I’d have feared we’d have been rejected by anywhere of a more choosy disposition, even in spite of the multiple (slightly unpleasant) preconceptions one might have of a hotel which is happy to describe itself as “unfussy”. It turned out to be ok, and we were allocated rooms before dumping bags, and heading out to Trajan’s Market: our first thing to see in Rome, besides the odd overflowing suburban litter bin. Of those of us who had previously graced Rome’s streets, very few had heard of Trajan’s Market; fewer, if any at all, had visited. But it turns out that these people had made a faux pas. It was a spectacular array of intact Roman buildings, several storeys high, full of shops and arcades (in the traditional sense, not those with irritating Deal or No Deal machines), with an even larger courtyard to the rear, home to several “mini forums”, where there would have been a vast expanse of merchants selling their wares. It certainly set the tone nicely for the rest of the trip, even if some did get a bit lost – I can only assume they were off looking for the Roman equivalent of John Lewis or something. After all had made their way back to the meeting point without any mishaps or series of increasingly irritated phone calls whatsoever, we proceeded just down the road to Trajan’s Column: a monument built by the man himself to celebrate a great victory for Rome in the Dacian Wars. The carvings were
12 TRIPS tremendously detailed, and it truly was a great show of power, especially framed by the two great libraries built either side. Rather aptly, across the road is the huge “typewriter”, better known as the Vittorio Emanuele II Monument, built in honour of the first king of a united Kingdom of Italy, and to celebrate the foundation of the country. We passed this, and headed to the Pantheon – where the handful of us who have also done a bit of Greek were if anything too desperate to show we knew what the name meant. The temple to all gods was built by Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, him having been consul three times. We were, as I hope that shows, able to muddle through the inscription on the facade. We couldn’t go inside, however, because we hadn’t booked and, to be grossly informal, it was absolutely rammed. With the drizzle starting, we put our hoods up and pressed on to Piazza Navona – a charming spot with several artists and so on dotted around, with plenty of gelaterias, even if it was a touch too cold to properly enjoy the latter. There’d be other chances. One of the artists was producing caricatures of the pope, which I thought was an interesting way to go in Rome, but still…Dinner was pizza in a local restaurant, which was nice enough, despite fears. Day two, we awoke early to sample the free breakfast the hotel prides itself on. It wasn’t bad. The coffee machine was in order, and this was all I needed, plus the obligatory marble cake which I have seen in every hotel I have ever visited in Italy. Having refuelled, we set out to Ostia: a Roman port city, formerly on the mouth of the River Tiber, which flows through Rome, even if the latter stages of the river’s course have since relocated. Ostia wasn’t really destroyed, it was just abandoned after a series of ransackings at the hands of Arab pirates, and it having been phased out in the years prior. As a result, there are some remarkably intact structures, like, for example, several insulae (blocks of flats) – which were themselves the subject of multiple jokes from us, given the role they had played in the story in our end of year exam, which we had taken a few weeks prior. Other highlights were the remarkable mosaics in the business district, which displayed the industry in which the shop they were in dealt; a particularly well-intact inn; and the theatre, which we were able to sit in. We passed the lavatories on the way out, both the Roman ones and the modern ones incidentally, and headed back to the city to visit the Colosseum. It was rather hot and rather sunny whilst we lunched outside, but it began to rain as we joined the queue. We were being rained on in waterproofs and shorts whilst standing in an orderly queue, tutting to ourselves because we were too British to just complain about the situation – we could have been back in Blighty. We, channelling our inner Englishmen, were of course still able to enjoy the Flavian Amphitheatre, and marvelled at the sheer size of the thing. No wonder the inaugural games lasted more than 100 days: it would have taken half that time for the people at the back to get to their seats! After this, we wandered in the newly-emerged sunshine past the Arch of Constantine, and up into the forum, through the Arch of Titus, an important part of Book IV of the CLC, so any wouldbe Year 10 Latin student can look forward to the delights of arcus Titi parts I and II. We plodded through the forum, noting the House of the Vestal Virgins, and the Golden Milestone (a monument marking the centre of the world – odd, I thought that was Delphi. Did it move or am I missing something?) After dinner, which was lasagne and chips (traditional, tell me about it), we headed over to the Trevi Fountain after dark, where most bought ice cream, lost a few euro cents to the pool and took some slightly “scuffed” selfies. The next morning after breakfast, we headed off on a walk through Rome to the museum of the Ara Pacis – Augustus’ altar to peace, celebrating his three great victories in war. It had formerly been elsewhere, but Mussolini thought it worked better where it is now, and nobody could be bothered to disagree. Besides that, the carvings on the outside are quite the backdrop for a little introductory talk on the Aeneid, ready for Year 11’s verse literature section. With the short but terribly interesting stop finished, we headed over to the Vatican to visit St Peter’s Basilica. We queued in the blistering heat for over an hour, and then a storm came over whilst we were inside. It got it the right way round, if nothing else. Most went up the cupola (dome) and got a spectacular view of the square below, and much of Rome. However, a much smaller group of about eight decided that our legs weren’t willing, so we had a good look inside at the art. This was much better, as we soon discovered that the art was superb, and the sculptures were incredible, though
the ornate centrepiece of St Peter’s tomb remained the highlight. Once the maniacs who had gone up had all come back, along with the Grand Old Duke of York I presume, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our final night in Rome, which consisted of a quiz, won by Watts, Lumley and Reynolds. Very few were enormously surprised; there were sighs and begrudging “well done”s. Tuesday was a travel day, which consisted of a four hour drive south to Piano di Sorrento, broken up by a tour of the early Christian catacombs on the outskirts of Rome, which was eerie enough without the hum of a large group celebrating the eucharist with Latin hymns down in the tunnels whilst we were there. Many of the group rather insensitively commented on the lack of bones on display, but our tour guide gave us a kind blessing (which was thorough to say the least), as he did to our studies, our travels, our lives, our families, our health and I think our kitchen sink as well. I filled the rest of the coach journey south by catching up on the episodes of University Challenge which I had missed. Upon arrival, we were allocated rooms once again, dropped off luggage, and quickly came back downstairs for dinner, which would be in the new hotel for the remainder of the trip. Each night we were served the traditional Italian three courses: Primo (pasta), Secondo (meat/fish) and then pudding (insert Italian which Duolingo hasn’t taught me yet here). That night it was penne ragu, some sort of escalope and then lemon mousse cake. After dinner, we had a short amount of time before we gathered again to head into Sorrento itself for a short spot of free time. For those members of the group on their first visit to the area, their maiden journey on the slightly lacklustre Circumvesuviana metro awaited, before we were dispatched to the alleys and shopping streets of Italy’s most instagram-era-famous holiday town. I led a group to a confectioners’ known for free samples, and then a particularly good gelateria. This would not be our only visit. With the half an hour we had having ended far too quickly, we took the train back and collapsed in heaps in our rooms. The next morning, Pompeii beckoned, with the promise of Caecilius’ house and a brief tête-à-tête with Cerberus’ mosaic far too tantalising to refuse. We travelled once again on the metro, and entered at the Amphitheatre: the site of the riot with the Nucerians which appears in CLC Book I. We proceeded through the ancient city, marvelling at inscriptions and buildings of 2000 years ago, preserved so perfectly for today, whilst some of us – myself included– became terrifically excited when seeing something we recognised from the Cambridge Latin Course books. It seemed to be deliberate, however, that all of the things which are pivotal to the books and our lives as Judd classicists, are really quite uninteresting to many of the other tourists, so I’m still not sure what they must’ve thought upon seeing a crowd of 40 English teenagers staring at a mosaic or political slogan that’s, in all honesty, not terribly important unless you spent a good hour when you were younger ploughing through a translation of a story about it. These things are usually, however, really quite interesting. But, of course, not the theatres, not the magnificent House of the Faun, not the Forum, not the Basilica and nor the Garden of the Fugitives was able to exemplify that feeling of awe and elation like Caecilius’ house: an unassuming villa on a quiet street of Pompeii, away from the bulk of the tourists, which isn’t tremendously impressive unless you have studied Latin in England (which is odd, considering the great man himself is famous enough to have featured in an episode of Doctor Who, played by Peter Capaldi, when David Tennant was the Doctor. Wow that sounded nerdier than I thought it would). Regrettably though, Caecilius non erat in horto, quod mortuus est, sed Cerberus 13 TRIPS
aderat. Afterwards, we headed back to the train via the brilliantly colourful Villa of Mysteries (though to have been used/owned by a cult). We had dinner, and judged the photo competition which had been worked on by rooms throughout the day. Thursday was Capri: a day of relaxation before Herculaneum and Vesuvius on Friday, or so we thought. We visited Tiberius' Villa, which is built right at the highest point of the island besides Monte Solaro itself, and this means it was the perfect place to throw dissidents off of a clifftop. This is, of course, exactly what any self-respecting Roman emperor who had as difficult a youth as he did would do. There were light-hearted debates as to who we’d have thrown off, though I’m sure they seemed less light-hearted to whoever it was the mob decided on. It was like a really dodgy Lord of the Flies. The Villa’s ruins seem to be perpetually occupied by the island’s goats, which give Capri its name. We then came down the same way we went up: a long walk, aided for the last little bit by the services of the funicular railway back down the Marina Grande from the town of Capri itself. We had some free time, before we met at the restaurant for the “group pizza on Capri”, which had been listed especially in the itinerary. The margherita (pizza - not cocktail) we were given was all that was required, and it was agreed to be the best meal of the trip, in the eyes of most, especially with the most glorious view out over the marina, across the water and back to the Sorrentine Peninsula. We returned to Sorrento by ferry again, where we had far more free time than on Tuesday evening, before we had quiz number two. Watts, Lumley and Reynolds won again, this time with Leonard on side after the room rejig – that was two wins from two for me. Friday, we took a coach round the Bay of Naples a bit further than on Wednesday to get to Vesuvius, which we were driven most of the way up, before we enjoyed the last 30 minutes or so on foot to reach the top, where Woodward managed to arrange a rather enthusiastic guide, who seemed tremendously happy when she announced that the “700,000 people living below il Vesuvio now will all die in the next eruption in 10 or 20 years. There’s no evacuation plan, so they’re all dead”. We smiled along politely. We took a short stroll around the crater, after which we retreated back downhill in the hope that we might not be in the 700,000 if the next eruption came a bit unannounced. We ate our packed lunches next to the coach before heading into Herculaneum: a smaller, more wealthy and better preserved version of Pompeii, where we enjoyed visiting extremely ornate and wellpreserved shrines, houses and baths, throughout which the common theme was the bright, vivid wall paintings or mosaics which adorned every property. The highlight was perhaps the House of the Wooden Partition, where the wooden roof, along with the rest of the house, still stands as it did 2000 years ago. We soon set off back round the Bay, preparing to pack to leave in the morning. Morning came, and we waved goodbye to Hotel Albatross and Piano, as we journeyed to a local agri-tourism farm, where we had a pizza-making workshop and a tour. The pizzas went down well all round, even if the necessity to wear somewhat comical chefs’ hats did not. After we had eaten our handmade lunch, we continued to Naples to visit the National Archaeological Museum, which was incredible. It was great to see so many of the more significant artefacts which had been removed from Pompeii or Herculaneum and placed in the collection for greater preservation, especially those which crop up in the CLC, like the mosaic of the riot between the Nucerians and the Pompeians. Whilst there, a group of us chipped in to buy Mr Thornton and Ms Hargreaves a present each, in the form of a book called Latin Phrases for Every Occasion. Many of these were quite comical, like for example the obscure Latin for, “Sorry I’m late to dinner, Mrs Miggins, there was a parrot in my chariot.” Unfortunately the room which houses the famous bronze bust of Caecilius was closed, so a selfie with the 3D printed one apparently worth €400 in the shop would have to do. Great thanks are sent to the aforementioned pair for their tireless organising, as well as to Mrs Ash and Mrs Curtis for accompanying us all on trip alongside Mr Thornton and Ms Hargreaves. The experience was a great one for all, and I’m sure it will live long in the memory. AWatts 14 TRIPS
At the time of writing this, it has been two days since the German Exchange students flew back. Even with this very small window of hindsight, I can confidently say it was one of the best experiences of my life. It provided a wonderful opportunity to experience a new culture, meet new people, and make new friends - both German and English. The large amounts of preparation behind the scenes from Frau Lambert cannot be overstated, and created lifelong memories. The official start date of the exchange was the 16th June, but it really began much earlier. Near the end of September, we completed a small form of personal information to get the ball rolling. Although this was a dating profile more than anything, it was truly invaluable for providing much-need information in order to pick our partners. After this, the teachers went to work, and two months later, we received the same form with our partner's information. We got in contact, and the exchange had truly begun. After overcoming the slight awkward atmosphere, all was good, and we waited in anticipation for the day to come, all while planning activities, meals, etc. Once the day did come, we boarded the flight, touched down in Germany and learnt a very valuable lesson: their English was miles better than our German. This fact, alongside adjusting to their accents, meant a rocky first few days. Despite this, the activities we participated in were fantastic - the Technik museum was historical and exciting, and Speyer was a beautiful town. Also, our after-school activities provided a good respite from the 25O°C+ heat. My personal favourite was bowling with the German students after our day in school. This was a great time - spending time with friends from England, getting absolutely destroyed by the Germans, despite various handicaps put in place, and chilling out after a long day in their school. School definitely provided the largest cultural difference between the two countries: German school typically has three lessons per day, each lasting 1 ½ hours each. Since school started at 07:50, we were done by 1 o’clock, and could enjoy lunch at home; most people (myself included) considered this a lot better than English school, supported by the fact that the German exchange students despised the English system. For example, my exchange partner said to me after her first school day, “It‘s bloody horrible, I hate it.”They were all therefore overjoyed when Sports Day was pushed to Friday, their second allocated day in school. There were various activities also peppered throughout the week. The best school activity in my opinion was going to Brighton: our tour around the pavilion was intriguing and historical, and our free time in town and on the pier was extremely enjoyable for English and German students alike. Everyone had fun; the Germans particularly enjoyed the sea and the arcade on the pier, while the English students relaxed with friends and relished in a free day off school. However, my personal favourite part was simply chilling with friends and their exchange partners, watching a movie and messing around in the afternoon after school. This can once again be credited to Frau Lambert, whose pairings made everything far more enjoyable, and the intertwining of German and English friendship groups even brought me back together with some old friends. Overall, I couldn’t have wished for a better exchange experience. On both legs of the exchange, the school planned activities kept us engaged and immersed us into the opposing country’s rich culture, all the while giving us useful vocabulary and opportunities to practise our German. Also, the great moments provided by both English and German students made an unforgettable trip, fantastic friends, and a solemn goodbye. E Anderson GERMAN EXCHANGE THE OVERVIEW 15 TRIPS
On Monday 12th June, 30 Year 10 students of German were robbed of their cherished late start and were to arrive at Brook Street at 9am, dressed stylishly in bright yellow t-shirts commemorating the 50 years of the exchange between The Judd School, and Adolf Reichwein Gymnasium in Heusenstamm, Tonbridge and Malling’s twin town in the Offenbach region of Hesse in southern Germany. Many of the Judd boys were glad to go to Germany first, preferring to be (at least vaguely) acquainted with their respective exchange students before welcoming them into their own homes. That having been said, many became unexpectedly nervous upon the touchdown of British Airways landing gear on Frankfurt soil. Though this, we were reliably ensured, was normal. Having duly cleared immigration, safe in the knowledge that the Bundespolizei didn’t see us as a threat, we met our host families for the first time in the arrivals hall. All of the English cohort remarked on their hospitality and particularly warm welcome, and it didn’t take long before we were thrown in at the deep end, left with nothing besides our rudimentary Year 10 German until we met as a group again in the morning. Saying that, and in spite of the hosts’ very courteous compliments of our German, it soon became clear to many of us that the English spoken by our exchange families – if not the students themselves – would be more than sufficient back-up in an emergency. For many, though, the short journey to the town where we would be spending the next 8 days was filled with questions about the King, school uniform and afternoon tea. This pleased me greatly, not least because of my exchange family’s very kind comments on my English accent, trousers, shoes and hair. I knew at this point that all would surely be well. That evening, I was taken into Frankfurt for dinner in a seemingly “chic” restaurant, where I enjoyed a “Hähnchenschnitzel mit Bratkartoffeln'', and was inducted into the delightful world of ApfelsaftSchorle. This is apple juice, mixed with the ubiquitous sparkling water, which seemed to be just as much a large part of daily German life as, surprisingly, Italian food! A late night followed, after I was jokingly told that my usual bedtime of half 10 was “viel zu früh in Deutschland!” Come the morning, I was duly refreshed, alarmingly to a greater extent than my German counterparts who had advocated for a later night, and we headed off at 7:20 for school, with the first lesson beginning at 7:50. It was Spanish for myself and many others, though several other groups had French. Upon assembling with the rest of my new class ready for the first of the 90 minute-long lessons, several of us Judd boys noticed that we had perhaps made too much of an effort in terms of our outfits. We knew that there would be no uniform, but perhaps had not expected that this would mean such a casual outlook. Despite this, we ploughed on through the lessons and met with our accompanying teachers in the form of Frau Lambert and Herr Cliff that morning during break, before they took 8 of us to Wiesbaden in the afternoon, along with our exchange students who had won a poetry competition and were destined for their prizegiving ceremony, whilst the others enjoyed the fact that school ends at 1pm. Having left our German exchanges, we wandered through the streets and alleys of the Altstadt and enjoyed an ice cream by the Rathaus (as well as taking numerous group photos to accompany articles such as this one) before we headed back to our temporary homes on the S-Bahn. On Wednesday, the whole group of both English and German students enjoyed a group outing to the town of Speyer, to visit the Technik Museum, the Cathedral and to enjoy ample free AWAY GERMAN EXCHANGE 50TH ANNIVERSARY: GERMAN LEG 16 TRIPS
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