End of Lent Term Update - March 2020
Easter Holidays Commence
As some beautiful spring weather begins to arrive in Bromsgrove, we wish all pupils, parents and members of the wider W-G family a very happy and healthy Easter break. Do stay safe and enjoy time with your loved ones. To all of the Wendron-Gordon lads – well done on such a successful term. We look forward to seeing you all soon.
End of Term Remainers
With the majority of pupils leaving the Friday before the scheduled end of term, due to the government’s temporary closure of schools, a hardy few stayed in W-G during the last week of term, whilst waiting for flights or until they could be picked up to go home. Roll calls were a lot swifter and the House a lot quieter, but despite the unusual circumstances, the pupils were outstanding. It was also very pleasing to see the week of online lessons go so well. The ten or so lads who remained were gradually whittled down over the week – with our last leaver departing fittingly at the end of the final lesson of term.
Cultures Connect Celebration
On 14 March yet another outstanding Cultures Connect Concert saw a large contingent of W-Gers participate in a wonderful evening of entertainment. We were rocked out by Stefan T, Arsenii S and Marian S on guitar, heard some beautiful acoustic guitar from Donald L and were treated to a spellbinding performance on the dombra by Nurmash T. Adam A sang a Chinese ballad, accompanied by Jay L on keyboard, whilst our very own Max C and James B compered the show, before delivering a barnstorming finale as part of the band performing three rock classics by Nirvana, System of a Down and Metallica. It was easy to see why this show is becoming a highlight of the 老王射区calendar. Congratulations also to Artem K and Max O, who formed part of the panel of organisers behind the show.
Brave Effort in House Football
The W-G Senior Football team had a brilliant competition on Saturday 14 March, with their efforts taking the House to the inter-House final. Some strong performances saw them beat Lupton, School and Elmshurst in the group stages, all by a 1.0 margin, with Dan W and Jack G (2) getting the goals. The lads were very unlucky to lose a close final 2.1 to Housman Hall (who themselves boasted a few ex-W-Gers – all pictured below), with James B on the score sheet. Well done to a superb squad of Jack G, Alex C, James B, Michael M, Dan W, Matt B, Jamie R and Nurmash T. It was really pleasing to see so many W-G staff and pupils down at the fields supporting the boys, too.
Orwell’s That Ends Well
12 March saw the Senior House Drama competition take place, and the standard of all 12 plays was as high as it has been in recent years. The W-G ensemble put together a captivating piece from Nineteen Eighty-Four that was richly deserving of its two awards. Indeed the boys could count themselves just a little unlucky not to do the ‘double’ and join the Fourth Form cast in winning the best play award, such was the quality of their performance. Nonetheless, the boys can be very proud of their efforts, and also of their haul of Best Director (Alex M) and Runner-Up, Best Actor (for James B’s chilling role as O’Brien). Well done to Alex, James and the rest of the cast, Max C (superb as Winston Smith), Ali A-M, Ian C, Kostya C, Ivan G, Jan M, Arsenii S and Stepan T. Weeks and weeks of hard work and commitment went into this scene – the boys did themselves proud – as did the make-up department!
A Question of House
On 2 March, the first round of the annual inter-House quiz took place. Well done to Alex M, Max O, Matt B, Oleksii L and Bowen C who negotiated their way through the initial 2 minute round very comfortably. The lads were just pipped for a place in the final, narrowly missing out in the buzzer round - well done to all involved; our quizzers can hold their heads high.
Cross Country Winners (and Cross Country Winners)
The boys were delighted to hear from the bleachers at the back of the Arena in Routh Assembly that W-G had ‘done the double’ in the Cross Country competitions, having won both the Junior and Senior races on 25 and 26 February respectively. It was really pleasing that over a quarter of the House had contributed to these successes, and all the more so given that the Cross Country race is the quintessential team event – it needs all members to run their very best so as to be well placed; a few strolling around at the back means that the efforts of the most talented runners count for little.
The Senior race saw Jonathan B, Max C, Jack G, Barney S, Michael M, Max O, Dan W, Stepan B, Fabian R and Alex C run impressively. Alex finished first out of the boys in green.
In the Junior Cross Country competition, House captain Callum W really led by example, gaining 1st place overall in the race, with really good performances from the rest of the team, Noah R, Yui C, Ayush K, Henry G, Bob T, Dan V, Airan T, Nukohma G, Oliver P, David M, Oleksii L and Ayush G. A massive thank you and well done to all involved.
Junior Hockey
Well done to our Junior Hockey teams, who performed bravely, without making it to the finals, in both the A and B competitions on 11 February. Great performances from Sean M, Lok L, Hamza S, Josh C, Larry T, Bob T, Matei M, Oliver P, Marius C, Yui C and Ernest L (B team) and Daniel V, Marcus A, Thando B, Ayush K, Airan T, Ayush G and Nukohma G (A team).
Runaway (Success), Baby
Huge congratulations to the Senior Ensemble Winners! Thursday 6 February saw a wonderful House music competition, with some incredibly impressive performances from all Houses in the Ensemble and Solo competitions. W-G’s version of the Bruno Mars hit ‘Runaway Baby’ saw the boys win the trophy for the second year in a row (although in their own right this year – 2019 saw them tying for the top with Housman Hall). It was great to see such a large number of lads represent the House on stage, and their performance was a real belter. Well done to Adam A, Ajton K, Jonathan B, James B, Max C, Marian S, Andy C, Howard G, Arsenii S, Stefan T, and Ian C. Jonathan and Andy shared the burden of organising the practices, and the boys put a huge amount of effort in to prepare. The adjudicator’s summary? ‘This rocked. Everyone in the band was really alive.’ This was definitely another really feel-good moment of the year – great stuff boys! The winning performance can be seen here:
House Solo music
A huge well done to Bowen C and David C, both of whom made it through to the final of the solo competition. Bowen’s violin piece - Intermezzo from Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana - and David’s vocal performance of Vaughan Williams’ ‘The Vagabond’ were both beautifully delivered in a hugely impressive evening’s entertainment. Standing on stage with everyone focusing just on you requires real bravery – well done both!
Junior Drama Winners – Best Play!
On 28 January, the W-G cast came up trumps for the second year in a row in the inter-House Fourth Form Drama competition. Following their impressive performance from ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ in 2019, the boys, directed by Alex M, tried another ambitious piece, with a scene from Franz Kafka’s ‘The Trial’. In a night of some absolutely superb performances, the adjudicator gave the coveted prize of ‘Best Play’ to Wendron-Gordon, remarking on the slick ensemble work and the sheer ambition of the project. The boys worked hard on this for weeks – and the result was a fantastically stylish and incredibly captivating performance. Well done to all involved. The cast were: Marcus A (Joseph K), Callum W (Inspector), Chichi L (Guard), Noah R (Guard 2) and Mark S, Oliver P, Hamza S, Richard H, David C and Oleksii L (all Chorus). Kostya C helped to assist with direction. A thoroughly professional performance can be seen here:
Senior Badminton
30 January saw the Senior inter-House badminton competition take place. Well done to Leo H, Jason Y, Tang M and Stanley C who played superbly to finish second overall, just missing out on first prize. Great effort boys!
Captains Fantastic
Congratulations to Jack G and Jonathan B who were named as captains of 1st XI and 2nd XI football respectively. We know that their talent and leadership qualities will be huge assets for their teams this season.
