We've had another fantastic array of inspirational presentations from pupils and staff this term (and just before Easter) in the Exemplum Docet Masterclass Mondays. From living on Mars to overcoming injury by a transatlantic rowing challenge, the topics have been varied, but all delivered with passion.
Many thanks to all those scholars and staff who presented in this year's Masterclass Mondays.
Here is Master of Schlolars, Mr Woolner's reviews of the sessions, all of which can be viewed on the Scholar's website:
Monday 23 May
The final masterclass of the academic year came from Mr Dixon, our new Bursar, to a fantastic crowd of students and staff.
Severely injured serving in Afghanistan in 2009, Mr Dixon shared with us his rehabilitation journey, which culminated in a 50-day transatlantic row with other wounded servicemen.
His story of overcoming adversity, remaining resilient in the face of tremendous personal loss, and retaining a healthy perspective on life's challenges was a real joy to listen to, and will not soon be forgotten.
Tuesday 17 May
The first of two masterclasses on the same day saw Abi McCarthy - our outgoing Co-Chair of the Exemplum Docet Society - delivere her farewell address on The Politics of Art: Is it being seen as ‘reflecting life’ too simple?
Abi's immensely wide-ranging presentation considered how film and literature in both English and Spanish aim not just to reflect life, but to shock, criticise, and edify. Most impressive was the sheer volume of her contextual knowledge of, and her love for, literature.
Abi then handed over the baton to next year's Co-Chairs Charlotte Garnett (Art) and Jamie King (Literature), who have some big shoes to fill in following both her and Co-Chair Felix Arkle's exempla.
The second masterclass of the day provided an opportunity to look back on the Girls' Quad's historic Henley victory last summer.
Mia and Merry took a break from their demanding training schedule to regale the sixth form cafe with explanations and anecdotes of the time leading up to the race, their feelings on the day, and what lessons for life they have taken away from their incredible performance.
Best of luck to them for this year!
Monday 4 April
The final Masterclasses of the Spring Term saw a bumper-crop of speakers:
Ollie Perkins and Evan Greenway (Y9) teamed up to share their love for the McLaren Formula 1 team, giving us insights into its history and accomplishments.
Rufus Goggins (Y10) eruditely explained how global power belongs to the countries on the cusp of the next technological revolution, and gave us some contenders to watch out for in the future.
Finally Mr Pettifer expanded the fulsome audience's horizons by light years, explaining the challenges (and potential solutions) which face human space exploration.
Monday 21 March
With life on our own planet looking bleaker by the day, Henry Johnston and Joshua Marthinusen (Y10) sought to provide a healthy audience of year 10 peers with some solace about our prospects of decamping to Mars, and the challenges this would pose. They spoke well, and responded to some searching questions with poise.
Bringing us back down to Earth, Miss Jones (T&P) drew on her former life as a West End star to expose the sinister megamusical and its impact on creative freedom. Providing myriad examples, she was judicious in her analysis and - as one would expect from a trained actress - consummate in her delivery.
