The Flagpole

During the Easter holidays a contingent from Princethorpe, comprising Headmaster, Ed Hester, his wife, Tracey, Fr Teddy O’Brien MSC, Development Director, Rachel Hadley-Leonard and Old Princethorpians’ Secretary, Melanie Butler journeyed to Hong Kong to meet with past pupils who had boarded at the College from the late 1960s to the 1990s.

The trip came five years after Fr Teddy O’Brien and Fr Dan O’Connor MSC had been hosted on a very successful visit by former pupils.

The focus of this return visit was a Development Reunion Dinner at the prestigious Hong Kong Club, in Central on the evening of Saturday 14 April, but an amazing itinerary had been arranged around this event to give the visitors a thorough introduction to all the sights and delights of Hong Kong. The OPs behind masterminding the schedule and helping organise the dinner were Alan Young, Vitus Leung, Nelson Ngai and Heman Lam – or the ‘Fantastic Four’ as they soon became known.

All Old Princethorpians living in Hong Kong or the Far East had been invited to the Development Reunion Dinner and the response to the invitation had been very positive, with acceptances from across the generations. Most of the guests are resident in Hong Kong, but others travelled from further afield, including Simon Loasby who now lives in Shanghai, Jonathan Leung from Singapore, Peter Lee from China and Peter Yang (aka Fat Jack) and his wife, Kitty from Australia.

On the Saturday evening after a short drinks reception, a delicious three-course buffet was enjoyed by the 40-strong group in the club’s private Harcourt Suite. Guests were sat at five tables depending on when they had attended and named after key locations at Princethorpe, from the Quad, to the Refectory, the Study Hall, the Orchard and Switzerland. A slide-show of archive photographs played throughout the evening, bringing back memories and fuelling tales of bygone days. Guests also had their memories tested by a special quiz relating to Princethorpe and its past, with points earned being allocated to their former Houses, see results below.

The more formal part of the proceedings saw Headmaster, Ed Hester, take to the floor to address the gathering. He explained his connections with the College, how things had changed over the years, the huge debt owed to the College’s founders, the MSCs and the strong Christian ethos that continues to this day. He also spoke about plans for a new Science building aimed at giving pupils the very best facilities to encourage the pursuit of Science-based careers.

Rachel Hadley-Leonard then introduced guests to the work of the Development Office including milestones and progress since the office was opened in 2016. Rachel spoke about how the College had a very rich history of philanthropy, including support for various improvements at the College, and not least the great act of generosity by the MSCs who gifted the College to the Foundation in 2001. She then showed the ‘Making a Difference’ Film which explains the school’s new Bursary Fund and how that has impacted on pupils’ lives and outlined the new Capital Campaign for Science. She concluded by asking for the group’s support for the College in a variety of ways, whether in terms of mentoring and careers advice or sponsorship of bursaries or supporting aspects of the new Science building.

Melanie Butler, spoke briefly about the Old Princethorpians’ Association, its aims and activities including events and the popular termly e-newsletter, The Old Princethorpian, before emphasising the importance of both parties keeping in touch and how welcome all the OPs would be to visit the College, bringing their families with them.

She finished with a second film entitled ‘Greetings from Princethorpe’, which featured former and long-standing members of staff, Peter Griffin, Bernie Moroney, Lou Skiffington, Alex Darkes and Sean Philpott all reminiscing about the Hong Kong pupils and sending their greetings to the assembled throng.

The evening came to a happy conclusion with the results of the Quiz, a resounding rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ to Fat Jack, who was celebrating his 63rd birthday that day, goodie bags full of information, and an invitation to Mass the next day at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception the next day, when Fr Teddy would be co-celebrating.

Over the few short days that the Princethorpe group spent in Hong Kong with their kind and trusty guides, they had a wealth of experiences from the stunning views from The Peak, to a tram ride across town to the Hong Kong Park, climbing 200 steps to see the giant Buddha on Lantau Island, the sights and sounds of Tai O village and fascinating visits to the Hong Kong Government Offices thanks to David Chung and to Hong Kong University, courtesy of Professor Paul Cheung. They also had an amazing array of culinary experiences from a traditional Dim Sum brunch, to Chinese, Cantonese and Thai banquets.

Commenting on the visit, Headmaster, Ed Hester said, “We were completely overwhelmed by the warmth of the welcome we received and the hospitality shown to us. There is clearly a huge fondness for Princethorpe within the OP community in Hong Kong and they seemed delighted to be reminded of times past and also to see the many developments that have happened at the College over the intervening years.

He continued, "We have been delighted to hear that several OPs who attended the dinner have already pledged their support for our Bursary Fund or Capital Campaign, and we look forward to reporting back in due course as to the difference this will make to our Development initiatives."

A huge thank you to all our guests for attending the Dinner and particularly to the Fantastic Four, Alan, Vitus, Nelson and Heman, for their endless good humour, hospitality and friendship.

To view more information and photographs from the evening click on this link.

Quiz Results:

1st place – Switzerland – 500 points

2nd place – The Study Hall – 400 points

3rd place – The Quad – 300 points

Joint 4th place – The Orchard and The Refectory – 150 points each

House points earned:

Austin - 273

Benet - 554

Fisher - 343

More - 330

The points earned will go into this year’s (2018/2019) College House Competition.

Filming is set to commence next week on a new promotional video for the College website.  Affixxius Films have been commissioned by the Marketing Team to undertake the project, with the concept an extension of the College's Princethorpe and Me advertising campaign.

The film crew will be on site from Monday to Thursday next week, with a second visit to take drone footage scheduled for mid June.

Comments Melanie Butler, Assistant Head - Marketing, "It is a really exciting project and the film will feature lots of different locations, lessons, activities and pupils of all ages. We are aiming to reflect the fact that Princethorpe appeals to and suits a wide variety of children with different interests and talents. Affixxius are approaching this in a fun and quirky way and we hope that the pupils and staff involved will enjoy feeling like film stars!"

The film will be completed over the summer in time for release in September in advance of the next admissions cycle and Entrance Exams, so watch this space!

The Old Princethorpians are introducing a brand new event into their annual calendar with the addition of a Former Parents’ Saturday Brunch.

The inaugural brunch is set to take place on Saturday 12 May from 10.30am to 12.30pm in the College’s Refectory. In addition to catching up over a leisurely complimentary brunch, visitors will be able watch some cricket against local rivals, Bablake School, and take an optional tour of the school campus.

Comments Peter Rollason, Old Princethorpians’ Chairman, “We know a lot of former parents will have spent a considerable amount of time at Princethorpe over the years, supporting their children in many different ways and may be missing the involvement in school life. This is an opportunity for them to reconnect with both the school and each other in an informal, friendly environment. We hope if the event goes well to make this more of a regular fixture in our calendar.”

All former parents are most welcome to attend, for catering purposes please RSVP with the name of your child/children, the number in your party and any special dietary requirements to oldprincethorpians@princethorpe.co.uk or call Melanie Butler, Old Princethorpians’ Secretary on 01926 634284 by Tuesday 8 May.

Congratulations go to our Year 7 Football Team who are the newly crowned U12s Warwickshire Schools Cup Champions.

Princethorpe’s U12 Football Team were pitted against Nuneaton’s Higham Lane School in a much anticipated Warwickshire Schools Cup Final.  The hotly contested game took place on Monday 23 April at the excellent facilities of Rugby Town Junior Football Club.

On the way to the final the U12 team had dispatched Bilton School 6-0, Kenilworth School 1-0 and in the semi-final Ashlawn School 7-1.  With both teams having conceded only one goal each in the run up to the final match, and many of the players knowing each other through local club football teams, the final was always set to be a very tight game.

Spectators and supporters were treated to a real cup final atmosphere as the boys were led out on to the pitch and shook hands before the start.  From the first whistle both sides didn’t disappoint as the teams put on an excellent and tenacious display.  It was a close game and by half-time the score stood at 0-0 thanks to a brilliant save by Princethorpe goalkeeper, Alexander Hammond.  Following team manager, Mr Kenny Owen’s, inspirational half-time team talk, the team were really champing at the bit.

As the second half progressed, Joe Bird managed to break and played an excellent ball through to Luc Sen-Gupta who picked it up and stunningly scored his first, and what proved to be the winning, goal for the College Team.  Superb defence from Finn Osborne and Jamie Robinson prevented successful retaliation from a determined Higham Lane side and a delighted Princethorpe went on to secure the cup title with a 1-0 victory.

Well done to all the boys involved, everyone played fantastically and should be very proud of their achievement.  A huge thank you to team manager Mr Owen and coach, Mr Hadley, and our pupils’ parents, for their untiring support.

On Tuesday 24 April Princethorpe College's U13 Girls Hockey team travelled to Cannock Hockey Club in Staffordshire along with 16 teams from across the Midlands to compete in the National In2 Hockey Schools U13 Regional Championships.  

Playing for Princethopre were Year 8 pupils Issy Bunting, Eve Farquharson, Molly Harper, Jess Mackenzie, Evie Phillips, Jasmin Rose, Grace Thomas, Lara Tripp-Smith, Molly Wincott-Thomas and Zoe Wallis. 

The girls’ opening match was played against Northampton School for Girls and confident stick work led to an easy 4-0 win.  Then it was Shrewsbury School and they were dispatched just as quickly by 3-0. The final match in the group stage was against Bromsgrove School who put up more of a fight, the match was fast paced and had plenty of goals from both sides to finish in a 3-3 draw.  The girls were delighted to have won the group and to be through to the final stages. 

Next up were the quarter finals. On fire and playing outstanding hockey the girls beat Trent College 3-2.  The team then played Oakham School in the semis and won again.  By now the girls had trounced some seriously good schools.  Hopes were high as they lined up for the final match against Royal Grammar School Worcester.  It was a fast-paced game from the off, the team played brilliantly but just couldn't find a way through and in the end went down 2-0.  

However, all was not lost as the top two teams qualify for the National Finals so despite coming second the Princethorpe U13 Girls Hockey team still get to go through.  

Head of Hockey Kat Berns was ecstatic and commented, "This is the first time that a Princethorpe Girls Hockey team has ever made it through to the Nationals. We are incredibly proud of them and their fantastic achievement.  They were just amazing." 

Fisher pupils came together on Wednesday 26 April to celebrate their fantastic victory in the 2017/2018 House Cup. Special Princethorpe cookies and drinks had been laid on for all to enjoy in a party during Tutor Time.  It was also Head of House, Mrs McCullough's birthday making it an extra special double celebration. 

Winning the House Cup isn’t easy these days, you can’t just win Sports Day and have it in the bag. To succeed every single individual pupil needs to pull together and do their very best. This year it was a solid, steady and consistent performance that helped Fisher win the day.  Some of their many successes along the way included wins in the: 

• Sixth Form Mini Quiz 
• Ready Steady Cook 
• The Oscars 
• Christmas Quiz 
• House Quiz 
• Parents' Quiz 
• World Book Day 
• Merits 

In fact, it came right down to the last allocation of Merits before the final winner emerged, with only 110 points separating 1st and 2nd place. 

A delighted Chris McCullough said, "I am so incredibly proud of Fisher House as I honestly believe that it is the extra activities that happen outside the classroom that help define the adults these pupils become. Each and every individual in Fisher House has contributed to our win in their own incredible way, well done to you all and thank you Fisher House." 

Princethorpe College’s U17 football team flew to Dubai over the Easter holidays to compete in the prestigious Dubai Super Club, an international football competition that attracts youth teams from across the globe.  Played at the superb facilities of the Sevens Stadium the trip was an unforgettable experience for all, on what was the College’s first overseas football tour. 

The team of 13 players, accompanied by two staff, were looking forward to testing themselves against quality opposition.  They were playing in the U19 Youth category with 16 teams from countries as far afield as Australia, South Africa, Nigeria, and Pakistan. The teams included a number of specialist football academies including Ronaldo’s (the retired Brazilian legend) Academy from Columbia as well as local United Arab Emirates teams and other football teams from the UK.   

The Princethorpe College Team were pleased to start their campaign with a special training session courtesy of the Dubai English Speaking College, their fantastic facilities gave the players a chance to loosen up after the long journey, acclimatise and fine tune tactics before their first official match.  Playing in the evening to avoid the worst of the heat their first opponents were a local team, the Precor Academy.  The Princethorpe boys started well against what was a good team but couldn't translate that into a win, in the end losing 3-1.  

The next evening the team was pitted against Ronaldo's Academy.  The boys played exceptionally well, this was their best performance of the tournament and the match could have gone either way, the result a 2-1 loss does not reflect the high standard of play.  Match three was against the Dubai based Al Etihad Football Academy and the boys were delighted to get a solid 2-1 win.  At the end of the first round the boys had qualified for the plate competition.

Match four was a knockout match against a team from Pakistan.  Princethorpe were the better players by far and scored early on.  It was hugely frustrating that their opponents had a lucky counter attack to claw the score back to 1-1. Sadly, the boys then lost on penalties bringing their time in the competition to a close.  The team had one final friendly match against BURJ from NIgeria, it was another good match but ended with a 2-0 loss.

Whilst in Dubai the Princethorpe players also had the chance to participate in plenty of sightseeing.  They visited Ferrari World and enjoyed an exhilarating ride on the world's fastest roller coaster.  They visited the world’s highest building, the Burj Khalifa, and the Dubai Mall and Fountains and had an exciting day in the desert on a ‘dune bashing’ expedition.

Ross Holtom, Acting Head of Academic PE, said, "It was an excellent tournament, the lads very much enjoyed it and played well against tough and often older opposition.  Playing in the Dubai Sevens Stadium was a great experience and it was also good for the boys to mix socially with teams from different countries who were staying in the same hotel."  He continued, "The tournament was a valuable experience that gave us the chance to learn new moves, new skills and new tactics.  It was a successful first overseas football tour and we now plan to take a football team on the next South African tour in summer 2019."

Princethorpe College would like to thank Sentinel Private Clients Limited, an Independent wealth management practice based between Stratford-upon-Avon and Henley-in-Arden, who very kindly sponsored the team's kit.  Andrew MacDonald, Director from Sentinel Private Clients Limited, said, “We were very pleased to be able to sponsor Princethorpe College’s very first overseas Football Tour and are delighted to hear that it was a successful experience for all involved.” 

To find out more about Sentinel Private Clients please click here.