From the Second Master
Details for this weekend can be found here. Please access the Parent Portal via the link below to inform us of your child’s plans for this weekend by 23:00 on Thursday 8 June. Log in, select 'Interactive' and 'Weekend Sign-out' to complete the form.
In preparation for Exeat, all parents of boarders should complete the Exeat Arrangements form, which is also accessed via the same route on the Parent Portal; under ‘Wykeham Day Exeat Arrangements'. Please complete the form by 13:00 on Friday 9 June.
The Exeat will begin at 16:00 on Saturday 17 June and end at 21:15 on Monday 19 June. Pupils may return to the boarding houses from 18:00 on Monday.
On Saturday 17 June, the College will host its annual celebratory event for the whole school community, Wykeham Day.
A wide range of activities will be taking place throughout the day, including sporting events, musical performances, cultural exhibitions, accompanied by plenty of food and refreshments. Younger children can also try taster sessions in football and cricket, or a treasure hunt.
Highlights of the day include the annual cricket game that sees the Lords XI playing against a team of Old Wykehamists, a performance from the College's close harmony group Cantores Episcopi, and the CCF Field Gun Run.
Diversity & Inclusion
As part of the College's ongoing work on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and in recognition of Pride month, we asked people across the school, "what does Pride means to you?" This short film captures some of those responses.
Whilst many may not feel directly impacted, supporting and understanding others is part of the strong ethos that makes Winchester a welcoming community. As one colleague reflected: "For me, being an ally means being someone who educates themselves, listens, and stands with the LGBTQIA+ community. Allies not only believe in equality but actively advocate for it, as a driving force to protect the community and fight against injustices. Being an ally also means understanding that these actions need to be taken all year round, not just during Pride month."
On 25 May, the College's Lord's XI welcomed the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) men's team for a friendly that saw Winchester win by 276 - 3 declared, while MCC were 171 all out.
The MCC was founded in 1787 and have been based at Lord’s Cricket Ground since 1814. Each year, they play a schedule of games against schools around the country and abroad.
A standout performance of 183 runs from 158 balls from Wilf (A) led the way as the College team took the first turn at bat, with Henry (A) adding a fluent 62.
Ethan (G) then took over on the other side of the ball, producing a fantastic spell of bowling taking 7 wickets with Seb (D) taking the other 3.
Academic
Congratulations to Anders (K), who has won the Minds Underground Modern Languages. In his essay, he answered the question: ‘Domesticating’ or ‘foreignizing’? Which approach to translation is more appropriate to any one foreign-language book or author you have read? focusing on the novel 'Las Malas' by Argentine author, Camila Sosa Villada.
The novel, based on Sosa Villada’s own life, revolves around a group of street prostitutes who identify as travesti, a gender identity specific to Latin America that goes beyond the gender binary. Anders argued that foreignization is the more appropriate approach as it brings to light the often unknown realities of marginalized groups like the travesti, and the overlooked narratives of Latin American gender and sexuality.
Event
Parents are invited to join us for the screening of the shortlisted films in the Sixty Second Cinema competition this Saturday, 10 June at 20:00. The screening will be held outside, in front of MUSA. No tickets are required but visitors should arrive via the Porters' Lodge. The event will last no longer than one hour and will be judged by film producer Merlin Merton.
The competition was open to all year groups with pupils working on their films over Easter. The aim of the competition is to encourage an exploration of cinematography and creativity whilst also developing skills such as editing. Pupils had to choose from a list of ten titles, which they were free to interpret how they wished. There are four prizes on offer: Best film: Junior and Senior categories; Best cinematography; and Best editing
The films in the final are: GO! by Fabian Wolsey Pont; The Last One by Demyan Gibbon; There’s no such thing as unicorns by Winston Chan; The Last One by Oscar Dunfield Prayero; Lost by William Newport; Mockumentary by Olivier Gauthier; Lost by Gerald Somovidis; The Delivery by Alexander Sharrocks.
Duke of Edinburgh
The Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award participants undertook their qualifying expedition in the Lake District during Leave Out. The two teams started their trek in Wasdale and camped in the mountains for the first two nights of their trip, before finishing near Keswick.
They were entirely self-sufficient for four days, purifying water from the Lakeland tarns and streams and cooking the food they carried with them in their packs. Whilst participants are expected to travel independently throughout the expedition, they are nevertheless supervised by staff who meet them occasionally throughout the day. Mrs Talks and Mr Fraser were very impressed by the determination and enthusiasm shown by both teams.
Drama
Congratulations to Oscar (E) and Luke (C) who have both been selected for this year’s National Youth Theatre. This is a tremendous achievement: competition is notoriously fierce. We wish them well for their summer endeavours and look forward to seeing them in the West End before too long!
Societies
The pupil-led History Society organises regular talks by both pupils and visiting speakers, in addition to events, such as a recent tour of the College's Archives. It also produces a magazine, the Winchester History Journal.
The latest issue, edited by Douglas Page (X) and Jamie Mackinnon (I), includes articles on topics ranging from bell-ringing at Winchester College to the rise and fall of Lysenkoism in China. There is also a crossword and quiz.
Community
Over the weekend, the College opened its grounds to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme's 'Open Garden' initiative.
Blessed with excellent weather, the College welcomed nearly 700 visitors and raised over £6,300 for charity.
It was the second time the College has taken part in the event, which supports nursing and health charities.
Visitors were able to explore Moberly Garden, War Cloister, Bethesda Garden and the Warden's Garden with our gardeners on hand to answer questions, and guide guests through their latest focus on increasing biodiversity in these beautiful spaces. Parents will be able to view the gardens at Wykeham Day.
Careers
Wykeham Links, the College’s new Careers and Mentoring platform, is now live. There has been a very positive response from OWs prepared to offer advice as Tégés and we hope that the first to benefit from Wykeham Links will be current VI Bk2 making their UCAS choices this term and next.
Please give permission for your child to register on Wykeham Links:
VI Book 1 (Leavers) Permission Form
VI Book 2 Permission Form
If you would consider offering career advice either to current pupils or to recent leavers, please sign up to be a Tégé (mentor) on Wykeham Links. You can customise the level of support you are prepared to offer and limit the number of contacts you receive.
To explore what Wykeham Links can offer click the link below to visit the Winchester College Society website. Thank you for your support.