Making the most of their time

It has always amazed and delighted us here at AIB to see our boarders making the very most out of all the amazing opportunities they are given here at Ashford School. In this week’s blog we are going to be looking at just three of these from across the range: the annual half term ski trip to Arosa, Switzerland, the Steinway evening of Friday 28th February and the IELTS examination on 1st March.

Taking the Piste:

Several weeks ago Mr Atkinson took a number of boarders, including Zekai, Kitty, Jonathan, Renata and Oscar to a dry ski slope to put in some practise before the trip to Switzerland. As you can see from the photos below, they learnt a lot and had a lot of fun!

Onto the real thing however and at the beginning of half term a coach left Ashford with all the skiers on board led by Dr Childs, Mr Atkinson and Mr Cuffley. The trip to Arosa was about 20hrs in total and on the way it picked up parties from other schools, including the International School of Brussels, where Mr K had first trod the boards as a stage struck 5-year old.

Each day ran a little like this: wake-up, breakfast, skiing with qualified instructor, lunch, more skiing, dinner, activities (such as treasure hunts, ice skating, discos and ski shows) and then bed. Per day the groups chalked up a total of 5 hours on the slopes. As Mr Atkinson related to AIB afterwards, not all was plain sailing.

 

Part time boarder Lukas fell foul of the exacting standards set by his Scottish instructor, but far from being put off, Lukas and his group threw themselves into it and were soon last ones in, first ones out of lunch, in their eagerness to carve up the slopes. 

He went on to tell us how Jonathan became ensnared on a gondola and instead of exiting for the Blue run (the second level of difficulty) was ejected on a Black run (the highest difficulty) and had to be escorted down by a rescue party of other students, taking several tumbles on the way (see below).

This experience doesn’t seem to have weighed to heavily on his mind as he used it to crack a joke in EAL class. While practising the modal perfect he delivered: “If I’d have learnt to do the snow plough stop, I might not have hit that tree.” A learning experience in more ways than one then! (A big thank you to Dr Childs, for organising the trip and to Mr Atkinson and Mr Cuffley for helping out)

Modest musical maestro

All-rounder Jonathan, as well as Norman and Jervis also took part in the more sedate, but just as spectacular, occasion just recently as the school’s pianists showed off their glorious Steinway pianos in style, in Friday’s Steinway Concert. All, who attended agreed it was a superb evening, including Alfred Assistant Houseparent, Mrs Williams, who gave it a double thumbs up.

Jervis (Yr 10, Alfred) was one of the stars of the show with his glittering performance of Rachmanninov’s Prelude in G Minor. Jervis has been playing the piano for about six years, though, after only four and a half, he had already achieved the distinction of Grade 8 (the highest of the Associated Board music exams). He is currently working on the next set of qualifications, the Diplomas, of which there are three. This level of attainment does come at a cost however.

 

“I had to practise my recital piece for over a month before the concert and for six hours on the day of the performance. I had to miss a day of school.” He admits. This level of effort and achievement would surely point the way to young Jervis becoming a professional concert musician. Not a bit of it!

“I’d like my playing to be a hobby,” he assures a somewhat dumbstruck AIB, “something I enjoy.” This might even include some part time teaching. Whether or not time and experience may alter this idea, such a mature attitude must be applauded. Jervis will be taking part in several music competitions in the near future and all of us here wish him every success.

Under testing circumstances:

As indeed we do to our IELTS students, who took their exam on Saturday at Chaucer College, in the historic city of Canterbury. Their score in the International English Language Testing System exam - compiled of tests in the four key disciplines of Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking - would be  heavily scrutinised by future university admissions officers and might well determine which of their preferred further education courses they might embark upon. 

You may have then expected the atmosphere  on the way to the test centre to be one of quiet dread. The skies under which the coach of 35 students, together with Mr K and Miss Dores, left the school at 08:15 were gloomy and foreboding. The mood on the journey along flood-soaked fields, however, was more of busy apprehension, as spellings were checked and tricks rehearsed. 

The preparation for this had been serious. Almost every available study period, lunchtime, after school club session over the last three working weeks had been taken up doing mock exams and speaking practice sessions. Now, as the two teachers watched their charges file into the test centre with almost parental anxiety, the time had come to see if it had all payed off.

Perhaps the most daunting prospect would be the speaking exam, conducted by a stranger, on  unknown topics (On the trip back both Mis Dores and Mr K wondered if they might be able to succeed in such a test) and where not a small amount of luck was required if you were to be given one that you were familiar with. As it turned out, as AIB gleaned from some of the candidates later that evening, Lady Luck had indeed been a fickle friend. 

Harris beamed as he spoke about his test, which involved talking about favourite TV programmes. Patricia and Matthew, however, were less fortunate, having to speak about a coastline they knew well and Kevin was less than happy with his topic of ‘your favourite historical character’. The listening too, Patricia admitted had been much harder than the mock. Swings and roundabouts though; part one of the writing was virtually identical to that task on their last practice paper.

These students are, though, if anything, resilient and Caviar, Patricia, Shirley and Elaine all joked with Mr K about looking forward to seeing him again next year (should they not achieve the required 7 out of 9). You couldn’t help but admire them; thousands of miles from home, sitting a test that might alter the course of their future, in a strange town, with strangers and being so light-hearted. It could only be that they were taking this on together and together, with the help of their teachers and pastoral staff, they would succeed, come what may. (Looking forward to seeing the results in two weeks time folks!)