Giving a Monkey's about cultural diversity

春节快乐!

Happy Spring Festival everyone! Welcome to the Year of the Monkey!

Now, here at Ashford School, and particularly within the boarding community, we are very proud of our cultural diversity and so, we always look forward to the first new moon in February upon which we celebrate the Chinese New Year.

There are several traditions that have sprung up over the last few years in order to mark this event on the lunar calendar. The first is the Chinese meal in the refectory. Mandy and her team of helpers decked the room out in beautiful red and gold decorations and the kitchen staff, with oriental chef Li to the fore, surpassed themselves with a sumptuous array of dishes including stir-fried beef, vegetarian glass noodles and a fiery hot and sour soup. Despite the blustery weather, the festivities moved outside where Mr Vaughan delighted all with a spectacular fireworks display. Our thanks to all involved.

This hadn't been the only feast though. Not needing any excuse for a good cook-up, boarders in both ASIC and Alfred had had the hot pots bubbling away on Sunday night (see photos below). Nobody can say we aren't well fed in the boarding community here!

Before moving on to the other tradition of the New Year period it would be fitting to add that this particular weekend marked birthdays for four of our Chinese boarders: Charlotte, Riley, Ryan and Amanda; very auspicious timing indeed! After the meal at school, all four marked the occasion with cake, gifts, balloons and boisterous games down in ASIC (balloon volleyball anyone?!). Thanks to Miss Beroule for organising that one.

On the Friday morning our final New Year tradition took place with the annual Chinese New year assembly in front of the whole school. Mr Buchanan had already laid the groundwork for this on the Monday, discussing things not to do at Spring Festival time; including eating porridge, bad luck Mr K! Under the guidance of Mrs Barber, boarders Jonathan and Caroline gave a very polished performance, explaining the different Chinese Zodiac signs and what characteristics those signs represented. To help they enlisted the help of Mrs Rayner, Mrs Waite and Mr Stoddart - Monkey, Horse and Rooster respectfully - who gamely demonstrated that there is indeed some truth in oriental astrology - where'd that rubber chicken come from then Mr Stoddart? To finish Jonathan had the whole hall wising each other Happy New Year in Chinese, and all this before period 1 had even started!

Now the houses are all quiet, with all the boarders having headed off home, to guardians' houses and the like, for the half term. As we approach exam season, there will be much holiday work to do, but we hope all will take the chance to rest too - that's staff included please!

Just before we do sign off, a couple of congratulations are in order. Every year we at Ashford School welcome two beneficiaries of the coveted HMC scholarship, which allows a select few overseas students to study here, at much reduced rates, for a year. This year both our scholars, Yr 12s Tini and Zuka, come from Georgia and we are very happy to announce that, after a superb start, both have been offered a place to stay and complete their A-levels next year. Congratulations to both and good luck for your on-going studies!

Have a happy half term everyone and see you when we return.

NB: in order to keep further up-to-date with boarding life in Ashford School, we invite you to please follow our two boarding Twitter feeds:

 @AshfordBoarding and @AshfordIC - see you there!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! We hope you all had an excellent restful holiday and are now raring to go for 2016.

Well, there have been lots of exciting things to report at the start of this spring term. Our year 11 and 12s have been busy with their mock exams during the these first couple of weeks and, judging by many of the results that we’ve already heard about, they should be on for some excellent grades this summer. Well done for getting through the mocks and also a big well done to all your teachers who have had to mark them! Isn’t that right Mr Vafidis?!

In other news, congratulations to boys boarding captain Sam on his offer to read Mathematics next year in Cambridge. We wish you luck with the process Sam. Congratulations are also due to Helena from Brabourne and Amanda from ASIC who have both won prizes in this year’s Ashford Photography competition. AIB will be joining them at the awards’ ceremony at Ashford College on 27^th January (Photos will follow) Well done girls!

Our boarders have been in fine form on the sports’ field too as our First Basketball team including Sam, Manson, Jackson, Peter, Balthazar, Michael, Marcus, Matthew and Zheng have put together a string of victories recently including a hard fought 58-53 win over the North School followed by and even more convincing 58-45 result against the same opposition. With captain Matthew pulling the strings and Manson and Marcus driving, Balthazar and Michael made an unstoppable combo at the net. Coming to a court near you!

Mandy and her team of boarders have also been busy organising the festivities for next month’s Chinese New Year. There’ll be a dinner and fireworks as well as an assembly (Traditionally organised by the EAL department) to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Monkey. There’ll be more on this next time out.

Over in ASIC Mr K and Miss B have a new team of staff to help out and look after their boarders: Mr Vafidis remains, new CCF SSI Mr Burke, German assistant Miss Schorpp, Mr Butt and Mr Munteanu join. A great mix of old and new! Many thanks to Mr Vaughan and Mrs Williams for all your help last term.

Talking of Mr Burke, he has been working hard to start up Ashford School’s first CCF (Combined Cadet Force) contingent. An extremely informative assembly last Friday gave us all an insight of what new recruits could learn and become a part of should they join up. Every Wednesday from 15:45 to 17:15 they’ll be taking part in amongst other things: drills, field craft, navigation skills, skill at arms and various types of adventure training. More importantly, Mr Burke pointed out, CCF will develop leadership qualities and a sense of team spirit. Head along to the CCF Firefly page if you’d like to know more or find Mr Burke and ask him yourselves.

It won’t have escaped the eagle-eyed attention of most that we now have a new Head of Boarding, Mr Liston, who joins us from The Priory Academy LSST in Lincoln, and before that Cranbrook School, to take over the role vacated by the departure of Mr Single to Bournemouth Collegiate. Mr Liston, along with his wife and two children, has settled well into Ashford School and has quickly become a firm part of the community. It’s no mean feat to take over a management position one term into a school year, so AIB has been very lucky to take-up a few minutes of Mr Liston’s precious time for a few words of welcome and some gentle interrogation.

 

Q. What are your first thoughts about the boarding community at Ashford School and how do you think you’ve settled in?

The students and staff seem lovely and have been very welcoming. What struck me immediately about the school was that there is a wide cultural and linguistic diversity amongst the boarding population - which is a joy to be a part of – and yet such a strong sense of community.

Q. How does your role here compare with those you played in LSST and Cranbrook and what will you bring to it?

All three are very different schools and so each role was and will be different, but ultimately the role of leading a boarding house or leading a boarding community is largely universal. What will I bring? Well, I’d say, commitment, enthusiasm and a desire to ensure that Ashford School continues to be a place in which people can grow, thrive and learn; to live the adventure in a warm and nurturing atmosphere.

 

Q. What are your hobbies and interests outside of your job?

My family, first and foremost, spending time with my two lovely children, Ollie and Orla. For my sins I enjoy reading political biographies and running, cycling and swimming (all of which I do badly! laughs)

 

Q. What do you think the future holds for boarding in Ashford School?

There are already so many positives that need to be held onto, but there is also so much potential to move boarding here forward.

Q. Describe yourself in one sentence.

I’ll leave that one up to you.

 

On that enigmatic note, we’ll say goodbye for now and wish Mr Liston an excellent start to his new post and look forward to seeing how boarding in Ashford progresses with him at the helm.

A truly international House!

We gave you a little taster last time out about the new addition to to our boarding community, ASIC House. Well, there's been plenty going on down the bottom of East Hill and we'd just like to give you a bit of a flavour.

As the 'International' Centre ASIC is all about diversity and they've been celebrating it. First up was the 'International Bring and Share' night. On the first Sunday of the term, the Marlowe Room (ASIC's common room/kitchen area) was alive with the smells of the world as the ASIC students vied to break the world record as to how many chefs you could actually fit into a kitchen.

Ochuwa, from Nigeria, had been preparing and cooking her joloff rice and marinated chicken pieces since mid afternoon and boy, it was worth the wait! King created a hotpot of fish balls and pak choi while Jerry produced a memorable combination of scrambled eggs and tomatoes. Mr K, ably assisted by Balthazar, knocked up several round of Welsh cakes - they're not burnt, it's just the sugar caramelising, uh-huh! - and Kristina, Maria and Tini flipped our tastebuds with Russian apple pancakes with condensed milk. As all sat down to enjoy their efforts, Zachary moved from table to table replenishing cups of refreshing and palette cleansing tea. What impressed AIB on the night was not just the range of dishes - you can stop cooking now King - but how the entire group worked together and with respect for each other's dishes and how the cleaning up was undertaken with as much enthusiasm as the cooking itself. You'd never have thought these guys had only just met each other that week!

Ten days later and the Marlowe Room had been transformed into a musical stage for 'Hear the world sing' the ASIC international music night. Members of all four houses attended an evening of song and dance organised by Ochuwa, who led the way with some rhythmic Nigerian moves. To sing in front of people is no mean feat anyway, to do it in front of people you barely know, but who you see every day, is another so full marks to Amanda, King, Belinda, Pandy, Tini and Kristin who all put their fears aside and belted out their favourites. Tini even gave us a rousing performance of the Georgian national anthem, emotional stuff. There was plenty of fun too as Maria and Nika led the whole room in several Russian dances and Alex, Faisal, Matthew, Jason and Frank had all in stitches with their Cossack jig! Finally Mr K let loose his Greek heritage and the room linked arms in joyous accord. It wasn't so much a dance as a flailing of legs but no-one cared, everyone was having fun!

We're sure it won't be long before there is another international event down the hill and everyone will be more than welcome!

New faces, new places

Hello everyone! Good to be back after a great summer holiday. There have been loads of new things happening around the boarding community in Ashford in the last 3 months, so we're going to take this first blog of the year to give you a quick insight into what's happened.

Firstly, let's go back to the end of last term when, as the Year 13s left us, a new crop of prefects were announced, along with the all important post of School Captain. This prestigious position is a feather in the cap of all who attain it and this year that feather, for the first time, sits proudly in the cap of a boarder, Brabourne's Mo! Congratulations to her! In her short time at the school so far, Mo has been involved in virtually every aspect of school life, coming to particular prominence in debating competitions. She is an extremely popular choice as School Captain and we have no doubt that she will make a success of it. Good luck Mo!

With the new year, we have seen departures, additions and changes to the staff boarding team. We say farewell to Miss Swaine, Miss Salter, Miss Meja and after a stalwart eight years in Alfred House, Mr Atkinson. Good luck to them all in their future positions. The team has been augmented by the arrival of Mr Ireland (Alfred), Mr Field (Gap student), Mr Bragge (Brooke-Refuge) and Mr Vafidis (Brooke-Refuge and ASIC, more on that later). Mr Kadinopoulos has moved down the hill to become Head of ASIC with Mr Appleton stepping into his shoes in Alfred House. Last but certainly not least we also welcome Miss Beroule as the new Assistant House Parent of ASIC.

Most importantly we welcome all our new students, from all around the world, as they join our boarding community and become an integral part of Ashford School. We hope you have a fantastic time with us and I'm sure you'll make the very best of it.

Perhaps the biggest change to boarding this year has been the opening (after 5 years of careful planning) of ASIC house. Previously Bridge House and once the site of the school nursery, ASIC is part of the new face of Ashford boarding also being home to the new Ashford School International Centre. The new centre's role will be to offer intensive 1-year courses (this year IGCSE only) to international students to help improve their English language skills and enable them to join the main school. They will also board in the house.

Building work for ASIC finished at the end of July and was officially opened on 25th August. In his speech to those assembled, Chairman of Governors Mr Massey thanked those who had made the venture possible, not least our own Mr Cuffley (Head of Operations) and Mr Single (Head of Boarding) who saw the project through from conception and Mr Connolly (Head of Maintenance) whose team oversaw the construction.

In the weeks following the handover the facilities team, in all their guises, worked tirelessly to bring the house up to the wonderful state in which it welcomed our newest group of boarders. Particular thanks must go to Mr Pallett, Mrs Rowell, Mr Connolly and Mr Ricks and their respective teams for ensuring every aspect was as good as it could have been.

So, the big day, Tuesday 1st September came around and once the new children had trod the well worn circle around Brake Hall (thanks to the EAL, Admissions and Medical teams and Mrs Pender) the bags started to arrive - thanks Tom, Steve, Bill and Dan - shortly followed by the new ASIC boarders many accompanied by their slightly nervous parents. As first impressions go, we don't know whether the children were more impressed with the house or Miss B and Mr K were with their charges. Polite yet good humoured, they soon began to settle in, mingling with each other over games of giant Jenga. They clearly have the Ashford boarding spirit down to a 'T'. This was made even clearer, when AIB joined Mr K on boarding duty and witnessed some of the boarders helping their housemaster unload the new dishes and stack the dishwasher.

The first couple of days of the year came and went and though there were the usual uncertainties and occasional loss of direction, our new boarders soon began to find their feet. Maria from Russia walked straight into the chamber choir! Having heard the sound of the big band while doing his EAL tests Zuka from Georgia asked straight away to go and check it out. His fellow HMC scholar Tini had, by the end of Friday, signed up for 4 different activities and this a year 12 student! As she'd earlier said to Mr K, she is determined to make the most of her year here, and we believe she will.

Indeed, as we all walked up to the refectory one evening in the second week and it was clear that many were not a little tired after their first ten days, Tini gave the meaning to all we do and will always do here:

"If it's good, it's worth working for."  Indeed so!

Welcome back everyone and have a great year!

N.B. If you have anything that you would like to see on the blog, please let Mr K know as soon as possible and we'll get it uploaded. We want to hear from you!

The last supper

Across the country over the last week, 18 year-olds have been breathing the biggest sigh of relief of their lives so far. A-levels are over, for most, and these students can look forward to at least 8 weeks of rest, relaxation and recuperation before the nerve shredding that is results day and then the run-in to uni.

It's no different for our Year 13 boarders as they prepare to leave us for the final time. Though it is, isn't it? For at least two years, some many more, their lives have revolved around school. Ashford School has become their home from home; their teachers, house parents and friends in the house have been their family and now they must leave. But, true to form, Ashford boarders are going to do it in style.

Picture the scene: Alfred Sky Room kitchen 17:30. The atmosphere is intense, bubbling - it should be, there are three slow cookers of simmering broth on the go! Across the chequered tablecloth packets of exotic foodstuffs (seafood, chicken balls, dumplings of all kinds) lie open, waiting for their turn. At the counter Kitty looks on as Beeno painstakingly peels a white radish for slicing into the pot (it was painful to watch him do it!), while Shan the man tips, tastes, and tests his creations. In short, there's a cook-up goin' on!

Over the other side of the road: most nights the boarding staff would have been concerned to see ten to fifteen teenagers troop through the refectory and out the other side - certainly without stopping to ask to go to Imperial China - but this particular night is different; they're heading to Shan's.

By 7 o'clock the place is hopping; every seating space in the Sky Room has been claimed; the cooking pots have migrated to the table and people are helping themselves to whatever they've dunked into the vats of spicy broth. The whole crowd is here: the chefs (Shan, Kitty and Beeno), Felix and Christie, Matthew, Jeffrey, Tony, Kevin, Gray, Erica and Janice. Even Nicola has come back from her Art Foundation Course in Cambridge to join the fun.

AIB is invited to join the party and try some of the food (after having been reminded to cook it first). Every bite is sensational and we joke that if Shan didn't make it as an architect, there's another career here. He smiles, but brushes the compliment aside with the amiable modesty for which he has been rightly lauded across the school.

Everyone is eating, smiling, joking and deservedly kicking back as tomorrow many of them will be enjoying a quick European holiday before returning to clear up and head home for good.  Janice, Erica, Shanahan and co. are off to Copenhagen; Felix and Christie are taking a romantic, whistle-stop tour of Italy while Tony and Kevin are heading to the northern cultural centres of Brussels and Berlin. For now though, it's a chance to relish the sudden freedom from the whirlwind of exam season.

 However, the overwhelming sense here - as we watch usually mild-mannered girls pushing each other into squealing, giggling heaps on the sofa - is not one of relief that it's all over, it's a simple celebration of camaraderie; friendship that will be soon be buffeted by the joint forces of time and distance. They're all just really happy to be together, one last time: classmates, boarders, friends. The smiles are wide and genuine but you can't help having the feeling that they're hiding just a little fear.

AIB joins Mr K on his bedtime rounds and through all the buzz of last minute laundry, packing and planning, we come across Zekai. He's not off anywhere just yet - there's an IELTS test to pass - but we can tell he's feeling it too.

"I don't want to go." He says, putting calmly into words what we're sure the others have inside. Mr K asks him why. The answer not only makes us choke back the tears, but also epitomises everything that Ashford School's boarding community stands for:

"I've been so happy here."

Goodbye Year 13 and good luck, we'll miss you.

Onwards and Upwards. Part 2: Leavers' Day

The last day of the last half term was one of high emotions. The day when Year 13s say 'goodbye' to their teachers and tutors as they head off for exam leave. Two years of hard work, on both sides of the desk; countless hours of essay writing, marking, feedback, lunchtime revision sessions and no doubt plenty of sleepless nights (again on both sides) have led them to this point. Relationships have been sorely tested and renewed as the stress levels have built up, but this is a day for celebration and our boarders, though not actually going anywhere yet were at the heart of it.

The day began with the Leavers' Breakfast. Behind the Octagon Muffins, croissants and other tasty nibble were served as teachers and students arrived and sipped orange juice in the sunshine that had decided to give us a rare appearance for the day. Suspicious piles of gift bags, poster tubes and cake tins also began to pile up by the wall of the building, more later on that.

At roughly a quarter past ten Mr Thompson called everyone to order and asked the house captains to bid farewell to their tutors and heads of house. The speeches were heartwarming and sincere, you could tell just how strong the bond was that had formed over the years. Tears flowed freely as tales of exploits and personalities were shared. Boarding captain Daichi thanked Mr Single for all his work within the boarding community of Ashford School and Shanahan and Yana followed this with notes of gratitude to Mrs Williams and Mr Vaughan who Mr Rayner even managed to get a photo of (shhh!).

At Midday came the leaver's assembly, where the yr 13s said their own very special goodbyes to the rest of the school community and also presented special teachers' awards. The leavers' lunch was a lovely buffet, set out by the catering team and the students took this opportunity to take as many selfies as possible with their teachers and friends. Unsurprisingly Miss Dores was a very popular choice for the boarders due to all the help and support that she and the EAL dept have given to them over many years. A big thanks to them! Harris also regaled Mr Thompson and Mr K with tales of his many travels.

The highlight of the day though was undoubtedly the leavers' ball in the beautiful grounds of Westernhanger Castle. It was clear from the first how many hours of preparation had gone into outfits and hair and I'm not just talking about the girls. At a little Pimms reception in Alfred Sky Room (thank you Mr H) the suits were sharper than a Katana blade, but the show stealers were definitiely Gleb's military waistcoat and Shanahan's gold toe-caps. The sound of the limos arriving outside also heralded the coming of the ladies. The shades, shapes and styles were stunning in their variety, Blair and Janice were just two of many who had people's eyes on stalks.

Many of the boarding staff, including Mr and Mrs Rayner, Mr Vaughan, Mrs Single and Miss Swaine, joined the boarders at the meal at which two teachers were seated at each table of students. AIB talked to many that night and was impressed at the confidence, politeness and fun that was displayed by all, especially Terrence, Caviar, Shirley and Zekai who were on our table. As the last of the coffee was cleared away, the DJ started up and students, teachers and parents well and truly let their hair down. Is that you up their on the dance floor, Mr Stoddart? The atmosphere was buzzing and the smiles a mile wide. Nobody would have known these students would soon be entering the most stressful three weeks of their lives.

At midnight sleeves wiped faces ("just something in my eye sir.") and last hugs and promises of contact were exchanged and the boarders all headed back to school in limos and minibuses, tired, a little wobbly perhaps, but all having had a brilliant time. Our thanks must go to Mr Vaughan and Mr Hinton for driving the minibuses, to Mrs Williams who helped Mr V with the organisation and to Mr Single, who missed the night to look after the remaining boarders back in Alfred. Not to mention all the staff at Westernhanger and Mr Thompson for organising the day and for being such a good sport.

The fun it would seem is now over, for a few week at least; now onto the exams, but we'll leave you with some photos from the night (taken by Mr Rayner) just to keep the memories strong. I don't think many people will forget Leavers' Day 2015!

 

 
 
 

Onwards and upwards Part 1

It won’t have escaped your attention that there seem to be a lot fewer pupils around Ashford School recently. This, most of us know, is due to the start of the exam session and the day children in Years 11 and 12 are taking time at home to prepare and rest up for the biggest exams of their lives so far. Spare a thought then for our boarders who, although they have no lessons, have to remain at school, watching all their colleagues come and go. It is now that the boarding community plays one of its most important roles in supporting.

For the Year 11 boarders, the majority of whom joined us at the beginning of Year 10, this will be the culmination of two intensive years of study away from home and a vital stepping stone to A-levels and then to university and beyond. The pressure is no doubt immense, though you might not think it to look at them. In fact, AIB has been looking and it seems that the teachers may well be suffering more.

Being such an important time, AIB was incredibly grateful that four of our present Year 11 boarders: Yijin and Yvonne from Brabourne and Jonathan and Vova from Alfred, took time out from their revision schedules to talk to us about how it’s all going and their memories of the last two years.

We began with the somewhat obvious question: “How are you feeling?” The answers, though, were not quite as obvious as you might have thought.

“What’s the point of being nervous?” Yijin responded pragmatically to Yvonne’s initial response, “Feeling nervous doesn’t help and you’ve no need to be if you’ve revised.” We hope you have done then Yijin! Vova was even more positive. “I’m excited to be getting on with it and then making a start on A-levels.” Vova, will unfortunately be leaving us, heading for pastures new at Caterham School, and this brought a little pathos to Jonathan’s reply: “It’s comforting to know that teachers are available to help us (one good reason to be staying around) but it’s also a sad time when friends will be leaving us – it’s funny,” he laughed softly “we keep taking photos of everyone all the time.”

Following this we reminisced about the last two, or in Yijin’s case three, years and how things have changed for these boarders since they arrived. Three out of the four talked about overcoming particular hurdles, like Yvonne’s confusion over where her classrooms were. Luckily enough Yijin, who had been there and done it already, was there to help out. This included, at one point, lending Yvonne some school shoes. Yijin explained that after a difficult first year, she had grown up and became a better judge of people. She also didn’t want newcomers feeling like she had. I couldn’t help but be struck by how mature this girl sounded, “Real friends help you to grow; be nice and judge each person individually.” With such a friend as this, it is no small wonder that Yvonne’s confidence has grown immeasurably.

Jonathan too sights better relationships as one of his highlights, this time in Mr Stoddart’s form time. “There’s far less hesitation now, more laughs and jokes” (Hear that Mr S.? Someone likes them!) “House competitions” Jonathan adds, “brought everyone together, carrying the burden of defeat or sharing the glory.” And it’s not just in school. Jonathan stresses that one of the great things about boarding is that you grow to feel comfortable with each other and foster of sort of tacit understanding. “When I wanted to put a dodgeball team together [for the tournament raising money for the hockey tour] I didn’t need to look further than the boarding house. It’s a strong network, you can find people when you need then.”

The final question related to future plans and what they would take with them to the next step. Vova has decided to move on in order to meet new people while studying Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics. These new friends, he feels, will benefit from the time he has spent in Ashford: “Talking with people from other cultures has helped me become a better communicator as well as breaking down the stereotypes I may have held before.” Jonathan took this last point on further, describing “the joy when everyone is celebrating each other’s culture together.” He will be continuing here, taking on all three sciences and Maths with the thought of perhaps starting up his own business in the future.

Yijin has similar aspirations, though hers focus more around design. Over the course of the year, she has worked in a local technology firm specialising in medical equipment. This is a far cry from the nervous Year 9 girl who came through our doors three years ago. Yvonne is also keen to take on more challenges, “I know there’s a lot of English in Economics” she tell us confidently, “but I also know that it will be very useful for me later.”

On the subject of challenges, we thought we’d give the last word to Jonathan, who encapsulated everything that Ashford and Ashford boarding is about. “After two years here, I’ve stopped worrying; about exams, musical performances or giving speeches [Jonathan is part of both a school rock band and the chamber choir, as well as playing in a church group]. I’m much less nervous in front of people now.”

He looks earnestly ahead, as if trying to see into the future and adds quietly but firmly “there’s nothing to fear from new things.”

Indeed! Good luck to all our Year 11s and 12s!