THE STANDARD The John Lyon School Magazine | AUTUMN TERM 2021
CONTENTS AUTUMN TERM 2021
FROM THE HEAD 1
Coeducation welcomed, a change of direction for John Lyon NEWS AND EXCELLENCE
2
New era begins as girls join boys at John Lyon
4
John Lyon TEDx talks present Regeneration to a captivated audience 145th Anniversary Events
5
11 Concert and Masterclass House Singing Competition
Great founder celebrated with ceremony and tree planting in historic year for John Lyon School
6
Engineering, Law, Medicine and the Arts the top choices as A-Level students move to university
7
The 1876 Fund provides opportunities for our school community
Congratulations to Amaroo Autumn Term Concert 12 “To those pursing your dreams, be curious, courageous and strong.” NEWS
THE ARTS 9
11
Artists get out and about to hone their craft
10 John Lyon's Charity Event Featuring The Pride Of Lyon's
13 “Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is not just about walking.” SPORT 14 Fantastic Football season so far at John Lyon
for second year running Girls’ sport, start of an exciting journey 16 Distance runner Ritchie collects new Milsom Trophy from his Lyonian predecessor 17 Honours are shared as more than 500 complete the 2021 House Cross Country course Bob Austin Lowe (OL 1933 1939) OLD LYONIANS 18 State-of-the-art Science equipment arrives as new Patani Laboratory is opened
Sonish Hathi, U15 Gold Medalist / National U15 Doubles Champion
Oliver! Whole School Musical Solos Concert Royal Academy of Music
Casey Jones, Fencing for Great Britain 15 John Lyon Cricket recognised
2
Coeducation welcomed, a change of direction for John Lyon
R
eflecting on a wonderfully busy Autumn Term, at John Lyon we have welcomed some significant changes which have shown the School’s ambition, our strong sense of community, and a genuine appreciation for our heritage. At the heart of the School are the pupils. Our pupils this term have displayed enormous resilience, excellence in all they do, and shown us all that a happy pupil is a successful pupil. Our School has educated boys from the Borough of Harrow and surrounding areas since 1876; for 145 years. After much preparation and anticipation, we have welcomed our first girls as John Lyon pupils into Year 7 this Term. We had been confident that this would be a seamless transition into coeducation for our School community. We are very proud of how the Year 7 pupils have immersed themselves in John Lyon School life. Entering Year 7 can be a big step up for pupils, as they begin a new and exciting stage in their educational career. This year’s new year 7 cohort, boys and girls, are trailblazers as our first ever coeducational year group! The amalgamation of John Lyon Senior with Quainton Hall Prep has meant the John Lyon School includes children in the Nursery and Prep
Miss Katherine Haynes, Head
School, alongside the Senior School here on the Hill. We now provide all-through education, from 3 to 18 years of age. This process has been met with excitement and appreciation. With Simon Ford, Headmaster at Quainton Hall, we have been working very closely on building links and enabling benefits to both Prep and Senior. It is lovely to see former Quainton Hall pupils joining us in Year 7 and for them to know the connection with Quainton Hall is even stronger. For our older students in Year 11 and the Sixth Form, they have the opportunity to inspire a younger generation. As you will see throughout this edition of The Standard, it has been a very full Term with so many highlights! These include our second TEDxJohnLyonSchool event, academic excellence for our GCSE and A-Level pupils and Sporting successes for various teams. As we look ahead into a new calendar year and the Spring Term, let us together reflect on the many successes of our School community and our pupils, and look ahead to the wide range of opportunities that our pupils will enjoy in 2022.
www.johnlyon.org/values
FRONT COVER This edition marks the end of our 145th Anniversary Celebrations
New era begins as girls join boys at John Lyon September saw the first girls join the School in its 145-year history, and hit the ground running
A
fter many months of planning, recruitment and changes to the School site, much of which was done during the pandemic, the John Lyon School doors were opened to girls for the first time this Autumn Term. Seventeen Year 7 girls joined their boy peers for the start of term, and have quickly settled into School life, getting
2 | THE STANDARD | The John Lyon School Magazine
involved in the full range of activities both inside and outside the classroom. Here, girls, boys and teachers reflect on the momentous change and what the coeducation has been like. Jiya Patel (7JOC) The first week was a fantastic new experience for me and I was delighted to be one of the first girls to join John Lyon. I made new friends and met most of the teachers, the School was so welcoming! The girls are allowed to do the same sport as boys, which I think is fantastic seeing as my previous schools never allowed girls to do Football in teams.
Sofia Ahmed (7AJM) Starting at John Lyon, I was struck by how friendly all the staff were and felt my nerves beginning to melt away. My first week was extremely enjoyable and I could not wait to get back to school all through the weekend. Angelina Aeri (7ADH) My first week at John Lyon was tiring and extremely busy. However I enjoyed the experience and looked forward to the next day after I left school at 4.00pm. I found the teachers helpful and able to put a fun twist on their lessons. There is a wide range of extra-curricular activities available to students, so there really is something for everyone!
Zahra Dar (7AJM) My first week of term was great. I enjoyed the lessons so much and feel welcomed to the School. Mr Huw Jones The current Year 7 cohort has made a fantastic start to their seven years at John Lyon. The pupils settled in very quickly, and the coeducation aspect has gone incredibly smoothly to date. The year group is excelling in terms of Merits, Commendations and other accolades,
with all pupils involved in the wealth of clubs on offer. There are possibly more Year 7s than ever in Motet Choir, and the year group has also enjoyed much success in sports fixtures, with the girls winning the School’s first ever netball match only last week. I look forward to celebrating all of the term’s achievements in my end-of-term assembly in a couple of weeks’ time.
Fathima Hameed Lebbe (7JOC) I have found my experience at the School to be different, informative, and enjoyable. The change in environment was quite calm due to the amount of support and encouragement I’ve received from the staff and pupils around the School. I am also grateful for how welcoming you have been.
Autumn Term 2021 | THE STANDARD | 3
John Lyon TEDx talks present Regeneration to a captivated audience
As part of the 145th Anniversary Celebrations, the second TEDxJohnLyonSchool event saw pupils, teachers and subject experts explore what regeneration means to them
H
osted in the Boyd Campbell Hall, on Thursday 18th November, ten speakers, including a John Lyon Year 9 pupil, talked with passion about how regeneration is needed in various areas of life. Four John Lyon pupils, Dhiren Mahajan(L6JCC), Varun Valentine
(L6JCC), Harry Beynon (9CKL) and Krish Lakhani (L6JCC), were joined by Mr Rafael Kochaj, Teacher of Biology at John Lyon, and five other experts, biology master Mick Walker, Rabbi and author Rabbi Jonny Hughes, Transformation Coach Meera Shah, Astrophysicist and teacher Chris Crowe, and PhD student Doaa Taha. Subjects covered under the central theme of Regeneration were varied: from regeneration of wealth to channelling your creativity into hobbies. TEDx is an offshoot of the world-famous TED, created to be a programme of local, self-organised events that bring people together in the spirit of ‘ideas worth spreading’ to share a TED-like experience.
TEDxJohnLyonSchool was organised over a number of months by John Lyon teacher Dr Florence Weinberg and hosted by Mrs Maria Trafford and pupil Radha Patel (7MLT). This event was part of the John Lyon Excellence Programme, which provides an opportunity for all pupils, no matter their academic ability or age, to maximise their potential to learn and to discover their passion. Like all TEDx events, the TEDxJohnLyonSchool event was held in front of a live audience, but also filmed. All talks will be available soon on Youtube and TED website. All speakers were thrilled at having taken part in such a high-profile and prestigious event.
145TH ANNIVERSARY EVENTS —
The School is halfway through celebrating its 145th Anniversary, with celebrations successfully launched on 14/5 earlier this year and with them culminating with a Whole School Photograph next Summer, jointly with Quainton Hall. ‘The Growing Seat’ Art Installation is one big piece made by pupils collaboratively with OL Umut Yamac over two terms with a large number of pupils pitching ideas for the design.
4 | THE STANDARD | The John Lyon School Magazine
Great founder celebrated with ceremony and tree planting in historic year for John Lyon School Founder’s Day celebrations once again paid tribute to John Lyon, as the school that bears his name celebrates 145 years and the first girls
T
wo Acts of Commemoration at St Mary’s Church in October saw pupils gather alongside 20 Old Lyonians for a short ceremony of words and music, including the traditional laying of a wreath at the tomb of John and Joan Lyon. The ceremonies reflected on the work and legacy of John Lyon’s founder. He highlighted the importance of John Lyon both in his time and today, touching on the School’s important move to coeducation this year.
A wreath was laid by Monitors Fares Shehata (U6ND) and Vinaykarthik Rachakonda (U6ND).
throughout 2021. The tree, a tulip tree, is placed near the cedar that was planted in 2016 to mark the 140th anniversary.
Music for the Founder’s Day service was led by the John Lyon Motet Choir, directed by Mr Huw Jones and accompanied by Mr Andrew Furniss on organ, with additional brass and percussion. The Choir sang John Ireland’s anthem Greater love hath no man, and they also led the School in the singing of the hymn Lord of All Hopefulness, the National Anthem, and the School Song. After the Founder’s Day Commemoration, a new tree was planted in Red House Garden to mark John Lyon School’s 145th anniversary, which is being celebrated
John Lyon Head Miss Katherine Haynes welcomed pupils and OLs, and in his address, the Mayor of Harrow, Cllr Ghazanfar Ali, talked about the School today, and how our founder would have pride in what the School has achieved. Readings were read by Deputy Head Boy Harsh Hingorani (U6ND) and Monitor Will Davey (U6REM), and Head Boy Vinay Kapoor (U6BRD) read the School Charter. Autumn Term 2021 | THE STANDARD | 5
Engineering, Law, Medicine and the Arts the top choices as A-Level students move to university A wide and varied list of courses at the UK’s foremost universities proved a great reward for John Lyon A-Level students, as they said their final goodbyes to the School before heading into higher education
A
s results were collected in August, no fewer than 11 of 68 students were confirmed on engineering courses of various types — civil, mechanical, chemical, biomedical, motorsport and software — including four to Imperial College London, known as one of the most competitive universities at which to gain a place for engineering. One of the four was Alpha Kolajo (OL2021), who will study Mechanical Engineering at Imperial following his four 6 | THE STANDARD | The John Lyon School Magazine
A* grades. Alpha, a keen scientist and also goalkeeper for the School’s 1st XI Football team, said: “I’m really happy. I was a bit nervous coming in today but I’ve done even better than I expected. A lot of hard work went into this, especially during lockdown as there was less face-to-face teaching, but all the teachers helped us a lot and I’m glad the hard work has paid off. I’m really excited to be going to Imperial.” One student who put a lot on the line was Benjamin Weisz (OL2021), who applied to the same Oxford University college and same course as his big brother Asher Weisz (OL2019). Having achieved A* A* A, Benjamin will now read Classics at Balliol College. At GCSE, the true benefit of passions and pursuits outside the classroom, alongside dedicated academic study, was shown. As well as achieving an extremely high
number of the top 9 and 8 grades across all the academic subjects, the 100 pupils collecting their results were also talented musicians, actors, sportsmen, engineers and artists, having dedicated themselves to their extra-curricular pursuits over many years. The results saw six pupils receive straight 9 grades (the equivalent of a high A*). A further eight received no grade lower than an 8, also seen as an A* grade. Formal GCSE examinations were replaced in 2021 with a series of mini-assessments throughout the Summer Term to provide the evidence necessary for the Teacher Assessed Grades.Year 11 worked especially hard throughout the term to deliver to some outstanding results.
The 1876 Fund provides opportunities for our school community Thanks to the generous donations and support from The 1876 Fund, Mrs Khadija Ansari writes how this money has benefitted numerous departments this term
T
he 1876 Fund is a regular fund that provides an opportunity for Parents, OLs, Staff and Governors to support exciting projects beyond the curriculum and departmental budgets. Through these enriched learning experiences pupils are immediately and directly impacted.
Robotics for all our pupils, particularly Year 7 and 8 pupils, where they can now develop Robotics skills both in and out of lessons. MUSIC The Music Department has already purchased 6 of 10 instruments for potential players of Grades 1-6 standard which will allow pupils to try instruments before making a commitment to buy. This has already made a significant difference to the Music Department offering. “These instruments will be invaluable to new and existing musicians.” Mr Huw Jones, Director of Music
We would like to thank all our donors for their continued generous support, without which the projects to date would not have been possible. Every donation helps deliver even more exciting, aspirational projects for the future. This year we have committed to spending £20,000 across a broad spectrum of departments for the benefit of the pupils. STEAM The STEAM Department is growing, and we now have the curriculum time and physical space with the new STEAM laboratory to teach more content, especially Robotics. This has led to a surge in interest in the Robotics Club, which runs three times a week, attracting Year 9 to Upper Sixth students who are able to learn to build robots. Our existing equipment,VEX EDR Robots, was purchased by the 1876 Fund two years ago. We have now been able to fund the purchase of VEX IQ Robots, which are designed for KS2 to KS3 students. This enables us to support the learning of
ART SCULPTURE The A-Level and GCSE Art pupils, along with Years 8 and 9, have collaborated with an Old Lyonian to create a dynamic piece of artwork, which can grow with the School over time, in celebration of the 145th anniversary. Pupils generated
lots of great ideas, with the final design being taken forward sparked from Milo Huntington’s (8BG) stack of books when in Year 7, and are now involved in the design process and development of concept to final product. This is a unique opportunity for pupils to work on something large scale and bespoke. GYM EQUIPMENT The introduction of girls has involved an adaption to the Physical Education programme and Sports offering, which has benefited all pupils. The 1876 Fund was able to provide the Sports Department with the ability to purchase gym equipment for a low impact area within the current fitness suite. This included floor mats, spin bikes and lighter weights, which have already been heavily utilised since September alongside the department’s Healthy Lifestyle Programme and all-inclusive ethos to enable all lessons to encourage participation in low impact strength and conditioning. The mats have been particularly useful for the newly created Balance and Movement sessions in the Physical Education carousel. The 1876 Fund can continue to enable projects across the School with the support of regular giving from the Parent, Staff and Old Lyonian community. Please do consider making a regular donation for the ongoing support of the curriculum.
If you would like to donate to the 1876 Fund, please visit the following links: www.johnlyon.org/support www.oldlyonians.org/supportus
Autumn Term 2021 | THE STANDARD | 7
Aarav Vijayvargia 8CJC
Abdul-Kareem Salam (9AMG)
Year 7 pupils
Odin Verden (U6REM)
Year 10 pupils 8 | THE STANDARD | The John Lyon School Magazine
Aarav Vijayvargia (8CJC)
Year 7 pupils
Upper Sixth students
Zayd Juma (9TM)
ARTISTS GET OUT AND ABOUT TO HONE THEIR CRAFT — The start of the new term
brought with it a refreshed desire for the Art Department to see more of the world outside Harrow and give new inspiration to pupils. In September Year 10 GCSE pupils spent the day at Kew Gardens, while in October A-Level students visited the Design Museum, Tate Britain and the National Gallery all in one day. Autumn Term 2021 | THE STANDARD | 9
JOHN LYON'S CHARITY EVENT FEATURING THE PRIDE OF LYON'S —
On Tuesday 30th November, a gala event was held at the V&A Museum celebrating John Lyon’s Charity’s 30 years of grant giving. John Lyon School was selected to provide music for the event, a ‘flash mob’ and our musicians were tremendous. Patrick Colson (U6REM) made an excellent short speech to the audience speaking passionately about the value of music mentoring by senior school pupils to primary school pupils. John Lyon School values its participation with the Music Junction Project, which is supported by John Lyon’s Charity.
OLIVER! WHOLE SCHOOL MUSICAL — On Monday 13th, Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th we welcomed a live auidence to our annual Whole School Musical of Oliver!
SOLOS CONCERT — For the first time in almost two
years we had a LIVE audience at a School concert on Tuesday 21st September, and what a treat they got: 27 performances from Year 7 all the way to Upper Sixth.
ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC CONCERT AND MASTERCLASS — On Monday 27th September during lunchtime, we were treated to a magnificent live performance by fellows of the Royal Academy of Music, Jack Redman and Michael Temporal Darell, followed by a Masterclass for a select number of musicians from John Lyon as well as Quainton Hall.
10 | THE STANDARD | The John Lyon School Magazine
HOUSE SINGING COMPETITION —
What better way to start the second half of the Autumn Term than by displaying Community and Creativity. The competition took place on Tuesday 2nd November and saw all years showcasing their vocal talents. And the winning house was Moore.
CONGRATULATIONS TO AMAROO — We are
AUTUMN TERM CONCERT — On Monday 15th November, the Autumn Term's showpiece concert saw a full range of bands, choirs, ensembles and orchestras take to the Boyd Campbell Hall stage for a live audience as well as those who viewed the event online.
delighted to announce that Amaroo Brown (7MLT) passed the audition for the National Boys' Choir and they have offered him a place. This is fantastic news considering the very small number of offered places, no more than 100. Autumn Term 2021 | THE STANDARD | 11
“To those pursuing your dreams, be curious, courageous and strong.” Two years after leaving John Lyon, Usmaan Khan (OL2019) has secured the place at drama school that he always coveted. Here, he talks about how he turned rejection into success
“
I’d like to be an actor!” I’d exclaim whenever asked what I wanted to pursue with my life.
“Oh, that’s great – you’re aware that you will have more doors slammed in your face than opened, right?”, the person would reply. Naively I would nod this off — I had been in every school production since joining John Lyon in Year 9, countless Lamda Examinations and North London Drama Festivals… surely pursuing what I clearly love would be a smooth ride. He thought… There’s no lesson you sit in that prepares you for the devastation of rejection. Putting your time, effort, heart and money into something you believe to be fruitful, just to be told: “not this time, maybe next year”. Rejection is something we will all deal with at some point in our lives, but what 12 | THE STANDARD | The John Lyon School Magazine
I learnt from three years of rehearsals, recalls and rejection was that resilience should always be at your foundation. I will always advise those trying to pursue non-traditional paths to remain true to themselves. Do not be ashamed of chasing after what’s deemed “impossible”. If you want it, go get it. If you aren’t willing to try again and again you have to self-evaluate and ask yourself “how much do I want this?”. For me, drama has been my outlet for true, unashamed, imaginative exploration. The chance to become the weird and wonderful characters I create in my head, to explore the depths and emotions deep within the psyche. I truly believe I would
not be the person I am today without drama: the confidence, the allowance of expression, the vulnerability and the licence to play is so integral and forever cherished. To those pursuing your dreams, be curious, courageous and strong. Protect that sense of wonder.You are truly unique. A very sincere thank you to all the staff at John Lyon who supported me through my endless fantasies of making it as a creative.Your endorsement that my goals were valid and guidance to help get me closer to them were crucial and thankfully successful as I’m glad to share that I have received my place on the BA Acting course at East15 Acting School.
“Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is not just about walking.” Fantastic write-ups from two of our Sixth Form students on their experiences of Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Expeditions this year
F
rom 25th to 28th April to, boys in the Sixth Form, had an unforgettable experience. Despite the terrible weather and long hours of walking, we still had a great time. The Peak District had some beautiful views of mountains, rivers, and even manure! Although some days were tough, nothing was more satisfying than reaching the finish line and getting on the minibus back home. However, despite what most people think, DofE is not just about walking. There are also volunteering, skills, and physical sections. Due to lockdown and Covid restrictions, it has been hard to complete these sections, so we had to be creative. For volunteering, I helped out at the School’s library, for physical, I did my own personal fitness sessions at home, and for skills, I was cooking every week for my family. During lockdown, there was more time and I spent my time cooking. I had found my new hobby in cooking and started to make dishes from different cuisines, such as risotto, noodles, cookies and a seafood platter. DofE allowed me to improve my cooking skills, to try dishes that I have tried before, and to make some scrumptious food! Varun Valentine (L6JCC)
W
e began our expedition early on the Sunday, and almost instantly found our path blocked by a herd of cows across a gate. Luckily we got past them and had a relatively uneventful morning until we reached the base of Stanage Edge, a spectacular but extremely steep 450m high hill. We managed to power to the top of the hill, and decided to eat lunch with spectacular views over the Hope Valley. That afternoon however, we encountered an issue with our maps, as our maps were a few years out of date and a footpath which we were meant to be taking had been moved. Despite this, a few signs for the old footpath had been left up, and we followed these whilst wading through thick ferns and across open moorland. Whilst walking across this difficult terrain, one member of our group fell into a peat bog, similar to quicksand but with mud. Luckily we were able to pull him out quite quickly, and help him recover. This ended our expedition on the first day, and the second day didn’t start any better, as we woke up to torrential rain at the campsite. After sheltering inside our tents for longer than we had planned, and eating a late breakfast, we set off for our second day’s walking. By the afternoon we had another steep climb, slightly less high but much longer and more tiring. With some encouragement we managed to get to the top and enjoy more great views, including the sight of the campsite where we had first started the day before in the distance.
Later on in the day we passed through a scenic abandoned quarry with steep cliffs on either side of our path. At this point however, our late start had caught up with us, and the sun began to set with a long distance still to travel to the campsite. Working as a team we were able to finally reach the campsite, after almost an hour of walking in the dark, and set up our tents and finally slept late that night. Everyone woke up in a more positive mood the next day, with the end almost in sight. The weather was much better on this day, although we began with another steep climb, this time up a hill called Mam Tor, which was the site of an ancient fort and had great 360 degree views of the Peak District. We continued along a steep ridge between two valleys, and at one point were walking alongside an almost straight drop with no fence! We safely passed this however and then began our final descent into the town of Hope, maybe a suitable name for the end of our trip. After eating our lunch on benches at the town, we finally completed the last 30 minutes of our journey to reach the campsite where we had started two days earlier and complete the loop. All in all, we had walked nearly 35km over the four days and climbed a height of nearly 1000m. Patrick Colson (U6REM)
Autumn Term 2021 | THE STANDARD | 13
Fantastic Football season so far at John Lyon The Autumn Term has been another excellent term for Football at the John Lyon School and it has been fantastic to see so many pupils enjoying training and matches at the John Lyon Playing Fields
D
uring the Autumn Term, the John Lyon Football Programme has provided over 300 pupils with the opportunity to participate in over 175 competitive fixtures, whilst also providing a variety of curriculum-based Football sessions and inter-house competitions led by our experienced coaching team. At the time of writing, this term has been the most successful term the John Lyon Football Programme has recorded in over a decade, with pupils achieving positive results in over 55% of all matches played. The term has also seen excellent performances in the ISFA National Cup at both U13 and U15 level, with
both teams progressing well within the tournament; particularly the U15A team who produced an exceptional display to defeat Charterhouse School 2-0. Further to the achievement in the National Cup Competitions, the School has also seen the U13, U16 and U18 teams progressing well in the Middlesex Cup, with the U16 team due to play their last 16 fixture against Queens Park Community School before the end of term and the U18s due to play their Quarter Final fixture against London Oratory after the Christmas break. These successes, combined with the successful integration of girls into the Football programme following the School’s transition to coeducation and the number of our former pupils continuing to make great progress within the professional game, really do showcase the positive development of the John Lyon Football Programme in recent years and the excellent sporting opportunities available for all pupils across the School.
SONISH HATHI, U15 GOLD MEDALIST / NATIONAL U15 DOUBLES CHAMPION — One
of our newest members in Year 9, Sonish Hathi has also been busy on the Badminton court over the previous few months; back in October he competed in the Under 15 Gold Milton Keynes tournament, playing against some of the best players in England. He achieved silver in the singles and bronze in the doubles competition. More recently he competed in the U15 National Badminton Championships and after a tiring two days was crowned gold medallist. He now holds the U15 National Doubles Title – yet another superb achievement given that he is still only 14 years old.
CASEY JONES, FENCING FOR GREAT BRITAIN — Casey has continued his Great Britain journey over the past few months with recent competitions in Belgrade and Grenoble. His latest achievement places him 13th in Great Britain at Under 18; a fantastic achievement considering he is still only 14 years old. His latest achievement guarantees automatic qualification to compete in Greece in the New Year. He has also just been taken up in the British Fencing Athlete Development Programme – funded by the National Lottery and sponsored by Wilkinson Sword. This forms part of the Olympic Training platform. 14 | THE STANDARD | The John Lyon School Magazine
JOHN LYON CRICKET RECOGNISED FOR SECOND YEAR RUNNING — An
entry in the prestigious Cricketer Schools Guide 2022 has proven a great reward following another strong year for the sport at John Lyon. Having retained the Middlesex County Schools Cup and shown great strength in all year groups, John Lyon was once again featured in the special edition of The Cricketer published in November.
GIRLS’ SPORT, START OF AN EXCITING JOURNEY — After almost a term, our girls have settled
in really well to sport at John Lyon. There have been some notable achievements; six girls regularly compete in the boys’ Football teams and more recently, every girl has been offered the opportunity to play both Hockey and Netball. Their first Netball fixture against Park High proved to be a competitive affair with John Lyon winning 3-2; Zlata Moskalenko (7MLT) scoring all three. During Games, the focus has been on Hockey this term and every girl was selected to take part in back to back fixtures against Orley Farm and Northwood College. Despite this being the first time many will have played a fixture, they displayed excellent resolve and there has been clear improvement in such a short space of time. This culminated with a training session delivered by ex-England International Helen Richardson-Walsh, who put them through their paces before joining the whole school in an engaging talk about her career, from schoolgirl hockey player to Olympic medallist. She spoke passionately about her journey and the life lessons learned along the way; most importantly the ability to deal with failure and how this can be used to become more successful - a key message that resonates across all sport within school. Autumn Term 2021 | THE STANDARD | 15
Distance runner Ritchie collects new Milsom Trophy from his Lyonian predecessor A new School trophy bearing the name of an illustrious Old Lyonian athlete has been awarded to the School’s current star distance runner
T
he Milsom Trophy, inaugurated to recognise the achievements of Doug Milsom (OL1957), was awarded to Ritchie Grant (10KS) at the end of Summer Term, an award that recognises his commitment to his sport and excellence in long distance running. To go with the awarding of the trophy, the School and the Lyonian Association arranged for the pair to meet, where they were able to talk about their time at John Lyon, running, and the records they hold. Now in his 80s, Doug continues to run and has held a number of records throughout his many years of running, including a UK record of 7’36” for the 80+ mile, and regular competition medal hauls, including five golds from distances ranging from 400m to 5,000m at a single British Masters Athletic Federation championships. Similarly, 14-year-old Ritchie has some impressive achievements under his belt, including winning the Ealing Mile and setting numerous Parkrun records. In conversation, Doug shared some 16 | THE STANDARD | The John Lyon School Magazine
memories of his time at John Lyon: “I used to run everywhere from an early age. At nine, I ran nearly a mile each way to and from school two or four times a day. Athletics opportunities for non-sprinters were limited until I was 14, since it was considered unhealthy for young children to race further than 220 yards! Our cross country championships were at the Finchley Harriers headquarters at Ruislip, which is how I came to join that club in 1955 when I was 16.” Ritchie’s recent running, especially at School, has been limited by the various lockdowns and restrictions, but is clearly a passion he found early and hopes to continue with. He said: “I first started running competitively in my old school in
Year 4. We used to do inter-school cross countries and I was selected for the first one based on little to no running. I then won the first one I did and I wasn’t really expecting it. Over time I kept doing more and kept winning and I guess I never really looked back from there. Before lockdown this was my only experience of running, and I had never trained before. In the lockdown I took it up a bit more and I did some training with the time I had and then when the restrictions were lifted I started doing some more races outside of School. My future running plans are still to be decided, as I have not run much since my other sports have become available, but this summer I will be hoping to get back into a bit more and compete as much as possible.”
Honours are shared as more than 500 complete the 2021 House Cross Country course For distance runner Doug, there are no plans to hang up the spikes just yet, as he continues to eye up new records: “I hope to continue regular 5k Parkruns and a few Masters’ events. If I’m able, I would like to have a crack at some more UK records in 2024, in the M85-89 age group. The joy of running keeps me motivated, especially in the company of other runners.” Ritchie added: “Meeting Doug was great and it made me realise that anything is possible. To be running at his age is incredible and it inspires me to keep running and being active for as long as possible.”
BOB AUSTIN LOWE (OL 1933 - 1939) —
News of Bob Lowe’s death was featured on the BBC on Tuesday 30th November. He had been our oldest living OL at the age of 99. He had been in regular contact with the Lyonian Office over the years and had even visited School a few years ago. In retirement, Bob had campaigned alongside Esther Rantzen for helping the elderly with loneliness.
The 2021 House Cross Country left nothing in it at the top of the leaderboard - with 3 Houses within a single point
T
he race, held on the Harrow School Philathletic Ground in September, saw some fine individual performances, but all eyes were on the main House competition, which proved one of the most competitive for years. With each of the 500 plus runners earning points for their Houses, the end result saw a two-way tie for first between Butler and Norwood, each on 24 points. Only one point back on 23 were Moore, with Vaughan in fourth place with 10 points. The stand-out run of the day was by Lower Sixth Sammy Smith (L6PPWM), who led the senior race from start to finish, coming home ahead of Max Qu (U6EMM) and Jordon Andrews (L6PWM). In the Colts (Y10 and 11) category, Ritchie Grant (10KS) came home ahead of Alexander Rothwell (11MRF) and Kiyan Samnani (11JEB). In Juniors (Y8 and 9) Hishaam Raja (9CKL) was first, followed by Khyan Kamalan (9CKL) and James Rothwell (9CKL).
In the Oldfield (Y7) race, Blake Mitchell (7MLT) crossed the line first ahead of Nyle Bhudia (7MLT) and Aiden Tamberlin (7JOC). The first girl to finish the race was Jiya Patel (7JOC), who placed sixth overall in the Oldfield category.
Autumn Term 2021 | THE STANDARD | 17
Miss Katherine Haynes Head John Lyon School head@johnlyon.org
State-of-the-art Science equipment arrives as new Patani Laboratory is opened New Science equipment has arrived at John Lyon thanks to the generous support of the father of two Old Lyonians
R
amesh Patani came to School in July to open the new Patani Laboratory, named in memory of his late brother Dinesh, a pharmacist who sadly lost his life while only in his twenties, alongside his late brother’s best friend Avinash Patel. Ramesh Patani, father of Neill Patani (OL1997) and Rickie Patani (OL1998), cut the ribbon on the laboratory, which now bears the name of his brother above the door. Through a generous gift, the School has now received valuable Science equipment which will be used by pupils in all years as part of their studies. This includes a mini gas chromatograph and a digital polarimeter in Chemistry to analyse organic compounds and distinguish between pairs of chiral molecules; a drosophila incubator in Biology to help with the study
and care of reptiles and insects; and an electron deflection tube and Helmholtz coil in Physics to study the effects of electric and magnetic fields.
Mr Simon Ford Headmaster Quainton Hall Prep School headmaster@quaintonhall.org.uk
Mr Gareth Mawdsley Chief Operating Officer Gareth.Mawdsley@johnlyon.org
The School will also inaugurate an annual Patani Lecture, at which an expert scientific speaker will be invited to enthuse and stretch aspiring scientist pupils. Speaking after the opening, John Lyon’s Development Coordinator, Mrs Khadija Ansari, said: “The Patani family chose to make this lasting memory by donating so generously to the School, and what a wonderful way to end the School year with something so positive and uplifting, in memory of Dinesh, who was clearly much loved. We thank Mr Patani for his support in opening the Patani Laboratory and for enabling the purchase of Science equipment more usually seen in universities than in schools to help further our pupils’ understanding and passion for the Sciences.”
Miss Rebecca Davies Senior Registrar Tel: 020 8515 9443 admissions@johnlyon.org Open Day Dates www.johnlyon.org/opendays John Lyon Middle Road Harrow-on-the-Hill HA2 0HN 020 8515 9400 www.johnlyon.org @johnlyonharrow