THE "FIRST THURSDAY" NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER  2000 No. 76

The School will begin its celebrations of Christmas with the special lunch on Tuesday 12th December when governors, officers of the PFA and ex-staff will join us.
The School's traditional carol service of Nine Lessons and Carols is on Wednesday 13th December further details of which are given in the Music Section later in this newsletter.
The School wishes all its pupils and their parents and supporters a very Happy Christmas and New Year.

Headteacher

PARENTS' AND FRIENDS' ASSOCIATION

Christmas Draw tickets should be returned by tomorrow (Friday) for the draw which takes place next week. Please support this as it is our major fundraising event during the year. Good luck to everyone taking part!
The next PFA committee meeting is on Tuesday 16th January at 7.30 pm.
We wish all parents and pupils a very Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Mrs J Tutthill - Chairman

CONGRATULATIONS

Our congratulations go to Luke Meredith (9CH) and Paul Cairns (9PT) who have been selected for the U14 County Rugby Squad. Michael Marsh (9PT) narrowly missed out having got to the final 40 from an initial 260 players.
Ben Vick (11PT) and Ricky Stanley (11CA) have been selected for the County Rugby 'A' side and Matthew Carley gained a place in the 'C' side.
In football Sammy Brannan (7CA) plays regularly for the Chelsea U12 side and has made an outstanding contribution to the school Year 7 team.

GCSE PRESENTATIONS
9th November 2000

The annual presentations of Records of Achievements, GCSE certificates and prizes to last year's Year 11 was held after school on Thursday 9th November. Sixty-three students, the vast majority now in the School's Sixth Form, attended with their families and friends who, together with staff and other guests, made up an audience of about 200.
The Principal Guest was Mr John English, former Chairman of the Governing Body and both an Old Pharosian and parent. As is usual music, mostly played by students from the part of the school receiving awards, was an integral part of the event. In addition to the Brass Ensemble (conducted by Mr Paul Baldock) and the Big Band (organised by the Director of Music, Mr Richard Davies) there was a piano solo played by Giles Barrett winner of the Sidney Clout Music Prize.

MIDDLE SCHOOL PRIZES
GILES BARRETT
The Sidney Clout Music Prize 
The Physics Prize

JAMES EBERLEIN 
The J.E. Ellis Geography Prize
The John Talbot Information & Technology Prize

THOMAS FREEMAN
The Patrick Elworthy Memorial Prize for French

JAMES GARLICK 
The French Prize
The German Prize

NICHOLAS HAYWARD 
The Biology Prize
The Geography Prize

STUART INGLIS 
The Tunnell Memorial Prize for History
The Science Prize

BEN LANGLEY 
The Thomas Memorial Prize for Chemistry
The Alec Coveney Memorial Prize for Design Technology

MICHAEL LONG 
The Lewis Robert Kennedy Memorial Prize for
Design Technology

MALCOLM MONTGOMERY 
The Roy Sutton Memorial Prize for English

EDWARD SMITH 
The Latin Prize

STEPHEN TAYLOR 
The Art Prize

GARY THOMAS 
The Pfizer Prize for Technology

PAUL WITTY 
The Frederick Ashman Memorial Prize for Mathematics

OTHER PRIZES AND MEMORIAL TROPHIES
MATTHEW AYERS 
The Prize for General Academic Achievement

SAMUEL CAIRNS 
The Nigel Pointer Prize for Special Endeavour

JONATHAN DE KEYSER 
The Prize for General Academic Achievement

WILLIAM SWALLOW 
The Martin Broom Memorial Prize for Special
Endeavour
The Ross Arnold and John Carey Memorial Trophy
for Cross Country Running

COMBINED CADET FORCE PRIZE
JAMES DOWNER 
The Contingent Commander's Prize for Initiative
and Enterprise

CERTIFICATES FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO MUSIC
DAVID COLLINS, JAMES GARLICK, ALISTAIR MCPHERSON, LOUIS MYERS, PAUL SAVAGE

WHITE CLIFFS ART AWARDS
To celebrate the millennium Dover District Council held a competition (the White Cliffs Art Awards) for visual arts, drama, music and dance, with an arts' day taking place at Dover Town Hall on 18th November 2000.
Some of our pupils from Years 12 and 13 entered artwork hoping to scoop some of the valuable White Cliffs Art Awards. We are delighted to announce that two of the nine awards made in the visual arts section were made to students from Dover Grammar School for Boys with one of the three highly commended awards going to another of our pupils. This meant that we finished first out of all the schools and colleges taking part in the visual art section.
Our winners were Christopher Wright and Robert Kennett for dynamically coloured paintings of Dover and highly commended was Mark Long for his detailed oceanic scene of fish and coral.
Many congratulations to our winners and thanks to all our pupils who took part. The next visual arts awards will, we are told, be made in 2002 and we look forward to that event.

Mr S Almond - Subject Leader for Art & Design

Two accounts of the:
LATIN TRIP TO LONDON
15th November 2000

n the morning of the 15th November a bus load of Latin GCSE and Ancient History 'A' level students left Northbourne Avenue to depart on a journey to London. The bus left at about 9.00 am and arrived at Russell Square in London at about 11.00 am. 
First it was off to the British Museum which is just off the Square. At the museum we went to the Roman Britain Gallery which was on the third floor, past the Egyptian mummies and Pre-Roman Britain finds. We spent about two hours in there looking at and filling in sheets about glasswork, industrial goods, religious artefacts, mosaics and Roman forts. After this we were all hungry and so we had lunch in the park at Russell Square with university students protesting around the edge of the Square. Many of our group cheered them on which they appreciated. 
Having finished our lunch we then transferred by coach to the Museum of London and the High Street Londinium exhibition. As there was some time before we were booked to enter the exhibition we had a brief look at the other artefacts for about ten minutes. We then entered High Street Londinium which is a 'living museum' based on the excavations at 1 Poultry using Roman techniques to construct the buildings, and actors to pay the parts of various Romans from the time. The only actor we met was one playing the part of a carpenter who pointed out the different areas of his living room, with a sack of wood shavings used as a mattress, ("If my wife asks it's straw but wood shavings are a lot cheaper"). A hole in the corner served as a toilet and a fire pit in the centre was used for cooking and providing heat. We also went though his workshop, a merchant's shop, a baker's shop and an inn. We then returned to the year 2000 and had a more thorough look at the main exhibition.
After leaving the Museum of London we were transferred back to Russell Square. We then walked to Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street where we separated to have either a McDonald's or a Burger King for dinner.
Finally, we went to a talk on Roman Religion at Bath, which also went by the name 'Bath: the cults and the curses'. The talk was held at the University of the City of London by Mark Hassall. This lecture slowly zoomed in on the town of Aquae Sulis (Bath), looking at the religious cults that centred on the sacred hot spring that gave the baths their heat and was believed to have healing powers. The main features of the talks were the 'Defixiones', or curse-tablets, usually scratched into folded metal. These usually requested justice to be handed out to people who had stolen something from the person who had written the tablet. This was very interesting as it directly links into the Cambridge Latin Course which we are doing, so we had some background information, which was useful.
On the journey home the sixth formers decided that they would have a singsong and so for most of the journey they were singing songs like Yesterday by Wet Wet Wet and the school hymn. We arrived back in Dover at about 9.45 pm. We would all like to thank the members of staff who supervised us - Mr Gaskell, Miss Pestell and Mr Munford who volunteered to come as a parent, and especially Mr Haines who organised it all.

Ben Bridges - 11 CA

"What have the Romans ever done for us?" These are the well-known words uttered by John Cleese in the extremely funny film "The Life of Brian".
The answer to this question will be a lot clearer to the nine members of the Sixth Form and thirty-three members of years 10 and 11 who travelled to London to see a varied array of Roman artefacts.
First stop was the Roman Britain gallery in the British Museum. Amongst the vast displays on show telling us about how the Romans lived were some original Roman shoes and superb glasswork. Also included was a spoon found in our town, Dover, which in Roman times was a British naval base for Classis Brittanica.
After some lunch in Russell Square we took a coach transfer to the Museum of London. Here we entered a tour of High Street Londinium based on excavation work carried out between 1996-97. Walking through the High Street students got a good idea of how buildings were structured and what was in the buildings. One thing which struck many of us was the severe lack of light in the buildings.
In the exhibition following the High Street was another recent excavation. The Roman sarcophagus, found last year in Spitalfields, was on show including the minute fabric particles. Some of you may have seen the 'Meet the Ancestors' programme about this.
Then followed some dinner in a fast food restaurant and to conclude our trip was a talk on Roman Bath by Mark Hassell at the University College of London. This gave many of us an insight into religious procedures in Roman Times.
Despite almost leaving a member of Year 12 behind we arrived in Dover not long before 10.00 pm.
The visit will no doubt be of great value when we sit our appropriate exams in the summer.

Ritchie Hulks - Head Prefect

POLITICS CONFERENCE
16th November 2000

On Thursday 16th November I took fifteen Year 12 students to Westminster Central Hall for a conference which highlighted the policies of the major political parties alongside discussion of the power of the media and its influence on the people of our country.
It was an inspiring and thought provoking day where Sixth Form students from around the country had the opportunity to question (and heckle!) MPs of such standing as Michael Portillo, Charles Kennedy and Mo Mowlam.
Gary Thomas questioned Lord (Roy) Hattersley on his position regarding the Freedom of Information Bill since his remit was to draw attention to the inequality which exists in our society and our right to "freedom".
The speakers in turn presented their parties' ideas and policies and in some situations even answered, rather than side stepped, student questions!
The conference hall was completely full, an indication that students had responded to the calibre of the speakers present and their questions covered a wide range of issues. Tolerance was perhaps the most repeated word from the student body - racial tolerance, tolerance of refugee/asylum seekers and tolerance of sexual orientation. Students questioned the role of British Forces in Sierra Leone and other war zones and Charles Kennedy was quick to support the Government's position regarding intervention overseas. Firmly held student beliefs were challenged, corrected where necessary and developed for further consideration.
One of the highlights was the speech given by Martin Bell, Independent MP for the Tatton constituency. He emphasised the need for increased political participation by the young and encouraged by the presence of so many eager, and opinionated youngsters, pleaded with the audience to take part in further political debate - "You are the future of this country". This maxim was reiterated by Lord Hattersley who by his own admission has "more past than future".
The School should be justifiably proud of the young people who represented them at the conference. Their behaviour was exemplary and I thank them for their commitment to the conference, lively company and interesting debate throughout the day.

Mrs P Harrison - Politics/Business Studies

LAW REPORTS

Trip to the Logan Hall
After an eventful morning we finally arrived at the Logan Hall, part of the University College London, to attend a conference on 'Crime and Youth Punishment'.
The conference opened with a talk by a community spokesman for racial minorities who was keen to give his views on the current state of affairs regarding the police and community involvement. After the break as well as two ex-prisoners who were talking about their experiences in jail and how they ended up in the situation there was also a governor from a reform prison called Grendon. He gave us an insight into what the prison was all about and what it sets out to achieve. It is structured to different prisoners in the way that, rather than to punish offenders it wants to help them to be reintegrated into society.
After lunch Terry Waite, an imposing figure at 6' 7", spoke about his time in captivity in Beirut. He talked about his struggle to survive every day and how he often feared for his life but at the end of the day he didn't blame his captives merely remarking "It was an educational experience...one which I'm in some ways pleased to have undergone..."
The conference ended with a question and answer session between the audience and the people who had previously spoken.
The visit was very worthwhile and an educational experience. It allowed us to see how the law works and its effects on everyday society. Many thanks to Mr Crofts and Mrs Ball for taking us.

Harry Grist - 12CA

Canterbury Crown Courts
On Tuesday 28th November most law students attended their second trip of the year. 
The day began well, leaving on time and arriving in Canterbury ten minutes before the Courts opened. The Crown Courts are immense with a total of six courts. The first and second courts are the smaller ones that deal with the less judicial cases and the court size increases in relation to the court number. Court six was dealing with smuggling and half the students stayed there whilst the other half went to Court two where a new case was being heard. The case we studied was very beneficial as it helped us to realise the troubles that Judges and Barristers have when they know that the witness is lying - which we experienced for most of the day!
During what was a rare case according to the Judge, there was a video link for the witness as she was a minor and there was the need to eliminate the chance of intimidation by the defendant. There was a problem with the video, needed as part of the evidence, as there was no sound. Apparently there was a one in thirty chance of watching a case with this set-up.
The case was full of breaks with an hour at lunchtime. We came to a democratic agreement that we should visit McDonalds. Mr Crofts was sceptical of the time it would take to arrive in the town centre so he offered to drive us in the minibus. After much congestion we got there and back alive after some erratic driving from the vehicles around us.
The day finished well with a talk from the Judge, His Honour Judge Langdon, regarding current affairs in the legal English system and the affect of the implications of the Human Rights Act 1998. In conclusion it was an interesting day and we hope another visit will be equally beneficial.

Luke Swan - 12CA

ARCHEOLOGY TRIP TO SALISBURY
Saturday 2nd December/Sunday 3rd December

On Saturday 2nd December fifteen Year 7 boys, who are members of the Archeology Club, started their trip to Salisbury at 9.00 am. 
We arrived at Stonehenge at about 11.30 am after a quick journey with not much traffic. We were handed a worksheet and asked to answer the questions. We walked around the famous stones taking photographs and answering the questions. At the gift shop several people bought souvenirs. Back in the minibus we headed for Salisbury and after arriving at the youth hostel and settling in we walked into the town and visited Salisbury Museum. The museum was very interesting and we saw some skeletons. Mr Gaskell told us how to identify whether the skeleton was male or female, how old the person was when they died and how tall they were. We also saw flint axes and Neolithic stones. More souvenirs were bought when we visited the gift shop and cafeteria. We headed back to the youth hostel arriving at about 5.30pm.
At the hostel there was nearly every board game you can think of to rent for either £2 or £5 and the money was refunded after you had finishing playing. There was a T.V. room and a very large version of Connect 4. Everyone was playing games until 7.00 pm when we went upstairs for dinner. The meal was very good and there was a great deal to choose from. After eating we carried on playing games right into the night. At 10.30 pm some people watched 'Match of the Day' whilst others played chess. After 'Match of the Day' everyone went to bed and some got to sleep quickly whereas others were awake for a while.
We woke up at 8.00 am, packed our bags and went down to breakfast at 8.30 pm. Everyone had a full English breakfast although some weren't that hungry. We left the hostel at about 9.20 am and went to Salisbury Cathedral where the high point was seeing the Magna Carta. We then headed for Old Sarum which was just outside of Salisbury. It is a site which has a very large ditch and dates back to Neolithic times although the keep was built by the Normans. At Old Sarum we were given a puzzle to do. Mr Gaskell took a lot of photographs of us at Old Sarum and also of the foundations of the Cathedral there. Leaving Old Sarum at 12.30 we headed for Avebury.
It was about 45 mins to Avebury which like Stonehenge is a large stone circle. We walked around Avebury where we were able to touch the stones before going to look at Silbury Hill, a Neolithic mound. Unfortunately we were unable to get near to it because of flooding. We then walked up a slope to West Kennet Longbarrow, the longest barrow in Europe. A barrow is where Neolithic people would have buried their dead. By the time we got back down the slope it was nearly dark and so we set off for home, hoping to get there at about 6.30 pm.
As we were turning on to the M3 we broke down on a main junction! We had to jump off the minibus and phone the AA at 4.45 pm. They arrived quickly and organised lifts to Fleet, the nearest service station, while the minibus was fixed. At about 8.00 pm we resumed our journey and eventually reached Dover at about 10.30 pm
Although we were tired it was a really enjoyable weekend. We learned a great deal about the Bronze and Stone Age and have lots of information for our projects. We had a great time and would like to thank Mr Rhodes and especially Mr Gaskell for making it possible.

Michael Schlamm - 7PY

MUSIC

Dover Souls
News of the "Dover Souls" was featured in the October issue of the First Thursday and they have been in action again, this time recording a CD live at the Louis Armstrong on Thursday 23rd November. The members of the "Dover Souls" which includes DGSB's Sam Wilkie, Corbyn Matthews Crow and Thomas Kent are all students of guitarist Bert Osborne who teaches some of our pupils privately and is also the school's peripatetic guitar teacher.
Last year the group raised over £1,200 for the Pilgrims Hospice in Canterbury and all profits from the sale of their new CD are to be donated to Demelza House Children's' Hospice.
Grade Examinations
Congratulations are due to Miles Brett (8PY) who has just passed Grade 4 Violin with Merit.
Carol Service
The main event of this term will be the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols by Candlelight in the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Charlton, Dover.
The service includes favourite Christmas hymns for all to sing accompanied by the School Brass Ensemble and the traditional nine Bible readings telling the story of Christmas read by pupils, staff, parents, old boys and governors.
The carols sung by the School Choir will range from medieval plainsong through traditional favourites including Harold Darke's 'In the bleak mid-winter' to pieces by contemporary composers.
The Service will be sung by candlelight and afterwards coffee and mince pies will be served in the Church Hall.
The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols by Candlelight is one of the highlights of the school year and you are warmly invited to attend and to bring family and friends. We do hope that you will be able to join us.
Mince Pies
The mince pies served after the Carol Service along with the refreshments provided by the PFA are kindly donated to the school each year by the pupils. If you can help in this way please bring your mince pies in to school on either Monday 11th, Tuesday 12th or Wednesday 13th and hand them in at the School Office. A retiring collection in aid of charity is taken at the end of the Carol Service and your contribution to the success of this event would be very much appreciated. A total of some 300 mince pies are needed in all.

Mr R Davies - Director of Music

CHESS REPORTS

On 16th November the Junior Chess Team travelled to Maidstone with Mr Gaskell to play Oakwood Park Grammar School. Table 1 lost severely to a player who played for England. Table 2 drew with the Captain of Oakwood, but Table 3 managed a win to secure our only point of the day. Table 4 also lost but only by one point. Table 5 got our worst loss but lasted longer than Table 1.
Overall not a good result with the scores ending with DGSB 11/2 and Oakwood Park 31/2.
The team consisted of: James Rackham (Captain) Table 1, Chris Sanders Table 2, Ho Mann Table 3, Robert Manhire Table 4 and Jonathan Green Table 5.

Robert Manhire - 8CH

Senior Chess Team Dominate Opening Tournament Games
The first match was always going to be the most memorable and the Senior Chess Team's five star victory over Oakwood Park Grammar School assured this without a doubt. The match took place on Monday 20th November in the School Library and saw the newly formed team locking horns with their first opponents.
The match began at 4.30 pm and after an hour of patient waiting (or frantic last minute preparation) the team could not wait to get started. The DGSB effort was spearheaded on board one by Malcolm Montgomery, followed by Joseph Messiter, Michael Long, Stephen Taylor and Nicholas Bannister. A time limit of one and a half hours was used, although some games were finished much sooner than expected.
All five members had come ready to face strong opposition but it soon became clear that there was nothing to fear. When the opposing Team Captain finally tipped his King at ten to six the match was won five nil. This stunning victory has certainly boosted the team's confidence and hopefully points towards further successes in the future.
As a final point all the team members would like to thank Mr Gaskell for arranging the match, the first in a number of years, and giving them a chance to represent the school in an area which has been neglected for far too long. With both a junior and senior team, and a regular chess club, the quality of chess at the school is destined to improve greatly over the coming months. This first victory could be just the tip of the iceberg.

Malcolm Montgomery - 12 PT

SCHOOL LIBRARY

As we enter the Christmas season I would like to extend a thank you to all Year 7 and 8 parents and pupils who purchased books from the Scholastic Book Club leaflets. A fairly substantial order was placed and we procured £150 worth of free fiction Lower School titles for the Library that are now out on loan, snapped up as soon as they were spotted. Who says boys won't read? 
Just a reminder that we are still collecting the Nestle Cereal Box Tops with the aim of purchasing new headphones for the Library computers.
The computerisation of the Library administration / management still progresses with the PFA very generously agreeing to supply the funds for a laser bar code scanner. At present library cards are being designed and will come into circulation in the New Year, followed by bar coding for all the stock. The system should improve further the service the Library can offer pupils and staff. Many of the boys have shown enthusiasm and support, which is always encouraging, from Year 7 to Year 13.
I would like to thank you again for all your support and wish you a very Happy Christmas and New Year.

Mrs L George - Librarian

PFA 200 CLUB

The winners for the November draw were:
1st £25 Dr J Bulmer (26)
2nd £15 P J Reeves (96) 
3rd £10 Mrs J Clements (150).
The Christmas draw will take place at the same time as the school raffle on 13th December and the results will be posted on the board outside the School Office.

Mrs P Brown - 200 Club Secretary

OLD PHAROSIANS

The committee met last month and made arrangements for the coming year's events.
The next edition of the old boys' newsletter is now being compiled and should be ready to be sent out to former pupils of the school throughout the world in January.

Mr G Tutthill - Newsletter Editor

SPORTS NEWS

Year 7 Cup Game - Friday 1st December
An excellent win in poor conditions in the 3rd round of the County Cup away against Dane Court G.S. The school side overwhelmed Dane Court winning 8-2. The next round is due to take place by 20th January 2001 and will be played at home but we are not sure who this is against yet.
Year 10 Cup Game - Thursday 30th November
In quite a close game until nearly the very end the team played well to win 3-1 against a competent Norton Knatchbull G.S. side at home. The next round is to be played at home by 13th January 2001.
1st XI -v- Astor School (H) - Wednesday 29th November
In very windy conditions and with a very weakened side the team played some competent football to win 4-1 at the end. Goals from Dean Scoggins, Andy Herbert, Jason Laird and Mike Long.
Our weaknesses are still in defending and finishing off moves up front. This week the team play away to Queen Elizabeth School, Faversham and we are looking for a good win.

Mr M Grant - Subject Leader for PE

Fixtures:
Wed. 13th 2.00 pm 1st XI -v- Borden G.S. (H) and 2.00 pm 2nd XI -v- Borden G.S. (A)

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Wednesday 13th December - Service of Nine Lessons and Carols in Charlton Church at 8.00 pm.
End of Term - Wednesday 20th December
Start of Spring Term - Monday 8th January 2001