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Spenser House

The House is named after Edmund Spenser who was one of the schools first pupils in the 16^th century. He went on to become one of the greatest poets of all time. He was known as the ‘prince of poets’ and his famous works include The Faerie Queene and The Shepheardes Calender. He was a close friend of Sir Walter Raleigh, the Earl of Essex and was a politician as well as a poet, being closely involved in ruling Ireland. Spenser’s work continues to influence the path of English poetry despite it being four centuries since his death. He is buried next to Chaucer in Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey.

Spenser New Boys 2009

HEAD OF HOUSE	ROOM	ROLE & ACTIVITIES
Ndinos Kyriacou	D & T	Head of House, D & T
TUTORS	ROOM	ROLE & ACTIVITIES
Joe Hartley	EN18	English
Simon Hollands	MLSR	Head of Modern Foreign Languages
Gus Lock	HY43	Head of Middle School
Chris Otley	AD86	Head of Art
Paul Overton	CH47	Chemistry, Rugby
Joan Stubbs	BY65	Deputy Head of Middle School, Music, Croquet
Mohammed Tanweer	EP82	Head of Careers, Economics & Politics
Jonny Taylor	RS1	Director of Studies, History, Rugby
C Udell	ML70	German, French, Dancing

Spenser House wins House Drama Competition

Written by Ragavan Balendran 4th Form

Spenser House - Winners of House Drama 2009

The last word was uttered by Joe Silva – “Ghosts” he said. A hush fell over the crowd as they began a slow clap coming out of the tight silence, almost as if in remembrance of those who didn’t make it in the London 7/7 bombings. I released my pent up breath and it seemed like eternity as we moved out of the freeze frame. I could see the anxious looks of my fellow actors all thinking the same thing… had we done enough to convince the judge?
* * *
Reflecting on the performance I can see now that it ran ever so smoothly. But the competition was immense. Clive in with first run was taking a crack at comedy which was an undoubted success. Following on from us, White house had everybody’s sides cracking with a brilliant portrayal of Ernie’s Incredible Hallucinations. Manor who performed their unique interpretation of the Tortoise and the Hare, got everyone wanting more. The audience had been given a brilliant flavour with a large cocktail of amazing performances, all of them unique in their own special way.

* * *
We had a massive group hug which included David Randall, our brilliant writer and co-director, and Leo Wax who co-directed and gave us lots of great advice about how we should run the piece. The floor felt cold as we naturally sat down in the middle of the stage with other houses dotted around us. Nimer Rashed (OMT 1998),, the adjudicator, stood up and the houses’ low murmur came to an end. He faced the audience careful not to block their view of the actors’ cautious faces. In the Spenser part of the stage we were shooting various glances at each other – anxiousness, despair and hunger even - that may have been me actually!
* * *
Mr. Rashed praised the effort that David Randall had put into the script and to quote the Adjudicator’s words – “If I had started writing at that age in this school, I would be in a different place right now” and you could see David’s pride grow, and we shared it with him. There was complete resolution in all of our faces. Leo was muttering that we should win. In my pockets I had my fingers crossed too.
* * *
“I think that Spenser House is the winner”. Smiles opened from ear to ear and David whispered to us to stand up. Oliver Savage who was standing next to me, was saying “Oh my God, wow”, on a continuous loop. Everyone was clumsily high-fiving each other, drunk with joy. The crowd who were here to see the plays of others dutifully clapped but our parents were clapping louder and keener than others. It felt good to make them feel proud. I got to shake hands with the famous director and he was full of praise for all of us. We took photos with him, and with victory in our minds set off for home.

It was great fun doing House Drama and in the process I found great friends. We got to work with really well together and after a touch of fame in the school it really makes you want to do more – it wasn’t at all just about winning, just working as a team to pull it off!

By:
Ragavan Balendran 4JSB

Spenser House Assembly in Action

Spenser House Assembly

Spenser House help support schoolboy in Senegal

Saliou and younger brother 2007

Spenser house has always been dedicated to providing its boys with various opportunities to help broaden their horizons.  Most members of the House would agree that the charity work the House undertakes is one of the most rewarding.  Each year since 2002 Spenser has collected money for the charity PLAN to support a young boy by the name of Saliou Mbodj who lives in Senegal.  Living in a poverty-stricken village, our money has allowed Saliou to receive a well-deserved education and has contributed to paying for some of his daily needs, allowing him to live a more joyful and contented life. This has not just benefited Saliou himself, but also his whole family, as the financial burden has been removed from his parents, allowing the family  to enjoy a better quality of life. In order to fundraise, the House conducts events throughout the course of the year during House assemblies.  House breakfast is the most prominent of these, in which pupils have the opportunity to buy steaming hot chocolate and delicious croissants for only £1.  Also, a House raffle takes place, in which boys can purchase raffle tickets, in order to have the chance to win prizes such as mobile phones and iPods, which are generously provided by members of the House.  So far this year, the profits from both these events have totalled to over £100 and subsequently the House is well on its way to reaching its £150 target for the term.  In order to raise the remaining money, we are exploring the possibilities of organising an inter-tutor group football competition, which has been a successful event in the past. The House can be extremely proud of the fundraising which it has done, and that which it continues to do for Saliou, as all our boys unite to provide him with the opportunity of leading a better life.

Kumayl Karimjee U6th
Dec 2008

Charity Week

Christa Udell's dance assembly for Spenser House

Haka Demonstration

HAKA Demonstration - By Will Struthers

Suspense

Our Spenser House magazine