Taylorian 2020

Dear Reader W elcome to the Taylorian 2013. This year marks the retirement of Stephen Wright after nine years of outstanding service to the school. We include tributes to him as well his reflections on life at Merchant Taylors’. On a personal note, I should like to thank Stephen for his support in re-establishing the magazine in 2004. I should also like to commend to you the valedictory on Geoff Colley who leaves Merchant Taylors’ after 42 years. Geoff has given a huge amount to the school and we wish him well for his retirement. On a more sombre note, we pay tribute to former Chemistry teacher Paul Overton who passed away recently. After a bumper edition in 2012, this year’s magazine is slightly slimmer. There is, however, a new section entitled Guest Speakers which is partly a response to the large number of societies now thriving at the school. This section features several OMTs who have returned to share their expertise in a number of fields. As they now leave for university, I should like to thank Andrew Collins and Alex Keating for their fine photography and Nick Choueiri for his help as deputy editor. They pass the baton onto this year’s Lower Sixth. As ever, I am grateful to our designer Robin Nicol and the team at Lazarprint for all their work in compiling this edition. Jon Rippier Editor Mr. J.M.S. Rippier Deputy Editor Nick Choueiri (U6) Sub-editors Sam Robinson (U6), Deven Jobanputra (U6), Daniel Sowood (L6), Henry Searle (L6), Sachin Ananth (L6), Anish Kejriwal (5ths), Prahalad Prasad (5ths) Photographers Andrew Collins (U6), Alex Keating (U6), Sacha Bassett (U6), Bailey Taberham (L6), Henry Howe (L6), Jonah Surkes (5ths), Paras Gorasia (5ths), Rohan Gupta (Divs), Gabriel Sayers (Divs), Chris Marks (Divs), Sungmin Kim (Divs), Sam Kaye (4ths) Front cover photo: Bec Cowan Merchant Taylors’ 1st XV vs Shiplake College 1st XV, 23rd November 2012 for the inaugural Stephen Wright Cup played under floodlights. Taylorian branding N.S. Maitland Editorial I t has become customary in recent years for the editor to draw attention to changes in the length of the Taylorian. This volume is yet again slimmer, bu the reason is very different to those of p vious years: the school’s closur has put a stop t many of the usual summer activities and competitions. The shorter length of this Taylorian is only one way in which the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic can be seen. Many of the effects of and responses to the pandemic are documented in these pages. The House photographs, taken in the fortnight before the school’s closure, offer a visual reminder of those strange days when the school became gradually emptier ahead of the lockdown. Yet this Taylorian also records many of the ordinary happenings and highlights of the school year. The continued academic flourishing of the school is reflected in successful entries to a number of academic competitions in both the humanities and the sciences. Essays on topics as diverse as German nationalism and literature in translation won commendations, while the Science Department had its greatest ever success in the Physics Olympiad. This year’s extracurricular offerings have been equally impressive. In November, an outstanding production of Les Misérables earned standing ovations. The autumn and spring also saw some sporting triumphs: pre-eminent among these were the unbeaten seasons of the 1 st XV rugby team and 1 st XI hockey team. This year we say farewell to a number of c lleagues. We also remember two members of the Porters’ team, Peter Pumilia and Michael Richards, who sadly passed away earlier this year. They gave many years of outstanding service to the school and are missed by all. I am very grateful to all those who have contributed to the Taylorian this year and to those who have assisted with the editing. I would particularly like to thank Francis and the team at Lazar Print for all their work on the magazine in this summer’s unusual circumstances. Maria Bergquist Editor Ms MA Bergquist Contributing Editor Mr J M S Rippier Sub-Editors Mrs S Galaiya, Mr E H Gazeley, Mr P D Harrison, Mr M T Herring, Mr P D Hoyle, Mrs E J Lemoine, Mrs J H Stubbs, Miss E K Trafford Photographers Patricia Rayner and all in the school community who have contributed photographs over the course of the year Front cover Daniel Odejinmi as Jean Valjean in LesMisérables (photograph by Patricia Rayner)