Welcome to the latest edition of Purcell’s Weekly Highlights!
 

Lewis Isaacs

Earlier this week it was announced that Year 12 student Lewis Isaacs has made it through to the final 10 in the Young Drummer of the Year 2020 competition. The live final will take place on Sunday 2nd February 2020 at 2pm at the Artrix Theatre, Bromsgrove.
 

Rocco Dal Cin

Year 9 student Rocco Dal Cin has won the Leicester MusicFest 2020 Guitar Award. His prize is a handmade classical guitar. Rocco will attend a formal prize-giving presentation at Leicester MusicFest in February 2020.
 

Gardner House Christmas Dinner

As reported previously, last week was the week of many (MANY) Christmas dinners with the houseparents and the Holroyd Howe staff excelling themselves in the bid to create multiple festive feasts. Each house added their own seasonal sparkle to the occasion, and Upper Sixth student and Gardner Head of House Bradley Ng had the following to say of Gardner’s festivities:

‘All dressed in formal clothing, ranging from casual formal clothing with blazers to full suits with capes, the experience for the entire house collectively was cordial, fun and enjoyable. Christmas decorations and music in the background contributed to an atmosphere of liveliness in the dining hall. The wide array of quintessential Christmas food; from starter tidbits, to a full roast turkey dinner with sides of pigs in blankets and Brussel sprouts, to desserts consisting of yule logs and Christmas pudding, was highly appreciated and enjoyed by everyone. It was simply the best way to start the Christmas season!’ Bradley Ng, Year 13 & Gardner Head of House
 

Sixth Form Conference

On Friday 6th December, Purcell’s Sixth Form Philosophy & Theology students attended a Sixth Form conference in London. There were over 600 Religious Studies students from across the region in attendance, and by all accounts the day was informative, challenging and inspiring in equal measure. Two Purell students gave the following reports of the day:

‘The Philosophy and Theology trip to see some world renowned speakers was very interesting and thought provoking. Professor Keith Ward began the talk discussing the nature of authority and the sources of wisdom, which was very interesting although there was a lot of information to take in in a very short space of time. He was followed be Professor Alister McGrath who spoke excellently upon the relationship between science and religion and the nature of ethics, how we require different ‘toolkits’ to deal with different problems on life. The talk after this was by Professor Daphne Hampson who was extremely fascinating. Her talk was titled ‘Is God a Woman?’ and she had a lot of very interesting things to say about the representation of women within religion as a whole and why it is the case. Professor Tom Greggs finished the day by taking us ‘To Hell and Back in 45 minutes’ as his talk was titled and he gave a very knowledgeable but amusing talk upon the strange current representation of hell that we hold as a society and where this image came from. Overall I learnt a lot from the trip and I now have a stronger desire to do some more research into the areas that these people were discussing.’ Peadar Hay, Year 13

‘Of course it was interesting. Being in a room with such amazing philosophers, listening to them talk about controversial topics from such a contemporary perspective, opened my eyes. A lot of their talks made me really think about small trivial things I’d never given thought to before and that’s what really amazed me. Their (the speakers’) ability to grasp my attention in such a short time span.’ Zozi Sookanadenchetty, Year 12
 

Gardner House Pizza Night

On Fright night, the boarders of Gardner House enjoyed an evening of Italy’s finest cuisine . . . pizza!

‘Friday dinner in house was the highlight of the day, as we had a selection of extremely large pizzas of which all of Gardner house enjoyed. Delightful drinks and a variety of snacks were also included on top of what seemed to be a large meal. Although I was not that hungry, due to the House Christmas meal the previous day, I thoroughly enjoyed the limitless buffet! Thanks to House staff for providing it!’ Jamie Smith, Year 11
 

New Hope Trust

Under Ms Nicole Holmes, Purcell’s Senior Housekeeper, the School donates all old bedding and duvets to the New Hope Trust in Watford. The charity exists to serve individuals who are homeless or vulnerably-housed through the provision of accommodation and opportunities to transform lives. For more information or to make a donation please visit the charity’s website here.
 

Jacob Collier

Alumnus, singer and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier has released the lead single from the third volume of his album Djesse. ‘Time Alone With You’ finds Collier teaming up with previous collaborator and Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Daniel Caesar. Djesse Vol. 3 is due out in 2020 and will herald Collier’s largest tour yet. The video for ‘Time Alone With You’ is available on YouTube here.