Head's Newsletter 23 November 2017

preliminary process, including Lady Eleanor Holles, Kingston Grammar School, Highgate, Ibstock Place and Hampton. The Tiffin German Debating Team won 6, drew 1 and lost 2 of their 9 debates, which is the school's best performance of all time. Euan O'Connor (in Year 11, but debating in the Year 12 category) and Laurie Kenney secured the 1st place trophy for the Year 12 debates, while the Year 13 team of Sebastian Tyrrall and Ben Gibson finished 2nd in their section. The Year 11 pair of Abiram Uthayakumar and Apratim Shastri came second in the year 11 category, and Abiram was even keen to debate the result of the competition in the minibus all the way home! The competition highlights the wonderful adaptability, fluency and dedication that our students of German show. Well done to all involved! CLASSICS LECTURE Eighteen Classicists from Years 10-13 were fortunate enough to attend the Rosewell Lecture at Wimbledon High on 7 th November. They were treated to a very engaging and thought-provoking talk on perceptions of Cleopatra in antiquity and since. The talk was given by Professor Chris Pelling, Regius Professor of Greek at Christ Church, Oxford, whose research interests range over Greek and Latin historiography and biography, and also over other areas of Greek literature, especially tragedy. This was an excellent opportunity for the boys to experience academic scholarship and lecturing first-hand and to ask questions of a leading expert. The evening was much enjoyed by all.

4th Annual German Debating Competition The Debating Competition for boys in Years 11, 12 and 13 is a voluntary supplement to their studies in German. Only two pupils per year are selected from Tiffin. On Wednesday 15 th November, the Tiffin German Debating team headed for the event hosted by Ibstock Place School. The competitors engage in very formal debates against students of the same age from other schools on a number of contentious issues. All the debates are held entirely in the German language, and are scored by independent umpires. The motions for these debates were sufficiently detailed to require a good amount of preparation. The boys were only told whether they would argue for, or against, each motion when they entered the debating room. L -R Sebastian Tyrrall, Ben Gibson, Euan O'Connor, Laurie Kenney, Apratim Shastri, Abiram Uthyakumar

This year’s motions included: 1. Technology has more disadvantages than advantages. 2. Celebrity culture is out of control. 3. Young people should be allowed to vote at age 16. The competition was fierce, and a number of prestigious schools were involved in the