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Two sixth-formers organised a quiz in aid of a charity named after an old boy of the School, as quizzes continue to prove popular throughout the Elizabethan community.

Year 13’s Vishruth Dhamodharan and Varun Vijay Kumar brought together teams from Year 7 and 8 and from 9 and 10 to compete to raise money for Guy’s Trust.

In a separate event, the eagerly-awaited inter-House QIQE quiz returned this year, with Harrisons’ taking the honours in a keenly fought final.

And both competitions followed the success of The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s quiz earlier in the term – the Friends’ first in-person charity event since before the pandemic.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “I congratulate both the winners and the organisers of these events. Quizzes seem to appeal to many here: they give people an opportunity to indulge their competitive spirit and demonstrate their knowledge, while at the same time competitors have a good deal of fun and, often, raise money for good causes, too.”

Vishruth and Varun were inspired by the good work done by educational charity Guy’s Trust in the developing world, and organised the quiz to support it, raising £163.50. The charity is named after marine biologist, scuba instructor, paraglider and adventurer Guy Joseph (OE 1997-2002), who died aged 25 in a paragliding accident in the Pyrenees in October 2011. It has recently funded the installation of water systems to nine primary schools in Cambodia so that the children there have clean drinking water.

Twelve teams from Years 9 and 10 battled it out, covering subjects including Mathematics, Literature and Science. The winning team was Year 9’s Riyan Siyani, Adithya Raghuraman, Danyal Talha and Ram Chockalingam – the curiously named Team SIUUUUUUUUUU.

Next it was the turn of the first two years. After a tense three-way tie, Year 8’s Keeyan Shah, Vu-Lam Le-Nguyen, Ishaan Jugran and Olic Fan – Team Dino Nuggies – emerged as the winners.

In the QIQE quiz, teams comprised one pupil from each of Years 7, 8, 9 and 10. The University Challenge-style format involved ‘starters for ten’ (with boys raising their table-tennis bat paddles for attention) and then three five-point bonuses on another topic.

Under the watchful eye of quizmaster Tom Harrison, Head of Year 7, Harrisons’ and Underne progressed to the final in front of Years 7-10 on the basis of their posting the highest scores in the preliminary rounds.

Harrisons’ ultimately came out narrowly on top in the Shearly Hall, winning 145–135.

“It was hugely exciting, and there was an impressive array of general knowledge on display,” said Mr Harrison.

QE’s First XV pulled on their navy and sky blue-hooped shirts for one last time as they took on rivals Habs at Saracens’ StoneX Stadium, 99 years after the fixture was first played between the two schools.

The evening got off to a great start, with resounding wins against Haberdashers’ Boys’ School by the Year 8 A and B teams, who racked up scores of 65-0 and 45-0 respectively.

And, with the First XV buoyant after two consecutive wins against St Ignatius College and Watford Grammar School, hopes were high that they could avenge their loss to Habs earlier in the season in the National Vase.

In the end, it was not to be – Habs overturned a half-time 10-0 deficit to emerge as narrow victors on the night – but Head of Rugby James Clarke had nothing but praise for his players: “It was a great game with a monumental defensive effort and a result that could have gone our way on a different night. The squad has come an awful long way from the early season struggles after a year of missed rugby due to COVID. I am extremely proud of the effort, attitude and commitment that the whole squad have shown this year.”

The games proved a big draw across the Elizabethan community. “It was lovely to see so many of our younger boys, parents, siblings and Old Elizabethans in attendance,  and our senior players were most grateful for the vocal support.”

The Year 8 games had been worthy curtain-raisers for the later First XV match, said Mr Clarke, with the convincing victories representing a major improvement by the A team in particular, who had lost 6 tries to 5 earlier in the season in the reverse fixture. The A team is coached by PE teacher Peter Pickford. Alvin Xu was named Player of the Match for the A team, while Faaiz Adil took the accolade for the B team.

In the main match, after repelling an early Habs onslaught, QE took the lead through Alex Diamond scoring in the far corner.

“After withstanding further pressure following the restart, QE eventually worked their way up the pitch via some intelligent kicking from scrumhalf Taro Niimura and were now within striking range of the same corner. The forwards took charge as they tried to drive over the try line from close range but were met with fierce resistance. After recycling possession multiple times and bringing in reinforcements, Aditya Narayan dived over for a well-earned score to stretch our lead to 10-0. We maintained this cushion until the relief of the half-time whistle after some, at times, heroic defending out wide, including a try-saving tackle from Saalif Jilani.

“The second half saw us playing against the elements and into an increasingly strong wind. Habs made full use of this advantage and pinned us deep within our half from the kick-off.  Despite us clearing our lines reasonably well, Habs threw the ball wide to create an overlap and break our defence to go over for the score.”

Habs scored an “excellent conversion”, leaving QE holding a narrow 10-7 lead. “After an injury stoppage, a typically strong QE scrum gave our backline a platform to play from, and the backs showed some excellent skills to move the ball wide behind several decoy runners and stretch and test Habs on the outside, but to no avail. Several penalties were conceded to cost us field position, and the pressure was starting to mount. Habs kicked a penalty in front of the posts to level the score at 10-10 and swing momentum in their favour. Following some initial strong defence, Habs’ again threatened out wide and their speedster slipped a tackle to score in the far corner. Advantage Habs’ with the score now 15-10 to them.

“For the final ten minutes of the match, QE had a sustained amount of possession and were ‘camped’ at the right end of the field. Habs were out on their feet, with players continuously going down with cramp and the game being stopped and started, which only added to the tension of a one-score game. After several penalties against Habs, QE had one final attempt, but couldn’t quite get the ball to stick and were thwarted in their attempts to overturn the early season result.”

“Special mentions must go to the leadership group of captain Alexandre Lee and his two vice-captains Conor Parker-Delves and Ronak Santilale,” said Mr Clarke. Player of the match was Alex Diamond.

The QE First XV squad
1. Ronak Santilale – vice-captain (Year 13); 2. Manav Khindri (Year 13); 3. Victor Angelov (Year 12); 4. Jayden Savage (Year 13); 5. Nnanna Okore (Year 13); 6. Aditya Narayan (Year 13); 7. Alexandre Lee – captain (Year 13); 8. Kelvin Aye (Year 12); 9. Taro Niimura (Year 11); 10. Danny Adey (Year 12); 11. Shadman Rahman (Year 13); 12. Keir Parker-Delves (Year 11); 13. Harvey Lamb (Year 13); 14. Alex Diamond (Year 13); 15. Saalif Jilani (Year 13).

Replacements: 16. Ryan Jayaraj (Year 12); 17. Ishraq Zamee (Year 13); 18. Dilan Patel (Year 12); 19. Aadarsh Khimasia (Year 13); 20. Alex Woodcock (Year 13).

Old Elizabethan Makoto Takahashi, a global expert on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant meltdown in Japan, gave a group of current sixth-formers a special invitation to an exhibition he has curated.

Featuring photography and a number of essays, the exhibition, which marks the tenth anniversary of the nuclear disaster and the earthquake and tsunami that precipitated it, is being held at the Royal Geographical Society in London. The earthquake and tsunami killed more than 15,000 and triggered a triple meltdown at the power station, forcing 200,000 people from their homes.

Makoto (OE 2003-2010) treated the 13 Art & Design and Geography A-level students to a lecture and a personal tour.

Head of Art Craig Wheatley said: “The exhibition explores the lingering legacy of the 2011 disaster. There is a sophisticated and diverse range of photography that challenged the boys’ appreciation of both the aesthetic and conceptual. Having Makoto’s insight was invaluable; his willingness to explain and unpack the work was matched by the boys’ enthusiasm and desire to learn more.”

“In his QE days, Makoto was himself a talented A-level artist and geographer,” Mr Wheatley said.

He is a lecturer at the Technical University of Munich and will be returning to the Harvard Kennedy School of Governance as a Fulbright-Lloyd’s Fellow in early 2022.

He began work on the Fukushima Daiichi disaster ten years ago, soon after it happened. He received his BA, MPhil and PhD from Cambridge University and was a visiting fellow at Waseda University in Tokyo.

His thesis, which examined how claims to expert authority are made in conditions of low public trust, received the American Association of Geographers’ Jacques May Thesis Prize.

The exhibition, entitled Picturing the Invisible, sees his research interests coming together with his longstanding engagement with the London art scene: while in the Sixth Form at QE, he took part in in the Royal Academy’s attRAct programme and in the Louis Vuitton Young Arts Program; he has also been an Event Manager at the OPEN Ealing community art gallery.

Expressing his gratitude to Makoto, Mr Wheatley added: “As a cross curricular trip between the Art and Geography departments, this was a fabulous opportunity for learning.  It combined detailed analysis of visual language with geological narrative of the ‘worst crisis Japan has faced since World War II’.”

The exhibition is on until 23^rd December.

Leading figures from the QE community today paid tribute to Sid Clark, an important figure at the School for half a century, who died this week.

Appointed as a Chemistry teacher in 1956, Mr Clark went on to play a significant role in maintaining standards at QE through some of the School’s most turbulent years and, before his retirement in 1987, helped newly arrived Headmaster Eamonn Harris in laying the groundwork for its subsequent success.

Having made a huge impact in his staff roles, among them Head of Chemistry and Head of Sixth Form, Mr Clark (pictured, centre, above)  continued to serve the School in retirement, as a Governor, and as a Trustee of the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s, who, together with Mr Harris, set up its covenant scheme.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Sid made a truly significant contribution to our School during a long and distinguished period of service. The FQE covenant scheme, with which he was so involved, has formed the foundations for the ongoing transformation of the School site, allowing us to provide ever greater facilities and educational opportunities for the boys.”

Mr Enright’s predecessor, Dr John Marincowitz, Headmaster from 1999 to 2011, said: “I am saddened to hear of Sid Clark’s death. His enormous contribution as an educator over three decades in the Chemistry labs benefitted many boys. It was however, as Trustee and Governor for much of my Headship that I appreciated Sid most. He gave dedicated service as treasurer, securing FQE’s finances at a time of rapid growth and challenging capital projects. As Governor, he provided wise counsel and stalwart support.

“Sid held ambitious aspirations for the School and remained a pillar of continuity from the mid-1950s to the mid-2000s.  This was a time of considerable turbulence in education. It was also period of reinvention and regeneration at Queen Elizabeth’s.  We will remember Sid with gratitude for the part he played in the School’s emergence as a centre of national excellence.”

Former Second Master and President of the Old Elizabethans Association Eric Houston also paid tribute to Mr Clark: “Greatly respected by his colleagues for his formidable intellect, he will be remembered as an outstanding schoolmaster who dedicated so much of his working life to his pupils.”

Mr Houston, who remained in touch with Mr Clark and visited him in New Zealand (pictured left), where he moved in 2008, said: “Sid was so proud of the School’s outstanding achievements but it is true that he had a huge part to play in making this possible. He never sought any credit for his many contributions, but we should acknowledge with gratitude all he did over many years. He leaves a wonderful legacy.”

Having graduated with a first-class honours degree from the University of Wales, Mr Clark was appointed in 1956 by Headmaster E.H. Jenkins to teach Chemistry. He remained at QE for the rest of his teaching career.

Through his teaching, he helped launch a number highly successful and distinguished academic careers.

A one-time athlete of national standing himself, he gave coaching and encouragement to many boys on Third Field and Stapylton, while he also spent a great deal of his time driving the School’s most talented performers around the country for them to compete in national athletics competitions.

He was quickly promoted to Head of Chemistry, and, when the School was reorganised and became a comprehensive in 1971, he shortly after became Head of Sixth Form.

He maintained his insistence on high standards of behaviour and dress, and on the pursuit of academic excellence.

“Many Sixth Form students from that period owe the places they secured at top universities to the individual help and guidance they received from him,” said Mr Houston, who added that when Mr Harris arrived in 1984 and ushered in a period of great change, Mr Clark soon joined with him to form “a formidable partnership that was the foundation of QE’s subsequent success”.

His total commitment to the School did not diminish in the slightest following his retirement in 1987.  After QE opted out of local authority control in 1989, he became a Governor, serving for a period as Vice Chairman, and he unfailingly attended all School functions. He worked on a number of sub-committees and was an influential figure in the School regaining selective status in 1994.

Every major project that has taken place on the School site since 1990 has, to a greater or lesser extent, been made possible because of the covenant scheme he helped set in place and oversaw for many years. Pictured here is the signing for the contract for the Martin Swimming Pool – a demonstration of the impact of the work of FQE and the fruits of the covenant scheme.

In 2008, Mr Clark and his wife decided to relocate to New Zealand to be closer to their daughter and three grandchildren. He died peacefully in the North Island city of Hamilton earlier this week.

Elizabethans from every decade from the 1940s through to the 2020s turned out to the 125^th Old Elizabethans Association Annual Dinner.

With 76 in attendance, the event in the Main School Hall was the first such formal occasion since the start of the pandemic.

As has become traditional, guests included the ‘ten-year leavers’ – those who were pupils from 2004-2011: their 30-strong group occupied a prime position in the middle of the tables. Other groups booked together, too – such as OEs from the 1978-1985 cohort, and some of those who left in 2004/5.

The current decade was represented at the dinner by the 2021 School Captain, Siddhant Kansal, and three members of his prefect team.

And the ranks of diners were further swelled by several members of the School’s new 450 Club.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Being an Elizabethan is not just about the seven years that boys typically spend here – it’s about joining a community and network offering lifelong friendship and support. With such good numbers and with old boys of all ages coming along, this year’s dinner was a striking demonstration that all who have attended our School really are Elizabethans for life.

“Such enjoyable social occasions are important in helping OEs keep in touch and re-connect with each other and with us at the School. Pandemic-permitting, I look forward to many similar events in the future and to our providing alumni with other opportunities for them to get involved in supporting the School and the current pupils in various ways.”

In his speech, Mr Enright explained why the 2021 dinner had additional significance for him: “This year is itself an anniversary for me personally, marking a decade as Headmaster. It is also a milestone for our group of ten-year leavers, who I’m pleased to see in typically good numbers and high spirits tonight. There is, in fact, strong representation from my last A-level Geography group among them.”

He gave initial feedback on the recent independent survey of alumni commissioned by the School: “It has reinforced that the overwhelming majority are proud to have been to QE and think that an education here has had a lasting positive impact. We want to ensure that this remains the case for you and for future generations of alumni.”

He gave a special welcome to the 450 Club members: named in anticipation of the 450th anniversary of the School in 2023, the club is open to any alumnus who commits to donating £450 to the School before September 2022.

The evening began with a drinks reception at 7.15pm, which took place in the Crush Hall. This was followed by dinner and then a series of toasts and speeches, before guests went back to mingling and networking.

OE Association President Eric Houston, who hosted the dinner on behalf of the Association, presented Siddhant with the Eric Shearly Memorial Award for his outstanding service and contribution to the School.

Mr Houston, who is also a Governor, taught at the School from 1976. He was Second Master from 1999 until his retirement in 2010, this period largely overlapping with the 1999-2011 headmastership of Dr John Marincowitz, who was also in attendance at the dinner.

The guest speaker Dhruv Chhatralia (OE 1996-2003) gave the after-dinner speech, proposing the toast to the School. A City lawyer, Dhruv is a regular speaker on Hinduism, on the benefits of yoga and on the importance of strong mental health, and is the author of many books on Hinduism. He was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2020 New Year’s Honours ‘for services to Hinduism and to developing young people’.

• Alumni can view a full gallery of photos of the dinner on their QE Connect online network.

2018 leaver Samuel Akpan has been named in Future Leaders magazine’s Top 150 list for 2021–2022.

Samuel, who graduated in Politics & International Studies from Warwick this year, has already made his mark in fields including social enterprise, sport and  anti-racism work at the university.

An annual publication, Future Leaders profiles 150 of the most outstanding black university students in Britain. His citation in the magazine highlights:

• His role as Warwick’s Anti-Racism Disability Officer as part of an executive team charged with coordinating responses to racist incidents on campus
• The talk he gave last year to parents of deaf children about his experiences growing up with unilateral deafness in which he shared insights into the challenges deaf people face and the practical support available to them
• His entrepreneurial creativity: this included designing a red jersey exclusively for the Sickle Cell x ILL London jersey raffle in December 2019 that helped sell tickets to help raise money for the Sickle Cell Society.
• Samuel’s success in becoming a qualified football referee in November 2019, since when he has been speaking with the Birmingham FA about ways of increasing the number of BAME match officials.

Interviewed for the alumni section of Warwick’s website, Samuel (OE 2011–2018) said: “To be named as a Future Leader is a massive honour. To be given such a ‘heavy’ title means you have been recognised for your competencies and your future potential.

“Also, for me it’s an extra achievement, as I’m…deaf in my left ear. When I’m older, whatever field I’m in or wherever I am, I can look back and be proud of the man I’ve become.

“The award has made me think about what it means to be a leader and I definitely feel that it’s about making sure you excel by giving back where you can.”

Samuel is especially pleased that the accolade recognises his social enterprise work, which began while he was still at QE. “In 2017, there was a craze where everyone wanted to make fashion brands, so I made printed T-shirts with my brand ILL London,” he explained.

“When I got to Warwick, I also made sweaters in different colours and added my logos. I ran a raffle for a one-off football jersey with my logo on, and 50% of the money raised went to the Sickle Cell Society. It helped raise awareness of the importance of giving blood if you can, as it’s essential to helping people with Sickle-Cell Anaemia.”

He told QE Connect that he remains in regular contact with a large number of the friends he made at QE (many of whom went to Warwick).

“I am thankful for all the time and energy the teachers gave me to help me even make it to university,” he says, adding that he particularly appreciated his positive experience of studying Philosophy and Politics for the first time in the Sixth Form “as it gave me a lot of direction going forward”.

Outside of the classroom, his “stand-out memories” include the infamous ‘elephant dip’ during cross-country runs and the time he slipped during his 100m race on Sports Day: “It cost me at least a top-three finish, I’d say ­– and caused a lot of general laughter!”

His enjoyment of sport continued at Warwick, where, although he was not on the Philosophy, Politics and Economics course, he played for the league-winning PPE FC side.

He is now focusing on his sports writing: during his recent time at BCOMS (Black Collective of Media in Sport), an initiative partnered by Arsenal Football Club, he covered three matches and also had the opportunity to meet some of the biggest names in football journalism.

Samuel, who did not take a gap year, is currently enjoying a break from full-time education while he considers his future career direction. Asked where he sees himself in ten years’ time, he replied that he hopes to be working in the football sector “in a position that allows me to help the younger black generation”.