The Commendation Lunch Celebrates Exceptional Pupils in Year 9, 10 and 11
Every half-term, Headmaster Mr. Harrison extends a warm welcome to our most accomplished students in years 9 to 11, inviting them to a Commendation Lunch held in Queen’s Hall. In the inaugural lunch of the School year, Mr. Harrison greeted thirteen exceptional students who have made a commendable beginning in the face of stiff competition.
During a delicious lunch in Queens Hall Mr Harrison asked pupils and staff to share recommendations for a book they’ve recently read and liked.
Mr. Harrison started the conversation by sharing how his recent summer trip to Madrid had piqued his interest in the Spanish Civil War. He thoroughly enjoyed the novel “Winter in Madrid” by C.J. Sansom, a spy thriller in the style of Jean le Carré. Through this captivating story, he is gaining valuable insights into the unfolding of the Spanish Civil War, delving into the history of figures like Franco, the fascists, and the communists, just on the brink of the Second World War. Mr. Harrison expressed his particular fascination with the novel due to its setting in places he had personally explored during his Madrid visit.
In addition to book recommendations on sports psychology and the challenges of women in the home in the U.S. we were introduced to the following page-turners:
Lucy Clarke, ‘One of the Girls’
A fiction book about a group of friends who go on holiday together. Over the course of the holiday each of the friends reveals a secret about themselves that leads to a climactic end and totally changes their relationship.
Robert Galbraith, ‘The Silkworm’
The story of a gruesome murder with a lot of interesting plot twists. The detective of the story is an army veteran and he has an assistant helping him. The book is actually by J.K. Rowling writing under the pseudonym, Robert Galbraith.
Andy Weir, ‘Project Hail Mary’
At the start of the book an astronaut wakes up with amnesia to find that he is orbiting a planet. As the story unfolds we learn that something is taking the energy away from the sun and the astronaut is part of the mission to stop it. A really interesting story!
James Rebanks, ‘The Shepherd’s Life’
An fascinating autobiographical story that is as much about farming in the Lake District as it is about relationships; between James as a young boy and his father, and his father and his grandfather. James left school early but went back to a sixth form college and discovered a love of learning. He did well enough to earn a place at Oxford and graudate with a double first in history.