Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96laraine KirKham Laraine served as Editor of the Coventrian magazine for many years, following her previous career as an English teacher at King Henry VIII School, having also seen her children educated at the school. The Coventrian was very much a labour of love for Laraine; she dedicated untold hours to meticulous proof-reading and page design. The very smart and detailed Coventrian magazines which we are so used to are thanks to Laraine’s dedication, flair and skill. Laraine retired to Devon and decided to take a break from the magazine. We are indebted to her for her years of hard work and we hope she looks forward to reading this edition in peace and quiet without any of the stress of the recent editions. gervald FryKman King Henry’s Chemistry department were extremely fortunate to secure the teaching expertise of Gervald to cover a maternity leave from September to May. He came to us having just retired from his post at Warwick School where he had taught for thirty four years. We could rest assured that we were leaving Mrs Whitehead’s classes in a pair of very safe hands. I was also very pleased because I would be working with my former colleague. It took very little time for Gervald to endear himself to our students who appreciated his thorough knowledge and gentle, encouraging approach. He had a lot to juggle what with a second temporary teaching post at another local independent and the impending wedding of his youngest daughter, but he did it seamlessly. After such a busy year retirement was muted for a second time with a trip around the world in 2017 with his beautiful wife Kathryn. We wish them all the best for this but it will have to wait until after one final, temporary post back at Warwick School. How lucky we all are that Gervald is such an excellent teacher of Chemistry. JUnaid QaSim Junaid began his year at teaching career at Henry’s with enthusiasm and drive. It is testament to his hard work and enthusiasm that he has managed to maintain that outlook throughout the year. He leaves Henry’s as a highly accomplished teacher, Form Tutor and a valued member of our department. We knew that Junaid had been embraced by our Year 12 set when the students started casually discussing their lessons with ‘JQ’. They will really miss him. Their leaving gift of a messaged and signed cricket bat, amongst other things, showed the warmth of a class that know how hard he’s worked for them. As well as his RS teaching, partway through this year, Junaid took over a Year 10 Form - they were not always easy, but his fair and polite approach won their respect. I can’t write this without mentioning Junaid’s passion for cricket. An accomplished cricketer himself, Junaid took over the training of a Year 7 cricket team to great success. He has been an absolute pleasure to work with this year and we are incredibly sorry to see him go, although we wish him all the best in his new post at St Albans. Kate hUnt Kate Hunt started work on the same day as I did, 13 years ago in 2003! She has been by my side through all the various changes within the senior school music department. In terms of staffing, number of concerts and number of Extra-Curricular weekly ensembles rehearsing, the Department doubled in size. This could never have been achieved if it were not for the support of Mrs Hunt. She moved with all the changes and adapted along the way. Her great observational skills meant she was always capable of saying something that no-one else thought about…and should have! I always valued her views. Her calm disposition and extraordinarily sharp wit made her easy and enjoyable to work with. As a trained Solicitor, we quickly learned never to compete with her intellect! She also played the Violin in our Orchestra from time to time and she even sang in some of our big Choral performances. She established a wonderful working relationship with Mr Kennedy and together they effortlessly tackled the considerable administrative burdens behind the scenes with great aplomb. She was liked and appreciated by all the Visiting Music Teachers (VMTs). She always took time to acknowledge their tremendous contribution to the Department but she also valued the need to just say “Hello” and “How are you today?” Often, she would then offer a slice of cake that she would bring from her home. Her baking skills were impressive. Will we miss her? You bet! Thank you, Kate, for all you did for us. We will really miss you. Niall Doherty laraine KirKham Laraine served as Editor of the Coventrian magazine for many years, following her previous career as an English teacher at King Henry VIII School, having also seen her children educated at the school. The Coventrian was very much a labour of love for Laraine; she dedicated untold hours to meticulous proof-reading and page design. The very smart and detailed Coventrian magazines which we are so used to are thanks to Laraine’s dedication, flair and skill. Laraine retired to Devon and decided to take a break from the magazine. We are indebted to her for her years of hard work and we hope she looks forward to reading this edition in peace and quiet without any of the stress of the recent editions. 78 | the Coventrian