Chess: Two Teams, One Trophy and a Debut to Remember

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Chess: Two Teams, One Trophy and a Debut to Remember

For the first time in the school’s history, Mulberry Academy Bexhill sent two teams to the Butler Cup, the county chess finals. As the only state school in the field, competing against a strong line-up of independent schools, there was nothing easy about the day. Both teams made the most of it.

A Team: Division 2

Andy N captained on board 1, with Harry M, Isaac J and newcomer Jonah J on boards 2, 3 and 4. They opened with back-to-back 4-0 wins against Ardingly A and Westbourne House. Clean, clinical and exactly what was needed.

The final match was against Lancing College and it got nervy. Boards 2 and 3 fell in quick succession and the title suddenly looked like it might slip away.

Jonah J settled things down with a dominant win on board 4. That left it all on Andy N at board 1, in a game that had been threatening to go against him. His opponent offered a draw. Andy turned it down, made a series of calculated sacrifices and won the game outright.

The A team finished top of Division 2 on 10 points. Another trophy for the cabinet.

B Team: Division 4

The B team had never bee

n to the finals before. Daniel J led on board 1, alongside Maksym B, Liam B and Ebrus U, and they opened with a composed 2-2 draw against Ardingly B, with Daniel J and Liam B both winning their boards.

Round two brought Hurst, who went on to win the division, and they showed why, running out 4-0 winners. No disgrace in that.

With first place gone, the boys needed to finish strong to take any silverware home. They did exactly that. Liam B won on board 3, Maksym B followed on board 2, Ebrus U added another on board 4. That left Daniel J needing at least a draw on board 1 to clinch second place. He got it.

Second place on their first ever appearance at the county finals. A fantastic result from a group of players who will only get better, and a debut this school won’t forget in a hurry.

Our Y10 Ceramics Students Step Into the Studio

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Last Thursday, a group of our Year 10 Ceramics students got an experience that most artists spend years working toward: seeing their own work photographed professionally, in a proper studio setup, by someone who does this for museums and galleries for a living.

It came about through an ongoing project with Flatlands Gallery here in Bexhill, who are producing a publication to celebrate our Ceramics students as part of Bexhill Art Weekend in August. To make that happen properly, the students needed images of their work that did it justice. So Flatlands brought the expertise to us.

Amy Mock, Head of Artist Development at Flatlands, led the session and worked with students on something that often gets overlooked: how to present and talk about what you have made. That means thinking about backgrounds, composition and context, but it also means being able to reflect on your own work and put it into words. For a lot of students, that second part is harder than making the piece in the first place.

Photographer Jorge Antony Stride joined them and spoke about his work shooting artwork for museums and galleries before turning the session over to the students themselves. One by one they photographed their own pieces in the studio space that had been set up for the day. The results were genuinely impressive.

What struck us most, though, was watching the students talk about what they had made. There was real confidence there. Real pride. These are young people who have put time and craft into their work and they knew it, and it was great to see them given the space to show that off.

We can’t wait to see the finished publication. Watch this space.

Maps, Mud and Camping Stoves: Year 9 Take On DofE Bronze Training Expedition

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Last weekend, our Year 9 students laced up their boots, hoisted their rucksacks and headed out into the East Sussex countryside for their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award training expedition. Two days of walking, cooking and campcraft later, they came back tired, a little bit wiser and very much ready for what comes next.

Out on the Trail

The route took the group through the countryside between Alfriston and the Long Man of Wilmington, one of the most recognisable landmarks in the county. Students took turns leading the group along the way, which meant there was no hiding at the back and hoping someone else would figure out the map.

Navigation was a key focus throughout. Rather than relying on a phone or a GPS, students were expected to read the terrain around them, identify landmarks and make decisions as a group. The Long Man made for a useful waypoint. Chalk figures carved into hillsides tend to.

Cooking, Campcraft and Keeping Things Tidy

Back at the campsite in Alfriston, the expedition took a practical turn. Students were responsible for their own meals, cooked on small camping stoves. Most went for the sensible option: rice, pasta and a sauce. Simple, filling and far less likely to go wrong than anything more ambitious.

Alongside the cooking, the group worked on campcraft skills that will matter just as much during the assessed expedition. Keeping the site clean and tidy, washing up properly after meals, staying safe around stoves and knowing where the guy ropes are before someone finds them the hard way. They also practised moving together as a group on the trail, thinking about pace and safety rather than just getting from A to B.

What Comes Next

The training expedition is exactly that: training. It gives students the chance to make mistakes and learn from them in a lower-stakes environment before the assessed expedition, which takes place at the end of this month.

From what we saw last weekend, they are more than ready for it. They worked hard, looked after each other and showed exactly the kind of resilience and independence that Duke of Edinburgh is designed to build.

Good luck, Year 9. We are right behind you.