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4CRANLEIGHFIRSTSThere is somewhat of a sporting theme to the firsts forthis term – and it is exciting to see Cranleighans notonly competing, but doing so successfully in anincreasingly diverse range of sports.Perhaps inspired by theFormula 2 success of recentOC Jolyon Palmer, Cranleighentered two teams for theBritish Schools KartingChampionships this year –and Alex Tolley, Mark Czajkowski, Alex Jefferies, WillPalmer, Alex Woodman and Dom Coy achieved a creditabletenth place (with Will Palmer coming third in his race).Cranleigh was also representedin the National Schools RealTennis Tournament for the firsttime, with two Loveday boys,Milo Maxton (LVth) and AngusBarrett (Fourth Form), comingsecond in the U15 Senior Colts event at Merton College,beating Charterhouse, Abingdon and Radley, and losing5-6 to Bradfield.Then there’s the team of Cranleigh boys who took partin the School’s first U18 National Indoor HockeyChampionship; the hosting of Cranleigh’s first rugbytournament – U13 Sevens, at which 350 children from27 schools competed – and finally, rounding off thesporting theme, the first prep school boys’ MasterClass held at Cranleigh, in rugby, cricket and hockey.Perhaps the Cranleigh sports stars of the future?...FAST FACTWell done to the following, who have been awardedtheir School Colours this term:Riding:Squash:Tom Lane (L)Ollie Davies (L),Jeremy Slynn (C), Alex Knox (E)Fives: Luke Hall (L), Ollie Davies (L),Tom Batchelor (C),Matt Storey (C), Alex Knox (E),James Cordy-Redden (L)Cross Country: Ben Allon-Smith (C),Maddy Austin (W)Lacrosse: Chrissie Hoolahan (S),Kelly Hughes (W)Rugby Sevens: Seb Sharpe (E)Football:Hockey:High Upfold, now part of Loveday, was originallyCranleigh School’s own farm, where pupilslearned the essentials of animal husbandry andwere also required to help grow the School’svegetables.FLYING COLOURSLuke Hall (L), Zac Baynham-Herd (L), Will Dean (E), ElliotMcLean (L), Mike Mockford (E)Tom Batchelor (C),Oliver Davies (L), Jonny Gall (C),Josh Hughes (N), Gus Powell (E),Hugh Jolly (N)BEHIND THE SCENES –AN INTERVIEW WITH THE OC INTERNSThis year saw the arrival of the first OldCranleighan Interns, a new role that enablesdeparting Cranleighans to gain someinvaluable work experience working for the OCSociety, in partnership with the School, beforethey head off travelling or on to University. Wecatch up with this year’s dynamic duo, RosieSmith and Will Graham-Rack...Please briefly explain what the internship entails.W: The internship is a brand new initiative, co-funded by theOld Cranleighan Society and Cranleigh School, which aims tostrengthen the relationships within the Society, and betweenthe Society and the School, by building up the various OCclubs (City, Law, Media, various sports etc) and re-engagingwith each of the members through various media. The longtermaim is to have a comprehensive database detailing thecontact details and interests of each Old Cranleighan, so that’sbeen an important part of our role – as well as working on anumber of new initiatives and events. We are also hoping topromote the OC Club at Thames Ditton to younger members.What was it that interested you about taking it onafter you left Cranleigh last year?R: It was a job close to home which gave me the opportunityto get some useful work experience before going travelling.The hours were consistent but flexible, and it was nice to knowI’d be surrounded by so many people I knew.Have you enjoyed the experience (and why)?W: It’s been really interesting meeting a large number of OCs,many of them influential people, as well as being given thenew opportunity of thinking of and planning events from scratchR: At the beginning it was quite odd being back at school, yet ‘onthe other side’ essentially... But as the job has gone on I’ve gotused to it. Updating the OC database has taken more time than Ihad anticipated, as there are always plenty of other things requiringattention, and at times it’s been quite hectic. I’ve particularlyenjoyed helping various OCs with different events and being ableto make my own suggestions and see them put in place.Summarise the various areas that you have beenworking on, and why you think they are important:R: My favourite part of the job has undoubtedly been organisingthe OC Art Exhibition in London (14 th -17 th June at The LondonStrand Gallery); as art is a passion of mine, I felt strongly that thiswas an area that should be developed much more within the OCSociety. As already mentioned, we’ve also been involved in theOC database (a vital tool in helping the OC Society to understandthe needs and interests of its members, to enable the Society tocontact them more easily, and to help OCs keep in touch) – andwe were sent on a week-long course which has given us somevaluable qualifications. Another highlight was the OC Ball, atwhich we got together a table of ten OCs from our year group andhad a great time. We also helped Mel Williamson (this year’s OCBall Chairman) with various tasks on the evening itself. And we’renow working on the Midsummer Ball, and more specifically withhelping to raise money through advertising space, and sourcingitems for the Silent Auction and Raffle. In the future, we will bedigitising the Cranleigh School archives from the new office inthe old Bookshop.Rosie, you are the brains behind the OC Art Exhibition.What was it that inspired you to set it up?I wanted to expand the focus of the Society to include somethingwhich in the past hasn’t been particularly well recognisedwithin it. Having done lots of research on past Cranleighans,and in particular what they had gone on to do, I also noticed thatthere were lots of well-established artists in the Society. As aresult, I felt the best way of showcasing the success of theseOCs, and to celebrate Cranleigh Art in general (after all, PeterMcNiven, current Director of Art at the School, probablytaught all of them!) was to hold an Art Exhibition and inviteeveryone in the OC Society and currently at Cranleigh.Will, you are the brains behind the new OC RobertsClub, with its first talk hosted by Andrew Robertshimself. What was it that inspired you to set it up?I was keen to build on the strengths of the Society’s sports clubsand professional societies and offer something new to OCs. Thecurrent clubs and societies focus on offering OCs a chance tofurther their career and play sport. Given the strength of thePurvis Society within the School, it seemed that the OCs shouldhave something that mirrored it, and offered them the chance tolisten to distinguished speakers, which is why I thought it wouldbe worth inviting the acclaimed historian Andrew Roberts toaddress the first-ever such meeting (31st May, 7.00pm, 69Leadenhall Street). He has been asked to commentate on theRoyal Wedding this year. We think that in the future there mayalso be an OC House Challenge event.What have been the highlights in the months you’vespent here?W: Some of the events I’ve attended, such as the OC Dinner,getting to know some interesting OCs – and lunches with RickJohnson!R: Coaching netball to the U15B team and getting to knowsome of the OCs through various contacts and events. I alsohad a great time at the OC dinner in London in November.What improvements would you like to see in the OCSociety?W and R: An increase in younger members amongst thevarious Clubs, specifically sporting. This in turn would strengthenthe School’s relationship with the Society and hopefully leadto more Cranleighans going on to be OCs who are very involvedin the Society. Hopefully we will have gone some way towardsachieving this by the end of the year.Why would you recommend to your friends that theyjoin the OC Society?W and R: It’s a really close-knit Society and it is obvious thatmany friendships have been forged through its various activities.The ‘ExCom’ (Executive Committee) and those working for theOCs care a lot about its members and as a result do put on lotsof really good events. Beyond this, there is the chance tofurther your career through joining one of the professionalsocieties, such as the OC City Society. The Society can alsooffer you lots of good connections with influential OCs who willperhaps be able to assist you with your career later in life, andthe various clubs and societies unite like-minded people.As part of this job we have been offered two weeks’ workexperience at good international firms: ESPN and HeadstartHedge Fund.What is it about Cranleigh, in your opinion, that makesthe friendships made here last so long?W: People in Loveday rarely left the House... I think there isenough on offer that you can easily find other people withsimilar interests, and the House system keeps you in closecontact for five years. R: When you live with the same peoplefor such a long time, it’s only natural that you form friendshipswhich will last. Having also played a lot of sport, I feel that theteamwork involved in sports like netball and tennis also lead tovery strong friendships...Which OC societies can you see yourself joining in thefuture?R: When I’ve left Uni and have more time on my hands I’ll belooking at joining the OC Tennis Society and the LacrosseSociety if it ever ADVERT?gets off the ground.W: The Roberts Club, and hopefully the City Society.What have you learned from the OC Internship?W: I’ve learnt a bit about working in a professional environment,and a lot about dealing with unfamiliar situations and newpeople. Most importantly, I’ve learnt to appreciate the timeyou have at school and university, time when you’re not in fulltimeemployment!R: I have also nearly conquered my fear of calling people,which previously I hated doing! I have realised that unlike atSchool, where most of your aims are short-term and you haveto concentrate on the same thing for a maximum of only a fewweeks, in a job the majority of your aims are long-term andsubsequently you have to wait longer to see results. But in theend the results are more rewarding.What are your own plans for the future?W: I’m going to read Economics next year.R: I am going travelling, then on to Durham to study Sportscience – and from then on who knows....For weekly updates of all of Cranleigh’s news and events, please visit the website at www.cranleigh.org/community. For House News, please visit the Houses section