When we arrived we were taken to the School Room to prepare ourselves for the coming Concert. Since we had visited the church last, certain interior decorations had taken place. This time we gave our concert from the choir stalls, which seemed exceedingly high. The Chairman who was a member of the Church, started the afternoon with a prayer, then handed over the continuity of the concert to Jean Cresswell, who commenced by thanking the people for inviting us. The items were performed by Junior and Senior choir, solo's, duets, quartets, and trios.

There was a recitation and both the Brass and Harmonica groups performed their usual items.

The Congregation seemed to enjoy the concert very much and invited us to come again next year.

Pauleen Ayres (Member of the Senior Choir)

Guess Who?

They're very good and a great success

And I admire the way they dress.

Their pictures are all over my books.

Because I love their gorgeous looks.

They shake and shout and twist about.

They're here to stay and there's no doubt.

They really sing with Great force.

Who are they? - the BEATLES of course

Violet Marks

4th Commercial

One article from this magazine is about the impressions of the schools by first year students.

‘It’s a long time ago since we first came to this school so we thought it would be interesting to try to discover what impression the place made on those who have recently arrived. To get their opinions, experiences and reactions we asked Mrs. Whitford to set them a composition on “My first Term at Leon School”. Some of the revelations are surprising to say the least. Take this for example:-

“When I first heard I was coming to this school I was terrified for my friend had told me things like the metalwork master throwing chisels at you and hitting you on the head with lumps of metal”

(really, Mr. Brown!)

What is the ‘holy bush’? Does anyone outside Form 1 know? Apparently it is some queer form of human sacrifice. We quote:-

“I kept thinking that I would be thrown into the holy bush nearly every day”

and again

“I dreaded it because I was going to get the holy bush”.

One ingenious coward avoided his fate:-

“ When I came to the school I took the long way round so I did not get pushed into the holy bush.”

(Could they all have meant ‘holly’ we wonder?)

Obviously some pupils did not expect to survive the first day. One says:-

“ I did not think I was going to last the day.”

And another:-

“We were picked out and put into classes, I said goddbye to my friends, I thought I would not see them again.”

(Oh dear! It’s never been quite as bad as that!)

There was some difficulty about finding the way about with which we can sympathise.

“On the first day I got lost in the corridors six times.”

And again

“I was told to go into the boys’ playground to run about and when I got there the boys were running about in the girls’ playground. I hope I’ll get used to this in the future.”

Apparently for a few the journey to and from school is the most exciting part of the day.

“The best thing about school is the coach ride from Great Brickhill to Bletchley”

and no wonder for:

“The coach what we come on goes 20,000 miles per hour on the bends, 40,000 on the straight.”

(Jet Armstrong?)

There were some quite enlightening comments on lessons, most of which revealed that they were easier than expected. One comment though is a bit two edged:

“I don’t have many brains, like in Water Eaton Junior School so I am very happy in my new school Leon Secondary Modern School.”

(You will not get away with that old boy!)

Another confesses:

“My worst lessons are Maths, English, Current Affairs, Music, Geography, French, Religious Knowledge, History and Drama.”

(Not a lot left is there?)

One writer confesses:

“When French came round it was too hard for me, I did not know one word of French.”

There must have be some confusion here we think:-

“I said to myself, Why not leave the Currant Affairs to the Currants?”

(A bad attack of sour grapes?)

One wrote:

“We also have French showers and Domestic Science here.”

Canteen meals seem much enjoyed. One writer sums it up well:

“The dinner here is twice as good because you get second helpings.”

Generally speaking they appear all to have recovered their nerve and end up most optimistically. Even the teachers get a note of faint praise:

“The teachers are quite nice – except the odd three or four.”

“The science teacher is smashing.”

We wonder what he means by ‘Smashing’?)

“the teachers are quite nice – sometimes.”

But note:

“I like the Headmaster a lot.”

As for the school it self there is one really caustic remark:

“I thought the rooms were sheds but some of them aren’t.”

(What a nerve from a junior!)

To end let us quote from one who began his schooling with us ‘in great fear’ and ends;

“I like it here and even though I have been thrown in the holy bush it has not yet changed my mind.”

Roving Report

Homework is a very controversial subject, so we decided to get the opinion of a cross-section of the community. Entering our warm(?) chairless woodwork room we perceived Mr. Hellowell busily marking fifty two cards. Taking a deep breath we put our question to him. After giving it considerable thought he said, "Yes, it is a good idea for the student".

Next we rushed over to the Art Room and interrupted Mr. Morris who was intent on painting an L sign for his motor boat. Bespattered with paint he gave this answer to our question "Absolutely essential!" Then bending his head he carried on with his task.

So with our official 7/11 file and pen clutched in clammy hand we went towards "Emergency Room 13". As we entered we spied an eager pupil busily scribbling on the blackboard. She told us that Dr. Jones would attend to us in a minute. We did not have to wait long as after a minute or so he was giving us this reply to our question, "No student could pass exams without it but I myself don't like setting or marking it." We left him bandaging up a cut leg.

We entered Room 4 bravely knowing full well what the answer to our question would be. We were right. As soon as he saw us, he shrank behind a chair and yelled, "Get Out!" So we beat a hasty retreat.

Mr. Morgan we found in the corridor, pinning Welsh Nationalist Propaganda on the Notice Board. We coughed to get his notice and asked him our serious question. He answered "what!” We explained the question again and after a lengthy pause he murmured, "Yes, written homework is good for the student." We gather from this answer that not written homework is bad for the student.

In our favourite lesson of the week "Games" we cornered Mrs. Kilpin as she was working out hockey tactics with toy soldiers. She very nearly fainted at the sight of us in the gym, but we put her mind at rest by telling her we were not staying for the lesson. On hearing our question she said she would think about it so as to give a better answer than anyone else. She is still thinking.

On our pleasant journey back home on the school bus, we shouted our question to Mr. Brown, who is skilled in such matters. Not wishing to commit himself, we presume, he mildly answered "Yes."

We have now had the answers of a cross-section of the teachers but what about the hard working pupils? We seized a pleasant 1st former bubbling over with childhood innocence, dressed in jeans and leather jacket peering through long hair he was practising his skill with a flick knife. We put our question. He tried the sharpness of his weapon upon a soiled thumb and turned to us with a menacing gesture "Get lost!" he said.

What the Juniors think.

Some of our readers may remember that in the last Christmas Cygnet we published the first reactions to Leon School of our first formers. This aroused some interest so we thought it worth while to repeat the experiment this year, and we venture to publish the following extracts.

As before there are numerous references to those mystical rites connected with the 'holy bush' but the ordeal seems to have grown less terrifying for one victim tells us:-

"I made a lot of friends in the Holy Bush.”

However, another says:-

“I got thrown in the holy bush. I want this kept up. I am looking forward to throwing next year's first years into the dreaded Holy bush.”

The views on the staff are on the whole pretty complementary though one young author, after praising many, ends with the sentence:-

“Some teachers are bad." - (not in Leon we hope)

However we cannot help quoting:-

"Most children are very naughty and noisy I think the teachers do well to control a large class."

and

“I think most teachers are kind to us.”

and. finally,

“As for the teachers I can’t find any fault.”

After the teachers naturally the lessons receive a good deal of comment. There is a strong artisticstreak in the present first year:-

“Art is fabulous.” (super surrealism?) .Another tells us,

“My favourite subject is Double Art.”

The gymnasium is a close favourite too. One young athlete, in suggesting time table alterations, writes, “Why don’t they take off the maths lesson and add it on to the other lesson so that we have two lessons in the gym.”

But all may not be going so well as we imagine for one member writes:-

“I like anarchy in the gym.” (Could he mean archery)

These opinions were asked for at about the time of the term exams and some of our juniors were obviously a little shaken:-

“I was disappointed when 1 heard there were exams.”

“There are too many exams - we should have more football.”

"The exams come up next week and after that I should think I might have a more clear opinion about Leon School.” (It depends presumably how many ‘come up’ as the punters say.)

Many young choristers complain because they are

asked to lift up their voices a little more audibly in assembly. One comment which we publish without correction sums up their views:-

"We do not no the him so we can’t sing very well.”

There are some curious comments on the class rooms.! for instance:-

”Room 9 - the music room .- f'rightens Me."

and

"Leon’ s new class rooms don’t feel safe. Every morning; when I go into room nineteen I think it’s going to come down. “

but

"The worst class room is 15. If you sit in the row nearest the drive way, you get wet feet when it rains."

As for the school itself:-

"The school is alright but it could do with a lick of paint.”

Much space is devoted to the canteen and most of the comments are favourable though this one is, we think, a little exaggerated:-

“I like the school meals, they are smashing.”

“The meals you get are hedgehogs”

There seems some confusion of thought in the statement,:

“I’m fed up with homework but the canteen is alright.”

Let us end with three quotations which reflect, we are sure, the feelings of all of us at one time or another :-

“When I first came to Leon School I took one look at all the children and felt quite scared, but now I’m happy.”

and

"Leon School is so friendly."

and finally,

“Up with Leon!”

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