HILTON
It’s been another fantastic year for Hilton House. Highlights include:
House Dinner
We held our House Dinner in November, and it was a particularly special evening as it was Mr Jerrit’s final House Dinner. We wanted to make it as memorable as possible, including a quiz that we were convinced he would win (surprisingly, he did not!) The night was filled with great food, plenty of laughter, and excellent music from the House Band, who performed Read My Mind by The Killers. They were outstanding throughout the evening, although we will come back to their achievements later.
Steepo
We had two very strong runners this year: Iggy and David. Both set their sights on first place. Unfortunately, the competition in Iggy’s race was exceptional, with the winner completing the course in an incredible time. Despite this, Iggy finished an impressive third, and his time would actually have been enough to win the Sixth Form race. Hilton was also the only house other than Pearson to win a trophy this year, taking home the Endeavour Trophy. So, obviously, we are better than all the other Houses!
Christmas Curry Social
Mrs Lane organised another fantastic Christmas Curry Social. The food was excellent, and we also exchanged Secret Santa gifts. One memorable present was a Nerf gun, which quickly found its way into Eden’s hands (Mr Lane’s daughter), allowing her to terrorise the boys for the rest of the evening. We also held a “Who’s Most Likely To?” competition, which the boys thoroughly enjoyed. Categories included “Best Bromance” and “Biggest Garlic Bread Thief,” with enthusiastic cheering for each nomination. It was a brilliant evening and a great way to finish the term together.
House Debating
Hilton’s participation in this year’s Inter-House Debating competition was spectacular, with a significant increase in both the number of participants and the standard of debating. Four junior teams and two senior teams represented our House. Unfortunately, our position in the tournament bracket meant we faced some of the school’s strongest debaters early on. Despite this, we performed admirably and secured a number of impressive victories. We debated challenging topics, including the morality of climate protests and whether doctors should have the right to override a parent’s wishes. Theo Lemonius, Oskar Kulakowski, Maxi Braun, and Gus Caheny (all Remove) threw themselves into the competition with remarkable determination against older opponents. The majority of our debaters were pre-Sixth Form, and their willingness to compete only months after joining the school demonstrated real confidence and maturity. Tomaso Zanotti, Eddie Chen, David Satov, and Oscar Charlesworth also represented the school in two inter-school debates at Ardingly. While we did not win the overall competition, this year’s performance reflects a renewed spirit of Hilton debating and promises future success.
House Song and Band
This year, we decided to break the stereotypes and perform Teenage Dirtbag. The boys proved they could hit the high notes, and we achieved our best-ever result, finishing fifth overall. A great deal of time was spent perfecting the vocals and making sure everyone looked the part of a genuine teenage dirtbag. The House Band also had an outstanding year, finishing second with a fantastic performance of What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club. Unfortunately, Woodard’s vocalist and guitarist proved difficult to beat, but we were incredibly proud of our performance and hope to continue the House Band’s success next year. The band also became much more involved in school events, including the ABC Concert and many others. They performed a wide variety of songs, with several members showcasing their individual talents, including Dan Downing, who delivered some excellent guitar solos.
Sporting Success
Hockey The 1st XI Hockey Team featured three current Hiltonians and two former Hiltonians. Of the sixteen players in the squad, twelve were Upper Sixth students. One of the current Hiltonians is still in Remove and was a key player throughout the season, while also scoring numerous goals for the Under 15 side. This year, we reached the quarter-finals of the National Cup, where we faced Charterhouse, who ultimately went on to win the entire competition. We performed well but were not quite at full strength, resulting in a defeat. We now look forward to rebuilding next year and hopefully making an even deeper run in the competition. This season also marks the end of Mr Lane’s time coaching the 1st XI. Over many years, he has continually pushed the team to improve, helping them achieve tremendous success, including winning the National Cup two years ago.
Row-a-thon Each year, Hilton hosts a Row-a-thon in support of our chosen house charity, OddBalls. Six rowing machines were set up in the common room and the boys rowed continuously for 24 hours. This year, we smashed the previous record of 1,162km, reaching an incredible total of 1,281km — more than 10% further than last year. The effort from the boys was outstanding, ensuring that at least two people were rowing at all times. This year’s top rower was Julian Landjev, who covered an astonishing 122km by himself. Throughout the event, Josh Morel organised film screenings, continuing the Saturday night film sessions he regularly runs in House and sharing his appreciation for cinema with everyone else. Most importantly, we raised £2,874 for OddBalls. This is an incredible achievement, and we are extremely grateful to everyone who donated and supported the event.
Cycle to Paris Mr Lane began a tradition several years ago of taking the Lower Sixth on a challenging expedition. Originally, this was the Three Peaks Challenge, where participants attempt to climb the highest mountains in England, Scotland, and Wales within 24 hours. More recently, this has evolved into the Cycle to Paris. This year’s trip was fantastic. We left Ardingly at lunchtime and cycled to Newhaven to catch the ferry across the Channel. On the second day, we covered 110km to Gisors before staying overnight. The following day, we completed another 105km and arrived in Paris at around 4pm. The route itself was beautiful, taking us through the French countryside and endless fields on our way towards the city. Last year’s group completed almost the entire distance on the Saturday before riding the final 15km on Sunday, and I am very glad we chose not to follow that approach! As we approached Paris, the Eiffel Tower finally came into view. Unfortunately, the final stretch became increasingly chaotic as bikes began breaking down. I am fairly sure we suffered around seven separate breakdowns in the last 10km alone. Mrs RT was running ahead to film our arrival, while Mr Lane was at one point running alongside us carrying his bike on his shoulder! The last few kilometres were hectic, exhausting, and unforgettable. Overall, the trip is enormous fun, and even if cycling is not your favourite activity, we would strongly recommend taking part.
Oscar Charlesworth, Head of House and Gagik Sokhikyan, Deputy Head of House