House No. 9
After graduating in Economics from the LSE, Paul Wickes worked in Portugal and Spain for six years where he set up and managed a successful language institute. He joined the College in 2006 to teach Economics and became Housemaster of No.9 in 2007.Paul speaks Portuguese and Spanish and practises Tae Kwon Do in which he has competed at a high level, winning bronze in the London Open in 2000. He also enjoys football, rugby and cricket, is an enthusiastic supporter of school sport and encourages all boys in No.9 to participate in House and school games to the best of their ability.
Paul and his wife Michelle have two young daughters, Savannah and Amelie, and believe a boarding house should be run as an extended family where boys have a strong sense of mutual care and belonging. Paul's philosophy is to produce polite, well-rounded young men who aspire to fulfil their potential by making the most of their individual talents.
Dining-in with the Sixth Form of No.9
Thursday 04. of March 2010
On the last evening before we broke for half-term, No.9 held its annual Senior Supper, an excuse to don our diner jackets, enjoy some fine food and urbane company and celebrate life in the Sixth Form.
We enjoyed a smoked salmon roulade starter before a delicious chicken and bacon main course was polished off with a mouth-watering tiramisu desert, accompanied quite appropriately by a glass of wine.
This was a splendid affair, as the young gentlemen were joined by many guests, including Deputy Headmaster Dr Lister, former Housemaster of No.9 (1998-2007).
The boys were praised for their mature and sophisticated manner, their easy charm and their good conversation.
Mrs. Bijl was particularly struck by the warmth and sense of belonging in the House: it was “a smashing …the whole evening emphasised the excellent relationships engendered between staff and students - a real feature of No.9.”
According to Dr Winwood, “it must rank as one of the most civilised events that I've attended in over a decade at Malvern. The dining room looked terrific, the food was delicious and the boys were, without exception, excellent company.”
As Senior Master Mr Godsland so succinctly put it, “It is great to see the House thrive!”
Paul Wickes
No.9 retains Inter-House Drama cup
Tuesday 23. of February 2010
Last year, No.9 enjoyed unprecedented success on the stage with their stunning performance of The Crickets Sing - described by the College newspaper as "clever enough to carry heavyweight drama and comic brevity". As a result, we took two of the 4 awards, William Selby winning Best Actor and Alli Braithwaite taking Best Director.
This year's offering, Escape From Stalag Luft 112B, won great plaudits when it was performed just before half-term and so we waited in chapel with quiet confidence as the results of this year's Inter-House Drama Competition were announced.
William Selby was highly commended in the Best Actor category, just missing out to William Law from SH. And I am delighted to announce that he and Bryce Birkhead (No.3) won the category of Best Director, meaning that two different directors from No.9 have won the prize in consecutive years and William has now won both Best Actor and Best Director!
Congratulations to all those who contributed to a very fine performance.