11 December 2024 saw the return of the Cokesian Ball after a four-year gap. The U6 pupils have fond memories of the event, so they could think of nothing better than reinstating it this year! The House were invited to have cookies and squash in the Refectory after school before moving to the Blake studio for a 1630hrs start. We were treated to an array of different and slightly whacky performances across the evening from each tutor group, which ensured that light-hearted fun was at the centre of the event. M5C got the evening going with their own take on a short Nativity, which was expertly narrated by Rory Evans and starred Miss Tilbrook as King Herod. The use of props and name tags ensured everyone was able to keep up with the story! L4 and U4 Coke combined forces to perform an original rap with tongue-in-cheek content about the tutors in Coke House! It was exceptionally well written and performed with guest appearances from both Mr Moore and Mrs Brown. U5C treated us to a 'unique' (!) rendition of the 80s Christmas classic, 'Merry Christmas Everyone' by Shakin' Stevens, where audience participation was actively encouraged to keep the tune going! There was a lot of love for the L5 performance where a few volunteers joined the team to for an incredible interpretation of 'Jingle Bells' using the much-loved Boomwhackers. L6 had come up with another original involving eating chocolate, and of course, everyone loved to get involved! Groups of approximately 8 pupils had to make their way through a chocolate advent calendar as quick as they could. The only complication was that they were only allowed to use a knife and fork, and there were time penalties for using their hands. Bonus points were awarded for flicking the chocolate into the air and catching it in their mouth! The performances finished with the U6 group running a 'Who am I?' style Kahoot quiz where they put together a mixture of unique, funny and slightly silly facts about them so the rest of the house has some dirt on them for the remainder of the year! The evening concluded with an expert summary from Mr Hopgood as our resident judge for the evening. He did incredibly well to sit through (and tolerate!) the evening and he even managed to somehow draw out a number of positive comments about the performances! The overall winner of the funniest/silliest performance was M5 Coke with their take on the Nativity, so clearly it was all downhill from the first performance of the evening! A huge thank you to all involved for a low-key, let-your-hair-down, fun and silly evening. There were a lot of laughs had by all.

Brooke House enjoyed celebrating various individual awards and then hearing from our Horatio House Prefects where they enlightened pupils on some details about the history of Brooke House. Norwich School is said to be one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom. Having a traceable history back to 1096 as a grammar school founded by Herbert de Losinga (1st Bishop of Norwich), it was moved to Blackfriars Hall (where House Shout used to take place) following a successful petition to Henry VIII. After a royal charter had been granted by Edward VI, the school was refounded and moved to the main cathedral site as we know it today, obviously without Upper King Street! The school was originally comprised of just one house, School House, for those who boarded. ‘School End House’ was where the boarders would have slept – this would have been possible as there were far fewer than the 1,020 pupils the school has today. The school was divided into the eight houses in the early 20th century, one of those being Brooke House, named after Sir James Brooke. The three of us, as Horatio House Prefects, thought that it is important to understand the history of Brooke house. Sir Brooke was born on the 29th April 1803 in Bandel, not far from Calcutta, India. His father, Thomas Brooke, was a Court of Appeal Judge in Bareilly, British India. Bareilly, from the 17th century to 19th century was part of a collection of Indian provinces governed by the British. His mother was born in Hertfordshire and was the daughter of a Colonel. Having stayed in India until 1815, Sir James Brooke was sent to England for an education. He first attended Norwich School, boarding, showing a great interest in drawing. He was, notoriously, however not a fan of Latin and this led him to run away from school in the following years. Another area that Brooke found an interest in was that of sailing, and many attributed his skills to the teaching at Norwich School. After leaving Norwich, Brooke was tutored in Bath and returned to India in 1819 as a junior rank in the Bengal Army, for the British East India Company, a joint stock company that imported and exported goods to and from India, and is said to be one of the most powerful corporations in history. Just a few years later, Brooke fought in the First Anglo-Burmese War and was badly wounded in 1825. He was sent by boat to England to recover, and returned to Madras, now known as Chennai, in 1830. He was, however, too late to join his unit, and returned to England on the Castle Huntley. Having resigned his commission into the Bengal Army, Brooke was unemployed. He began trading goods such as spices, coffee and coal in the Far East (likely China along its trade routes) but this was not as lucrative as it first seemed. In 1835 however, Sir James Brooke inherited what was then £30,000, a sum of £3.2 million in today’s money. With that money he purchased a ship, the Royalist, weighing 420 tonnes, and sailed to Borneo, part of Southeast Asia, in 1838. In Kutching, Sarawak, Brooke arrived to find the settlement facing a rebellion against their sovereign ruler, the Sultan of Brunei. Brooke offered his assistance in helping stop the uprising. As a token of gratitude for his help, Sultan Omar II gave Brooke the governorship of Sarawak, passing all sovereignty to Brooke in 1842. Brooke is known for his courage shown before and during this reign, in particular the measures he took against piracy – not the internet kind, but rather those who steal goods and incite violence! In 1844 Brooke launched a new counter to piracy, fighting them off in North-East Sumatra, as a means of protecting the East India Company, but also the Sultans of neighbouring countries. As part of the transfer of sovereignty, Brooke became the Rajah of Sarawak. Sir James Brooke is also regarded for his courageous leadership, especially in the face of adversity, such as when he was threatened by Sarawak warriors or shot in the right arm during engagements with pirates. He was even struck in the face with a spear, and faced Malaria and Smallpox on multiple occasions. Brooke passed in 1868 in the English county of Devon, leaving behind a long-lasting legacy as the White Rajah of Sarawak. Having the occupational triad of soldier, trader and Governor, Brooke can be perceived in many ways as a role model. His traits of guidance, organisation and boldness is something we can all aspire too. If you’re interested in learning more, the biography ‘White Rajah’ by Nigel Barley is a great read. - Barnaby Karlson-Evans - Charles Susumu Parsons - Adam Spoor