Greig City Academy 2014 by Cleverbox UK Ltd

Meet Joseph

Meet Joseph Simeon, this year’s guest editor.

Sixth former Joseph is undertaking his Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award and, to fulfil the volunteering requirement, he was eager to edit this magazine.

‘I want to show my university and future employers that I have good writing skills as well as strong scientific skills. I’ve visited a few universities and all the admissions tutors seem keen on the DofE Award; they say it’s the norm for students to take part in this or something similar. Good grades should be “a given” but you also have to demonstrate the impact you’ll have on the university in terms of the extra-curricular activities you intend to get involved in. As well as working on the magazine, I’m playing football for the physical module and taking driving lessons for the skills module.’ Joseph is also this year’s deserving winner of the Worship Company of International Bankers’ (WCIB) essay competition. The topic was: Should the UK maintain its overseas aid programme in times of austerity? Joseph won £100 for himself and another £100 for the school but, more importantly, he found it was ‘an amazing opportunity not only for me to improve my English writing skills but also to realise that Aid Programmes are essential to the lives of millions, both abroad and in this country.’ Throughout the magazine you’ll find interviews written by Joseph and articles he suggested. Read on! 2

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Issue 10

Achievem e

A letter from the Principal

Christi an munity om C

na ti n

C i t y A cad

Dear students, parents, carers and friends of Greig City Academy, Welcome again to our school magazine. I hope you enjoy reading the articles and find them informative as well as entertaining. Every year writing this letter gives me an opportunity to reflect on all that has happened in the past year. As I write, our Year 11 and Sixth Form students have just finished sitting their GCSE and GCE Examinations and are now somewhat anxiously awaiting the results before going on to meet the challenges of the next step in their education. Whatever results day brings, those qualifications will be the outcome of sustained, high-quality and enthusiastic work before, during and after school by students together with a team of committed and professional teaching staff working with common purpose in an atmosphere of trust and respect. I am sure we will all be proud of these achievements and we wish all these students the best of luck. Once again, sporting students have enjoyed success in competitions at local, regional and national levels. Our girls’ and boys’ basketball teams won four gold and three silver medals at the National Schools Finals and one of our girls’ basketball teams won the London Youth Games title for Haringey for the second year in a row. Our footballers emulated last year’s successes with resounding wins in leagues and cup finals. You can see some of this year’s results on pages 40 to 42. Well done all! The debating club again showed how impressive they are in putting forward an argument and it has been rewarding to see students from all year groups having the confidence to take part in public debates. History has seen some remarkable success this year in a competition called the History Bee; success in the first competition meant a trip to Rome for two lucky students! In other fields, from technology, where the Rocket Club is quite literally aiming for the stars, to business and enterprise challenges, students have successfully tested themselves against the best that other schools have to offer. You will find reports and photographs of just a few of this year’s trips in the pages that follow. These trips are now firmly embedded into the school calendar and form one of the most important features of Academy life. Most students will participate at least once in the year, challenging themselves in a new, and often beautiful, environment. Our thanks go to all the staff involved whose commitment, hard work, dedication and organisational skills ensure that these activities continue to be successful and safe. Our visitors continue to be impressed when they visit the Academy. I am very pleased that standards of behaviour and school uniform remain excellent and that high levels of attendance and punctuality are maintained. I thank parents and carers for their continued commitment and support in achieving these high standards. As a school community we are proud of the Academy. In this magazine we look forward to another successful year with genuine anticipation and confidence and take a moment to reflect on the challenges and achievements of the past year. I wish you all a splendid summer break.

Yours faithfully, Mr P.V. Sutton OBE

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Well done!

All-round achievement – Pupil Profile Award winners

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Let’s congratulate all the students and staff on the next few pages who have excelled in so many different ways.

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The Pupil Profile Awards recognise students who consistently meet the high expectations the school has of them in terms of academic progress, attendance, punctuality and being prepared for learning. There are four levels – bronze, silver, gold and, the highest award, platinum. Congratulations to the 79 students who won a platinum award in both the autumn and the spring terms. (Summer term results not available at the time of writing.)

Year 9

Year 10

Alexandra Fitzekova

Fabrizio Quintero

Nebyou Alemayehu

Ana Azevedo

Hazal Mutlu

Ervans Caushi

Aila Asan

Muhaimin Hayee

Shaquille Ogunyinka

Ionut Ciuta

Kervern Kiala

Karlisa Rees

Simeon Mitchell

Shakela SavageMcDonald

Wanqin Huang

Oscar Yong

Rohan Nuckchadee

Leon Frempong

Francesco Del Colombo

Ya Jing Chen

Darren Thorne

Nana Omari-Amoako

Cheriece Bailey-Adair

Senanur Duven

Anil Kara

Ebenezer Fasoranti

Jurginija Simkunaite

Karim Ming

Alexandra Benitez-Lopes

Valentin Kehayov

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Kacper Frankiewicz

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Shamika Lewis-Reid Uygar Aygun

Benedict Whitehead Christabelle Boamyah-Marfo

Berke Guldal Deborah Tewogbade

Mazlum Sonzamanci

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Gloria Ocran Ayse Pirbudak Kofi Omari-Amoako Aisha Farrance-Grier Tasnimah Begum

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Martin Filyovski

Taylor Nelson-Morrison Huang Rou Chen Elisha Campbell Grisha Dimitrov Egla Gjataj Arifa Khanom Sara Foukroun Dilara Koc

Jennifer Loaiza Vivas

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Year 11

Maria Ramirez-Munoz Adrian Borek

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 Yu Qing Dai

Ye Fang

Max Hahn

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Year 8

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Year 7

Christelle Modi-Doudou Ali Kilcik

Costin Zaharia

Patric Basse Leo Bouniol Dionne Marfo Ke Ying Chen Daria Wilk Yasmina Kebiri Yi Ting Guan

Rossella Daboval Laura Dalecka Harpreet Lohia Kamilly Miranda Lopes Dutra Sheariah Masagazi Parit Haria Tahmid Uddin Darshan Leslie Steven Frost Nabeel Chaudary Mert Arduc

8BS is the tutor group with the most Platinum winners this year so far and their tutor, Ms Saunders, is extremely proud of them:

‘My students have worked hard throughout the year. The awards don’t just recognise academic achievement – students have to attend every day and be unfailingly punctual. They also need to have all their equipment in good order and ensure they complete their homework on time. So they really must pay attention to everything that contributes to their learning and I’m pleased that so many of my form have done so.’ 4

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No idea? Ask Darshan, Juan, Steven, Ali, Costin and Mateusz, all Y10. This was one of the questions they faced at the British round of the International History Bee and Bowl competition and, being well-prepared, they knew the answer. This buzzer-based history quiz includes the ‘Bowl’ where students compete as a team and the ‘Bee’ where they compete individually. Competitors had to answer questions covering history of the arts, sciences, religion, philosophy, language, historical geography, recent history and even a bit of the history of sports and entertainment. So imagine the preparation needed!

Well done!

Which country has a flag picturing an eagle holding a serpent in its beak and talon?

Jay-Ann named England Basketball ‘Player of the Year’ Jay-Ann, Y13, celebrated being named England Basketball ‘Player of the Year’ in the women’s Under 18 category: ‘Although I was top scorer for the team, this came as quite a shock. I was Player of the Year in the Under 16 category so this makes it a double. I’m really pleased.’ Jay-Ann started playing when she was 10 and has played for GCA, Haringey Angels and England in all age groups. In September, she is off to the University of Toledo in Ohio, on a four-year scholarship. Toledo’s coach came to see Jay-Ann play and offered her a place but she also visited universities in Florida, Chicago and Tennessee before plumping for Toledo.

Although they didn’t make it to the final of the ‘Bowl’, they did very well against stiff competition in the ‘Bee’ where most other competitors were two to three years older. Steven, Darshan and Juan gained 2nd, 3rd and 4th places, qualifying to compete in the European championships in Rome.

‘It was good fun and very competitive.’ Steven ‘It was a great opportunity to sharpen our history knowledge.’ Darshan ‘We revised together as a team which was very helpful and some of the areas we’d revised came up so that was lucky for us.’ Juan Darshan and Steven took up their places in Rome and, although they didn’t quite make the final, we congratulate them for their impressive performances. History champs l-r Steven, Juan, Ali, Mateusz, Darshan, Costin

Jay-Ann focusing on her studies

Mr Bowmaker said: ‘I’m delighted for Jay-Ann. Her determination and disciplined approach set her apart from other aspiring players and she will be missed when she goes to Toledo. The award recognises the high quality of her play and the contribution she made to the England women’s team moving from B to A Division in the European championships.’ Mr Holt added: ‘Jay-Ann brings the same disciplined approach to her A-level studies as she does to basketball. She is studying English, history and psychology and sets herself high standards which she achieves time after time. We are very proud of her.’

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Well done!

STEM bursary winners Well done to five sixth formers who had a pleasant end-of-term surprise in December. The Tallow Chandlers Company, a City Livery company, is generously supporting STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) programmes at the Academy and this support includes academic bursaries for the highest achieving students at AS level. The scheme awards bursaries to Year 13 students based on their performance in their AS exams at the end of Year 12. Each student receives £500 and, provided they take a STEM subject at university, they will receive a further bursary during their first year – four students will receive a further £1000 and the student with the best AS results overall will receive £2000.

Ali receives his certificate from Ian Robertson

Members of the Company joined students and staff for a presentation of the first set of awards on December 13 during sixth form assembly. The Master of Tallow Chandlers, Ian Robertson, presented certificates and cheques to: Ali Demerci – award for physics

Natalia Cwiek – award for chemistry

Javaid Haujee – award for product design

Morenike Ajidagba – award for biology

Shakeil Hosein – award for mathematics Morenike, who had the best AS results overall, will receive £2000 during her first year at university and the other four will receive £1000. A great incentive for this year’s Year 12 STEM students!

Four of our bursary winners at Tallow Chandlers Hall

Mrs Arhagba, Baroness Young, Natalia and her mother

In April, the award winners, their parents, Mr Hearn and Mrs Arhagba attended an Awards Luncheon in the Tallow Chandlers Hall in the City, a building that dates from 1672. The luncheon celebrated the achievements of award winners from schools, universities and apprenticeships. ‘We hadn’t been told there was to be a presentation during assembly because teachers wanted to surprise us but when I found out I was to receive an award it was a complete shock. I intend to study midwifery at university so the award will be very useful. The luncheon was exciting. The members of the Company really put us at ease, asking questions about our career intentions and showing a lot of interest. Also, I’ve never been in such a beautiful environment as the Hall before. A great experience.’ Natalia

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Natalia receives her certificate

The luncheon

Well done!

+?2 = x3 ! %^&*()_ œ∑´†¥¨^øπ åß∂ƒ˙3∆˚¬… Ω≈6ç√∫~µ≤ Œ„‰4 +?2 x3 !£$%^& œ∑´†¥¨^øπ åß∂ƒ˙3∆˚¬… Ω≈6ç√∫~µ≤ Congratulations to all these students who did so well in the 2014 Maths Challenge: Intermediate Maths Challenge Year 10

Best in School, Best in Year, Silver certificate Ridwan Hussain

Morenike receives her certificate

Silver certificate Nakasha Morton Parit Haria

Bronze certificate Nicole Alexander

Nabeel Chaudary

Year 9

Best in Year

Issa Sheik Chad

Javaid receives his certificate

We are extremely appreciative of the support The Tallow Chandlers Company gives to the Academy; it helps us promote the value of STEM across all age groups and it’s good to see that these subjects are popular with our students. As Mr Hearn said: ‘A significant number of our students will benefit from the support the Tallow Chandlers are giving us and we thank them for their involvement.’

Junior Maths Challenge Year 8

Best in School, Best in Year, Gold certificate Aman Raja

Silver certificate Klint Krasniqi

Odunayo Olokodana Bronze certificate Ferhan Gunay

Nader Hassan

Kiyoni Chambers

Year 7

Best in Year, Silver certificate Umar Raja

Bronze certificate Erik Palushi

Olakunmi Olajide-Shittu

Shakeil’s certificate

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Well done!

The Jack Petchey Achievement Awards

Karlisa with Ms Matthews

This scheme is run by the Jack Petchey Foundation which was set up by a London businessman to recognise ‘extreme endeavour and to help young people help themselves’. Every month of the school year, a student is selected to receive an award. The winner receives a certificate and a badge, and the following year, takes part in a ceremony to celebrate the achievements of the winners from all Haringey schools.

Karlisa, Y9, won her award for her significant contribution to debating activities. She is a key member of the Debating Society and regularly takes part in local, regional and national competitions with great success. Karlisa has a very positive attitude to learning, contributing very effectively to discussions in class and focusing well on her work. She has allocated her £200 to buy resources for the Debating Society.

The Foundation also gives the school £200 for each of the months that we give an award – 9 awards a year. Winners get to choose how they want to allocate their £200 to support a school or community activity.

Let’s read about this year’s winners …

Senanur with Mr Horner

Michal with Mr Ullah

Michal, Y11, won his award for the significant contribution he has made to the Rocket Club. Mr Garcia explained that Michal supports younger students very well and they benefit from the time and effort he puts in. Michal is also very active in extra-curricular activities in and out of school and, in March 2014, won a gold medal in the British Schools Judo Championships under 73kg class. Michal allocated £200 to the purchase of Rocket Club resources.

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Benardo with Mr Ullah

Benardo, Y11, was chosen as October’s winner for being consistently hardworking and for being supportive of other students. Mr Ullah who nominated him for the award says Benardo is an extremely dedicated and reliable student who consistently applies himself to all his subjects. He has been supporting a fellow student for the past two years and has made many sacrifices in order to do so, never asking for any recognition or praise yet clearly deserving of both. Benardo allocated £200 to buy equipment for media projects.

Senanur, Y10, was nominated by Mr Horner and became January’s winner. She was chosen not only for her positive attitude to learning and her focus in class but also for the contribution she makes to the school, for example leading on the BBC School Report whilst in Year 9 and taking part in a wide range of extracurricular activities. Senanur used £100 to but netball bibs and £100 to set up a lending library for the history department.

Well done!

Sharif with Mr Ullah

Sharif, Y11, was nominated by Mr Ullah for outstanding achievement in all his subjects. His tutor, Mrs Arhagba explained that he is a hardworking and committed student who is highly respected by his fellow students. They say that Sharif helps them by explaining work and running revision sessions and that he is a very nice person to be around. Sharif has allocated his £200 towards the purchase of a Van de Graaff generator for physics.

Martyna with Mrs Arhagba

Martyna, Y10, was nominated by Mrs Arhagba for the contribution she makes to the school’s Enterprise Company. Martyna puts in lots of extra hours after school and at the weekend to make the company a success and works extremely well with other members of the team. She always makes the most of all the opportunities offered to her. Martyna has allocated her £200 to buy a digital heat press for Graphics.

Obinna with Mr Ullah

Obinna, Y11, was selected by Ms Williams for the award for the work he did for his citizenship project on homelessness. Obinna contacted our two local MPS to ask them to raise awareness of the problem and to find out what action they were going to take. Lynne Featherstone MP visited the school along with a volunteer from the Haringey Winter Shelter, to discuss ways to raise awareness and the help available to young people affected by homelessness. Obinna used his £200 to buy costumes for drama.

Leader’s Award George with Mr Scott

Anita with Mr Chorley

George, Y8, gained the award for all he has done to promote table tennis to his fellow students. George took it upon himself to run an ad hoc club based around the outdoor tables. He arranged a Years 7 and 8 tournament that was held in the summer term. He has coached and scouted for potential players, gaining much respect from his peers in the process. George allocated £200 to the purchase of table tennis equipment.

Anita, Y7, was nominated for the award by Ms Mcghie and Mr Kemal who declared that Anita is an ‘all-rounder’ who has a very positive attitude to learning, joins in with lots of school activities and supports other students. She is very enthusiastic and has made a great start to her career with the school. Drama is her favourite subject and she has allocated her £200 to that department to buy a photoboard featuring a scene from Macbeth.

The Foundation realises that lots of the great work, projects and schemes that young people are able to participate in would not be possible without the support of their adult leaders. So they created their Leader Award and this year, Mr Ncube won the award. We all know Mr Ncube’s mantra ‘Maths is beautiful’ and we know how well he enthuses students. Here’s what Morenike, Y13, said: ‘Mr Ncube gets to our level when he’s explaining things and makes sure we know the relevance of maths to the other subjects we are studying.’

And here’s what Mr Sutton said: ‘Mr Ncube has made a significant difference to maths GCSE results in the school over the past two years since taking up post. More importantly, through his teaching skills, his optimistic mindset and his relentless zeal, he inspires young people to be enthusiastic about maths and the concepts inherent in the subject. Mr Ncube’s presence in the school is an absolute joy.’

Mr Ncube expressing the beauty of maths GCA

Issue 10

STEM challenges

Any idea what a Tesla Coil is? Years 7, 8 and 9 learned all about air pressure, aerodynamics, Newton’s third law of motion, thrust, the Coanda effect, centrifugal forces and much more in March when BAE Systems and the RAF came to demonstrate a Tesla Coil. So what is a Tesla Coil? It’s an electrical resonant transformer used to produce high-voltage, low-current electricity and definitely not to be touched. BAE and the RAF used everyday objects in their demonstrations. You can see a dustbin in one of the photos and a bicycle wheel in another. ‘It was brilliant. The presentations were done in an amusing way so they kept us entertained and interested all the time.’ Alexander, Y7

The Tesla Coil is generating the sound from the keyboard

Demonstrating the effects of differences in air pressure

Demonstrating the effect of centrifugal force

Tesla coil

Introducing this year’s Engineering Education Scheme This is the third year we have taken part in the national Engineering Education Scheme. Our sponsors yet again were Mott MacDonald and the team members were: Joseph Alemu Joshua O’Connell

Kieron Farrance Rowland Rich

Their task, commissioned by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, was to assess the feasibility of building a dam on a river in Wales to provide fresh water for the proposed development of a new town called Hywlfynydd and also to look at the possibility of using hydropower. The team had to select an appropriate site in the head waters of the Irfon River and complete a detailed design of the dam. Their mentors were Richard Beaumont and Divesh Mistry of Mott MacDonald who were particularly impressed by the wealth of skills the team brought to the task and by their enthusiasm and determination.

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Our four were just as impressed by their mentors. Joshua said: ‘They have been brilliant. We went into the scheme without much idea as to what to do but Richard and Divesh gave us a very clear brief and advice

to get us started. At each stage, as we submitted ideas and plans, they gave us comprehensive feedback that helped us make changes. This was an ongoing and very valuable process.’

Joseph, Rowland, Joshua and Kieron present their project

Year 10s were challenged to build a bridge which would move to allow boats to pass through. The challenge was organised through the Rise Programme delivered by the Smallpeice Trust and funded by the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers. Congratulations to the winning team of D’andri, Josiah, Zolfikar and Nabeel pictured here with Mr Garcia and Josh from the Smallpeice Trust.

STEM challenges

Bridge builders

Are you interested in engineering or technical design? If you’re entering Year 11 in September, do ask Mr Garcia about the Arkwright Scholarships Trust. The Trust awards Engineering Scholarships to high-calibre students in Year 11 and here’s a taste of what successful candidates get: • A £600 financial award • Mentoring about engineering and technical design • Enrichment opportunities such as engineering experience days • Free CREO design software and training • Arkwright Undergraduate Scholarships worth between £10,000 and £12,000 over the period of your undergraduate degree What do you do to win a scholarship? First complete an application form then take an aptitude test. If you pass you are invited for an interview at a university renowned for engineering where you’ll answer some in-depth questions.

The winning team

‘It was a great experience as I’ve never done anything like this before. I was able to use technical skills I never knew I had. I was confident in the ability of our team but still didn’t think we would win. It made me realise that if you set your mind to it, you can do well.’ D’andri ‘We’re very lucky to be taking part in the Rise Programme as one of only five schools in the country. All the students in this challenge will be tracked through to the end of Year 13. Each year they’ll get a prospectus of activities and opportunities and will be invited to choose the ones they are most interested in – for example, careers advice, a visit to manufacturing and engineering companies, workshops. The programme is individualised – it’s all about getting young people to map out their own pathway. They’ll also be set targets in all their STEM subjects and these will be more ambitious than the norm.’ Mr Garcia

Does that sound scary? It didn’t put off Michal Wensierksi who passed his test with flying colours and is waiting for the results of his interview.

‘I’d definitely recommend other students to try for this scholarship. Even if you don’t get through you can learn a lot. I had to explain a project I’ve been working on which is about creating a better structure for a remote control car to enable it to perform better. I won’t know the outcome until July but I came out of the interview with a smile.’ If engineering is for you, don’t let this opportunity pass you by.

Science and Technology Challenge Fatmata and Natyshia, both Year 10, represented Haringey and Enfield in the South England final of the Science and Technology Challenge at Cambridge University. The girls made up a team with two students from Chase Community School. Their task? To build a robot that they could steer around a course, using coding and programming skills. Did they win? No, and Fatmata puts that down to their coding skills not being as good as those of the winning team. It was still a fantastic experience – here’s what our two said: ‘It’s not every day you get to go to a top notch uni. I’d like to be able to do more coding in school.’ Fatmata

Fatmata and Natyshia

‘It was good to visit Cambridge and I enjoyed the challenge as I’d never done coding before.’ Natyshia Are they interested in a career in technology? Well, Fatmata is set on medicine but will consider engineering as a backup. Natyshia is keeping her options open – veterinary science, engineering and architecture are all potential paths. GCA

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Design and make

Here are just a few of the products GCA technology students have designed and made this year either for GCSE or A level. The standard gets higher every year!

Niall’s darts cabinet Faith’s guitar

Lateefat’s Modernist doll’s house

Minomi’s roller coaster

Enver’s roll-top storage cabinet Jideofur’s table-cum-chair

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Design and make

Sara’s office building

Charvet’s rocking chair

Zohir’s drawing board and palette

Angelo’s boat

Bin Bin’s paper storage cabinet

Roberto’s collector’s box GCA

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The joy of language

Ein fantastischer Besuch in Köln Ms Mason, Mr Scott and I set off on a sunny Sunday afternoon with 19 excited Year 10 German students. After a very noisy, hot and lengthy journey we eventually arrived at the youth hostel which was set in a really lovely location close to the centre of Köln alongside the river Rhine. Over the next two days it was a pleasure to be with these students as they explored the city, improved their German skills and had a thoroughly good time. The students had to do various tasks over the two days and I was really pleased with how they performed. The trip was a great success and the students have returned with more confidence when speaking which will be invaluable as they begin Year 11. Mrs O’Brien On the steps of Köln Cathedral

‘I really enjoyed our time in Köln. The aim was for us to practise our listening and speaking so we were set tasks such as asking reception staff questions. We also toured Köln, noting all the attractions and then prepared and delivered a presentation on the town in German. I now feel more confident about speaking and the practice I’ve had will help me in my GCSE speaking assessment.’ Daniel Ossorno Reyes 14

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The joy of language

Do you speak Finnish? Could you explain the differences between the Finnish and Spanish languages after just one lesson in Finnish? Well, that’s what Year 9 students managed to do when they visited University College London in April. After a brief talk about UCL and university applications in general, our group were taken on a tour of the college by 1st year undergraduates. They then took part in a Finnish lesson with their usual energy and enthusiasm followed by a lesson in a language with which they are much more familiar Spanish. Then came the test! They prepared a presentation focusing on their experience of the day at UCL and either the differences between Finnish and Spanish or all about Finnish. The presentations were given in a lecture theatre to a member of staff who also gave them feedback. Mrs O’Brien said:

‘I was very proud of them all as they spoke really well, with confidence and personality. A good day was had by all.’

Vis discere linguam Latinam? In September, thanks to the charity Classics for All, we shall be running a programme on classical civilisation – day-to-day living, religion, beliefs and myths, warfare, literature, art, architecture and the influences of Greek and Latin on the English and the Romance languages. GCA students have covered some of the above in your history, English and art studies but so far you haven’t had a chance to learn Latin or Ancient Greek. We can’t offer Greek yet but we’ll be offering an after-school Latin class as part of the programme. We know many of you have an interest in classics – seven students will be off to a classics summer school at Wadham College, Oxford University and we had a good show of hands from interested Year 7s. But there may be more of you out there. So, if you want to take part please speak to Mrs Hughes in the history department. Carpe diem!

In the lecture hall at UCL

Quiz How much do you remember of ‘Words of the Day’? Do you know your Latin and Greek roots? Try this quiz to test yourself. The first two students to take the correct answers to Mrs Ward in Student Information will win a book token. 1. bio- as in biology or microbiotic means: a) life b) science c) animal d) two

5. nocti- or noct- as in noctiphobia or nocturnal means: a) late b) strange c) night d) fear

2. pyro- as in pyromania or pyrolatry means: a) destroy b) smother c) fire d) break

6. sol- as in solarium or parasol means: a) sun b) alone c) one d) shade

3. mal- as in malfeasance or malevolence means: a) bad b) best c) sound d) good

7. macro- as in macrocosm or macrophotography means: a) small b) large c) tiny d) normal

4. post- as in postscript or posterior means: a) against b) write c) letter d) after

8. ambul- as in ambulatory or somnambulate means: a) emergency b) rescue c) walk d) sleep GCA

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The world of books

What’s a good read for students? What does We called into the library to ask some students what they would recommend Ms Brewty for young people of their age and who should we see but two of the boys we featured in last year’s magazine. Here’s what they had to say this year … recommend? Nader, Y8, recommends ‘The Inkheart Trilogy’ by Cornelia Funke. ‘They’re strange books, very imaginative and there’s always a strong twist at the end so you’re left with a mystery.’ Nader likes long books because once he gets into a book he doesn’t want the experience to be over too soon.

Nader

Nathaniel, Y8, was busy doing some graphics homework with Achileas – looking up the meaning of ‘semiotics’ and ‘infographics’ – when we asked them to recommend some books. Achileas says you should read some of the ‘Cherub’ series by Robert Muchamore – a series of young adult spy novels about a division of the British Security Service named CHERUB that employs young people as intelligence officers.

Nathaniel

We also talked to Nailaa who is a Y7 library helper. Nailaa likes all kinds of adventure books and books written as diaries.

Nailaa

Nailaa recommends ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ for young people of her age. Why? ‘Because it’s full of different creatures so it stirs your imagination and makes you think about different possible worlds.’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

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‘This year is the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. It is the war that inspired so many great poets like Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen and such memorable and well-known poems as “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae and “For the Fallen” by Laurence Binyon.

Inkheart

The Recruit - Cherub series

‘Adventure books are interesting and fun. There’s often some suspense as you’re never sure what the end will be. I like to have a guess at the ending. Sometimes I’m right but other times there’s a twist in the tale that makes it harder to guess what will finally happen.’

Poems of the First World War, selected by Gaby Morgan in association with the Imperial War Museum.

Ms Brewty’s recommendation

This collection includes all of these, but also highlights other less well-known poets like Ivor Gurney (the “Cotswolds” poet), and Isaac Rosenberg, the only Jewish war poet, who was from London. Women also feature, led by Vera Brittain who lost both a brother and fiancé during the First World War. This is worth looking at both as a reminder of poems many of us are already familiar with or as a very accessible introduction for those embarking on their first journey into the powerful and moving world of war poetry.’

The world of books

What’s a good read for other members of staff? Here are some of the favourite books and authors of eleven of GCA’s staff. Can you guess which member of staff likes which book? Write out your answers and take them to Ms Brewty in the library. The first two students to guess all the answers correctly will win a book token. Here are the staff:

Mrs O’Brien

Mr Scott

Ms Williams

Ms Coles

Mr Ullah

Mrs Arhagba

Ms Cameron

Mr Bailey

Mr Corrigan

Mr Letford

Mr Hearn

Here are the books they like with their authors: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey (Think science)

Beside the Ocean of Time by George Mackay Brown (Think Scotland)

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (Think languages)

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (Think field trips)

The Digital Fortress by Dan Brown (Think computers)

Keeping Faith by Jodie Picoult (Think choirs)

The Color Purple by Alice Walker (Think enterprise)

The Client by John Grisham (Think baskets)

Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (Think school gate uniform check) One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Think star-gazing) Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride (Think model aeroplanes)

Yes, you may check with the teachers but have a go first.

An award-winning author inspires Alan Gibbons, who has been a bestselling author for 23 years and is famous for his thriller novels for teenagers and other genres, inspired Year 7 and 8 students to write their own stories …

was. Then we used our imaginations to build up the story to make it interesting.’ Remi, Y8 ‘We have some very able writers in Years 7 and 8 so Mr Baxter and I decided to celebrate this and to create an opportunity for them to take part in a dynamic, inspiring and creative writers’ workshop.

Reading out the final version

The day enabled students to approach literature from a different angle and to focus on the development of skills needed to improve their writing in an exciting forum with other very able students to bounce ideas off. Alan Gibbons in full flow

‘It was a fun day. Mr Gibbons gave us a title, Empire of the Sun, and told us about the characters, where the story was based and what the basic plot

Encouragement from Ms Carter

Brilliant feedback was given by mentally exhausted students at the end of the day!’ Ms Carter

Encouragement from the author

Stories on display

Anna enjoys writing GCA

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Thinking ahead

Here are some of the initiatives the school delivers with partners to get students preparing for their future.

Heaps more H•E•A•P•S The Higher Education Access Programme for Schools (HEAPS) helps gifted and talented sixth formers gain a place in selective universities. This year’s HEAPS’ students are … Joseph Alemu – studying A level physics, chemistry and maths in Y12 and will start further maths in Y13; considering civil or aeronautical engineering and plans to work in industry for a gap year to help him decide on the course. ‘I’ve made lots of contact with engineering professionals through my STEM activities and they are going to help me find a placement.’ Sheku Dumbuya – studying A level chemistry, biology, maths and English; would like to read chemistry or chemical engineering at university with a view to a career in either the pharmaceutical or oil industries. ‘Chemistry is the most interesting of all my subjects because there’s always something new to create or develop.’

Can you spot our boys?

Joshua Selvaratnam – studying A level biology, history, ICT and psychology and would like to study genetics at university. Dejarne Bogle – studying A level biology, geography, maths and physics and particularly enjoys physics. For the moment he’s keeping his options open as to his career and university courses. Rowland Rich – studying A level chemistry, physics and maths and would like to work in industry for a gap year then study engineering with a view to a career in nanotechnology.

Corpus Christi College

Joseph Simeon – studying A level maths, biology, chemistry and physics; considering engineering at university and is set on a career that will involve discovering properties for new materials.

The highlight of the programme is a residential at Cambridge, which, this year, was at Corpus Christi College.

Thinking ahead on the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme A record number of students are on the scheme – 47 working towards their silver award and 35 towards their bronze. All will cover four modules: physical, skills, volunteering plus an expedition. Paxina and Nicole explain what they hope to get out of the experience …

‘My sister and brother got a lot out of doing DofE. Also the chance won’t come again. I’m doing netball for the physical, drama for skills and will mentor a younger student as a volunteer.’ Paxina, Y10 ‘DofE will help me produce a good university application form – as well as being a good thing to do in its own right. The survival skills you learn on the expedition will always be useful. I’m also doing netball for the physical module and piano for skills but am not yet sure what I’ll volunteer for – possibly working in a charity shop.’ Nicole, Y10 Paxina and Nicole

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Thinking ahead

The Chrysalis Partnership Morenike’s experience with Highgate School ‘I studied biology in the Y10 summer school, The Chrysalis Partnership provides extension work for the brightest pupils and support for applications to selective universities.

The university access scheme includes an intensive fourday summer school involving: subject-specific tutorials; inspiring lectures by experts in their field; visits from admissions tutors and university ambassadors and undergraduate mentoring.

which came at just the right time, giving me an extra boost to focus on getting the grades I needed in Y11. In the Y12 school I studied chemistry and took part in activities designed to make us think about our interests, what we wanted to give to society, whether we wanted to travel and whether we might be interested in entrepreneurship.

The feedback from the interview technique sessions made me realize I need an in-depth understanding of my subjects. We observed other students being interviewed by an admissions tutor from Imperial College who went through good points and areas for improvement. One of the tips was that it’s vital to keep up to date on the latest news in your chosen area – in my case medicine.’ Morenike obviously made an impression on Chrysalis organisers because she’s been asked to be an ambassador on the 2014 summer school.

Maths enrichment

One of the themes this year was How to survive a zombie apocalypse. Arrwin, tackled the zombies …

Gifted Y9 students regularly attend maths enrichment days at Highgate, delivered by external lecturers such as Tony Gardiner, eminent mathematician and founder of the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust. The aim is to enable students to share their passion for maths with other very able students and to explore challenging topics.

Morenike

Arrwin back at school

‘The session was interactive, with lots of problem solving. One of the tasks was to work out how long it would take for the whole world to be infected with a virus if one zombie infected two people in a day and then the infected people infected two per day in turn, and so on. We worked out it would take just over 20 days.’

Thinking ahead to Key Stage 4 What’s your learning style? Are you a visual learner who takes things in by seeing what you’re being taught? Or is audio/ auditory your preferred style? Maybe you’re a kinaesthetic learner who learns by carrying out a physical activity.

Beatrice and I both have the same learning style – visual-kinaesthetic. Beejaye and Seroca helped us find good ways to learn and this has helped us with our GCSE studies. I am now 100% ready for what I have to do. My advice to future Year 9s is to stay focused.’ Victoria

‘It’s been a fantastic day. The students were very mature and also very open about their needs and concerns in relation to tackling KS4 studies.’ Seroca

Beejaye gets Y9 into the swing of things

Y9 students had a chance to learn about their preferred learning styles with Beejaye and Seroca of M.A.I.N. and to find out how they could achieve a better balance so that one style did not crowd out the others. ‘I found the workshop meaningful and helpful. I now understand what it means to go into Year 10 with a focused mind. As Beejaye said: “It’s going to hit you like that!” GCA

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Musical notes

‘If music be the food of love, play on; Give me excess of it …’ William Shakespeare GCA students don’t seem to be able to get enough of music. From 7.40am onwards you can find classes being taught, players and singers of all ages coming out of class for individual tuition and ensembles getting together to practise – right through break, lunch-time and for hours after school. Why is music at GCA so popular?

Some of it is down to students’ passion for the subject Main picture: Gideon, Dawit, Omari, Elliesse and Destiny make music together

‘I love music. I sing and play the guitar and enjoy all types of genre – pop, jazz, folk, just about everything.’ Rochelle, Y11

Azat on saz

‘I love the feeling I get when I do well and when I make people happy by singing. I do get nervous before I perform but it’s worth it in the end. ’ Krystal, Y11

Some of it is about the encouragement and support teachers give students Mr Pottage is a peripatetic teacher of guitar … ‘I enjoy teaching at Greig. The students are a big part of it but it’s also about the staff – they really care about the progress of all their students and go out of their way to make sure everyone is engaged.’

Rochelle, Krystal, Sarah and Donalee in harmony

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Mr Pottage teaching Max

Musical notes

Passion + encouragement + support = 100% pass rate year on year at KS4 and 5 ‘It’s a question of supply meeting demand. We offer what appeals to students and aim to inspire their imaginations as well as building on their enthusiasm. We make sure instruments are accessible and the sheer amount of contact time we have with students is definitely a contributing factor to our success – we are always available.’ Mr Mishra, Head of Creative Arts

Tesfa on trumpet

Thanks from Rokesly Thanks to sixth form music students, Laura, Dieu, Charles, Maria and Sochima, and to Mr Mishra for entertaining Rokesly pupils, teachers and parents at their annual International Evening in October. Ms Ferszt, a governor at the school, said: ‘They were brilliant. Lots of parents, children and teachers commented on their great performance. It was very kind of them all to donate their time. I hope that there will be further opportunities for the schools to collaborate.’

Rokesly says thanks GCA

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On stage

On stage This year has been very exciting for GCA drama with highlights including the two sixth form classes performing Shakespeare’s Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream as part of the Shakespeare Schools Festival. Macbeth proved to be a crowd favourite each time it was performed in the Arts Depot, The Pleasance Theatre in Islington, and the Academy’s own theatre.

Terell Oswald, who played Macbeth, considered his performance to be ‘professional yet passionate’ and feels that it has been his best performance to date. Terell chose to study drama because it enables him to display his vast range of diverse faces and emotions through the varied characters that he plays. Terell advises all budding actors and actresses to: ‘Have the dream from early on. Something that keeps you motivated, despite the rehearsals being long and tiring. After all, there’s no better feeling than doing something you love while everyone around you praises you for a job well done.’ Head of Drama, Mr Unugur said: ‘Terell proved with this performance that he

has the talent, discipline and positive attitude to work in the performing arts industry. His performance as Macbeth was sensitive and intense, in equal measures. It was an outstanding piece of work, and had so many memorable moments!’ Is this a dagger which I see before me

Ms Jackson, Ms Ajoku and Mr Unugur are happy bunnies after the performance

This was a fantastic opportunity to see some of GCA’s most talented actors doing what they love. The performances from all the students were terrific – ‘exhilarating and emotional’ were just two of the words used – and the staging was superb. Appreciative audiences gave the troupe a standing ovation each time they performed.

Esra played Titania, queen of the fairies, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: ‘It was a phenomenal experience to play such a strong character, especially on the professional stage at the Arts Depot. The best experience ever. Different roles require different vocal and physical techniques so you are always learning and developing your skills whatever character you are cast as.’

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Out damned spot

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On stage

Our second truly amazing Drama Festival The high standards set by last year’s drama students were easily met by this year’s performers.

Over nine evenings, performing arts students gave us five scripted plays To Kill a Mockingbird Oedipus A Clockwork Orange Lord of the Flies One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and seven devised plays about historical events.

Oedipus

JFK Rabbit Proof Fence Jim Jones Jack the Ripper 1895 Riots Columbine Killings

Patric and Velislava were in total accord as to what made One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest such a success …

Blood Diamond 31st March

25th March 24th March

Columbine Killings  &   Blood Diamond

Rabbit Proof Fence  &  Jim Jones

JFK  26th March

‘Our drama class has become a family – we work so well together and get on with one another as well.

Jack the Ripper  &  1895 Riots

2nd April Oedipus

1st

April

Lord of The Flies

3rd April

23rd April

One Flew Over The   Cuckoo’s Nest

A Clockwork Orange

We’re actually a company now and call ourselves Platinum Phoenix - platinum because it’s one of the top precious metals and we’re the tops, and phoenix because we rise and rise – getting better and better.

24th April To Kill a Mocking Bird

It’s great to be able to entertain people. Mr Unugur likes to showcase everyone so he makes sure we all get a chance at both main and supporting roles. That’s extremely good for ensemble working.’

Patric and Velislava in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

With thanks to Joseph Simeon for interviews. GCA

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Catch-up time

Here’s a chance to catch up on news of a few of our ex-students. Do you remember Nathan Gayle? Nathan is now in his third year studying catering and hospitality at Westminster Kingsway College and he has had an extremely successful year. and imagination to pip the other teams to the title. Their menu was beautifully executed.’ Nathan and his team won five days’ work experience, along with an invitation to join and assist the Craft Guild of Chefs culinary team at the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg.

Nathan and team in India

In October, Nathan and two fellow students were the first team winners of the Junior Asian Chef Challenge 2013. The team impressed the judges with their superbly cooked and presented four-course pan-Asian dinner which proved their knowledge and understanding of various aspects of Asian cuisine and also their commitment to sustainability. The team won a 10-day culinary and learning journey through cities in India. Then in April the same team was triumphant in the 2013/14 Brakes Student Chef Team Challenge live cook-off final. The team beat off fierce competition from seven outstanding college teams when they were challenged to create a threecourse, four-cover menu inspired by a ‘Back to Basics’ theme in just 1 hour 45 minutes.

One of the judges said that Nathan’s team displayed ‘the perfect combination of teamwork, technique

Read more about Nathan and try out his recipes on his blog www.cocinaartista.com where you’ll find that, as well as his love of food and cooking, he’s also keen on photography, abstract art, sport (free running) and architecture.

Nathan - third from right

Ezekiel Teya tells us: ‘It’s been three years since I left GCA and how time flies. I am in my final year reading Law with Business at Nottingham Trent. University has been an amazing experience. The first year saw me adapting to a new environment away from home. Moving into university halls and sharing a kitchen with five strangers seemed daunting at first, but I now see this as one of the easy ways that university allows you to make new friends. I signed up to lots of societies such as the Afro-Caribbean Society and the Music and Football societies. So I’ve been able to continue the extra-curricular activities I enjoyed at GCA.

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Some say the major difference between sixth form and university is the workload but I feel the real difference is the quality of work. Studying for a degree requires you to conduct more outside research, be more attentive to detail and remain stringent in regards to assessment regulation. That being said, the contact time I have with my lecturers and tutors is actually less than that in the sixth form so there is plenty of time for you to have a life despite what the myths may say. Now I’m looking forward to exploring career opportunities in the legal field.’

Catch-up time

Paul Adeleke has just finished his final year at the University of Nottingham where he has been studying for a BA (Hons) in Finance, Accounting and Management. Paul has been involved in numerous societies since his first year and became treasurer of the African/Caribbean Society where he managed finances as well as looking for ways to raise money. With his committee he raised £6000 of sponsorship from banks and organised 16 events for members and the public including career and social events such as a movie night, a cookout, jazz, funk and soul showcases.

David Akata

Paul (left) on tour

Paul organised a sports tour to Salou, Spain for the ACS football and netball teams. Being part of this committee has been a rewarding experience for Paul as the committee has won several awards such as ‘Most Improved Society’ and ‘Gold Star Award’. Paul won an ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Society’ award. Paul has found university really challenging but the skills he has gained have prepared him well for his future career. He has shown he can work in a team successfully and has improved his communication, organizational, presentation and budgeting skills.

Mirela Ivanova is in her first year at Wadham College, University of Oxford, where she is reading history. Mirela is now deputy editor of The Oxford Student – the online newspaper for Oxford University students’ union. Awaz Mahmoud is coming to the end of her first year at Surrey where she is reading criminology and sociology. Next year, she’s planning on taking a year out to work in Australia with the encouragement of her department. Cansu Temiz is now a financial analyst with Goldman Sachs but still found time to come into school to encourage Year 10 students as they prepared for work experience.

Sixth formers will know David Akata very well as he’s been helping out with data management and other organisational matters in the sixth form recently. David began his university career at Nottingham university studying mechanical engineering but realised the subject wasn’t for him: ‘When you know the course or subject doesn’t suit you, it’s vital that you do something about it rather than just hang in there and hope things change. I took advice from tutors and careers advisers before making up my mind but, in the end, the decision was mine. I’ll be starting an economics degree in the autumn at Nottingham again and am confident this is the right decision.’

We’re always looking for ex-students to feature on our website because their stories encourage and inspire our current crop of students so, if you know of anyone out there who used to attend Greig, please pass the message on.

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Say hello to...

… two new teachers Joseph interviewed Ms Heywood-Lonsdale and Mr Chorley to find out why they went into teaching and what they think of their experience so far. Ms Heywood-Lonsdale JS

Could you tell our readers what you wanted to be when you were younger?

Ms H-L It changed quite a lot: first a paediatrician, then sports medicine, then journalist, then NGO (non-governmental organization) and charities project manager, before thinking of becoming a teacher. JS

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How do you motivate your students?

Ms H-L I aim to make all their work as relevant to them as possible. Grammar and punctuation aren’t always the most exciting topics, so hopefully by presenting these topics in ways they can relate to I’ll get them to enjoy their work a lot more. JS

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

Were you surprised by anything when you started teaching?

Ms Heywood-Lonsdale

here at GCA as well. Also I didn’t expect the students to be so funny! JS

What do you do in your free time?

Ms H-L I studied Social Policy and Development at the London School of Economics (LSE) as I wanted to make a significant change to society. After the course, I felt the best way to make a direct and significant change was to teach as you are educating the future. It’s really making change at the ground level.

Ms H-L I previously taught in New York so it was quite a surprise to see that, regardless of the country or what is being taught, students still talk about the same things, make jokes about the same things and laugh at the same things. In the States there is a massive basketball culture, something that I was pleasantly surprised to see

Ms H-L I’m currently writing a novel and I play volleyball when I can. Other than that, I’m planning my wedding for August and enjoy reading, travelling, and going to the gym. JS

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me, Ms HeywoodLonsdale, and please let us know when your novel is published.

Mr Chorley

Mr C

The most important thing they should do is choose to study A Level Art and Design; this is a great opportunity for an artist to develop and unlock their own ideas.

Mr C

What motivates you to come to work?

The students and working with my team in the creative faculty; they’re great people all with their own individual strengths. I find it very inspiring to see so much passion go into teaching and learning.

Mr C

It’s fun, every day is different and spontaneous. I have to think on my feet quite often.

Were there any surprises?

Mr C

I am still surprised at how many positive opportunities GCA pupils are given; I would have loved to have been a student here.

What do you do in your free time?

Mr C

I’m also a freelance graphic designer, working professionally for clients on projects such as branding or website design. I love being outdoors, going for walks, navigating and camping.

What is your role in the faculty?

Mr C

Teacher of Art and Design and Gifted and Talented Coordinator. Moving forward, I hope to take a wider responsibility across the whole school.

What did you want to be when you were younger?

Mr C

Well, I’m a very creative person and have always been very curious, I wanted to be an inventor of sorts.

Why did you become a teacher?

Mr C

To inspire others, to have fun and be creative.

What would be the first steps for a student to get into graphic design?

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Favourite subject when you were in school?

Mr C

I really loved art when I was a student, I found geography and history very interesting and I also enjoyed competing in all of my school sports teams.

Best thing about working at GCA?

Say hello to...

… two longer-serving receptionists Ms Yusufu and Ms Reilly are in their sixth year at GCA and they are very familiar faces to students and parents. You speak to them on the telephone and they are the first people you see when you enter reception. So let’s learn some more about them … Ms Yusufu has a background in administration and throughout her career has always liked front-line work, so when she saw the ad for the reception post at GCA she realised this was the job for her. Ms Reilly started her career as a receptionist, moved into customer care and managerial roles in retail and the Post Office before coming back full circle to reception work. What do they like about their work? Ms Reilly: ‘No day is the same, there’s always something different to do. I like to work with the public and am always willing to help in a polite and professional manner.’ Ms Yusufu: ‘I enjoy meeting people and helping them get hold of the information they need.’ They say one of their key areas of work is putting parents in touch with staff but, in many cases, they can deal with the queries themselves so like to make sure they ask the right questions to enable them to give the answers callers need as swiftly as possible. Our two friendly receptionists work shifts so that reception is staffed from 7am to 9pm. During that time they provide a service not only for students, staff and parents but also for organisations such as Haringey Adult Learning Service and sports clubs that use GCA’s facilities in the evening.

Ms Reilly and Ms Yusufu

Both do get some spare time occasionally and here’s what they do:

Mr Chorley

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me, Mr Chorley, and good luck with all your ventures.

Ms Reilly: ‘I like to take my cocker spaniel, Herbie, to Hampstead Heath. I enjoy reading, ice skating, cycling and playing the odd game of footie.’ [Little known fact – Ms Reilly used to play for Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.] Ms Yusufu: ‘I’ve always done a lot of voluntary work. I work for a conservation charity and also acted as a mentor to a primary school pupil for a year. Apart from that I like ice-skating and gardening – I grow vegetables.’ [Ms Yusufu won an award for her mentoring work.]

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GCA welcomed...

The Bishop of Edmonton and other friends of GCA In November we were delighted to welcome the Right Reverend Peter Wheatley, Bishop of Edmonton, when he came to bless the sixth form centre. The blessing service included a reading from the Gospel according to Luke in which Jesus goes with his parents to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover and sits amongst the teachers in the temple listening and talking to them. The reading ends with ‘And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour.’ A reading of Proverbs 3 also spoke of the value of wisdom:

for her income is better than silver, and her revenue better than gold.’

Technology and enterprise students displayed their projects and guests had a chance to talk to students, staff and governors whilst enjoying refreshments.

‘The whole evening was a wonderful opportunity to give thanks for the many good things that happen in the life of our school. We can all too easily take these for granted, but the blessing of our new Sixth Form centre reminded us of the importance and presence of God as the giver of all that is good in our community.’ Fr Patrick

‘Thank you for the invitation to the Thank You Reception yesterday evening. It was a very enjoyable event and it was good to get time talking with some of the children about what they have been doing with the school.’ Mark Boult, Tallow

‘Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding,

The Bishop with Mr Ncube, Fr Patrick, Michael and Konrad

This occasion was also an opportunity for GCA to thank some of the people and organisations that support the school in so many ways. These included liverymen of the Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers, trustees of the Greig Trust, representatives of the London Diocesan Board of Schools, members of Hornsey Parish Church, volunteers who work in the school, and friends of the school – Chris Garcin, a designer, and Action Jackson, a motivational speaker, both of whom encourage students’ efforts so much.

Chandlers Company

Jack Andraka, scientist and inventor Jack Andraka inspired GCA sixth formers when he spoke to them about how he developed a test for cancer. Jack came to prominence as a scientist and inventor at the age of 15 when he developed a new, rapid and inexpensive dipstick-like sensor to detect an increase of a protein that indicates the presence of pancreatic cancer during the early stages of the disease, when there is a higher likelihood of a cure. After a close family friend died of pancreatic cancer, Jack became interested in finding a better early-detection diagnostic test. He came up with a plan and a budget to put his ideas in motion and contacted about 200 research professionals. He got an unbelievable 199 rejection letters before Dr Anirban Maitra at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine offered to be his mentor and let him develop the test in his lab. For his work Jack was awarded the Gordon E. Moore Award, the grand prize of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair - a prize which comes with $75,000.

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Jack talking to sixth formers

Morenike explained how Jack inspired her and her fellow students: ‘Jack was very modest and down-to-earth. It’s amazing what he’s achieved at such an early age yet he said we could all achieve just as much if we put our minds to it and refused to let anything hold us back. His school in the States is very similar to GCA and he didn’t have any special tuition - he just had an idea and stuck to it, facing each challenge as it came up and not giving in.’

And the moral of this story is – never give up!

GCA welcomed...

John Cridland, Director-General of the CBI Sixth form and Y11 students impressed the Director-General of the CBI with their business acumen when he visited the school to talk about his work. John Cridland said: ‘I was blown away by the interest GCA students

showed in business. They asked really good questions covering key issues affecting business and I learned a huge amount from them. It was the best fun I’d had all week.’ Mr Cridland spoke to 80 GCA students, describing his career, his current job and the role of the CBI. His talk was followed by a Q&A session where students quizzed him about financial controls in business, prospects for young people, support for small businesses, and how he sees the UK economy developing. John Cridland

Sixth-former Jennifer Onwuzulike, who plans to study law at university, said: ‘I was pleased to hear John say that the glass ceiling for women is completely unacceptable and talk about what needs to be done to ensure women have an equal chance of making it to the top. He’s given me the courage to attempt to break through the gender barrier.’ Joshua Teya was enthused by John’s tips for entrepreneurs, saying: ‘I’m planning a legal career but I’m also going to think about starting my own enterprise now I’ve heard John talk about the support available for start-ups and the importance of chasing your dream.’ John visited the Academy in his capacity as a speaker with the charity Speakers for Schools and the charity’s director, Ashley Hodges, said: ‘John’s talk at GCA struck a fantastic balance of personal insights and practical industry advice for students who made sure to ask difficult questions ranging from his thoughts on banker bonuses to key tips for start-ups.’

Royce Hong, designer and chief executive We gave a big welcome to Royce Hong, Chief Executive of Ipevo, a California-based company, in October. Earlier in the autumn term, Royce donated 100 visualizers for teachers to make presentations, share work with the whole class, capture live demonstrations and take photos and videos to share. In October he toured the school to see how teachers and students use the visualizers. ‘It was great seeing my P2V visualizers in action. I was pleasantly surprised at how the visualizer is being used across different subjects, in different ways. It was certainly an eye-opening experience for me as the way the courses are laid out and taught is very different from what we usually see in the States. The teachers I met are all passionate and enthusiastic, and I can see the students are fully engaged through the sparkle in their eyes. I am especially impressed with the Design and Technology curriculum- something I wish we had when I was in school!’ Royce Hong As well as being CE of Ipevo, Royce is its chief designer and he declared that his visit has ‘inspired me in many ways in developing tools for learning.’

Royce with Mr Pillay in the lab

‘We have really seen the impact of Ipevo visualisers in classrooms. Expertise has grown rapidly in art and science where they are used for live drawings and practical experiments. Geography and MFL teachers use them to capture evidence of students’ work and to showcase exemplar classwork. This has really improved levels of interaction and participation, providing instant feedback and evidencing progress.’ Mr McGill, Assistant Vice Principal

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GCA welcomed...

In January, professional footballer Jamar Loza, an ex-student of GCA, came back to visit the training ground where he started his journey to footballing excellence. Jamar assisted Mr Kemal in coaching his Year 9 football team, imparting his footballing knowledge, technique and skills. During his visit he talked about his days at the school where he and his fellow Year 11s were the first GCA team to win the Haringey Schools Cup in 2010.

Jamar Loza

Jamar is still only 19 years old and is signed to premiership team Norwich City FC. At the time of his visit he was out on loan to Leyton Orient FC but is now back with the Canaries. We wish him success in his career. Our current crop of footballers look forward to seeing him again soon.

Major Sean CroninNowakowski British Army Major, Sean CroninNowakowski, of the Duke of Lancaster Regiment, spoke to attentive Year 10 history students in October about his experience of life in the British Army. Sean spoke about his service in South Armagh, Sierra Leone, Basra and Afghanistan where he commanded a company of 120 soldiers in Helmand province. It was interesting to hear how Sean’s degree studies at the University of Oxford helped him to ‘see the bigger picture’ and plan strategically. Year 10s have been using what they learned from Sean’s talk as they tackle their GCSE ‘warfare through time’ exam unit in which they must show their understanding of the lives of soldiers in the army, and their understanding of weapons, strategy and tactics. Here’s just one of the comments made about Sean’s talk: ‘He was very open about military life. He has inspired me to investigate a career in military journalism. I learnt that in the wars he participated in they were not out to destroy a country but to help it develop.’ Andrea, Y10

Major Sean Cronin-Nowakowski

Members of the Tallow Chandlers’ Company Members of the Tallow Chandlers’ Company along with two of their award winners gave Year 12 students the benefit of their vast and varied experience in our first STEM Mentoring Café in January, which was organised along speed dating lines. The aim was to raise awareness of educational and employment opportunities in the fields of science, technology and maths. Students had a chance to learn about each mentor’s education and experience and then ask questions before moving on to the next mentor. Not all mentors stayed in STEM fields once they had graduated, a fact that made GCA students realise that career paths are not fixed in stone at any age. The chair of a hotel group, a corporate relations manager, a senior vice president of an oil and gas company and an RAF flight lieutenant all shared their experience. Year 12s learned that: ‘First impressions really count.’ ‘Education gives you power.’

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‘It’s about your mindset – you should be dedicated and hard-working.’ ‘There are so many diverse courses for STEM subjects.’ And one lesson that was really impressed upon them all was that they should film themselves in an interview/presentation situation, play back the video and be really critical about their speech and body language. Mentoring café

GCA also welcomed … 11 black-headed gulls 6 feral pigeons

… on 6th February when four students and Dr Cholij completed the Big Schools’ Birdwatch survey. This is our first

sighting of a parakeet in school – they can be seen regularly now in Alexandra Park but it’s a first for us.

5 goldfinch 3 wood pigeons 2 blue tits

Thanks to Samiihah, Arinola, Isabelle and Aman of 8JM for helping Dr Cholij with the survey.

2 robins 2 blackbirds 2 carrion crows 2 pied wagtails 2 great tits 1 lesser black-backed gull 1 house sparrow 1 starling

GCA welcomed...

A parakeet at GCA!

‘It gave me a different perspective because when you look at birds from a distance you don’t see how distinctive they all are. Close up you can see much more of the differences between birds.’ Arinola

Isabelle, Samiihah, Arinola and Aman spot the birds

‘It was a great experience. Through the binoculars I was able to see the features of each of the birds – the colours and the markings.’ Samiihah GCA

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GCA visits...

Hands-on Science In November, 23 Year 7 students took part in four science workshops at Lord Robert Winston’s Reach Out Lab at Imperial College, London. For their biology investigation, they classified a number of different organisms and looked at their characteristics. In the chemistry workshop they investigated different states of matter. The focus of the physics workshop was on astronomy; they learned how to look at the stars and identify constellations. They were introduced to topological concepts in the maths workshop. Four students in 7JH picked out their highlights … ‘The biology workshop was very hands on. We were able to touch creatures such as millipedes and we watched a rare salamander being fed.’ Benedict

‘Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide and it’s used for preserving frozen foods, ice cream, etc. When it melts it has less friction and slips all over the place.’ Kacper The Wohl Reach Out Lab was set up Lord Winston, Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College to conduct lessons in all aspects of science and maths with the aim of addressing falling interest and attainment in school science.

So did it spark an interest in GCA’s students and would they like to work in the lab again?

‘I liked the chemistry workshop best where we saw how vapour in a balloon condensed into ice in a tub of liquid nitrogen.’ Anna

The answer was a resounding ‘Yes’.

‘I was interested in everything. In the maths workshop we examined the maths of Möbius strips - you make one by taking a paper strip, giving it a half twist and then joining the ends together to form a loop.’ Max

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Anna, Max, Kacper and Benedict are still keen on science. During the year, they’ve had more opportunities for experimentation, including learning from BAE how a Tesla Coil works (see STEM pages), firing rockets, and Max even replicated BAE’s smoke ring experiment at home – with great success. With thanks to Helen Drummond, a GCA governor, for arranging this visit.

GCA visits...

What does it mean to be European?

Off to Brussels

Five lucky Year 12s, Joshua O, Eutiche, Daniel B, Jennifer and Okorite, got to think about this during their spring half term thanks to ACDiversity’s enrichment programme. The quintet spent a couple of days in Brussels visiting European Union institutions along with sixth formers from across London. Our five made up 25% of the group. They are all interested in politics and economics so had lots to ask the officers they met over there. Here’s what Joshua told us … ‘Well, we all study history and this trip has given us a vital foundation of information that history students in other schools might not get. It also relates to our Nazi Germany course, which will begin next year. Our university application process will begin in a few months’ time. We feel that the trip has broadened our horizons – after all, not many people get to discuss how policies are created with members from the European parliament! This trip will be a fantastic addition to our personal statements. On a more general level, we are now capable of discussing the political views of others, as well as our own views in terms of the European Union. This is something we gained from speaking to the various political dignitaries: UKIP, Labour, “General EU”, and the company Slaughter and May which helps the EU to promote bills. I originally aspired to be a lawyer or barrister as I love trying to get my view across. However, I will definitely consider becoming a politician as it allows me to argue and change the perspectives of politicians and maybe even change the world!’

Okorite wants to study history and politics at university and one day become an investigative journalist. Here’s what she said about the visit … ‘I sprung at the chance to be able to go to Brussels and widen my knowledge of European politics. I thought it would particularly benefit me (as an aspiring journalist) as it is important to understand the nature and complexity of politics to be able to accurately report on them. I initially felt quite nervous about going abroad with people I didn’t know because Okorite I didn’t know who or what to expect. However, the ACDiversity staff were amazingly kind and approachable people. The other students that attended were also very funny and open-minded. I really enjoyed hearing the two MEPs who gave us their views and took questions from us especially Stuart Agnew, UK MEP for East of England.’

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GCA visits...

Art enthusiasts

Theatre goers

Year 10 artists were set a very specific task when they visited the National Gallery and National Portrait Galleries in the spring term – to research artists and drawing and painting techniques with a particular emphasis on styles of portraiture. A number of students had never visited a gallery of any size before so the first thing they gained was an appreciation of the wealth of art available at no cost for London residents. ‘The tour of the Gallery was brilliant, I really enjoyed learning about the meanings of portraits.’ Ali ‘I thought the galleries were cool, I had a great day and did lots of work for my GCSE project.’ Kamily ‘Before the visit I wasn’t really convinced I would enjoy it because I just heard the word “gallery” and that put me off. I liked the National Gallery best because there was a wider variety of subject matter to look at. I especially liked a painting by Van Gogh of a chair – it was one I’d never seen before. What was interesting in the National Portrait Gallery was learning something about history from the research we did into the paintings.’ Martyna Mr Chorley said: ‘By the end of the day, students were much more confident in expressing their views about artists and movements, using clear and precise terminology. They also had a better understanding of how artists use costume, props and poses to convey ideas about relationships, status, family ties and world events. I hope this visit will encourage them to make the most of what London has to offer in terms of art.’

Star-gazers Our newly formed astronomy club visited the University of London Observatory in Mill Hill, one of the best-equipped astronomical facilities for student training and research in the UK. Joseph Simeon explains what he and his fellow sixth formers learned from the visit … ‘It was fascinating to see the theory learned in our physics lessons put into practice in real life scenarios. For instance, spectroscopy had been

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a complicated topic to think about in lessons but, fortunately, at the observatory we had a chance to use a spectroscope to view how different mediums disperse gas. Living in light-polluted London we don’t have a chance to see many stars. At the observatory we were shown the photos the telescope takes which included some of a newly-discovered supernova. Inspired, I left with newly-found enthusiasm, determination and interest in my physics lessons, and I hope this new determination will reflect in my final grade.’

What ‘droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven’? Year 10s know it’s ‘the quality of mercy’ and that the quote comes from Portia’s speech to the court of justice in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. Apart from the play itself, what did they find most interesting about the experience of seeing it in the Globe Theatre?

Year 10s at the Globe

Tanzina says … ‘We were seeing a play in the same way that people in Shakespeare’s time saw it – in an open theatre – so it made me realise how the audiences then must have viewed the performance, except for the difference in dress of course!’

GCA visits...

The Tolerance Project With the start of the new academic year the Sixth Form launched their Tolerance Project. The idea was to highlight global issues around intolerance and also to make the point that young people should appreciate just how much each person contributes to school life. One of the activities was a visit to the Jewish Museum to see an exhibition called ‘Four-Four-Jew’ which highlights the participation in, and achievements of, the Jewish community in the UK football scene. Students took part in two workshops: Jewish East Enders: The Immigrant Story The Melting Pot: The Texts of Zangwill ‘Taking part in the Jewish Museum trip was really eye opening and broadened my knowledge not only about football but also about the Jewish religion. I was really surprised that football played a massive role in the Jewish community – how they used football to try and adapt in England and be seen as English people. Free schools were also a way to help them adapt in England by applying English culture in school and not Jewish, speaking in English and not learning about Jewish history or the language.’ Laura Mahieu ‘I decided to go along to the Jewish Museum because I wanted to learn more about how they live and what the history of their religion was. My Jewish knowledge before visiting the museum was small; I didn’t know much about how they came to England. I did learn a lot from this visit, one of the things was that it’s one of the oldest religions and they don’t believe in an afterlife which means that they do everything to enjoy this life.’ Sebastian Borek

Geographers witness a blast

Geographers at Tunstead Quarry

In March, Year 13 geographers visited Tunstead Quarry, the largest open cast limestone quarry in the UK at Buxton, Derbyshire. The field visit provided a case study for their A Level course unit on issues concerning population and natural resources. The quarry is owned by Tarmac Lafarge which produces a significant amount of the UK’s cement, lime and limestone. The open cast mine is surrounded by the Peak District National Park and poses questions about the balance between exploiting natural resources for use in other industries and maintaining the

integrity and sustainability of the National Park. The conclusion we came to was that the quarry is well established and well managed. The company is making a serious effort to balance the extraction of the natural resources with the needs of the local community and its minimising its impact on the local environment. The GCA geographers were fortunate in witnessing a blast at the quarry. They also visited each of the individual manufacturing plants located within the quarry. Mr Letford GCA

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The great outdoors

Closer to home

Every year, students in Year 7 enjoy a three-day activity camp soon after joining the school. They tire themselves out cycling, climbing, balancing on high ropes, completing obstacle courses and much more. Importantly, it’s a chance to get to know one another and their tutors, and that’s helped by only two form groups going at a time.

Just around the corner on Tottenham Lane … … Tyrek, Y8, and Bartus and Francisco, both Y7, helped launch Haringey’s first book bank in April. Haringey Council’s recycling and waste management services provider has joined forces with educational charity READ International to provide dedicated book recycling points and our three students joined with Rokesly pupils to launch the first bank.

Every year, sixth formers have a chance to visit Ireland where they immerse themselves in sea-faring activities. It’s a great introduction to life in the sixth form – challenging and arduous at times but with lots of support from peers and teachers.

Francisco, Tyrek, Bartus and Mr Jackson help launch the book bank

Every year, Mr Holt and his staff team of outdoor ed. enthusiasts organise trips to the Peak District, Thetford, Jersey and Dorset to name but a few venues. Kayaking, canoeing, abseiling, high ropes and cycling are always on the agenda.

The books from the banks will be sold or recycled to raise revenue for READ to buy locally relevant and up-to-date books in Tanzania. The aim is to extract as much value as possible from every book collected – no book is ever sent to landfill. GCA, along with other Haringey schools, is promoting the book banks to students.

Every year, students in Year 9 go to Holland on a cycling trip. At the time of writing, they haven’t yet gone so we can’t bring you news. If they are anything like last year’s group, they’ll come back exhausted having covered at least 100km on hard terrain.

And over the road at St Mary’s Juniors … A group of Year 10s and 11s didn’t have far to go when they volunteered to help out on a regular basis at St Mary’s Junior school. GCA’s ambassadors go over twice a week to read, write, draw and play with children in the St Mary’s breakfast club and to organize games in the playground.

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‘The expectations on our ambassadors were high. They needed to be smart, polite and reliable as well as being able to take the initiative, initiate activities and communicate well with all the children and staff in the school. This group certainly succeeded and they all developed very positive relationships which will be remembered.’ Ms Carter Here you can see (l-r) Shamila, Esther, Daniel, Terrell, Asma and Daria with

Posting books

Ms Hargrove, headteacher of St Mary’s, when they attended a thank you assembly at the school.

Year 11 Ambassadors

… just one of the reasons Mrs Arhagba and her team are keen to give GCA students as many opportunities as possible to experience the world of work.

Work experience week An opportunity for all Year 10s is their week-long placement in March. Congratulations to just a few of the students who shone on their week out … Konrad excelled at N:flame and was ‘willing to push himself beyond his comfort zone.’

The world of work

Fact – young people who establish employer contacts are five times less likely to be without employment after their education studies …

Would you give up your Saturday … to develop your enterprise skills? Members of GCA’s Enterprise Club regularly do just that. You can find them on a Saturday morning getting products and publicity ready for trade fairs in Spitalfields Market, Asda and, this summer, a craft market in Stroud Green Library – with thanks to Helen Riley, one of our parents, for this opportunity.

Mehmet exceeded expectations at Bennett Gould and ‘will be a great asset to any future employer.’ Jayanna ‘was thrown in at the deep end at times’ at Rokesly Primary but ‘nothing fazed her and, over the week, her professionalism grew.’ Selam worked with WAC Arts and ‘was not phased at all by what was presented. In fact, Selam has offered her services as a volunteer which I am more than happy to support. Fantastic work!’ Parit’s manager at Fox Rodney Recruitment described him as ‘exceptional – pleasant, eager, keen, could see lots of potential.’

Would you give up your summer holiday … to gain valuable experience of work? This year, a number of students will take up summer placements. Two lucky students will go to Westminster Magistrates Court where they’ll shadow police officers and lawyers in court. Veslie will be on placement with Barclays. Design and dermatology are possible career paths but she says:

‘I’m sure the skills I’ll develop will be useful in whatever career I take up. I want to work directly with clients and Barclays will give me a chance to do this.’ Martyna and Andrea will work with Pentland Brands, a global business that’s the name behind well-known sports, outdoor and fashion brands. They won their places through a rigorous process: a CV and covering letter; a workshop where they learned how to make a positive impression at interview; and an interview.

‘I’ll ask to be placed in the department dealing with corporate identity and copyright law.’ Andrea

Andrea, Martyna and Veslie with Federica Gallo of Pentlands

‘I’m keen to be placed in either the Design or Creative Marketing departments because I think they will be the best fit with my plans to study photography.’ Martyna

Andrea and Martyna thanked Yvonne Karayiannis at Barclays who conducted a mock interview with them before the Pentland’s interview:

‘It was really good preparation; I appreciated the constructive feedback she gave me.’ Andrea GCA

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The world of work

Help yourself to a university place A valuable work placement can make a difference to the likelihood of getting offers from universities. That’s what Ramone, Year 13, found when he applied to study architecture. To prepare Ramone for interviews, GCA found Ramone a placement with Cornish Architects in Holborn. The practice is small but has a wideranging portfolio covering education, offices, scientific organisations, retail, residential and refurbishment. Ramone’s placement was to be for two days but Cornish valued his contribution so much they extended it to a week.

So, take a leaf out of Ramone’s book – discuss what might help you get that coveted placement with Mrs Arhagba’s team. These opportunities could help too: • The Allen and Overy Smart Start scheme – work experience with a leading legal firm • Visits to manufacturing companies such as Coca-Cola

Ramone in art class

• Visits to the New York Stock Exchange • Visits to the New Designers 2014 One Year On exhibition – talk to, and learn from, entrepreneurial designers in their first year of business • Talks on the music industry • Work with a local designer, Chris Garcin • And all the regular activities such as Lionheart Challenge, Learn to Earn, Stockmarket Challenge …. and so much more.

Ramone’s classroom

‘I learned how to plan views of sites and designed the layout for the refurbishment of a dairy company – my design was one of the three presented to the clients. I got a much better insight into what architects do on a daily basis and the experience reinforced my wish to study the subject. I had three offers and have accepted my first choice, Leeds Beckett University. I have to get the grades of course!’ Ramone In one of the photos here you can see a model of a temporary classroom for refugees that Ramone designed and built for his Product Design final

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project. In the other, Ramone is in art class working on ‘biomorphic forms’, using parts of insect, animal and human anatomies.

by Juan Ramirez

The Travel and Tourism group visited Butlin’s Bognor Regis site in April to gain an understanding of how the British company operates. The main point of the visit was to gather information to aid us in completing our course units, for example ‘The Business of Travel and Tourism’, ‘Customer Service’ and ‘Marketing Products and Services’. High-wired at Butlin’s

A variety of workshops were delivered by experienced company staff who talked us through themes such as: the history of the company, where we were able to see archives from the 1930s onwards; the training programme that Butlin’s staff have to do every year, which is called Roadmap and which the facilitator went through with us as if we were members of staff; and customer service and marketing techniques that they use to provide the best service to the customers and at the same time have a competitive advantage. While we were learning new things about the company we were able to take part in wall climbing, high ropes, zip line, archery, fencing and we even experienced the Spa located in the Ocean Hotel, which has one of the only two snow rooms in the UK! This made the whole trip a lot of fun as well as serving our educational needs.

thanks to seven people who know GCA very well – one of our governors, Mr Vincent, and three of our parents, Mr Bashir, Mrs Fulton and Mr Frost all of whom provided placements; another parent, Ms Dawkins, who shared her health service expertise with students preparing for work experience; yet another parent, Ms Matthew, who helps out with so many work-related events; and Cansu Tamiz, ex-student and financial analyst with Goldman Sachs, who talked to Year 10 about her career path. Thanks also to HSBC staff and personnel from the Department for Work and Pensions and to the congregation of Hornsey Parish Church for lining up placements for next year.

The world of work

A great big Travel and Tourism thank you to all students on a working trip those who support work-related activities particularly our to Butlin’s placement employers. Special

Climbing high at Butlin’s

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A sporting life

Boys’ Football Years 10 and 11 The 2013/14 football season was tough for the Yrs10 and 11 boys as they played fixtures in four competitions: English Schools Cup, Middlesex Cup, Haringey Cup and Haringey Schools League. The teams had a mix of results but played some attractive football. Under 17 team We proved we are a leading force in Haringey Schools Football with both teams finishing their league campaigns as runners-up. We competed in the Blackpool Cup 2014 with an U17 team that was the youngest team in that age category. Despite that we showed some fearless football against tough opposition. We lost the final on penalties which meant another runner-up trophy. Are we disappointed? No way! Both teams had a solid football season which I hope will contribute to our students’ development not just as footballers but as well-rounded individuals. Mr Malecki

Under 18s

Under 14s

Our U18s, managed by Mr Holt, won the Watford League, finishing top of the top division and beating 68 teams in total. They went on to win the League cup and the Blackpool International Football Cup. That makes it 6 trophies in 2 years and 8 trophies in 3 years under the guidance of coach Drew Tyler.

The Under 14 boys, managed by Mr Kemal, won the Blackpool Cup, The Middlesex Cup and topped the Haringey League. Captain Idris, explained their success:

‘We had our ups and downs, but when we lost we all knew we had to do better and so we trained and worked hard as a team. We believed in ourselves and didn’t let things slip. We were hungry to win.’ Bartek added: ‘It’s

Under 18 team

Under 14 team

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simple, we wanted to win!’

Netball

Mr Malecki says it’s a privilege to lead on girls’ football and gives special thanks to Steve Fraser, their coach, who has helped improve girls’ participation in football.

GCA’s netball team combined netball with outdoor education activities when they competed in a Kent Tournament. What was good about it? Nakasha, team vice-captain, explains:

A sporting life

Girls’ football

Making a friend in Poland

The highlight of the season was a trip to to Grodzisk Wielkopolski in Poland in February to take part in the Grodzisk Cup. As well as playing in the 5-a-side tournament our girls talked to young people from across Europe about the school’s anti-racism campaign through which we promote values of diversity, respect and fair play.

‘We were the only non-Polish team so it was a bit awkward at first but the girls were very friendly and tried hard to speak English to us. The best thing was the experience of meeting new people, learning more about a country I never thought I would go to and having a chance to show racism the red card.’

GCA’s netball team

‘Usually we play local teams and we’ve got used to winning. In Kent we played against experienced teams so it was tougher. The other activities were ones we’re used to doing on outdoor ed. trips so we knew all about using the correct equipment and staying safe.’

Laura, Y12

‘I’m grateful for having been able to experience a trip that allowed me not only to do something I absolutely adore but also to promote respect towards diversity.’ Hayley, Y12

Eat, sleep, netball, repeat

Michal – British Schools Judo champion Congratulations to Michal in Year 11 who won gold in the British Schools Judo Championships under 73kg class. As one spectator said ‘He’s one to watch’. Michal has been practising judo for only two years ever since his cousin encouraged him to join the Enfield Judo Club so he’s come a long way in a short time.

A helping hand

Gold for Michal GCA

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A sporting life

Basketball – Mr Bowmaker’s report The quality of play was fantastic.

Mr Bailey grabbed a place at the National Final Fours for his U15s, U17s and U19s. In the finals the U15s were beaten by a talented Manchester team and the U17s had a great game with a stellar performance by Javel Small but had to settle for silver. Their gold medal came in the U19 championship with Kayode ReidDawkins awarded Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Javel surges past the opposition

Kayode MVP

Deborah MVP

The girls were dominant in the U17 and U18 finals taking gold in each. U17 Captain Deborah Somoye-Unsby was awarded MVP. Jonae White captained our U18 girls to an emphatic win with Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott awarded MVP. The U14 girls cruised throught their semi-final to play a rematch of last year’s U13 final. This year was tougher and the team, captained by Victoria Somoye-Unsby, was elated to repeat last year’s success – Savannah Morris was MVP. Captain Odu Olokodana led the U13 team supported by superb performances from Anita Kaddu but we just missed out on gold. All in all a successful year for the best basketball school in the country. We are proud of our students and we thank all staff involved in coaching them.

Jay-Ann shoots

The victorious U14 girls

Anita goes all out

The victorious U18 girls

Victoria captains the U14s and also plays in the U15, 17 and 18 teams. ‘We are disciplined in the way we train and play. We get a lot of encouragement from our coaches and from the older girls so we wanted to play our best for them.’ Savannah, MVP said: ‘I’m really proud of myself and the whole team.’

Gold for the U17 girls

Savannah in action

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Gold for the U19 boys

And finally...

Tyrique receives Good Samaritan award When Year 8 student, Tyrique, saw a man lying motionless in a park, he didn’t hesitate to step in and help. The area was busy but no-one else stopped so Tyrique dialled 999 and gave the emergency operator a precise and accurate location which meant that ambulance and police services could attend swiftly and administer aid to the man.

Tyrique receives his Good Samaritan Award

Tyrique was praised by the Metropolitan Police for his actions in March during the incident on Ducketts Common.

PC Darren Brain said: ‘It’s worth noting that the park was very busy but, despite this, only one call of concern was made and that was from Tyrique. His responsible and mature actions no doubt prevented the man becoming a future victim. Tyrique was very polite and is obviously an asset to Greig City Academy.’ Tyrique said: ‘I’m glad I was able to help - I knew it was the right thing to do.’ Mr Sutton said: ‘It does not surprise me that Tyrique acted as he did - he’s a very conscientious student who always gives his best in any situation.’

A lesson for all of us – don’t look the other way when someone needs help.

Thanks to the following photographers Mr Barker Mr Protasiewicz Mr Avila-Marroquin Mr Malecki Michael O’Sullivan Daniel Shearing Alan Mousley GCA

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Achievem e

Christi an

munity om C

na ti n

C i t y A cad

Greig City Academy is a co-educational comprehensive school for students aged 11 to 19. It is a City Academy with independent status and is maintained directly by the Department for Education. GCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Principal Paul Sutton OBE, BSc (Hons), MA

GCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chair of Governors Sheila Taylor MA (Hons)

The Greig Trust and the Church of England sponsor Greig City Academy. David Greig, a successful local businessman, founded the Greig Trust in memory of his parents in 1949. The Trust was established to provide funds to assist in the education of Hornsey children in accordance with the Christian faith. The Greig Trust is fully supportive of the City Academy status and has contributed significantly to the programme of refurbishment and new build. The Church of England has also contributed a significant amount to the renewal of facilities at the Academy. Greig City Academy, High Street, Hornsey, London N8 7NU T: 020 8609 0100 E: enquiries@greigcityacademy.co.uk W: www.greigcityacademy.co.uk

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Sponsorship