GCA Magazine Summer 2017 Issue 13 by Cleverbox UK Ltd

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Who, where, which & what?

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? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Who ? ? ? might ? ? ? ? suffer ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?from ? ? ?FOMO? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Where ? ? ?did? GCA ? ?celebrate ? ? ? ?outstanding ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? achievement ? ? ? ? ? in?December? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Which ? ? ? bird ? ? (Bird) ? ? ?terrorised ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? GCA ? ? on ? ?World ? ? Book ? ? ?Day? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Who ? went ? ? volcano ? ? ? surfing? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Who ? ? ? designed ? ? ? ? ? ?a ?slide ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? across ? ? ? ? the ? ? Thames? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? What ? ? is? an ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? exothermic ? ? ? ? ?reaction? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Which ? ? ?three ? ? girls ? ? ?argued ? ? ? in? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?rhyme ? ? ?for ? gender ? ? ? ?equality? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? What ? ? ? ?is? a? fishoe? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Read ? ?on?to ?find?all?the? answersâ&#x20AC;Ś ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

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A letter from our Principal Title

Dear students, parents, carers and friends of Greig City Academy, Welcome to our school magazine. As I write, our Year 11 and Sixth Form students are about to finish their GCSE and GCE examinations. Whatever results day brings, their qualifications will be the outcome of sustained and high-quality effort by students and staff working together with common purpose in an atmosphere of trust and respect. We are proud of their achievements and wish them the best of luck for that August day when they receive their results. Our technology students have tackled many exciting challenges this year. For the third year running, a GCA robotics team represented the UK in an international competition in Kentucky. A group of students designed and raced aerodynamic models of supersonic cars, learning about the forces that affect speed. Another group used highly sophisticated techniques to design and model products for delivering asthma medication to very young children. Links forged with RADA, the National Theatre, the Theatre Royal Stratford East and the Old Vic gave students opportunities to work with drama professionals, enjoy productions in London theatres and deliver some superb and memorable performances themselves. An impressive number of students are taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, learning new skills and volunteering both in school and in the community. Our girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; basketball teams took gold medals yet again in the National Schools Finals, demonstrating their usual disciplined approach. Sailing goes from strength to strength. Our senior sailing crew has been praised for their skill and determination by the many professional sailors against whom they have raced this year as they have prepared for their biggest challenge yet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Fastnet race. Outdoor education is an important feature of Academy life; most students will take part in at least one activity each year and will face and overcome challenges ranging from dealing with physical hardship to working collaboratively with new people. Our thanks go to all the staff involved whose commitment, dedication and organisational skills ensure these activities continue to be challenging, successful, safe and of course fun! Many of the opportunities we offer are supported by external partners, in particular the Greig Trust, the Tallow Chandlers Company and Pioneer Underwriters. We thank them for their continued involvement, interest and financial support. I am pleased that standards of behaviour and school uniform remain excellent and that high levels of attendance are maintained. As a result visitors continue to be impressed when they visit the Academy. I thank parents and carers for their continued commitment and support in maintaining these high standards. Sadly, to go with the challenges and achievements, the work and the fun, this year has also been a year of shocking and tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family and friends of Ned, Najeeb and of course Mr Garcia. We remember them and in particular the contribution Mr Garcia made to the whole school with his endless enthusiasm for rockets and robots and a whole range of STEM-related projects. We miss them all. We are all proud of the Academy and we look forward to another successful year with genuine anticipation and confidence. I wish you all a splendid summer break.

Yours faithfully, Mr P.V. Sutton OBE

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Well done

Congratulations to all the students and staff featured on the next eight pages, who have excelled in so many different ways.

All-round achievement – Pupil Profile Award winners The Pupil Profile Awards recognise students who have consistently met 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 61 students who won a platinum award in both the autumn and spring terms. (Summer term results were not available at the time of writing.) Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11

Jia Bei Lu

Lara Koc

Paradice Primus

Alexandra Fitzekova

Paulo Paja

Gloria Pirro

Jefferson Marin

Taiwo Olorunfemi

Josue Ortega Cedeno

Nafisa Ali

Adil Uddin

Jamal Ganiyu

Aashish Buljhoo

Tasnimah Begum

Christ Blanchard

Shanaz KonaduAgyemang

Oliwia Dziatkowicz

Trevor Kasumba

Ella Puckerin

Arno Hahn

Arnas Buivydas Plamedy Mvuata

Ajivewin Mugiundharajah

Kevin Cardoso Coca

Klaudia Janowicz

Samuel Ortega Cedeno

Janet Davids

Alexander Rista

Alyssa Lorde

Melissa Andrade

Denis Shatro

Toni Minkov

Alvira Ashraf

Bence Dudas

Zeynep Akkaya

Kehinde Olorunfemi

Rolando Manzano Parrales

Shania Hylton

Terrique Wilkins

Alara Cotte

Bartlomiej Abramczuk

Jessica Mendes Moniz

Kyran Hamilton

Joshua Yeboah

Efe Ridvan

Fatma Aybakar

Preslava Ivanova

Ryan Osafo-Yeboa

Fatos Karakaya

Ye Fang

Rhema Blanchard

Grace Vuemba

Alexandra Radovici

Umut Hyusein

Gloria Ocran Reece Smith Aisha Farrance-Grier Natalie Ocansey Aila Asan Lee Saiona Martin Filyovski

8KM is the tutor group with the most double platinum winners this year. ‘I am extremely proud of my tutor group. As a cohort, they are tenacious, self-determined and highly motivated. They are focused on being high achievers and want to be trend setters in behaviour, moral conduct and academic success. I am confident that being the tutor group in 2017 that holds the most platinum awards is just the beginning for 8KM, and this will encourage them to go on to be successful year after year.’ Ms Manasseh

Congratulations to all these students who did so well in the national Intermediate Maths Challenge Year 10

Year 9

Gold certificate, Best in School and Best in Year

Bronze certificate

Bronze certificate and Best in Year

Bronze certificate

Erik Palushi

Ervans Caushi

Primus Hudson

Amachree Abiye

Alexandra Fitzekova Max Hahn

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Andrei Rimban

Well done

Outstanding for All GCA made it a double at Haringey Council’s Outstanding for All Awards at Alexandra Palace in December where we had been short-listed for awards in two categories – ‘STEM’ and ‘Sport and the Arts’. There was a tense half hour before the STEM award was announced and we all let out a whoop of joy when GCA robotics teams were declared the winner. We had nominated our entire outdoor education programme for the Achievement in Sport and the Arts category and we had another nail-biting half hour to wait before the winner was announced. To our delight we took this award too. Students were keen to thank Mr Garcia and Mr Holt for all the work they had done to make robotics and outdoor education so popular and successful at GCA.

Outstanding for All – Achievement in STEM (secondary schools) The award recognised not only GCA roboteers’ successes in regional, national and international VEX IQ finals but also their constant determination to improve. As Mr Garcia often said, ‘They never rest on their laurels and that’s what counts for me.’

Outstanding for All – GCA robotics teams

Here you can see seven delighted members of the team with their award. As some roboteers were not able to attend the ceremony, the second photo shows nine of the team with a few of the trophies they have garnered in the last two years.

Proud of their trophies

Outstanding for All – Achievement in Sport and the Arts This award celebrated GCA’s extensive outdoor education programme, which has gone from strength to strength in the last 12 years, and which sees over 70% of students taking part in outdoor ed. each year. In particular, the award recognised the successes of GCA sailors, not just those in the senior crew but all those who have taken to the water to gain their RYA qualifications. Montel and Shabazz, key members of our senior sailing crew, accepted the award for the school.

from o t h t g n e r t s . . . h t g n e r t s

Outstanding for All – GCA outdoor education

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Well done

Tallow Chandlers’ bursary winners In September we were delighted to welcome members of the Tallow Chandlers Company for a presentation of academic bursaries. The Company is generously supporting STEMM (science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine) programmes at GCA. For the last four years, this support has included academic bursaries for the highest achieving students at AS level. Each student receives £500 and, provided they take a STEMM subject at university, they will receive a further bursary during their first year. This year, the Company introduced a new award for students in Years 11 and 13 who are going to college to study a STEMMbased City and Guilds course. The bursary is to help with the cost of transport, equipment and other expenses. The Master of Tallow Chandlers, Richard Fleck, presented certificates and cheques to the following deserving students:

The Tallow Chandlers’ university bursary winners 2016 Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alan Abdurrahman

Mathematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angela Oteng

Chemistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steven Frost

Biology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ali Kilcik

Resistant Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zakir Uddin

Computer Science

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Michael Owusu

Michael was also presented with the ‘Academic Excellence Award’ for his excellent achievement in all four of his subjects at AS level.

The Tallow Chandlers’ and City and Guilds’ bursary winners 2016 Dontae Clarke Santos . . . . . . . . . . . Westminster Kingsway College . . . . . . . . . . . Professional Chef Diploma Level 2 Gabriel Yeboah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . College of North West London . . . . . . . . . . . . . Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

‘Winning a bursary and also the academic excellence award has given me an extra impetus to work hard and explore possible HE and career options. I feel very proud that my efforts have been recognised.’ Michael Owusu

Ali

Angela

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Alan

Dontae

Michael

Gabriel

Steven

Zakir

WCIB winners – Sara and Silvinho

‘It was a privilege to take part in the luncheon and be in such fascinating surroundings. I sat next to Mrs Ann Greig, David Greig’s sisterin-law, so that was a connection with GCA. Oh, and the food was amazing!’ Steven Frost

Congratulations to Sara Foukroun who won first place in school and to Silvinho Cameron who took second place.

‘This was the most formal event I’ve ever attended – I felt smart just being there. Everyone was so welcoming. I set next to a previous Master of the Tallow Chandlers, a brilliant man. It was a really good place to make connections because there were people from lots of different sectors who had important roles. A great day!’ Ali Kilcik

‘The Tallow Chandlers’ support has been invaluable. I don’t mean just the significant financial support that has helped us develop a wide range of projects to enthuse students of different interests and abilities. I am also grateful for the support they have given to raise the profile of STEMM. Personally, I am grateful for the way Tallow Chandlers’ members challenge us to develop our thinking.’

Well done

In April, the award winners and Mr Hearn attended an Awards Luncheon in the Tallow Chandlers’ Hall in the City, an impressive building that dates from 1672. The luncheon celebrated the achievements of award winners from schools and universities.

Seven Year 12 students took part in the WCIB (Worshipful Company of International Bankers) Financial Essay Writing Competition. The topic this year was: ‘The only way that the UK economy will continue to grow is by embracing immigration.’

Sara and Silvinho received their awards at a ceremony in the City where they had a chance to talk about their aspirations and career ideas with WCIB members.

‘I did not expect to win, however I did work really hard to write an essay to the best of my ability. It was an experience which involved a lot of perseverance as I had to re-draft Sara receiving her certificate my essay over and over again as well as get it checked by different teachers. Taking on an essay about economics was difficult at the beginning as I generally didn’t know much about finance etc. However, it helped me prove to myself that anything can be done. I also ended up enjoying writing an essay on economics way more than I initially thought I would. The ceremony was a very good experience as I was able to network with people who are involved with the Worshipful Company of International Bankers such as Frank Moxon, the Master of the Company.’ Sara Well done to the five sixth formers who also submitted essays – Adrian Grosu, Fatima Kamara, Elisha Campbell, Marcela Spahiya and Emma Baxter.

s i t n i o p The to try!

Mr Knappert, Head of Design and Technology

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Well done

The Jack Petchey Achievement Awards

Haniyya

The Award scheme is run by the Jack Petchey Foundation which was set up by a London businessman. Over the year, nine students are selected to receive an award celebrating their achievement in some area of school life. The Foundation also gives the school funds for each of the months that we give the award and winners get to choose to spend their funds to support a school or community activity.

Michael

Michael, Y13, was our first award winner of the year. In addition to his excellent academic achievements, Michael contributes positively and in many different ways to the life of the school. He has been active supporting enterprise and work-related activities for a number of years. He sets an extremely high standard in terms of the way he focuses on his work both in class and whilst learning independently, and also in the way he relates to his peers and teachers.

Montel

Montel, Y12, has shown strong leadership qualities in captaining the school’s senior sailing crew. He has developed complex technical skills and gained well-earned qualifications in sailing, whilst still paying attention to his academic studies. He has shown he has stamina and resilience in all the training and races in which he has taken part. He represents the school extremely well when he gives presentations to professional yachtspeople, trusts and companies.

Haniyya, Y9, was nominated by Mr Ullah who says she is an outstanding student who exceeds the expectations teachers have of her in terms of the way she approaches her classwork and homework. Mr Ullah praises Haniyya for being extremely focused, organised and diligent as well as being someone that students and staff alike can rely on.

Steisi

Ms Onoszko nominated Steisi, Y8. Steisi is making remarkable progress in learning English and is very focused and hard working, both in class and at home. She is an excellent example of an active, self-motivated learner who is going from strength to strength. Mr Ncube, Steisi’s form tutor, says that Steisi puts in a lot of effort to her work and never allows language to be a barrier to her learning. He calls her ‘a shining star’.

Mr Malecki nominated Alex, Y10, for his contribution to the school’s sporting activities. Alex is a talented athlete and is always prepared to try a new sport. He is an important player in GCA’s Handball Team, and also plays in the Haringey Handball Squad and for London Lions Handball Club in the U18 National Handball League. Mr Malecki says it is a real pleasure to see Alex’s enthusiasm and professional approach to tasks which are sometimes very challenging and demanding. Alex

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sel receiv g n i t a r b e l ce

Well done

Leader Award The Foundation recognises that the great work that young people take part in would not be possible without the support of their adult leaders so they created the Leader Award. This year, Mrs Arhagba won GCA’s Leader Award. Johan

Ms Brown explains that Johan, Y7, is an extremely hardworking student whose progress in English has amazed all his teachers. He works very conscientiously in class and also practises at home every day. He has been commended by many teachers for his drive to improve and his ability to apply himself. Johan is a resilient learner who is mature and responsible in every subject. He always shows respect for other people and this is something that everyone admires about him.

Shania

Mr Baxter and Ms Neocleous say that Shania, Y11, is a delightful, conscientious and extremely reliable student. She is responsible, demonstrates a very caring nature and enjoys helping others. She has taken part in many extra-curricular activities and gives an excellent impression of the school when she takes visitors on tour. Shania always pushes herself to succeed and has high expectations of herself and of others.

Mitchell

Mr Thompson nominated Mitchell, Y10, and describes him as a great student, always first through the door and often last to leave in the evening because of his many extracurricular commitments. This award recognises the work Mitchell does in running the school’s table tennis club so smoothly. He explains the club’s philosophy to new participants, is well respected, polite, fair and diplomatic. All the organisational work he does allows the coach to focus completely on coaching.

Gloria

Ms Harper says that Gloria, Y7, has hit the ground running at GCA, excelling across the board academically. She has involved herself with drama, science and sports (dance, netball and basketball) extracurricular activities. Ms Harper has been most impressed this year with the development of her leadership qualities – delegating, encouraging, organising. Gloria has shown herself to be a force of nature at GCA and well deserving of recognition for her dedication to school life.

o t d e t c e l d r a w a n a ve t n e m e v e i h c their a

Mrs Arhagba has developed and managed GCA’s work-related learning and enterprise programme for over 12 years. All students have a chance to develop enterprise skills in workshops and challenges at school as well as in national competitions, with the support of professional designers and business people. Mrs Arhagba encourages sixth formers to take up summer internships and term-time placements relevant to their HE and career plans. She has built up strong partnerships with organisations in many fields to significantly expand the range of such opportunities e.g.

Mrs Arhagba

medicine, law, finance, engineering, design, public services, the voluntary sector, sport and the arts.

‘Definitely the biggest thing Mrs Arhagba has done for me is to get me lots of medical placements and summer school opportunities. It’s made writing my UCAS personal statement mush easier as I’ve been able to explain everything I’ve done to give me a better chance of a medical career. Not many schools could have given me so much.’ Senanur, Y13

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Well done

Sahin wins the Congratulations to Silvinho Cameron, Observatory our third Arkwright Scholar Opticians Science Silvinho received his award in a ceremony supported by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Cyber Security Industry. Award Arkwright Engineering Scholarships consist of an annual financial award and Sahin Ocakkuran’s points from his three A*s in Triple Science last year meant that he edged past all our other A* science students to win the annual Observatory Opticians Award for Science. Meeta Patel, senior optician, and Natalie Slavou from Observatory presented Sahin with his award. Well done, Sahin, and many thanks to Observatory Opticians in Muswell Hill.

enrichment activities such as mentoring and industry visits that enhance a Scholar’s experience of engineering in a real-world context. They are highly regarded by university admission tutors and industry recruiters and are one of the most prestigious accolades that a talented sixth form student can receive. Scholars are selected for their potential as future engineering leaders by assessing their academic, practical and leadership skills in STEM. They go through a rigorous selection process: an assessed application form; a two-hour, problemsolving aptitude exam; and a university-style interview. Now, who will be our next Arkwright Scholar?

Sahin received his award in assembly

Silvinho receiving his award

Arno – First Story National Writing Competition winner We are very proud of Arno Hahn, Y7, who was the Key Stage 3 runner-up in the First Story National Writing Competition. There was just one first prize winner and one runner-up in each of the Key Stage categories and Arno was the youngest entrant. There were 3000 entries in total so Arno’s achievement is all the more to be praised. The competition judges, Mark Haddon, Salena Godden and Juno Dawson, were impressed by the creativity and talent of each of the finalists. Turn to page 25 to see how Arno’s creativity and talent shine through in an excerpt from his story, ‘An Eskimo’s Blood’. Arno wanted to write a piece that surprised the reader and he certainly succeeded – building up the suspense until the last. Arno is keen on historical fantasy fiction and recommends the ‘Chronicles of Ancient Darkness’ series by Michelle Paver. Another author he suggests you read is Douglas Adams for his ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ books.

t s o m s r o h t Which au . . . u o y e r inspi

Which authors most inspire you and which would you recommend to your fellow students?

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Arno

Well done

Well done, history buffs Congratulations to our 6th form team of history buffs who took on and defeated a number of the most prestigious private schools in London in the annual International Bee and Bowl competition held at Dulwich College. They reached the final and only narrowly lost a tense re-match against St Paul’s Girls, whom they’d beaten once already. Steven, Ali, Costin and Sahin did themselves and the school proud. Our Year 8 and 9 team (Ian, Jeremy, Abubakar, Malik and Aberaham) missed out on the final in their category but put in some very creditable performances throughout the day.

Bee and Bowl 6th form team

Star basketball player, Precious, selected for GB team Based on her performances in the Women’s Elite Academies Basketball league for GCA and her consistent performance for GCA Haringey Angels, Precious Adediran was invited to attend the National Team’s training camp during the Easter break. The U17 team is a development opportunity for players who have the potential to represent Great Britain in the European Championships at U18 age group in summer 2018. Precious performed well in the camp and was selected for the National Team earning a starting five spot as one of the most effective players against Scotland.

‘I’ve had tremendous support not only from family and friends but also from my coach, Mr Bowmaker. This has made it much easier for me to endure hard times particularly through tough games such as the one against Scotland. The England camp has been a great experience as I have learned so much and bonded well with team mates and coaches.’ Precious ‘With the new structure of basketball in the UK, our students have to aspire to be the best in Great Britain to stand a chance of gaining international competitive basketball experience. Precious has done well to get to this stage.’ Mr Bowmaker Precious will now focus on developing her game over the summer off season to give herself the best chance possible of a call up to the GB training camp next year. Good luck, Precious.

Precious on court

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Creative talent

Inspired by ‘Start’ The Jack Petchey ‘Start’ project at the Saatchi Gallery aims to introduce high quality contemporary art to students in a way that is engaging and challenging, and also to give them a chance to work with practising artists. The first step was a visit to the gallery: ‘When I first saw the pictures in the gallery I didn’t like them all – some just seemed too simple. But, then the curator got us to look more deeply and asked us to come to our own conclusions as to what the artist was trying to express. That gave us a chance to think outside the box. It was interesting that we all came up with different ideas.’ Alexandra Fitzekova ‘It was a good experience and I’d love to visit again. I like contemporary art best. I don’t have a particular style myself – I go with the flow.’ Albin Aliu Pondering

Back at school, Y10s worked with artist and sculptor, Amy Leung. There were four workshops in all and Alexandra particularly enjoyed the session where they worked with clay. Students were asked to bring in a personal object that had some meaning for them. ‘I chose a key chain with my name on. I hadn’t done much clay work before so it was good to learn new bonding, scoring and decorative techniques.’ The next step – the group’s work will be exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery.

We asked Amy Leung to tell us more about herself: GCA: What have you enjoyed most about the project? I’ve especially enjoyed collaborating with students and hearing their ideas and opinions on this year’s theme of ‘Inclusion’. The Year 10s at GCA have been a fantastic group and I’m excited to see their finished work in the gallery. What is your preferred medium? My practice consists mainly of sculpture, installation and drawing, often combining materials like ceramics, wood, fabric, prints, paper, plastic and everyday objects. For the Saatchi project, clay was our main material which is my personal favourite as it’s so versatile and requires a hands on approach.

Amy

Which artists and sculptors have most influenced you?

Alexandra’s key chain in clay

It’s hard to be specific as there are Amy’s clay pots so many. I love the work of Barbara Hepworth and more contemporary artists such as Assemble, Emma Hart and Phyllida Barlow. Seeing exhibitions and visiting galleries is a source of inspiration and a good way of discovering new art and artists. What advice would you give to GCA students wishing to study art and design? Study something you love and be prepared to work hard for it. Choosing to study art and design may not necessarily set up the most straightforward career path but there are so many exciting possibilities within creative fields. A foundation year is an amazing opportunity to try out lots of art forms, and studying art at any level relies on a lot of self-motivation and enthusiasm.

Show time

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It’s not only students who get to work with clay. Mr Unwin’s pottery club for GCA staff is helping them discover or re-discover their creative talents.

Creative talent

GCA staff work with clay too

Eiffel Tower, pineapples and fishoes France was the topic that Rokesly Junior School Year 5s worked on in the first half of the spring term and we were delighted to welcome them again to GCA to construct Eiffel Towers.

‘I have thoroughly enjoyed doing something that I did a long time ago in primary school. It is very relaxing and I like being able to get mucky. My first attempt was a bit amateur but with Mr Unwin’s patient guidance I feel ready to move onto my second piece.’ Ms Saini

Mr Chorley keeps la Tour Eiffel from falling down

Mr Unwin demonstrates

‘Making the Eiffel Towers at Greig City was really fun because we got to work in teams to create a sculpture. It was quite challenging as we only had the following materials: rolled-up newspaper, scissors and masking tape. It was extremely fun working with different people. I really enjoyed the experience and would love to do it again!’ Lois, Year 5

Pots about to be bisque fired

Pineapples on display

When St Mary’s pupils joined us for art lessons they demonstrated considerable artistic talent. One group learned about complementary colours and then chose colours with which to draw the pineapples you can see on display here.

Mr Unwin’s bowl hot out of the kiln

Another group learned about incongruous juxtaposition – as so often used by surrealist artists. Here you can see a fish morph into a shoe to create a fishoe.

An incongruous juxtaposition

Fishoes on display GCA

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Creative talent

Networking works

Inspired by Hadid

Ms Reilly-Page supports the weave workshops at Central St Martins (CSM). Janey Hagger runs CSM’s Insights outreach programme and also runs a pottery class at GCA on Saturdays. They met, realised CSM’s Insights programme could benefit GCA artists, and set up a series of workshops for sixth formers. Let’s hear from, Lateefat Alimi and Jie Wang, two sixth formers who found the workshops invaluable.

Lateefat’s bird observatory model

Lateefat is hoping to study architecture at Kent University from which she has a conditional offer.

Lateefat

Another would-be architect is Natyshia Barned who has an unconditional offer from Coventry University.

‘Architecture combines the subjects I love – art, product design and geography. I want to affect other people’s live positively through my designs and to create something that will outlive me. Zaha Hadid is my favourite architect. I’ll be in a minority as a woman in this profession but Hadid showed me not to shy away from something you love doing just because you are in the minority. You can bring something different to the table – go for it!’

‘I like to see ideas come to life and that’s what being an architect will allow me to do. I’ve had lots of advice and guidance from teachers and Mr Sutton gave me some mock interviews, which were really helpful. At Central St Martins we were given a brief to design a bird observatory and this meant going on site visits and then creating models. I uploaded photos of the visits and models to my online portfolio.’

Lateefat was not called for interview at Kent as they made their offer on the basis of her online portfolio. Remember this if you’re thinking of applying for an art, design or architecture degree – but no need to worry as GCA’s art teachers run workshops on developing an online portfolio.

Jie has a conditional offer from Central St Martins.

‘One of my A levels is maths and I want to work in a part of the design industry where I can use my mathematical skills. The Insights programme helped me prepare for my interview which went well; Jie I had plenty of work in my portfolio to discuss so there were no gaps in the conversation.’ Jie does not have a particular favourite artist as he’s open to all styles, but there is one style of architecture he favours and that is minimalism.

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Natyshia

! t i r o f ...go

Creative talent

There was a not-to-be-broken hush in the art studio as nine Y13 artists took their final exam.

Exam time

Jie’s ‘Squashed face inspired by Jenny Saville’

Natyshia’s memory of being fed as a child

Lateefat’s ‘Untitled’

Jonathan’s animation on racism

Ali’s animation on his own exploding creativity

Martyna’s ‘Movement inspired by futurism’

Christelle’s ‘Trapped behind glass’ in acrylic

Ke Ying’s street in pen and ink

Binghao’s sci-fi street in acrylic

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GCA is still making waves

Over 200 GCA students and dozens of primary school pupils went down to the seas again – some to compete in races against professional crews, many to gain their RYA qualifications, some simply to enjoy a day sailing in the Solent.

Competing in Scaramouche A reminder of a few of our senior crew’s successes: • 14th out of 45 in their class in a windy Round the Island Race. • Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) race from Cowes-St Malo. Thick fog with wind on the bow. Finished mid-way through the fleet. • ASTO Small Ships Race overnight from Dartmouth to Gosport. Took line honours; the joy of collecting the trophy for fastest round the course was equalled by winning the ‘Spirit of the Race’ trophy voted for by all the other skippers.

En route to St Malo – flying the spinnaker

• October – a ‘round the cans’ race in the eastern Solent. With strong wind conditions the crew again took line honours and won their class. • April – nine sailors competed in the Cervantes Royal Ocean Racing Club race from Cowes to Le Havre, the only state school students to do so. Congratulations came from Jeremy Waitt, a fellow competitor in the Cervantes race: ‘Please can you pass on my congratulations to the crew of Scaramouche. Richard and I were very impressed with the seamanship shown especially as Scaramouche came around the turning mark in Le Havre in 20-25knts. It was pitch black with Scaramouche only 5-10 boat lengths astern. It was great to see the boat so well sailed with torches shining on the sails to check trim and some very impressive helming.’

The next big challenge - the Fastnet race

Le Havre at last

Round the Island

Praise from Sir Robin Knox-Johnston Our senior crew got some valuable advice from Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to circumnavigate the world non-stop single-handed. Sir Robin presented them with awards at the RYA annual conference and then talked to them about the benefits of sailing – how the sport can help you tackle life’s many challenges. And this is what Sir Robin said about our crew:

‘I had a lovely day with these enthusiastic young people from Greig Academy in north London, who have worked hard to raise the money for their boat, get qualified, re-fit the boat, and are doing all the races to qualify for the Fastnet. […] More youngsters like this and we don’t have to worry about the future of our sport. What a wonderful experience and I hope to see them in a few races this summer.’

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Advice from Sir Robin

The next generation

Qualifying as Day Skippers involves a rigorous 6-day assessment. Skippers are responsible for weather forecasting, engine maintenance, sail selection and handling, passage planning, watch keeping, navigation and pilotage, as well as making sure the crew get fed! The RYA course teaches you to take charge safely and confidently.

The next generation of GCA sailors are getting buoyed up to distinguish their windward from their leeward:

Congratulations to Montel, Shabazz, Karim and Camilo all of whom qualified as Day Skippers.

GCA is still making waves

Day Skippers sail Etchells keelboats

• Y11 students joined the seniors to compete in the Cowes-Le Havre race. • Four Y9s sailed from Southampton to the Isle of Wight without adults (with a safety boat alongside!). • Groups of Y8 students have gained their RYA Level 1 qualification, sailing dinghies in the Solent – see photos here. • Year 7 students will take their RYA Level 1 in June.

• Pupils from St Mary’s CofE, St Paul’s and All Hallows, Lea Valley and Welbourne primary schools have sailed on Scaramouche and we hope they’ll be keen to carry on sailing.

Day Skippers with their instructor

In the spring term the skippers trained alongside the British Keelboat Academy. After successfully completing four training camps they showed enough promise to be allowed to take part in the GB Keelboat trials (Etchells Class), even though they were three years underage. Two months before they hadn’t even seen an Etchells so you can imagine how stunned the other competitors were when our crew won four of the six races, defeating teams who have been sailing for years. They were a credit to the amazing coaching skills of David Bedford.

‘It’s impossible to quantify how proud I am of them.’

Mr Holt

Racing an Etchells

Etchells trial

We welcome Pioneer Underwriters, Lloyd’s of London brokers, as our partners in Project Scaramouche and thank them for their generous contribution to running costs and clothing. Pioneer has a particular interest in sailing and members have crewed the Lloyd’s of London yacht ‘Lutine’.

‘Our teachers were very professional, they adapted easily to people’s strengths and what they needed to improve on.’ Nicholas, Y8 ‘It was good fun. None of us had sailed before so we were all learning new skills. We also learned the importance of safety rules and the need to work well together.’ Evelyn, Y8

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With your future in mind

You don’t have to spend all your time at GCA thinking about your future but when opportunities come up to learn more about work and life after school the smart move is to seize them. Here are a few of the 2016-2017 opportunities seized by some very smart GCA students.

Summer learning – Classics at Oxford Sixth formers Philip and Vyara spent a week at Wadham College, Oxford, on a programme of academicallyrigorous study replicating a week in the life of an Oxford undergraduate reading Classics or Classical Archaeology and Ancient History. They both enjoyed daily Ancient Greek language classes and seminars as well as working on a written assignment, and taking part in an Oxford-style tutorial, all exploring the summer school’s theme of ‘Race and Ethnicity in Antiquity’.

Vyara said, ‘All the other students were very ambitious and the whole experience has really motivated me.’ Philip explained they had to do lots of independent study and that the school helped him realise just how well he can do if he puts his mind to it. In the photo here, Vyara is second left in the middle row and Philip is fifth left in the back row.

Summer Learning – at Highgate School Ferhan, Victoria, Nafisa and Tasnimah had a busy three days on the Chrysalis Summer School at Highgate School. The four Y11 girls, attended some challenging lessons; Ferhan and Victoria chose maths and Nafisa and Tasnimah chose science. Workshops helped them develop their teamwork and leadership skills and they enjoyed a visit to Oxford where they met staff and students at Lady Margaret Hall and explored the Pitt-Rivers museum. ‘I’ve got a better idea of my career plans now – law is what I’m interested in. The summer school got me thinking and helped me set goals. We found out about the importance of emotional intelligence and learned more about what types of people we are. Victoria and I were assessed as being speculative people.’ Ferhan

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Summer learning – Cambridge and London Angela Oteng’s busy summer set her up well for her final, crucial year at GCA. First on her list was a week-long summer school in economics at St John’s College, Cambridge. She didn’t have a strong understanding of economics before the school but lectures on topics such as game theory addressed that and she also heard a phenomenal amount about Brexit! Angela then plunged straight into a placement with EY (Ernst & Young), one of the ‘Big Four’ audit firms. This also gave her a chance to work with Linklaters – a multinational law firm, LinkedIn – a professional network, and the Big Lottery Fund. Not only did Angela do well, she was regularly told she’d done well. On her first day with EY she won a prize for her performance, her Angela end-of-placement reviews were declared the highest, and she was commended as a ‘natural balanced team leader’. Something else we learned from Angela – Linklaters has fantastic offices with themed areas; Game of Thrones and Alice in Wonderland are just two of them.

With your future in mind

Summer learning – London and Durham Two work placements and a university summer school kept Andrea Arhagba busy last summer. In her placement with The Brokerage she developed new online strategies to get schools involved in the company’s projects. She also helped out in a ‘Stock Market Challenge’ for children whose parents work in the City. Her second placement was with L’Occitane en Provence at St Pancras International. ‘Customers spoke a range of different languages and this made the work more demanding. I had to brush up my French and Spanish and luckily I was able to deal with customers effectively. I also did some display merchandising, setting up store windows, inside decorations and product display packages.’ Andrea’s time on Durham University’s psychology summer school was ‘amazing’. ‘I met new people from all over the world and learned more about a subject that I am studying for A Level from university professors who are even named in my textbooks. We ate in the University College’s dining hall, which was a template for the great hall of Hogwarts. There were mentoring sessions with members of the university, fun activities like University Challenge, and we graduated on the final day where our families and friends came down.’

Andrea receives her certificate at Durham

Andrea won her place at Durham through the Sutton Trust. This year two more sixth formers have won places on the Sutton Trust summer school. Silvinho Cameron will be studying English Literature at King’s College, London and Muhaimin Hayee is off to St John’s College, Cambridge to study Economics. Seun Afariogun will take up a placement with L’Occitane this summer. Good luck, boys.

Learning from professionals – the Tallow Chandlers’ Mentoring Café An onshore and offshore engineer in the oil industry, a former chartered accountant and now trustee of the Design Museum, a recently retired GP, two materials engineers, a postgraduate student, an airline pilot (commercial and RAF), an HR director, a flight test engineer, a corrosion engineer, and a self-avowed ‘expert in losing, in making the wrong decisions and in prioritising things in the wrong way’. These were this year’s mentors in our annual Tallow Chandlers’ mentoring café. Y12 students received valuable advice about career paths, applying for university, choosing the subjects that will get you where you want to go, working abroad, what employers are looking for, what you can expect to do in a particular job, and how best to prepare for the future in what one mentor called ‘these difficult times’.

Some mentors had stayed in one job or with one company since graduating whilst others had had more of a ‘portfolio’ or ‘plural’ career. What they all have in common are wide interests outside work with lots of work experience packed in at every opportunity. A lesson for our sixth formers? ‘I’m familiar with BP from seeing the name on the street but I hadn’t realized the different types of career paths they offer. The BP engineers explained how varied the jobs are and that they do a lot of travelling and that’s something that interests me.’ Nebyou Thanks to all the mentors who’ve given up valuable time to be with us. And thanks to the Tallow Chandlers for once again sponsoring and organising the event.

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With your future in mind

Learning from professionals – Dr Lauren Trisk Sara, Aneta and Margarita, Y12, are intent on a career in medicine so they were keen to get some tips from local GP, Dr Lauren Trisk, when she came to GCA to give them an insight into this exacting field. ‘Lauren advised us to gain work experience related to our career, and also to read articles on medicine. She explained that universities expect us to do these things – it’s not just about getting high grades. Lauren’s advice has motivated me even more to work hard and pursue this path.’ Aneta

Aneta, Sara and Margarita

‘I learned about the different routes into medicine and what I need to do to achieve my goal. Speaking to her made the application process seem more straightforward. Lauren also touched on the controversy regarding the NHS and how it may affect us.’ Sara

‘Lauren told us about her experience in medical school and how to pick the right one, which really helped. She took us through the realities of being a doctor, university life (workload, social life) and the structure of being a junior doctor for two years. The main benefit is that I was able to get guidance on where to start on my path.’ Margarita Dr Trisk was impressed with our three would-be medics: ‘It was a pleasure to meet Aneta, Sara and Margarita and I was really impressed by their knowledge, dedication and maturity. They have clearly done a lot of groundwork already and understand the challenges of both an application to, and a career in, medicine. I wish them all the best in their endeavours.’

Learning from professionals – work experience Let’s hear from three of the Year 10 students who made a great impression on work placement. What did they learn? Bartlomiey, 10BS, was described by his employer at the Ebenezer Community Learning Centre as ‘exceptional, very able, hardworking, reliable, quietly efficient, self-confident and well-mannered’.

Bart

‘I gained a lot of new skills such as learning how to use a range of technology, having a technical oversight in the office and even learning how to professionally communicate with others by phone.’ Urszula, 10BS, was described by the deputy head of Muswell Hill Primary School as ‘brilliant, lovely, a godsend’. She had a great rapport with the children and everyone at the school praised her mature attitude.

Urszula

‘I work in a Saturday school with primary pupils but this placement gave me an insight into the way a state school works. It taught me a lot about teamwork and I improved my communication skills, both with children and staff.’

Jordan

Jordan Kabaku worked with Secure (UK) Services, a construction and refurbishment company. His employer praised his high aptitude and said he was ‘an excellent addition to the team’. ‘I learned new technical skills in electrical engineering. I also found out a lot about the importance of responding quickly to customer feedback – whether positive or negative.’ Honourable mentions go to: Tanvir Ahmed Erik Palushi Able Ghebrihiwet Julia Jastrzebska Alexandra Fitzekova Stefania Angelopoulou Mikael Minto

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Monisha and Rikma don’t distinguish between ‘boy jobs’ and ‘girl jobs’ – they believe girls shouldn’t avoid particular career paths just because they are often seen as ‘for the boys’.

With your future in mind

Learning from your peers – empowering girls

Learning from your peers (or near-peers) – Target Oxbridge Target Oxbridge aims to help black African and Caribbean students and students with black African and Caribbean heritage increase their chances of getting into Oxford or Cambridge. The programme is aimed at high attaining Y12 students and focuses on intellectual, cultural and social development. One of the strands is regular contact with a black or minority ethnic Oxbridge graduate or undergraduate to pinpoint strengths, discuss aspirations and identify areas for development.

Rikma and Monisha in the lab

What they learned from sixth formers in GCA Y11 Girls’ Empowerment workshops reinforced their way of thinking, but also made them realise the challenges they will face as they move on to university and work, especially on courses and in professions that are heavily male-populated. Payge Levy will be off to Bangor soon to study Science Conservation and then Marine Biology and Zoology, and she knows she’ll be very much in the minority. Her advice to our Y11s was to work hard, have drive, believe in yourself and never let up. Bethlehem Wolday-Myers reminded the group that being a woman is not about outward appearances or going along with society’s view of what’s masculine and what’s feminine. She also focused on the need for women to support one another and not to give in to jealousy.

Nebyou

High attainer Nebyou is already feeling the benefits of the programme: ‘I’ve visited both universities and I’ll see my mentors once a week after my exams. The programme is helping me set realistic goals but it’s also stretching me – I am aiming for A*s. I’m looking forward to getting help with choosing the best course for me and preparing my UCAS application.’

The girls heard about ways they could improve their chances of getting onto their preferred course. Sara Foukroun, Y12, is taking part in UCL’s Target Medicine programme and has motivated Monisha to apply – she sees this as giving her a better chance of getting onto a medical degree.

‘Everyone can do anything they want if they set their mind to it.’ Rikma

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World Book Day 2017

Yet again, staff and sixth formers had some fun on World Book Day – with a fairly loose interpretation of ‘book’. Of course, lots of serious reading throughout the school went on too.

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If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine

Which side is Jekyll and which is Hyde?

Le petit prince est descendu du ciel

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Guess the secret of the Woman in Black

You look upon a woman! Éowyn I am

I could while away the hours, conferrin’ with the flowers

Je vais me venger de ces aristocrates

Magnificent Malificent

World Book Day 2017

RE Rocks Congratulations to Daniela, Kireece and Abigail, the three winners of a competition to answer questions on a Bible story about an infamous dysfunctional family, whose reputation seemed to be beyond repair. The RE team dressed as characters from the story and students were encouraged to read about the family in Genesis.

A dysfunctional family

And the Raven flew through the school screeching and quothing as he went… Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore, “Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven, Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore— Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!” Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.” Edgar Allan Poe

Overheard in the English Department corridor: ‘Did you know Poe’s Raven has a trochaic rhythm?’ ‘Yes, but I find it more interesting that the metre is octametre acatalectic, alternating with heptametre catalectic repeated in the refrain of the fifth verse, and terminating with tetrametre catalectic.’

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The power of language

Learning language through film German Film club is new to GCA this year and was set up by Fatmata Barrie in Y13. Fatmata no longer studies German but she still enjoys the language and wants younger learners to share her passion. Students have watched several films in German – Harry Potter, Madagascar 3 and Felidae (a rather peculiar German feature-length cartoon about gangs of cats), as well as music quizzes – favourites being ‘name that Disney movie’ from songs in German. Denisse, Luciana, Liliana and Ting Ping, 7EW, all speak at least two languages and love learning German. Despite not speaking German fluently, they have been able to follow the films well through subtitles and the action in the stories. They have learned new words and sometimes hear words that they have had in German lessons.

Liliana, Denisse, Luciana, Ting Ping

What have they liked? Felidae was popular because, although it is a cartoon, it’s not childish and is a very different style from what they are used to. Ting Ping and Liliana also liked Madagascar 3 as it is fun. All the girls said they would like to learn other languages. Fatmata commented that she would like to learn Mandarin. Ting Ping will be able to help here. Maybe Fatmata could watch some Chinese films?

Performance poetry In the spring term, students in Years 7-9 were introduced to performance poetry. All Y9 students had a chance to analyse, write and prepare to perform poetry in class. The aim was to help students voice their opinions, build confidence and start to prepare for their GCSE speaking exam. Ms Wolsey also invited Y9s and Yrs 7-8 to apply for places in a series of workshops with Avelino, rapper and GCA alumnus, in which they would create their own poems. The final stage was a Poetry Slam where students performed a poem of their choice, which could be their own, in competition with others.

Oshika, Danesha and Munpreet – equality women

Munpreet Kaur, Oshika Guptar and Danesha Atkins won the group prize for their poem ‘It’s that moment when’. Here are three of their powerful stanzas on the theme of gender equality:

It’s that moment when It’s that moment when men and women are supposed to be equal Instead, it’s like men are first and women are the sequel Our jobs should not rely on men and women’s inequality We all need to remember that he and she have the same quality. It’s that moment when men can do this job but women cannot Sorry, I forgot that men are the main game and women are just the mascot With men and women there should be no hierarchy For this world to be perfect, we firstly need to preach against patriarchy. It’s that moment when equality is not the way Instead some of our ashes are being swept away Is this what we are teaching our next generation To destroy some of God’s creation. 24

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Masoom performs

The power of language

NACE poetry competition (NACE is the National Association for Able Children in Education) The poem below is Fatos’s entry to the NACE poetry competition. At the time Fatos was thinking about the topic, a friend of hers was facing some personal difficulties. Fatos decided to focus on encouraging people to overcome obstacles.

Nothing Can Stop You by Fatos, 8KM

Our lives come across obstacles as we trail along our individual paths, we started a brand new year hoping for some more laughs. Everyone around me talking about “new year, new me”, many resolutions but the door to success will only open if we find the right key.

‘Make America Great Again’ was a rabble-rousing, blistering attack on all things Donald Trump, delivered with heart and gusto by Masoom Ahmed. It featured these highlights:

Make America Great Again You think you can win the next election, But you and life have no connection, You get scared of your own reflection, Because you’re ugly in every section, You think you can earn people’s affection, Well let me make a correction, Let me make an objection, Don’t judge people’s imperfection, or brag about your perfection. Why don’t you seek out Oshika, Danesha, Munpreet and Masoom and ask them to perform their poems for you – they are much more powerful when you hear them.

Outside may be getting colder, and we may be getting older. But nothing can stop us from a fresh, clean page, not a person, not our looks, not even our age! Think about your imperfections to fill them in, throw away all the negativity or hate into the bin.

Fatos

Commit to that target for the best of you, then you’ll be surprised at how much your maturity grew!

First Story National Writing Competition Arno’s success in gaining the Key Stage 3 runner-up award in the First Story National Writing Competition is celebrated on page 10. Here you can enjoy an excerpt from his prize-winning entry.

An Eskimo’s Blood by Arno, 7EW

I crept from under the tree. The snow crunching under my feet, I tried to avoid the frosty leaves on the ground. That was my chance. I would kill an elk and bring it home. I touched my spear; a true Eskimo’s weapon. My wolfskin hood kept me warm and focused. Then I could see one. Alone. That was my chance. Arno I raised my spear. I slowly exhaled for five seconds. Then suddenly I released my spear. The elk was taken down with one blow. I would be the youngest of my clan to take one of these majestic beasts. I take my knife from its sheath and begin to prepare the elk for food. Firstly I cut open the belly and take out the still warm liver. I eat this to give me strength. Then I shoulder my hide-pack, laden with elk flesh and trudge through the snow back home. Half way I stop to make a shelter for the night, and a hot fire. I take out a few precious meat morsels and slowly roast them over the fire. It is the best I’ve ever tasted: deep rich meaty flavours engulf my senses. I fall asleep happy and fulfilled with a full belly. Note to reader: The happiness does not last – Arno’s protagonist discovers a dreadful scene and has to make a terrifying decision. The reader is left in suspense until the very end. GCA

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Fabulous performers

#Absolutely #Fabulous #FOMO Have you been affected by FOMO? How did it make you feel? Were you treated for it? Is there even a cure? FOMO stands for Fear of Missing Out – a condition that afflicts people of all ages who are seriously addicted to social media, people who need to be on their smartphone all day (and often through the night) to keep up with their friends. Playwright, Suhayla El-Bushra, was commissioned to write a play for the NT Connections 2017 season and FOMO, set almost entirely online, is the result. Members of GCA’s Y13 drama class were delighted to be invited to take part but initially disappointed when FOMO was allocated to them. Why was that? Well, the play has nine characters – five girls and four boys. Sounds OK, what was the problem? In our group there’s just one girl plus eight boys.

Ah, but you went ahead so what was the solution? The only one possible, four of the boys had to play girls. Okaaaaay! And how keen were they to do that? Let Mehmet tell you… ‘I certainly didn’t want to play a female part. I got used to it but it was definitely a challenge. To help me get in character, I watched my sister’s reactions to events and the way she moves.’ Nia, the one girl in the group, tells us more… ‘At first I though the play was weird. The story is told almost entirely through tweets, texts and status updates. There were scenes where we performed like a chorus as if we were online, chatting to friends or posting on Instagram. I’m not used to a structure like that. I’ve performed in Blood Brothers and read Shakespeare but this was just so different.

FOMO – the plot Dani and Josh are the perfect high school couple. Their friends look on in envy as their love story unfolds on social media. But when the government switches off the internet for reasons of national security, the truth of their relationship is revealed.

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‘We had to talk fast to get the full effect and to make the audience feel they were also online and being bombarded with messages. It was hard to get into but once we started to block scenes it became easier and more fun.’ We asked Nia what it was like to perform at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East: ‘The theatre is way bigger than our school stage so we had to learn to use the whole area. I think it helped that the audience didn’t know us, they didn’t have the same preconceptions that people at GCA might have.’ Thanks Nia and congratulations on your unconditional offer to read Drama at Coventry. And well done to the boys – Leon, Mehmet, Daniel, Keanu, Steven, Tesfa, Brandon and Jordan.

Y12 actors enjoyed a stimulating workshop at RADA: ‘I left the building feeling rejuvenated, motivated and ready to tackle anything. From the moment I stepped through the door, I was thrown into another world. I gained skills in developing characters and making links between intention and action. I was able to pinpoint and comment on my quirks – this will definitely change the way I approach Drama and all my other creative endeavours.’ Jackie

Fabulous performers

RADA and Punchdrunk motivate Year 12 actors

Their visit to Punchdrunk’s immersive theate was just as mind-blowing: ‘It was an out-of-body experience. We were players in a highly orchestrated theatre piece that was physically exhausting but mentally stimulating. It’s hard to put into words, you really have to go through it to get a sense of the experience.’ Bethlehem WoldayMyers

Jackie (r) planning the immersive experience

At the time of writing, the group is preparing their own immersive experience – can’t wait!

Bethlehem with Eviano planning the immersive experience

Ready for their RADA workshop

GCA at the Old Vic Year 10 drama students worked with the Old Vic Theatre this year. Old Vic drama coaches ran four workshops for Y10 linked to performances, which students then watched at the theatre. Students examined the plot and themes of the plays to be seen and developed the skills they will need next year to devise their own performance.

Our actors saw, King Lear with Glenda Jackson, Art with Rufus Sewell, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead with Daniel Radcliffe, and The Missing Light, a puppetry show.

Telling a story through movement and mime

‘I loved Art, it made me laugh a lot. The actors were really in character and I could connect well with them. King Lear was enjoyable but if you lost concentration even for a moment you could miss something and get confused. I did understand the plot better when we performed parts of the play in the workshops.’ Nikkala Shantell explained what the group learned from the workshops: ‘We practised split scenes and we’re better at doing them now. We also learned to work under pressure as every activity was time limited.’ Nikkala added that the group improved their directing skills as ‘the workshop leaders stressed the need for directors to listen to people and get lots of ideas not just their own.’

Excited to be at the Old Vic GCA

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Fabulous performers

Year 11 Drama Festival – ‘Wow!’ says Ms Ajoku May saw a beginning and an end for Year 11 performers – the beginning of their drama festival and the end of their course (well, almost the end, they still had their logs to complete!). Four scripted plays were performed to attentive audiences:

Noughts and Crosses – Part 1 Beached The Accordion Shop Noises Off The magazine’s drama critic was only able to make it to Noughts and Crosses, a play based on Malorie Blackman’s popular novel, which tells the love story of Sephy and Callum, two young people kept apart by bigotry, terrorism and injustice. The play challenges the audience’s perceptions of race, power and truth. So what about the performance? Well, as Ms Ajoku said, wow! It was intense, emotional and at times tear-jerking. The characterisation was strong, with many actors taking on more than one part and showing significant ability in each one. The performance ended on an unexpected cliffhanger. It was then that Ms Ajoku reminded us we had seen only Part 1 of Noughts and Crosses. The good news is that we’ll get to see Part 2. The bad news is that this won’t be until next year!

Noughts and Crosses

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Beached

More fabulous performers

‘I love music – I just don’t know what I’d do without it.’ Shanaz, Y8 It’s a good job then that there are plenty of chances at GCA for Shanaz to indulge her passion – clubs and ensembles before school, at lunchtime, after school, as well as lots of chances to perform. So many students seize all the opportunities on offer. Why don’t you?

Shanaz

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STEM * STEMM @ GCA

STEMM – why the extra ‘M’ you ask ‘M’ for medicine recognises that many GCA students have gone, and will go, into the medical profession. As well as ensuring they have the academic skills and knowledge they need, we use our university and health service links to set up opportunities for students to gain voluntary work experience, attend masterclasses and be mentored by medical undergraduates. Turn to page 20 to read about three Y12 medical aspirants.

Chromagicals in Kentucky For the third time in three years, GCA qualified for the VEX IQ robotics international finals in Kentucky, USA and it was the turn of a Year 8 team this year – Yu Feng, Erlind, Eddy and Jason aka ‘The Chromagicals’. From Kentucky, Mr Koyani updated us as to the results of each round and we picked up messages of support from Twitter.

Mr. Kelly @mrkellyhbs • 6 hours ago Super performance by chromagicals from @Greig_City top ranked UK team after day 1, Mr. Garcia would be v proud @HBSrobotics @VEXRoboticsUK

VEX IQ relies a lot on teamwork as teams have to make alliances to tackle the challenge together. Mr Koyani praised the boys’ team spirit and said that they all worked fantastically with each other and with all of the teams they were paired up with. ‘It was good to be the top UK team after the first day and we still managed to be the second UK team at the end of the competition. It was amazing – I’ve never experienced anything like it before.’ Eddy ‘There was so much diversity – so many people from different countries coming together as a united force. We made alliances with teams from the USA, China, India and Spain.’ Erlind No resting on their laurels for Chromagicals. They’re already planning what their robot will look like for next year’s competition.

Two long flights

Getting some practice in

Taking over GCA’s stand

Coming soon – Off to Mars This cross-curricular programme for Y7s will get them utilising their programming, engineering, mathematical and scientific skills to: • Find out if they have what it takes to be an astronaut • Plan a mission, and plot a trajectory, to Mars • Plan a well-balanced meal for their journey • Check out dust movements on the planet • Estimate the mass of the planet • Build a robot to explore a martian terrain and retrieve objects

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Let’s not forget our two other VEX IQ teams, who competed along with Chromagicals in the national finals at the Big Bang Fair. They are:

Future Forklifts

United Robot Squad

STEM * STEMM @ GCA

National VEX IQ Robotics Finals

VRC (EDR) at the Big Bang Fair Year 10 robotics teams – GCA Roboteers and Something Simple – have now moved on from VEX IQ to VRC (EDR) challenges. GCA Roboteers – Mitchell, Umar, Max and Benedict – qualified for the national finals at the Big Bang Fair in March and Something Simple – Tanvir, Erik and Ervans – went along to cheer them on. The competition was fierce and the team went out in the quarter-finals but there’s always next year.

Future Forklifts Adrian, Anton, Mahdi, Aleksandre, Kaspers and Kacper

United Robot Squad Hannah, Alyssa, Isabella and Masoom

Chromagicals at the national finals

They worked steadfastly to develop their robots, strategies and skills in programming and United Robot Squad were proud to join Chromagicals in the final elimination round.

‘They showed outstanding commitment, having spent a year developing and engineering their robots. They were true ambassadors for GCA and were praised for their support and sportsmanship by other teams.’ Mr Knappert

A slide across the Thames Ervans, Bruno and Erik, Y10, came up with a novel solution for getting people across the Thames. Entrants to the #ICAN Engineer Competition were challenged to design… ‘… a new crossing to transport people over/under/through the river Thames in London and provide details on the following aspects: site location, cost, environmental impact and benefits, social impacts and benefits, materials used, structure, link/impact to surrounding infrastructure.’

‘The programming needed is more complex but the plus side is that you have a lot more freedom in terms of design.’ Benedict

Members of United Robot Squad and Future Forklifts have been helping out with all the robotics classes we run with local primary schools. Not that pupils needed much help when they were programming their robots to race round a track – they quickly understood what they needed to do.

Their solution? A slide! Unusual yes, but it would certainly be a tourist attraction. Other pluses were the use of solar power, completely recyclable materials and minimal impact on the surrounding infrastructure. ‘We wanted to do something simple but effective that would intrigue people and I think we achieved that. We presented our design at the Institute of Civil Engineers, where we competed against five other schools. We didn’t win but it was a good experience.’ Ervans

One of St Aidan’s racing robots

Ervans, Bruno and Erik – slide designers

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STEM * STEMM @ GCA

Supersonic cars GCA is a local hub for Bloodhound – an engineering project that is using a 1000mph world land speed record attempt to inspire young people to enjoy, explore and get involved in STEM.

Get ready

Finishing touches

Timekeeping

The project centres on BLOODHOUND SSC, a supersonic car designed not only to go faster than the speed of sound but to over 1,000mph (1,600km/h). And, no, GCA students will not be racing it! Rather, they have designed aerodynamic models that replicate the g-force that will be acting on the BLOODHOUND SSC. They created models in foam, attached rocket motors and tested their speed. But the important thing has been the learning that has taken place about forces affecting the speed of the car such as wind resistance, drag thrust and power to weight ratios.

And it’s off!

GCA students were joined by students from Heartlands High, Park View and St Mary’s Primary as they raced their cars. All the results have been entered on the Bloodhound leaderboard and we’re waiting to hear if any of the speeds will be good enough for entry into the regional final and, who knows, perhaps the final.

The Faraday Challenge Four Y8 teams were up against two teams from Park View School in this year’s challenge. The task, set by the Institute of Engineering and Technology, involved designing a product for use in an activity very close to the heart of many GCA students and teachers. Think ‘sailing’ and you will make a good guess. Teams planned production, budgeted, bought items using a currency of ‘Faradays’, and presented their ideas and accounts to the judge and the other teams. Congratulations go to the winning team from Park View. ‘We have been coding since Year 7 but this took us to a higher level. We used micro:bits, which are tiny handheld programmable computers that have LED lights that can flash messages and motion sensors, and can be hooked up to other devices through cables and Bluetooth technology.’ Karley

Rhema and Karley purchase items from the Faraday shopkeeper

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Teamwork was the key

Presenting their product

STEM * STEMM @ GCA

Formula 24 update

The chance to dissect a cow’s eye was eagerly seized with few signs of squeamishness.

Our original Formula 24 team, now Y11, has handed over to a Y9 team. Well done Tina, Safak, Abubakar, Basos, Delina, Sadie and Shayan for all your efforts and thanks to Aisha and Reece from the original team who supported you so ably. Pit stop

Cow’s eye

‘It felt weird dissecting the cow’s eye but I learned a lot, for example cows have better sight in the dark than humans.’ Henri, Y7

The International Kit Car Final at Rockingham in October was dramatic. In practice the team damaged the drive train leading to some vital last minute repairs. The team made it to 15th place on the grid with 36 other teams qualifying. The finish line

Each race is an endurance event lasting 1 hour 30 minutes. Cars must complete the most laps at the highest speed with three pit stops to change drivers; it is a test of the quality of build, efficient driving and energy management. Great driving meant that GCA finished the final race in 11th place. This year we came 12th internationally, a tribute to the skill of team and their ability to drive the car efficiently.

Dissecting

Science week Activities during British Science Week had students flocking to the science department. The Elephant’s Toothpaste experiment involves mixing two solutions together to get an amazing eruption of foam that looks like a giant stream of toothpaste exploding from the cylinder. The experiment creates an exothermic reaction – it not only creates foam, it creates heat too. Screaming jelly babies elicited ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ as the sweets burst into flames and a screaming sound was heard as rapidly expanding gases were emitted from the test tube. And the point of the experiment? To show the amount of energy there is in a piece of confectionery.

Terrific Scientific – are you a supertaster? This BBC campaign aims to inspire primary pupils to discover their inner scientist. Rokesly, Campsbourne and St Mary’s, worked with GCA on the campaign.

Ugh, what a smell!

An eruption of elephant’s toothpaste

Just listen to those jelly babies scream!

Ms Hannah and Y10 students went into schools to introduce the project before pupils came into GCA to find out if they are ‘supertasters’. Supertasters experience bitter tastes more strongly than other people because they have a higher number of taste receptors within their fungiform papillae – the big pink bumps on your tongue

The three-layer liquid fountain experiment kept the audience transfixed even though they had to hold their noses because the ether was so pungent.

Science Week gave a chance for more students to find out about caring for pets. Pet Club meets every lunchtime Learning to care for and there is pets always extra work to do on Thursdays and Fridays when cages are cleaned and pets are given new toys and treats such as their favourite fruit – papaya.

which contain your taste buds. By counting the number of papillae, you can determine whether you are a supertaster, a taster or a non-taster. Do you know which you are? Thanks to Max, Umar, Rio, Ye, Destiny and April who did a brilliant job with our primary friends. GCA

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Encouraging enterprise

Unpacking Asthma – The Schools Starpack Award ‘It’s funny that when you start you feel you want to quit, but when you get through it all you just feel amazing.’ Nelson, Y9 Read on to find out what made Nelson (and eight other Y9 designers) feel so amazing. Emmanuel, Andrei, Oshika, Munpreet, Abubakar, Masoom, Elea, Lidya and Nelson all put in hours of work after school and at weekends tackling a design brief set for the Schools Starpack Award. The aim was to help students understand the work that goes into the packaging of products and to teach them about the role packaging plays in the consumer market. This year there were seven briefs for students to choose from, all provided by industry experts. Our group chose: ‘Unpacking Asthma’ Their challenge: To develop a solution to address the problems of treating asthma in children under 6 years of age. This challenge differs from all the other awards because it is part of ‘Designing Our Tomorrow’ (DOT), an initiative from the University of Cambridge that researches and develops resources for teaching STEM. GCA has been working with Cambridge to pilot the use of the DOT resources and strategies, all of which were used to support our nine entrepreneurs. All their hard work paid off. At the end of June all nine will attend an award ceremony where their achievements will be celebrated: Andre took the bronze award in this category. Oshika won the Best Portfolio Prize which comes with £50. Elea and Masoom were highly commended. All nine students received a ‘Future Potential Award’. This was a new award created on the judging day to recognise entries that didn’t win but which showed great potential. Our Year 9s were up against A and AS level students so they did phenomenally well. Oshika was surprised but delighted to win the Best Portfolio award: ‘I worked really hard on my portfolio but was still surprised to win against all the competition. I am really pleased.’

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Context page

The Pack Beneﬁts to users: •

Spacer and mask

Logo for the A Pack These are stakeholder requirements

Reliever inhaler

Recommended belt

What is asthma? ‘Asthma is a common lung condi9on that causes occasional breathing di?cul9es@A B NHS

‘It’s a real-world challenge tackling important aspects of delivering asthma medication. They had to design and model something that was not medical-looking or scary to the child. To my mind, all the students have created very sophisticated designs in 2D and 3D and have used equally sophisticated modelling techniques. They’ve all worked with a clear mindset and it’s interesting that they have all come up with different designs and models. This shows they are operating as individual designers. I should add that all their designs work.’

The design is original because the compartments can be changed, the informa<on cards are connected to the hinges and the top compartment is enclosed with a plas<c sheet. The plas<c sheet is made of acetate.

Brief: Design a pack that brings together all the necessary equipment and informa<on to eﬀec<vely treat infant asthma.

SCG0023

The Asthma Challenge This is my ﬁnal design; My asthma rucksack has a pocket aHached to the inside of the back. This pocket will contain: the child's treatment plan, reliever inhaler instrucCons, preventer inhaler instrucCons, spacer and mask, inhaler technique guide, Childs asthma incident log, date of review appointment and an in an emergency instrucCons. My asthma rucksack will have one pocket which will have two compartments. One compartment will hold the reliever inhaler and preventer inhaler and the other pockets will hold the spacer and mask. The boHomTbase of my asthma rucksack will have the recycled sign, barcode and ﬂammable symbol.

Weekend workers

Our thanks go to Chris Garcin, a professional product designer who has given our designers some valuable advice. Here’s what he thinks about the way students have gone about the challenge:

The A Pack works by 2 separate compartments joined together by hinges. The top compartment holds the spacer and mask, it is made of high density polyethylene. It holds the equipment with a protec<ve plas<c sheet. The boIom is also made up of high density polyethylene that can slot one another and turn into diﬀerent sized compartments for other medical devices besides asthma gadgets, in case the user no longer requires the pump etc. Also there are informa9on cards in the middle of the pack that have tabs at the boIom to let the reader know that there is a page aKer.

Originality:

The A Pack on its own will be £20 and with a spacer and mask will be £30.

The A Pack is lightweight and makes it easy to carry. The A Pack is durable so it keeps the equipment inside safe. The A Pack is waterproof so that the equipment inside wont get damaged. The A Pack is compact which makes it convenient. The A Pack is aﬀordable so that

8unc9onality: Preventer inhaler

Will be aIached here.

ObGec9Hes: The A Pack was made speciﬁcally to prevent the asthma equipment from falling out. However the A Pack can be used to store many diﬀerent things.

•  •  •  •

I want the equipment to be easily carried and protected from damage and dirt when I'm out of the house

On this page you can see samples of the work submitted to Starpack judges for assessment.

The Asthma Challenge

Final Design

This is my ﬁnal design. However this design is not my actual size, I divided the measurements by ten.

If I had more Cme I would experiment with diﬀerent machines and make further improvements

This is how my rucksack will look when actually made. This model is made out I of card and was cut by the laser cuHer machine. A laser cuHer machine is an output machine that precisely cuts out materials of your chosen design.

This is the net for my asthma rucksack. This net shows how the back is going to look. The back is going to show my logo, moHo, barcode, ﬂammable symbol, recycled symbol and the ]riCsh standard logo. This net also shows the front. The front is going to have long ears dropping down. The ears will be made out of faux fur and the eyes will be googly eyes.

My ﬁnal design is going to be a light brown colour, have a tail on the back, ears on the front, nose on the front and a mouth on the front.

In order to come up with my ﬁnal design I had to evaluate all of my other designs and make improvements.

SCG0021

Asthma Challenge This model is 165mm in height and 160mm in width.

It is hinged so you are able to fold it to make it a solid cuboid.

Objectives and results 1

My model is successful because: Packaging sleeve

Logo This model is original as you wouldn’t see a box hanging from another box when opened.

SolidWorks

Other Purposes This model is going to cost £20. This is an aﬀordable price for the stakeholder paying. It is also sustainable as the materials used for manufacturing is eco friendly. •  It can be re-‐purposed aUer the stakeholder doesn’t need it anymore or if its not suitable for them anymore. Other purposes for this model are: •  it can be used to keep your jewellery safe. •  You can use it to put pens, rubber scissors etc. ,in it when at home.

DbEec9ves: Made speciﬁcally to contain all the equipment needed for the infants treatment but without taking more than Will be made the space needed so its easy for movement and storage. of of Plas>c Brief: Design a pack that brings together all the necessary equipment and informa>on to eﬀec>vely treat infant asthma

•  My model is easily transportable. •  It’s fun to play with. Stakeholder •  It has a lot of space for the equipment requirement needed. •  It’s easy to manufacture •  It is engaging because you can play I want to help with the hinged box. the parent •  It doesn’t cost a lot so its affordable for choose the best different people. strategy for •  The instruc>ons are in bold big le?ers their inhaler so anyone can see it. It also comes in effec>vely. different languages that are commonly spoken in England. •  It doesn’t take a lot of space, this makes it easy to store. •  It wont scare the stakeholders as the graphics are fun and colourful. •  It has all the needed instruc>ons. What is asthma? “Infant asthma is a common lung condi9on that causes occasional breathing di:cul9es;< NHS Strapped. The strap Recommended will be made out of strap. canvas material. For easy movement.

SCG0027

4 The Asthma Challenge

Storyboard How do the stakeholders interact with BuddyBelt?

Images sourced from ‘Google Images’

BuddyBelt

The infant has an asthma attack

Once the infants no longer needs an inhaler, the pack can be used to store other medical equipment.

BuddyBelt

The carer has the BuddyBelt ready to be used and is informed on how to use the equipment from the information given in the pack.

The inhaler is easy to take out of the BuddyBelt and the child is not frightened by the intimidating medicine.

The infant becomes well and happy and the carers are pleased with the results thanks to the easy- to- use asthma BuddyBelt .

SCG0024

Encouraging enterprise

Primary Enterprise Challenge Every year we run an enterprise challenge for local primary schools which is designed to test teamwork skills under pressure and give pupils a chance to develop their problem-solving and budgeting skills. This year we welcomed pupils from Welbourne, St Gildas’, Trinity, North Harringay, Rokesly, Weston Park, and St Paul’s and All Hallows, all of whom tackled the challenge – to create a model of a city in space for humankind – with verve. Y9 student volunteers, including our Starpack designers, were on hand to answer questions and support each team.

Y9 volunteers

At the end of the day, the teams wrote, rehearsed and gave presentations on their ideas in a bid to win the votes of the judges, who included GCA volunteers.

And congratulations go to the very worthy winners…

Weston Park

Nelson and Masoom judge the models

A Weston Park member of staff tweeted:

Thank you @Greig_City for hosting such a wonderful day on Tuesday, you made us all at Weston Park primary school feel so welcomed.

And North Harringay tweeted:

Y5 enjoyed Enterprise Challenge Day @Greig_City where they developed many important life skills such as creativity and cooperation.

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Issue 13

Volcanoes and Mandinka

Road building and volcanoes During the 2016 summer holidays, sixth formers Gio, Maria, Sharif, Michal, Sarah and Velislava set off for Nicaragua on their World Challenge expedition, accompanied by Ms Heywood-Lonsdale and Mr Reynolds. The main task our six were set was to build two roads in La Esperanza. The roads were needed to enable children to get to school even in the heavy rain that affects the area. Working with the local people allowed Gio et al to become familiar with the problems the local community face. Paddle boarding in Lake Nicaragua, one of the few places where there are fresh water sharks, cooled the group off a little after their strenuous work, then it was time to see more of the country.

Paddle boarding

Cooling off

Photos here show the group cooling off at the cascading waterfalls of Volcan Madera and climbing five volcanoes from base to summit. The climbs meant waking at 2am, keeping an eye out for snakes, tarantulas and scorpions, and at times spreading out horizontally to avoid tumbling rocks in near zero visibility. Not for the fainthearted! They camped between each volcano in villages and ate dinner with local families. Perhaps the favourite activity was â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;volcano surfingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Volcan Cerro Negro is the only volcano that enables people to surf on black volcanic sand and

Building roads

Making friends

rock from its 750 metre summit to its base. Our six carried their boards up the volcano and sped down, with a few tumbles at the base. In the last few days, the team had an opportunity to see boiling lava in a crater. Volcan Masaya erupted in 2015 and was still active last year. National Geographic had been recording footage so our team got to see scientists and reporters in action inside the crater.

Volcano surfing

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Heavy going in the heat

We made it

A life-affirming visit

It’s good to hear that Michal has been doing some great work as a ‘Challenge Ambassador’ for World Challenge.

In February half term Ms Wright left a cold, wet London to take part in a drama project in The Gambia, a country going through an exciting period of political change.

Michal has been supporting World Challenge by attending Parent Information evenings at schools, offering an insight into expedition life. As well as explaining how he raised the 3K plus cost of the month-long trip he talks about how the experience has given him the impetus to travel independently.

Ambassador Michal

‘He is an asset to World Challenge and his fundraising achievements are remarkable; it is a pleasure working with Michal.’ Lydia Gibson, School Account Manager, World Challenge.

News from another World Challenge veteran

Volcanoes and Mandinka

Ambassador Michal

‘The village I stayed in had had electricity for only two years. My host family were the most hospitable people I have ever met. Making friends The accommodation was basic – we cooked over a fire and a shower was a bucket. They certainly did not understand my vegetarianism; breakfast was bread and butter, and lunch and dinner were rice-based. ‘The drama group I was to work with were keen to do a play about “The Backway” to Europe, that is, the illegal way to Europe, via Libya. Everyone knew someone who had left the country that way and their stories were incredibly moving. We focused on two Gambians, one guy who left with little money and another girl whose family supported her trip. The boat got The performance to Italy and they were in a detention centre, stuck. They contacted siblings to help them; the siblings travelled on the same boat but did not make it to Italy. The story was hard hitting and sad but oh so real. ‘The incredibly talented and enthusiastic actors asked if they should tell the story in the Mandinka language and we decided the performance would work better that way. ‘We performed to an audience of about 50, mostly children. The atmosphere was brilliant, raw street theatre at its best. It took away all of the theatre norms, rules and conventions we have here and still worked with its storytelling. I learned how to direct without luxuries and the group learned drama techniques they had never used before. ‘So what did I learn? Well, it made me think how lucky students are in the UK. I saw the most basic classrooms and facilities with children desperate to learn. I saw classes of 60 and teachers lecturing. I met the most friendly, generous, wonderful people. It was a life-affirming visit and allowed me to experience a totally different culture.’

We’ve just heard that Velislava Gateva, who is now at Nottingham University, has been offered an internship to work in Sri Lanka where she will be collaborating with NGOs and INGOs for three weeks. She will also be working with the local community, specifically with children and women, to help keep families together, prevent children ending up in orphanages and help women start work.

The village street GCA

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Fit and flexible

Hatha and Ashtanga Yoga Yoga is a popular subject in the PE rotation for Years 10 and 11. Ms Talbot’s Hatha and Ashtanga classes, specially designed for young people, encourage a balanced lifestyle ‘I focus a lot on moves that improve coordination, natural flexibility and good posture. Students are often sitting at a computer or desk so it’s important for them to become aware of their posture and their body generally and to recognise when they are slumping. Helping them improve their breathing techniques is important too, particularly techniques that help calm nerves and increase concentration, for example before an exam.’ Ms Talbot ‘The yoga lessons are fun and at the end you feel healthier and more relaxed. Some positions require more skill but they improve our flexibility.’ Anonymous response on evaluation sheet.

Basketball It was another double this year for GCA at the English Schools’ Finals when our U14 and U16 girls’ teams clinched gold. Saturday 6th May saw the U16s claim a 53-43 victory over Aylesbury High in the semis and then take on Nottingham Academy in the finals just a few hours later. A five point lead at half time (27-22) converted to a well-deserved 19 point lead (63-44) at full time.

U16 champions

Anitha Kaddu was declared MVP – Most Valuable Player. ‘I scored 17 baskets but was still surprised to be selected as MVP. I’m really happy and proud of myself and the team.’ Anitha Sunday 7th was a case of déjà vu when the U14s triumphed over Aylesbury High in the semis with a score of 65-42 and then claimed victory in the final with Nottingham Academy with a score of 62-30. Daniella Tewogbade was declared MVP.

U14 champions

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‘I wasn’t surprised to be selected because I had scored the most points – 27. Both matches were tight to begin with but they became easier as we took up commanding leads. We have a great coach. Mr Bowmaker is the real MVP.’ Daniella

Ms Bouchereau, GCA dance teacher and choreographer

Fit and flexible

‘Dance is body literacy. You write a story with your body.’

Mens sana in corpore sano All students have a chance to develop fitness levels in class and, for Yrs 10-13, before and after school in the fitness suite. Induction is vital – you don’t want to do yourself an injury so strict adherence to health and safety rules is expected. Classes focus on improving power, cardiovascular and muscular endurance, as well as flexibility. Yes, you learn about anatomy and physiology and the science behind all the regimes but mainly it’s all about learning by doing. Teachers make sure certain exercises are linked to performance in particular sports – very much the case for our elite teams. Students are advised about the sorts of exercises they can do at home to keep fit. Not everyone can afford to go to a gym – you can lift a can of beans to strengthen your biceps so long as you know the best way to do so. And, what about helping your parents carry heavy shopping?

Ms Bouchereau helps Serena with her tendu

‘I’m thrilled that the GCA dance club has won through to the national finals of the Great British Dance Off. In the club we’re currently focusing on African contemporary dance and I’ll be introducing acrobatics soon. In curriculum time we cover contemporary as well as choreography skills. It’s exciting.’ Ms Bouchereau

Patience and Gloria

‘Dance is a nice way to relax. I can express myself through movement and the emotions I put into the dance make me a better dancer.’ Gloria, Y7 ‘I put all my emotions into dance.’ Patience, Y7

Handball Handball is a fast growing sport at GCA as more and more girls and boys commit to training. Mr Malecki and Haringey Sports Partnership have introduced Thursday lunchtime sessions and, through our links with the Partnership, London Lions U16s in orange and U14s in black at the Haringey Championships Handball Club and Arsenal FC, GCA enthusiasts are able to attend extra sessions in Fortismere and St Thomas More Schools. Our more able, older students take part in the U18 National League. GCA has some very talented students Congratulations to our U14 team, who make the most of activities runners up in the Haringey Handball outside school. If there is a sport Championship and to our U16 team you enjoy or that you’d like to try, who are Haringey champs. In the Super do talk to us because we can help 8 London Championship we lost by a you find clubs or enter you into single goal in the final minute of extra competitions outside school. time against The Compton School – it Mr Malecki is particularly keen to still hurts but there’s always next year! hear from swimmers and would-be handball players.

A message from your PE teachers

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Revision with a difference

Exercising body and brain Freezing winds and poor visibility – not the best conditions for getting stuck into exam revision. Fortunately, the 31 Year 11 students who took part in a combined outdoor ed. and revision course in the Lake District settled down to their studies in the warmth after a day braving the elements. Hiking on the hills, canoeing and high ropes were all on the agenda. Ten of the students also scaled Helvellyn, the 3rd highest mountain in England at 950m.

Conquering Helvellyn

‘We had wanted to do Scafell Pike, the highest mountain, but conditions were unsafe; in any case, Helvellyn is only 29m lower! Conditions were tough, with poor visibility for most of the ascent and a freezing wind blowing for the last 100m. However we were in the very safe hands of an experienced guide. Apart from a few blisters making the going rough, the students did very well, making it up and back down again in around five hours, and singing for most of the way.’ Mr Scott ‘The trip was definitely worthwhile. The outdoor activities were enjoyable and the revision sessions were very productive. Teachers had prepared all the materials and the teachers who came with us were really helpful. I was able to cover all my subjects over the three days and now feel confident about the exams.’ Ritchie Tarrier

Peer mentoring Ms Wolsey’s early morning peer mentoring workshops for Year 11 students keen to improve their revision techniques had many fans. ‘The sessions have been really helpful. In talking about a poem other students use simpler language than teachers do and that’s helped me understand ideas and concepts that seemed difficult at first – the easier language was a sort of route into the difficult language.’ Kofi ‘I’m a mentor but I benefit just as much as my mentees. My English teachers thought it would be good for me to come to the workshops and they were right. Other people have different interpretations of the texts we’re studying and I’ve enjoyed discussing ideas with them.’ Shamika

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Kofi

Shamika and Abdallah

o t n e e k s t studen r i e h t e v o r imp . . s e u q i n h c e t n o i s i rev

EU – What Now? Just a week after the momentous EU Referendum vote, GCA hosted a Speakers for Schools ‘Question Time’ style event which was livestreamed to schools around the country. Years 9 to 13 took part and it was clear they were well aware that the referendum result would affect their entire generation. They were eager to hear the views of the four influential people on the panel – Robert Peston, ITV’s political editor, who chaired the panel; Owen Jones, Guardian columnist; Dreda Say Mitchell, novelist and journalist; and Miriam González Durántez, lawyer.

News in brief

Here’s a reminder of a few more of the activities GCA students, ex-students and staff have been involved in this year.

A celebration of the work of LDBS schools In January six student leaders, members of staff and two governors accompanied Fr Patrick to St Paul’s Cathedral to represent GCA at a special schools’ service. In the cathedral over 1300 young people from all over London joined in a celebration of the vibrant work of the many Church of England Schools and Academies supported by the London Diocesan Board of Schools. The celebration included dance, music and song.

Let’s just say we heard a heated debate with clear differences of opinion amongst the panel members! The panel

News from Ohio

At St Paul’s Cathedral

For a few years now we’ve been bringing you news of two alumnae on basketball scholarships at Toledo University, Ohio. Well, as always, there has been more good news this year about Janice Monakana and Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott. Both Janice and Jay-Ann are now ‘1000 pointers’ – that is, they have both scored 1000 points in their time with Toledo.

‘The massive pipe organ filled the space with a diversity of sounds, and reminded everyone that every pupil, every school, every part of our communities has something to contribute to an astounding whole.’ Fr Patrick

Well done to both women!

Jay-Ann was also named Mid-American Conference Distinguished ScholarAthlete for the second time. She finished the 2016-17 season with a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA (grade points average where 4 is the maximum achievable). This together with her record of sporting excellence make her once again one of the highest achieving students in her district, which includes all universities within the states of Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. In a video interview this year we heard that Jay-Ann is rated ‘one of the best’ on and off court. Her coach explained that both Jay-Ann and Janice, senior captain for Toledo, pick up things quickly because they have a great IQ for the game. The interviewer praised Jay-Ann’s ‘perfection in the classroom, brilliance on the court’.

We send both women our best wishes for their master’s courses, which they will start later this year. Jay-Ann will continue to study in Toledo. Janice is currently training with the GB senior women’s team and will be doing her master’s in the UK. She has yet to decide between the several universities that are offering a full scholarship. GCA

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News in brief

Christmas Jumper Day

Haringey Night Shelter

Thanks go to Sahin, Gabriel, Andrea, Dilara, Elizabeth, Seun and Margarita, Yrs 12-13, who organised Christmas Jumper Day for sixth formers and staff.

Over the winter months, student leaders once again helped out at Haringey Churches’ Winter Night Shelter at Holy Innocents church. All People All Places is a small charity that runs shelters in 7 Haringey and 7 Enfield churches. Each church runs a shelter one night a week offering 12 beds each night. Guests also have an evening meal and breakfast. GCA student leaders help make the beds for the night and prepare tables for meals. ‘I was very happy to give a hand. The experience made me think about the situation the guests were in that meant they had to use the shelter and I’m now more aware of the difficulties we face as a community.’ Ra’Eesah, Y7 ‘I very much appreciate and value the involvement of students and staff with this much-needed project.’ Fr Patrick

They chivvied people into bright jumpers and raised £238 for the Save the Children fund.

A high quality coding club Mr Porter is running a very successful coding club for Highgate Primary pupils. 27 eager coders meet once a week after school to hone their skills. All the coders highly recommend the club because:

‘It’s really different from other after-school clubs.’ ‘It’s high quality.’

‘I feel I would actually use this in future.’

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award - a new cohort is making great strides Ms Wright has taken over the DofE scheme and tells us that the 60 students going for bronze (30 Y9s and 30 Y10s) are really focused and enjoying learning something new. They have completed their first aid course and are almost expedition ready after many sessions on map skills and countryside etiquette. All have started their volunteering, physical and skills modules. Myah-Amber Corbett is learning to bake and has brought some amazing cakes in. Jessica Mendez Moniz has been helping out in the Art department and helped make props for the Drama department. Ms Holding has been teaching British Sign Language to the Y10s as part of their skills module – they are even signing to their teachers. The group will soon be off to the Forest of Dean for their expedition. Happy camping!

Learning to apply CPR

GCA

Issue 13

Ra’Eesah

Remembering

London to Brighton for Ned and Najeeb The unexpected deaths in this last year of two students in my year group, Ned Nonov and Najeeb Katende, touched everyone in the school. We could only imagine the tremendous sense of loss felt by the boys’ families as we – their friends, their teachers and all other members of staff – acknowledged our own feelings at the loss of two very well liked boys who were looking forward to the successful conclusion of their GCSE studies in Year 11. I recall the incredible dignity shown, most of all by the boys’ families but also by their school friends. I am very grateful for the unstinting support of my colleagues in guiding Year 11 through what were without doubt the most trying circumstances we had faced in our time together. A group of us decided to organise a bike ride from London to Brighton to raise funds for an appropriate charity. Najeeb’s family had expressed their wish that any donations in his memory be made to the British Heart Foundation, so that decided it. Our initial target was £1000. Mr Bird and his neighbour Lloyd Philp, Ms Onoszko and her partner Irfan, Mr Horner and myself set off from Clapham Common. As we cycled, the Just Giving page we had set up was clocking up donations and by the time we reached the final stretch donations topped £1200. The final total raised was over £1700, thanks to the generosity of colleagues, family, friends and Brighton Pier at last parents. Donations came from as far afield as the Americas, as former GCA staff based in Canada, the US and Argentina made generous contributions. I am in regular touch with both Ned’s and Najeeb’s families and want to pass on their gratitude to all involved in raising money in memory of their sons. The involvement of GCA colleagues and students in supporting, publicising and fundraising for the bike ride illustrates why our school is a very special place indeed. Mr Scott, Head of Year 11

Remembering Moses Moses Dixon was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 14 and, for three years, underwent several courses of chemotherapy as well as specialist treatment in the USA. Sadly, Moses died in April this year at the age of 17. Moses would have been in Year 12 if he had recovered from his illness. His friends at GCA and all the staff who knew him have fond memories of a bright, funny, caring and generous young man. The courage with which he dealt with his illness and all the treatment he had to bear is an inspiration to all who knew him. Mrs Arhagba and Ms Brown, Moses’s tutor and Head of Year

GCA

Issue 13

Greig City Academy is a Church of England co-educational comprehensive school for students aged 11 to 19. GCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Principal Paul Sutton OBE, BSc (Hons), MA

GCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chair of Governors Helen Williams CB, MA Oxon

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.

Greig City Academy, High Street, Hornsey, London N8 7NU T: 020 8609 0100 E: enquiries@greigcityacademy.co.uk W: www.greigcityacademy.co.uk

Sponsorship