Shamal 2013

Page 1

453 gc 1 452 109

451

3

2

68

108 5

106

107

110

4

112

7 445 446

6 23 7

99

21

114

118

117

102 101

98

97

99

100

8

96

95

122

134

133

180179 178 181 177 182

125 132

442 439 126 131 443 438 127

187 188

189

142

144 145 143

137

141

140

148

45

44

46 75

77

76

166

156

167

159 155

152 151 150

147 174

47 48

49

158 157

161

146

63

52

64

71

66

65

72 73

74

164 165

163 162

67

62

53

51

43

160 154 153

186 174

55 54 57 56

58

42 50

136

183 138 176 184 139 185 139

130

129 128

94 86

135

124

438

40

80

83 84 79 78 85

92 93 87 88

29

96 95

97

123

441 440

120

28

98

99

121

82

91

61

59

81

89

41

12

11

10

94

90

60

39

13

14 15

16

9

34 30

27

38

36 37

31

20

22

17

33 35

32

19

115 448 116

26

97 18

449

447 119 444

113

25

24

98

111

450

70

69

104 105 103

168 169 170 171

149 172 173

436

310 435

190

293

322 321 320 311

292 191

203 204 223 224 225 222 215 221 198 197 206 226 205 216 217 214 227 220 218 207 213 196 228 210 212 208 219 211 229 285 283 284 281 283 282

303 290 289 194 193 295 304 310 300 296 318 305 309 313 194 323 306 308 317 287 434 195 316 300 307 194 314 297 315 286 299 298 324 312

325 432

328

327

332

431

342

421

335

337 338

333 334

339

420

422

426 423 427

428

425 424

357 358 360 361 369

356 351 355

348

370

362 368367

241 232 230

231

238 239

240

269 270

277 276 278

279

275

263

354 419

346

347

352353

417 418

416

415 414

363

392

385 385 384 380 379 378

393

391

381

386

390

262

271 248 249

274

280

261

258

257

255 254253 252 246 247 251 250

268

264

265

272 273

267

266

394 395 396 402 401

403 387 371 382 377 404 397 374 376 388 389 373 398 372 375 400 405 410 413 407 406 412 411 399 409 408 383

430 429

350 349

340

331 336

341

256 242

359

343

329

259 260

245

345

344

325 326 330

236

200 199

192

291

244

237

233

311294

302

234

201 202

301

319

433

235 243

437

366 364 365

DUBAI DUBAICOLLEGE COLLEGE U.A.E. U.A.E.



DUBAI COLLEGE

A tradition of quality in education DUBAI COLLEGE U.A.E.

Shamal 2013


Contents

6 Headmaster’s Foreword

4-5 Staff Photo

3 Shamal Foreword

43 History Trip to Berlin

42 Question of the Week

60-61 F1 in Schools

69 Brass Bonanza Two

69 Viva Las Vegas

64 Book Binding Workshop

62-63 Desert Dance

70 Arabian Youth Orchestra

72 YMoG

71 Beginner Band

89 88 AS Art & Design

Exhibition

90 The Tempest rehearsals

91 Punk Rock

92 Hansel and Gretel

110

Creative Writing

102-109 House Pages

111 Debating Society

Athletics

141-152 Football

128

125-127

74 Golf

112 Enrichment Days

Hatta Cross Country

Water polo

Swimming

46 World Challenge 2012 Ladakh, India

76 GCSE Design Technology

113 Maths Olympiad

47 World Challenge 2012 Project Phase

48 Year 7 Dibba Trip

79 AS Design Technology

66 Music & Mince Pies

130-131 Doha Exchange

67 Rule Britannia

80 A2 Design Technology

98 Gold Award Expedition DoE

114-117 Charities

82 GCSE Art & Design

100 InterHouse Athletics

153-161 Basketball

193-194 Visitors

Shamal 2013

199-202 FDC

68 Music at the Embassy 86 AS Art & Design

101 InterHouse Swimming Gala

132 Golf

119 Sporting Achievements 2012/2013

133 Tennis 134-140 Rugby

183-187

195-198 Alumni

58 Spanish Trip to Andalucía

118

Sports Overview

Rounders

162-182 Netball

49 Year 8 Eco-venture Trip, Kalba

57 Biology Fieldwork in Umm Al Quwain

65 Sailing Walk the plank!

96 Silver Award Expedition DoE

40-41 Open Day 2012

14-39 Form Photos & Year Pages

56 London Theatre Trip

64 Photography Workshop

94 Bronze Award Expedition DoE

129

120-124

4

93 Bedales Exchange December 2012

13 Year 7 Barbecue

54-55 Kuala Lumpur and Singapore Rugby and Netball Tour

52-53 Ski Trip Verbier, Switzerland 2013

*Snoland ‘13*

59 World Schools Debating Championships

45 Sixth Form Art Trip to the Sharjah Biennial

44 Year 11 Art Trip to the DIFC Galleries

51 ISMTF Senior Mathematics Competition

50 Model United Nations Turkey

12 Year 7 Induction Day 2012

7-11 Staff Goodbyes

188-191 Cricket

203-214 Awards and Results

192 Primary Schools Athletics 215

Destination of Leavers

216 Autographs


Shamal Foreword

Shamal Foreword

by Chair of Governors

Boards and other external bodies to advance the school’s reputation, activities and connections so that Dubai College will maintain its standing as one of the finest UK curriculum schools anywhere. Our Board has been augmented by the addition of Dr. Eman Gaad, an academic of world class reputation who will work closely with the Headmaster on curriculum matters, and also by Peter Debenedictis to connect us to the ever-growing Dubai College Alumni. In addition, we have taken strong steps to strengthen our governance processes and we have commenced a detailed review of our vision and strategies towards 2020 and beyond. Though there have been some set-backs and ever-present challenges associated with our not-for-profit status, our finances and operations are very robust and provide a strong base for the future. Dubai College is constantly adapting to the future and investments in modernising facilities and IT infrastructure are but a few of the new projects that will strengthen the experience we offer our students. I would like to pay special thanks to the Headmaster, his management team and teaching staff, the Bursar and his support staff who work tirelessly to make Dubai College a special place of learning and personal development for our students. Together with parents, they provide the essential support mechanisms that ensure all our students realise their full potential and go on to further studies and bright careers on the international stage.

Dear Friends of Dubai College Another eventful year has passed in the life of Dubai College as we celebrated the 35th year since the foundation back in 1978. This edition of “Shamal” celebrates all that is good and consistent with the values and ethos of Dubai College, building on our traditions and simultaneously looking to the future with renewed passion and optimism. The academic results in the past year were the best on record and surpassed last years outstanding performance across the board in GCSE and A-levels – moreover, the improvement was set against a decline in the overall UK results. Whilst we are proud of the academic performance, we are equally proud of the achievements of our wonderful students in the sporting arena, performing arts and in their contribution to the community where they live and represent us in so many positive ways.

In conclusion, Dubai College remains a source of pride and passion for all of us who are involved, with the students at the centre of our efforts, as we look to the future with confidence and optimism in line with the growth of Dubai itself. Congratulations to all involved in publishing “Shamal” and I hope you enjoy reading through the pages as a record of the diverse and unique community that is Dubai College. With warm regards, Hussain Sultan, Chair of Board of Governors

Your Board of Governors is also working hard with the KHDA, UK Inspection

Shamal 2013

5


6

Shamal 2013

Front Row: Mr A Davidson, Mrs J Bailey, Miss P Tragett, Miss K Hill, Mr M Donovan, Mr I Jones, Miss C Carberry, Captain R Higgins, Mr P Hill, Mr M Gulliford, Mr C Agent, Mr M Lambert, Mr K Evans, Mr L Ashmore, Miss E John, Mrs B Ashmore, Mr J Tate.

2nd Row: Ms H Bastable, Miss Z Brenham, Ms F Casey, Mrs V Holmes, Mrs L Nowacki, Mr Dale, Mr G Jeffcote, Mr S Shakil, Mrs S Taylor, Mrs J Lee-Foster, Ms M Doherty, Mrs K Greenlees, Mrs W Davies, Miss N Mallett, Miss A Marrion, Miss J Din, Mrs G Malik, Mrs R Dabbagh, Miss S Mennaai.

3rd Row: Mr N Bernaz, Miss T Johns, Mr M Wood, Mr G Case, Mr R Dennis, Mr A Shaikh, Mr J Croft, Mrs R Hashem, Mrs S Abdulhadi, Mrs K Thompson, Mrs L Hodge, Miss N Li Fook, Ms T Wazir.

Back Row: Miss G Woolcock, Mrs B Phillips, Ms S Corless, Mr S Gardner, Miss D Foulkes, Mrs S Lambert, Mr R Ashby, Mr P Flower, Mr G Roberts, Mr S Over, Mr A Hann, Mr J McIlveen, Mr C House, Mr B Trivic, Mr C Temple, Mr J Cottam.

Staff Photograph 2013

Teaching Staff Photograph 2013

Staff Photographs


Shamal 2013

Absent: Ms J Tilos, Mrs N Nasir, Mr O Rodrigues, Mr A Mhanna, Mr U Aashik, Mr S Shaikh, Mr E Alva, Mr K Jainudeen, Mr M Arabath, Mr M Abdulrahman, Mr T Quilang.

Front Row: Mrs A Kirkaldy, Mrs V Banks, Miss F Gaglani, Mrs E Deerin, Mrs G Clarke, Mrs M Jalili, Ms S L Yip, Mrs L Malone, Capt R Higgins, Mr P Hill, Mrs D Harding, Mrs A Dunne, Mrs D Milner, Mrs M Redley, Mrs K Smith, Mrs T Helsby, Mrs A James.

2nd Row: Mrs R Aquino, Miss L Quiňonez, Mrs M Barde, Miss S Rodriguez, Mrs D Fabito, Miss J Junio, Mrs J Baquero, Mr J Douglass, Miss V Gonzales, Miss M Buliag, Miss R Tanguamos, Miss L Simon, Miss E Soringa, Mr C Dushyanthan.

3rd Row: Mr Premnath V M, Mr S Ahmed, Mr P Rodrigues, Mr C Sousa, Mr V Shaikh, Mr T Balasubramaniyan, Mr S Maji, Mr M Colaco, Mr H Mir, Mr R Govinda Samy, Mr M Shaikh, Mr S Shaikh, Mr M Fernandes, Mr A D’Epagnier, Mr P Farmer.

Back Row: Mr K Sambandam, Mr M Naidu, Mr M Bathrudeen, Mr J George, Mr A Gomes, Mr H Singh, Mr Md Lukman, Mr J Hossain, Mr M Gomes, Mr S Karri, Mr B Nair.

Administrative and Ancillary Staff 2013

Ancillary Staff Photograph 2013

Staff Photographs

7


Headmaster’s Foreword proud of. Success does not, of the teenage years. Mr Dale also joined however, come in isolation the staff in Neanderthal times – well 1988! but through all members He has guided thousands of gifted—and of the DC community not so gifted—students through Headmaster’s supporting, guiding the unfathomable subject (to We and cajoling. My me anyway) of Mathematics received two Foreword personal thanks and his amazing passion for Outstanding to my colleagues it is unquenchable. Mr Dale Inspection for the tremendous has also co-ordinated our Reports effort they have put hugely successful House and Unbelievably yet another in this year, whether Extra Curricular programme. school year comes to an it was in the classroom, Without fail...in blistering heat or even end – a year to certainly laboratory, office, sports very occasional rain, he is always found remember. Our talented field, stage or in some far encouraging, organising or supporting and hard-working students flung foreign land. individual students as they participate in produced the best ever As usual some students, the huge House Programme. And as for examination results teachers and administration his commentary and crossword skills…The at GCSE and A Level, staff are leaving us at the school office is losing our very long serving, Oxbridge offers reached end of the year. On the dedicated and highly professional Office new heights and we received teaching side we are saying Manager, Mrs Malone. She joined DC as a two Outstanding Inspection goodbye to Mr Lee, Miss Secretary in 1993 and her 20 years service to Reports. That would be Woolcock, Miss Marrion, Mr the school is tremendously appreciated. fantastic news in itself Shaikh, Mrs Burton-Burton Finally, we have Mr Gulliford – our Deputy but, as we all know, and Ms Casey. Our Headmaster for the last 23 years. As a young education is best wishes to them impressionable teacher of History I still far more than all. We are also remember his very first ‘rubbish’ assembly Oxbridge simply results. bidding farewell (it was about litter!). As well as teaching offers reached Indeed it is often to Mr ‘Dougy’ Economics, that ‘Prince of Subjects’ (M. new heights those ‘other Douglass, our Gulliford 1991), he has supported, controlled factors’ that Facilities Manager, and given some heavy duty counselling to help produce the who has maintained no less than three Headmasters—and on results. The talented and developed our campus behalf of all three I thank him. His work students appear to thrive so well over the last 4 years. rate, organisational ability, tact and caring in the increasingly busy However, I do hope they nature is something to genuinely behold schedule of clubs, concerts, will accept my apologies if and will be very sorely missed. In the era debates, expeditions, I focus on four individuals of fancy mission statements, objectives and experiences, fund raising, who, between them, have targets perhaps the greatest attribute I can performances, sport and served the school for almost pay ‘Gullie’ is to state the obvious fact… travel. You will be reading 100 years. Mrs Ashmore if you asked the present school, and the about some of their simply joined DC in 1988 and thousands of ex-students, the one phrase stunning achievements in over the last 25 years has they remember from DC the vast majority this edition of Shamal. Our served the school as English would faithfully recite – all together now – departing Y13 students are teacher, Careers Advisor, perhaps the best testimony Debate organiser and more ‘work hard, play hard, be to the all rounded recently, as one of the neat, be civil, be cooperative’. education provided. main forces behind They leave us the F1 in Schools The best ever (and I jest not) That so neatly sums up what this place is all initiative – with as caring, about – long may it continue. examination superb results. intellectually May I wish everyone an enjoyable and results at GCSE Less publically, curious, safe summer break and wish all our senior but as importantly, and A Level mature and students all the best with their examination Mrs Ashmore has sophisticated results in August. quietly cared for, young adults – a nurtured and supported fact that their parents (and generations of DC students school) can be tremendously Mr P Hill through the ups and downs

8

Shamal 2013


Goodbye Salaam Auf Wiedersehen Au Revoir Adios

Gully’s Epi-‘taff’!

Please!.............Thank you!..............Goodbye Dubai! 9 Victor Way Reading Berkshire RG3 7XF 20th March 1990

Dear Mr Parton, I read with interest the advertisement in the current edition of the Times Educational Supplement for the post of Deputy Headmaster of Dubai College. I wish to apply for the post and submit my letter of application herewith. Yours sincerely…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… (Mr W.E. Parton was the newly appointed Headmaster of Dubai College)

Villa 88 Street 41b Jumeira 2 Dubai 20th March 2013

Dear Mr Sultan, I wish to give notice that I intend to resign the post of Deputy Headmaster of Dubai College with effect from the end of the Summer Term 2013. Yours sincerely…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… (Mr Sultan is the Chairman of the Board of Governors of Dubai College) Two letters separated by more than two decades. Twenty-three years or, more astonishingly, 69 Dubai College terms that have passed in a flash! The old adage that time passes quickly when you are enjoying yourself certainly applies. The earliest days were not totally encouraging. Arriving in Dubai on the 28th August 1990, just over 10 days after Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi army had marched into Kuwait uninvited, led everyone to say and believe that “Things will never be the same!”…………and ………”The job you came to do doesn’t exist any more and is probably gone forever.” However, things began to look up when the school’s Headmaster generously offered me the use of his spare car – a magnificient Mercedes Benz open top gas guzzler – whilst I was sorting out what to buy for the long-term. The first ten days in Dubai dragged by, despite the Merecedes Benz!

I knew I was going to be happy and at home at DC as soon as the pre-term meetings programme began and I started to meet my new colleagues. People such as Mrs Ashmore and a very young Mr Donovan in English – Mr Ashmore and Mr Rivers in Science – Mr Lakiss (remember him?), Mr Dale and Mr Flower in Mathematics – Creative Arts included Mr Jones (D&T) and two real ‘drama queens’ named Penson and Jones- in Social Studies Mr Salisbury and a young man destined for greater things over the course of history, Mr Hill! In early September the then 300 plus pupils reported for the first day of term and I knew that my inclination that I would be at home at DC and able to make a worthwhile contribution to the life and growth of the school was about to be confirmed. The rest, as they say, “ is a matter of history.” Standing in front of the

assembled school, for the first time, on the elevated stage of what is now the Sports Hall for the ‘Welcome-Back Assembly’ on Day One in September 1990 the warmth and enthusiasm were tangible. I remember saying how much I was looking forward to working with all present to find solutions to the situations which we would encounter, whatever they might turn out to be. Not exactly inspirational stuff from the new Deputy Head! So, the school got up and running “Normal Routine! Usual Timetable!” What was not normal was an experience that will stay with me forever. Arriving for work at 7 a.m. one early September morning, I parked the Mercedes, grabbed my papers and headed for the School Office. As I turned the corner, I was confronted by a uniformed man with a machine gun which to me seemed pointed in my direction! My short life passed before my eyes in a moment as I awaited the sound of my despatch to the after-life. It took me a while to realise that the policeman was actually smiling and trying to explain that he was sent to guard the school against possible intruders connected with the Gulf War!...Phew! My early classes were a revelation – clever, cooperative, committed students. How time flies! In my very first then ‘Upper Sixth’ now Y13, Economics group was a young Peter DeBenedictus, nowadays a middle-aged

Shamal 2013

9


Goodbye Salaam Auf Wiedersehen Au Revoir Adios businessman in Dubai – I am not sure that Peter would accept that description?—and a member of the College’s Board of Governors. The first term, the first year, went by in the blink of an eye! The Activities Bazaar, the Y7 Barbecue, Sports Day, the Swimming Gala, the School Cross Country – in which every member of the school ran, for many years won by a younger Mr Rivers–Founders Day, Study Leave and Examinations; the yearly cycle was already existent back then. In March 1991, I recall the official opening of the new Science Block. In those days the school was small enough, numbers wise, to be seated on temporary grandstanding at the back of B Block facing Science. This was 2nd March or 16 Sha’aban 1411 and His Excellency Hamad Abdul Rahman Al Midfa, the Minister of Education ‘cut the tape’ and we could experiment! Over the years so many great stories!...So many great students!...So many great colleagues – teachers, administrative and domestic staff. To you all, present, past and alumni “Thank you!” Thank you for saying “Good morning” and smiling, for holding doors open, for offering to help carry things, for making visitors to Dubai College find their way around. As one of our visiting Inspectors said earlier this year “This school is more British than most British schools.” So, it is “Goodbye Dubai!”…and especially to Dubai College. So,

Question: how does one begin to Mr Dale sum up 25 years in Dubai College? Answer: I haven’t a clue, but I’ll try. I arrived in Dubai in August 1988, courtesy of KLM (Keeps Life Miserable) as a single parent with two sons (Ben and Matty, aged 13 and 10 respectively) and the whirlwind began. Fellow survivors from that year are Mrs Ashmore and Mr Ashmore and soon the latter will be l “last man standing”. Messrs Donovan, Jones (Ian), and Rivers (hurrah for the Oxford comma) predate our 1988 arrival and, being so much younger than I am, still have enough stamina to plough on whilst my energy levels have drained to the extent that, unlike Sachin Tendulkar, I know when retirement is due. Dubai itself, and DC in particular, have provided me with many memorable moments (more of that anon) but, ironically, the most memorable actually occurred in Gatport Airwick where, in 1989, I met Joan Scott-Minter who was on her way to DC and who was to

10

Shamal 2013

“Work hard! Play hard!... Be neat, be civil, be cooperative!” …and one for my esteemed colleagues in the staffroom. “Looking backwards, before looking forwards, thank you for…!” Please do not remember me!...Please do not remember what I used to say!... “Just Do It!”… “Show the world how good you can be DC!”

“Farewell!...and... Make it a good day!” Martyn Gulliford

Work Hard

Play Hard

become the love of my life (and still is). She was lucky enough to escape DC in 2000 so most of you who are reading this have never actually met her, but those of you who are regular listeners to Talking of Books (Dubai Eye) will have listened to her. And so, dear reader, to some of the Dubai highlights. Although already past my prime I was for many years a competitive squash player in the local league and my Division 1 League Champions trophy (1994 season) still adorns my bar. Dubai is a place which affords many unexpected opportunities and refereeing an exhibition match between two of the best squash players the world has ever seen (Jahangir Khan, and Rodney Martin – Google them) is a treasured memory. Too old for squash, I turned to golf (at which I am rubbish) and being heavily involved in the school’s role in the Desert Classic has given me the opportunity to rub shoulders with the great and good of the golfing world (Mr Davidson gets a mention here). In school, I have many happy memories of the hugely successful 1st XI soccer team which I helped to run for 14 years with Mr Greenhow (‘Big Ron’ to my ‘Little Ron’). I have travelled extensively on behalf of DC in the company of several ISMTF Maths teams (Ankara, Geneva, The Hague, and Athens) and have enjoyed and taken pride in the impeccable behaviour that our students invariably display. Being compere at musical evenings in the time of Mrs Crowe and Mr Squire was a great delight, as was commentating during many hours of Athletics and Swimming events. Indeed, the House Programme in general has dominated much of my time in DC


Goodbye Salaam Auf Wiedersehen Au Revoir Adios and it will seem strange (but nice), sitting in my garden in France, enjoying leisurely lunches with no events to oversee (or Mr Flower’s team talks to endure). I shall certainly miss the wit and banter of the staffroom – too many names to mention, too few printable anecdotes to detail. But my real raison d’etre is teaching Mathematics (it says so on my work permit) and that is what I am going to miss above all. It has been my privilege to help develop the mathematical skills of many of the best mathematicians to pass through this school and it is a big thrill to be highly regarded for both my teaching skills and mathematical ability. Of equal joy is the satisfaction of helping students from the lower sets to realise their full potential and to see a member of last year’s Year 11, set 7, now enjoying and excelling at A Level is fantastic. But time marches on (ask David Beckham, Colin Montgomerie, and Jonny Wilkinson) and my skills, like theirs, are now considered, by some, to be outmoded and unlikely to bring guaranteed success. So now the time has come to hang up the felt tip, sample the wine, and look back on a job well done. I shall read this summer’s results with interest and toast any successes appropriately and copiously. “Au revoir!”

Memories 25 Years at Dubai College ‘My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of an ever changing view. A wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold, A tapestry to feel and see… (Carole King)

...(and not in the words of the a newspaper, in an effort to drive the camels song) ‘forever to behold.’ away, who were merrily chomping their way After having spent 25 years at through our trees! That certainly would not have Dubai College, I am leaving happened in UK! with so many wonderful Every Christmas, we used to organise festive memories of my time here. I ‘carols’ out in the desert. However, much of the can clearly remember arriving time was spent digging each other’s cars out of with my family (complete the sand. There were often over two hundred with dog and cat people there and a great time was had by Dubai of course) in the all! College intrepid heat of a Of course many of my memories pupils have seasonally soggy come from my time spent in school September and always proved to and what an amazing experience being driven down be sensitive and it has been. Soon after our arrival, Sheikh Zayed Road I realised how special the pupils caring very slowly, in order really are. We held an annual cross to avoid the camels country race for teachers and pupils, that were sitting on the which was, incidentally, always won by Mr highway. In 1988, there was Rivers. At that time, one of our pupils suffered absolutely nothing between from cerebal palsy and movement was very the Trade Centre and Jebel difficult for him but he was determined to run Ali. People considered Jebel the race. As the other pupils finished, instead of Ali to be an ‘outpost’ and they going to shower and change, they all stood by were horrified that we lived so the sides of the finishing post and waited for him far out of Dubai. We loved it! to come in, behind everyone else. When he did, At first, very few villas were they all cheered and clapped and it was a truly occupied but over time, that momentous occasion. Many of us were overcome changed and the village became with emotion. Dubai College pupils have always a thriving community. Family proved to be sensitive and caring and I have barbecues and pool parties were always been so proud of you. Your enthusiasm, plentiful; we met neighbours talent, ability and determination abound; there of all different nationalities is no limit to what you can do. You are truly and cultures and we truly amazing. I will miss chatting with my form felt a part of the Middle East. groups, past and present, and I hope to keep in I can clearly remember our touch with many of you on Facebook. I have loved regular Friday morning ritual, being a Form Teacher and have shared lots of where Mr Ashmore, dressed memories, both happy and sad, with my groups. in his pyjamas, rampaged I have seen many changes at the College: round the garden brandishing when we first arrived, ‘C’ Block courtyard was

Shamal 2013

11


Goodbye Salaam Auf Wiedersehen Au Revoir Adios the central hub of the school and all plays, concerts and events took place there, including assembly! In the winter months, we used to pray it would not rain and in the summer months, we sweltered. We were all glad when the Sports Hall was built and we no longer had to watch performances outside. The musical events are always fantastic and all the talent in ‘Music, Charity, Love’ will stay with me forever. Lily Schuck always made me cry, as did Ewan French with his fabulous rendition of ‘Bella’s Song’ and there are many others who are too numerous to mention. I have always enjoyed being involved in many different aspects of school life, including of course, the F1 in Schools programme. When Mr Quinlan asked me to accompany him to Singapore to a World Finals event, little did I know that it would change my life. I became passionate about F1: it offers a real challenge to all who partake in it but the rewards are extremely satisfying; I have loved every minute of my time working with the teams and being involved in the competitions. How many people get to meet Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton’ visit the pit stops and the garage and watch the Grand Prix in four different countries? It really has been a fantastic opportunity and once again, I have been very proud of our teaMs I hope to continue to work with F1 in the UK; it is certainly in my blood now! It has been a great pleasure to work with Mr Donovan for 25 years in the English Department. When I arrived he actually had hair! I almost gave him a heart attack when we decided to produce a school newspaper on Open Day, interviewing people, writing up the articles, printing it and distributing it at the afternoon

tea. The IT room was frenetic (and fun) as teachers and pupils frantically raced against time but it proved to be too much for the feint hearted Mr Donovan and after three years, he ordered closure on our Open Day news. I will miss working in such a lovely English Department. It has been wonderful to work with such delightful colleagues, whom I deem to be amongst my best friends. I will remember the support, the banter and the giggles for many years to come and I feel privileged to have worked with them. To Miss Marrion, Miss Brenham, Miss McGivern, Mrs Ashby and Mrs Hodge – thank you for great times. I know that we will stay in touch. As many of you know, I am an avid dog lover and have rescued many little lost creatures over the years, often persuading members of staff to look after them. It is so sad to see them hungry and homeless. I am taking back six dogs and I am looking forward to being able to walk them in the countryside in a much more comfortable climate. When I started teaching the children of former pupils, I realised that it was perhaps time for me to move on, before I finish up teaching their grandchildren, which would make me feel really ancient! I have had enough sun for a while and I have a great desire to see snow as I have not seen it for over 30 years. I also want to make the best of new opportunities that will come my way. Perhaps I will go back into journalism or utilise my creative skills to teach dressmaking, or textiles but whatever I do in the future, Dubai College will always remain a part of me and I will never forget any of you. My special thanks go to Mr Hill for being so encouraging and supportive, and for always being ready to listen; to Captain Higgins for taking care of us, and of course to Mr Ashmore, for sharing the load of F1. His quick thinking has saved many a major problem! I leave this wonderful world class school with mixed feelings, but I have many dreams and aspirations that I want to fulfil. Thank you for all the great memories that I am taking with me. Goodbye. I will miss you all. Brenda Ashmore

It’s time for me to say “goodbye” (again!). Some of you will remember that I left in 2008, only to return through a happy series of accidents. Originally I was only meant to come back for a year, but it is a measure of how much fun teaching DC students can be that I ended up staying for another 3 more. My first stint at DC brought many great experiences, but the second has been even more remarkable – becoming a father (twice in 8 minutes!) and embarking on an entirely new career path has made for a very busy and very rewarding few years. I would like to thank a few people for sharing their time, skills, opinions and learning experiences with me (not that they all had a choice). Mr Dale has been a great colleague, always ready for a discussion about maths teaching and the relative merits of our students. I would also like to mention all of the accelerated students who have put up with me over time, especially those of you that haven’t been able to escape me for the past four years – you might think that that time has finally come, but you should know better… Do what you love. Know your own bone; gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still.

Dan Lee

12

Shamal 2013

PA ITMF KAG XAHQ; KAG’XX NQ NQFFQD MF UF. UF EAGZPE BDQFFK EUYBXQ, NGF KAG’P NQ EGDBDUEQP TAI YMZK BQABXQ PAZ’F SQF FTUE AZQ DUSTF MIMK. XX OAAX V 01000100 01101111 00100000 01110111 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01101100 01101001 01100110 01100101 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01101110 01101111 01110100 00100000 01100001 00100000 01110010 01100101 01101000 01100101 01100001 01110010 01110011 01100001 01101100 nulm lm gfbx nua oaylfflfy blta lm rgfhaktpb wdkia hlac faqak mngi badkflfy faqak mngi nulfelfy faqak mngi nkxlfy


Goodbye Salaam Auf Wiedersehen Au Revoir Adios My three years in Dubai have absolutely sprinted by… I remember arriving in the desert in September 2010 only to be welcomed by a heat so fearsome it felt like an admonishing slap in the face. As I rattled down the Sheikh Zayed road for the first time, I gaped out of the window at skyscraper upon skyscraper burning against the tarry sky and cars flashing past leaving trails of light. Despite the shocking heat and my belief that there was a gremlin living in the air conditioning vents of my new apartment, I soon settled into expatriate life. I also quickly learned that Dubai College is a truly special place, in many ways. My illustrious leaders, Mark Donovan the Merciful and Zoe Brenham the Serene

Miss Marrion

have had to put up with a lot from me: ridiculous anecdotes, ‘would you rather’ questions and my recent belief that I had caught Dead Shark Disease! I have really enjoyed working with everyone in the English Department and am glad that I have found a person in the world who shares my interest in true crime and serial killers. Yes, that’s you Mrs Hodge! Named and shamed! However, most of all, I close this chapter of my life feeling privileged to have taught and got to know the students of Dubai College. They have challenged, entertained and inspired me; they’ve got charisma!! I will always remember golf and cupcakes with form, formidable debating with 9EJ, 10MB’s humour and intellectual curiosity, 11KM’s general hilarity plus discussions with my Year 13s ranging from

Back in 2009 I had never been to Dubai and had no idea what I was letting myself in for. Four years later I can safely say I am happy I came and will be very sad to leave. Within a week of arriving at DC, Foulksey and I were asked to make the first DC World Challenge Expedition happen. We did it, and by July 2010 were jetting off to Malaysia for the trip of a life time. Thankfully we brought everyone back safely and since then another three expeditions have taken place. Thank you to Miss Foulkes, and to all the other staff students and parents who have been involved in these expeditions. Good luck to those of you who will (hopefully) get to go on one of these expeditions in the future. I also got involved in girls’ football as soon as I arrived at DC. I had no idea what I was doing but it all went well and the girls won the league! (all credit to them not me). I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching the girls for 4 years and will miss you all very much. My tutor group! Woolcock’s Warriors! I am sorry. I am abandoning you before year 11, but I know that you will be absolutely fine! I am so proud of you all. You are the loveliest, most musical, funny, friendly, sporty, thoughtful and smiley bunch of people I could ever wish to see at 7.30 every morning. I will miss you terribly and will treasure my signed travel mug forever! Please stay in touch and good luck with everything you do in the future! If Brainwave becomes famous then remember who let you use your amps in the classroom!!! Being Head of House has been lots of fun. I’m writing this in

Miss Woolcock

existentialism and feminism to the most profound question of all:

If you were a vegetable, which one would you be? (I am an aubergine, by the way). It really has been an education, but now it is time for me to leave the weirdness and wonder of Dubai for the “shady grove” of home (hope you get the Blake reference Year 13!!!). Thank you for everything Dubai College, and farewell! Over and out, Miss Marrion

May so I’m still hoping Cousteau come out on top. Thanks for all the fun times and thank you to Mr Dale and the other Heads of House (not so much Mr Mac) for being so helpful over the last 2 years. I should probably mention Maths. Thank you to everyone in my department, you’ve been a great bunch to work with. Hope SharePoint makes sense eventually!! Thanks to my classes, I will miss you all loads! Good bye and thanks for having me. Miss Woolcock

Shamal 2013

13


Year Pages

Year Welcome to 7 Dubai College! year, another Induction Another induction day, and another Day 2012 array of newspaper towers!!

The idea behind the Year 7 induction day is for students new to Dubai College to get to know their way around school and to meet some of their teachers. More importantly, new students get to

know their form tutor and other students in their new class. After a busy morning touring the school and meeting teachers, students spent an hour with their form tutors and Sixth Form liaisons in their form rooms before having lunch at the DC canteen. The afternoon is spent with Mr Woolley, form tutors and

liaisons taking part in various team building activities in the sports hall. The competition this year was fierce: the six forms battling for the ascendancy, liaisons shouting and encouraging and form tutors cheating like mad! This day truly is about the ‘taking part’ but it would be rude not to mention that 7WD were victorious! All parties had a great time and Mr Woolley’s target for the Year 7 students of talking to everyone in your form and learning at least 10 names was met by most! A big thank you to everyone who helped out on the day but in particular our Sixth Form liaisons who were awesome. MW

14

Shamal 2013


Year Pages This year’s Year 7 Barbecue organised by the Sixth Form liaisons and Mr Woolley proved to be a very wet affair as it included some very ingenious games, that involved hose pipes, water balloons and a dip into the swimming pool. The final round of games moved indoors followed by a barbecue. This year’s Champions were AA and VB. Thanks go to all the staff and prefects who made the afternoon so enjoyable. MW

Year 7 Barbecue

Shamal 2013

15


Form Photographs

Ms H Bastable

7 AA Thomas Plumtree,

Back Row: Adam Shah, Thomas Plumtree, Benjamin Davidson, Gabriella Reynolds, Nitya Thawani, Marco Gabriel, Anoushka Malhotra, Lauren Johnstone. Middle Row: Ms H Bastable, Jawad Jafar, Alberto Viel, Tomos Roberts, Brendan McCann, Ella Nates, Rihana Al Nabhani, Naoise Morgan. Front Row: Aachal Gowan, Sasha Verrall, Finlay Keegan, Rebecca Wilding, Caitlin Theocharis, Sebastian Webb, Ibani Hattangadi.

Ms S Corless

7 SC

Back Row: Harvey Bullock, Maryam Ahmed, Amun Chaudhary, Shumraze Fawad, Cassia Middleton, Ishaan Arora, Eve Clark, Hannah Nurmohamed. Middle Row: Ms S Corless, Jasmine Liew, David Hunt, Sophie Ingram-Johnson, Joni MacDonald, Kiara Whittle, Samuel Reedy, Alisha Gupta. Front Row: Oliver Chohan, Vishal Ayyagari, Brianne Riewer, Hamilton Rogers, Ammar Mooraj, Shemica Adenwalla, Ishaan Alidina.

Mr N Bernaz

7 NB

Back Row: Siddhant D'Souza, George Gosling, Geesue Abrichami, Eman Zeeshan, Khalid Belselah, Rhea Kotecha, Mustafa Lone. Middle Row: Mr N Bernaz, Sylvie Waft, Alizeh Yahya, Matthew Wane, Jamie MacKinnon, Anna Maureta, Natasha Nobbs, Alexander Smyth. Front Row: James Taylor, James Caution, Ratan Kachwalla, Zoya Afzal, Jade Fernandes, Jaimini Patel, Andrew MacIntosh. Absent: Jacob Camilleri.

16

Shamal 2013


Form Photographs Mr M Wood

7 WD

Back Row: Layla Haider, Harry Hughes, Isabella Duthie, Serene Sng, Aleyha Hameed, Michael Reid, Arya Flisher. Front Row: Mr M Wood, Mariam Khan, Benjamin Williams, Jordyn Hamilton, Elliot Crossley, Francesca Hall, Jemma Shand, Tara Desai, Edward Roy. Front Row: Mark Baxter, Anise Noor, Holly RhysMaitland, Hishaan Mahtani, Kristian Kolandjian, Simrin Vaswani, Aryan Oberoi.

Mr S Gardner

7 SG

Back Row: Kasia Truscott, Tara Zadeh, Hireena Hans, Patrick Dowling, Annabelle Style, Jack Norman, Emily Peck, Siena Gordon. Middle Row: Mr S Gardner, Jason Pollock, Malika Alidina, Rory Nisbet, Yi Wen Lee, Joseph Plumtree, Kara Catchpole-King, Owen Wakeham. Front Row: Samuel Burns, Mehek Vohra, Omar Khan, Niamh Bone, Joseph Madeira, Navika Agrawal, Meeran Fehmi.

7 VB

Mrs W Davies Back Row: Arman Jasuja, Diya Malhotra, James Dare, Tamsin Rose, Cameron Matthews, Serena Lambert, Shaan Nathwani, Polly Jones. Middle Row: Mrs W Davies, Emaan Ahmed, Lara Zaveri, Sahil Mordani, Yash Bhansali, Alysha Alimohamed, Anders Mahesan, Alma Zickerman, Mrs B Phillips. Front Row: Benjamin Avery, Maisie Harvey, Etienne Tillon, Owen Palmer, Joonwoo Jeong, Rhea Ganguli, George Gunn.

Shamal 2013

17


Form Photographs 8 EA

Mrs E Adamson Back Row: Yasmeen Mohajer, Malaika Nanda, Matthew Denton, Murtaza Javaid, Amrita Vohra, Matty Russo, Gordon Phipps, Ellen Holmes. Middle Row: Mrs E Adamson, Craig Buchan, Janne Meijer, Julia MacKay, Tara Mewawalla, Georgina Holbrook, Sadhana Madnani, Lucas Moon-Almaraz. Front Row: Georgina Peck, James Till-Nehme, Craig Lough, Hriday Mani, Olaolu Faniran, Safwan Malik, Sophie RhysMaitland.

Miss N Li Fook

8 NL

Back Row: Cameron Graham, Anushe Sheikh, Ramzi Jalili, Magen Chadha, Sophie Lewis, Emma Janus. Middle Row: Miss N Li Fook, Adelaide Coffey, Janvi Jetwhani, Francois Maureta, Joe Page, Victoria Ewert, Felix Firth, Harry Sheedy. Front Row: Jessica Pollock, Rebecca Ludden, James-Lachlan McCallum, Thomas Williams, Ruby Mae Ebdon, Iysa Qureshi, Mina Jenkins. Absent: Parth Agarwal.

Mr J Salisbury

8 JS

Back Row: Parmida Shoaei, Alex Smith, Meiha Raja, Hasan Malik, Mayuri Vinod, Omer Hasan, Ariyike Oyelola. Middle Row: Mr J Salisbury, Joshua Armstrong, Mariam Shaikh, Robbie Pereira, Daisy Kirkaldy, Thomas RyanMcGrath, Ellie O'Keeffe, Alex Newbery, Elizabeth Zubanova. Front Row: Rae Mitchell, Toby Tatham, Devina Popley, Kimberly Miranda, Thomas Haigh, Annabel Clifford, Luca Parkinson.

18

Shamal 2013


Form Photographs Miss T Johns

8 TJ

Back Row: Euan Kennedy, Chantal Meyer, Ethan Pearce, Luca Sackeyfio, Oliver Tait, Barney Holt, William Treston. Middle Row: Miss T Johns, Rachel Choi, Emma Kelly, Vanessa Sumners, Cate Hentschel, Isabella Lahdo, Aleksandra Skroban, Iman Shaikh, Maha Masud. Front Row: Devansh Popley, Angus Benstead, Zahra Mandviwala, Eve Macdonald, Chloe George, Josh Kotecha, Matthew Anderson.

Mr A Hann

8 AH

Back Row: Eleanor Reid, Amy Harrison, Alexander Wiltshire, Kate Dodds, Rhys Luke, Chiara Rehman, Mathieu Springuel. Middle Row: Mr A Hann, William Jones, Vicky Stogiannidou, Mohammed Chaudhry, Rachel De Sousa, Jonathan Mulligan, Isla Stewart, Hugo Dolan. Front Row: Nimrah Siddiqi, Daniel Gibbons, Hayat Brannelly, Blake Murphy, Victoria Tode, Mikaeel Habib, Maitha Price, Georgina McBride.

8 CT

Mr C Temple Back Row: Hannah Story, Sophie Shamsuddin, Alexander Hall, Elias Harrison, Arnav Lahiry, Angus Thompson, Oh Jun Kweon, Seung Ho Lee. Middle Row: Mr C Temple, Chloe Williams, Kabir Nanda, Katie Gardner, Laura Murphy, Maya Sandhu, Max Holt, Olivia Brown. Front Row: Sophie Scott, Amaury Besse de Laromiguiere, Emily Tsen Jia Li, Claudia Young, Chloe Elliott, Gregor Watson, Kim Sparrow.

Shamal 2013

19


Year Pages

Y7

20

Shamal 2013


Year Pages twitt8r It is safe to say that Year 8 is the most chilled year of secondary. This year, we’ve had the privilege to enjoy so many amazing activities and visit so many fascinating places, all thanks to our phenomenal teachers who took time out of their hectic schedules to organise these for us, and from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you very much.

About@Year 8

Recent Images . view all

Kalba Trip, January 2013 January 17th 2013. The date will be forever etched in at least one person’s mind, and that would be the poor coach driver who had the dubious ‘pleasure’ of transporting 120 overly excited Year 8 students and sitting through 2 hours worth of non stop, nonsensical chatter. Assemblies This academic year the school decided to introduce assemblies which will occur once a week in place of Wednesday Prep. This new idea allowed Year 8 to express what they believe in to an audience. We discovered great talent from our peers from artistic skills to unbelievable sporting attributes. This was an amazing experience to learn all sorts of new things and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Fun Day Year 8 wouldn’t be the same without Fun Day. It was a relaxing day where students had the chance to hang out with classmates and to compete in several games, all in a comfortable yet inevitably competitive environment; from doughnut eating races to a soapy mat race. It’s impossible to say that we did not have a good time. :D Charity Dodgeball On 26th March from 3:40-5:30 it was no regular day. ‘The Pagalz’, ‘The Slothbears’ and ‘Mr Dennis and Co.’ went face to face to win it all. For ‘The Pagalz’, it was a glorious day full of victory. On the other hand, ‘The Slothbears’ and ‘MrDennis & Co.’ hung their heads in shame; they were defeated. It’s safe to say, whether we won or lost, we undoubtedly had a fantastic time throwing dodgeballs at our peers. Not only did we have a great time, but it was even better knowing that our donations were going to a good cause. The Xmas Social The Christmas social was another gr8 opportunity for Year 8 to be social while raising money for the ‘Children of the Mountain’ charity. It was amazing, from the Papa John’s pizza, to messing up the Sixth Form common room; it was quite an experience! However, I am sure that what people enjoyed the most was playing Pass the Parcel... Conclusion Year 8 is an amazing year - there is absolutely no doubt that the Year 8s of the years to come will enjoy it as much as we did. There is only one piece of advice we can give you: ‘Work hard, play hard. Be neat, be civil and be cooperative.’ #Mr Gulliford Angus, Bella, Iman, Josh and Vanessa 8TJ.

Shamal 2013

21


Form Photographs 9 ZB

Miss Z Brenham Back Row: Sabrina Daga, Alexandre Gheysen, Franciska Kundrak, Dylan Russo, Dharam Madnani, Kipngeno Chirchir. Middle Row: Miss Z Brenham, Noah Shariat, Taylor Ziarno, Rahul Samadhin, Aleka Gheewala, Ronan O'Malley, Sally Marr, Dushan Stembo. Front Row: Jet Biddle, Oliver Dyson, Madryn Riewer, Max Dennehy, Amelia Dolan, Cameron Hughes, Sophie Cameron.

Mrs S MacLaren

9 SM

Back Row: Christopher Vail, Omar El-Ashmawi, Saif Khawaja, Barnaby Brett, Angus Steel, Shaan Lalvani. Middle Row: Mrs M MacLaren, Omar Malik, Olivia Peacock, Anaa Haider, Robert Hughes, Hannah Cleere, Alex Jarvis, Jonathan Lattouf. Front Row: Miraal Ikramullah, Alexander Cargill, Zahra Kapasi, Jason Daswani, Kate Fisher, Michael Rea, Alexandra Clements.

Miss E John

9 EJ

Back Row: Min Ho Lee, Vikramaditya Jadeja, Jeremy Clark, Adam Osborne, Eoin Brady, Oisin Morgan. Middle Row: Daniel Farid, Cate Waft, Alex Faulkner, Mahnoor Kamran, James Lemon, Eleanor Roy, Jay Desai, Miss E John. Front Row: Tanya Hussain, Alireza Chassebi, Corynn Foote, Alkis Loukos, Jetasri Gupta, Seรกn Mountain, Naina Grover.

22

Shamal 2013


Form Photographs Mr R Dennis

9 RD

Back Row: Richard Pickup, Kitty Willson, Owen Mul, Rowan Weaver, Zachariah Davies. Middle Row: Mr R Dennis, Konstantine Skandalis, Valentin Arstal, Scott Simpson, Emma Taylor, Imogen Lewis, Shenez Ahmed, Issam Al Ghussain. Front Row: Max Jones, Kirsten Holtby, Rida Ali, Alexandra White, Becky Edwards, Zena Sharif, Kristi Flanagan. Absent: Siddhant Jhurani.

Mr J Cottam

9 CJ

Back Row: Aaron Camball, Oliver Boon, Matthias Falzon Young, Isabel Snaas. Middle Row: Simren Nijhawan, Helen Fergusson, Rory Quick, Ceyda Davidson, Alec Bandy, Mr J Cottam. Front Row: Denia Loukos, Daniel Jhoolun, Anjali Magecha, Darius Afkhami, Kirsten Drake, Ali Malik, Rebecca Hamer. Absent: Frazer Hanson, Emma Howard.

9 DR

Mr D Riordan Back Row: Max Lovett, Jordan Russell, Joshua Devereux, Yehia Islam, Siddharth Pillai, Shahmeer Chaudhary, Jodutt Qudsiyeh. Middle Row: Mr D Riordan, Rahul Lopez, Reeza Khan, Juan Rivero Cruells, Charlise Koch, Matthew Baxter, Sarah Bolton, Shahmir Samee, Charlotte Style. Front Row: Fatima Gheewala, George Simmonds, Anushe Samee, Ali Kapasi, Beth Jarvis, Felix Meijer, Alison Tuffin.

Shamal 2013

23


Form Photographs Mr M Barrington

10 MB

Back Row:Tamsyn Morfee, Oliver Fleming, Joseph Story, Patric Tinston, Ciaran Brady,Cameron Afkhami, Kiana Simpson. Middle Row: Mr M Barrington, Albert Shehata, Ethan Ebdon, Jessica Evans, Tilsim Palfreyman, Libby Johnson, Hayley Moore. Front Row: Natalia Adair, Millie Ayres, Jas Singh, Antara Jaidev, Margherita Vianello, Saava O'Kirwan, Erin Dawson. .

Mr A Shaikh

10 RB

Back Row: Sarah McKinney, Nicolas Bagatelas, Aniket Chandra, Matthew Dunne, Aditya Prakash, Akbar Sardar. Middle Row: Mr A Shaikh, Saleena Nurmohamed, Ashling Murphy, Tabetha Davies, Caitlin Janus, Eilisha Hatter, Sarah Kashani, Rohan Gupta. Front Row: Anurati Sodani, Leah Mitchell, Anusha Aggarwal, Iona Stewart, Natalie Jalili, Tzeitel Degiovanni, Sheyan Adenwalla.

Miss G Woolcock

10 GW

Back Row: Ciara Bone, Sandip Roy, James Thrower, Hannah Cassidy, Zak Wilke. Middle Row: Miss G Woolcock, Euan MacKinnon, Robin Over, Hasan Masud, Ryan Evans, Francois Pieterse, Loa Pour Mirza. Front Row: Aiza Ahmed, Ashna Gupta, Alina Siddiqi, Holly Jhoolun, Navya Kataria, Tara Chacko, Shehryar Haris. Absent: Sara Kachwalla.

24

Shamal 2013


Form Photographs Mrs K Bell

10 KB

Back Row: Adian Liusie, Shan Maru, Aneeb Sheikh, Christopher Rose, Mustafa Zaidi. Middle Row: Mrs K Bell, George Ludden, Alexander Tait, Haren Bhavnani, Lachlan Whittle, Jessica Shaw, Sacha Harding, Layla Armstrong. Front Row: Pooja Daswani, Charlotte Baines, Amy Henderson, Serena Campos, Abhishek Nair, Katherine Jones, Catherine Grimshaw. Absent: Josephine Jagtiani.

Mr A Davidson

10 AD

Back Row: Thomas Murphy, Arjun Dave, Nathan Appleby, Thomas Webster, Kevin Peiris. Middle Row: Mr A Davidson, Sarah Khullar, Antonia Spiteri, Zahra Karmally, Jessica Lattouf, Kristen De Sousa, Joanna Park, Emma Murray. Front Row: Jessica IngramJohnson, Cameron MacKay, Hannah Tayab, James Hoad, Sophie Shennan, Niall Moore Hamoudi, Aoife Corroon.

10 BA

Mrs B Ashmore

Back Row: Jonathan Lahdo, Conor Kennedy, Aiden Wright, Liam Benstead, Lucy Bell. Middle Row: Mrs B Ashmore, Raahim Zafrullah, Martha Gregory, Daniel Momeni, Nicholas Maddock, Harriet Brannelly, Anneka Javat. Front Row: Alana Rogers, Sahil Badlani, Beatrice Prosser, Maha Shaikh, Beatrice Turner, Alesha Gulamhusein, Pranay Jethwani.

Shamal 2013

25


Year Pages

Y E A R

9

26

Shamal 2013


Year Pages

10

Shamal 2013

27


Form Photographs Mr R Ashby

11 RA

Back Row: Mr R Ashby, Waleed Malik, Joe Singh, Michael Camball, Joe Shamsuddin, Varun Peshori. Middle Row: Lara Fowler, Jenna Denton, Urooj Ali, Catriona Benson, Alexandra Mulligan, Adil Javat. Front Row: Nermeen Islam, Biddy Fogg, Miranda May, Ryanbir Juneja, Neha Narain, Madelaine Freeman, Urmika Mani.

Mrs K Greenlees

11 KG

Back Row: Jake Rogers, Sam Leach, Mohammad-Wahid Ghaffari, John Devitt. Middle Row: Mrs K Greenlees, David Culemann, Tasha Howard, Ryota Minagi, Sheamus Power, Simran Kashyap, Thomas Cleere. Front Row: Kelley Day, Emily Dunne, Nikita Tourani, Pooja Nair, Arya Agarwal, Sabrene Ben Dekhil, Jemma Ansell. Absent: Brendan D'Souza.

Mr G Jeffcote

11 GJ

Back Row: Padraig Ryan, Karan Nair, Alistair MacGillivray, Prateek Nadkarni, Adil Saldanha. Middle Row: Mr G Jeffcote, Saskia Heyster, Anya Malik, Shivani Maru, Bianca Pereira, Inaam Mian, Giorgia MacciniHill. Front Row: Caleb Goddard, Nadia Young, Finnian Ford, Devina Singh, Angus Maxfield, Drishti Masand, Ryan Underwood.

28

Shamal 2013


Form Photographs Miss D Foulkes

11 DF

Back Row: Rohan Padmanabhan, Tristan Ebdon, Jack Jones, Ryan Harris, Matthew Laven. Middle Row: Miss D Foulkes, Hanna Salem, Hannah Holly, Maisy Duncan, Ali Chassebi, Alice Lovett. Front Row: Kripa Venkatesh, Olivia Dennehy, Radhika Bhatia, Natasha Lopez, Sofi ZickermanWhite, Zahra Bawany, Zoe Curtis. Absent: Thomas Francis, Sa'ad Iqbal.

Miss K McGivern

11 KM

Back Row: Zorez Haider, Mohammed Hansrod, Harkirath Dhillon, Jonathan Mills, Matthew Palmer. Middle Row: Miss K McGivern, Imogen Lemon, Gabrielle Guscott, Aidan McBride, Sheheryar Salman, Joseph Blakemore, Daniyal Malik. Front Row: Daksha Agarwal, Lauren Beattie, Ellen Burley, Isabelle Haigh, Perle Battistella, Jessica Sayer, Constance Antia.

11 MS

Miss M Mennaai Back Row: Pierre Springuel, Troy Sharples, Jordan Fenton, Cameron Moffat. Middle Row: Miss M Mennaai, Oliver French, Samuel Morris, Michael Foote, Eleanor Proctor, Saad Khan, Helena Wick. Front Row: Joanna Summers, Adam Athas, Lizzie Adamson, Mia Bazzoui, Ariana Bakhshandeh, Jenna Pfeifer, Alyzeh Jiwani. Absent: Zohayb Shaikh.

Shamal 2013

29


Year Pages

30

Shamal 2013


Form Photographs Mr L Ashmore

12/13 LA

Back Row: Jack Denham, James Bywater, Henri Schomper. Middle Row: Kenny Fahim, Cameron Walker, Mr L Ashmore, Jon Biddle. Front Row: Linda Bieleski, Lora D'Costa, Bethany Wright, Yusra Jafar, Madeleine Wilson.

Mrs J Bailey

12/13 BV

Back Row: D'Arcy Anderson, Tushaar Nadkarni, William Hammond, Ziyaad Massoud. Middle Row: Mohamed Bin Drai, Mark Gavigan, Mrs J Bailey, Danielle Jones, Aarya Mishra. Front Row: Kevin Drake, Noor Jafar, Yash Shankar, Imogen Hawksbee. Absent: Kathryn King.

12/13 GC

Mr G Case Back Row: Yehya Al-Hafidh, Elliot Barker, Joseph Graham, Owen Over. Middle Row: Josh Blakemore, Hibah Hoque, Mr G Case, Charlie Morfee, Robert McConney. Front Row: Rhea Patel, Danielle Soares, Cathrin Faria,Anna-Louise WilliaMs Absent: Rehan Ayrton.

Shamal 2013

31


Form Photographs Mr J Croft

12/13 JC

Back Row: Gayatri Mehra, Junaid Patel, Nimit Kataria, Saif Sarwar, Lisa Janus, Mr J Croft. Front Row: Oh Hyun Kweon, Tania Zaidi, Jonathan Sumners, Ella Vaux, Daniel Shehata, Amna Ali.

Ms M Doherty

12/13 DM

Back Row: Justin Govender, Shivank Keni, Jessica Snaas,. Middle Row: Suprojit Paul, Nicholas Hindley, Ms M Doherty, Anuj Aggarwal, James Ozden, Adam Bilbey. Front Row: Yasmeen Salman, Aditi Nijhawan, Isabel Taylor. Aishah Siddiqi, Anisha Kataria.

12/13 TD

Mrs K Thompson Back Row: Mrs K Thompson, Dominic Flower, Tobia Culemann, Rhys Casey, Alex Young, Tom Harding. Front Row: Benjamin Sparrow, Irina Hyndman, Mia ZickermanWhite, Amiya Nagpal, Lavanya Malhotra, James McWhirter. Absent: Dorottya Nagy.

32

Shamal 2013


Form Photographs 12/13 LH

Mrs L Hodge Back Row: Mrs L Hodge, George Kenaghan, Ronit Karamchandani, Yasine ElAshmawi, Fraser Christensen, Robert Powell, Vijay Gupta. Front Row: Sarah Moore, Talia Elsener, Farynne Reader, Harriet Hamzelou, Rhianna Foote, Chelsie Feather.

Mrs V Holmes

12/13 VH

Back Row: Rayhaan Lone, Nathan Banks, Nicolas Whitman, .Middle Row: Callum Duncan, Mrs V Holmes, Lakshay Badlani, Kirstin Engelmann. Front Row: Joanna Hartley, Lauren Hindley, Azmina Gulamhusein, Alia Mahtani, Anjali Garg. Absent: Reuben Abraham.

12/13 CH

Mr C House Back Row: Christopher Thorpe, Daniel Wakefield, Simran Dhillon. Middle Row: Umer Shaikh, Parth Rajwade, Victoria Frost, Mr C House, Sam Gardner, Samer Ashur. Front Row: Honor Nicholl, Maryam El-Rashid, Ellie McBride, Yasmin Adib, Raina Srivastava.

Shamal 2013

33


Form Photographs 12/13 RG

Mr P Flower

Mr G Rodgers Back Row: Mr G Rodgers, Gaurav Lahiry, Sam Bullock, Joseph Flynn, Vishnu Tikku, Shayan Momeni, Veljko Mladenovic. Front Row: Summer El-Ashmawi, Emma Thrower, Sophie Brown, Sasha Thomson, Shanzeh Khurshid, Shannon Juneja.

12/13 PF

Back Row: Haider Mirza, Matthew Scriven-Baker, Samuel Jones, Mr P Flower. Front Row: Euan Mowat, Florence Prosser, Chloe Heard, Emily Donovan, Eleanor Abu-Nimeh, Abhishek Belani. Absent: Emma Britnor, Conor Cassidy.

Miss A Marrion

12/13 AM

34

Back Row: Amaan Khullar, Andreas Hodgson, Veronika Nagy, Miss A Marrion, Kelly Shuttleworth, Grant Heath, Lewis Streak. Front Row: Freddie Bennett, Taybah Siddiqi, Prianka Bhatia, Sophie Burley, Ziyan Kassam, Nazim Nauthoa. Absent: Ahad Basrai.

Shamal 2013


Form Photographs Mr J McIlveen

12/13 JM

Back Row: Shahryar Mooraj, Lydia Morgan, Aly Ibrahim. Middle Row: Joshua McNicholas, Mr J McIlveen, Connor Murray, Sahas Singh. Front Row: Smriti Talreja, Tanvi Bhatia, Pritika Mehra, Eleanor Mallon, Ella Rogers.

Mr S Over

12/13 SO

Back Row: Adam Patel, Adam Melone, Adam Andreani. Middle Row: Joanna Helsby, Taimur Samee, Mr S Over, Arya Narasimhan. Front Row: Saima Seer, Miren Singh, Imaan Ashraf, Stefanie Watt, Florence Antia. Absent: Conor Merrigan.

12/13 PR

Ms F Casey Back Row: Ashwin Gupta, Danyal Niazi, Joseph Palubiski, Christophe Rippon, Bami Ogunyoye, Aaroosh Kohli, Callum Hatter. Front Row: Ms F Casey, Charlotte Johnson, Shanzeh Hameed, Jessica MacCormick, Sanjana Daswani, Tanya Lalwani. Absent: Niamh Merrigan.

Shamal 2013

35


Form Photographs Mr G Roberts

12/13 GR

Back Row: Harvey McAdam Clark, Karan Talreja, Elliott Fogg, Ayrton Loureiro, Daniel Adair, Rory Blincow, Mr G Roberts. Front Row: Joanne Adib, Clara Townsend, Ambre Battistella, Sucheta Kinger, Joanne Mascarenhas, Holly Brannelly.

Mr B Trivić

12/13 BT

Back Row: Vansh Dassani, Ewan French, Shaurya Kalsi, Siddharth Sehgal. Middle Row: Wiliam Roderick, Eloise Bevan, Mr B Trivić, Rishi Ganguli, Andrew Refalo. Front Row: Saniya Mediratta, Asena Ayan, Menrit Guirguis, Pauline Bagatelas, Tara Burke.

Nick Jones, Dubai College’s departing Head of Sixth Form of eighteen years, told me when I came out to visit last May that he had the best job in the school. At the end of my first year in post I can confidently say that he was absolutely right. This year I have been privileged to work with some of the brightest and best students I have ever come across and I have been ably supported by the excellent Mr Tate, Head of Year 12 and Deputy Head of Sixth Form, as well as a loyal and eclectic band

The Sixth Form Year

36

Shamal 2013

of Sixth Form tutors who have gamely got to grips with a bountiful array of new initiatives, most of which have inevitably had teething problems due to my unfamiliarity with DC’s idiosyncratic systems and timings. One of the main reasons this year has been so fruitful, however, is because the Jones/Tate double act had already put in place an excellent framework on which we could build a Sixth Form for

the next eighteen years, so I’d like to start by offering a huge thanks to everyone involved with the Sixth Form both past and present. September to November was, as ever, fraught with university applications. If I went to bed before midnight for those three months I was lucky: the calibre of applications which our students were making and the prestige of the universities they were


Year Pages targeting meant that this schools in the UK. The sad Admissions, this year when he said that he year the reference writing fact for schools that do not is looking for students who are “engaged, process was subject to have such a programme enthused and excellent” rather than “second intense scrutiny to ensure is that they are competing rate historians who happen to play the that our applications with long established flute” and it is for this reason that TopUP stood out. About one schools in the UK was created: it will allow suitably motivated third of our Year 13 that do, which students to display a much sought after students applied is why next independence of learning. We have also for courses which year we will be been working with NYU Abu Dhabi to 100,000AED strengthening required an create an essay competition specifically so interview: these this process for charity that students of the UAE can take part in include all those even further. their own extend and challenge initiative students aspiring within the region. Details of this will be for places at Oxford Following on from published soon. and Cambridge, as well the application season Beyond what seems like a two-year process as Medical, Dentistry and in January we launched dedicated to CV points for university Physiotherapy courses. TopUP – Top University applications, however, the Sixth Form has With 9 Oxbridge, 6 Preparation – which is a remained as rich and exciting as ever. In Medical, 6 Physiotherapy new Sixth Form extend and addition to our first two Enrichment Days, and 2 Dentistry offers, challenge initiative. While the Sixth Form also runs an Enrichment this year’s medal haul Dubai College produces Programme on a Tuesday afternoon, as well was impressive. This does excellent examination as a weekly schedule of PSHE throughout not include another 5 of results annually, we all the year. The Wednesday Project is one our students who were know education should key element of the PSHE programme offered places at Ivy League be about more that allows students to plan, execute institutions in the USA. than simply and review a skill session which Much of the success came standardised they teach their fellow tutees. “engaged, from the robust interview testing. The subject of two re-launches preparation programme Thankfully the enthused and this year by the indefatigable we have now implemented: top universities inventor of the Wednesday excellent” parent doctors, a resident also agree. As Project, Mr Tate, it looks like UK-trained dentist, such we want we have a concept, which is now the company Oxbridge our passionate rightly here to stay. Sixth Form Applications as well as pupils to be taking students have also orchestrated the staff from both DC and part in activities designed raising of over 100,000AED for charity, the British School Al specifically for Sixth Form have won the Gulf U18 Boys Rugby Sevens Khubairat have all helped students so that they tournament, participated in and directed a to give our students that can extend themselves wide range of music and drama as well as valuable exposure they beyond the confines of being generally good humoured company. need to the rigours of the curriculum and read the interview process, and research a topic of At the end of any year we must say goodbye including preparation their choice for prestigious to both staff and students: this year we for the Oxbridge entry awards globally. Each say goodbye to Miss Alex Marrion, who examinations (the MAT, subject department has is leaving the Sixth Form tutor team HAT, PAT, ELAT, TSA been asked to populate after three bountiful years to pursue her and BMAT to name but a a folder on the Shared writing ambitions in the UK. We also bid few of the dazzling array Area with a list of books, farewell to Mr Graeme Rodgers, who is of acronyms by which competitions and courses venturing a somewhat shorter distance to they are known). Equally, which will allow suitably a middle school tutoring position. Thanks with Mr Tate taking on motivated students to both for all their energy and effort. It is exclusive responsibility for to extend themselves also, of course, time to bid farewell to the US applications, we have independently. Many Year 13s who, by and large, have been an now started to create an have already heard me outstanding advertisement for Sixth Form elite university preparation quote Mike Nicholson, both within the school and the wider UAE programme comparable the University of Oxford’s community. Here’s to an even better year to the top independent Director of Undergraduate next year. ML

Shamal 2013

37


38

Shamal 2013

Back Row: Ayrton Loureiro, Joseph Palubiski, Nicolas Whitman, Shahryar Mooraj, Nathan Banks, Karan Talreja, Aly Ibrahim, Christophe Rippon, Daniel Wakefield, Adam Bilbey, Parth Rajwade. 5th Row: Tom Harding, Joshua Blakemore, Taimur Samee, Jon Biddle, Vijay Gupta, Abhishek Belani, Rishi Ganguli, Lakshay Badlani, Amaan Khullar, George Kenaghan, Andrew Refalo, Vishnu Tikku, Yehya Al-Hafidh, Mohamed Bin Drai, Umer Shaikh, Adam Andreani, Mohammad H Mirza. 4th Row:Daniel Adair, Jonathan Sumners, Cameron Walker, James Ozden, Danyal Niazi, Nicholas Hindley, Nazim Nauthoa, Oh Hyun Kweon, D’Arcy Anderson, Gaurav Lahiry, Lewis Streak, Nimit Kataria, Daniel Shehata, Arya Narasimhan , Mark Gavigan, Shayan Momeni, Kenny Fahim, Tobia Culemann. 3rd Row: Kevin Drake, Benjamin Sparrow, Rhianna Foote, Sarah Moore, Linda Bieleski, Summer El-Ashmawi, Bethany Wright, Azmina Gulamhusein , Clara Townsend, Menrit Guirguis, Eloise Bevan, Ambre Battistella, Tara Burke, Lora D’Costa, Harriet Hamzelou, Victoria Frost, Alia Mahtani, Sophie Brown, Christopher Thorpe, Fraser Christensen. 2nd Row: Imaan Ashraf, Irina Hyndman, Mia Zickerman-White, Aditi Nijhawan, Amna Ali, Aishah Siddiqi, Jess MacCormick, Sucheta Kinger, Cathrin Faria, Stefanie Watt, Amiya Nagpal, Pritika Mehra, Chelsie Feather, Emma Thrower, Noor Jafar, Hibah Hoque, Taybah Siddiqi, Charlie Morfee, Ella Vaux, Yasmeen Salman. Front Row: Sophie Burley, Yash Shankar, Saima Seer, Ziyaan Kassam, Joanne Mascarenhas, Raina Srivastava, Tanya Lalwani, Mr M Lambert, Mr P Hill, Mr J Tate, Tania Zaidi, Miren Singh, Anjali Garg, Honor Nicholl, Tanvi Bhatia, Sanjana Daswani, Florence Prosser.

Year 12 Photograph 2012-13

Form Photographs


Year 12

39


Year 13

40

Shamal 2013


Back Row: James Bywater, Will Hammond, Adam Melone, Shaurya Kalsi, Sam Jones, Elliot Barker, Matt Scriven-Baker. 5th Row: Elliott Fogg, Adam Patel, Ronit Karamchandani, Tushaar Nadkarni, Callum Hatter, Simran Dhillon, Euan Mowat, Henri Schomper, Sahas Singh, Joe Graham, Rayhaan Lone, Aaroosh Kohli, Joe Flynn, Yasine El-Ashmawi, Shivank Keni, Bami Ogunyoye, Rhys Casey. 4th Row: Veljko Mladenovic, Rob McConney, Rory Blincow, Suprojit Paul, Ewan French, Sam Bullock, Wil Roderick, Owen Over, Vansh Dassani, Anuj Aggarwal, Lydia Morgan, Callum Duncan, Jack Denham, Rob Powell, Dominic Flower, Grant Heath, Connor Murray, Ziyaad Massoud, Saif Sarwar, Justin Govender. 3rd Row: Samer Ashur, Junaid Patel, Jamie McWhirter, Freddie Bennett, Emily Donovan, Ellie McBride Eleanor Mallon, Lisa Janus, Joanne Adib, Kelly Shuttleworth, Siddharth Sehgal, Veronika Nagy, Aarya Mishra, Shanzeh Khurshid, Kirstin Engelmann, Eleanor Abu-Nimeh, Harvey McAdam Clark, Andreas Hodgson, Sam Gardner, Josh McNicholas. 2nd Row: Rhea Patel, Anisha Kataria, Isabel Taylor, Shannon Juneja, Imogen Hawksbee, Florence Antia, Prianka Bhatia, Saniya Mediratta, Joanna Hartley, Gayatri Mehra, Danielle Jones, Joanna Helsby, Sasha Thomson, Farynne Reader, Talia Elsener, Yasmin Adib, Ella Rogers, Asena Ayan, Pauline Bagatelas, Lauren Hindley. Front Row: Charlotte Johnson, Madeleine Wilson, Anna-Louise Williams, Chloe Heard, Holly Brannelly, Maryam El-Rashid, Jessica Snaas, Mr Lambert, Mr Hill, Mr Tate, Alex Young, Ashwin Gupta, Smriti Talreja, Danielle Soares, Lavanya Malhotra, Shanzeh Hameed, Yusra Jafar.

Year 13 Photograph 2012-13

Form Photographs

Shamal 2013

41


Open Day 2012 Dubai College held a highly successful Open Day on Thursday 22nd November when prospective students and parents were given an opportunity to see what DC has to offer. We welcomed over 1,000 visitors and I must thank the 600 plus students who stayed in school on Thursday afternoon to help with this event. Every building in the school was opened up from Art through to Technology and the range of activities on display was simply stunning. At the end of the day our guests filled the auditorium to capacity to hear the Headmaster’s Address. The day was such a success due to the simple fact that all members of the DC community played their parts fully in demonstrating the hard work, creativity, pride and standards associated with the College. PH

42

Shamal 2013

Open Day 2012


Open Day 2012

Open Day 2012

Photos: Yehya AlHafidh

Shamal 2013

43


Question of the Week Question of the Week is now in its second year Question at Dubai College and we hope that it is really of the becoming part of the day Week to day experience of both staff and students. It is intended to get us all thinking and talking about the big questions in life, be they moral, philosophical, emotional, scientific, mathematical, creative or historical. This year there have been a number of questions about happiness, leading us to consider what it is, how it can be achieved and how we go about balancing our own with that of others. Other questions have made us think about our position and duty in the world and about how we should manage and conduct ourselves within it. It has been great to see so many questions being suggested by both students and teachers–thank you and please do keep them coming. The question can be found on screens throughout the school and is hopefully being talked about in tutor time, during your lessons, amongst friends and colleagues and maybe even with family at home. We would urge you to continue considering and talking about Question of the Week; it is so important to be able to think beyond and make links between what we are learning within classrooMs The ability to develop thoughtful, well informed opinions is not only going to make you a better citizen of and contributor to the world we live in; it is something that is expected by the best universities and employers. So, get thinking, talking, debating, questioning and challenging and enjoy it! KM and AA

Since the dawn of mankind to the present day, what do you think is humankind’s greatest invention?

Should we be more concerned about our own or others’ happiness? Does hardship bring about freedom or does freedom bring about hardship?

Is there such a thing as a just war?

Is it possible, or even desirable, to achieve perfection? The Human Genome Project cost the U.S. taxpayers about $2.7 billion. Was it worth it?

What is our duty in this world?

Is it better to be remembered negatively than not remembered at all? How should we determine what is right and what is wrong?

What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

44

Are human beings of greater importance than animals?

What are the solutions to the world’s dwindling resources and widespread overpopulation?

Is music/film/software piracy as unethical as stealing from a shop? If not, why not? 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. What would happen if a new integer was introduced? Bleen + 3 = ? Bleen + Bleen = ?

Is it possible to achieve happiness without the influence of others?

If you could have personally witnessed one event in history, what would it have been and why?

Shamal 2013

At what point does stereotyping become racism?

Are we in the world or is the world in us?

In an age of increasing gender equality should chivalry still exist?

Do you have a dream? How will you make it happen?

Is language necessary for thought?

Can happiness exist without sadness?

What do you admire most about your parents?


Local and Overseas Trips

History Trip to Berlin

On February 13th, eighteen eager Year 13 students set off on a bus to Abu Dhabi airport before the crack of dawn. Two flights later, we had touched down in Berlin and immediately warmed to the patient, good-humoured airport staff! In preparation for the jam-packed days ahead, the first night was spent sampling the local cuisine at McDonalds, acclimatising to the cold and agonisingly streaming Champions League football in our hostel rooMs With our first tour guide, Barnaby, who looked and sounded suspiciously like Boris Johnson, we pounded the streets of Berlin for a 4 hour walking tour – revelling in the historic landmarks and the incredible efficiency of the European capital. Berlin had much to offer us in the historical department, as it was truly eye-opening to set foot in the Stasi Prison and the actual boardroom in which the infamous Final Solution was agreed upon. Perhaps the most staggering experience was the tour of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, which left us all in a much more sombre mood than our visit to the venue of the

Barnaby’s Walking Tour

Olympic Stadium

1936 Olympics and the 2006 World Cup Final – the Olympic Stadium. It became apparent that this city, so rich in its turbulent history, was home to some defining moments in mankind; it was truly amazing to see and appreciate all these places. However, it was perhaps equally amazing to see Grant Heath brave the sub-zero temperatures in no more than a couple of t-shirts and a hoodie – you’re a hero. Other highlights featured Rob’s ever willingness to

The Brandenburg Gate

Stasi Prison

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

photograph everything and everyone (some more than others!) and Pauline being tired all the time. A big thank you must go to Miss Drake, because without her hard work and organisation, the trip would certainly not have been possible. Thank you ever so much to Frau Foulkes and Herr Hill for putting up with us for 5 days – we hope it was as memorable for you as it was for us! Saif Sarwar, Joe Flynn and Will Hammond.

Frau Foulkes ♥ chocolate

Snowball fight at Wannsee

Underground at the Brandenburg Gate

Shamal 2013

45


Local and Overseas Trips

Year 11 Art Trip to the DIFC Galleries

On Thursday February 13th, Year 11 Art students visited exhibitions at the galleries in DIFC, Gate Village. The theme for the examination this year was ‘FORCE’ and the purpose of the trip was to inspire and collect ideas. Mireille Merhej’s paintings of de-collaged torn posters and pages of magazines at the Sawa Gallery linked with the work of painter Farzad Kohan at the Ayyam Gallery—his striking paintings consisted of recycled newspaper clippings and thin acrylic washes painstakingly layered through a method incorporating sanding and pasting and painting different colour washes between each of the forty or so layers to achieve the desired surface. We were delighted to have Eleanor Smith, a former Dubai College student who now works at the XVA gallery, talk to us again about their current exhibition entitled ‘paper’ which included works by Anish Kapoor. The students made an exciting start to the exam and we all left feeling really inspired. We can thoroughly recommend a visit! BV

46

Shamal 2013


Local and Overseas Trips

Sixth On Tuesday March 19th, Sixth Form artists embarked on Form Art a journey to the ‘heart of Trip to the Sharjah’ to visit the unique Sharjah Biennial which Sharjah inspired and invigorated Biennial many new ideas. The fusion of contemporary and traditional was not only in the architecture but within the art work itself. The overriding theme of the Biennial was ‘Re-emerge – Towards a New Cultural Cartography’ a theme which explored the relationship between the Arab world, Asia, the Far East, through North Africa and Latin America. There was a selection of more than 100 artists, architects, film makers, musicians and performers which amused, charmed and broadened students’ perceptions of what art can be. We were lucky enough to experience authentic Emirati art, and relate to the internationalism which the exhibition embodied. We returned to Dubai, with extended horizons and new ways of knowing, thinking and feeling. Teachers and students would thoroughly recommend this experience. BV

Shamal 2013

47


Local and Overseas Trips On the first day of summer in early June of 2012, 30 bold and unfazed students set out to conquer the formidable mountains of northern India with the aid of Miss Woolcock, Mr Roberts, Shabeela and the World Challenge leaders Andy and Phil. Our destination was Ladakh, rocky, sparsely populated yet full of kind people and amazing sights at the same time. Before unleashing ourselves upon town, we had to get a grip upon ourselves. Prior to actually commencing the expedition, we had been warned innumerable times of the three dreaded letters: AMS —Acute Mountain Sickness— the result of sudden exposure to a far lower concentration of oxygen at altitude. Initially, after landing in the remarkably small airport at Leh, most felt pretty good, the cleaner atmosphere was certainly a breath of fresh air—pardon the pun. But then it struck. Slowly, quietly and stealthily. The headaches, the nausea and other syndromes. In order to combat this, the first phase of the expedition was the acclimatisation phase. During this, we walked around town to explore and buy souvenirs. Shopping was followed by a hike up to the Shanti Stupa, one of the oldest and grandest Buddhist stupas of the area. This was our first exposure to the intoxicating drug that was the exquisite scenery of the location. Soon we would find our cameras filling up at an exponential rate with photos of imposing mountains and majestic valleys, and less with ‘selfies’. Now, it was time to tackle the monster trek. Longer than a week and often treading

World Challenge 2012 Ladakh, India

48

Shamal 2013

higher than 4000m above sea level, would all our fancy equipment help us tame the mountains? Well, it began with a drive to the starting point and a visit to a high perched monastery with a magnificent golden Buddha peering out to the mountains. Here we met our guide, Nurboo, who would hence be known as ‘God’ by the male members of the group (rumour has it that he descended an almost vertical 100m slope by simply sliding down). Throughout the trek, we traversed many high mountain passé which were adorned with reams of brightly coloured prayer flags which are said to spread goodwill all across the land. The toughest day of the trek was the penultimate day. We had to wake up at 3am in the freezing cold because we needed the full day to reach the next camp. Packing up the tents was made extremely difficult by the fact that our hands were almost frozen because perhaps only two of us had had the foresight to bring gloves. Every little scratch caused the pain of a harsh cut. By 5am though we managed to set out. The first 5 hours were a struggle against the steep gradient of the mountains,

and as we ascended higher, the rests became far more frequent. For us, living at sea level, the mountains felt like almost another world. On reaching the pass at height of almost 500m we were rewarded by the most stunning views of massive valleys and massive snow topped mountains. The remaining 7 hours were spent descending amongst the uneven rocky surface, and for some of us, this involved some parkour over rivers. One cannot imagine the relief we felt upon seeing the campsite finally. The day brought with it not only tough obstacles but a real sense of achievement in the end. Overall, at first it may appear daunting, but a World Challenge expedition is a highly rewarding and potentially once in a lifetime experience that can leave a lasting impact upon you (in fact, all of the boys in our team have added our guide Nurboo on Facebook and still remain in touch with him). We would like to thank the expedition leaders and teachers for helping make the expedition such a success, and especially Miss Woolcock for organising everything so well.


Local and Overseas Trips World Challenge 2012 Project Phase

Our particular project phase was at the start of our trip so naturally, one would expect the team to be fresh, and raring to go. I regret to inform you that this was not, in actual fact, the case. When teenagers such as us jump from sea level to an altitude of around 3000 metres, it can have dire effects. These effects, however, were supressed by the knowledge that we were going to be doing a great service to a bunch of unsuspecting school children that have never known the rich academic facilities here at DC. The journey there from Leh consisted of a two hour car ride with an intense playlist (Ladakhi music and some English classics) escorting us through the mountains to the government school of Neh. After setting up camp on the school site we began to assess the damage; what we saw was an educational dystopia. Apart from levels of dust and dirt that are beyond unacceptable, the place was a mess. When you are compelled to complain about the smell or the cleanliness of our school toilets, go ahead and ask one of our group members about the toilets in their government school. With no drainage system in the middle of the mountains, a shovel to act as the lock to the toilet ‘door’ and an abhorrent smell like no other, the ‘long drop’ toilets left us feeling pretty bad. While the toilets were out of our control the shabby school could still be repaired. We began to work hard: cleaning the carpets, washing windows and repainting the school. After some tough choreography by Phil (our expedition leader that had

lived life to the fullest <3) and Miss Woolcock (always a fun, motivating figure) the dance was done and the school was the cleanest it had been since its construction. We depicted our love for the school by painting animals, flowers, inspirational quotes and other things on the school walls. We had two forms of entertainment: one was listening to a cow with the immaculate talent to hum the bass line to Tyga’s ‘Rack City’, and the other was playing with the students of the school. The school consisted of 7 students, 3 of which were girls. A particular student caught our attention; his name being Champ (his parents equipped him with another name but we knew better) – short for

Champion – and he stood out from the crowd as an independent figure that proved himself to be a keen and adroit listener. He was inevitably a hero to all of us and a face that pulled us through the hard times. Each member in our group was given the privilege of handing a present (consisting of a bag, stationery, toys, books and candy) to each of the students. The lack of funding to the school meant that these exceptional students were using second/third hand work books that have been long since worn out and used. Our work was aimed at improving the school, thereby attracting more students, thereby introducing the possibility of greater funding from the government, thus creating a circle of happiness. After everything was over, the teachers graciously treated us to a traditional Ladakhi party with Ladakhi tea, a sashay and a scribe as a token of gratitude. We reluctantly said our goodbyes to the students and the faculty members as we headed for our next adventure! We look forward to receiving more information about the school’s progress in the near future and wish them success.

Shamal 2013

49


Local and Overseas Trips

Year 7 Dibba Trip On Friday 1st March an adventurous group of 94 Year 7 students and 4 staff boarded DC buses for a two and a half hour trip to the East Coast of the UAE. Any possibility of Mr Woolley getting a couple of hours sleep on the bus was shattered as the buses left the DC car park and spontaneously all students broke into a rousing rendition of ‘the wheels on the bus go round and round’! On arriving at the North Star camp in Dibba everyone ate lunch and explored their cabins and the camp. Friday afternoon involved 5 hours of activities including GPS, climbing wall, abseiling, team building and obstacle course. It is safe to say that by 6pm there were a lot of very tired bodies. After dinner we had a night walk up into a wadi close to camp. We learned a lot about the constellations and about local wildlife – ask Mr Bernaz (aka ‘the scorpion man’!) After a ‘great night’s sleep’! and breakfast we piled onto the buses to make a short journey to Dibba port. After an ‘interesting’ wait at the Oman border we eventually boarded 2 dhows and sailed up the stunning Mussandam peninsula. We had a chance for a swim and a snorkel and even saw some dolphins on the way back to port. I think that it is safe to say that everyone had a very enjoyable trip and Mr Woolley was delighted to have so many babysitters to look after his 2 children! MW

50

Shamal 2013


Local and Overseas Trips Take one desert, one stretch of water, 80+ Year 8 students, five members Eco-venture of staff and a whole host of outdoor pursuit Trip, Kalba instructors. Mix them all together over two days and what have you got? A whole heap of fun that’s what!!!!! Yes, a hoard of DC Year 8 students once again descended upon the sleepy town of Kalba and the desert lands of Dhaid in order to get physical and take part in a range of exciting and stimulating outdoor activities. Whether it was archery, climbing, canoeing or kayaking, all involved had a whale of a time and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Special thanks go to Mr Hann for setting up the school telescope and finding Jupiter and its moons for us all to gaze at in the evening. What did I learn from the trip? Well, firstly tents have a strange effect on Year 8 students and seem to bring on some sort of mass excitement and a degree of insomnia which is consequently shared by the accompanying teachers. Also I learned that girls are so so much better than boys at making rafts, but boys still have the edge when it comes to football! My thanks to Mr Hann, Mrs Adamson, Mr Bernaz (who didn’t scare us all to death by finding scorpions this year!!!) and last but not least Mrs Casey who kindly accompanied us at short notice. Oh, I also learned that I can’t do now what I could do when I was a teenager and I have the aches and pains and the bruises to prove it… no more kayaking for me I’m afraid! KE

Shamal 2013

51


Local and Overseas Trips In March of this year, our Dubai College MUN team seized the opportunity to attend an international Model United Nations conference, with students from all around the world. At the risk of sounding nerdy, every single person was super eager

Model United Nations Turkey

to debate, caucus, and most importantly emulate the United Nations. After just one week in Antalya, I can guarantee that MUNtr will always hold a special place in our hearts. From the Turkish accents and endless buffets to everyone’s obsession with the Harlem Shake, there was never a dull moment! With twelve councils in total, MUNtr differentiates itself from other ordinary MUN conferences due to the innovation of its committees. The Future Security Council of 2028 allowed delegates to debate and propose resolutions on issues of the future, whilst delegates in the League of Nations debated issues dating back to World War One. Regardless of whether we were in the future, present, or past, each and every DC MUN member came back fully enriched. With a rigorous 9AM to 5:30PM schedule, we worked extremely hard everyday – instigating committee debates, writing working papers, and centring unmoderated caucuses. With over 600 people involved in organising and participating in MUNtr, we entered a world full of equally driven, like-minded, politically and economically obsessed… geeks. So we felt right at home! It’s safe to say it was one of the best weeks of our lives. In just seven days we deepened our understanding of world affairs, learnt about the stances of different countries (most notably Denmark), and made some great Turkish friends. From Clark Kent look-alikes to Project ‘M’ lovers, our MUN team was granted the opportunity to meet very unique and outspoken individuals. Overall the experience was fantastic! It was impossible to leave the topics of contention within the boundaries of the conference rooMs From the many points of personal privilege regarding inaudibility to our lesson on the ‘official shizzle’, our Model United Nations team came back to Dubai fully energized and seriously craving some Iskunder kebab! Shanzeh Hameed

52

Shamal 2013


Local and Overseas Trips

Seven students; Three teams; Two rounds; One winner; Zero Success.

and Isabel Taylor—prepared to take on the schools of Europe in the International Schools’ Mathematics Teachers’ Foundation competition, hosted by The British School of Warsaw. Led by Mr Flower, whose coaching was integral to our success, the pursuit of mathematical fame turned from imaginary to reality. In two school teams of 3, and one collaboration team with other schools of Europe, the competition at the ISMTF was fierce. The individual round consisted of 10 papers, timed 10 minutes each with 5 demanding questions on each. The team rounds followed, with 15 minutes for 3 questions per paper.

8th March 5:40 a.m. Dubai Airport – Enter Anuj, with his tiny bag. Enter the rest, with large suitcases. After catching our flight (where Mr Flower’s seat had been reassigned as it was “destroyed”), our long awaited adventure began…

Day 2 – Mixed into teams from other schools, the ‘fun’ competition, the Sunday Chase, started! Working in collaboration and running around the school was definitely a unique experience, and perhaps the most fun we had on the trip! The joy of mathematical passion and humour exchanged within the teams was unmatched.

ISMTF Senior Mathematics Competition

*Snoland ‘13*

In the end, the A Team finished 34th and the B Team finished 39th out of 61 teams, leaving Dubai College’s mark on mathematical history. Luckily, we were able to differentiate between the good and bad foods, so we found the cuisine of Warsaw to be delicious. Although ‘potatoes & mushrooms’ > ‘everything else’, the mixtures and number of permutations of them amazed us! Overall the trip was fantastic and extremely enjoyable. Special thanks to Mr Flower, Mr Croft, David Fuhrmann and The British School of Warsaw for making it all possible. Anuj Aggarwal

Warszawa – Fighting through the welcoming blizzard, we explored the historical section of Warsaw. Upon arrival at the hotel, we each received an ISMTF welcome package, which consisted of the guidebook, a mug and a commemorative teddy bear. The first day was dedicated to the photo competition, where the team with the best photo of one of the gifts would win. Despite forgetting to enter, Darth Sid took stunning pictures of our teddy bear – lovingly denominated Benoit Mandelbrot. Day 1 – After a restless night, the Super Seven Dubai College Mathematicians – Reuben Abraham, Anuj Aggarwal, Asena Ayan, Holly Brannelly, Vansh Dassani, Siddharth Sehgal

Shamal 2013

53


Local and Overseas Trips Ever since I had to research Switzerland Ski Trip for a French project back in Year 5, I Verbier, to visit there. Switzerland Itwanted seemed perfect, 2013 a beautiful country with amazing scenery, little wooden houses, and mountains topped with snow. Then in Year 7 at DC, I found out we could actually go to Switzerland for a whole week for a ski trip. I was so excited, and begged until my parents agreed. Surprisingly, unlike previous years where as many as 70 people went, this year, there were only 20 people going on the trip, which included Ms Hill and Ms Rola. When we arrived in Geneva, we took a bus to our camp, Les Elfes, in Verbier. We were all so excited to see snow, as most of us hadn’t seen it in a few years. There were even some who hadn’t ever seen snow! While we were huddled freezing in our t-shirts, there was a guy, Colin, who was standing in the middle of Switzerland in a tank top! On the first day, we got to know everyone and got our skis and snowboards fitted. The actual skiing started the next day, when we had to travel in a crowded bus with all our skiing equipment to the bottom of the mountains. We rode the gondola up to the top, and then got sorted into groups according to our level. We skied about six hours each day, with two breaks and lunch. It was extremely cold up in the mountains, especially as we weren’t used to the weather, coming from Dubai. The lowest it went was -28C, when it started snowing, resulting in excited squeals from us. When we got back to camp, we had to sign up for an evening activity (swimming, staying at camp, shopping in town). All of us went to town on the first day, eager to explore Switzerland and go shopping. Our favourite shop was a supermarket, Migros, where we all bought Swiss chocolate. Janne bought forty bars of chocolate, which weighed 5kg in total, while others bought a pineapple and a mango to do the Harlem Shake with. After dinner we had the Dubai College tradition, ‘The Ding-A-Ling Awards’. We had to nominate people who did something

54

Shamal 2013


Local and Overseas Trips silly during the day, and the three winners had to wear a cowbell around their necks until the next day, even on the slopes while skiing. If you took it off, then you had to do a forfeit. You could hear the people with the bells coming from a mile away, and we all got extremely annoyed looks from everyone. Throughout the whole week, you could always hear “Urgh,

can you just keep that bell quiet! It’s driving me crazy!”

from a wide selection of people. After the awards, we had a night activity. One of the most memorable ones was The Bin Bag Fashion Show, where we had to design and make outfits from a bin bag. We all tried hard to avoid it looking too trashy, and had a great time, especially when Felix had to model a mankini with a six pack drawn on to his stomach with a green marker. Sadly, around the middle of the week, several people from DC got sick, due to a bug going around. Unfortunately, Janne sustained an injury. There are so many more things that happened, but I don’t have room to include them all. The ski trip was an amazing experience for everyone, leaving home for a week with your friends, meeting new people (who we added on Facebook as soon as we returned home) and skiing on a snow-capped mountain with breathtaking sights. We had a great time, and returned home with so many good memories and killer goggle tans. Rachel Choi 8TJ

Shamal 2013

55


Local and Overseas Trips

U14 Rugby Squad Back Row: Zac Davies, Josh Deveraux, Dylan Russo, Oliver Boon, Saif Khawaja, Issam Al Ghussain Middle Row: Mr J Cottam, Frazer Hanson, Rhys Luke, Mattie Russo, Richard Pickup, Chris Vail, Oliver Tait, Max Lovett Front Row: Rory Quick, Oisin Morgan, Cameron Hughes, Max Dennehy (capt), Scott Simpson, Tommy Williams, Gregor Watson

During February half term 39 students went to test themselves against the best teams in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The Under 16 squad only contained 18 boys and a 4 game tour really stretched their physical and mental resolve. The whole squad contributed to an unbeaten tour, a feat never achieved previously. The Malaysian national champions were beaten in KL and, in a war of attrition against the South East Asian Champions, UWCSEA, DC came out on top 177. Any tour, to be successful , needs the whole squad to pull together on and off the pitch. The under 16s did this in every aspect of the tour and produced performances that were of a consistently high nature. The Under 14s were very successful in Kuala Lumpur winning both games against well drilled opposition. The Singapore component proved to be a difficult undertaking with injury and illness depleting the available players quite dramatically. The physical bulk of Centaurs rugby club and Tanglin Trust School wasn’t matched by DC during the two losses. The perseverance that was shown during these games was admirable, however, and many positive aspects were taken away which the boys were able to apply back in their regular

56

Shamal 2013

Kuala Lumpur and Singapore Rugby Tour

season. Away from the field there were plenty of activities to keep the students occupied starting with a game of competitive laser tag. Competitive shopping was carried out in Chinatown and Petronas Towers Mall. Singapore brought about more of an adrenaline rush with a water born tour via amphibious craft, night visits to the zoo, rotating on the Singapore Flyer and completed with a day at Universal Studios. The Under 16 squad underwent one final challenge at the Wave House. It is safe to say that no world class surfers will be emerging from DC in the near future. All boys were a credit to themselves and families and represented the school fantastically well. MB CH


Local and Overseas Trips

U14 Netball Squad

Kuala Lumpur and Singapore Netball Tour

When the U14 netball girls found out that we would be going on tour in KL and Singapore we were ecstatic! For our first overseas tour it went very smoothly with the A team winning 4 out of 6 matches and the B team winning 3 out of 6. This was a very pleasing achievement considering some of the teams we played against were considerably older than us. Luckily we only had two injuries on the whole trip, myself (spraining my wrist) and Olivia Peacock (pulling several muscles in her back). However, we both pulled through and while I only had to miss one game Olivia was able to carry on with the magic cream and a little ‘TLC’ from Mrs Adamson and Mrs Phillips!

Back Row: Eleanor Roy, Sally Marr, Olivia Peacock, Hannah Cleere, Isabel Snaas. Middle Row: Mrs E Adamson, Kirsten Holtby, Kristi Flanagen, Sabrina Daga, Tanya Hussain, Emma Taylor Front Row: Rebecca Hamer, Alexandra Clements, Corynn Foote, Denia Loukos, Becky Edwards. Absent: Kitty Willson.

of the cart on the night safari to ask the driver to speak up, and there were a record number of back-to-back rides on the huge rollercoasters at Universal Studios!! (not such a good idea before our matches against The Australian school!!) The trip was a memorable and unique one and it will stay with us forever. This would not have been possible without all the members of staff involved: Mr House, Mr Barrington, Mr Cottam, Mrs Phillips and Mrs Adamson. So on behalf of the U14 netball squad, thank you! Kitty Willson 9RD

All the teams were very welcoming and even though they played with aggression, off the courts they were very kind and treated us with great hospitality, even presenting us with little souvenir gifts. Away from the court, the accommodation was also welcoming, despite having several room catastrophes: Axie getting locked out of her room while the other two were both asleep, Sally having a banana explosion in her bed, and Sabrina’s room-mates snapping all their room keys!! The hotels were conveniently located close to shopping areas which we found very enjoyable, and we certainly got to experience a different menu every day! In addition to playing netball we had a fab time on a number of excursions. The Orangutans at Singapore Zoo were amazing, Corynn risked all by climbing out

Shamal 2013

57


Local and Overseas Trips Valentines day 2013. With an evident lack of romanticism, 14 Drama students spent the morning at 30,000 feet alongside Mr Gardner and Ms Corless, speeding their way to the British Isles for the London Theatre Trip. Whilst the first day consisted primarily of Rory’s sickening triumph over the ‘50 nugget challenge’, no-one complained over the refreshing modernism and apparent positivity of the accommodation. However, no sooner had we ‘shotgunned’ bunks before we were awoken at 8am for the packed day ahead. Initial activities included a trip to the Tate Modern and a tour of the Globe Theatre, the day concluding with the musical Matilda. The charming innocence of ‘When I Grow Up’, the stand-out tune, quickly became a trip anthem with the song being ‘harmoniously’ chanted at least ten times a day amongst the group. Day 2 let us wittle away both time and money on Oxford Street, allowing us to observe in frightening realism the effects of the global recession. However the sour overtone left in our mouths by the dying HMV had soon been forgotten as we caught the matinee performance of the farcical One Man Two Guvnors and in the evening, Rhinoceres, a French absurdist play. And absurd it was, as can be backed up by the two or three students who managed to stay awake through its bizarre duration. The next few days introduced us to the wide variety of culture available in the capital, with treats like The Saatchi Gallery and The Natural History Museum enriching our personalities to an untold degree. Port was next on our list of plays to enjoy and it was nearly unanimously the group’s favourite as we watched in awe the delicacy of which one of Simon Stephen’s most known works was executed. It was truly breath­‑taking and the beauty of the Lyttelton Theatre (located in the National Theatre) in which it was held only added to the experience. We even managed to get a backstage tour of the area, allowing fascinating exploration into the grittiness of professional theatre’s setup. Lift was the final show of that day, sucking out all grogginess from us with their upbeat songs and demonstrating just how much fun you can have in 54 seconds, provided the conditions are apt. Camden Market was the next destination

London Theatre Trip

58

Shamal 2013

of our travels and we were pleasantly surprised to find the Bedales exchange crew awaiting our arrival. Except for Albie. Albie was ‘busy’. ‘Forgetting’ about him, we once more threw away our money in exchange for charismatic titbits and ventured on to our final show, Playing Cards, tied down with bags and various eccentricities. There were certainly mixed feelings of the continuous two and a half hour performance, however, it did save the group from having to go on any future Biology

trips. By the time the show ended, we were well and truly shattered and were soon waving goodbye to the streets of London. I’m sure I speak for everybody on the trip when I give our sincere gratitude to Mr Gardner and Ms Corless for making the trip such a genuinely overwhelming success. Thank you! Daniel Wakefield 12CH


Local and Overseas Trips We like to think of ourselves as daring and fearless, able to identify with plucky pioneers and bold explorers. Breaking the rules and a love of adventure is associated with brazen youth; the armchair and cappuccino life is for the dull, grown-up world. Most teenagers in Dubai, however, want their creature comforts and can get a good night’s rest only in a springy bed under a fluffy duvet, with Mr Bubbles the teddy bear standing sentry. Year 13 biologists embarked on a 2-day field trip this year to Umm Al Quwain with the goal of studying the wildlife there using various ecological techniques and intimidating equations to evaluate the biodiversity of the area. We certainly had fun - even school lessons seem attractive when you are immersed, fully clothed, in seawater, mud and assorted forms of sludge and are rained upon— in the UAE. Living in Dubai can leave you under the impression that nature means some palm trees set within a concrete jungle of towering buildings and glitzy lights. Venture out and you meet jaw-droppingly magnificent landscapes. There are beaches, forbidding deserts and dramatic wadis, of course, but also mountains, mangrove marshes and rocky shores teeming with life. Out in the mangroves, we laid out belt transects —a fancy way of counting how many plants live in one point of the area compared with another. The rocky shores yielded all sorts of things you could hold and giggle at, a kind of a marine petting zoo: cute, brittle stars and sea cucumbers that shot out jets of water at your face as you picked them up. Given teenagers’ love for anything repulsive, we listened agog as our tour coordinator explained how the cucumbers regurgitate their entire gut and half-digested food at you if you annoy them too much—and then regrow their entire digestive system. Crabs are friendly and funny when they are animated, named Sebastian and are leading an orchestra of fish in The Little Mermaid. In real life, they are capable of causing a stampede of screaming teenagers when they present their clicking, faintly menacing pincers.

Biology Fieldwork in Umm Al Quwain

everyone else’s trainers dried, my waterproof ones didn’t. As their packaging had virtuously told me: there was no way water could enter (oh?) or exit (regrettably true). After spending an agonising hour with a borrowed hairdryer, I marched to the beaches to tackle our next assignment: collecting snails and measuring the lengths of the holes in their shells just the sort of education I enjoy. This field trip proved what I have always suspected: there is a reason cavemen evolved from frolicking through forests and eating bugs to creating four-wheel drives and the internet. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t mind more excursions that put us in touch with the UAE’s diverse wildlife and immense natural beauty. Lavanya Malhotra 13TD This article was published in the Teen life column of The National on Dec 16, 2012 and has been reproduced here.

I was feeling pretty pleased with myself for bringing waterproof boots—surveying fellow ecologists’ squelching, muddy trainers with a certain smugness. It would have been a wonderful state of existence if it had lasted, because gallons of water still managed to seep in from the top—so much for putting faith in footwear companies’ marketing. While

Shamal 2013

59


Local and Overseas Trips

Spanish Trip Andalucía

The Spanish Department recently ran its second visit to Andalucía, taking 17 pupils from Years 10 and 11 to stay with Spanish families for a week. This region is Spain’s largest and most vibrant, its heartbeat, and home to cultural gems that Dubai College students explored to the full. We enjoyed the Alhambra in Granada, a world-class Moorish palace, the narrow streets and orange groves of Seville, the grandeur of Málaga and the sheer beauty of Ronda. We got a real sense of the history and beauty of the region, as well as a good dose of autumnal rain, but it was the time spent each evening in the hospitality of the host families that our students found most rewarding. This human interaction and ‘deep-end’ experience was culturally and linguistically invaluable and is something our students will never forget. We look forward to offering the trip again to current year 9 Hispanists in 2013/14. BT

60

Shamal 2013


Local and Overseas Trips Dubai College has long encouraged World debating at an Schools inter-school Debating level; this is Championships thanks to the Debating Society. However, debating at Dubai College has now moved on to even higher heights. This academic year, Dubai College entered several students in trials for the UAE National Debating Team. Samer Ashur, Danielle Soares, Aarya Mishra and Owen Over, all in Year 13, began competing for 4 spaces against over 70 other debaters from around the country. After a six month selection process, Owen Over and Aarya Mishra were selected to represent the UAE team at the World Schools Debating Championship in Antalya, Turkey in January 2013.

years old in comparison to other competitors who have attended Worlds for nearly 25 years. The entire experience was a debaters’ dream come true and gave both Owen and Aarya an incredible exposure and both hope to continue debating at their respective universities next year. WSDC and the opportunity to represent the UAE on an international platform is something you can only get once in a lifetime; hopefully, the tradition of Dubai College and the UAE debate team is one that will continue on in years to come. Finally, a special note of gratitude must be expressed to Clifford Chance LLP and GEMS Education for their sponsorship of the team; alongside thanks to Mr Grant Smith, Ms Linda Bonnar, Mr Daniel Swain, Ms Brenham and Mrs Hodge.

After many training sessions – involving Mr Daniel Swain as coach, a man ranked #4 in the world for debating at a university level – the team embarked on their ‘Worlds’ journey. The competition in Antalya was huge; nearly 300 debaters from 70 countries attended the tournament making the chances of ranking past the first 8 rounds (the octofinals) scarce. Still, the team performed and won 6/8 of their first debates; losing only marginally to the number one team in the world, Australia. Overall, the team placed in the top 15 in the world, meaning that the UAE is now alongside countries such as Australia, Canada, the USA and others; a terrific accomplishment for a team only three

Shamal 2013

61


Activities

F1 in Schools World Finals

12 million students... 34 countries… 1 experience of a lifetime!

Last October three lucky students from Dubai College gained the experience of a lifetime! Pritika Mehra, Sandip Roy and Karan Talreja all travelled to Abu Dhabi to participate in the prestigious F1 in Schools World Finals. After winning the school competition, and taking third place at the UAE Nationals, Team Neutrino was called upon to form a collaboration team with Team Zephyr of Germany to enter the World Championships. As the excited, anxious and keen students approached the task, little did they realise the obstacles and relentless hard work that lay ahead of them. However, the exhilarating week long competition undoubtedly made all of the late nights and stress worth it. *** As soon as we walked into the Radisson Blue Hotel in Abu Dhabi, the atmosphere was set. Exuberant students of all nationalities surrounded us, creating a competitive and charismatic atmosphere. The next three days of the competition whizzed by with the racing, pit display set up, verbal presentation, media interview, and much more! One of the most riveting parts of the competition was that we got to meet a vast range of people from across the globe! Engaging in intuitive conversations, we learnt just how passionate, creative and innovative some of these children really were. Though most importantly, we connected instantly and after a week of bonding, made friends who we are still in touch with today. After three adrenalin-filled days, the results were finally announced. Synergy got nominated for the Best Verbal Presentation award. As if the half an hour before the results were announced weren't nerve wracking enough, our pit displays got a special visit from the MacLaren and Vodafone Formula One teams! The competition ended in style with an incredible after party in which our timid (or at least we thought so initially…) Korean friend audaciously led the entire dance floor to a classic Gangnam Style dance. The fun continued to the next day, when we got the chance to walk past all of the real Formula One teams’ noisy and action packed pits as they earnestly prepared for the upcoming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Pritika

62

Shamal 2013

even had the chance to enter the Red Bull Racing pit in action! The whole of Syngery would like to thank their gracious sponsors and Mr and Mrs Ashmore –without them this trip would not have been possible! Our F1 journey gave us an invaluable experience, unparalleled to anything we would have ever imagined. Not only did we learn about innovative engineering and marketing but also, we acquired vital communication and team work skills. Hopefully Dubai College will continue its tradition of excellence in this field, with more and more students representing the school in the international scene! Pritika Mehra 12JM


Activities The F1 in Schools Technology Challenge is one of the largest science, technology, engineering and maths competitions in the world with over 12 million students having participated in it. The competition binds together students aged 9–19 from 34 different countries in a terse competition to design, manufacture and race miniature CO2-powered F1 cars as teams of 3–6 and hone their proficiency as a team in areas including engineering, IT, graphic design, presentation skills and business and finance. In March 2013, the annual Dubai College F1 in Schools competition took place. The competition was fierce as all teams displayed an enormous amount of professionalism in their pit displays, portfolios and their team identities. The cars were the results of months of intense scientific analysis and sped down the 20 metre track in just over one second! However, at the end of the day, the results were incredibly close as Team Tachyon managed to beat Supernova and Slipstream Racing who finished in close second. The National Finals would be held in Yas Island in the world renowned Yas Marina Circuit. Both teams frantically worked to complete their new cars, pit displays, portfolios and their entire projects over the short two month period before the National Finals. A total of twenty senior F1 teams competed for the chance to go to Austin, Texas to compete in the World Finals. All teams fought intensely for that coveted position and they all showed an unbelievable amount of passion in their work. At the end, Slipstream’s Racing won the Best Team Identity award. Team Tachyon managed to win the Best Pit Display Award. Tachyon and Slipstream finished in third and fourth place respectively but, despite their valiant efforts, they did not qualify for the World Finals in Texas. For the first time Dubai College entered a ‘Rookie’ Team – team Relativity. Competing against students much older they did us proud by achieving fifth place in the fastest car category and gaining a commendation from the judges for ‘an impeccable’ verbal presentation. These aspects of the F1 in Schools Technology Challenge are what make it one of the largest science technology, engineering and maths competitions in the world. It is unlike any other extra-curricular activity available and the teams from Dubai College have shown immense passion for F1 in Schools through

F1 in Schools

their work and efforts this season. A big thank you also goes to Mr Ashmore, Mrs Ashmore and Mr Roberts for helping each team through every stage of the competition and providing them with valuable support. On behalf of all F1 in schools students past and present we would like to thank Mrs B Ashmore for all the time that she has spent with us over the years. We could not have done it without you! We wish you every happiness in the future. Sandip Roy 10GW Design and Aerodynamics Engineer Team Tachyon

Shamal 2013

63


Activities

Desert Dance

At the beginning of this year Mrs Williams started two dance groups: Street and Contemporary. Both dance forms are quite different and unique from each other. Since October both dance groups have been choreographing along with Mrs Williams to create a dance routine for the yearly Dubai Desert Dance Competition. The theme for the competition was ‘A Night at the Movies’; the Contemporary group performed to the newest Bond theme tune ‘Skyfall’ by Adele and the Street dance group performed to a piece from the film Tron titled ‘The Grid’ by Daft Punk. It was quite exciting to be a part of these

64

Shamal 2013

dance groups because learning the dances was great but the best part was performing in front of an audience. Participating in the competition was brilliant and showing off our dances and skills was made even better when we won an award for all our hard work. Both the Dubai College dance groups won a joint prize for ‘Choreographic Intention’, which was the icing on the cake! Overall, being a part

of the dance groups was a privilege and we truly appreciate Mrs Williams’ efforts (and all the dancers’), dedication and commitment. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of a school dance team and it was a completely sensational experience. Drishti Masand 11GJ


Activities

Desert Dance

Contemporary

Back Row: Anjali Magecha, Saava O’Kirwan, Gabrielle Guscott, Amun Chaudhary, Alison Tuffin, Katherine Jones, Sophie Shennan Middle Row: Tara Zadeh, Sabrene Ben Dekhil, Annabelle Style, Iman Shaikh, Ceyda Davidson, Anurati Sodani, Aditi Nijhawan, Pooja Daswani, Mrs G Williams Front Row: Cassia Middleton, Sylvie Waft, Drishti Masand, Niamh Bone, Olivia Dennehy, Shemica Adanwalla, Jemma Ansell, Tara Mewawalla Front Row sitting: Elizabeth Adamson, Emily Dunne

Desert Dance Street

Back Row: Claudia Young, Ashling Murphy, Saava O’Kirwan, Josephine Jagtiani, Jessica Shaw, Iman Shaikh, Isabella Duthie Middle Row: Lara Zaveri, Malika Alidina, Jaimini Patel, Laura Murphy, Sophie Scott, Hireena Hans, Malaika Nanda, Mrs G Williams Front Row: Georgina Holbrook, Daisy Kirkaldy, Annabel Clifford, Kim Sparrow, Emily Tsen, Chloe Elliott, Rebecca Ludden, Isabella Lahdo, Rae Mitchell

Shamal 2013

65


Activities Mark Cockram, an entertaining and wonderfully talented bookbinder, visited Dubai College to lead a bookbinding workshop as part of the Emirates Literature Festival. The art students who participated learnt many new skills—including the fact that Mark’s name is a palindrome! As well as teaching us how to make our own sketchbooks using traditional bookbinding techniques, Mark also inspired us with the rich history of bookbinding. His enthusiasm and passion for bookbinding meant that we all had a fun and memorable time. While travelling around the world conducting workshops, Mark is also undertaking a project where he buries books. To celebrate the success of the workshop, Mark invited us to assist with this project by leaving behind one of his personal sketchbooks to bury. We buried the book in the school for a month, sending it back to Mark to add to his existing collection.

BookBinding Workshop

Azmina Gulamhusein 12VH

Photography Workshop

The word photography is based on the Greek photos ‘light’ and graphe ‘representation by means of lines’ or ‘drawing’, together meaning “drawing with light”. Last November, eight of our artists took part in a series of five workshops run by Ian Hardie, an award winning - and very passionate—photographer, from Pink Pepper Photography. With photography in danger of becoming a one-click-allcan-do art form it was an opportunity to learn how best to operate a digital SLR camera. Students learnt about apertures, shutter speeds, light meters, ISOs and flash guns, in addition to composition and creating images that reflect personality and emotions. BV

66

Shamal 2013


Activities During the year in the school holidays, Sailing thirty four Dubai College students Walk the embarked on sailing plank! courses at the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club (DOSC). We were awarded certificates by The Royal Yachting Association, the national governing body for certain watersports in the United Kingdom. Some of us managed to complete all three stages. Congratulations go to Ellen Holmes, Richard Pickup, Ryan Evans, Omar ElAshmawi, Angus Steel, Saava O’Kirwan and Alex Faulkner for gaining their level three certificate. During these courses, we were sailing small Laser Pico dinghies in a variety of weather conditions, under the watchful eye of our instructors, one of whom was ex DC student Robyn Smith (11DL/13LA until 2010). Capsizes were common events and were too numerous to remember. We also had fun playing pirates, the aim of which was to try to capsize as many boats as possible whilst Omar perfected his increasingly annoying pirate laugh. He should have been forced to walk the plank! The list of highlights goes on and on and it remains to be said that overall our sailing at DOSC was a truly memorable experience. Alex Faulkner 9EJ

Shamal 2013

67


Music The annual Music and Mince Pies Concert took place in the Auditorium at Dubai College on Wednesday 12th December. The Beginner Band opened the first half with a particularly good rendition of Up on a Housetop and Jingle Bells. It was an impressive show of ten weeks hard work on all the pupils part and the dedication of all their instrumental tutors and of course, their Director, Mr Zambonini. The Junior Choir sang beautifully under the baton of Mrs Dixon, while Miss Morris’s String Ensemble played exceptionally well for their debut performance of a selection of tunes from Music Harry Potter. Next up was the Intermediate Band & Mince playing a festive Angels Mix followed Pies by the Brass Ensemble who played extremely well under the watchful tutelage of Mr Cuthbertson. Concert Band delighted their audience with several seasonal pieces including A Touch of Christmas. An impressively large Junior Guitar Group played beautifully two arrangements of Greensleeves and Silent Night and afterwards, the stunning Chamber Choir concluded the first half with the carol What Sweeter Music. We all enjoyed our festive mince pies in the courtyard during the interval. The Senior Orchestra set off the second half with a seasonally robust Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah and a swinging Most Wonderful Time of the Year followed by the Senior Guitars with an arrangement of Winter from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and O Christmas Tree. The smaller ensembles featured some of our best musicians and we thoroughly enjoyed performances from the String and Clarinet Quartets, the Sax Quintet and the Flute Choir. The Senior Choir sang a rousing arrangement of Slade’s Merry Christmas Everyone to lead the audience to their favourite part: singing along with the Jazz Band which, as ever, left the audience feeling suitably uplifted and entertained. Our thanks go to The Music Department and all the staff involved behind the scenes that helped make the evening such a success. Photos: Yehya AlHafidh

JLF

68

Shamal 2013


Music

D

13th NOVE e: at

November 13th saw the first of our speciality concerts here in the Music Department at Dubai College. Rule Britannia was a spectacular and varied program of popular British classics. The Senior Choir and Chamber Orchestra expertly performed Handel’s Coronation Anthem Zadok the Priest while the Chamber Choir captivated their audience with the beautiful madrigal The Silver Swan, a scrumptious arrangement of Londonderry Air and a light hearted 4-part arrangement of The Teddy Bear’s Picnic. The Music Department was suitably adorned with bunting and Union Jacks, while the concert had a true ‘Last Night of the Proms’ feel as the audience were expected to participate with the superb sounding Chamber Orchestra in singing Land of Hope and Glory and of course Rule Britannia with Florence Prosser as our wonderful soloist. The evening was interspersed with poised and musical solos from Niamh Merrigan, Prianka Bhatia and Cameron MacKay. The FDC treated our spectators to a delicious High Tea on the lawn afterwards for which we offer our sincere thanks. MZ

R 2012 BE M DUBAI COLLEGE presents

Shamal 2013

69


Music

Music at the Embassy The Embassy Concert of 2013 proved to be a stupendous event attended by an appreciative audience of over 600 parents and friends in the wonderful gardens of the British Embassy, Dubai. Over 340 pupils took part in the traditional, biennial picnic concert event. There were notable performances from an impressive Concert Band playing Reverberations, highlights from Those Symphonies from the polished sounding Senior Orchestra and uplifting highlights from West Side Story sung by the Senior Choir. The Beginner Band showed their progress and discipline under the strict baton of Mr Zambonini, while the newly formed String Ensemble played a delightful Concertino Grosso. The senior ensembles of flutes, clarinets and saxophones wowed the audience with their finesse and high quality playing: there was so much to savour and enjoy! The Choir of the Year, namely The Chamber Choir, gave a suitably British and appropriate rendition of The Teddy Bear’s Picnic and The Young Musician of the Gulf Ensemble winners – The Barber Shop Quartet—charmed the crowd with their close harmonies of Goodnight Sweetheart. The whole evening felt truly magical and was enhanced further with the Intermediate Band playing a spell-binding Of

70

Shamal 2013

Wizards and Warriors theme, while the Jazz Band brought the enchanted evening to a close with a fabulous rendition of Witchcraft. Our thanks go to Mr Zambonini, Mrs Lee-Foster and the hard work of the Music Department peripatetic staff and to The Consul General and his staff at The British Embassy for allowing us to use their facilities for the evening. JLF

Photos: Mr G Roberts


Music

Our musical calendar for Term 2 was brought to a spectacular close with the Jazz Band’s second speciality concert – Viva Las Vegas, which took our audience on a journey through the music and stars of Sin City. Kicking off proceedings was the big band version of Sinatra’s famous hit Witchcraft. The ever-popular saxophone quartet then wowed the audience with their snappy versions of I

Got Rhythm & Tuxedo Junction. We also featured vocal solos from Rory Blincow and Hasan Malik, both of which were warmly received. As has become tradition the Jazz Band welcomes vocalists to sing with them. This year we had three impressive singers: Shannon Juneja with the soul-anthem Respect, Cameron MacKay singing Michael Buble’s hit Haven’t Met You Yet and Florence Prosser with Peggy Lees’ sultry Why Don’t You Do Right? The bombastic sounds of the Jazz Band were nicely balanced with our award-winning Chamber Choir who, under the direction of Mrs Lee-Foster performed the delightful Over the Rainbow. Bringing the concert to a rousing close was some audience participation with the Blues Brothers hit Minnie the Moocher, after which we all enjoyed some delicious snacks on the lawn courtesy of the renowned baking team from the Friends of Dubai College! We look forward to next year where we will present Pop Goes the Jazz Band! MZ

Friday 26th April saw the sequel to last year’s day of brass activities – Brass Bonanza 2 — which is run in partnership with the Centre for Musical Arts. Around 50 young brass players from primary and secondary schools around Dubai came together in a day of workshops and activities. The event kicked off with three separate groups all busily rehearsing for the concert which was given at the end of the day, each group preparing their own piece and also putting together a massed-brass version of The Flintstones!

Brass Bonanza Two

The day continued with some innovative workshops where students constructed their own instruments using hope-pipes and funnels, learning about how brass instruments actually work. This culminated in a performance of a piece of music actually written for the homemade instruments they had been constructing! Perhaps the highlight of the day was a performance and masterclass given by the Emirates Brass Trio who took us on a journey of brass music through the ages. Introduced by trumpeter Mark Gibson, they presented a potted history of the development of brass instruments, their role in music and the composers who exploited them. We are extremely grateful to them for their time, energy and enthusiasm! Our congratulations go to Mr & Mrs Cuthbertson for being the driving force behind this exceptional celebration of all things brass! MZ

Shamal 2013

71


Music

This year Dubai College’s Arabian Youth Orchestra truly was an outstanding success, with nearly 50 of the region’s most talented young musicians coming together on March 29th for a week-long course. Under the baton of Peter Currie, and supported by a team of instrumental tutors, AYO saw a week of sectional rehearsals and orchestral workshops which culminated in two Gala Concerts in Dubai College and Abu Dhabi. This year we tackled our most challenging works yet, starting off our programme with the rousing coronation march, Crowne Imperial by Walton, which quickly caught the attention of our appreciative audiences. The

72

Shamal 2013

original versions of Grieg’s In the Hall of the MountainKing & The Death of Åse from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 demonstrated the orchestra’s growing mastery of advanced repertoire, with another highlight being Stravinsky’s enduring Berceuse & Finale from The Firebird, which featured some impressive solo work. In keeping with our regional identity the orchestra also presented the Arabian-themed Bacchanale from Bizet’s Samson & Delilah. It has become our tradition to end our programmes with a light-hearted finale and this year a rollicking Mission Impossible brought our performances to a spectacular close. We are extremely grateful to our sponsors who helped make the course such a real success. Plans for next year are already underway and we look forward to an even more spectacular event! MZ


Music Beginner Band is such an amazing experience. The chance to learn a new instrument with friends is one so rare. At the start of the year, we were introduced to Beginner Band, and asked if we wanted to sign up and participate. The choice of instruments was incredible! Tuba, French Horn, Saxophone and Flute to name but a few. Our very first full band practice, was, well, interesting. Yet as the weeks went on, we progressed and then it was time for our very first challenge: Music and Mince Pies. Jingle Bells and Up On A Housetop were

Beginner Band

the two pieces we set out to master, and by the concert, we had then almost down to pat. We were a roaring success, and we made our teachers proud. Then came a true honour: the British Embassy Concert. That night is one we shall remember forever, sat in the gardens of the Embassy with a night full of beautiful music. The band played Cool Blues and Bold Adventure, and it was most definitely our best performance yet. We have learnt so much in our year of the Beginner Band, and those of us continuing next year shall join Intermediate Band, and continue the music there. Polly Jones 7VB - French Horn

This year has proved to be unbelievably successful for the DC Music department, most notably of course, in our phenomenal showing at the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition. Tucked away within all that has been achieved we find the House Music Competition which is fairly low key in comparison to that mentioned above but which is, nevertheless, treated with great seriousness by the Music Department and musicians alike. Let us not forget that many of the star performers in the YMOG cut their competitive teeth representing their Houses. This year’s House event was enormously successful. Mr Zambonini’s organisational skills shone through once again and we were delighted to welcome 3 distinguished adjudicators: Mr Martyn Bagnall, Mrs Carolyn Belsey-Morton, and Mrs Joanna Marsh. The music served up by the competitors was an absolute delight and picking winners

House Music

was difficult to say the least. But, winners had to be found and were as follows: Joonwoo Jeong (Junior, ‘cello), Cate Waft (Intermediate, violin) Bethany Wright (Senior, clarinet), with Nadia Young (piano) being awarded the ‘Performance of the Night’ prize. The standard of musicianship throughout was remarkable. Every year, prior to the finals night, we run preliminary heats. For more years than she cares to remember, Mrs Joan Scott-Minter has helped to judge these heats. Sadly, this year, her last in Dubai, she was unable to do so but her contribution over the years has been outstanding, and we thank her for it. PD

Shamal 2013

73


Music

Emirates Airline Young Musicians of the Gulf Competition, 2013 This year Dubai College was the proud host of the prestigious Emirates Airline Young Musicians of the Gulf Competition, 2013. Having been held in Bahrain for some 15 years the College was thrilled to be the first school to take the reins of this event, which is the region’s most high-profile music competition. With 122 competitors from 11 schools in Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Kuwait there was a truly electric atmosphere during four days of heats, masterclasses & workshops. Presiding over the competition there were distinguished external adjudicators, all notable professional musicians in their field: Hannah Marcinowicz (clarinettist & saxophonist), James Baillieu (pianist) and Lisa Milne (soprano). We were also honoured to have with us two visiting artists Peter Seivewright (pianist) and Min Yang (violinist) who performed recitals for the competitors. 84 solo entrants battled it out in the first round, with 65 making it to the second round, 15 to the Semi-Final and 6 to the Grand Final, which was held in the beautiful Wasl Ballroon in Le Meridien, Dubai. Also competing were 18 ensemble entrants. We were immensely proud that all four of Dubai College’s ensemble made it through to the 6 for the Semi-Final, and indeed we were delighted to win both ensemble categories. We were also elated to meet with considerable success in many other categories, winning 8 out of the 14 available prizes, with Matthew Laven being hailed the Young Musician of the Gulf, 2013! We would like to thank the participants, adjudicators and visiting artists for making the week so special as well as commend the prizewinners on their outstanding achievements. We would also like to sincerely thank our sponsors for their truly generous support.

74

Shamal 2013

Young Musician of the Gulf 2013

Matthew Laven Dubai College

Runner-up Award

Xiaolin Zhang Centre for Musical Arts

Composer Award

Ewan French Dubai College

Instrumental Ensemble Award

Milhaud Trio Dubai College Bianca Pereira, Bethany Wright, Cate Waft

Vocal Ensemble Award

Barbershop Quartet Dubai College Ryan Evans, Rory Blincow, Ethan Ebdon, Yasine El-Ashmawi

Owerkowicz Bequest

Michel TouTougny St. Christopher’s School (best Bahrain based musician)

Dubai College Prize

Mathew Smeda JESS Arabian Ranches (best Dubai based musician)

Knights Bequest

Hai Wei Li British School of Kuwait (best Musician under 15 years)

Piano Award

Yasine El-Ashmawi Dubai College

Bowed Strings Award

Kyarash Aryanpad Centre for Musical Arts

Plucked Strings Award

Sandip Roy Dubai College

Woodwind Award

Bethany Wright Dubai College

Vocal Award

Isabel Snaas Dubai College

Brass Award

Lewan Yazici British School Al Khubairat


Music

We would like to thank the American School of Dubai for the loan of equipment.

DUBAI COLLEGE DUBAI COLLEGE U.A.E.

A tradition of quality in education

Photos: Yehya AlHafidh

Shamal 2013

75


Golf

76

Shamal 2013


Golf Omega Dubai Desert Classic 2013

Dubai College students and staff once again acted as scorers at this year’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic. A team of 200 students and staff obtained the scores from the course and kept the scoreboards up to date during the tournament. Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher saw off the opposition and claimed this year’s title.

From December 5th- 8th Emirates Golf Club Dubai played host to the 6th edition of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters. This event is the season ending ‘Major’ tournament that can often determine who finishes at the top of the Order of Merit. This year the Chinese sensation, and world number six, Shanshan Feng took the title. Our Dubai College team of about 150 students and staff provided the scoring services for the event. The Scoreboards Team worked the numerous on-course leaderboards and the giant scoreboards located in the ‘Village Area’ and the Media Centre. Meanwhile the team of Walking Scorers traversed the fairways watching the golf, recording the scores and sending the information back, via radio, to the control centre.

Omega Dubai Ladies Masters 2012

Shamal 2013

77


Design & Technology

2

1

4

3

5

6

9

7 8

GCSE Design Technology

1. Anya Malik decorative table lamp 2. Caleb Goddard illuminating multi key fob 3. Ryan Harris portable reading light 4. Jenna Denton children’s night light 5. Lauren Beattie daily gadget store 6. Adam Athas solar magnifying lamp 7. Devina Singh decorative table light 8. Hanna Salem bedside light 9. Cameron Moffat desk lamp with storage

78

Shamal 2013


Design & Technology

10 11 13

12

15 14

17

GCSE Design Technology

16

10. Ellen Burley children’s bedside night light 11. Adil Saldanha headboard night light 12. Zorez Haider adjustable desk/ambient lamp 13. Ryota Minagi children’s learning blocks 14. Zohayb Shaikh book holder and reading light 15. Kelley Day children’s night light 16. Daksha Agarwal ‘bookend’ light 17. Alistair MacGillivray illuminating student workstation

Shamal 2013

79


Design & Technology

18

19

20

21 22

23

25

24

26 GCSE Design Technology

18. Karan Nair adjustable wall light 19. Samuel Morris children’s night light with storage 20. Giorgia Maccini-Hill illuminating photo frame 21. Shivani Maru learning box 22. Rohan Padmanabhan illuminating message board 23. Alidad Chassebi solar powered garden light 24. Sheamus Power adjustable study lamp 25. Drishti Masand decorative ceiling light 26. Ryan Underwood ‘play and spell’ learning toy.

80

Shamal 2013


Design & Technology

27

29

28

AS Design Technology

32

30 31 31

33 34

Sustainable Seating

27. Clara Townsend CDs and polypropylene strapping 28. Fraser Christensen polysterene packaging, low cost ply and recycled plastic sheet 29. Joseph Palubiski corrugated cardboard and off cuts of wood veneers 30. Emma Thrower Winner of the Godwin Austen Johnson Prize for Outstanding Design Talent Masafi bottles and recycled plastic sheet 31. Joshua Blakemore corrugated cardboard and recycled plastic sheet 32. Danyal Niazi recycled cardboard 33. Nicholas Hindley corrugated cardboard and cardboard tubes 34. Chelsie Feather re-used magazines and newspapers.

Shamal 2013

81


Design & Technology

36

35

A2 Design Technology

37

38

35. Simran Dhillon ‘Urban Flow’ Bottled water hydration system 36. Emily Donovan ‘Art Studio’ for unconfined creativity 37. Joseph Graham ‘Bath Buddy’ Eat, drink, read, listen & relax while you soak 38. Callum Duncan ‘Porta-desk’ Work + Study anywhere in comfort

82

Shamal 2013


Design & Technology

39

A2 Design Technology

40

41

39. Florence Antia ‘Sky Sleeper’ Head support and privacy for the air traveller 40. Jack Denham 'Jam Stand' Guitar + music stand 41. Samuel Gardner ‘Shadow’ Easy set-up Kayak/ Beach sun-shade

Shamal 2013

83


Design & Technology

43 45

42

46

44

47

48 GCSE Art & Design

49

42. Constance Antia 43. Joseph Blakemore 44. Giorgia Maccini-Hill 45. Imogen Lemon 46. Lara Fowler 47. Joanna Summers 48. Saskia Heyster 49. Alice Lovett

84

Shamal 2013


Art & Design

51

50 52

53

GCSE Art & Design

54

55 56

57

50. Arya Agarwal 51. Alyzeh Jiwani 52. Lauren Beattie 53. Cameron Moffat 54. Eleanor Proctor 55. David Culemann 56. Urooj Ali 57. Ellen Burley

Shamal 2013

85


Art & Design

59 58 GCSE Art & Design

60 62

61

64

63 66

65 58. Hannah Holly 59. Helena Wick 60. Tristan Ebdon 61. Nadia Young 62. Michael Camball 63. Natasha Lopez 64. Urmika Mani 65. Miranda May 66. Mohammed Hansrod

86

Shamal 2013


Art & Design

68

67

69

70 GCSE Art & Design

71

72

74

73 67. Ryota Minagi 68. Pooja Nair 69. Sabrene Ben Dekhil 70. Perle Battistella 71. Nermeen Islam 72. Zoe Curtis 73. Tasha Howard 74. Varun Peshori

Shamal 2013

87


Art & Design

AS Art & Design

75

76 77

79 78

80

81

83

82

84

75. Clara Townsend 76. Humna Siddiqi 77. Mark Gavigan 78. Bethany Wright 79. Noor Jafar 80. Kathryn King 81. Chelsie Feather 82. Azmina Gulamhusein 83. Menrit Guirguis 84. Tania Zaidi

88

Shamal 2013


Art & Design

85

88 AS Art & Design

86 87

89

91

90

92

93

85. Emma Britnor 86. Ambre Battistella 87. Yehya Al-Hafidh 88. Imaan Ashraf 89. Linda Bieleski 90. Hibah Hoque 91. Stefanie Watt 92. Yasmeen Salman 93. Sophie Burley

Shamal 2013

89


Art & Design

95 94

96

97 98 A2 Art & Design

99

100

101

94. Lydia Morgan 95. Kirstin Engelmann 96. Emily Donovan 97. Robert McConney 98. Alexandra Thomson 99. Joanna Hartley 100. Farynne Reader 101. Eleanor Mallon

90

Shamal 2013


Art & Design Technology Exhibition

102

104

103

105

102. Yasmin Adib 103. Asena Ayan 104. Lauren Hindley 105. Veljko Mladenovic Flavours of the Evening Libraries

Meta-tags

Flavour 1

Creative lighting Sustainable seating Educational toys Innovation

Flavour 2

Force Covert and Obscured Inside Outside In between

Flavour 3

Salmon Beef Frittata Tiffin

Flavour 4

Grading Results

Flavour 5

Social Feedback Catching-up Friends Alumni Visiting schools

Art & DT Exhibition

It was a tasty evening!

Shamal 2013

91


Drama

Sometime am I all wound with adders, who with cloven tongues do hiss me into madness.

The Tempest rehearsals

All the infections that the sun sucks up.

More to know did never meddle with my thoughts.

You are three men of sin.

You taught me language, and my profit on’t is, I know how to curse.

Hast thou, spirit, performed to point the tempest that I bade thee

The Asst. Directors in deep thought.

The air breathes upon us here most sweetly.

The sun will set before I shall discharge what I must strive to do.

This is no mortal business, nor no sound that the earth owes.

92

Shamal 2013

What a strange drowsiness possesses them!

You cram these words into mine ears against the stomach of my sense.


Drama When Punk Rock was first advertised, the buzz flew around the Sixth Form Centre quicker than wildfire. What was it about? Why was it Sixth Form only? What were the new department really like? Did we have to sing?! Our directors were giving nothing away, and by the time we were given our scripts, we were chomping at the bit to find out just how weird Simon Stephens was rumoured to be. Turns out, very. How were we supposed to do these characters justice? We needed to go big or go home.

Punk Rock

You could not have picked seven more diverse people to work with, but after our first eager script read through at Henri Schomper’s, we all felt like one big lovely, if slightly dysfunctional family. All of us wanted to impress, and I think it’s safe to say we certainly surprised our teachers after discovering a DC_theatre tweet one Thursday evening “love spying on the cast of Punk Rock having an extra rehearsal…#bestcastever”. ‘Nuff said. After our first public performance during Open Day, things started to come together. Our chaotic set began to look a little like our own Sixth Form common room (on a good day) and before long it felt like a second home. Working with our own personal designers, the vision came to life and the

Photos: Yehya AlHafidh

magic started happening – before we knew it we were in full costume showing our work to the exotic Bedalians during their tour of Carnival. By the time we finally moved into the auditorium with our Swish – or as some preferred – sick - set, we felt like pros. With Joe and Nick now on board to bring the play to new levels with their creativity and fresh outlook, the excitement was building,

the rehearsals were getting longer, and the Subway bills were starting to add up. In light of the tragic series of events in Newtown, we embraced the new relevance behind Punk Rock, and the play began to take on new meaning for all of us. As with any piece of theatre, we thoroughly believe there was more to it than a school tie and a couple of lights, and we hope you took away the same meaning that we felt when performing for you. We all miss working on Punk Rock, more than you know. Niamh Merrigan 13PR

Shamal 2013

93


Drama After two weeks of rigorous auditioning and anxious waiting, the Hansel & Gretel cast was finally announced. The same afternoon, Ms Corless was greeted with the eager faces of twenty students from Year 9 and Year 10, the cast. Although everyone was absolutely Hansel thrilled to have been selected, none of us & Gretel were too sure of the nature and style of this piece of theatre. However, we soon discovered that Hansel & Gretel was going to entail a lot more than ‘just a children’s play’. Incorporating elements of physical and abstract theatre, the concepts in Hansel & Gretel were unlike any that we had watched before. As the cast bonded, rehearsals grew to be amusing as well. Chris’ ‘effeminate’ tree, Aniket’s ‘Venus flytrap’ and the original ‘fire dance’ were all infamous of Hansel & Gretel rehearsals. That’s not to say we weren’t toiling away towards making a quality piece of drama. All of us experienced exhaustion like never before when we did a 4-hour rehearsal after having done Sports Day that morning! Before we knew it, our performance date was already upon us. Backstage was an extremely tense accomplishment. place but after Ms Corless’ We did another pre-performance pep talk, performance in school, we all felt focused and before taking the play to ready to perform. The next the Emirates Literature thirty minutes went by in Festival, where once again a whirl and by the end of it was enjoyed by all. Due to our performance we were popular demand for tickets, in a total state of disbelief, we added an extra two revelling in the spirit of shows at lunchtime, once

94

Shamal 2013

Photos: Yehya AlHafidh

again performing to ‘sell-out’ audiences who thoroughly enjoyed being ‘spooked’ by our abstract characters! Hansel & Gretel was an enjoyable experience for everyone and we really gained a lot from it. Thanks to Ms Corless for her super direction and support! Jas Singh 10MB


Drama

Bedales School Exchange December 2012

For the 22nd consecutive year, DC and Bedales School continued their fruitful relationship. This time, Bedales came to the UAE and with them brought a fascinating and dynamic devised piece based on The Carnival of the Animals. Over their six days they toured our colleagues in local primary schools. A total of nine performances and five workshops ensured that the Bedalians left fulfilled and exhausted. The show was a phenomenal success and wowed hundreds of children aged between three and ten years old. Dubbed by many

as the best show yet, it was hard to find fault. Beautifully crafted choreography from Jo Alldridge and expert performances from the eight ensemble players, Carnival was a feast of colour, energy and dynamism. Huge thanks to our DC hosts who ensured that their ‘Bedalian’ had a great experience of life in Dubai. It’s DC’s turn next and we are already planning our project. You have set the bar high Bedales, but we are up for the challenge! SG

Shamal 2013

95


Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award The weeks leading up to our Duke Of Edinburgh expedition were vital and extremely useful to know about for us newbies - apart from camping a couple times none of us had ever done something like this before. We had to plan what we were taking, Bronze plan our routes, Award sorting out our groups. When Expedition the day finally arrived, we all got on the yellow buses at 7:30am at Mazaya Centre and waved goodbye to civilization: no showers, toilets, internet and air conditioning for 2 days, I am surprised that everyone coped. After arriving there we were given a compass and the route sheet we had planned and then told to enter the unknown wilderness. By the end of our expedition we were all masters at understanding how to use a compass. After setting off we knew how challenging the 2 days ahead of us were going to be, but with a bit of enthusiasm, (thankfully in my group, there was bucket loads of it) and some carefully thought out planning we were going to ace this expedition. After about 4 checkpoints everyone was exhausted, hot, sweaty and just wanted to go home apart from Kiana (the lone wolf) who was bounding ahead, and all of us 10m behind, shouting at her to slow down telling her to walk at the speed of the slowest walker (Hayley) but she never really got the gist of

96

Shamal 2013

it. When we were closing in on the campsite a bit later than planned, we put on our signature tune ‘Scream and Shout’ and we ran into the camp singing at the top of our lungs, we were so excited to be able to sit down and relax. When we arrived everyone got out their pot noodles and sat by the campsite, not daring to move, as everyone was aching after the first day, dreading how many more blisters they were

going to get? How much further they were going to have to trek? After we ate our pot noodles we sat by the campfire and sang camp songs, and roasted marshmallows — it was really cute! We all got over our problems and faced reality, and on the second day we overtook 3 groups, oh yeah, girl power! Our group found the second day easier even though we were in pain from the day before because it didn’t have as many dunes and it had more of a hard terrain, whereas on the first day we literally had to stop halfway up this massive sand dune because we couldn’t cope. It was super tiring. One of the best moments was when we went


Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award

Bronze Award Expedition

through the tunnel and saw the group before us trying to climb over the electric fence having missed the gap, which we went through meaning we overtook them. It was such an amazing experience and there were so many life lessons that we learnt. Not only did we have to complete the Duke of Edinburgh expedition we also had a training expedition a month before, to help prepare us for the real thing which was really

useful as we knew not to do certain things that we did in the training expedition. For example, on the training expedition Navya decided to bring a McDonalds and it was soggy and sandy after the morning walk! Along the way we saw many different types of wildlife and Layla (Nature Chick) made sure to document each and every single one from camels to dead goats. We had to attend four months of training in: first

aid, navigation, cooking and camp craft. I, on behalf of Year 10, would like to thank all the teachers who helped make this happen. And a couple of pieces of advice for the Year 9s doing it next year is make sure to wear sun cream unlike Bea Turnern — nice tan, I mean burn (looking like a lobster is not a good look), make sure you are fully prepared, if you decide to wear hiking boots make sure you wear them in because otherwise you will be like Navya who got blisters all over her feet and then decided to try and walk without them on, not a good idea and most importantly have fun! Tamsyn Morfee 10MB

Shamal 2013

97


Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award On Thursday 31st January, 80 Dubai students Silver Award College absented themselves Expedition from school and escaped to the mountains of Fujeirah. It was obvious that many of these individuals had been planning their escape for many weeks. They were equipped with detailed maps of where they were going, written guidelines on where they would set up camp, and judging by the size of their bags, it seemed all too clear that they intended to stay in the wilderness for many days! Fortunately what initially appeared to be a mass break-out, turned out to be no more than the school’s annual Duke of Edinburgh’s Silver and Gold Award expedition to Masafi. For the students this was the culmination of many weeks of training and route planning, as well as a mass-experiment to see how long they could survive on a diet of nothing more than pot-noodles! Over the next 3 days (or 4 days for the Sixth Formers who were completing their Gold Expedition) they carried all of their kit, including tents, food and cooking equipment, through mountains, over sand dunes and around annoyed-looking camels. Each day’s walking took between 4 and 6 hours, and the students were required to navigate their way through a series of checkpoints, where they found teachers who tested their navigation skills, but also helped patch up their blisters and supply them with water. It was generally agreed that the first day was the most physically demanding, as it

98

Shamal 2013

ended with a 90-minute trudge up to the top of a mountain. The second day though was also very challenging, especially over the final 2 hours where the teams had to navigate their way through a seemingly never-ending valley before they were faced with another steep climb to their campsite. By the third day, most students were starting to feel a bit tired, but then had the invigorating experience of walking through the rain, which became steadily more persistent as the day progressed. For the silver students, getting back on the yellow buses at the end of their 60 km walk was perhaps the best part of the whole trip, but most of them claimed, whilst

happily taking off their rucksacks, that they were looking forward to doing it all again next year! For the remaining 24 Gold students, however, another 25 km stood between them and their finish. At this point a few of them appeared to become delirious with exhaustion and insisted on singing ‘pop songs’ for the rest of the day’s journey! Their campsite was reached after a steep climb over some dunes, nestled in a beautiful sand wadi, and seemingly untouched by humanity! As soon as they had set up their tents it began to rain, again, and the students happily ate their noodles and sang themselves to sleep. The final day was almost as eventful as the last.


Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Despite hobbling out of the campsite, with aching legs and sleep-deprivation the teams made remarkably fast progress through the remaining wadis. The onset of a sudden sand storm made navigation more difficult, but amazingly they still had the energy to ‘sprint’ the remaining few

Silver Award Expedition to Musandam

On February 14th a group of Year 11 students set off on their Silver Duke of Edinburgh expedition. This year, for the first time, the venue was the rugged, mountainous terrain of Musandam. A few hours after leaving the relative comfort of the Dubai College car park, the students were off loaded in Wadi Salalah, deep in the Northern Hajar mountain range. Peaks of over 1000 metres in height towered around them and, as the bus departed, the students began to realise that apart from the accompanying teachers, nothing resembling

hundred metres once they saw the familiar yellow school bus. Out of the 80 students who began the expedition, all successfully completed it and made it back home to Dubai. This was possibly the largest D of E group that the school has taken to the mountains and

the fact that everything ran so smoothly, with all students completing it is perhaps a testament to the outstanding effort, teamwork and determination that Dubai College students show when things get tough. It also would not have been possible without the kind support of numerous teachers who gave up their weekends to support the expedition.

‘civilisation’ could be seen at all! Approximately an hour later, following a tough slog up a punishingly steep track, the students arrived at a breathtaking view of the Khor Najd Fjord, where fishermen's boats could be seen, far below, heading off across the gulf of Oman. Once they had their bearings, students could then begin the expedition for real, and proceeded to navigate around the mountains and isolated villages on their way to the first campsite. This was located in an acacia forest and, as they later discovered, was the home to foxes, donkeys and dozens of cardboard-

eating goats. Day two was where the students were able to explore ancient mountain settlements and caves, on their way through the rocky terrain. They also were relieved to rest their feet when, half-way through the route, they were allowed to start mountain biking and made rapid progress through traditional farming villages that were linked by gravel roads. Day three was a continuation of the walking and mountain biking, and culminated in a bike ride through the town of Khasab, where the students could finally rest once they reached the end of the expedition – the Khasab hotel. The exhausted, and foot-sore students were all grateful to get a shower and a proper place to sleep for the night. All the students completed the expedition with a justified sense of achievement, and were rewarded with a dhow trip the following morning where they were able to go snorkelling and watch dolphins swimming alongside the boat.

RD

Shamal 2013

99


Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award

Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award

Namaste! When we first signed up for our Duke of Edinburgh Gold trip in Nepal, we immediately anticipated another dreary four days of tireless walking. We couldn’t wait until the trek was over and we could go on to the project and, most importantly, the shopping and exploring aspect of our expedition. When we went to the mountains of Chisapani, however, we realised just how wrong we were. We reached Kathmandu in the evening and were immediately taken to our guesthouse where we had a quick look around the

100

Shamal 2013

tourist hub of Kathmandu, Thamil. This is when we were briefed on the trip we would be experiencing over the next week. We were told not to drink any water without purifying it first (which included the water we brushed our teeth with) and that hand sanitizer would be our new best friend over the coming week. Nevertheless, the eclectic, tranquil guesthouse provided us with a more than comfortable first night in Kathmandu. We then went to the Shram Jyoti Public School, where

we would be staying for the next night. When we arrived, we were given a budget for the day that included supplies for the school such as paint, cement and school materials and were told to allocate the money accordingly. After a hard day of manual labour and painting, we spent some time with the local children. A football match was one of the many things we did with the kids where we learned just how enthusiastic and easy to interact and get along with these children were. We also played indoor games such as heads down, thumbs up and some of us were taught Nepali dances and songs by the children. This experience combined productivity and cultural enrichment and was surprisingly enjoyable for all of us especially our interaction with the incredibly welcoming students. As well as the supplies we brought


Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award

for the children in the school, this trip made all of us more enthusiastic in supporting future projects in addition to the previous ones our school has aided in achieving. The next day marked the start of the trek we had all been dreading since we arrived. The first day seemed to be a neverending path of steep stairs after slopes; we learned that Nepali flat was about as flat as walking up a wall. The sudden hailstorm did not help either with our task of setting up the campsite in the evening.

Photos: Yehya AlHafidh

The next few days flattened out and with the help of our amazing Sherpas (guides), cooks, porters and everyone else at the campsite, our trip was more than enjoyable. The views were amazing as expected, with the gorgeous snowcovered mountains being one of many incomparable sights we were able to experience. Overall, it is safe to say that with help from our 6am wake up tea, white rabbits and even a cake that was baked for us

in the mountains, our trip exceeded our expectations in every way possible. Our trip to Nepal was an enriching experience where everyone acquired independence, persistence and very importantly, appreciation for the people who helped us leave our comfortable lives at home. We even learned some Nepali on the way! I would definitely encourage future Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award candidates to go to Kathmandu and create their own unforgettable journey. Particular thanks must also go to Mr Dennis, Mrs Taylor and Miss Woolcock who helped plan the trip and accompanied us throughout. Danyabat! Sanjana Daswani

Shamal 2013

101


Inter-House Athletics 2013

InterHouse Athletics

Thursday 28th February was the date chosen for this year’s Inter House Athletics championships and, as usual, the excellent organisational skills of the PE department, ably assisted by our wonderful team of drivers and caretakers, ensured that the event was its traditional success. Such has been the growth of athletics in recent years, that it was deemed appropriate, for the first year ever, to hold A and B contests in all track and field events. This put a terrific strain on the logistics of the whole occasion and, with a slightly later starting time than usual, it was inevitable that the morning overran. This meant that we had no time to add up the points total and announce the winners. I can now reveal that the day was a resounding success for Heyerdahl who, with wins in four of the six sections and second places in the other two, finished the day with 22 of the 60 points on offer for the day. The remaining Houses were left some way behind with Cousteau, Chichester and Barbarossa gathering 15, 13 and 10 points respectively. Immediately after Sports Day, Mr Ashby and his team were able to reflect that their overall grip on the House competition as a whole had been tightened to the extent that they were able to enjoy a substantial lead. It was noted at the time, however, that there was still enough time for them to be overhauled and that victory celebrations might be a little premature. Indeed, by the end of Term 2 Chichester had closed the gap entirely. Heyerdahl have managed to put some daylight between themselves and the chasing pack, once again due to success in another of our major events: the swimming gala. PD

102

Shamal 2013


Inter-House Swimming Gala

InterHouse Swimming Gala

This year’s House Swimming Gala proved to be yet another triumph for our magnificent PE department, particularly Mrs Adamson who continues to orchestrate such occasions with remarkable precision. Tuesday 23rd April was the appointed day and our long suffering Heads of House toiled at length to find enough swimmers for our ever expanding programme. Such has been the success of the DC swimmers in this year’s inter schools competitions, Mrs Adamson was persuaded that the time was right to introduce B races for Years 7 to 10. This, as well as providing extra opportunities for swimmers to participate, naturally lengthened the gala somewhat. Fortunately we had Mr Case as our starter extraordinaire and somehow we managed to get all of the swimmers home in time to complete their homework. It seems that Heyerdahl is the House that rises best to our major, whole school events and, as with Sports Day, they took the opportunity to steal a march on their rivals and open a useful gap at the top of the standings. There are 60 points available to be won during the Swimming Gala and, when the water had settled, we calculated that Heyerdahl had gathered 19 of them. Trailing in their wake, so to speak, we had Chichester with 15, Cousteau 13½ and Barbarossa 12½. Whether their lead is now sufficient to take them to the title of Champion House, time alone will tell. PD

Shamal 2013

103


House Pages

Barbarossa Cause for Concern list

CJM

Mr Flower’s Hat Ashby’s unsporting behaviour, abuse of referees, disregard for rules. Francois Pieterse’s fielding ability Mr Flowers’s Hat Niall Mr Flowers’s Hat

It seems that the era of rebuilding continues for Barbarossa. It has been great to see that the performances of all who have participated this year have been much improved. It can no longer be denied that ... the tide is turning in our favour!! Once again I reiterate that the house looks strong in the upcoming Junior and Intermediate sections, the Seniors have improved, morale is improving, we won some quizzes, merit tallies are good, Niall’s fielding improved. Next year I predict that we will be competitive once again. Captain Crumble Mr Ashby and his Heyerdahl posse have struggled to build on the dominance they demonstrated last year and history should demonstrate that, much like Manchester City, they were just a flash in the pan. Historical records show that Chichester House still remains the weakest house on paper and therefore once again they must be congratulated on their good performance this year. I would like to personally thank both Sarah and Lewis who have been great throughout the year. Onwards and upwards. Colonel JM

104

Shamal 2013

Why are Pirates called Pirates? They just Aaarrgghhhh!


House Pages Bearing in mind I’ve never spoken to more than 10 people at once which was in a football match, I found giving a speech to over 200 people to be quite frightening. I genuinely had no idea what I was saying; I even found it extremely difficult to pronounce my own name…As the academic year progressed and the more house meetings there were, this fear of speaking to the entire Barbarossa house began to lessen…a little. Enough about me and my fears… this year was in some ways a success, not in terms of the overall house standings… but in terms of pride, determination and sheer willpower. This method of participating in house events became our ethic: Red is our colour. Red is the colour of our hearts and the colour of our blood. Therefore, this makes every single Barbarossan a Barbarossan 4 life. The Boys lacked consistency this year; we either won or came last. There was no in-between…this is something to work on next year. This year’s Special mentions: ‘members of the house who have been perfect role models to fellow house members and have a good influence on others around them’ Eloise Bevan (Year 12) – justification: has taken part in almost every house event this year #commitment Pritika Mehra (Year 12) – justification: always tries her best in every event she participates in, giving 100% #determined Hayley Moore (Year 10) – justification: amazing at everything. Has a big influence on helping the team in any particular event to win. She is basically the female Messi. #awesome Liam Benstead (Year 10) – justification: All round sportsman, one of the shining members of the house. #brilliant Toni Spiteri (Year 10) – justification: amazing at everything. Very willing to participate in all events and help the team to win. #pride Thanks to everyone who took part in events this year, good luck next year and to the next house captains for the 2013/14 academic year, also many thanks go to Mr Mac who does all the ‘dirty work’ for me and Sarah — without his help things would not get done.

This year, it is fair to say that our Barbies have put in a lot of effort. We have been relatively consistent, maintaining our position in 4th place throughout the entirety of the year. On numerous occasions, we pulled through in certain events, coming 1st, 2nd and 3rd. In particular, our Intermediate Girls won us a copious amount of points; in comparison to other years… Despite our success in failing, it was an amusing yet flustered year. I am pleased to say that the majority of our team participated in one way or another, so thank you to everyone. The competitive ambiance whilst competing against Heyerdahl, Chichester and Cousteau was undoubtedly enjoyable. Event after event, we were all entertained in one way or another. Whether it was a mishap or an auspicious triumph… The younger years continued to rake in the merits. It is a shame to say that our efforts didn’t bring us victory, even though we may have been on top regarding merits. However, we were victorious in spirit. I have a feeling that next year will bring us better fortune and I would like to thank everyone who participated in any form. A special thanks to Lewis who was a joy to lead with, to Mr Mac and to all our year captains. Best of luck next year!!! Sarah Moore, House Captain

Lewis Streak, House Captain

Niall trying to lift Dubai College...again!

Shamal 2013

105


House Pages This year has been an intriguing one for the boys and girls in green. The expected first term capitulation did not materialise with the familiar overall degree of impending disaster and the other houses were kept within reasonable striking distance. Thus our annual charge through Term 2 sought once again to reign in the early pace setters. Even Heyerdahl’s strong showing on Sports Day couldn’t keep the ‘lean mean green machine’ from assuming the lead come the last day of term. It is now up to the younger element within the house to show their mettle and put a slow start to the summer term behind them, build on the unexpected success in the pool of the Year 9 and 10 boys water polo squad and emerge victorious. The ‘marathon’ is entering the final few kilometres; it could yet be that ‘emerald’ eyes will be smiling come the end of June! Credit for many of this year’s successes is due to the tireless energy and enthusiasm shown by Tom and Jess who have not stopped believing that ultimate victory is their due. My thanks for everything that they have done throughout the year; theirs will be a hard act to follow but I am confident that Gabi and Inaam will be up for the challenge. The world is green! PF

Chichester

106

Shamal 2013

McIlvee n

Sports Day Roll of Honour Tamsin Rose Y7 Girls 1500m (New School Record) Isabella Duthie Y7 Girls 100m, High Jump, Long Jump Zoya Afzal Y7 Girls 100m B Eve Clark Y7 Girls 200m Siena Gordon Y7/8 Girls 800m (New School Record) Cate Hentschel Y8 Girls 200m Rory Nisbet Y7 Boys 100m, Discus Harry Hughes Y7 Boys High Jump Francois Maureta Y8 Boys 1500m Ethan Pearce Y8 Boys High Jump Tom Haigh Y8 Boys Long Jump Gordon Phipps Y7/8 Boys 800m Kristi Flanagan Y9 Girls 200m (New School Record) Sally Marr Y9 Girls 100m Emma Howard Y9 Girls Shot Putt Olivia Johnson Y9/10 Girls 800m, Y 10 Girls 1500m Martha Gregory Y10 Girls Shot Putt Saif Khawaja Y9 Boys 400m Aiden Wright Y10 Boys Discus, 100m Jess MacCormick Sen Girls 200m, 1500m Harriet Hamzelou Sen Girls 100m Bethany Wright Sen Girls Long Jump Kelley Day Sen Girls 200m Gabi Guscott Sen Girls Shot Putt Honor Nicholl Sen Girls Javelin Tom Harding Sen Boys 200m, Long Jump


House Pages Swim Gala Joe Page Jun Back Crawl A Sheyan Adenwalla Int Back Crawl A Tara Desai Jun Back Crawl A Cate Hentschel Jun Front Crawl A Martha Gregory Int Front Crawl A Emma Howard Int IM Maisy Duncan Sen IM / Butterfly Izzy Haigh Sen Back Crawl Jess MacCormick Sen Front Crawl Francois Maureta Jun Back Crawl B Anna Maureta Jun Front Crawl B Charlotte Style Int Front Crawl B Musical Roll of Honour Joonwoo Jeong Junior Soloist Winner Cate Waft Intermediate Soloist Winner Bethany Wright Senior Soloist Winner Ensemble Winners: Ewan, Cate, Bethany, Vansh, Harriet More Chichester Stars Shanzeh Hameed Senior Public Speaking 3rd Place Jo Adib Senior Public Speaking Joint Winner

After coming in 4th place last year and being awarded the “Wooden Spoon” award, we took it upon ourselves to ensure a comeback was in the cards. The year began with a strong string of senior performances which provided us with a promising start to the year ahead. An excellent start by the senior events set us off on the right foot and set a very high standard for the rest of the year groups to follow. Unfortunately, the early form of the seniors did not translate to the ages lower down the school which left us with only a handful of wins outside of the senior category. Luckily for us though, our seniors were consistently outstanding and swept the floor (almost) in the second term of school, winning the house quiz and public speaking, which helped us climb the house ladder back into a close second place behind Heyerdahl. All that’s left of the house competition as we write this is the majority of the junior events in which we are hoping for success to pull us into the lead. If the juniors follow in the footsteps of our triumphant seniors this will improve our chances of regaining the house trophy from Heyerdahl. However, if not then we are just thankful for everyone’s compromise to make this year easier. One thing that really stood out to us was the persistent willingness of participation from the entire house. Finally, a big thanks must go to Mr Flower who helped us organise all the events as well as a thank you to Mr Dale for managing the house programme as well as doing the monotonous job of counting up the house merits. Xoxo Tom and Jess

Shamal 2013

107


House Pages Bondi 12054 kms Beach

As I write this Cousteau are in second place. This morning we were in third. Next week, we could potentially jump up to first... Many of you may not realise just how close and frantic the challenge is to become House Champions. It is certainly exciting and I feel lucky to have had two years as Head of House and to get involved in the action. I want to say a big thank you to my superb House Captains, Mia and James. They have been a pleasure to work with this year and have really motivated the troops. This year has been a successful one and much of that success is down to their hard work and determination. THANK YOU! Of course, I can’t name you all but I want to thank everyone who has competed in, supported or helped organise any events this year. From House Music, to Public Speaking to the dreaded softball; every event is important and every point counts. I do name a few people, however, and mention a few events that really stood out this year. The pairing of Bami and Sam in badminton was a fantastic yet hilarious display of skill and team work. Hasan has been a star all year but his highlight was certainly flattening Heyerdahl’s Cameron in the rugby. Our Year 11 girls have been awesome as ever, demolishing the competition in the pool, both in water polo and in the swim gala (against Year 12 and 13s!). Our Year 8 and Year 10 teams continue to rule the quiz against some tough competition. Nadia’s performance of Cat and Mouse in the House Music final was outstanding and she certainly deserved the win. Whatever the outcome at the end of the year, I will be proud of you all and grateful for the happy memories. I will miss you all and wish you the very best of luck next year! GW

108

Shamal 2013

Cousteau

GW


House Pages After possibly one of the closest and most hard fought years in House competitions come to a close, I can firmly say that we had an incredible year and improved on previous years massively! At the current time, we are sitting in third place, however, we are only very narrowly behind the joint leaders Heyerdahl and Chichester, with Barbarossa somewhere behind in the trail of our greatness (not a very big trail). The incoming juniors had a spectacular first year and hopefully they will improve in the upcoming years to take home the trophy; however that is a task that we will leave in the hands of the next two House Captains, who are soon to be announced! The Sixth Form and namely the Year 13s had a possibly less prosperous year in terms of victories, Cousteau however, there were a few individuals (Sam Bullock and Callum Duncan spring to mind) who were keen to participate in all aspects of the House competition in their final year which is always a great sight. We had a rather impressive Sports Day coming in overall 2nd narrowly behind Heyerdahl who seemed to clinch it right at the bitter end. A special mention goes to certain athletes in their final year that did outstandingly, namely Ray Lone, and Anuj Aggarwal, who will both sorely be missed next year. Although there may be a number of leavers (who James and I wish the best of luck to), there will also be a fine number of newcomers to continue the successes we hold as a house group. We have witnessed a number of fine members excel in areas of sports and academics both in their comfort zone and not. There is only one word to describe how we as house captains feel, and that is proud. Although we may not currently hold the title for the winning house, the year has still been an honour to cheer our fellow Cousteauans, from Year 7 to 13, and although not always winning, and sometimes even sourly losing, we have enjoyed every minute of it. From Netball, to House Quiz to Water Polo and Basketball, as House Captains we were always guaranteed a good time, whether watching or participating in our house events. It is important for us to mention our thanks to the other people involved in making our term as house Captains an enjoyable success: Miss Woolcock, our Head of House and Mr Dale. The coordination of all the events could not have happened without your patience and time, so obviously a massive thank you to the both of you. As for the students, an even bigger thank you for your enthusiasm and we hope you continue bringing Cousteau the success and fun it so deserves.

Co MZW

James Ozden

Mia ZickermanWhite

JO

Shamal 2013

109


House Pages

FINDING This academic year has been a period of great change for me. As many of you know, in January Mrs Ashby and I welcomed our first baby to the world. Since then, the process of changing has been at the forefront of my mind (and I’m not just talking about nappies). Having a baby has changed my perspective, my priorities and even my character. My habitual Saturday morning liein has now been replaced by 7am play time; sleep has changed from a simple necessity to a coveted luxury and I have watched many a house competition over the last four months through bleary, sleep-deprived eyes. As a school, too, we are about to see a huge change to the House System. After 25 years at Dubai College and 20 years heading up the house system, Mr Dale is about to enjoy a well earned retirement in France. On behalf of all Heyerdahlians I want to thank you, Mr Dale, for your years of stewardship and dedication to Dubai College and the House system. We bid you a fond farewell and wish you a very happy retirement full of cryptic crosswords and many successful games of golf! Amidst all this transformation, however, I have also learnt that some things never change: Mr Flower’s infamous motivational talks are still as, well, motivational as ever; Barbarossa are still experts at bringing up the rear and Cousteaunians still manage to drive their Heads of House to move to the other side of the world. Most importantly, I am still very proud of you Heyerdahlians. Last year we stormed to victory with even more events in hand than Man Utd had games in hand when they won the premier league last season. Impressive stuff! This year, despite the other houses (clearly intimidated by our success) trying to team up in order to topple us, we have maintained the high level of team spirit and competitive prowess that epitomises Heyerdahl. The Thank Yous: Thank you first of all to Conor and Emma for their organisation and continued enthusiasm. Year captains: You are the engine room of the House and

110

Shamal 2013

without you Heyerdahl would never move forward; you do a fantastic job. Finally thank you to all of you orange wearing Heyerdahlians; your commitment and dedication to your house is superb to see and I look forward to witnessing more successful years to come. The Goodbyes: Farewell and good luck to all the year 13 students who move on to the next stage of their lives! Good luck in whatever it is you go on to do. A very fond farewell and best wishes also go to Miss Woolcock – I hope you enjoy living upside down! A final note to you Heyerdahlians: the way you work as a team, supporting and encouraging one another and your readiness to get involved and do your best is fantastic. Don’t go changing! RA


House Pages

So our year as House Captains have come to an end. This year has been packed full of success across the years and throughout the school including our victories at Sports Day and the Swimming Gala. The amount of effort that has been put in by all members of the house has been outstanding and encouraging for the years ahead. Not only have members participated by taking part but have also spectated in cheering on their peers leading them to victory. After last year’s double win with Sports Day and the Swimming Gala, we had doubts as to whether we were going to be able to pull through and manage to do it again this year, but we did! Thanks to the efforts of brilliant swimmers from year seven to year thirteen. A lot of blood, sweat and tears to achieve both wins but we did it as a house. We also want to thank those of you who stepped in last minute when there were not enough people at events, it shows the dedication of our teammates! A huge thank you to Mr Ashby for leading the house to victory with his pure dedication to us a whole. Without Mr Ashby a lot would not have been able to happen this year. His brilliance at encouraging seniors to take part in events has truly been a massive help in our paths to victory. The talent across the years has been inspiring and both of us wish you the best of luck next year and in the years to come! Heyerdahl has really proved itself over the last two years and we have enjoyed being part of a team with the rest of the Heyerdahlians, we will miss you! We have both enjoyed being house captains and seeing the house grow as a whole; supporting each other is inspirational. Thanks for a great year! Emma and Conor

Shamal 2013

111


Creative Writing Since she arrived in Year 7, Pooja Nair has impressed the English Department with her natural ability, eloquence and sensitivity to writing and writers’ methods. This year she Creative won our Senior English Subject Prize and also completed a coursework file which achieved Writing full marks. She is now leaving B Block to pursue the Sciences in the Sixth Form. To celebrate her achievements we have printed one of the excellent pieces of creative writing she did for her coursework. It is a powerful and original narrative inspired by the shocking events in Columbine 14 years ago. A piece of writing inspired by a sequence from a film: Bowling for Columbine Pooja Nair 11KG night at six, I was also going to become a news reporter. It was a job that I held in high esteem, a noble profession- it was my way of contributing to the community. April 20th, 1999. I was a fresh reporter, as fresh as the makeup caked on my face and the sickly sweet hairspray on my head. Here I was in Denver, Colorado set to take on America with the crack of my voice and whip of my microphone. My voice did crack as I tried to One death is a tragedy; a million report that day. deaths is a statistic. Twelve students and a teacher Death was a mystery to me as I were killed by two students grew up. I knew it existed, yet in Columbine High School. had never come face-to-face The shooters then committed with it. I was never afraid of suicide bringing the death toll this elusive entity for I never to a round, unutterable fifteen. understood it. But I understand Fifteen bodies. Fifteen dead it now. bodies. Death: a tragedy that will come As I stood in front of the to all of us. A fate that none can camera, I tried to dry my eyes. escape. Yet the tears would not stop, Death visited my grandfather my voice quivered as I gave when I was sixteen. It was a details of the grisly murders, rainy August morning and my sadness seeped into my words, face resembled the windows tainting them as I mourned for as I cried and struggled to those bright students who were glimpse the lifeless figure of extinguished by the click of a granddad, covered in a shroud finger like candles. America that I wished I could strip was torn that day. Our beloved away. The grief that came with star-spangled banner was the passing of a loved one left spangled with blood. And I was me raw and tender, my tears the harbinger of such news. adding salt to the wounds. My I felt guilty for informing the inexperience with death made American public about these me feel helpless, like a lamb horrendous murders. about to be slaughtered. I feared Columbine was my first taste of death for the first time- it was violence and death. Yet it was an ominous axe chipping away only an appetiser. I felt sick as at my life. To fill the hole in I realised that my viewership my heart that the absence of trebled thanks to those granddad had created I decided horrific acts. It seemed like my to emulate him. Not only was success as a reporter depended I going to have tea with a drop on death: death equalled of milk and warm scone every viewership.

112

Shamal 2013

And there was no shortage of death in our world. Three thousand two hundred people died in the September 11th attacks in New York. I got promoted. Two hundred and nine died in Mumbai. September 26th. I bought a new house. One hundred and twenty nine thousand nine hundred and five people died in the Iraq War in the last five years. I became a television celebrity. Coated in the blood of thousands, my fame kept increasing as the death toll piled up. My broadcasts were constantly about death, war, violence and more death. Children learnt the words ‘suicide bombers’ and ‘terrorism’ before they learnt how to change the channels on the TV. I was pouring death into the minds of the American public whilst constantly drowning in it myself. I began to resent my job. Going to work felt like suicide. Each day the blade was cutting deeper into my wrists. I can’t remember a day spent without uttering the words “suicide bomber kills 60” or “air strike kills women and children”. Life was monotonous and the only colour I was seeing was red. So I began desensitising myself. I, who couldn’t comprehend the loss of one man at the age of sixteen, was now staring blankly at a pile of corpses daily. I alienated myself from emotions, slipping into the warm, bloody embrace of constant death. I felt like a vicar at my own funeral. I felt myself digging the grave of my emotions. Soon I had buried all my feelings and bottled all the tears- I was just another corpse. Every time I raised my microphone I felt my body sinking into its grave alongside those murderers who commit the heinous acts which I reported with such fervour. Yet I will lie comfortably in my casket and submit to my fate for I am no better than those villains who spread misery and fear. I am the blade of the media, the hangman who slowly wrings out life from these tragedies and turns them into stone cold statistics. I am worse than death. And so I seal my grave. I slowly draw a knife through my veins. Death visited me when I was thirty five; and it set me free. Liberated, I leapt into the warm embrace of my bosom friend. Death was now my life.


Activities ‘This

house Debating believes that Society debating is 2012-2013 by far the best co-curricular activity’.

of children by their parents’ and we were the opposition. The Under 16s did terrifically as well; the speakers in their final debate gave captivating speeches. Our compelling Sixth Form team won all of their debates, proceeding to the finals. They ultimately came second, gave gripping speeches and have been an incredible asset to debating in the city as a whole. Owen Over won the position of third best speaker in the Under 18s division; an unparalleled achievement. Advancing to the second term, we all strived to hone our debating skills. We debated against each other: there were some thought-provoking motions, such as ‘This house believes that it is the thought that counts’, ‘Animals should not be kept in zoos’ and ‘There should be no Dubai College entrance exam’. The third term culminated in the UCL and DC Alumni debate with former pupils of Dubai College and University College London debating ‘The West is dead, long live the East’. Following this intriguing motion, the Year 7s debated against each other with the topic ‘This house believes the creative arts have no place on the school curriculum’. This was an unforgettable experience for both the students and the speakers!

‘The West is dead, long live the East’

As the affirmative team, I will prove this to you by demonstrating our undeniably huge success in Debate Dubai, our skills in internal fixtures and the enthusiasm shown in the fiery Year 7 debate at the UCL and DC Alumni evening. Throughout the year, debating has been a truly inspiring activity, which has not only massively improved my public speaking skills, confidence and ability to think on my feet but allowed ‘it is me to compete against the other secondary schools within the UAE. thought The year started on a great note, with an influx of eager Year 7s joining. Older members returned, exhibiting their talents in a few showcase debates. Competitions kicked off with Debate Dubai in November, a recognised competition for senior schools. The experience was exceptional, within which I found a passion for public speaking. The Under 14 teams lost in the semi-finals against JC, with a tough battle! The motion was ‘This house would ban the physical punishment

that counts’

A massive thanks to the Sixth Formers who held a debating master class- sharing their experiences from the World Schools Debating Competition and giving some ‘top tips’ for speakers. All in all, debating has by far been the best activity in the school, all because of Miss Brenham, Mrs Hodge and Mrs Davies. A huge thanks to these teachers- without them debating wouldn’t have happened. They have been ‘Animals great, guiding and supporting everyone thoughout the should not competitions as well as internal debates.

be kept in zoos’

So, in conclusion, just remember, debating is the porthole to a successful school career!

Jaimini Patel 7NB

Shamal 2013

113


Enrichment Days

Enrichment Days have been introduced this year as a way to give each student valuable life lessons as well as to engage them with fun activities that provide a departure from the normal school day. In October the theme was ‘awareness’ and this was followed in January by the theme of ‘self’. Students were subdivided into groups that differed from their normal form classes and they carried out a series of activities, some led by teachers within the school and some by outside agencies. In October the day started with a talk to the entire school given by Mr Nasif from the Sheik Mohammed Centre for Cultural Awareness and in January the opening talk was by Mr Nils El Accad, owner of the Organic Foods and Café. On both days students undertook team building tasks put on by Ecoventure and by North Star, which proved to be very popular. Other activities focussed on bullying, peer pressure, the responsible use of social media and budgeting, with practical skills such as cookery and first aid also being covered. Over the two days all students covered ten different activities in line with the stated themes. In January Year 12 did an entire day’s programme designing a society, with input from Dr Madeline Carr, Lecturer in International Politics and the Cyber Dimension at Aberystwyth University. Student feedback following the enrichment days was overwhelmingly positive and students enjoyed the change in routine and the opportunity to work with different groups of people. We look forward to continued enrichment in future terMs

Enrichment Days

KH

114

Shamal 2013


Maths Olympiad The Mathematics Olympiad was restarted this year after a year’s break. Well over half of the students in the school entered the first round, each earning a House merit, of these entrants 165 were successful and progressed to the second round as well as earning two House merits. Round two was more challenging and successfully completed by just over 50 competitors; unfortunately not all these competitors decided to put themselves through the rigour of the final! The final was conducted under examination conditions (without a calculator) on Thursday 30th May 2013.

Maths Olympiad 2013

Results of the Final: Junior Category (Years 7-9) Winner: Oh Jun Kweon (8CT) Second Place: Yi Wen Lee (7SG) Intermediate Category (Years 10 –11) Winner: Karan Nair (11GJ) Second Place: Ryan Evans (10GW) Senior Category (Years 12-13) Winner: Oh Hyun Kweon (12JC) Second Place: Anuj Aggarwal (13DM) Congratulations to the winners and all finalists. The winner in each category will be presented with a trophy during the last assembly of this year. Special thanks must go to Mr Croft who researched all of the questions, Miss Tragett who printed papers and organized the event and all the participants as well as Mr Dale who is always relied upon for checking the solutions. Sample question from the finals: The figure shows a net for a cube with a number on each face. When the cube is constructed, three faces meet at each vertex (2, 3, and 4 for example). The numbers on the three faces that meet at each vertex are multiplied. What is the largest product that can be obtained? (A) 24 (B) 48 (C) 60 (D) 90 (E) 120

1 4 2 5 6 3

The rest of the participating finalists are: Shumraze Fawad (7SC) Arman Jasuja (7VB) Kristian Kolandjian (7WD) Joonwoo Jeong (7VB) Mehek Vohra (7SG) Diya Malhotra (7VB) Jason Pollock (7SG) Joseph Plumtree (7SG) Yash Bhansali (7VB) Sylvie Waft (7NB) Yi Wen Lee (7SG) Oh Jun Kweon (8CT) Emily Tsen Jia Li (8CT) Arnav Lahiry (8CT) Annabel Clifford (8JS) Blake Murphy (8AH) Sadhana Madnani (8EA) Magen Chadha (8NL) Naina Grover (9EJ) Catherine Waft (9EJ) Dharam Madnani (9ZB) Ryan Evans (10GW) Sandip Roy (10GW) Sahil Badlani (10BA) Arjun Dave (10AD) Pooja Nair (11KG) Neha Narain (11RA) Dorottya Nagy (12TD) Gaurav Lahiry (12RG) Oh Hyun Kweon (12JC) Ziyan Kassam (12AM) Adam Andreani (12SO) Anuj Aggarwal (13DM) Sam Jones (13PF) Vansh Dassani (13BT) Elliott Fogg (13GR) Aditi Nijhawan (12DM)

Shamal 2013

115


Charities Building on the platform set by our predecessors, the Dubai College Charity Charities has Committee Committee enjoyed tremendous success this year. The 60 member student led organisation has been passionately involved in a variety of events this year including innovative activities such as Easter egg hunts, movie nights and dodge ball tournaments. It was fantastic to see students regularly take charge, clearly determined and enthusiastic to support noble causes. Through the remarkable efforts of the committee and the Dubai College community we were able to raise in excess of 100,000 Dhs this year. We would like to extend a special thank you to Mr Dennis, Ms Foulkes, Ms John and Mrs Greenlees, whose guidance and support proved invaluable to the committee. We are also immensely grateful for the fantastic

Pretty in Pink

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

help provided by Mr D’Souza and his team of caretakers and support staff, without whom we would not be able to run many of our events. In keeping with our key aim of raising awareness for the different charities we support, the committee was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to host several guest speakers at DC. Students were inspired by talks given by head of the Children of the Mountain and members of the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, amongst others. The talks were a wonderful chance for students to discover exactly how the efforts put into the fundraising would directly benefit the charities we support. Leading the Charity Committee has been one of our most enriching and enjoyable

116

Shamal 2013

experiences at DC. Although we will be sad to relinquish our responsibilities, we leave with the knowledge that the committee rests in safe hands. We are confident that next year’s Charity Committee Leaders, Shayan and Sanjana, will bring tremendous enthusiasm and innovation to their work, moving the committee forward in the year to come. The students also highly benefited from taking an active role in the charity

committee. They gained invaluable experience of brainstorming for events, planning, advertising. The Charity Committee also enabled Sixth Formers to talk to all members of the school ranging from the lower school, to the teachers to the caretakers. Next years co-chairs, Sanjana and Shayan will be excellent leaders and build even further on the remarkable achievements of the Charity Committee. Pauline Bagatelas 13BT


Charities

World Food Day

World Food Day this year took place on Wednesday, 13th March. This proved to be another big success and it raised a staggering 14,500 AED for charity. The students Charity Committee planned and hosted the entire event and this was whole-heartedly supported by the whole school community, who took advantage of the opportunity to dispense with normal uniform and wear national dress, as well as bring in food from their countries. The outdoor dining area was transformed into an international village, and over 50 members of the charity committee manned the stalls offering traditional delicacies from all over the world. The area was then inundated with hungry students who rapidly ate their way through sweets, cakes and strange offerings from every continent. The menu ranged from Chinese noodles, to Scottish haggis, via French snail pie and Indian samosas. The favourite of most students, however, seemed to be the New Zealand "Hokey Pokey" biscuits!

World Food Day, as well as being a charitable endeavour, is a celebration of different cultures, as well as a chance for students to try other cuisines and, above all, to enjoy themselves. It also provides the students of the Charity Committee the chance to demonstrate their leadership and organisational skills and, in this regard, they were outstanding. The funds that were raised will soon be distributed amongst the charities of , UNICEF and the RAEY School in Ethiopia. The Charity Committee would like to thank those students of the school who participated in the event, and hope that it was as enjoyable for those participating as it was for those who organised it. RD

Shamal 2013

117


Charities Members of the RAEY subcommittee have continued to work tirelessly to raise funds for food and milk powder for the children of RAEY. On a recent visit Miss John was able to purchase milk and flour locally to ensure the children have breakfast as well as bringing all the pupils in the Elementary School a toothbrush. The toothbrushes were kindly donated by staff and Dr Jafar one of our many generous parents. Donations of LEGO brought much pleasure - the youngest children loved the opportunity to be creative and construct some weird and wonderful artwork. Funds raised from World Food Day and the British Embassy concert will enable us to purchase a food parcel for all the children and their guardians to see them through the school holidays. Other projects in the pipeline are completing the Art and Science rooms, setting up a micro sewing business and establishing an emergency fund for the most destitute of the children.

Bringing a Smile to RAEY!

EJ

118

Shamal 2013


Charities March 21st marked the fourth annual Music, Charity, Love event. Now a familiar tradition for the students at DC, Music, Charity, Love always promises a wonderful evening filled with talented renditions of favoured songs, and Thursday was not a night to disappoint. Performances were incredible, as students of all ages were able to showcase their talents in an enjoyable and relaxed environment. The crowd was supportive, the turnout was Music, impressive and the courtyard filled Charity, to the brim with over 300 parents, teachers and ex-DC students; a Love charitable group looking for a good time and good food. Chances of rain threatened to wash away plans, and although the highly organised Charity Committee were (thankfully unnecessarily) well prepared for such a situation, the weather remained pleasurable and the night was rounded off with a Sixth Form Song, ‘Call Me Maybe’ by Carly Rae Jepsen. An astounding AED17,000 was raised for the Dubai Centre for Special Needs and the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, from ticket sales, donations, and the bake sale and barbecue. Special thank you to the Charity Committees, performers and all those who attended.

Photos: Yehya AlHafidh

Shamal 2013

119


Sports The following pages reflect the endeavours and successes of our sports teams which have all contributed to another outstanding year of sport at Dubai College. There are numerous highlights throughout, along with a few near misses, which is the nature of playing sport! In a year where legends of the game such as Sir Alex Ferguson have stepped down from being in charge we have our own Mrs Adamson leaving the PE Department. Her efforts with the Swimming, Netball, Athletics and Rounders teams have been tremendous. However, ‘Mrs A’ will continue to do some sports coaching next year but in a more relaxed capacity! In another year of DC sporting success it is worth noting the success of our ‘New Kids on the Block’, Year 7. Collectively they have won Athletics, Football, Netball, Rounders and Rugby championships, which has made them the most successful

Sports Overview 2012/2013

120

Shamal 2013

junior year group we have ever had. The future appears to be very bright indeed! Other notable successes have included the dominance of our Athletics teams which has meant that both our Fab 5 A and B teams will be in Division 1 next year! Netball managed to break more records in terms of participation and leagues won, whilst our newly formed Dancers took to the stage to perform some stunning pieces during ‘Desert Dance’. As more of you than ever before take part in sport, it is worth taking the advice of a very wise man who once said “Work Hard, Play Hard…..” I think you know the rest! Mr A. Jones Director of Sport


Sports

Sporting Achievements 2012/2013

“Work Hard, Play Harder” Athletics DASSA Girls’ Athletics Champions DASSA Boys’ Athletics Champions Fab 5 – U12 Division 1 Champions Fab 5 – U14 Division 1 Champions Fab 5 – U16 Division 1 Champions Fab 5 – U18 Division 1 Champions Fab 5 – U12 Division 2 Champions Fab 5 – U14 Division 2 Champions Fab 5 – U16 Division 2 Champions Fab 5 – Division 1 Overall Combined Champions Fab 5 – Division 2 Overall Combined Champions Cricket Arch Trophy Finalists Kasim Cup Winners Cross Country Hatta Run Champions Boys’ Football U12 DASSA League Champions U16 DASSA League Champions Girls’ Football U16 DASSA League Champions Netball U12A DASSA League Division 1 Winners U12B DASSA League Division 2 Winners U12C DASSA League Division 3 Winners U14A DASSA League Division 1 Winners U14A DASSA Tournament Winners U14B DASSA Tournament Runners Up U16A DASSA League Division 1 Winners U16C DASSA League Division 2 Winners U16A DASSA Tournament Winners

U18A DASSA League Division 1 Winners U18A DASSA Tournament Winners Desert Cats 1 - Dubai Ladies Netball League, Division 2 Winners Rounders U12 A DASSA League Division 1 Winners U12 B DASSA League Division 2 Winners U18 B DASSA League Division 2 Winners Rugby U12 BSAK 10s Champions U12 DC 7s Champions U12 DC 10s Champions U12 UAE Schools Champions U14 DC 7s Champions U15 DC 10s Champions U16 DC 7s Champions U16 DC 10s Champions U16 UAE Schools Champions U16 BSAK 10s Champions U16 Unbeaten Tour Singapore / KL U18 BSAK 10s Champions Dubai 7s Champions U18 DC 10s Champions U18 UAE Schools Champions Swimming DASSA League Winners Dubai Schools Swimming Championships BSME Muscat – 62 medals, 10 records

Shamal 2013

121


Sports

Boys’ Athletics

Back Row: Aiden Wright, James Ozden, Lewis Streak, Conor Cassidy, Nathan Banks, Tom Harding, Saif Khawaja, Joe Story, Aaron Camball. Middle Row: Rahul Lopez, Liam Benstead, Francois Pieterse, Tom Francis, Rayhaan Lone, Frazer Hanson, Oliver Boon, Matthias Falzon Young, Issam Al Ghussain, Yehia Islam, Mr M Barrington. Front Row: Ali Kapasi, Francois Maureta, Patrick Dowling, Michael Reid, Etienne Tillon, Rory Nisbet, Gregor Watson, Matthew Denton, Harry Hughes, Andrew MacIntosh.

On May 14th 2013 30 boys from Dubai College went to the annual Rashid School for Boys Athletics Championships. The competition was split into three categories of U13, U15 and Seniors over a variety of both track and field events. There were numerous individual winners; Joe Story — 400m and Shot Put, Aiden Wright — 100m, Matt Scriven-Baker – Discus, Tom Harding – 400m and Tom Francis – 800m (which was also a championship record!)

In the different age categories the U13 squad came third, the U15 squad came first and the Senior squad came second. This meant that overall the boys were victorious sharing the title with arch athletics rivals EIS Jumeirah. Athletics is very much a growth sport in Dubai but the ever increasing standards at these championships shows that the boys at Dubai College are up there with the very best athletes in the city. A big thank you to all of the competitors who took part in any of the athletics competitions this year. The dedication to training and the quality of performance has been excellent this athletics season.

Girls’ Athletics

Back Row: Mehek Vohra, Lisa Janus, Alex Mulligan, Caitlin Janus, Saskia Heyster, Jessica Snaas, Harriet Hamzelou, Maisy Duncan, Alice Lovett, Kelley Day, Sophie Shamsuddin, Mrs E Adamson Middle Row: Honor Nicholl, Julia MacKay, Cassia Middleton, Alana Rogers, Hayley Moore, Catriona Benson, Hanna Salem, Jenna Denton, Gabi Guscott, Libby Johnson, Kate Dodds, Mia Zickerman-White Front Row: Rachel Choi, Lauren Johnstone, Isabella Duthie, Alesha Gulamhusein, Isabelle Haigh, Tzeitel Degiovanni, Siena Gordon, Pritika Mehra, Kristi Flanagan, Tamsin Rose, Arya Flisher, Jessica Pollock, Hannah Cleere Seated: A.L. Williams, Sophie Scott, Georgina Peck, Naoise Morgan, Jessica MacCormick, Ellie O’Keeffe, Alysha Alimohamed, Polly Jones, Maisie Harvey

122

Shamal 2013


Sports Girls’ Athletics As per usual, the athletics season came around much too quickly for the unmotivated and unfit Seniors. After a lot of persuasion from Mrs Adamson, Mrs Bell and I, we managed to get together another highly successful girls’ athletics team who, yet again, dominated the competition. As we took to the field on the hot Thursday afternoon, the level of competition was unreal with 12 different schools taking part. However, the DC girls rose above the pressure and powered on through with notable performances in the middle distance events — Tamsin Rose (U12) following in her sister Maisy’s footsteps (U16) as they both finished the 1500m a lap ahead of everyone else. The success in middle distance didn’t stop there as Siena Gordon (U12), Anna Maureta (U12), Jess Pollock (U14) and Pritika Mehra (U18) all won their various events. On the field we had our fantastic throwers with Honor Nicholl, Jess Snaas and Gabi Guscott leading the competition, whilst Victoria Frost leaped to success in the Senior Girls high jump event.

behalf of the team, a big thank you goes to Mrs A and Mrs Bell for organising the teams and the whole event, as well as to the caretakers who set up the field for us. I hope that we will be able to claim the title again next year. Jess MacCormick 12PR

We also had outstanding performances in our sprinting events, especially from A-L who was adamant that she wasn’t a sprinter yet won her 200m heat and went on to come 3rd in the Senior race. Hannah Storey (U14), Kristi Flanagan (U14) and Julia Mackay (U14) also managed to add points from their first place finishes. These big events usually come down to the relays at the end of the evening as they give double points. The DC girls took this opportunity to give it all they had and there were noteworthy wins from the U14 team consisting of Kristi Flanagan, Hannah Story, Rachel Choi and Julia MacKay. Not to be outdone, the Senior team (which was put together right at the last minute with whomever was left!) consisting of myself, Hattie Hamzelou, A-L Williams and Hanna Salem were worthy winners too. Overall, it was a highly successful and enjoyable event and we were all pleased when we found out we’d be taking home the silverware yet again! On

Shamal 2013

123


Sports

U12A Fab 5 Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Andrew MacIntosh, Rory Nisbet, Adam Shah, Harry Hughes, Sam Reedy, Mr M Barrington Front Row: Natasha Nobbs, Zoya Afzal, Siena Gordon, Anna Maureta, Tamsin Rose

U12B Fab 5 Back Row: Mrs E. Adamson, Jamie MacKinnon, Patrick Dowling, Michael Reid, Jordan Hamilton, Etienne Tillon, Mr M. Barrington Front Row: Holly Rhys Maitland, Eve Clark, Cassia Middleton, Alysha Alimohamed, Ratan Kachwalla

U14A Fab 5 Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Yehia Islam, Issam Al Ghussain, Aaron Camball, Oliver Boon, Ali Kapasi, Mr A Jones Front Row: Kristi Flanagan, Rachel Choi, Hannah Story, Ellie O’Keeffe, Julia MacKay

124

Shamal 2013


Sports

U14B Fab 5 Back Row: Mrs K Bell, Adam Osborne, Jeremy Clark, Frazer Hanson, Saif Khawaja, Josh Devereux, Mr M Barrington Front Row: Isabel Snaas, Sophie Scott, Jessica Pollock, Cate Waft, Sally Marr

U16A Fab 5 Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Tom Francis, Waleed Malik, Jordan Fenton, Joe Story, Aiden Wright, Mrs K Bell Front Row : Lara Fowler, Hayley Moore, Jenna Denton, Isabelle Haigh, Kelley Day.

U16B Fab 5 Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Finnian Ford, Mustafa Zaidi, Shan Maru, Prateek Nadkarni, Padraig Ryan. Front Row: Alesha Gulamhusein, Alana Rogers, Hanna Salem, Alice Lovett, Libby Johnson.

Shamal 2013

125


Sports

U18A Fab 5 Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Lewis Streak, Sam Bullock, James Bywater, Bami Ogunyoye, Mr D Riordan. Front Row: Rhianna Foote, Honor Nicholl, Tom Harding, Jess MacCormick, Mia Zickerman-White.

U18B Fab 5 Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Lewis Streak, Anuj Aggarwal, Freddie Bennett. Front Row: A.L. Williams, Rhianna Foote, Pritika Mehra.

The Fab 5 Athletics Competition of 2013 took part prior to the Easter holidays at DC for the B Team squads and at EIS Jumeirah for the A teaMs Fortunately, the temperatures this year were far more conducive to competing in comparison with the scorching temperatures of last year! This proved to be key as DC team members put in a few outstanding performances to finish the year of sport off in style with the B Team being promoted to the top division whilst the A Team retained the Fab 5 trophy for the fourth consecutive year. Fab 5 Athletics requires an athlete to take part in both a track and a field event, so it is essential that each member of the team can excel in both events in order for the team as a whole to win the competition. Although the vast majority of our athletes managed to combine these demands, some of our Senior team were slightly rusty in

126

Shamal 2013

their field events and we dropped points in the field events. This year I think it is possible to conclude that the performance of our Junior and Intermediate teams secured DC’s overall victory, with every single age group (both boys and girls) winning their individual categories, an outstanding achievement for the younger athletes. Additionally, our Fab 5 B squads’ tremendous efforts this season shows the strength and depth now developing with our athletics programme. It is worth noting that this momentous success of having two squads in Division One has never previously been achieved. Without doubt this will certainly improve the already high standards of athletics at DC for the future. I would like to thank all of the athletes who participated in Fab 5 athletics this year as well as a special thanks to all of the coaches who have helped every athlete go some way to achieve their goals during the course of the season. Tom Harding 12TD


Sports

Swim Squad U12 Swimming Squad Back Row: Emily Peck, Michael Reid, Cameron Matthews, Lauren Johnstone, Tamsin Rose Middle Row: Mrs E Adamson, Etienne Tillon, George Gosling, Anna Maureta, Geesue Abrichami, Siena Gordon, Natasha Nobbs Front Row: Tara Desai, Andrew MacIntosh, Yi Wen Lee, Jasmine Liew, Alysha Alimohamed, Holly RhysMaitland

Swim Squad

U14 Swimming Squad

Back Row: Janne Meijer, Juan Carlos Rivero Cruells, Ethan Pearce, Sophie Shamsuddin, Matthias Falzon Young, Ellen Holmes, Emma Howard, Ceyda Davidson Middle Row: Alkis Loukos, Hugo Dolan, Charlise Koch, Felix Meijer, Yasmeen Mohajer, Ali Kapasi, Chantal Meyer, Aleksandra Skroban, Frazer Hanson, Mrs E Adamson

Front Row: Joe Page, Gregor Watson, Chloe Williams, Zahra Kapasi, Julia MacKay, Katie Gardner, Sophie Rhys-Maitland, Ellie O’Keeffe, Georgina Peck

Swim Squad U16 Swimming Squad Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Ryota Minagi, Maisy Duncan, Matthew Dunne, Joe Shamsuddin, Alesha Gulamhusein Front Row: Lizzy Adamson, Sarah McKinney, Sheyan Adenwalla, Emily Dunne Absent: Daniel Momeni

Shamal 2013

127


Sports

Swim Squad U18 Swimming Squad Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Dorottya Nagy, Sarah McKinney, Jordan Fenton, Shayan Momeni, Azmina Gulamhusein Front Row: Ryota Minagi, Sam Gardner, Maryam ElRashid, Pritika Mehra, Joe Shamsuddin

Dubai College has had yet another outstanding swimming season. Continuing our winning streak, we have once again won the Dubai Schools’ Swim League without losing a single gala. School

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

DC

298

287

315

271

JC

236

198

213

177

JESS

197

207

152

235

DESC

187

193

205

236

Repton

135

120

145

111

Aside from the league galas, there was the annual friendly competition against ASD. Although we were missing a few key swimmers, it did not faze the DC swim team as we still managed to pull through with a win against our American school rivals. Additionally, there have been a number of friendly junior galas including the December ‘Festive Gala’ and the May ‘Summer Sizzler’, that have allowed the depth of DC talent to shine across all year groups. A perfect swimming year came to a close with the annual Swim Fest at the Hamdan Aquatics Centre. Seeing all the schools together in the 50m pool, it was sure to be a good gala. The afternoon went off without a hitch seeing as Frazer and Ali managed to show up for marshalling without being told 10 times! With a multitude of bronze, silver and gold medals in hand, the Dubai College swim team once again secured their first place position another year in a row. The gala saw some excellent performances especially in the Junior category. One Junior in particular, Cameron Matthews, showed great initiative when he stepped up and swam the Senior 200m IM. Despite being in Year 7, he pulled out an amazing swim to come second to a much older competitor! Another Junior swimmer, Chantal, deserves acclaim for attaining national qualifying times during her recent trip to Norwich, England. Nevertheless, none of these results would have been possible without Mrs Adamson. She has pushed each individual member of the team to his or her full potential and constantly motivates us without fail. On behalf of your swim captains, thank you so much for such an unforgettable experience as part of the DC swim team. We couldn’t have asked for a better coach or team. Maryam El-Rashid and Sam Gardner 13CH

128

Shamal 2013


Sports

BSME

Championships 2013

Back Row: Siena Gordon, Sophie Shamsuddin, Ethan Pearce, Joe Shamsuddin, Sarah McKinney, Matthew Dunne, Ellen Holmes, Lauren Johnstone, Julia MacKay Middle Row: George Gosling, Charlise Koch, Alkis Loukos, Geesue Abrichami, Tamsin Rose, Emily Peck, Anna Maureta, Sheyan Adenwalla, Alesha Gulamhusein, Chloe Williams, Mrs E Adamson Front Row: Georgina Peck, Aleksandra Skroban, Joe Page, Gregor Watson, Katie Gardner, Sophie Rhys Maitland, Natasha Nobbs, Etienne Tillon, Jasmine Liew, Holly Rhys-Maitland.

BSME is an annual swimming event held in Muscat and has been an important part of my life as a Dubai College tudent. Since Year 7, I have travelled to Muscat to smash some PBs and overall to just have a good time. As a school, Dubai College has been involved in this competition for many years, and this year we have had our fair share of PBs, gold medals and records. It all started when we took our flight from Dubai straight into Muscat, it’s not a very busy airport, yet we still managed to miss the warm up session! To be honest, we were all so tired from the day of travel, which included almost a full day of school beforehand. If we had entered the pool, half of us wouldn’t even have been able to finish a brief warm up. After splitting our group into two, we rejoined slightly later at the hotel where we were able to have a relaxing shower and freshen up, although the majority of us sat in Matthew’s room waiting for Ben 10 to do the Harlem Shake! We then went to the buffet and enjoyed a selection of foods, which mainly consisted of carbs so that we could be full of energy for the competition tomorrow. The next day we woke up extremely early so that we would be in time for the warm up, and we departed to the swimming pool. We quickly got changed and the competition had begun before we even knew it had hit us. As it has been for many years, the competition was an extremely successful one for Dubai College. With only 31 swimmers we won 63 medals, 18 of which were gold, 23 silver and 17 bronze. Sarah McKinney, Emily Peck and Joe Shams all came third in their age groups to round off a very successful trip. BSME is and always will be a meet that is not easily forgotten and will hopefully be as successful in years to come. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Adamson, Mrs Hill and Mrs Romans for making this trip possible, and for the support they offered throughout the competition. Joe Shams 11RA

Shamal 2013

129


Sports Senior Boys’ Water Polo Back Row: Joe Shams, Robert McConney, Jack Denham, Alex Young, Simran Dhillon, Justin Govender. Middle Row: Mr G Case, Ayrton Loureiro, Finnian Ford, Harkirath Dhillon, Adam Athas, Samuel Morris, Veljko Mladenovic, Rory Blincow, Dr M Glykos Front Row: Joseph Story, Sam Gardner, Elliott Fogg, Jordan Fenton, Ryota Minagi.

It’s been an exciting year for the Senior Boys’ Water Polo team. Our first international match against Dulwich College from England has really put the sport on the map for DC, and through hard work, practice and an endless amount of push-ups, we have continued to refine our skills, and hope to keep doing so in the future. The season this year started with a bang. Carrying his enthusiasm over from October of the previous year, Mr Case was all for getting us well conditioned for our Dulwich clash. Training got off to a promising start, with the introduction of 6am training sessions, which were surprisingly well attended. However, winter set in, and those inevitably died off. Our motivation did not, and we were all geared up for the Dulwich team arrival. Pumped up and ready, we entered the water and splashed our way to VICTORY ...I wish I could say. Sadly, the Dulwich boys proved too much for us, and after a harrowing match, the Under 18s lost with a score of 10-6, with the Under 16s putting up a valiant fight to achieve a similar score of 9-5. Not to be disheartened, we entered in the Dubai Camels tournament at the Dubai Men’s College. Facing off against the

130

Shamal 2013

men’s teams was challenging, as always, and while we didn’t score many victories, it certainly gave us a lot of experience. The Camels’ players were always more than happy to give us advice and we secured a solid 9-1 win against rival school DESC. After the loss to Dulwich, we realised that we needed to up our game, and Mr Case managed to persuade one of the Camels to help us out. Enter Greek ex-topflight water polo player and coach, Dr Michael Glykos. Michael concentrated on the basics and proceeded to build us up from there. Given his experience in coaching boys’ water polo in Greece, Michael was able to show us the tactics and techniques that we needed to improve, and improve we have. Huge thanks must go Mr Case, our ever eager and inspirational coach, who trains us and even gets down to do push-ups with us; and sometimes without us. It’s been an intense year, and everyone has certainly improved their tactical game and teamwork, as well as their basic fitness. Most importantly, we’ve all had a great time, and as a large portion of the team leaves this year, we hope the rest continue to strengthen their

skills. It’ll give us a challenge when we come back to play them in the Old Boys match. Elliott Fogg 13GR


Sports Hatta Cross Country

Back Row: Max Lovett, Finnian Ford, Lara Fowler, Sam Morris, Jordan Fenton, Josh Devereux, Maisy Duncan, Joe Shamsuddin, Tom Francis Middle Row: Mrs E Adamson, Matthew Denton, Tamsin Rose, Libby Johnson, Azmina Gulamhusein, Yehia Islam, Anushe Sheikh, Tara Burke, Craig Buchan, Juan Carlos Rivero Cruells, Isabelle Haigh, Mr A Jones Front Row: Francois Maureta, Gregor Watson, Tommy Williams, Siena Gordon, Julia MacKay, Jess Pollock, Alysha Alimohamed, Etienne Tillon, Ali Kapasi Seated: Ben Avery, Georgina Peck, Sophie Scott

It was an early start for Dubai College on the 19th of January, as the bus was set to leave at 6:30 am. This year, there were more runners than ever before, with more than 150 eager competitors from 7 different schools facing the difficulty of the course which demanded endurance, stamina, and sheer determination. After a one and a half hour bus journey and a pre-race lap, it was clear that the runners were more ready than ever to compete. The Senior girls started the race off, with the 30 of us huddled in the cold at the start line. The Junior girls then followed 2 minutes behind, and on the last lap of the course, the top 3 Junior girls overtook the Senior girls and led the race home. The boys then started off, and after a gruelling and tough race it was time for the famous brunch to be served; the prime reason some racers had claimed to come! The Hatta Cross Country Run is one of the hardest races I have ever competed in, with the course starting at Hatta Fort Hotel and running around and over the hills surrounding it, with one famously hated hill called ‘Heartbreak Hill’ slap bang in the middle. Dubai College once again claimed the team title for the 5th year in a row with 35 points, but was closely followed by JC with 34 points. Other competing schools included English College, JESS Ranches, EIS Meadows, Repton and DESC. The Junior girls displayed their talent, when the winner from Repton broke the record by 15 seconds, closely followed by Tamsin Rose and Siena Gordon who came 2nd and 3rd respectively. In the Senior girls, DC swept up the first, second and third spots, with prizes claimed by Maisy Duncan, Libby Johnson, and Lara Fowler. Each competitor was rewarded with a medal and complimentary sports bottle for completing this exhausting race.

Although the boys did not manage a top three place, all ran a competitive and tough race. With no runners from Years 12 and 13 it made the race for the Senior boys even more difficult. Nonetheless, the five runners of Sam Morris, Finn Ford, Joe Shams, Tom Francis and Jordan Fenton managed to fight for places in the top twelve spots. Competitor of the day must go to Yehia Islam (9DR) who stepped up an age group to complete in the Senior team and ensure the allimportant scores from all four age categories! After a relaxing brunch, the competitiveness began again as all students took part in activities such as mini golf, archery and chess. It all concluded with a refreshing dip in the pool followed by some welldeserved sun bathing. All in all, the trip was a highly successful and enjoyable day which displayed the best side of Dubai College. Clearly worth the early morning get up! Thanks once again to Mr Jones and Mrs Adamson for their time and effort in organising the day. Maisy Duncan 11DF and Jordan Fenton 11SM

Shamal 2013

131


Sports Near the beginning of the year, the selected Doha Exchange team gathered Doha at Dubai airport prepared Exchange with a determined attitude and carefully 2012 packed suitcases. There were 2 different age groups each with a girls’ and boys’ team which consisted of about 15 all-round talented teenagers with experience in almost all the sports. Each person had already been assigned a host who they would be staying the weekend in Doha with. Everyone was excited for what was set out to be a fantastic weekend! After arriving in Doha and meeting with the hosts we were taken to their houses for a good sleep before the competition began the next day. The early start was hard to handle especially with the effects from the flight the previous day but that was all part of the competition. The Junior boys began with four, 6 minute quarters of fierce Water Polo. Both teams were equally matched with ability and determination to win however with us being slightly overwhelmed and unprepared it brought them to a 2-1 win. Next was the Football where they had a very strong and talented team and the match ended in a 4-1 loss. Then after a lunch break came the final sport of the first day. We lost the Softball as a result of a few mistakes within the team and an exceptional Doha squad. The pressure was on the next day, after an unsuccessful first day we had to win the rugby as we knew it was one of our strongest teams We won and even kept a clean sheet. Next came Basketball and it was a close game however Dubai came out victorious. However, the Junior girls were victorious all around! Our first event was Rounders of course, being DC we had a wonderful team and beat the Doha team, it was still a tough game but thankfully we won. This put us in a positive spirit and we were ready to play our next match, Football. Being in the Doha team means you must be all rounded in all sports, this was true for every event, except for Football! It was a rough game to say the least. Firstly, Hannah tripped over her own feet chasing the ball and managed to tear a ligament so was unable to compete in any of the other sports events; we then were able to get a few goals until they started being more violent and got one goal back. This, however, made us more angry and well ended up reaching 5 goals. The score at the end was 5-1 and we remained undefeated! Thankfully, all of us girls were outstanding Netball players and were all on the ‘A’ team in school; Netball was no issue for us DC girls. We managed to thrash Doha 20-3 and keep our title! We finished the day undefeated and were ready

132

Shamal 2013

to uphold the title the following day. After having amazing wins the previous day, we were all ready to go down fighting. Our first event of the second day was Basketball. We had a rocky start to the day as we were all exhausted from the day before but we played our hearts out, sadly this wasn’t enough and we were narrowly beaten 12-10; however, this didn’t unhinge us as we were now even more ready to beat Doha in the next event, water polo. The DC girl’s Water Polo team was fantastic in this event and came out to defeat Doha 4-2! Finally, the whole DC team competed in

the Swimming gala at the end; this was a fantastic event as everyone was in full spirits and cheering for their schools! All in all, the Junior girls did amazing and came out victorious bar one event and would like to thank all the P.E. staff that helped us achieve this and make us the best we could be; also we would like to thank our hosts who allowed us into their homes and took care of us whilst we were there and finally, I would like to congratulate all the girls who competed; well done girls! Frazer Hanson 9CJ Livi Peacock 9SM


Sports This year, 4 teams of Junior girls, Junior boys, Senior girls and senior boys boarded a plane to Qatar for the annual Doha Sport Exchange hosted by Doha College. Over the weekend, we were each hosted by friends made from previous exchanges. The sport on display was truly exceptional – something only reinforced by our continuing success over the weekend for all the team. The Junior girls were outstanding throughout the course of the exchange, winning all of their events bar one, which was a draw nonetheless. On the Thursday, they were up early to play Rounders which was succeeded by 40 minutes of Football. The girls managed to win both of these matches, and the success continued when they won the Netball in the afternoon, only rising to the ever high expectations of DC’s Netball teaMs In high spirits, the girls went into the Friday with their heads held high and went on to win Basketball and draw their Water Polo game. Overall, the tour should be something each and every one of the Junior girls should be proud of. The success was also relayed into the senior girls’ team, where enviable talent was on show! We won the football, netball and rounders on the first day and continued the success into the second day with wins in both the Water Polo and Basketball. However, we came unstuck in the Volleyball, losing an excellent game against a fantastic Doha College team. Despite an early Softball slip up on Thursday morning, the Senior boys successfully picked up the baton and got into their winning stride by scraping a win in an incredible Basketball game in front of a sizable crowd. This victory gave us momentum to win the Football 1-0 in a tiring match in the early October sun. As the first day drew to a close

the team knew there was still a lot to do the following day with the Rugby, Water Polo, Volleyball and Swimming gala to come! However although the early start to the day was less than welcome it did not prevent the boys running riot in the 7s Rugby against the Doha opposition. However, by the time we got in the pool for the Water Polo I think it’s fair to say that fatigue became an overriding issue, with numerous members of the team cramping up in the pool! Strong performances from James Ozden in defence and Matt Baker in goal gave us the edge in clinging on to a precious win. Although we lost the Volleyball, the highlight of the trip came in the Swimming gala, which required every team member to participate in at least one race. This allowed us to unleash our main man, Reuben ‘Phelps’

Abraham who destroyed the 25m butterfly race (not really, but a valiant effort none the least). With many of the Junior boys experiencing their first trip outside of the UAE with the school the exchange was bound to be exciting for them. However, the first day of the competition saw the Juniors lose the Football and Softball and draw the Water Polo. Thus they came out the next day with a point to prove. They did so superbly in winning the rugby keeping up DC’s reputation as an outstanding Rugby school. This gave them the much needed confidence to win probably the most tense event of the weekend. The Basketball came down to the final play, truly putting the phrase ‘buzzer beater’ into context with Kip shooting from outside of the D to win the game. Overall, the weekend was a success, with Dubai College coming out on top. Well done to all the competitors and a special thank you to all the teachers involved in making this weekend such a special one, which is still one of the major highlights of our sporting calendar. Honor Nicholl 12CH Tom Harding 12TD

Shamal 2013

133


Sports

Golf

Back Row: Mr P Flower, Rory Blincow, Matthew Laven, Connor Murray Front Row: Rohan Gupta, Aaroosh Kohli, Matthew Baxter, Kabir Nanda

After losing one of Dubai’s golfing prodigies at the end of last year we knew this year was going to be harder, however, with some new, younger talent coming in to the team it was a season that could be won by any school. This season consisted of 4 rounds of 9 holes with Stableford scoring. Held at 2 different locations; the first at Emirates Golf Club on the Faldo course and the second on a new course up at Meydan; both courses were floodlit and allowed tee times to take place after school. The first of the 4 meets was held on the Faldo course and gave all competitors a good test for anything more than par points. With only 4 of 6 golfers playing it meant we had to take everyone’s scores, however, this wasn’t a problem as collectively we put 61 points on the board. The second of the meets was, again, held on the Faldo course but this time thanks to a brilliant 22 points from Matthew Baxter we managed to climb up the leader board from 5th into 3rd. The third round played much more difficult as it was on a newly opened course that was home to hard, fast greens and not many distance markers; making the overall 61 points, a very good score. This score put us just 1 point off 2nd and 3 points off 1st with everything to play for in the last round that was to be held at Meydan for the second time. In the final round played once again at the challenging Meydan course, the high scoring needed to overhaul the teams above us proved to be elusive. However, a consistent squad performance ensured that third place overall was achieved; a richly deserved outcome for this year’s endeavours. I would like to thank Mr Flower for all his support on behalf of the team and I would like to thank everyone on the team for their collective efforts this year. Well done!

134

Shamal 2013

Dubai Schools Golf League Summary 2012-2013 Team Totals Stableford School

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Total

Wellington International School

70

65

53

65

253

Dubai American Academy

64

65

64

59

252

Dubai College

61

69

61

58

249

JESS Ranches

71

65

58

52

246

GEMS World Academy

46

67

58

65

236

DESC

46

62

64

49

221

Jumeirah College

61

65

55

18

199

American School Dubai

60

53

40

46

199

NJP

33

50

36

26

145

Handicap

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

7

16

DC Players Stableford Scores Rory Blincow Matthew Baxter

8

16

22

16

13

Matthew Laven

9

16

16

16

15

13

17

15

12

Rohan Gupta

9

Aaroosh Kohli

7

14

Connor Murray

13

13

14

18

Kabir Nanda

15 61

69

61

58

Handicap

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

7

42

Team Total (Best 4)

12 11

Individual Gross Scores Rory Blincow Matthew Baxter

12

44

38

42

45

Matthew Laven

11

45

44

45

45

Rohan Gupta

8

43

43

42

48

Aaroosh Kohli

7

45

Connor Murray

13

50

47

43

Kabir Nanda

15

47 51


Sports

Tennis

Back Row: Vijay Gupta, Alex Smith, Menrit Guirguis, Michael Camball, Rohan Padmanabhan, Ellie Reid, Sheyan Adenwalla, Max Lovett. Middle Row: Mrs S Taylor, Shehryar Haris, Magen Chadha, Honor Nicholl, Rehan Ayrton, Sandip Roy, Janvi Jetwhani, Neha Narain, Zorez Haider, Mr M Woolley Front Row: Aditi Nijhawan, Devina Popley, Sebastian Webb, Sahil Mordani, Yash Bhansali, Devansh Popley, Adelaide Coffey. Front Grass: Tara Mewawalla, Sasha Verrall, Ibani Hattangadi.

Tennis Season Tennis has not been amongst the most prominent of sports at Dubai College. We know that there are lots of fantastic tennis players out there of all ages and of course, many students who are keen to learn the game.

from both teams was exceptional with DC eventually victorious in both ties.

Our players of the season were Alex Smith who didn’t drop a set at Junior or Senior level! Rohan Padmanabhan who held his nerve in a very tense final set to win the tie against DESC and Ibani Hattangadi who never stops smiling even when hitting another awesome forehand!! great

With this in mind the Dubai College Tennis Club was born this year! Many players attended training sessions during It is the week and open tennis sessions on a Thursday afternoon, especially the extra keen Year 7s! to see so many The standard of tennis at all levels has ‘beginners’ take improved across the school and it is great to see up this great so many ‘beginners’ take up this great game.

We would like to thank all students who played tennis this season, especially those who competed against other schools. Also thanks to game. Shannon (‘super coach’) Juneja who After squad trials early in the season, a number shouted at the boys when they needed it of fixtures were played against schools in Dubai. and baked the best chocolate brownies for The DC Junior boys achieved a great win against DESC the intervals between games! at home as the Senior boys were involved in a fierce battle against the same opponents eventually winning the tie in the We look forward to next season with more final game of the 9th and final set. fixtures and even greater success! The DC Junior squads didn’t fare so well against JC with both the MW ST girls and boys losing to very strong opposition. Dubai College hosted Repton Dubai for the final fixtures of the season. Both Junior and Senior boys were involved in a highly entertaining and very close encounter. The standard of tennis

Shamal 2013

135


Sports

U12 Rugby Back Row: Adam Shah, Patrick Dowling, Michael Reid, Harry Hughes, Jason Pollock Middle Row: Mr C House, Owen Wakeham, Andrew MacIntosh, Finlay Keegan, David Hunt, Rory Nisbet, George Gunn, Mr D. Riordan Front Row: Mark Baxter, Ben Williams, Harvey Bullock, Jamie MacKinnon, Elliot Crossley, Jack Norman.

This year, the Under 12s DC Rugby has been outstanding. We have put in a massive effort through the whole of the season. Working this hard has given us the power and the strength to go on and win the league. Not only have we done the league but also we have won the only two of DC’s major Rugby tournaments. It just goes out to say well done and simply thank you to all of our team in the massive year of Rugby. Starting off as a bunch of Rugby players that had never played with each other was always going to be hard. We got used to it as soon as we could and eventually turned it into a team. We trained hard all the way and did not stop until the very end. We strived and pushed to end the season with not a single defeat. We started with low numbers that turned up to the training sessions however they gradually grew each time. Numbers flowed in as the word passed around the year that we needed more players and had lots of talent. We have joined together such a great group of boys and performing so well on the field is truly remarkable. In the lead up to the big game at the end of the season we worked harder at every training session. Big hits, good hands and as the coaches said loads of straight running. We knew what they were going to do and we just had to counter against it. We trained to the fact that they had big forwards, we worked on our tackling and we made it in the end. As new Year 7s in the school we had to make

136

Shamal 2013

a good impression to the Sports department. It was a big start to the next 6 years that we have here at DC. We wanted to start on a massive high and I personally think that we have successfully done it. We were the winners this year, and are looking forward to a much more challenging season ahead. When playing up a year we have to step up our game. Not only do we have to make the Year 8 and 9 team but we have to play against much bigger opposition. I hope we will all work hard and get a big amount of numbers into the team from Year 7. It will form a good team to play all of the rugby in due course. On behalf of the team we would like to say a major thanks to Mr House and Mr Riordan. Also some of the Year 9 students that dedicated their own time to help us become the team that we are. They have trained us well and brought out our maximum potential. Through the season they have made us the team that have not lost a single game in our Year 7 run. Hopefully this will carry on next year. Jamie MacKinnon 7NB


Sports

U14A Rugby Back Row: Euan Kennedy, Josh Devereux, Oliver Boon, Saif Khawaja, Dylan Russo, Rory Quick Middle Row: Mr J Cottam, Oisin Morgan, Angus Steel, Issam Al Ghussain, Daniel Farid, Eoin Brady, Frazer Hanson, Rhys Luke Front Row: Tommy Williams, Max Lovett, Cameron Hughes, Scott Simpson, Max Dennehy (capt), Robbie Pereira, Josh Armstrong, Gregor Watson

This season has been generally very good, starting in October with a group of talented players from Years 9 and 8. After serious training, we travelled down to Abu Dhabi for our first tournament — the BSAK 10s. Our season began well with a great start, cruising through all our pool games. However, we had a tough semifinal against JESS. With Ollie Boon back from the sick bin, and a strong team we were up for it. We played a very defensive game, going up very quickly; this eventually got to the JESS players and with frustration one of their players kicked the ball to his try line after dropping it. After a great chase by Josh Devereux we scored the first try. Sadly JESS came back very strongly and finally broke through our tiring defence to win unfortunately 15-7. Next up was the DC 7s. After lots of additional school training sessions we were ready. We were drawn in a tough pool, but with some great performances we won all of them; not without some drama and scares against EC and BSAK where we needed to score in the last minute. A semi against DESC was won convincingly, leaving us to meet JESS in the finals. It was going to be tough, but moving to the main pitch worked to our advantage, we had plenty of pace and skill. An early try from JESS didn’t put us off and we fought back with amazing team tries; a fantastic chip and chase by Issam Al Ghussain although he failed to score his second after missing the tryline. DC came out deserved winners 3610, a brilliant result brought on through great teamwork! March arrived and the eagerly awaited 10s tour to KL and Singapore. Our first game was against the U15 Malaysian National Team SDAR. As if playing up a year was not tough enough we also had the extra challenge of playing on a rough pitch with rocks and mounds which made the

game even harder. Our first game ended 5-5 with our only try scored by Gregor Watson. Lessons were learnt and in the second match after analysing their defence we came back and won 14-5 with tries from Ollie Boon and Saif Khawaja. Our second fixture of the tour saw us playing Bintang Club. The first game finished 17-0 with tries again from Ollie Boon and Gregor Watson and an amazing team try scored by Issam Al Ghussain. The second game was a lot harder although we started the game well with two tries by again Ollie Boon, Bintang were soon back in the game, coming back strong and scoring a quick try. The last 5 minutes were very tense but thankfully Frazer Hanson saved a try with an immense tackle which unfortunately saw him given a yellow card. The game finished 10-5. Onto Singapore where the first match was against Centaurs and the format 15s which proved a challenge and unfortunately we were beaten 20-0. Things improved in the 10s where we came out on top with a 10-5 win. Our final game was against Tanglin where we played in the rain, not ideal for a team from Dubai, the conditions and a number of players sidelined due to sickness and injury meant we lost 38-0; not the perfect end to what was otherwise a great tour. After the tour it was back for the DC 10s. In a tough pool we fought through with tremendous victories. In the semis we faced a physical EC team who were clearly up for it. After a great first half we were winning 10-0 with 2 fantastic team tries. However, EC fought back to win with a last second try in the conversion zone which meant two extra valuable points gave them the win 12-10. The UAE Schools League took place throughout term two; we

Shamal 2013

137


Sports played a total of 5 games against schools from the UAE. After winning 3, drawing 1 and losing 1 we made it to the final at the Sevens against JESS. Having lost to JESS the previous week we knew it would be tough but the team came out fighting and were very unlucky to be down by one try at half time. Sadly, despite great defence and attacking skills JESS came out on top winning 15-0. This did not really reflect the game as a

whole where DC were incredible against a very strong JESS team; but it was a fitting final. We saved the best ‘til last! I would like to thank all the boys from both years for their great commitment and pride every time they were on the pitch, particularly in the final where they showed immense spirit and courage and were unlucky not to score. None of this would have been possible without the support and dedication of Mr Cottam and Mr Jones who I would to thank on behalf of the team. Max Dennehy 9ZB

U14B Rugby Back Row: Saif Khawaja, Zac Davies, Jeremy Clark, Dharam Madnani, Omar ElAshwami, Rhys Luke Middle Row: Jonathon Lattouf, Mattie Russo, Oliver Tait, Chris Vail, Hasan Malik, Alex Smith, Sophie Shams, Mr J Cottam Front Row: Jay Desai, Toby Tatham, Tom Ryan-McGrath, Richard Pickup (capt), Tom Haigh, Felix Firth, Matthew Anderson, Matthew Denton

The U14 B Rugby squad has had a great and successful 2012/13 season including a very enjoyable tour to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, as well as almost making the B league final. It began with many skillful players, some new to the game of Rugby, from Years 8 and 9 coming together to train after school. After weeks of preparation our first real obstacle to overcome this season came with the match against Dubai international School who were new to the rugby league so we didn’t know what to expect. The game ended with a close victory of 8 tries to 6 and was the first time we played as a team. Not long after that was the important tour to South East Asia. The first match was against SDAR, which is reputedly one of the best schools in Malaysia for rugby. We were facing their U14 team and although no one could gain the upper hand during the first half of the game, we scored a try in the closing minutes, which boosted our spirits and won the game! The second game that day was against a mix of U15s & 14s, which proved a challenge. Even with the arrival of our own U15 Kip, we were unable to win the match but only lost by one try. The next opponents were Bintang and we managed to beat them in both matches by a large margin, and highlighted the stronger aspects of our team. Unfortunately,

138

Shamal 2013

our success ended there and we didn’t fair as well against the teams we played in Singapore, but in the final match against an A team we made them work for their tries and put up a tough defence. The tour was great fun and we left with fond memories. Several lads stood out with exemplary playing such as Oisin Morgan, Saif Khawaja and Harry Sheedy. Once back in Dubai we played the English College As who were in the B league for some reason but we were nevertheless going to play to our fullest. Unfortunately, we lost but we won many of the rucks and kept possession for long periods and played as a team rather than relied on one individual like EC. We came away with something to think about though and knew what we needed to work on. We also lost to Dubai British School’s A team by a small points difference but we were determined to not lose the next and we performed brilliantly when facing Repton winning 65–5. All of our players got their hands on the ball and the points were spread amongst many of the lads. This was also when several of the positions were changed to see how it would affect the performance and it seems to have been successful. The final match for this season was against JESS Ranches and was one of our toughest games throughout the year. After 2 great tries by Hasan Malik we thought we would win this easily. However, JESS came back and after a tense conversion near the sidelines, we narrowly clinched the game 14–12! Everybody played brilliantly and I would like to thank Mr Cottam and Mr Jones for their efforts throughout the season. We can’t wait until Next Season! Richard Pickup 9RD


Sports

U15 Rugby Back Row: Mr M. Barrington, Conor Kennedy, Joe Story; Kip Chirchir, Aiden Wright, Ciaran Brady Front Row: George Ludden, Robin Over, Liam Benstead, Cameron Afkhami, Euan MacKinnon, Francois Pieterse.

U16 Rugby

Back Row: Kip Chirchir, Joe Story, Liam Benstead, Sam Leach, Jordan Fenton, Cameron Moffat, Pierre Springuel, Paddy Ryan, Aiden Wright, Middle Row: Mr M. Barrington, Nathan Appleby, Euan MacKinnon, Adam Athas, Mustafa Zaidi, Finnian Ford, Niall Moore Hamoudi, Ryan Underwood, Francois Pieterse, Mr A. Jones Front Row: Ryan Harris, Caleb Goddard, Ciaran Brady, Sam Morris, Angus Maxfield, Robin Over, Cameron Afkhami, Conor Kennedy.

The team knew that this season would be a challenge with major threats coming from an excellent DESC team and a much-improved BSAK. With this in mind the team began training in a positive but slightly apprehensive frame of mind. Mr Barrington believed that building a close-knit team who could anticipate each others moves would be a deciding factor for the season,

and much of the early training sessions focussed on the basics, and gradually began introducing set pieces, which would help deliver some of the victories later in the season. The team knew each other well from the previous season and were joined by Year 10 players Liam Benstead, Aiden Wright, Kipngeno Chirchir, and Euan MacKinnon who were to remain vital members of the team. The season kicked off with a close fought 7s match with the touring

Shamal 2013

139


Sports current Asian schools champions and the proud owners of the longest acronym of any school in the region, UWCSEA, It was an excellent wake up call for the team as we would be facing the same school during the rugby tour to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore later in the year, DC carried off honours with a very close 17-10. On the 9th of November, the team travelled to Abu Dhabi to take part in the BSAK 10s tournament where we proved dominant in the opening stages showing great promise of the tournament and season to come. Euan MacKinnon’s choreographed goose-stepping would not have been out of place on Strictly Come Dancing and left the opposition in disarray. The tournament closed with a strong final against the hosts BSAK, and despite some strong opposition in the first half; DC persevered and pulled away in the second half lifting the tournament trophy. DC hosted their annual 7s tournament at the end of November and managed to progress through difficult early stages, although there were some injuries before and throughout the tournament. The thrilling final against our old adversaries DESC resulted in a win due to some stand-out defence — in particular Pierre Springuel with two very good ankle taps and Nathan Appleby scoring all points in the game including a drop goal to secure the win and provide a neighbour for our DC 10s trophy.

140

Shamal 2013

In February the team were all very excited to be travelling to Malaysia and Singapore for the annual tour. All the boys gathered in a questionable pink polo shirt, excluding Daddy-C who lacked the self-confidence to wear pink. The hotel rooms were luxurious apart from one bathroom, which seemed extremely fishy. The weather on tour was challenging, which soon became apparent against our first game against SDAR Lions, the current Malaysian schools champions in very humid conditions. Despite the challenge, we came out with a comfortable win touching down 12 tries. After some unfortunate verbal mistakes in the huddle, the much-anticipated second game against Bintang Club began in a very focused manner with a cheeky early try by Euan MacKinnon. The boys took advantage of a yellow card and grew in confidence winning the game. As we progressed to Singapore injury and sickness hit the squad and impacted the first game against a strong and aggressive UWC side. Mr Barrington gave us the talking to that we needed resulting in a narrow, backs to the wall 17-12 victory. The final game against Tanglin School proved an easier victory as our motivation to be the only DC team to return unbeaten from Malaysia and Singapore, drove us to another win. We all returned from the tour happy if not all healthy. In the UAE schools league, an early win against DESC gave us confidence, which continued throughout the competition. DC made a clean sweep of the competition winning every game leading us to another final against DESC. DC narrowly won a tightly fought game against a fantastic DESC side that refused to give up until the bitter end. A great season overall and a big thank you to all the coaches who gave up their personal time, especially Mr Barrington and Mr Jones. Angus Maxfield 11GJ


Sports

1st XV Rugby

Back Row: Tushaar Nadkarni, Tom Harding, Bami Ogunyoye, Nathan Banks, Will Hammond, James Bywater, Christophe Rippon, Conor Cassidy, Ziyaad Massoud Middle Row: Mr M. Barrington, Callum Duncan, Shayan Momeni, Nick Hindley, Ryan Underwood, Nathan Appleby, Vishnu Tikku, Lewis Streak, Mr A. Jones Front Row: James Ozden, Niall Moore Hamoudi, Angus Maxfield, Matt Scriven Baker (Captain), Sam Bullock, Dominic Flower, Andrew Refalo, Connor Murray

We entered this season with a tough act to follow, having had such a successful season last year. Some key players had left heading to universities around the world and our team knew that we would have to work hard in order to emulate their success. However, the sheer motivation demonstrated by our lads both on and off the pitch this season can be shown by the impressive results. In keeping with recent seasons, our training began with a large focus towards the Dubai Sevens. Skills and conditioning sessions dominated our training schedule up until the BSAK 7s tournament in November. This was our first chance to assess the strength of our local opposition. We came away from the tournament as champions after a tightly contested final against the host team. Harvey Clark was the stand out player in this final and went on to win the player of the tournament. After 2 weeks of ‘fine tuning’ preparation, we were ready for the most anticipated challenge of our season, The Dubai Sevens. After progressing through our group stage fixtures with relative ease, we played Doha Rugby Club in the quarter final in monsoon conditions, and it was on this field that we conceded our only try of the tournament. However, we won convincingly in the end and prepared for our final day. We hit the ground running against DESC in the semi-final, which had proved to be an awkward

fixture in the past for the college. However, we were victorious by 38-0, which lead us to the cup final against Abu Dhabi Harlequins, to be played in front of 40,000 spectators. After some reassuring words from Mr Jones we entered the main pitch completely focused on the 14 minutes ahead of us. We came out victorious with a record score of 50–0 and were crowned champions for the second year running. Our focus then turned to 15s, and training changed to incorporate a lot of contact and physicality. The Dubai College 10s tournament provided us with a transition from the more evasive Rugby to the traditional. With some big hits and quality breaks throughout the tournament, we beat Jumeirah College in the final to once again retain our DC 10s Trophy. Although missing big Cal Duncan for our final stage of the season, players such as Dom Flower and Tush Nardkarni stepped up to maintain the dominance of our forward pack and we reached the final after convincingly beating JESS Ranches and DESC. We played JC for only the second time this season in the final, not knowing what to expect from their game play. With a united performance from our team we started the game strongly with 2 quick tries. However, JC came back well. We brought some of our younger players into the fray during the second half, and with the fresh legs we finished off powerfully to win by an 8 point margin to cap off our second unbeaten season in a row. Massive thanks go out to Mr Jones and Mr Barrington for their continued dedication and determination in both our training sessions and during competition, and to our volume training expert, Mr Riordan for his efforts with us in the school gym this year. Matt Scriven Baker 13PF

Shamal 2013

141


Sports

Dubai College

U-18 Rugby Success 2012

Dubai College ‘A’ Team successfully defended their title as Gulf Under 18 Champions during the recent Dubai 7s. 7s Additionally, the ‘B’ Team reached the Quarter Finals of the Cup competition.

The DC ‘A’ Team were triumphant in front of 40,000 spectators during their final, defeating Abu Dhabi Harlequins 50-0. They provided a fantastic display of high quality rugby, scoring an impressive 213 points throughout the tournament and only conceding 5. DC ‘A’ Team U18s @ Dubai Rugby 7s: vs Dubai Exiles 40—0 vs JESS 24—0 vs English College Dubai 38—0 Trophy Quarter—Final vs Doha Junior Colts 27—5 Trophy Semi—Final vs DESC 34—0 Trophy Final vs Abu Dhabi Harlequins 50—0

Dubai Rugby 7s U-18 Champions

DC ‘B’ Team U18s @ Dubai Rugby 7s: vs Dubai Hurricanes 36—5 vs Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12—35 vs APB Dubai Sharks 52—0 Trophy Quarter—Final vs DESC 0—15

Dubai College Under 18 ‘A’ Team

Dubai College Under 18 ‘B’ Team

142

Shamal 2013


Sports

U12A Football Back Row: Harry Hughes, Patrick Dowling, Michael Reid, Elliot Crossley Middle Row: Mr P Flower, Mark Baxter, Andrew McIntosh, Ben Williams, Etienne Tillon, Jamie MacKinnon Front Row: Ben Avery, Finlay Keegan, Harvey Bullock, David Hunt, Jacob Camilleri

U12B Football Back Row: Adam Shah, Shaan Nathwani, Jack Norman, Jason Pollock Middle Row: Mr P Flower, Jordyn Hamilton, Alberto Viel, Rory Nisbet, Joseph Plumtree, George Gosling Front Row: Owen Wakeham, James Taylor, Meeran Fehmi, Joseph Madeira, Sebastian Webb, Oliver Chohan Absent: Jamie Dare, Sahil Mordani

This year has seen the introduction of the Under 12 Schools Football League with the schools divided geographically into two divisions. Fielding two squads in their division, Dubai College enjoyed considerable success in this inaugural season. The A squad won all of their games to emerge as league champions while the B

squad were comfortably placed mid-table, winning as many games as they lost. The first term concluded with another first; a 7 a side tournament held at JESS Ranches. After a slow start to the day both A and B squads won their way through to the Plate final and a tense game, including extra time, failed to separate the teaMs In the ensuing penalty shootout, the A squad were the victors by the narrowest of

Shamal 2013

143


Sports margins but it was a clear demonstration of the talent within the Under 12 ranks. Early February saw the annual Dubai College International Invitation Under 12 tournament, now in its 13th year. In spite of the unrelenting deluge of rain for much of the day, the competition was again a huge success with both A and B squads unbeaten through the initial group phase. Unfortunately, the B team placed second due to an inferior goal difference but this was by far the best showing from a B team ever in this tournament. Sadly, the A team eventually succumbed to Repton in the main final while the

Bs won the Plate Final against Doha College. The year ended with the VW Junior Masters Tournament, a worldwide invitational competition. The team were runners-up in the local qualifying tournament and for the third time took part in the Middle East’s regional qualifying event. Pitting themselves against some extremely fierce competition from Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the boys acquitted themselves admirably but were able to win only one of their group games. However, with the vast majority of the squad still young enough to take part next year, hopefully this experience will stand the boys in good stead. All in all it has been a successful season for the Year 7 footballers.

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goals scored

Goals against

Under 12 A

23

16

1

6

79

20

Under 12 B

13

8

1

4

33

21

Golden Boot: Harvey Bullock (A) 14 goals Adam Shah (B) 18 goals

144

Shamal 2013


Sports

U14A Football Back Row: Aaron Camball, Issam Al Ghussain, Oisin Morgan, Oliver Boon, Hasan Malik. Middle Row: Ali Kapasi, Barney Brett, Frazer Hanson, Valentin Arstal, William Jones. Mr A Hann. Front Row: Juan Carlos Rivero Cruells, Matthew Baxter, Blake Murphy, Max Holt.

As another Football season comes to an end we look back at our action packed campaign. This year was looking promising for the DC U14s and although last year did not quite go to plan we were all motivated and extremely determined to go one step further and win the league. After a few training sessions and some motivational meetings we were all geared up and ready to roll into the new season. The season kicked off with a short journey to Wellington that ended with a tremendous 7-0 win. This win was a confidence booster for everyone and it proved that we could go that bit further this year. After missing the next round of matches due to lack of pitch space we walked across the road to play our next door neighbours, Choueifat. Again this was another great win, finishing 5-0. The next fixture was going to be a bit harder as it was against a well organised Repton team. After losing to them last year we were determined to walk away with a win. It was a much closer match but again we managed a well deserved 2-1 victory, putting us in prime position for the title. DBS were to be the next of our victims as they found themselves 5-0 down at half time, and although they attempted a come back, it was not a problem as we responded well to make the

final score 7-2 DC. After another training session and with JESS drawing to Repton, we knew that if we could win our next match we would hit top of the table with a 2 point lead. Our next match was EIS Jumierah away, and this match also ended in cheers and happy faces as a 4-0 victory saw us top of the table with just one catch up game remaining. As the final game was getting closer we felt the need to tidy a few things up in order to maintain our lead at the top and to do this we all came into school on the National Day holiday and trained for an hour to sort out formations, tactics and the team. We were now ready to face JESS in what was effectively the final. We knew that a draw would be enough to win the title but everyone was determined to finish in style. The match was close with both teams coming close to scoring on many occasions however neither team could provide that finishing touch and it remained 0-0 at half time. With less than 15 minutes to go JESS were given a dubious penalty that even their own players hadn’t appealed for! Unfortunately for us, their striker slotted it home leaving us 1-0 down with minutes on the clock. The remaining minutes were a struggle and despite our best efforts we couldn’t get past their defence. This was the best two teams in a close game with two differing styles of play but as both coaches agreed it was a ‘great advert for football in Dubai’. We were all disappointed but we are now even more determined to beat JESS and get the title next season. Despite not winning the title it has been a fantastic season, congratulations to everyone who played, well done.

Shamal 2013

145


Sports

U14B Football Back Row: Barnaby Brett, Noah Shariat, Mathieu Springuel, Jodutt Qudsiyeh, Eoin Brady. Middle Row: Mr A Hann, Scott Simpson, Jonathan Mulligan, Cameron Hughes, Josh Armstong, Gordon Phipps, Oh Jun Kweon. Front Row: Tommy Williams, Michael Rea, Angus Benstead, Max Lovett, Safwan Malik, Alex Newbery, Seung Ho Lee.

After a long, relaxing, hard drawn summer, the last thing on the minds of all of us was to play football. At least that was the case for some of us. Within the first two weeks of training, we had all lost a lot of the weight that sitting on a sunbed and sipping a can of coke can do to you. Even though many of us were disappointed in not making the first team, we were ready to work together to improve our game as a team. It was a big opportunity for the two year groups to come together and for the Year eights to play and enjoy something other than four-square. Our fitness levels were, according to Mr Riordan ‘shocking’, therefore, we decided to put a little more effort into our training sessions. With the team selected for our first match, we were all beaming with confidence. That was of course until we lost 6-2 against DIS. We had gone into the game with a little too much self-belief thinking that we were FAR SUPERIOR than any other team. This disappointing result did give us a slight ‘kick in the backside’ if you will, so we turned up to the game against EIS M quietly reflecting on our previous performance. After narrowly conceding two goals, we managed to hold out the strong EIS M attack ending the game 0-0. We had managed to play well as a team and our personal performances had traveled far beyond our initial expectations. Though there was still something missing. I don’t mean a boot or a sock or a goal (although that would have been nice), but I mean performance-wise. Our next match was against EC. Whether it was the fact that we were playing rapid-fire and Wembley at lunch but amazingly, we played so much better. First of all I would like to thank the goal posts and the crossbar for making a couple of good saves, however, most credit must go to the team. It wasn’t the best start to the season but we

146

Shamal 2013

were slowly but surely getting back on track. Our next game was an away game against Raffles, the first of the season. Although the bus ride there was quite nerve racking, we were glad to rock up with a few supporters on our side. After having a 36s warm up we won the toss and chose to start. We could not have asked for a better beginning to a football match. Within seconds our striker had the ball and after a brilliant shot (top right corner) we were 1-0 up. After a few close calls, we managed to come out with a victory, the final score being 4-1. After back-to-back wins we were feeling confident. Our next game was against JC. We knew that this game would be our hardest test however we knew that if we performed it would be a close game. The day didn’t start too well because we were a few men down leaving us only 1 sub. Even though we lost 4-0, we stepped off the field knowing that we played the best that we could. After a disappointing loss against JC, we had to keep our focus heading into the game against Rashid School for Boys. It was a very good game and going into half time the score was 1-1. Towards the end of the second half Rashid squeezed in two more goals. With 2 and a half minutes to play Jodutt cleared the ball from our own box only to set up Gordon who beat the keeper. The score was 3-2 to Rashid however they managed to keep us off the ball for two minutes. This lead to our third loss of the season but only just. Finally, the season was coming to a close and we only had one more match to play. We were taking on the only other B team in our league. We all played our best and you could say that the result summed up the season. Not only did we beat Repton 6-3, but we later found out that we finished the league in the top half. Surprising at first, when thinking about the poor start. However, as Mr Jones says, a good team shows up after a loss but a great team bounces back. On behalf of the U14B team, I would like to thank Mr Riordan and Mr Jones for all their hard work throughout the season. Also I would like to thank the parents who showed up and supported the team. Next season boys, next season… Max Lovett 9DR


Sports

U16A Football Back Row: Jon Devitt, Liam Benstead, Sam Morris, Pierre Springuel, Prateek Nadkarni Middle Row: Angus Maxfield, Waleed Malik, Michael Foote, Daniyal Malik, Brendan D’Souza Front Row: Aidan Wright, Ciaran Brady, Tristan Ebdon, Thomas Francis

Another great football season has flown by and I’m delighted to say that we have eventually ended our 3 year trophy drought winning our first league title since the team started in Year 7. Mr Rodgers instantly began whipping us into shape with training starting almost immediately we got back to school. Old faces such as Angus Maxfield and ex-goalkeeper Pierre Springuel decided to return from retirement to see if they still had what it takes. First game of the season against JC was a familiar circumstance for us as we entered the game full of confidence (cockiness) that we would comfortably beat them by about 11 goals like last year. This was not the case. Going down 2-0 early in the first half brought us back to reality and youngster Liam Benstead stepped up and inspired the comeback to help us win 5-3. The shaky start to the season continued as yet again we had to come from behind to win our second game against a tricky Rashid side 5-3. Finding the back of the net for once didn’t seem to be our problem this season, Gerard discovered all he had to do was kick the ball UNDER the posts instead of Gerard over and before we discovered all he knew it, we had the ginger Didier Drogba had to do was kick (plus pace) upfront. the ball UNDER the With the likes of posts instead of Liam and Brendan over running off him we developed a deadly

Liam Benstead stepped up and inspired the comeback

strikeforce this year banging in the goals week in, week out. A comfortable win at JESS and well fought victory against DESC continued our unbeaten run and securing a comfortable position at the top of the table. The team was flourishing as each game brought new standout performances and boosted morale. Ciaran was improving every game into the top young keeper we’d been lacking, the defence were tightening up with Prateek and John leading by example and vast improvements from D-Malik and Tristan Ebdon (who learnt how to talk)! The midfield were playing fantastic football with great link up play between myself and Aiden (who hasn’t learnt to talk) setting up many chances for strikers to bury including the newly-positioned Pierre ‘Maradona’ Springuel, who continued to play like he was actually IN Fifa, constantly trying various skill moves; much to the delight of Mr Rodgers. A tough draw to EIS dropped our first points of the season and an unusually poor striking performance resulted in a draw against Wellington meaning the league would come down to our last game of the season, against EC. Without our striking talisman Gerard, who injured his back trying to attempt a bicycle kick at 2 metres to keep the ball from going out for a throw in, meant we were faced with a challenge. The game ended 2-0 to EC which was a disappointing end to the season and an end to the unbeaten streak, but results from other games concluded we had won the title regardless. We continued the rest of the season participating in the cup, and various tournaments where unfortunately we didn’t equal our great league form, partly because of a few injuries and lack of players available. Although one positive to take out is that Sam ‘Mikel’ Morris found his calling in life as a CDM in the Rashid Tournament and will never again ‘just pass’. Thank you to Mr Rodgers for helping us to our first league title and coaching us over the last 2 years as Intermediates, and to Mr Jones who stepped in at the end of the season at short notice. Michael Foote (Captain) 11MS

Shamal 2013

147


Sports

U16B Football Back Row: Mr A Jones, Shan Maru, Michael Camball, Adian Liusie, Adil Saldanha, Jake Rogers, Tom Webster. Front Row: Caleb Goddard, Sheamus Power, Raahim Zafrullah, Ethan Ebdon, Ryan Juneja, Haren Bhavnani.

1stXI Football Back Row: Mr J McIlveen, Prateek Nadkarni, Connor Murray, Nathan Banks, Bami Ogunyoye, Tom Harding, Matt Scriven Baker. Front Row: Veljko Mladenović, Angus Maxfield, Lewis Streak, Will Hammond, Harvey McAdam Clark, James Ozden, Jack Denham.

Suffering losses of the likes of James Capon, Simple Jack and the majority of last year’s team, we knew it would be a struggle to retain this year’s title. A strenuous pre-season regime led by Mr Mac, involved a 45 minute shooting session, of which led to 5 missing balls. This gave way to the perfect season opener hammering Repton 7-1. However, a defeat at the hands of EIS soon followed, which marked our first loss in 4 seasons under the wisdom of Mr Mac. Despite this the DC team came back fighting, not wanting to lose, with wins against DBS and JESS. Our striker Bami adamantly claimed that his only goal in a 7-1 thrashing of JESS was the turning point for the season. The Al-Sufouh derby against Chouiefat was next on the calendar. Our first away game of the season led us to a hostile environment, with many of us receiving intimidating cries from the terraces surrounding the pitch. The 5 balls, previously lost, were stabbed onto spikes hoping to mimic our heads in a sign of power against their Al-Sufouh rivals. At half time, the angry

148

Shamal 2013

Mac used his wise words to refer to the myth of a ‘Big Family’ that he had created in the previous seasons. This proved essential in recouping our side from a 2-1 deficit, to come back to win 3-2 thanks to two late goals from Harvey Clark. A must win match against feared rivals JC followed the derby. Another tight game, with some remarkable defending from Will Hammond and Connor Murray, culminated with a curling free kick from Harvey Clark in the last few minutes giving us the vital 1-0 victory. This win proved vital in denying rivals JC the title. The season bubbled down to the final game against EC. Going into the game, we knew that a 7-0 win would overcome the goal deficit held by EIS, naming us as League Champions. There were nerves circulating around the camp throughout the Christmas holidays, eager to regain the title. We were ready. They were not. The subsequent forfeit meant that we were gifted a 3-0 win, not allowing us to play for the title fairly: a sad end to 4 great seasons with Mr Mac at the helm of. Nevertheless a big thank you must be given to all the lads this season and especially Mr Mac who we will miss dearly as we move away from DC football. Will Hammond Captain 13BV Harvey McAdam Clark Vice Captain 13GR


Sports

2nd XI Football Back Row: Mr B Trivić, Ziyaad Massoud, Cristophe Rippon, Bami Ogunyoye, Joseph Flynn, Adam Patel Front Row: Jack Denham, Daniel Adair, Veljko Mladenović, Saif Sarwar, Rory Blincow, Callum Duncan Absent: Mohammad Bin Drai

After reaching the dizzy heights of Plate Champions last season, it was always going to be difficult to match or better the greatest 2nd XI achievement of recent history. Despite losing some key players to mediocre University football, Mr Trivić managed to recruit a pair of fine additions in the form of rock solid centreback Ziyaad ‘Puyol’ Massoud and Callum ‘Fat Ronaldo’ Duncan. In classic B team style, we started the season slowly with a severe lack of match fitness and team chemistry. After 2-0 loss at the uninviting home of Cambridge International School, we successfully kick-started our season with a 3-1 win over our neighbours Wellington. In a routine victory, our opponents lost both the game and their heads as it took resident hard-man Zee to break up some ugly scenes provoked by their frustrated players (and Christophe ‘Bramble’ Rippon mainly). By the season’s mid-point, we were playing with the verve, fluidity and confidence asked for by our manager in a traditional 3-5-2 formation – it seemed like the perfect time to climb to top spot in the table against Jumeirah College. Calls of “Are you Barca in disguise” rang out from the stands as we snatched a first minute lead through the cultured left foot of Jack3d ‘Bale’ Denham. Bami ‘Ba’ Ogunyoye initially looked to have dispelled the 2nd XI legacy of wasteful strikers – Burke and Mapara to name a few – by burying a close range effort to double our lead. However, he soon proved to epitomise the classic B Team centre forward as he missed chance upon chance to put the game out of doubt. Unfortunately our defensive concentration did not match our attacking play as we crumbled to a late equaliser which damaged our title hopes and confidence. This result dampened our assault on the title and changed our direction from title contenders to mid-table mediocrity, which was compounded by the step down to the 1st XI for Denham and Veljko ‘The Playwright’ Mladenović. Following

some disappointing results, our status in the 2nd Division was uncertain and a win over Rashid School for Boys was essential in sealing our collective fate. A decisive toe-poke from ex-Rashid hit man H.H Sheikh Mohammad Bin Drai inspired both a 3-1 win and Robin van Persie’s #respectful celebration against his former club. Our league status cemented, we shifted our attention to the magic of the first DC Football 7s Cup. Some hard fought wins took us to the Bowl Final, where a gritty Keane-esque captain’s goal from Saif Sarwar guided us to glory. Unsurprisingly, the B team won more silverware than the 1st XI and this squad are engraved eternally in DC folklore. The season was rounded off with a 7 nil destruction of the Staff XI, much to the disgust of their leader Mr Trivić – to whom we must pay our upmost gratitude. He has shaped us players and men, instilling in us values (honour, integrity, wit) which will last a life time. Good luck to the next generation of Sir Bobby Trivić’s army, may your sword stay strong in battle. Captain – Saif Sarwar 13JC Vice-Captain – Joe “Carrick” Flynn 13RG (Photo below)

Shamal 2013

149


Sports

U12A Girls’ Football Back Row: Serena Lambert, Gabriella Reynolds, Jemma Shand, Arya Flisher, Miss G Woolcock. Front Row: Rihana Al Nabhani, Alma Zickerman, Rebecca Wilding, Holly Rhys-Maitland, Siena Gordon

The Football season this year for the team was highly successful and full of memorable moments. As well as playing some excellent football, we had lots of fun. Altogether, we won five out of six matches putting us second at the end of the league. The first match we played went amazingly well! It was the first time we had ever played together as a team, but seemed like we had played with each other for years. We didn’t let in any goals and scored two. Our matches were all against good teams; we took them on and played confidently, leading to many wins. During training we would always work hard as well as having good fun with our teammates. Our matches at the end of each training session were always a bundle of laughs. We were all competitive and wanted to win against close friends. Nobody was ever bored in training; we were always challenging ourselves in drills or striking a goal at a goalkeeper. My teammates and I would like to thank Miss Woolcock for her outstanding coaching and encouragement this year. I would also like to thank all of my teammates for making the football season so successful and enjoyable. Jemma Shand 7WD

150

Shamal 2013


Sports

U12B Girls’ Football Back Row: Emily Peck, Naoise Morgan, Malika Alidina, Miss G Woolcock. Front Row: Kara Catchpole-King, Niamh Bone, Anise Noor, Zoya Afzal.

U14 Girls’ Football Back Row: Nimrah Siddiqi, Kate Dodds, Olivia Peacock, Sophie Shams, Julia MacKay, Miss G Woolcock. Front Row: Corynn Foote, Denia Loukos, Isabel Snaas, Chloe Williams, Sophie Rhys-Maitland

U14 Girls’ Football League The U14 girls’ Football team had a great season this year! Through hard work and determination, we played great games combined with lots of great goals. Training on a Sunday afternoon benefited us all with its advantages and disadvantages, the oppressive heat pushed us to our limits, improving our overall stamina. In addition, the various drills and exercises helped to hone in on each of our diverse weaknesses as well as strengths, making us better footballers. Not to mention, the games at the end of every training session were great fun and definitely helped us to bond as a team. Now, it was just a matter of how well we would bond on the pitch. Our first match was against EC and we won it 4-0. This score really boosted our confidence and motivated us to play all of our following games with the same level of commitment. We were undefeated for the season and found ourselves tied at the top with WIS. We lost out to them on

goal difference, nevertheless, it has been an absolutely amazing year of football and so much thanks goes to Miss Woolcock and all of the girls, it’s been so much fun! Izzy Snaas 9CJ

Shamal 2013

151


Sports

U14 Girls’ Football Back Row: Alison Tuffin, Anushe Sheikh, Sally Marr, Kirsten Holtby, Rachel Choi, Charlotte Style, Miss G Woolcock. Front Row: Ruby Ebdon, Jessica Pollock, Hannah Cleere, Georgina Peck, Anushe Samee

U14 Girls’ Football BSAK tournament On Friday March 8th, we went to Abu Dhabi Sports City for the BSAK 7s U14 Girls’ Football Tournament. Dubai College entered 2 teams and the most intense match was against each other! The A team had to win the last match in order to win the tournament. This match was against Abu Dhabi Thistle, a really good league team who were tough to play against but we did our best. Unfortunately, we lost 2-0 but came 2nd overall in the tournament and won the plate. Both teams were happy that DC had won something; everyone played so well that day and put all their effort in. We would like to thank Miss Woolcock for letting us play in the tournament and giving up her Friday to spend it with a bunch of crazy teenagers! We would also like to thank her for being an amazing coach; we really appreciate it! Also, thank you to Mrs Dodds for coming to the tournament and taking some awesome photos! Corynn Foote 9EJ and Livi Peacock 9SM

152

Shamal 2013


Sports

U16 Girls’ Football Back Row: Mr R Ashby, Toni Spiteri, Hayley Moore, Jo Summers, Perle Battistella, Natalia Adair. Front Row: Alana Rogers, Gabi Guscott, Alice Lovett, Aidan McBride, Iona Stewart.

After a hugely successful and competitive season last year, the pressure was on for our team to retain the U16 Girls Football League trophy this season with the help of our new coach, Mr Ashby. Despite having a new coach after working with the previous one for 2 years, Mr Ashby knew exactly what he needed to teach us in order to hold the title for a second year running. After copious amounts of passing drills, footwork practices and tactical lessons, as well as being reminded multiple times that the defenders needed to “PUSH UP THE FIELD AND HELP” rather than watching everyone else run around like headless chickens, our newly formed U16 team were ready and raring to go.

their previous matches, were the strongest opponents we would have to face. From the moment the starting whistle blew, the game was neck-and-neck, with both teams demonstrating brilliantly executed passes and skilful dribbling. We were already at a disadvantage missing our amazing goalkeeper Gabi Guscott, and unfortunately, after JC scoring just before full time, the exhaustion and sweltering heat from the sun took a toll on our performance, and we lost 2-1. Although we were disappointed to lose against our rivals, we hoped that we had won the league through goal difference, which was what it came down to. In all, we managed to win the league, beating 2nd place JC by 1 point!

Our countless efforts and motivation in training helped us get the strong start we needed to the new season, beating JESS 5-2 and carrying on this success winning our next 5 matches. Our most remarkable performance by far was our tremendous victory against EIS Jumeirah, with an impressive score of 8-0, gaining us more distance at the top of the league table because of goals scored, as well as beating Repton with a score of 5-0 and Greenfield 4-0.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank every single person who took part in Girls’ Football this year, and a massive thank you to those who stepped in and played for us when we were players down! Finally, the biggest thank you goes to Mr Ashby for being such a dedicated and helpful coach, and for making this season so successful and enjoyable - we really do appreciate it!

For our final game came the season’s biggest rivals, Jumeirah College who, although had lost a couple of

Alice Lovett 11DF

Shamal 2013

153


Sports

1st VII Girls’ Football Back Row: Mr R Ashby, Tara Burke, Ellie McBride, Talia Elsener, Menrit Guirguis, Rhianna Foote Front Row: Pritika Mehra, Sarah Moore, Yasmin Adib, Lauren Hindley, Tanvi Bhatia

Who run the world… GIRLS. This was very much the case with our feisty group of fabulous footballers who all demonstrated continuous qualities of persistence, spirit, courage, endurance and dedication. Many players showed qualities, I believe, that could replicate that of the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and Van Persie in their dribbling and goal scoring abilities. We were also a team that obtained really high quality 'Arsenalesque' passing methods in combination with swift runs from legends like Talia and Lauren. There were some tight draws throughout the season but undeniably our prime highlight was our superb win against EIS with a whopping 3-0 win and some 'goals of the season' worth shots by Cathy, Tanvi and Rhianna. The aggression in that match was incontrovertible and there was a real sense of teamwork within the players. To start off with the goalies, Prits and Hamoudi, they were utterly fantastic. They were not just goalies but would also play in midfield and striking positions when we were low on players and showed they could use their feet as well as their hands. In one game Prits proved to be a 'Hart' or 'Casillas' type character illustrating ninja - like qualities stopping any goals getting in. There were definite 'dream team' groupings in defence and offence. Lauren and Ellie showed how solid and consistent defence can be with a combination of true teamwork and hugely

154

Shamal 2013

impressive technical abilities (perhaps they can even give Arsenal a few tips…) In midfield there was great chemistry between Talia, Lisa and I who liked to play a 'run-like-crazy' kind of game which proved fairly successful. The 'Steven Gerrard/Yasmin Adib' facebook football group was also a great way to bring the group together full of motivational videos and notices and I hope next year the captain will continue a similar thing. Finally, all of this success cannot be achieved without the help of a useful coach: Mr Ashby. He consistently pushed us in every game and urged us to improve in our abilities. Overall, it has been a great season which was huge enjoyable and it was a privilege to be captain of a stunning team. Hope next year is even better! *GO DC* Yasmin Adib 13CH


Sports U12A Girls’ Basketball Back Row: Lauren Johnstone, Siena Gordon, Isabella Duthie, Amun Chaudhary, Alysha Alimohamed, Serena Lambert. Front Row: Francesca Hall, Holly Rhys-Maitland, Jemma Shand, Arya Flisher, Zoya Afzal, Alma Zickerman, Niamh Bone.

U12B Girls’ Basketball

Back Row: Natasha Nobbs, Serene Sng, Emily Peck, Gabriella Reynolds, Naoise Morgan. Front Row: Maisie Harvey, Rebecca Wilding, Annabelle Style, Rihana Al Nabhani.

Following an amazing season across a range of sports, the U12 teams were in pole position to do something special in Basketball. The A team displayed some fantastic long range shots, stifling defence and superb team spirit. At the time of going to print the girls are undefeated moving in to the semi-finals. Their motivation, rapidly improving skills and accuracy of shooting gives them more than a fighting chance of winning the trophy. The girls would like to say a huge thanks to Mr Jeffcote who, according to Captain Arya Flisher, was “The shining star, the glorious leader, the wind beneath or wings. The peanut to our jelly” –or something like that!

finished 3rd in their pool and played GWA in the quarter final. The B team played out of their skins to come away with a shock win to send them through to the last 4! What an outstanding achievement! Huge thanks must go to their coaches, Mrs Pryor and Tracey who have worked tirelessly to get them ready for competition! Good luck girls in the semis!

The B team however, were a little more of an unknown contender. They bravely entered the Division 1 competition and have been simply outstanding. A group of girls who had hardly played basketball before took on a number of teams and gave as good as they got! They

Shamal 2013

155


Sports U14A Girls’ Basketball Back Row: Hannah Story, Isabel Snaas, Franciska Kundrak, Kitty Willson, Sabrina Daga, Zahra Kapasi, Anushe Sheikh. Front Row: Mrs L Nowacki, Julia MacKay, Olivia Peacock, Sophie Rhys-Maitland, Charlise Koch, Sophie Shams, Emma Howard.

U14B Girls’ Basketball

Back Row: Kirsten Holtby, Sarah Bolton, Emma Kelly. Front Row: Yasmeen Mohajer, Ellie O’Keeffe, Jessica Pollock, Aleksandra Skroban.

In an age group littered with talent, the two U14 girls Basketball teams were looking incredibly strong as the basketball season started. With so many of the girls not having played before there was a very steep learning curve for many from the first training session. Despite having great passing and catching skills from their netball, the girls really got stuck in and developed a much deeper understanding of the game (and secretly loved the physicality!). The older Year 9 girls who played in the A team led the way and were great role models for the younger more inexperienced girls. Opposition have been left surprised and dismayed at the new found depth of talent that is forming at DC! So far this season both

156

Shamal 2013

teams have had an immaculate set of scores, remaining unbeaten so far. With continued domination in the netball, and huge transferable skills, the future of girls’ Basketball looks incredibly bright. A huge thanks must go to Mrs Nowacki, Tracey and Mrs Bell for their invaluable coaching (well not Mrs Bell – she just shouted!!!), advice and passion! Watch out for next year.


Sports U16 Girls’ Basketball

Back Row: Jessica Lattouf, Joanna Summers, Lucy Bell, Hannah Cassidy, Lara Fowler, Kiana Simpson, Perle Battistella, Mrs L Nowacki. Front Row: Kelley Day, Lizzy Adamson, Natalia Adair, Bianca Pereira (capt), Beatrice Turner, Isabelle Haigh, Hayley Moore.

This year’s Basketball season started off with a Bang! Right from the word GO! The pressure was on as the trials were held to select the U16 Girls’ Basketball team 2012-2013. As quickly as the team was formed, the team began the season. Our first match was against WIS. I think it is fair to say that after two months of summer holidays, our fitness levels were severely tested during the match, but despite the panting and groaning we emerged victorious with a score line of 30-22. This win boosted our confidence greatly, knowing that we could only improve with training and practice.

whole team, I would like to say a massive “Thank You” to Mrs Nowacki for without her excellent coaching and support, our season would never have been such a success and our lay-ups so perfect, except perhaps from the left. Bianca Pereira 11GJ

Our next match against JC was extremely close and competitive. The whole team played incredibly well and put up a great fight right ‘til the end, resulting in the match being one of our best matches, despite the disappointing score line of 33-37 to JC. A team never to lose hope and with increasing confidence, we won our next five matches with ease, as one would expect with the team giving 100%, against Repton(48-10), EIS M(30-14), CIS(28-11) DESC(34-16) and EIS J(36-21). Our hustlers, Hayley, Bea, Izzy, Perle and Natalia, hustled their arms off in every single match played, winning us many crucial interceptions as well as a little hate from our opponents as they struggled to get the ball into our key. Our tall defenders, Lucy, Jo, Hannah, Jess and Kiana, were incredible when it came to rebounds, turnarounds and fast breaks, the many open lay-ups our hustlers had were due to them. Our jump shots too improved throughout the season, particularly from Kelley, Lizzy and Lara, with a few sneaky three pointers amongst them (Natalia) Losing just one match got us into the semi-finals with EIS J as our opponents. Once again, it was an unpredictable, tight game right until the final buzzer but luck was not on our side as we lost 24-22. Nevertheless, the season was truly an enjoyable one and the talented and determined team bonded well. On behalf of the

Shamal 2013

157


Sports Senior Girls’ Basketball Back Row: Mr P Flower, Sarah Moore, Lisa Janus, Alice Lovett, Ambre Battistella, Shanzeh Khurshid Front Row: Gabi Guscott, Honor Nicholl, Jess MacCormick, Jess Snaas, Mia Zickerman-White, Alex Mulligan

The Senior girls definitely experienced an extremely eventful season this time round yielding both rewarding wins and narrow losses. Adding to the madness, for the first time ever, our girls took their ballin’ skills international (okay maybe not quite so international) to Doha where they competed in a tournament hosted by the American School there. As one of the youngest squads in DC Senior Basketball history, we knew we had our work cut out for us in terms of gelling as a team who had hardly played together. But we weren’t worried, a few tactical training sessions led by Mr Flower and Mrs Nowacki quickly whipped us into shape. They had Jess Mac, Mia and Sarah Alley-Ooping; Honor, Alice and Ambre poppin’ 3’s left right and centre; Alex, Gabi and Lisa cherry picking the rebounds and Emma and Shanzeh throwing down screens like no tomorrow. All was looking good, until we got some devastating news. Our very first league match to be played would see us facing our toughest opponents, JC. Still fresh in our minds was the defeat we experienced against them in the finals just one year ago. Game day arrived. We were welcomed by a hall full of JC students (seriously do they pay their supporters to show up?!) and immediately began to warm up. To boost morale before the buzzer sounded for the start of the game, we all huddled and began to chant. DC… DC… DC... DC...DCDCDCDCDC. This soon became our game tradition. To cut the story short, first game butterflies resulted in a 27-40 point loss. Not an ideal result, but it motivated us to go on and win our next four games against Repton, Wellington, EIS Jumeirah and DBS in true competitive fashion. We even made a Wellington girl cry hehehe (sorry not sorry). Our massive efforts resulted in us facing JESS Ranches in the semi finals. Off we went in our bright yellow mini bus down to the Ranches to

158

Shamal 2013

meet destiny face to face. It was time to hustle, hit and never quit. After throwing some friendly pre-game comments around such as “you may be beautiful but not even Cinderella is getting to THIS ball” (just kidding none of that happened) we were ready for the starting jump. So it turns out they did make it to the ball, beating us by the narrowest of margins in the last few minutes of the game. Luck was not on our side that day as one of our valued players, Jess Mac, injured herself early on in the first half. Although the league didn’t yield the results we necessarily wanted, the whole experience was great and the talent shown by the younger players on the team was extremely promising! All in all a massive thank you goes to Mr Flower and Mrs Nowacki for all their hard work and efforts, we honestly appreciate your time and dedication so much and wouldn’t have made it half as far as we did without you. Playing basketball at DC has been incredible and I have no doubt next year’s team will be every bit as successful as this year’s. Thank you girls for everything. Jessica Snaas 13DM

Type

Venue

Opponents

Result

Score

League

Away

Jumeirah College

Lost

27 – 40

League

Home

JESS Ranches

Lost

23 – 40

League

Away

Repton International School

Won

35 – 32

Won

Friendly

Away

Doha College

League

Home

Wellington International School Won

28 – 26

League

Home

EIS Jumeirah

49 – 17

League

Away

League ½-final Away

Won

20 – 8

Dubai British School

Won

17 – 15

JESS Ranches

Lost

22 – 25

Doha

Away

ACS Abu Dhabi

Lost

30 – 43

Doha

Away

American School Doha

Lost

30 – 47

Doha

Away

American School Dubai

Lost

26 – 43

Doha

Away

American School Doha

Lost

31 – 50

A squad

Played

Won

Lost

Points Scored

Points Against

12

5

7

338

396


Sports

Doha Basketball Back Row: Mr P Flower, Alex Mulligan, Alice Lovett, Gabi Guscott, Lucy Bell Front Row: Kelley Day, Lizzie Adamson, Jess MacCormick, Hayley Moore, Lara Fowler

On January 11th, a team consisting of Year 10s and 11s and myself, being the only Sixth Former, travelled to Doha to take part in a Basketball tournament at the American School of Doha. Over the two days we played 3 schools – American School of Doha, American School of Dubai and an Abu Dhabi school, and we were proud to have not been completely thrashed, considering we hadn’t played basketball in a month and those teams train daily. In every match we played we never lost by more than 17 points which we thought was pretty impressive and we put up a strong fight with amazing lay ups from Lara Fowler and Alice Lovett, as well as having Gabi Gusscot storming through the opponents and scoring the majority of her free throws. The real fun began, however, off the court. Before we’d even left the airport when arriving in Doha, Alice managed to stall us by a good 20 minutes because as soon as she looked at the camera at passport control it broke which Mr Flower found hilarious! On the Friday night we were all planning on going out to meet friends that we had met through the Doha College Exchange and so being hosted with Gabi and Alice we all got ready to go out to find out that our host, Lucy-Rae’s mum said it was too dangerous to go out and so we had to stay in. So, we spent the rest of that night playing scrabble in our room which surprisingly, Alice seemed happy enough to do and meanwhile Lucy-Rae and Alice battled it out, I took endless photos of Gabi looking like she’d rather be dead than sitting there playing Scrabble. After many instagram photos later, Gabi was relieved to get into bed and just sleep before having to get up and play another game of basketball that night. However, the upside was that Lucy-Rae’s dad was an amazing cook so we spent the majority of the weekend eating and playing with her dog. We flew back to Dubai on the Saturday night so it was a very action-filled two days but overall a weekend we were very proud of and I personally am excited to see what this upcoming team can become for next year’s league. Jess MacCormick 12PR

Shamal 2013

159


Sports U12A Boys’ Basketball

Back Row: Jason Pollock, Patrick Dowling, Michael Reid, Harry Hughes, Jack Norman. Front Row: Jamie MacKinonn, Harvey Bullock, Matthew Wane, David Hunt, Sam Reedy.

U12B Boys’ Basketball

Back Row: Andrew Macintosh, James Caution, Ben Avery, Ben Williams, Rory Nisbet, Shaan Nathwani, Elliot Crossley, Sam Burns, Joe Madeira. Front Row: Joonwoo Jeong, George Gunn, Hishaan Mahtani, Finlay Keegan, Ammar Mooraj, Sahil Mordani, Owen Wakeham.

This is the first year that there has been a U12 Basketball League in the Dubai Schools League. Dubai College had over 25 students at the trials so decided to enter both an A and a B team into the league with both teams taking part in the A competition. The main focus for the season was to introduce the sport to the boys and develop the teams’ knowledge and understanding of the sport as well as the individual skills of the players. Competition will always be important but building enthusiasm and enjoyment at this stage is vital as this ensures the best quality as the student move higher up the school. With the season still in full swing both teams are still involved in the knock out rounds. After the group stages the A team finished second in their group playing matches against Wellington (winning 17-3), EIS Jumeirah (winning 31-10) and GEMS World (losing 26-20). Every game for the A team brought new challenges against a real variety of opposition. The team adapted each time and continued to show great potential

160

Shamal 2013

across the entire squad. The B team finished fourth playing against all A teams from Jumeirah College, DESC and Repton. This was an extremely difficult task for the players but their application and improvement over every game prepared them well for the knock out stages. The quarter finals were tough matches for both teams with the As defeating Jumeirah College 26-18 and the Bs lost a very tough match up against GEMS World 14-31. This leaves the A team in the semi-final of the cup competition and the B team in the semi-final of the plate competition. The effort and enthusiasm shown by the boys this season has led to vast improvements in all of the players. The building blocks are now in place and the future looks extremely bright for basketball at Dubai College. Let’s hope the boys can bring back some silver ware this year and in many years to come. DR


Sports U14A Boys’ Basketball

Back Row: Mr D. Riordan, Josh Devereux, Dylan Russo, Luca Sackeyfio, Yehia Islam, Dharam Madnani. Front Row: Chris Vail, Scott Simpson, Max Lovett, Ali Kapasi, Oh Jun Kweon.

U14B Boys’ Basketball Back Row: Matthew Anderson, Dushan Stembo, Shahmeer Chaudhary, Arnav Lahiry, Ramzi Jalili, Will Treston. Front Row: Craig Buchan, Matty Russo, Oliver Tait, Juan Carlos Rivero Cruells, Max Holt, Mrs L. Nowacki.

Term 2 saw the start of the U14 boys’ Basketball season begin in earnest. With weekly training sessions and friendly matches the boys hoped to build on their successes from previous seasons.

decided in the final few minutes. Unfortunately, the season came to an end in the semi-finals where another close defeat in an away match to Wellington meant that the season finished in heart ache for the boys.

The high number of players attending these sessions meant that the school were able to enter two teams into the DASSA schools competition that would begin in Term 3. The B team began their season in the lower tier competition but nevertheless were grouped together with A teams from opposing schools. They lost all three group matches but the improvement was obvious to see and while it’s disappointing to not achieve a victory the experience gained will be hugely beneficial in seasons to come. The A team began by losing the first two group games in very closely contested matches. Finally they got the all-important victory in the last group game. This meant that they travelled to Jumeirah College in the quarter finals from which they emerged victorious in an exciting game that was only

The standard of Basketball in Dubai continues to improve every year. Making a semi-final is a very good achievement especially as there was such a thin dividing line between winning and losing in all of their matches. The improvement of individual skills and the standard of team work on display has been hugely encouraging. Hopefully the Year 8s who took part this year will put their experience to good use in the same competition next year. While the year Ys won’t have long to wait for more basketball as they will be progressing up the age groups to compete in the U16 league in Term 1 next year. DR

Shamal 2013

161


Sports U16 Boys’ Basketball

Back Row: Joe Story, Zohayb Shaikh, Kipngeno Chirchir, Pierre Springuel. Middle Row: Mrs L Nowacki, Karan Nair, Adian Liusie, Prateek Nadkarni. Front Row: Inaam Mian, Sandip Roy, Angus Maxfield, Joe Singh. Absent: Gerard Pieterse

The Under 16 Basketball team performed well this season fun game to play on their superb court and facilities, which were near NBA standards. against some challenging opposition. The opening game We were motivated to play our best on the on 1 October against DBS allowed DC to notch up their court and the result did not disappoint first victory with a solid 37-16 win despite DBS fielding a towering team member who was at least 6’8” tall! This was a with a convincing 48-24 win. Inaam Mian excelled at point guard sinking his set shots promising start, as in order to reach the play-offs before the with ease. One week later we played GCS finals in December, most games would have to be won. The following week WIS were the challengers as we travelled again winning by a solid 50-20 and three days later consolidated our place as second away from home for the first time. The team was focused top of the league by defeating Repton 43-22. as ever, even when we reached the court we refused to be This meant DC would face EIS Jumeirah in distracted by the large number of girls who had turned up the league final. The team were kept on their to watch the match. In this match we utilised the fast-break toes by the game being postponed twice and regularly taking opportunities to break away and score, it eventually took place on 11 December. As resulting in 48-16 victory. Gerard Pieterse disappointed this was the final a neutral venue was chosen the team by refusing to dunk, despite it being well within and we faced up to each other at JC. The final his capabilities. On the October 15th we suffered a narrow 34-29 defeat at a proved to be as challenging as we expected, Inaam home game against EIS Jumeirah. especially as we were without the services Mian The team worked well together of Gerard due to injury, and EIS were very but were second best on the day excelled at point confident having defeated us previously in due to the intensity of the EIS season. Unfortunately EIS Jumeirah guard sinking his the attack. We knew this was the were the better team on the day and DC set shots with team to beat and if we reached suffered our second defeat of the season. the finals, they would be our likely Overall it was a good season, and with the ease opponents. exception of our defeats by EIS Jumeirah, JC were our next opponents in the winning every match against tough league and a strong steady performance opposition. Thank you to the entire team for by the DC team resulted in a solid 54-25 victory. A stand out your commitment and enthusiasm this year. performance was recorded by Zohayb Shaikh who, utilising his height, took advantage of our opponents’ zone defence by Angus Maxfield 11GJ exploiting the exposed gap. EIS Meadows, on 12 November was always going to be a

162

Shamal 2013


Sports Senior Boys Basketball

Back Row: Mr D Riordan, Reuben Abraham, Shivank Keni, Shahryar Mooraj, Tushaar Nadkarni, Amaan Khullar. Front Row: Ashwin Gupta, Oh Hyun Kweon, Aaroosh Kohli, Rishi Ganguli, Veljko Mladenovic, Shayan Momeni. Absent: Will Hammond

This year’s season kicked off with a game of all games against Bradenton Prep. The close game filled with action ended 85-2 with star performances from everyone because every single person on the team scored at least 5 points. This game was followed by the first game of our DASSA league against JC where sloppy play and injuries lead to a close game that unfortunately ended in defeat. Next came the most important game of the season against our fierce rivals, EIS Jumeirah. The game was back-and-forth, with play being dominated by defence and William “Who said white guys can’t jump?” Hammond and Tushaar “Basketball sucks, but it’s also pretty good” Nadkarni showed their dominance in the paint. Eventually it was a tied game with me shooting two free throws with 0.8 seconds on the clock. My teammates were confident of me making at least one. I missed the first, inside and out. Then the second hits the back iron and shoots out. All of us with our heads down, but hope was not lost. Overtime seemed a daunting task but after falling quickly behind, a few baskets and an extremely clutch shot from Ashwin ‘7 feet tall’ Gupta eventually led to a hard fought 43-39 victory. Sadly we were without Will Hammond for the rest of the season due to injury and Rugby commitments. But we had to carry on. A game against GWA was next on the list; an extremely strong team who went on to win the league was too much for our short-

handed squad and resulted in an eventual loss. Another rival team in the form of JESS Ranches was next. With a great performance from Reuben ‘Babes’ Abraham we came out eventual winners in a close fought contest 45-43. The last game in the group stages was against Cambridge, an extremely vital game as winning would see us in second place, whilst a loss would mean an end to our competition. A neck and neck game came down to the wire with the last possession being all or nothing. Reuben Abraham and myself called a trap and successfully stole the ball until the whistle blew. A foul was called, and to make things worse I had been fouled out of the game. We went from being one point down to three points down and the game became out of reach with virtually no time left. We had a chance to redeem our performance in the league through the 3SM High School Championship. But, as was the case all season, we were plagued by injury throughout the tournament having to draft Year 11s in to the squad. We were eventually knocked out but not without giving the teams a run for their money. While this season was not a successful one in terms of silverware, it taught us a lot about improvement and how to be resilient in the face of changing situations. We were unlucky to be faced with injuries and timing conflicts, but nonetheless it was a great season of basketball. I would like to thank all the players and both coaches Mr Riordan and Mrs Nowacki for their help and guidance and I hope that DC basketball continues to improve. Aaroosh Kohli 13PR

Shamal 2013

163


Sports

U12A Netball Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Jemma Shand, Lauren Johnstone, Zoya Afzal, Mrs K Bell. Front Row: Sasha Verrall, Maisie Harvey, Arya Flisher, Holly RhysMaitland, Caitlin Theocharis Absent: Francesca Hall

U12A Netball This netball season was fantastic as we accomplished so many things as a team. We have improved our skills and got to know one another better so we can play our absolute best! Time passed so quickly but we have come so far and had so much fun! In our first match we played brilliantly, working together as a team and defeating Repton an amazing 17-0! This gave us the boost of confidence we needed for our next match against EC where we won 17-2. Our most challenging game was up next against JC. We were quite anxious because we knew they were an amazing team, but it so happens we were better! We were victorious 14-10.

We were on a winning streak, and that was the confidence we needed for our very first netball tournament, which didn’t quite go according to plan…It was the DC invitational U12 tournament. As we were the home team, we hosted girls from Doha College. Each of us who offered to host collected them from school on Friday and bought them to the tournament the next day. This was an amazing experience and so much fun. However, Saturday morning arrived and so did the rain!! The tournament was postponed but we had a mini round-robin in the sports hall with Doha and Brighton College, Abu Dhabi. It was fitting that both DCs tied for first place. Then it was back to the league. Initially we met and defeated Wellington in a tough match (13-6) which was followed by JESS Ranches. It was probably the hardest match of the entire season. We were all so nervous, we knew they were amazing and they were playing really well. However, we picked the pace up in the second half and came away with a 9-5 victory! We have had the best season to start our time here at Dubai College. It was a huge leap in our netball lives, going from Year 6 to 7 and I honestly can’t believe what we have accomplished as a team and how close we have got. I would like to give a huge thanks to all the girls in the squad and a special mention must go to Mrs Adamson and Mrs Bell for all their coaching and encouragement this year. Thanks so much girls, we couldn’t have won the season without all of us playing together. Well done! Arya Flisher 7WD

U12B Netball The U12B team did extremely well during the long season of competitive netball. We started off with a confident start and carried it all the way through. In our last netball tournament that took place on the grounds of Wellington International School we got through to the Bowl Finals. We were awarded 3rd place in the cup finals of our pool and age group. The members of our team are myself (Captain), Naoise (ViceCaptain), Natasha, Emily, Rihana, Mehek, Hireena and Ella R. Our

164

Shamal 2013

two special members of the team Natasha and Emily, ‘the clumsy twins’, have fallen over at least twice in every training session or match. They are hilarious! In our last match of the season against JC at home we beat them 8-6. Sadly we had no subs because Natasha went home with concussion from school and Rihana was very sick and did not come to school at all. We were all extremely


Sports tired, as we had to play 4 back to back quarters in the sun. As JC has quite a strong team we were astonished that we beat them. We were down in the first half of the match and suddenly started defending lots of passes, calmed down and passed hard and consequently scored goals and won. During our training sessions, we work hard to concentrate and try and put what we have learnt into action and in our matches. In our league we have won all our matches with the exception of the draw against Dubai English Speaking College. In that draining game the score was finally 2-2! That means that we have successfully gained the title of Division 2 CHAMPIONS!!! The box of oranges at every home match must have helped to give us the boost of energy we needed! As a team we have become very close and have enjoyed the time that we spent together playing

matches and training, and doing other things. I think that all the members of the team have had fun, have co-operated well with each other and helped one another. This entertaining season of netball has gone by so fast and has given us the opportunity to compete against a massive amount of schools. Overall, the B team had a great time playing in the long– lasting season of netball and is proud of the accomplishment we have made. Finally, a big thank you to Mrs Adamson and Mrs Bell for all their hard work in preparing us for the tough season we had. Shemica Adenwalla 7SC

U12B Netball Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Natasha Nobbs, Gabriella Reynolds, Emily Peck, Hireena Hans, Mrs K Bell. Front Row: Alysha Alimohamed, Mehek Vohra, Shemica Adenwalla, Rhiana Al Nabhani, Naoise Morgan

U12C Netball Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Ratan Kachwalla, Eve Clark, Lara Zaveri, Mrs K Bell. Front Row: Navika Agrawal, Ibani Hattangadi, Alma Zickerman, Niamh Bone, Brianne Riewer. Absent: Layla Haider.

Shamal 2013

165


Sports U12C Netball Wow, what a season! We have done so well as a team for being new to DC and new to each other. It must be said that the U12C team has achieved a lot this year, we have improved as netball players, but in my eyes, the biggest achievement has been the building of our team spirit. Since the beginning of the year we have been growing and maturing as a team. Cheering each other on, it’s actually funny how proud and happy we are compared to the other participants in the league. Whilst we are screaming our heads off and dancing our legs off, our opponents are sitting down with no enthusiasm or interest in the score. Our most successful match must have been against JESS, with an OUTSTANDING result of 22-0. Eve Clark with her well-deserved man of the match and with Lara as our head ‘cheerleader’, we were unstoppable =D !! Our passing was amazing. From the centre pass to the goal at that speed was crazy. We were dodging and running like gazelles. That’s another reason why we were so successful, apart from our will and spirit, the coaching has been fabulous. With Mrs Adamson, Mrs Bell and the Year 11s building on our knowledge and skill. We owe you guys a lot because like a wise man

once said, ‘advice is free but the right answer costs plenty.’ We also have to thank you guys for arranging so many matches and tournaments for us. By winning 5/5 of our league matches we were crowned Division 3 champions!! Thanks must go to: Eve - for being a strong player and being good at nearly all positions. Lara - for being an excellent netballer and ‘cheerleader’. Layla - for always being full of team spirit and never giving up. Brianne - for always doing what she can to help on court and off. Ibani - for being a fantastic shot and team member. Navika - for being a real team player and always trying 100%. Ratan - for being a fantastic team member that will never stop trying her best. Niamh - for being a hard working vice that plays well in nearly all positions. Alysha - for being an excellent shot and team player. Also for receiving player of the match so many times that she also received the league trophy for the division! Without these players, we would struggle because together we are a fantastic team. Yes, we did not win all of our matches against some of the teams in the other divisions, but we walked away as a team that really tried. Because one person cannot win a game, a team can. Alma Zickerman 7VB

U12D Netball Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Aleyha Hameed, Kara Catchpole-King, Emaan Ahmed, Nitya Thawani, Cassia Middleton, Mrs K Bell. Front Row: Annabelle Style, Joni MacDonald, Rhea Kotecha, Hannah Nurmohamed, Polly Jones.

The U12D team began the netball season in a positive spirit and it showed with some brilliant play. We have travelled a long way this year with many great moments during all our games and have earned a reputation as a fair team who is tough to beat. We managed to work collectively as a team throughout the season and all played exceptionally hard to try and win our matches and improve our skills. During our training sessions with our two coaches, Madelaine Freeman and Jenna Denton, we worked individually and as a team to develop our techniques and skills. In the DASSA tournament, which was held at Wellington, we reached the plate finals. During the tournament there was a real team spirit even to the point of all of us sharing our refreshments

166

Shamal 2013

and foods. The day was a great experience and we all played well. In the league our first match was against WSO. We were a bit nervous but soon put that behind us as DC stormed to a 2-0 lead. Sadly, our inexperieince showed and we let WSO back into the game to finish with a 2-2 draw. We put to good use the techniques we learned in training and our teamwork meant that we got the ball down to the other end of the court effectively. The player of the match was Cassia Middleton, who


Sports controlled the game as the centre. She regularly won the ball and supported the shooters from the circle edge. A special thanks to all of our vocal supporters who cheered and clapped us on. Against GCS, we also tied 2-2 and Cassia was once again crowned player of the match. The game of the season was our third against SES — a commanding team display led from the front by Captain Rhea Kotecha, saw DC power to a unbelievable 7-1victory ! The entire team worked as one unit. We snatched each toss up and pinged pin point passes from one end of the court to the other. Hannah and Rhea peppered the opposition hoop with shot after shot. Our player of the match was Nitya Thawani (GD) who was solid in defence and allowed the whole team to attack and play so positively. A very special thanks must go to the all of the coaching staff and especially Mrs Adamson, and of course our two Year 11 coaches. Special mention also to all of the parents, friends and siblings for being there and supporting us. Most of all I want to thank all the players on the team for a wonderful year — see you next season !! Rhea Kotecha 7NB

U14A Netball Back Row: Charlotte Style, Sabrina Daga, Olivia Peacock, Mrs K Bell Front Row: Sally Marr, Hannah Cleere, Isabel Snaas, Zahra Kapasi, Charlise Koch

The U14A netball team definitely proved themselves to be the ultimate champions this year; we strived for the golden trophies and consequently achieved our much desired goals. Winning our division, as well as the tournament hosted by Wellington, we remained undefeated throughout the season and claimed our rightful position as Number 1 in the A team category. However, the end result did not come without determination. During training, we constantly worked hard to improve our endurance, skills, weaknesses and overall teamwork. Mrs Bell persistently pushed us to the max and without doubt enhanced our level of understanding of the game which paid off as shown by the score cards. The day had finally come; our first match against another school was scheduled against the DESC A squad and we were pumped. After an intense four quarters of great netball, we went home beaming as we had beaten our opponents 21-13; this score really gave us some motivation. In the following

weeks, we played against Wellington, JC and JESS all resulting in wins for the DC A netball team. Nevertheless, our crucial match was going to be against EC, the team that we had been at war with since we were just midget Year 7s. The difference this time was we were finally ready for the challenge, we stood a better chance. The whistle was blown and the DC girls immediately kicked into action, by the end of the quarter we were already up by a couple of goals. As the game continued, EC desperately attempted to catch up to us in order to defend their long lived title as reigning champions but to our credit they did not succeed. In the end, the DC netball team departed from the school, truly satisfied; it was a momentous moment because we had finally beaten our all-time rivals. To prove it wasn’t a stroke of luck, we headed out to the U14 Wellington tournament, playing the usual league teams as well as recent newcomers. We pulled through confidently until we were once again faced with EC which slightly unnerved us. But to our delight it panned out parallel to our previous encounter, we won! It was settled; our last match would be against DC B whom we had already played in the league with an outcome of a draw so we were determined to win the decider. Within the second quarter we were shaken by the exit of our valued player Hannah since a

Shamal 2013

167


Sports dangerous fall resulted in her exit. Later on in the game blood gushed from my nose from a knock, so much so that I was commanded off the court. Fortunately, we pulled through and each of us was awarded a medal to showcase first place. Overall we are entirely grateful to our coach Mrs Bell for believing in us, and leaving us with a challenge, “you’re not the best yet, but you will

be.” Thank you to the parents who continuously cheer and support us and finally we must applaud each other for bonding as a team. I hope to play with all of you next year and much appreciation for making it so much fun! Izzy Snaas, 9CJ

U14B Netball Back Row: Aleksandra Skroban, Eleanor Reid, Anushe Sheikh, Hannah Story, Sophie Shams, Julia MacKay, Mrs K Bell. Front Row: Rachel De Sousa, Jessica Pollock, Emma Kelly, Chloe Williams, Isla Stewart.

The U14B team had a great year that saw us improving at a dramatic rate. The year started off on a bad note as it saw another change in the age groups, and it was most certainly not in our favour. We started the season with a squad of 11 players being the only B team in Division 1. Our first match of the year would be our toughest as we faced EC A. We were no match for their height and skill. The match ended with them beating us 16-5. Our next match was no easier being against none other than our own U14A team. Both teams were not at their best during this match and it ended up being very close, in fact so close that we drew with a score of 5-5! We were totally overjoyed with this result as it was better than we could have hoped for. This gave us all a huge confidence boost and we finally started to play as a team. Our next match was in January where we played DESC A. It was right down to the wire, and evoked some frantic screaming from their GK, who was not impressed with the result of us beating them 18-17 in the last minute. Our next event was our DC International Tournament in which we found ourselves without most of our Year 9s who were on a Netball tour. This meant that most of us had to step up and play as the A team along with the lovely Charlotte. We ended up coming second, losing the final to JC A in overtime which was disappointing as we had beaten them in pool play but a great result again for our Year 8 based team. Our next match vs WIS A was a convincing win. Against JESS A we showed that we had truly become a team as we dominated the older girls with a score of 13-5. The DASSA Netball Tournament followed (a whole day off school!) where we proved that we belonged with the A teams, coming 2nd in our pool having only lost to EC A. We played our way into the finals, beating WIS A and JC A in nail-biting quarter final and

168

Shamal 2013

semi-final respectively. We then played our own DC A in the final. It was a huge achievement to have two U14 teams in the final given that 25 teams started. It was a tough match with DC A deservedly winning. Amazingly our team of Year 8’s were runners up – what an achievement! Our last match of the year was against JC A which we narrowly lost bringing an end to a fantastic season with our team coming 4th in Division 1. Overall we all loved this Netball season. We would like to say a massive thank you to Mrs Bell and Tracey for their hard work this season. We cannot wait to come back and play again next year! Emma Kelly


Sports

U14C Netball Back Row: Alexandra Clements, Sarah Bolton, Franciska Kundrak, Cate Waft, Beth Jarvis, Mrs K Bell Front Row: Denia Loukos, Kirsten Holtby, Corynn Foote, Kristi Flanagan

The netball season for the Cs this year was a mix of highs and lows, consisting of seven matches which resulted in three wins and four defeats. Our first match of the season was against the DBS A team, it was a difficult match which ended in a score of 15-13 to them. Even though we lost, this did not dampen our spirits as we continued to train hard and focus on our next game. In the next couple of weeks, we faced both the Repton A and then DESC A teams both of which resulted in defeat. Despite the fact that these were A teams, we produced fair results. On a more positive note, our third match against BSAK was victorious as well as our match against the JESS B team. Our next game was against the EC B team, which after 28 minutes of hard work, we lost marginally with a result of 14-12. Our last match of the season, against our biggest rival was the JC B team, who like all of the other teams displayed great determination to win. However, with a final score of 23-16 to us, we came home with a great win. After each fixture, a player of the match was awarded to one person on each team, who the opposition thought had played well in the game. During the course of the season, Kristi Flanagan

was awarded with the title an amazing four out of seven matches, Kirsten Holtby with the other three. Just towards the end of the second term, we participated in a Dubai inter-school tournament at Wellington International School. As a team, we co-operated and communicated well, resulting in beating several A teams to get to the quarter finals of the cup alongside the DC A and B teaMs In the quarter finals, we played the JC A team which was by far the most difficult opponent we had encountered. In the end we lost, however not without valiant effort by all members of the team, securing a place in the top 8 overall in the tournament. Finally, although we would have liked to have been more successful, the team showed great determination and spirit, and we would like to thank Tracey and all the coaches for their support, time and efforts throughout the netball season. Kirsten Holtby 9RD

U14D Netball The U14D team began this year’s netball season with a bang, winning our first match against EC ‘B’ (15-7). Our team was considered ‘the small team’ due to the fact that we had many short people- but, it turns out our scores in some matches weren’t so small! Throughout the year we have worked effectively as a team as well as in training. Unfortunately, the next two matches we lost against tough opponents SES (8-13) and DESC ‘B’ (5-10) - at this point having one of our only shooters, Amy Harrison, put in defence purely because of height. However, we got back on our feet and proceeded to win both matches that followed against Repton ‘B’ (13-7) and WIS ‘B’ (7-4) - two great achievements! We were also fairly successful in the DC International 7s tournament and the DASSA Tournamentin which our team was mixed with the B team and had not trained

with them before. To top it all off, we finished with a great win against JESS ‘C’ with an amazing score of 20-10! With the title of Player of the Match dished out between us and an enjoyable, entertaining year of hard work, we are all proud to be in the team and have played extremely well together during this season. We would like to thank Mrs Bell and Tracey for their expert coaching and support! Also, I would like to give thanks to all of the girls in the D team for their commitment and effort they have put into their netball this year. Rae Mitchell 8JS

Shamal 2013

169


Sports

U14D Netball Back Row: Emma Janus, Kate Dodds, Ellen Holmes, Amy Harrison, Cate Hentschel. Mrs K Bell. Front Row: Sophie Scott, Sophie Rhys-Maitland, Rae Mitchell, Ellie O’Keeffe, Chloe George

U14E Netball Back Row: Emma Taylor, Tanya Hussein, Maya Sandhu, Mrs K Bell Front Row: Katie Gardner, Alexandra White, Rebecca Edwards, Eleanor Roy, Ariyike Oyelola

The U14E team has had a successful season this year! We won our first match against Wellington Silicon Oasis 8-4, which boosted our confidence for the rest of the season. Our best match must have been when we beat Cambridge International School, winning by an extremely large margin! We only lost two of our matches, with the scores of those matches being incredibly close; it was a great achievement that the whole team is very proud of!

throughout the course of the season, ensuring a win in many of our matches with our shooters Maya Sandhu, Emma Taylor and Ariyike Oyelola.

We have certainly improved as a team this year and individually as netball players. Our two defenders, Alexandra White and Eleanor Roy played extremely well and we always knew that we could count on them to intercept the ball! Our passing improved dramatically in the centre court from Katie Gardner, Becky Edwards, Tanya Hussain and Rebecca Hamer who got the ball down the court fast, even against some of our toughest competitors such as Wellington. Finally, our shooting became more and more accurate

Our team worked together really well; we knew everyone’s strengths and weaknesses and were able to work with these to play many great and enjoyable games of netball! We had amazing team spirit and had fun playing together. Although we didn’t get the chance to play in a tournament this year, we were extremely happy with the league matches’ results and are all looking forward to next year!

170

Shamal 2013

We also faced difficulties throughout the year, such as finding enough girls to play! We only had 9 girls, so making sure that at least 7 of us could play was harder than it sounds! However, we solved this well and had a full team all the time! (Thanks go to Fatima Gheewala for always being ready to step in, despite not being on our team!).

Huge thanks must go to Tracey for all her hard work and coaching. Emma Taylor 9RD


Sports

U14F Netball Back Row: Jet Biddle, Anna Haider, Fatima Gheewala, Mrs K Bell Front Row: Hayat Brannelly, Victoria Tode, Georgina Peck, Tara Mewawalla. Absent: Mina Jenkins, Aleka Gheewala

The under 14F team have had a fantastic season, well maybe fantastic is a little bit of a stretch, but it was certainly fun. We had a little bit of a slow start, losing our first couple of matches. However, with each match, we improved and we started to work together as a team, and with that came the enjoyment of winning! Hayat Brannelly, Victoria Tode, Mina Jenkins and Georgina Peck all worked well in centre court, and brought the ball down to Fatima Gheewala and Tara Mewawalla who would shoot. Aleka Gheewala, Anna Haider, and Jet Biddle would also be working hard, always intercepting the ball and getting it back from the other team. Most schools don’t have F teams, so we had to play their A or B teams, which meant that we had to work harder and more effectively to win. Thanks to our coaches Tracey and Mrs Bell. We now look forward to the new season and we hope we will play together again sometime soon!

U14G Netball We are the G team! Yes, the G you heard correct! We are the last team, BUT we are motivated, progressing and striving to do better! We may not be the best but we definitely have the most spirit, and put our hearts and souls into the game. All of our team have played very hard and put a lot of effort into their games, we are very proud of them for that. For next year we are planning to improve our passes; making them stronger and more direct. We will do this by playing out scenarios of two attackers trying to pass the ball with one defender and by passing then gradually getting further and further away each time. Another area we need to improve on is making a strong and well timed drive for the ball. This can be improved by working on the centre pass, spotting spaces and dodging our defenders. So far throughout this year we have played against a variety of different schools and ranks of teaMs The teams we’ve played against are: Cambridge, GCS, DIS and EISM and even though we haven’t won all... or any of them, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed them and made lots of new friends... also, eaten way too many oranges! Olivia Brown 8CT

Georgina Peck 8EA

U14G Netball Back Row: Isabella Lahdo, Simren Nijhawan, Ceyda Davidson, Reeza Khan, Mrs K Bell. Front Row: Emily Tsen, Madryn Riewer, Olivia Brown, Georgina Holbrook, Georgina Wright.

Shamal 2013

171


Sports

Desert Cubs I Netball Back Row: Sabrina Daga, Olivia Peacock, Mrs K Bell Front Row: Sally Marr, Charlise Koch, Kirsten Holtby, Hannah Cleere

This year, there was a Junior and Youth League held up at the Sevens grounds, hosted by Susanne from Top Sports Coaching. We, the Year 9s, decided to enter a school team, and came up with the name Desert Cubs to match the older girls’ Desert Kittens and Desert Cats. The Year 8s then also entered a team and we became Desert Cubs 1 and 2. Our team consisted of Charlise Koch and Kirsten Holtby playing as centre, Livi Peacock as wing attack, Sabrina and Sally as shooters, Hannah, Kitty and Taylor as defence. We played a range of matches on Wednesday nights over a period of 11 weeks, finishing third in the league, and runners up in the cup competition, where we all walked off with silver medals. I think that this competition has allowed us to become more responsible and independent as a team, as we had to rely on each other for support and commitment. We had to arrange lifts down to the Sevens, and we did this by carpooling. Therefore, on behalf of the whole team thank you to all the parents who helped with the lifts, and

Desert Cubs II Netball Back Row: Eleanor Reid, Hannah Story, Anushe Sheikh, Julia MacKay, Mrs K Bell Front Row: Isla Stewart, Emma Kelly, Chloe Williams, Rachel De Sousa

172

Shamal 2013

who stayed to support us game after game. We played outstandingly, and even though we lost against our main opponents, The Desert Dynamos, we put up a great fight and left them under a lot of pressure to keep up their high standard of playing. We played a variety of other teams, including Desert Cubs 2, Infinity, Storm breakers and the Year 6 Dubai English Speaking School team, who were very brave and didn’t give up against us. Overall, this was a new experience for all of us, but I think it did nothing but good for the team, and we improved drastically, helping us to win the overall school league. Thanks to all the girls who put in the time and effort to play, it was a great league! Charlise Koch 9DR, Captain


Sports This year, girls in the U14 age group were overjoyed to discover that there would be a Dubai Youth League played out at the Sevens. Of course the U14B team jumped at the opportunity for more matches. So we entered a team, and called ourselves Desert Cubs 2. Unfortunately, not all of us could play so instead of our team consisting of 11 as per usual, it consisted of 8. Anushe, Ellie, Hannah, Chloe, Rachel, Julia, Isla and I were the ones able to make the trip out to the Sevens Stadium every Wednesday evening. It was straight after practice and as we had managed to get our hands on one of the school minibuses, we went straight from school. This caused a small routine to form; finish training, eat hotdogs, lose track of somebody’s whereabouts, find said person, get on bus, take pictures of Rachel as she sleeps, creep out unsuspecting drivers, arrive at the Sevens Stadium, do ridiculous looking drills, quickly put bibs on, rush onto court, give away our first centre pass, begin to play awesomely, devour lollies and oranges, finish match, get back on bus, arrive back and finally our parents would pick us up at around eight o’clock at school! Now, I know what you’re thinking, who on earth would accompany us every week in order

to coach/reprimand us? Well none other than the amazing Tracey Kelly (or as Anushe likes to call her just Kelly!). However, it wasn’t all fun and games, we actually did play netball, a whole extra twelve games to what we would play in our normal school league to be precise. Because of this we found ourselves improving dramatically. There were two competitions in the league. There was the Youth League itself and then the last few weeks were the Cup and Plate rounds — where each quarter was a game in itself so effectively each night in the last few weeks we played 8 mini games. The teams playing were Dynamos (basically the EC A team plus a few really tall people from DESC), Infinity, Fusion, Stormbreakers, DESS (they were only little Year 6s wanting to get some extra experience!), Desert Cubs 1 and us. I am very proud to say that in the Youth League we were runners up, and in the Cup competition we came 3rd after a very successful season. After this experience, we have all learnt a great deal and I would highly recommend it for anybody considering to enter a team, as not only is it great to get the extra playing time, but it is also a lot of fun! So on behalf of my team I would like to thank Mrs Bell for giving us the idea and opportunity, Tracey for coaching and putting up with us, and Saeed the bus driver for enabling us to go to and from the Sevens ground. Emma Kelly 8TJ

U16A Netball Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Jo Summers, Catriona Benson, Alice Lovett, Lara Fowler, Alex Mulligan, Mrs K Bell. Front Row: Hanna Salem, Biddy Fogg, Molly May, Gabi Guscott, Lizzy Adamson.

Another year has gone by for our U16A team, allowing us to further develop and advance our netball skills. The team played in the Division 1 league coming out as the winners. We also participated in the DASSA tournament where we were also victorious — so the team collect both trophies this season. Starting off our season was the match against JC and we won by a close 4 goals, but as we progressed through the matches and as we grew as a team, we won with more convincing results like 50-5 against a JESS B team and 24-3 against Repton. We were thrilled that we had eventually made it to the final and were looking forward to playing

against our biggest rivals, JESS. Unfortunately, their team was unable to show up as they didn’t have enough players. It was a real shame the match wasn’t able to go forward, as challenging matches always force you to work harder as a team. Well done to the girls for working so hard throughout all the matches for remaining unbeaten this season. However, our success couldn’t have been achieved without our coaches, Mrs Bell and Mrs Adamson, who have helped us to refine our netballing skills. It wouldn’t have been possible without them. So an enormous thank you from the entire team. All squad members have thoroughly enjoyed playing together as a team, as it was to be our last year together with several members sadly leaving Dubai College this summer. So farewell from me and to Catriona and Lara — it has been a great few years together and I will definitely miss playing with you all. Molly May 11RA

Shamal 2013

173


Sports

U16B Netball Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Perle Battistella, Kelley Day, Jenna Denton, Lucy Bell, Saskia Heyster, Sofi Zickerman-White, Mrs K Bell. Front Row: Bianca Pereira, Neha Narain, Maddie Freeman, Connie Antia, Bea Prosser.

Being placed into the A Division was always going to be hard for the B team, but overall, our team performed admirably and I want to congratulate every member of the team on having an amazing season! We started off the season playing our own A team in the DC Derby, we fought hard, but in the end the A team were too good for us. It was a great game and Jenna received player of the match. In our game against EC A, Bea came to our rescue as a late addition to the team and helped us secure a memorable 9-10 victory which gained her player of the match. One week later and we triumphed again, this time against Repton, well done to Jenna again being named player of the match! On the 9th of March, the DC tournament took place. It was a memorable day as Helena tried her first ever shawarma ( she decided she didn’t like them), but even on top of this, everyone played incredibly well to make it to the semi-finals, only losing out once again to DC A. Unfortunately, our play-off game against JC A was not as successful. Despite all playing our best, health wasn’t on our side as many played against doctors’ orders, to their everlasting credit. During mock week, we had our second to last game against JESS

U16C Netball Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Kiana Simpson, Caitlin Janus, Kristen De Sousa, Natalia Adair, Mrs K Bell. Front Row: Toni Spiteri, Hayley Moore, Emma Murray, Bea Turner, Iona Stewart.

174

Shamal 2013

A, we knew from the start this would be a tough match but with the added pressure of playing a man down, I think it’s safe to say the odds were against us. However, the team played some outstanding netball and at the end of the first half we were only 3 goals behind. However, during the second half we lost it as heat and exhaustion got to us, but still, amazing play everyone, especially to Kelley, whose shooting could not have been better! This turned out to be our last match as JESS B later forfeited, but we certainly went out with a bang in the incredible match against their A team. A big thank you to Mrs Bell and Mrs Adamson from everyone, for all their support, coaching and organisation. Well played everyone, this was amazing season! Maddie Freeman 11RA


Sports The U16C team has completed this year with an outstanding season – almost being titled as undefeated. This season could be described as challenging for the team, due to the fact that to begin with our squad consisted of eleven players, and unfortunately was quickly cut down to nine because of a shortage of shooters on another team. This left us with no option but to play the dreaded, unspoken ‘versatility’ for every single match. Nevertheless, due to the incredible coaching skills of our new found coach, Mrs Pryor, and of course the raw talent of the girls; in the first part of the season we won matches against DBS, BSAK, and DESC, all by a clear 10 goal lead. We also took part in the Dubai College International Netball tournament, with guests from Millfield and Bradford College. However, by our third match, the inevitable happened. Iona Stewart (perhaps the greatest shooter to ever have lived) sprained both her finger and her ankle. We thought it was over. But due to the determination that each member has, up stepped Beatrice Turner to replace Iona for the coming matches. The success continued throughout the tournament, and we then had to face Bradford College in the final. This was intense. BeaT, Hayls, Caich, Krissypop, Nat, Tons, Kiks and Emz were going to have to survive without Ions this time. The final was unbelievably close – going into extra time. Unfortunately, we lost and

this was our first and only defeat of the season. However, coming second was still a massive achievement and our very own Hayley Moore was crowned player of the tournament (and probably player of every match this season!!). After half term, there were still three matches to be played, and without an official GS, we weren’t sure what could happen. However, Bea managed to continue playing alongside Kiana, scoring a number of phenomenal shots and securing our victories with the help of the fierce defence and speedy centre court players. We were therefore victorious against JC B and EC B (again, clear 10 goal wins). Our final match of the year consisted of the entire team, fit, healthy, high-spirited and ready to take on Wellington A. This was a match I’m sure everyone would agree was the most entertaining. It included an outburst in High School Musical songs, dancing, and a slightly weird, flattering comment from a Wellington player – “OMG, WOW! you all have really nice legs!”. It was an enjoyable and successful end to the season, beating Wellington 24-8. This meant that we were able to be crowned Division 2 Champions – Well done everyone! Overall, I want to say a massive thank you to Mrs Bell, Mrs Adamson, Tracey and of course Mrs Pryor for being such supportive and fantastic coaches. In addition, as Captain I want to say thank you to the whole team for attending all matches, coping with lost players and for making this season so successful and also loads of fun! fun! Emma Murray 10AD

U16D Netball Back Row: Jessica Lattouf, Shivani Maru, Hannah Cassidy, Saleena Nurmohamed, Amy Henderson, Mrs B Phillips. Front Row: Izzy Haigh, Charlotte Baines, Ashna Gupta, Tzeitel Degiovanni, Libby Johnson.

Shamal 2013

175


Sports U16D Netball Another season of netball has come to an end and it was without a doubt, an excellent season for the U16D team. The season started with a number of new players on the team, which was great for us all as we had a chance to improve our netball by working with new people. Training started straight after trials in September; giving us all a chance to work on our netball after the summer holidays. During training, we became stronger as a team, which helped us a lot during our league matches. The season started with a match against SES which, sadly, we lost – SES 11-DC 4. Our players of the match were Hannah and Tzeitel. Although we lost, we did not lose confidence and worked hard for our next game which was against CIS. The training paid off when we beat CIS, DC 10-CIS 9. Libby was named player of the match. Our next match was against JB whom we beat DC 17-JB 0 which was an excellent win for our team.

Next, was our game against DESC B. This was not as successful for us as our previous matches had been as we lost DESC 9-DC 2. Izzy was awarded player of the match for this game. Our penultimate game was against JC C. Since this was one of our last games, we went into the match with high spirits and tried as hard as we could but unfortunately, the JC team had managed to beat us. Our final game of the season was against WIS B. This was quite a close game as our scores were close for most of the game, however, during the last quarter, WIS picked up and won the game – WIS 18-DC 11. Libby was again named player of the match. All in all, we had quite a tough season as we were playing against several A and B squads however we tried our best in each and every game. It was a good challenge playing against tougher teams because it allowed us all to improve our netball skills as each game went by. As a team, we would like to thank Mrs Adamson and Mrs Phillips for their coaching and support which helped us immensely this season. We are looking forward to another great year of netball!

Ashna Gupta 10GW

U16E Netball Back Row: Zahra Karmally, Joanna Park, Tasha Howard, Ellie Proctor, Sarah McKinney, Jessica Sayer, Mrs B Phillips. Front Row: Nadia Young, Jemma Ansell, Emily Dunne, Olivia Dennehy, Drishti Masand.

This season has been a highly successful one for the Under 16 Es, as throughout the season we have won most of our matches! We all effectively worked together as a team putting in a huge collective effort in order to win our matches. We have trained hard to improve our skills and have subsequently bonded as a group. We have had lots of fun together and have greatly improved our netball, finishing in a high position in our league! We had a great start to the season by winning our first match; the win boosted our confidence and encouraged us to improve. We’ve had some tough games, playing a lot of A and B squads coming through as victors in some of these matches, but it was a good challenge and I will miss the whole team next year. Also, I would like to say congrats to all the players chosen for each of the matches. Our team would like to give a huge thank you to both our coaches Mrs Phillips and Mrs Adamson, for teaching us many new skills and tactics to improve our performance as well as helping us work together

176

Shamal 2013

better as a team. We have all enjoyed the season and hope to continue playing and progressing in the future. Well done girls! Emily Dunne 11KG


Sports

Desert Kittens I Netball Back Row: Mrs K Bell, Natalia Adair, Kristen De Sousa, Lucy Bell, Kiana Simpson, Beatrice Prosser Front Row: Emma Murray, Beatrice Turner, Caitlin Janus, Iona Stewart, Hayley Moore

Having enjoyed a huge winning streak in our school matches, we were in for a shock when we joined the ladies league up at the Sevens ground. Here we were to face teams with years, experience and height on their side. Not to be intimidated, we performed brilliantly in the trials, so well in fact that we ended up in Division 2 out of 4; well beyond our expectations! Although we lost more games than we won, most defeats were within 5 points ensuring we got a bonus point which helped us maintain our place in Division 2 and had everyone questioning whether we really were Year 10 students. It became routine throughout the season that if we won our BBM status would quickly inform the world, however if we lost it would remain a stony silence and in contrast our BBM group would be full of reminders on how close the match had been. Our final match was by far our best, where we played against the Dynamites, which we had already lost to, twice in a row. The first time we

played them we lost by almost half points. However, in the second season, we stepped up our game, but this still wasn’t good enough, losing out by only 1 goal. Within the last couple of days, however, in the plate final, we pulled ourselves up and secured an easy win, through teamwork and sheer improvement. It was a great way to end the season and we hope to continue playing with older more experienced teaMs Overall it has been a great experience; we have all learnt so much from it and look forward to winning our division next year. Last but not least, we would like to thank a lot of people who gave up their own time to make this all possible: to our parents for driving us up each Wednesday and to Mrs Bell, Tracey and Mrs Pryor for their support and encouragement. Caitlin Janus & Iona Stewart 10RB

Desert Kittens II Netball Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Libby Johnson, Hannah Cassidy, Saleena Nurmohamed, Mrs K Bell. Front Row:Tara Burke, Charlotte Baines, Amy Henderson, Tzeitel Degiovanni, Pritika Mehra.

Shamal 2013

177


Sports Desert Kittens II Despite being some of the youngest in the league, the nine of us that made up Desert Kittens 2 powered through and never gave up. Going from school netball to the ladies league was definitely a shock and we entered the league with a very open mind and positive attitude ready to take on anything; even after the first week where we had only six players we didn’t lose hope and through the season we improved dramatically to the point where almost everyone showed up on time, almost!!!

Despite an ongoing struggle with punctuality the 25-1 win to the Starlights’ ladies was something to be proud of and our teams playing skills got exceptionally better over the season. Special mention to Hannah Cassidy, the world’s most persistent goalkeeper and the only girl on the team who even closely matched the height of the ladies. We may not have won the division but our spirits were always high and there was always something to laugh about. Thanks to Mrs Bell, Mrs Adamson and Tracy for coaching us through the entire season and supporting us all the way. Amy Henderson 10KB

U18A Netball Back Row: Mrs K Bell, Clara Townsend, Jessica Snaas, Lisa Janus, Mrs E Adamson Front Row: Honor Nicholl, Jessica MacCormick, Talia Elsener, Mia Zickerman White, Maryam El Rashid.

After saying farewell to the majority of our Under 18 players, we welcomed 5 new players from year 12 into the pack. At first having little experience as a team and few training sessions we were thrown into out first match versus JESS Ranches. Despite our worries and our inexperience as a new team, our new additions to the team proved themselves to be excellent sports women by playing an impressive first match. Our centre court players: Maryam, Mia and Jess worked extremely well in moving the ball down the court in order for the shooters: Lisa, Honor and Jess, to make the necessary shots to win and allowing us to secure a victory. One of our toughest matches of the season was versus English College 1, with a narrow win of 22-21. Regardless of the slim win, the team performed exceptionally well, in incorporating Tracy’s ‘box outs’ in defence and ‘ball fakes’ in attack. Another one of our most challenging matches was against Jumeriah College A team, who put up a tough fight. After being worn down by the Jumeirah College B team, which resulted in a 29-9 win to Dubai College, we continued our high playing standards. We were neck in neck with them throughout the first quarter, however, we managed to pull out with a seven point lead in

178

Shamal 2013

the last quarter of the game, resulting in a win of 31-19. Thanks must go to the strong defenders, Clara, Talia and Jess, who turned the game around with their timed interceptions and multiple rebounds. In terms of tournaments, Dubai College As were triumphant in the DASSA tournament despite having half the team away, at university interviews or on holiday. This meant having to incorporate younger members from year ten such as Caitlin Janus and Hayley Moore, who proved that age is not proportional to skill as they dominated the courts and were essential to our success. Our only loss of the season was our most challenging game of the season, against Millfield College. Being one of the top schools in the UK, we anticipated a difficult game. After our great success in the first quarter Millfield stepped up their game and we unfortunately lost. Regardless of the loss, we did not anticipate doing as well as we did and therefore in our eyes this was another triumphant moment for our team, and the increasing standard of netball at Dubai College. Our team would like to thank the PE department for all their help and support throughout every aspect of netball, which played a fundamental role in our success. It is safe to say that Dubai College Netball has a bright future ahead with the current Year 12s heading the team next year. For those of us who are leaving, we will take our accumulated experiences and skills with us, along with irreplaceable memories that we will always cherish. We wish all the players, moving up through the school, the best of luck and a special thank you to Mrs Bell, Tracey and Mrs Adamson for making our last year of netball unforgettable! Talia Elsener 13LH and Lisa Janus 13JC


Sports

U18B Netball

Back Row: Mrs K Bell, Ambre Battistella, Saniya Mediratta, Mrs E Adamson Front Row: Natasha Lopez, Ariana Bakshandeh, Sarah Moore, Rhianna Foote, A.L. WilliaMs

During this season the B team has undergone some definite challenges which we have battled enthusiastically. Our team tactics have been put to the test time and time again in the course of training, matches and tournaments. Despite being defeated on numerous occasions, we remarkably managed to win a couple of matches in the DASSA U18 tournament that was held at Dubai College. With the tough opposition of the JESS A team, we had an unfortunate result of 21-9 to them, player of the match being awarded to Emma Britnor. Another match we played was against the JC A team. Inspite of our positively awarding aggressive start, we lost again, 7-22. Player of the match was awarded to Sarah Moore. One interesting match would have to be the DC Derby (DC A vs. DC B). Even though we managed to lose

yet another match, the rivalrous ambiance enhanced our defence, and we were defeated by a mere 16-6. Deservedly, A-L Williams was awarded player of the match. Regardless of our recurrent losses, we willingly participated in all of the challenges that we were presented with, and gladly so. I think we, as a team, can agree that we succeeded. After all, as Winston Churchill once said, “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another without loss of enthusiasm”. We commend this statement. Our amusing yet frustrating and meticulous yet exhausting time together as a squad was definitely worth it. Without hesitation, it can be said that we have all improved, and as captain, on behalf of the whole team, I would like to thank Mrs Bell, Mrs Adamson, Tracey, and Mrs Pryor, for all the hard work they have put into senior netball. It has been a stimulating and challenging year which we have all thoroughly enjoyed. Sarah Moore 12LH

U18C&D Netball Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Menrit Guirguis, Lora D’Costa, Shanzeh Kurshid, Azmina Gulamhusein, Aditi Nijhawan. Front Row: Yasmin Adib, Tanvi Bhatia, Linda Bieleski, Ella Rogers Tara Burke. Absent: Summer El-Ashmawi.

Shamal 2013

179


Sports U18C Netball This was the last year of playing netball of the DC for most of team, and while it was a tough season, it was enjoyable and pushed us to play some good netball, as we rose to the occasion against difficult opposition. We found ourselves in the second division this year, out of three, which might sound fine, but as DC is one the few schools with multiple senior teams, this put us exclusively up against other schools’ ‘A’ teams — meaning every match was quite challenging for us, as many of our opponents also played in the women’s league! Everyone played brilliantly this season, especially when it came to shooting. Due to the busy schedules of the team, we played all but one of our matches with only seven people, meaning that most of the time we only had one person who actually played shooter. The rest of the team rose to the challenge, with some great goals from people who had no idea that they could shoot at all, such as Kelly who scored two goals in our match against BSAK. She looked very surprised both times! Most of us had a go at playing the other shooting position as necessary, and it went better than expected. A big thank you to Tara and Emma who, as we were so short on players, each played with us for a match. With both of them being shooters, it allowed us to have a bit more of a chance at scoring, particularly during our away match at DESC, when Tara found out she was playing at the last minute as we were getting onto the bus to leave. We were glad to have her. Our defence this year was also great, as we soon established where everyone was strongest and the best way to work together. As we

didn’t train together that much, the first couple of matches were spent working out how best to play together, but we quickly made a strong team. The whole team was willing to try different positions and work to each other’s strengths, even if it meant playing a position that they would not usually play, something that really helped us to make the most of our players. Well done to everyone on the team this season. While playing against ‘A’ teams had its disheartening moments, I think that everyone played consistently brilliantly and I wish next year’s ‘C’ team a great season.

U18D Netball It wasn’t the best of years match-wise for the Under 18 D netball team (meaning that we lost all of them). But it’s not always about winning, and this year was a great year for the players from Sixth Form to hone their skills against some challenging ‘A’ teams who came to DC with everything they had. We faced some tough competition, but even when we were down by 20 goals or so we never gave up, which is one of the most admirable qualities of a sports team. Our closest match of the grand total of 3 that we played was against EIS Jumeirah, where Florence Antia showed off her shooting skills, scoring 2 out of 3 of the goals to EIS’s 8. Some stand-out players this season were Menrit Guirguis and Lora D’Costa, who were players of the match against DIS A and DESC B respectively. They each had moments in every match where they made the opposition think again about how easily they could beat us – not a small task to do when the DIS goal shooter was pushing 7 feet tall! So maybe if someone looked at our scores,

they’d wonder why we even turned up to our matches. But for the Under 18 D team this year, it wasn’t about getting 20+ goals but about playing a great sport and trying to improve our skills so that at the end of next season we’ll have proven ourselves.

180

Shamal 2013

Ella Rogers 13JM

Linda Bieleski 12LA I was very pleased to see such enthusiasm from you girls this year and I hope to see those of you in Year 12 on the courts next season too. To those of you in Year 13 I hope you can take the skills learnt with you as you enter university and keep playing — even if it is just at a very social level!! Mrs Adamson


Sports

Desert Cats I Netball Back Row: Mrs K Bell, Catriona Benson, Jessica Snaas, Alice Lovett, Gabrielle Guscott Front Row: Talia Elsener, Miranda May, Maryam El-Rashid, Lisa Janus, Lara Fowler

This year, Desert Cats 1 saw themselves with a much younger team than usual and at the beginning it was definitely hard to gel. Nevertheless, we started the season off in Division 1 of the Dubai Netball League due to an outstanding season from the team last year and a strong performance in the 3 weeks of seeding games. Throughout the seeding games, we became more familiar with each other’s play and could really see the beginnings of a strong team taking shape. However, Round 1 in Division 1 of the league did not go as well as we hoped. Playing against tough teams such as Explorer and Breakers, it was a miracle we even managed to get the ball down to our shooting end. Although many of the Year 11 girls on the team were unfamiliar with the level of netball played at the 7s they all rose to the challenge and played exceptionally. Alice and Gabi’s acrobatics in the defensive circle, though awkward looking, consistently got the rebounds. Lara and Molly never missed the opportunity for an interception while Catriona proved she is just as good at WA as she is at shooting. Even though we lost the majority of our games (okay, we lost all of them except for one), we managed to gain points in the league by reaching half-points every game.

Our toughest game in Division 2 was hands down against EC. That tense hour of netball saw a lot of under the radar as well as plenty of aggression!!!!!!. (yeah… #sorrynotsorry). Jess had to leave her place in the shooting circle to defend the circle at the other end. It still makes me laugh seeing Gabi holding on to the back of Jess’ dress in an attempt to get her to lean in more. In the end, there could only be one winner. Desert Cats 1 pulled away in the last quarter and ended with a well-deserved score of 27-18 to the Cats. Considering the challenges we faced throughout this year of netball from team disagreements to injuries, our performance in the DNL league couldn’t have been more successful. Our clean sweep of Division 2 was a great way to end the year for the Year 13s who are leaving for university and a beneficial experience for the Year 11s continuing in Cats 1 next year. Our successes this season would not have been possible without the help and motivation from Mrs Bell and Tracey. You’ve dealt with our attitude and team mishaps in your stride and I seriously don’t know how you haven’t made us run more suicides for all the stuff we put you through. Thank you so much on behalf of the Desert Cats 1 team for an amazing year. Maryam El-Rashid 13CH

These points, however, weren’t enough to secure our place in Division 1 for the next round of the league. With Catriona and Alice both out for the majority of the season due to injuries and illnesses, our team of 9 was cut down to 7. On one occasion, Cats 1 played with only 5 players yet still managed to keep the opposing team on their toes (they had a party every time they scored... against the one defender we had in the circle). Even though we lost that game towards the end, our fight for the first place position still wasn’t in jeopardy… yet.

Shamal 2013

181


Sports

Desert Cats II Netball Back Row: Clara Townsend, Ambre Battistella, Sarah Moore, Mrs K Bell Front Row: Jessica MacCormick, Honor Nicholl, Mia Zickerman-White, Rhianna Foote.

At the start of this year, it felt as though we had been thrown back to the old days, much to our delight may I add! Desert Cats 2 was now made up of purely Year 12s, something we were not used to but soon became very comfortable with. After two tough rounds of seeding tournaments, we managed to place in Division 3. Although initially disappointed at our seeding result, we were determined as a team not to let this get us down. The season then got off to a good start. If we were not winning, we came very close indeed. However, this was very short-lived to say the least. As soon as we knew it, it was our chance to finally play Aquarius, a team many of us had played before and failed to beat. We were sure that this would not happen again and we all pulled together to play a fantastic game of netball, unfortunately our best efforts were not enough and we lost by a mere one point. Infuriating to say the least. I believe that if it

Desert Cats III Netball Back Row: Mrs K Bell, Jenna Denton, Saskia Heyster, Joanna Summers, Sofi Zickerman-White Front Row: Hanna Salem, Lizzy Adamson, Brigid Fogg, Madelaine Freeman, Natasha Lopez

182

Shamal 2013

weren’t for our constant support for each other, we would never have had the success we did, something I am proud to say that we were able to do. Yes, the losses, followed by more losses, and then some more, definitely took a strain on the team but as we are all close friends, it didn’t seem to affect the way we bonded as a whole. This was displayed in our success in getting to the plate finals of Round 2. Unfortunately, we had to forfeit this match, which was against Desert Cats 3, which would have been a really great match for all involved. I feel truly honoured having been able to captain such a lovely team, it has been a pleasure playing with you all, thank you. More importantly, our most sincere thanks go out to Mrs Bell and Tracey for all your efforts and endless support, thank you. Honor Nicholl 12CH


Sports Desert Cats 3 The 2012-2013 season has been an excellent year of netball for the Desert Cats 3 team as we took part in the Dubai Ladies Netball League on Wednesday nights. After two rounds of seeding matches, we were placed in the Division 3 pool. Although the late night 9:00 pm matches did not make us very popular come Thursday morning, the whole team continued to show a huge level of consistent enthusiasm for the league, throughout the year. The standard of play was extremely high and since playing grown women can be intimidating, the whole team not only coped well but shone in a vast majority of the matches played. Aside from some disappointing forfeited matches, each week brought new challenges and triumphs as we got to know the opposing teaMs A definite highlight was the extremely intense match against Desert Cats 2 played in the first round of the league which ended up as a tie of 23 all. In the first round of matches we lost 4 matches, drew one and were victorious in another 4 leaving us with a total of 21 points and 4th place out of eight teams over all. Despite the difficult matches we were determined to keep this up for round two in which we lost 4 matches and won three, ending up with 18 points overall, which worked out to be again 4th place out of the eight teams in our division. Of course this ultimately translated to 4th place in Division three of the Dubai Ladies Netball League, a position we were very happy with and hope to better next year! One memorable moment of many was Helena Wick’s wicked

defence where she sacrificed her hand just weeks before her final art exam intercepting the ball. Having all three shooters injured at one point was also interesting and quite amusing trying to find people to fill in, many a secret shooter immerged. Although all team members not only played well as incredibly strong individuals, the team definitely gelled together to play some great netball. Several players stood out with numerous player of the match commendations from the other teams including Hanna Salem, Lizzy Adamson and Maddie Freeman. It’s obvious from our game play that we have improved each on our own as players but also as a team over the course of the year. Of course a huge thanks to Mrs Bell, Mrs Adamson and Tracey not only for their continued support and putting limitless energy into our training sessions, but also for dragging themselves all the way out to the 7s grounds each week for our matches. We really look forward to next year’s season and as Tracey would say every couple of minutes throughout our matches, “Good hussle ladies!” Brigid Fogg 11RA

Shamal 2013

183


Sports DASSA Netball Tournaments This year the girls have had tremendous success in all the tournaments run by DASSA. DC won the U14, U16 & U18 competitions and came close runners up in the U12. Even more impressive was that 3 DC U14 teams made it through to the Cup competition! More impressive still, and a first in the College’s history, DC had a derby final — U14 A vs U14 B in the Cup Final. What an achievement!

Intergulf Netball Championships 2013 - Abu Dhabi The annual Intergulf Netball Championships was hosted this year by Abu Dhabi. Teams from around the Gulf converged at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium for a weekend of fierce competition. Gabi Guscott was selected to respresent the ladies Dubai C-Squad, Catriona Benson the ladies Dubai D-Squad and Brigid Fogg the Dubai Social team. A real achievement considering the number of trialists. Competing alongside them were none other than their coaches! Both Mrs Bell and Tracey Kelly represented the Dubai A-squad! It was a great weekend had by all.

Dubai College U12 Netball Tournament Rain! Rain! Rain! Oh and more rain! The annual U12 tournament had 24 teams entered and over 240 girls ready to play for their respective teaMs Sadly the weather had other ideas. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the tournament for the Dubai based teaMs We had travelling teams arriving in Dubai so we managed to host a much smaller tournament indoors for Doha College, Brighton College from Abu Dhabi and 3 Dubai College teaMs All the girls who played had an amazing time and lots of good netball was played!

Tournaments

DC Rugby 10s & Rugby 7s Another year of fantastic rugby played. The competitions continue to be a highlight of the rugby calendar seeing a number of boys from both primary and secondary schools battling it out for the trophies.

DC 7s Winners

DC 10s Winners

U11 – JESS Jumeirah U12 – Dubai College U13 – BSAK U14 – Dubai College U15 – Jumeirah College U16 – Dubai College

U11 – JESS Jumeirah U12 – Dubai College U13 – JESS Ranches U14 – JESS Ranches U15 – Dubai College U16 – Dubai College U18 – Dubai College

184

Shamal 2013

Dubai College International Netball 7s Tournament February saw the College’s second International Netball Tournament and it was just as much a success as the first! We welcomed two schools from the UK to the event, Millfield in the U18 tournament and Bradfield College in the U16s. Dubai College were runners up in both the U18 and U16 categories to our UK guests. We also narrowly lost the U14 final in extra time. Cricket for Care The inaugural DC Cricket for Care festival took place on the 7th & 8th March 2013 at The Sevens. The event saw wonderful cricket performances from 12 teams across three age groups bringing together schools and cricket academies from around the UAE. The event was generously supported by Mr Shyam Bhatia whose two children are alumni of DC, the school extends its thanks to Mr Bhatia for this support.


Sports

U12A Rounders Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Jemma Shand, Alma Zickerman, Natasha Nobbs, Arya Flisher, Mrs K Bell Front Row: Sasha Verrall, Maisie Harvey, Zoya Afzal, Alysha Alimohamed, Mehek Vohra Absent: Francesca Hall

What a great term it has been for the Year 7s! Winning so many events, matches and tournaments, rounders has been the latest of our successes. The term started with a quick tournament at Latifa School for Girls. Our first match took us by surprise, as peacocks were aimlessly walking around the pitch! Even so, we played very well and narrowly missed qualifying for the cup. We went home at 7pm exhausted and very thirsty, as no one bothered to replace the water fountain… After that, we had rounders matches every week on Wednesdays and incredibly, got a win in every one of them! Even though the results were scarily close in a few matches, our team played very well as a whole. With wins recorded against JC, Repton, Sharjah English School, DESS and many more, it was no surprise that we were looking forward to every single match! My term as rounders captain at DC ended in an extremely memorable way, with me and Mehek bashing into each other while trying to catch a ball. I managed to sprain my arm and bruise my chin, whilst Mehek was left limping and we didn’t even catch the ball!! However, we still won

the finals and came first in the league! My thanks go to everyone who played, and let me just list all the names: Tash, for being an excellent catcher and managing to catch all my incredibly hard throws at backstop; Arya, for being faithful in the deep and always smashing rounders; Maisie, for bringing the nine heavy bottles of water to our last match even though we didn’t need them as there was already water available; Alysha, for being an amazing bowler and first-base; Fran, for the biscuits and throwing me the ball to the square and winning the one game even if Mrs Adamson was screaming otherwise; Gemma, for always diving in the air to catch and never failing to Miss For Alma, who is a remarkable fielder and Sasha, a dangerous person at second base. And finally Mehek, I am so sorry I banged into you! Thank you for always taking risks and hammering the ball as hard as you can! And finally, to our coaches. I’m sure all ten of us will agree that Mrs Adamson has been an incredibly patient coach, braving the blistering heat to watch all our matches. What would we do without her encouragement and help? Additionally, thanks go to Mrs Bell, for all her support and for looking at us strangely when we were chanting our song. This term has been unforgettable and superb. I’m sure I’ve said loads of thank yous, but I mean them all. Thank you EVERYONE for always attending every match and displaying your amazing skills :D I have been very lucky to captain such a marvelous team. Zoya Afzal 7NB

U12B Rounders

Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Polly Jones, Annabelle Style, Cassia Middleton, Lauren Johnstone, Gabriella Reynolds, Siena Gordon, Mrs K Bell Front Row: Naoise Morgan, Holly Rhys Maitland, Hireena Hans, Rhiana Al Nabhani, Caitlin Theocharis

Shamal 2013

185


Sports Under 12B Rounders This term has been very successful in terms of rounders. As captain of the B team, I have played many matches with my team. We have been an example of confidence and sportsmanship. Our matches have been won with great skill and dignity. We started off the season with mild success; drawing with Wellington Silicon Oasis. Improving on our skills we won an outstanding game against Jumeirah College. From that milestone, we continued to jump from success to success winning all our games. To end the season, we played against DESC and we won victoriously. Also Rebecca Wilding, a terrific batter, surprised the other team with her skilled left hand; winning us a few rounders. Another batter, Siena Gordon,

(also an amazing runner) sprinted round all the bases, also earning us bonus rounders. Not only was Rebecca a great batter, she also added a little laughter to some of our matches. Whilst running a full rounder, Rebecca was running with her arms wide open, however her bat knocked Cassia’s nose when she touched fourth base, what a show. Also Holly RhysMaitland caused the whole team to laugh at one point in a game where the ball flew straight past Holly’s legs, making her run backwards in a hast. Luckily she saved it just in the nick of time! I would like to thank all my team mates for a brilliant season of rounders! Not forgetting our outstanding coaches Mrs Bell and Mrs Adamson, you have kept us going with your never-ending support and encouragement. On behalf of the team, I would like to thank both of you for making this possible. WELL DONE B TEAM! Hireena Hans 7SG

U14A Rounders

Back Row: Charlotte Style, Isabel Snaas, Sabrina Daga, Olivia Peacock, Cate Waft, Mrs K Bell Front Row: Sally Marr, Alexandra Clements, Zahra Kapasi, Corynn Foote, Charlise Koch Absent: Kitty Willson

This year’s season of rounders was exciting with many rounders scored. The season was a very short season but with many close and intense matches. We played three matches in the rounds. Our first match against Jumeirah College, we won the match by a close finish of two rounders, the score was 16-14. The second match was against Wellington. We put up a strong fight although it wasn’t strong enough: sadly we lost by two rounders, the score was 12-14. Our final game of the rounds was against Repton. We won by a huge margin of 12 rounders, the final score was 18 and a half – 6 and a half. Unfortunately, the team lost out by one rounder to qualify for the semi-finals. It was a three way tie between Jumeirah College, Wellington and us. Therefore, we battled our way through the play-offs to stay in Division A. All this wouldn’t be possible without a great, motivational, enthusiastic and strong team. The members of the team were Kitty, Olivia, Axie, Charlotte, Charlise, Corynn, Aleka, Sabrina, Izzy, Sally and Cate. Unluckily Sally was injured and couldn’t participate

in the matches. However, there were numerous memorable moments when playing in our season, when Aleka comes round the fourth base and does her knee slide or when Charlotte keeps running with the post and chucks it straight onto the ground or when we all squabble for the best bats or when the whole team waiting to bat is shouting out instructions for the batter who is running and is confused and when I call out ‘slap it through’ instead of formally shaking every single hand. This experience would not have happened without Mrs Adamson and Mrs Bell’s help, coaching and encouragement. We all look forward to next year’s rounders season and come back with a stronger and more determined team.

U14B Rounders We were so thrilled to finally start our rounders season and were all looking forward to our first match. Almost immediately at the beginning of Term 3, with little practice together, we faced our first match. As we arrived at DESC we were not sure whether it would be a piece of cake or a tough match (because it was DESC A), but in the end our match play was at a greater skill level and we came home with a score of 11-5! Sadly for our next match, we lost one

of our valuable team members at the hands of The Tempest, but don’t panic, it was our school production! We still managed to achieve our highest winning margin against WIS B, which was 18½ -5.

186

Shamal 2013

Zahra Kapasi 9SM

Our winning streak continued as we added another success versus JESS B, a match that


Sports now guaranteed us a spot in the cup play-offs! Both semis and finals were held on the same day, making it a late 6pm finish in extremely hot conditions. The semis began with a large amount of sweets to empower us for the match against EC (thank you Mrs Kelly). After a tough battle we were finally the conquerors placing us in the final. The squad was enthusiastic as we prepared for the final game of the season. We were almost given the title of champions but unfortunately we were

pipped at the post by a strong Sharjah English School team with a score of 10-14. The SES bowler caught us off guard with some very fast balls, but I am sure that next year we SHALL be the winners! All members of the squad played fantastically over the season, and the whopping scores could not have been achieved if it weren’t for our united efforts. Finally, a HUGE thank you to our inspiring coach, Mrs Adamson for her support and expertise. Jess Pollock 8NL

U14B Rounders Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Emma Kelly, Rachel Choi, Ellie Reid, Aleksandra Skroban, Anushe Sheikh, Rae Mitchell, Mrs K Bell Front Row: Julia MacKay, Ellie O’Keeffe, Jessica Pollock, Chloe Williams, Devina Popley Absent: Maitha Price

U14C Rounders Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Kirsten Holtby, Kirsten Drake, Emma Taylor, Tanya Hussain, Isla Stewart, Jet Biddle, Mrs K Bell Front Row: Rachel De Sousa, Becky Edwards, Alexandra White, Sophie Scott, Sophie Rhys-Maitland

In the past two months we have competed in several games with mixed success. Our first match was against CIS but sadly we lost this first game of the season. Our second match took us to Latifa and with plenty of new tactics we were ready to win our first match. Despite the constant noise coming from the many peacocks and numerous balls ending up in trees and bushes we came home with smiles on our faces after a successful win against Latifa. Our next match was against DIS. Our win against Latifa had given us a major confidence boost and after a highly successful first half it was clear that we were going to emerge victorious. With a 14-6 win we were through to the semi-finals! The semi-finals and finals were held at CIS and we were determined to play our best. Our first match was against DESC

but despite our best efforts we lost by half a rounder. We then had to play CIS to compete for 3rd/4th and we were positive that we could win this time. At the end of the match it was a tie breaker and after a very intense 10 balls we took a very pleasing 3rd place. As a team we were able to constantly improve and also learn from our mistakes. We were a strong team and we always worked hard and played harder! Although the season was short we participated in memorable matches and we are all proud of our well-deserved victories. Next year we hope to strive for 1st and with the supportive and brilliant help of Mrs Adamson and Mrs Bell and the amazing coaching and powerful team talks of Mrs Pryor we are surely guaranteed a strong and booming season next year. Well done to everyone and thank you for making it such an amazing season! Alexandra White 9RD

Shamal 2013

187


Sports

U16 Rounders Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Hayley Moore, Maha Shaikh, Kristen De Sousa, Kiana Simpson, Anneka Javat, Mrs K Bell Front Row: Toni Spiteri, Ashna Gupta, Emma Murray, Natalia Adair, Iona Stewart, Erin Dawson

The U16s Rounders season this year has been quite successful overall. The girls worked hard and though, occasionally, we needed some recruitments, we always managed to have a full and keen team. The season started off with a win against JC, although the first innings was a bit worrying, as they had a “super-fast bowler”. However, after one amazing hit from Toni, to start us off, we just kept on hitting them. Our fielding was also very good, as we were on top of the game and barely ever missed a catch or threw a bad ball. The final score was 11-3.5 rounders, to us. In the second match, we did not succeed in beating EC–the score was 13.5-6 rounders to them. Again in our third match with EIS J, we lost with the score being 9.5-13.5 rounders to them. However, the team played very well in both matches, and we still managed to make the loss smaller in the last innings. In the Annual Rounders tournament at Latifa, we were successful in beating English College in the semi-finals. In the finals, we played DBS, whom we had lost to in the pool games, but sadly, again we lost by a small margin; therefore coming runners-up. In our last match, we played DIS and won by an outstanding score of 20-3.5 rounders! Everyone just seemed to be on game and no one missed any catches or missed the ball completely, when batting; especially when Ashna, A.K.A ‘Smashna’ didn’t miss one hit. As Captain, I was proud to play with this team for Term 2, and although we only played a few games, we certainly improved a lot and worked well as a team. Thank you to everyone who played, and especially to Mrs Adamson and Mrs Bell, for taking time to coach us. Thank you for a great term! Natalia Adair 10MB

U18A Rounders Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Tanvi Bhatia, Clara Townsend, Jessica Snaas, Sarah Moore, Tara Burke, Pritika Mehra Front Row: Honor Nicholl, Rhianna Foote, Jessica MacCormick, Maryam El Rashid, A.L. Williams

188

Shamal 2013


Sports U18A Rounders We started off the season with the annual tournament held at The Latifa School for Girls. With no trials for the team, it consisted of what we presumed were our strongest players within the Sixth Form and thankfully when we arrived at Latifa we had time before our first match to come up with our invincible fielding positions. Throughout the evening we played a total of 6 matches against our usual rivals: Latifa A & B, English College, Wellington International School, Dubai British School and EIS Jumeirah. There were some notable hits from our strongest batters Clara Townsend and Honor Nicholl, many narrowly avoiding the peacocks that roam the grounds! We had some spectacular catches from Honor Nicholl and especially Jess Snaas who was also trying not to stand on a caterpillar that was right next to her base! Unfortunately, we narrowly lost to both Wellington and EIS but we

did manage to come away from the competition with our snazzy ‘Runners Up’ certificates due to rounders scored. Despite being on a high from our success at Latifa, we began the league with a slow start, firstly facing Dubai British School at a home match. With just enough players wet began strongly leading by 4 rounders to 1 in the first innings. However, during the second innings their strongest batters put them ahead, so in the end we lost the game. Against DESC we won in the last few minutes thanks to Sarah Moore scoring the winning rounder whilst injuring herself in the process (surprise, surprise!!) — but we had a convincing win against Repton where Honor was hitting the ball almost over the outside wall of the playing field! Unfortunately, we were not as successful as last year and ended up coming 5th overall in the league as we were unable to field a team for the play-offs. However, we all made the most of the season and had fun. Our loss doesn’t dampen our hopes for next year where we will no doubt be dominating the competition with our upcoming Year 11s. Jess MacCormick 12PR

U18B Rounders Back Row: Mrs E Adamson, Jo Summers, Alex Mulligan, Alice Lovett, Saskia Heyster, Gabi Guscott, Lara Fowler, Mrs K Bell Front Row: Hanna Salem, Lizzy Adamson, Biddy Fogg, Catriona Benson, Molly May, Maddie Freeman

U18B Rounders It was that time of the year again, where the girls picked up their rounders bats to practise for our league games and the annual tournament at Latifa. This year we were now playing in the senior league as the U18B team, we were ecstatic when it was announced that we had actually won our league. Luckily the majority of the team was amazing at batting, which contributed hugely to our success. In the final this was especially noticeable; there were even a few moments when Alice stepped into the batting box and amazed the opposing team and us with her unbelievable hits! This left us yelling, ‘run, run’ but then we realized that she could in fact walk the rest of the way to score a rounder because the ball had gone so far! Each match consisted of great all round skills from the members of the team, including some great catches from Alice and Lara, and impressive bowling by Alex. When we entered the gates of Latifa School, we were greeted by numerous peacocks, which never

failed to amaze us. They roamed the school and even enjoyed watching our matches so much that they felt the need to interrupt. One of the highlights of this season was when each member of the team felt the need to chase the peacock, as it walked straight through the pitch… in the final! We have had an incredibly successful season, which would not have been possible without the coaching and support of Mrs Bell and Mrs Adamson. The team would like to say a big thank you to both teachers, for making it possible for us to win our rounders league! Every member of the squad contributed hugely to this success. Well done girls!!! Catriona Benson 11RA

Shamal 2013

189


Sports

U13 Cricket Back Row: Mr C Berkenshaw, Iysa Qureshi, Michael Reid, Alex Smith, Mohammed Choudhary, Devansh Popley Middle Row: Yashvardhani Shankar, Mustafa Lone, Kabir Nanda, Rory Nisbet, Siddhant D’Souza, Joseph Plumtree Front Row: George Gunn, Owen Wakeham, Meeran Fehmi, Mark Baxter

We’ve come to the end of a very successful U13 cricket season here at Dubai College. Cricket at DC was a highlight for many, here’s the year’s summary. We began the season playing an away game against Repton Dubai which came down to the penultimate over where we were unfortunate to lose. Contributions worth mentioning were Devansh Popley’s captain’s knock and also some outstanding bowling figures from Sahil Mordani and Kabir Nanda. We played Repton three times this season but were unfortunate to not come out on top on any of the occasions, even though we fought well in each of the meetings. This was a big year for cricket at Dubai College as we hosted our first DC Cricket for Care Festival at the 7s ground for all U13s, U15s and 1stXI categories. The U13 tournament hosted English College, Repton Dubai and also the boys from Wellington International, which was nice as we don’t get matches with them on a regular basis. The format was very simple; each of the four teams went through a qualifier and the two teams that came out on top would battle for the cup in a final. We gave 110% against English College and were fortunate enough to come out on top with a convincing victory led by a solid batting performance from Kabir Nanda and great bowling from Meeran Fehmi. Repton Dubai lost their opening game against Wellington International, which meant they were out of contention for the cup. We were put into bat first losing the toss, but put in a strong total led by batting performances from openers Devansh Popley and Alex Smith. Bowlers Jamie Dare and Sahil Mordani did a great job in tough windy conditions with the ball and picked up a couple of early wickets and rattled Wellington’s batting order. However, it wasn’t enough for us to confirm a victory, with the game coming

190

Shamal 2013

down to the very last over. It was nail biting stuff and it will surely be a match to remember by the team. Even though it wasn’t our day, we learnt a lot from both our matches and saw some outstanding fielding action both behind the stumps by keepers Devansh and Alex and out on the outfield. During the other games, there were some highlight events that are worth mentioning inspired by the brilliant coaching advice from our three main coaches, Mr Shaikh, Coach Clint and Mr Barrington. There were some outstanding and consistent bowling performances by specialist medium pacer Jamie who kept it tight and bowled very wisely overall, especially in the game against Desert Cubs, which again came down to the last over where we secured a victory this time. In addition to this there were also consistent batting performances from Devansh, Kabir and Sahil. The U13s played a lot of cricket this year facing teams from all around the UAE whether it was BSAK from the capital or the Desert Cubs Academy based in Sharjah. Hats of to the coaching staff for putting it all together and training us every week, thank you for a wonderful experience. Devansh Popley 8TJ


Sports

U15 Cricket Back Row: Nicholas Maddock, Barnaby Brett, Siddhant Jhurani, Shahmeer Chaudhary, Adam Osbourne, Josh Devereux, Vikram Jadeja Middle Row: Mr M Barrington, Jason Daswani, Matthew Baxter, Ali Kapasi, Raahim Zafrullah, Ali Malik, Omar Malik Front Row: Devansh Popley, Kabir Nanda, Michael Rea, Pranay Jethwani, Abhishek Nair, Sahil Badlani

This has yet again been another successful season for U15 cricket at Dubai College. One of our first matches of the season was against Buckinghamshire, after getting 162 runs in our 30 overs, DC put up a big fight and only narrowly lost out in the last over. This was a great opportunity to play so early on in the season against such a high quality opponent from the UK. Then, the next game, a brilliant performance against BSAK, an outstanding bowling display saw them bowled out for just 56 runs, Ali Kapasi the stand out bowler with figures of 3-16. One of the new features to the cricket season this year was the DC Cricket for Care Festival; this again was a great opportunity for the team to play at a great venue, the Sevens stadium under lights. Our first opponent was JC, who we beat quite comfortably; Sid taking 3 wickets and Abhishek and Vikram with a brilliant 80 run partnership to bring the team home. The final was a very close game between DC and Desert Cubs. Desert Cubs batting first got a tough score for us of 140. We didn’t have the best start and found ourselves at 1-2 and a mountain to climb. Raahim and Sid got 37 and 41 respectively and with a few other contributions we found ourselves very close but in the end were unable to get over the line and lost out, around 15 runs short. Probably the highlight of our season came in the last week of the second term, a match against one of the most prestigious schools in the UK, Eton College. It was a 40 over match and throughout the day the DC students and teachers were on the field supporting the team up batting first, Eton got a score of 114 in their 40 overs after a brilliant display from all our bowlers. In the chase of this total, after losing one early wicket, Brendan and Joe both played brilliantly, Brendan getting a fifty, to chase down the total with quite a few overs to spare. It was a brilliant victory and showed how far the team had come throughout the season. After this huge success, there was

another very important game against another prominent school in the UK, Rugby School. This game began with Rugby School batting first and in the first innings they managed a score of 153. In our batting performance, Sid and Rohan played brilliantly getting 31 and 61 respectively. DC seemed to be cruising to victory but a late slip up meant a quick fall of wickets and we ended up losing the game tantalisingly close to the target set by Rugby. Despite this late disappointment in our season, it was still a very successful year for the team. Last but certainly not least, a very big thank you to Mr Barrington and Clint for their help in net sessions and in all of the games, and in organising the various matches we played at venues such as the Sevens stadium. Very best of luck to the U15 squad next year and good luck to those of you looking to push for a place in the senior team next year. In all, a brilliant year for U15 cricket.

Shamal 2013

191


Sports

1stXI Cricket Back Row: Sa’ad Iqbal, Zorez Haider, John Devitt, Zohayb Shaikh, Adil Saldanha, Ahad Basrai, Siddhant Jhurani, Mr C Berkenshaw Front Row: Inaam Mian, Abhishek Nair, Rohan Gupta, Reuben Abraham, Rehan Ayrton, Brendan D’Souza, Vikram Jadeja

What initially was targeted as a re-building year, turned out to be a hugely successful season for the 1st XI Cricket Team. The loss of 10 players from last year’s squad was a blow at first, but the influx of new talent, including two Year 9s, Sid Jhurani and Vikram Jadeja, coupled with solid performances from the more experienced campaigners, helped turn the season around. The team defeated all the prestigious schools which toured from the UK, who mostly blamed our “cracking concrete wicket.” The season started at the Emirates Palace ground against the British School of Al Khubairat (BSAK), but unfortunately the other team won. The first win for the senior team came at home against the touring Barmy Army Team. Tight bowling all round and an inability from English players to cope with spinner Rehan Ayrton ensured a low target. Openers Brendan ‘The Cat ‘D’Souza and Abraham disposed of the total and claimed a 10 wicket victory. The next game, against Desert Cubs Cricket Academy, did not go to plan, however, with a mediocre fielding performance, and a severe lack of experience that was exposed with the batting collapse that ensued. Dubai College bounced back with a win against Jumeirah College in the Kassim Cup. The Kassim Cup is a memorial game played in honour of Mohammed Kassim, who sadly passed away in a car crash in 2009. Next up was a game against arch rivals, Repton School. Dubai College were put into bat and posted a par score. Devitt bagged one of the Repton openers in his spell, thanks to a brilliant catch from Rohan Gupta. Sa’ad Iqbal decided to come to the party and sent Repton stars Suri and Khan back to the pavillion. Unfortunately, a gritty innings from youngster Jilani took Repton over the line in a nail-biting finish. Later came what turned out to be the game of the season. Dubai College revisited Emirates Palace to challenge BSAK who were extremely confident after their win. They decided to bat first, and put up a mammoth 194 in their 25 overs thanks to a brilliant knock from their skipper. The players returned demoralised to the dressing room to face some stern, but deserved, words from Coach Clint ‘Bully’ Berkenshaw. Jadeja and Abraham stepped out into the middle all fired up and put up an opening stand of 150 before Jadeja was dismissed for an invaluable 49. Abraham then got out in the penultimate over for 98. Fortunately, youngster Jhurani stepped up to the challenge and finished the game off with a couple of maximums, winning the game in the final over.

192

Shamal 2013

The Senior squad won most of their games this year due to the dedication of each individual. The hard work has clearly paid off as every member has contributed to the team and done themselves proud. The U17 team even defeated Eton School under the guidance of Rehan Ayrton. The First XI would like to thank Clint for all his help, particularly the 1 on 1 and fielding sessions he came in for, but also for the great bus banter. We also thank Mr Barrington for organising all the games and supporting us alongside all the other sports at Dubai College. Finally, I would like to thank the school for all the opportunities it has given me to play strong opposition and grow as a player, and it is with great sadness I leave DC cricket behind. Reuben Abraham 13VH 1st XI Cricket Captain I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Reuben Abraham for all that he has done for DC Cricket. He has single-handedly carried the team to victory on numerous occasions and it has been a pleasure to have played with DC’s finest cricketing talent. I wish him the very best in his future cricketing exploits, and I’m looking forward to next season. Rehan Ayrton 12GC 1st XI Cricket Vice-Captain


Sports The climax of the cricket season was the 5th edition of the Arch Trophy, a tournament consisting of teams touring from South Africa and the UK. It also marked the first time Dubai College played without the guidance of Mr Woolley, who was sorely missed. Dubai College and Repton School combined to enter a mixed squad. Game 1 Dubai College vs Westville High School (RSA). DC win by 9 wickets. DC put Westville into bat and a fiery opening spell from the Karachi Express, Zohayb Shaikh, ensured a slow start for the opposition. Some clever bowling from the spin trio of Ayrton, Iqbal and Abraham limited Westville to a par score of 201 in 40 overs. Abraham and Syed proved the value of keeping wickets in hand, as after an extremely sluggish start, they put on a partnership of 160 runs, setting DC up for the easy victory. Abraham finished with 106 not out. Game 2 Dubai College vs Clifton College (UK). Game ended as a tie. Clifton chose to bat and got off to a quick start due to some wayward bowling. Ayrton and Iqbal once again managed to pull it back and in the end Clifton were restricted to 201. DC got off to a poor start, losing 3 early wickets. Ayrton and Abraham managed to rebuild before Abraham was dismissed for 51. Jilani also contributed with 48. With 8 runs to win in the final over, victory in

Arch Trophy

the poor light ‘looked bleak’. Zohayb smashed a boundary thanks to some valuable tips from Ahad ‘Ahoudie’ Basrai. They scampered through for a single off the last ball to finish the game as a tie. Game 3 Dubai College vs Abingdon School (UK). Dubai College win by 6 wickets. DC needed a big win to progress to the final. After Abingdon chose to bat, DC got off to the ideal start due to some brilliant bowling from Ayrton who tore through the top order. Khan also chipped in with a couple of wickets, before Abraham cleaned up the tail, keeping Abingdon to a meagre 116. DC chased down the target with relative ease, thanks to some sensible batting from Ayrton, in just 23 overs. Final Dubai College vs Zayed Cricket Academy (Abu Dhabi) The big day: DC were put into the field. Some tight bowling produced a few chances, which were unfortunately put down. The trend continued with some good bowling but a very poor effort in the field meaning pressure was impossible to build. Eventually ZCA amassed a score of 230, about 40 runs more than they should have. However, DC still felt confident. Unfortunately, the day was just not to be our day as the batsmen failed to fire. ZCA ended up champions. Abraham won the MVP award. It was a great disappointment to lose the final after coming so far. Nevertheless, finishing 2nd out of 8 teams was an immensely impressive accomplishment, and the DC team managed to keep its record of beating all overseas teams this season. Once again, we would like to thank Clint and Mr Barrington. We would also like to thank Mr Burton for everything he did for us, particularly his informative, yet entertaining, pep talks. Reuben Abraham 13VH 1st XI Cricket Captain

Shamal 2013

193


Sports

Primary

On Thursday 7 th March, six of Schools’ the most prominent primary schools in Dubai visited DC to Athletics compete in the annual Primary School Athletics Championships. The event itself was keenly contested with outstanding performances in both track and field. Following a gruelling afternoon of competing, the results were:

1st - DESS 2nd - Jebel Ali 3rd - JESS Jumeirah 4th - JPS 5th - Horizon 6th - JESS Ranches

194

Shamal 2013


Visitors

Visitors

Band of HM Royal Marines Antonio Carluccio In March as part of the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature Year 10 were lucky enough to have a talk by the world famous Italian chef Antonio Carluccio. He regaled the students with his life story, advocating the importance of cooking not just from a nutritional perspective but also from a social one. His talk was entertaining and informative and he was completely at ease engaging with individual students as well as the group as a whole on a wide range of topics including the evolution of cookery programmes, what makes a good meal, the importance of collaboration and anecdotes from his youth. The session would not have been complete without some of his trademark jokes. Having inspired a number of budding chefs he presented signed copies of one of his cookbooks to Jas Singh and Tom Murphy the winners of the January DC Masterchef competition. Jas Singh and Tom Murphy with Antonio Carluccio

F1 in Schools, Mark Gallagher

Schubert Ensemble

Russian pianist, Veronika Ilinskaya

Dr Madelaine Carr

Shamal 2013

195


Visitors

DC and Abingdon School U18 cricket team

Lathallan U18 netball team

Visitors

DC rugby players with the Joining Jack charity 7s team

Harvey Bullock presents former rugby league player Andy Johnson with a cheque for the Joining Jack charity.

DC and Millfield U18 netball teams

Visiting Sports Teams

Buckinghamshire CCC - Cricket Barmy Army Colts - Cricket Millfield - Netball & Cricket Eton College - Cricket Abingdon - Cricket Clifton College - Cricket Westville, Durban - Cricket Trent College - Cricket Rugby School - Cricket Epsom College - Cricket Reigate Grammar - Cricket Bradfield College - Bradfield College Lathallan - Netball & Rugby Haileybury - Rugby United World College, Singapore - Rugby Dulwich College - Water polo Doha College - Netball & Rugby

196

Shamal 2013

Dulwich and DC water polo teams

Lathallan Rugby 10s team being piped on to the pitch.


Alumni It is hard to imagine that the school which started humble beginnings Alumni from in a villa in Jumeirah, the school that I attended over 20 years ago, has now come of age and become one of the finest overseas British curriculum schools in the world. A school that our alumni are all proud to say we attended and graduated from. We estimate that there are over 500 DC alumni currently living in Dubai and there have already been a few ‘2nd generation’ DC students who have attended the same school as their parents. We are developing a nascent but vibrant alumni network, coming together under

Cord Newman, Cierah Hutchison & Sophie Knight

the umbrella of the Dubai College Alumni Association. We have made great progress in 2012/13, holding our first official Annual General Meeting, electing a leadership committee in October as per our constitution, which was ratified by the DC Board of Governors earlier in the year. The Alumni Association aims to bring added value to Dubai College and its alumni through activities and projects focused on a) the current Dubai College student body; b) the Dubai College alumni residing in Dubai and in the long term outside of the UAE; and c) to the long term success of Dubai College as an institution. The Alumni look forward to being an integral part of the Dubai College community and contributing to the long term success of our school. Peter DeBenedictis Chairman

Dubai Reunion November 2012

Arjun Aluwalia and Gus Farra

Ian Jones and Sian & Mark Donovan

Shaheen (née Shahani) DeBenedictis, Shaz Sheibani and Kay Godkhindi

Mark Wood, Kate Greenlees, Marco Zambonini and Martin Woolley

Sisters Lucinda Holmes & Jane Derry (née Smith)

Shamal 2013

197


Alumni

Adrian Pollard, Peter Ward and Rob Carver

Kirsty (née Cameron) Ross, Hassan Lakiss and Joanna Keigwin

Bernie (née O’Connor) Brooks, Hassan Lakiss and Ian Brooks

Jenny Lee, Rob Carver, Paul Hillsden,Jodie Nicholl and Peter Ward

Jodie Nicholl, Paul Hillsden, Mike Deelman, Hassan Lakiss & Debbie Puxty-Ward

Nina (née Mielke) Williams and her daughters

London Reunion 2012

On November 24th 2012 former students and teachers of Dubai College came together from around the world to enjoy the longest standing of all DC Alumni traditions: The London Reunion – in its 24th year! Despite much of England being stranded by floodwaters, we had a good turnout – not least amongst the former staff. The uncontested star of the evening was Hassan Lakiss, who’d flown over from Dubai to attend. Although Hassan organised the first Dubai Reunions, this was the first time he’d made it to a London one and it’s safe to say that it won’t be the last. A good many of the other alumni present were London Reunion regulars, who’d never dream of missing this yearly chance to see their old DC friends and feast on their latest news, served up with a delightful dollop of nostalgia. It would take more than a few disrupted rail services and washed out roads to keep them away! Don’t miss the 25th annual London Reunion, on Saturday 30th November 2013! (Venue to be confirmed) We are expecting a record attendance for our Silver Jubilee celebration!

198

Shamal 2013

Helen (née Gibbs) Slater, Nellie Hulsman- Lodders and Yvonne (née Lodders) Bibas

Richard & Anne Jones and sons

Roger and Karen Farrington Roger Farrington, Alan Reilly and Tony West

Hassan Lakiss and Sallyanne Tong

Ian Brooks and Tony West


Alumni On the penultimate day of the Past Winter Term, versus DC enjoyed an afternoon Present of fierce, festive sporting competition between Past pupils (fledgling alumni) and the current Senior Sports teaMs Past vs Present Games. The afternoon got off to a flying start with a superb demonstration of water polo from the ‘Old’ Boys who included such prestigious players as Andrew Chetcuti (ex-Head Boy and London 2012 Olympian) & Shaun Seaman (currently training with the NZ water polo team). Following a onesided demolition by the Old Boys in the swimming pool, the activities moved to the field and courts. Unfortunately for the Past pupils, their lack of fitness began to tell during the football and rugby games on the field, and the same was true on the basketball and netball courts. At the final whistle, the Past came off second best in each of these sports, but had a really good time trying to re-live past DC glories! The final event of the day however, was a much anticipated football match between the staff & alumni. Following two halves of high drama the alumni were victorious by 3 goals to 1. Keen for a rematch, the staff hope that this will now become an established event in the Dubai College alumni sporting and social calendar. The day was rounded off with a festive barbecue which was attended by approximately 100 alumni, current DC pupils and staff.

Past vs Present water polo action

Old friends gathered to enjoy the sports & BBQ

Amy Bishop, Sarah Eldridge and Lois Britnor

Zac Tarrant Taylor, Laura Henderson, James Capon, Ziyaad Massoud, Tom Summers and Jessica Sanders

Sid Choudary, Ali Alami, Alex Ferguson, Natasha Daoud, Sava Davies, Mark Thomson, Sophie Armstrong, Iona Stewart, Danielle Bolton, Kate Burns, Clare Thompson.

AJ Mr Andy Jones with his favourite tools

Shamal 2013

199


Alumni This year’s event took place on Tuesday 23rd April in the DC Auditorium. The core topic was ‘The West is Dead – Long live the East!’ which was chaired by UCL Alumna, Nasser Massoud. Our Guest of Honour for the evening was Professor Anthony Finkelstein, Dean of UCL Faculty of Engineering Services who joined forces with UCL Alumna Roberta Calarese to speak in favour of the motion. However, the convincing defence by DC Alumni, Navin Valrani and Pasangi Weerasinghe resulted in an overwhelming vote from the audience supporting their arguments!

DC & UCL Forum

During the second part of the evening, our Year 7 ‘debaters’ took centre stage with the title ‘We don’t need no creative education!’ With conviction and good humour they presented their arguments and impressed the audience with their skills – they will certainly be a force to be reckoned with in the future! This is now a traditional event and a true community occasion when our students, parents, staff, governors and alumni of both Colleges can engage in, and listen to, high end intellectual discussion. We are looking forward to another successful event next year.

Alumni Careers Convention

On Wednesday 16th January we held our annual Alumni Careers Convention for Year 11. After an initial briefing from the Headmaster, over 100 students descended on B block to hear about career opportunities ranging from Aviation to Public Relations. Some of the career titles were fascinating — Off-Shore Seismic Exploration and Forensic Science to take just two examples. The students chose to attend any three sessions. The feedback from all was very positive with the students finding the sessions informative and helpful. As always, our sincere thanks to our Alumni and other members of the broader DC community for donating their valuable time to this important event.

200

Shamal 2013


Friends of Dubai College This year has been another busy year of FDC events. The now annual Year 7 and Year 8 Fun Days took place in November and January as I am sure you can see from the photographs were thoroughly enjoyed by all. This year we will also be introducing a Year 9 Fun Day which will take the form of a Raft Race at Jebel Ali Resort on 21st June. The spirit of this competition is for each team to make an ingenious vessel capable of taking four people from the beach, around two marker buoys and back, covering a total distance of approximately 90m. As always, these events do not just ‘happen’ and I would like to thank all the FDC committee members, students, parents and teachers for their enthusiasm, energy and support. A major event this year was the Dubai College 35th Anniversary Ball. Four members of the FDC Committee, Anju Madnani, Phillipa Holbrook, Meena Javat and Kath Holt volunteered to take on the huge task of putting

Friends of Dubai College

this together. Working behind the scenes leading up to the Ball, they cajoled sponsors, rallied parents and visited venues. The end result was a spectacular evening at Jumeirah Beach Hotel ballroom attended by parents, staff, alumni and governors. Their hard work paid off with almost Dhs 95,000 raised towards Project Pavilion. Throughout the school year the FDC has also been present at every sporting event to provide snacks, medical and other services to the participants and their supporters. A big thank you to all those who have volunteered either through baking, serving, cooking or providing vouchers. Project Pavilion is still ongoing – for those who have not heard about this before, we are trying to raise funds to build a new building on the school field next to the tennis courts that will house changing rooms, seating for spectators and a kitchen. We have approval from the Municipality to go ahead with the project and the funds raised at FDC events will hopefully allow us to break ground soon. As always, at the end of the school year we have to say goodbye to some of our members and supporters. We do, however, look forward to meeting the new Year 7 parents in September as well as those from other year groups and hope that they will also become involved. If you are a new parent reading this or an existing parent who wishes to be involved, please look out for details of our first meeting at the beginning of the next school year. In the meantime, we wish you all a relaxing summer.

I am sure there are some of you who will have heard about Project Pavilion before and there will also be those of you to whom this is news. The Pavilion, to be situated next to the tennis courts on the school field, will provide students with grandstand seating, changing rooms, showers and a kitchen. Unfortunately, whilst we have been putting in a lot of work on this project, much of it has been in the background and it has taken us longer than we hoped. We have approval from the Municipality and are putting together a detailed plan that will allow us to be far more visible in our progress. This represents a big goal for the FDC and has required us to take a long-term view. We do hope to be breaking ground soon – but that will just mark the start of the work for us! We will continue to need your help in any way possible to enable our school to have what will be

Project Pavilion

an incredible resource, not just for the students, but also for the hundreds of other students and groups that use the fields throughout the year. None of the above happens without the great support the FDC receives from the school. In particular, the Headmaster, Mr Peter Hill, his team, and the Bursar, Captain Higgins, give encouragement and advice to ensure we stay on track. Several teachers and other school staff have also contributed their time and energy which is much appreciated. Andy Laven FDC Project Pavilion Sub-committee

Shamal 2013

201


Friends of Dubai College Guests arriving for the Ball for the 35th Anniversary of Dubai College were welcomed to the Jumeirah Beach Hotel ballroom by the DC Jazz Band in fantastic form. The reception area was awash with music from some really great performances. Once the guests were seated some won prizes — there was the standard door prize, but we also had a “bunny” and a “duck” prize for those lucky enough to have numbers and stickers under plates and the table! We were extremely fortunate to have major support from a number of key sponsors — Emirates Airlines, Jumeirah International, African & Eastern, Standard Chartered Bank and Emax who provided prizes and direct support for the event.

Dubai College 35th Anniversary Ball

The core fundraising activity of the night was a silent auction and raffle. The silent auction had the following items which went to the highest bid at midnight: Emirates Airlines donated two Business Class flights to the UK, which they upgraded to First Class during the night, Beyond Lifestyle provided an Easi-I Massage Chair, Mrs Brenda Higgins allowed us to auction off one of her original paintings, Heritage Hotels a 4 night stay in 5* Le Telfair resort Mauritius, and finally, from Gallery One a Limited Edition print by Gregg Sedgwick Suburban Voodoo — a well known band in Dubai played two sets encouraging many of the guests to fill the dance floor both times and there was still a hard core group dancing to the DJ well past midnight. The FDC are grateful for all the support from those who attended the ball and a special thank you to the FDC team: Meena Javat, Anju Madnani, Kath Holt and Phillipa Holbrook who made it all happen. Overall, the initial estimate is that we raised around 95,000 Dirhams towards Project Pavilion. The FDC Team

202

Shamal 2013


Friends of Dubai College The Year 7 Fun Day was held on Friday 6th Year 7 December — with over 300 people, students, Fun Day family and staff present. It was a great success and the results were extremely close with 7WD (Mr Wood’s class) eventually winning. Judging by the amount of shaving foam used and wet participants it seemed like everyone enjoyed the day. The FDC would like to thank all those that helped and took part.

Shamal 2013

203


Friends of Dubai College Once everyone Year 8 was back Fun Day from the Christmas holiday it was time for the Year 8 Fun Day.

for food. Pizza and burgers always go down well and there was only a little left – despite pancakes, popcorn and ices being available as well. It was also the first time we have cooked pancakes on the barbeque!

The event started with a pool based competition where most of the teams made their intent clear – to win! There was lots of swapping going on as people found the best mix of objects to get from one end of the pool to the other – but eventually our judges sorted things out and having dried off it was time

Down to the field where there were three events taking place: a soapy relay where each class needs to get a team from one side to the other, one person at a time over a wet and soapy tarpaulin (we were never sure whether those falling over did it on purpose or whether it was just really slippery!). A chain relay

204

Shamal 2013

– where each team simply needed to run together holding hands to the other end of the rugby pitch and back. As easy as that may seem we needed a second attempt because the first one resulted in everyone being disqualified! Then, the highlight of the day – the doughnut relay. Each class had to eat six doughnuts tied to string in a relay – the supposed spectators also all had doughnuts – but could use their hands. Finally, the results which were the closest we have ever had - at the end of all the events the top two teams were a dead heat but on an official count-back 8CT won. Despite there being a winning team, who get to keep the cup until next year, everyone seemed to have fun – and hopefully no one went home hungry – just wet and happy!


Awards and Results

GCSE Presentation Evening

The annual GCSE Certificate Presentation Evening took place on Wednesday 23rd January. It was a great opportunity to congratulate Year 12 on their fantastic achievements last year. It was also stressed that the students must now use the skills developed during Year 10 and Year 11 and develop them still further to rise successfully to the increased challenge of A Level study. Students and proud parents were entertained by the superb musical talent of Lora D’Costa and Victoria Frost and the insightful speeches delivered by Azmina Gulamhusein, Joe Palubiski and Saima Seer. Our thanks to Professor Gaad and John Merrigan, both Dubai College Board members, for presenting the certificates.

Shamal 2013

205


Awards and Results

Examination Results GCSE ADVANCED LEVEL

No. of Candidates 104 No. of Candidates 80 2003 A* and A passes 67.2% A and B passes 76.4% A* to C passes 99.8% A to E passes 100% No. of Candidates 106 No. of Candidates 80 2004 A* and A passes 71.3% A and B passes 72.4% A* to C passes 98.2% A to E passes 100% No. of Candidates 106 No. of Candidates 93 2005 A* and A passes 62.6% A and B passes 82.8% A* to C passes 99.6% A to E passes 99.8% No. of Candidates 108 No. of Candidates 87 2006 A* and A passes 77.5% A and B passes 84.4% A* to C passes 99.3% A to E passes 100% No. of Candidates 111 No. of Candidates 91 2007 A* and A passes 78% A and B passes 82.3% A* to C passes 99.8% A to E passes 100% No. of Candidates 112 No. of Candidates 100 2008 A* and A passes 80.5% A and B passes 85.8% A* to C passes 99.6% A to E passes 100% No. of Candidates 113 No. of Candidates 99 2009 A* to A passes 83.1% A and B passes 89.7% A* to C passes 99.6% A to E passes 100% No. of Candidates 108 No. of Candidates 99 2010 A* to A passes 85.6% A and B passes 87.4% A to C passes 99.7% A to E passes 99.7% No. of Candidates 108 No. of Candidates 97 2011 A* to A passes 82.2% A and B passes 85.1% A to C passes 99.5% A to E passes 99.7% No. of Candidates 112 No. of Candidates 101 2012 A* to A passes 86.7% A and B passes 90.2% A to C passes 99.6% A to E passes 99.4%

206

Shamal 2013


Awards and Results

There was huge support for the Year 9 CASA G Award Evening on June 10th. CASA stands D for Community Action Service Award and Year 9 students have to demonstrate evidence of participating in each section of the scheme. The award therefore celebrates involvement in activities outside of the formal curriculum and leads to a much broader understanding of learning. Mr Gulliford was the Guest of Honour and gave a rousing speech. TY I This focused on the value of academic V AC T I O N S E R qualifications in delivering success when compared to simply monetary advantage. Our thanks to all involved for making the evening and the whole award programme such a success.

AI UB

COLLE

I

E

C

UN

AW ARD

E

COMM

CA SA

Shamal 2013

207


Awards and Results

Prize Giving and Founder’s Day Thursday, May 9th 2013

Guest of Honour

Mr Edward Hobart HM Consul General British Embassy, Dubai

Junior (Years 7-9) Subject Prizes Subjects

Winners

Special Mentions

Arabic

Anjali Magecha 9CJ

Anushe Samee 9DR Michael Rea 9SM

Art

Imogen Lewis 9RD

Rebecca Hamer 9CJ Matthias Falzon Young 9CJ

Design & Technology

Imogen Lewis 9RD

Yehia Islam 9DR Mehek Vohra 7SG

Drama

Siddhant Jhurani 9RD

Imogen Lewis 9RD James Lemon 9EJ

English

Kate Fisher 9SM

Cate Waft 9EJ Anjali Magecha 9CJ

French

Jetasri Gupta 9EJ

Anjali Magecha 9CJ Zena Sharif 9RD James Lemon 9EJ

Geography

James Lemon 9EJ

Madryn Riewer 9ZB Alex Faulkner 9EJ

History

Shahmir Samee 9DR

Kate Fisher 9SM Jay Desai 9EJ

ICT

Jason Daswani 9SM

Kirsten Holtby 9RD Kitty Willson 9RD

Islamic Education

Yehia Islam 9DR

Anushe Samee 9DR

Quran Recitation

Fatima Gheewala 9DR

Reeza Khan 9DR

Mathematics

Christopher Vail 9SM

Anushe Samee 9DR

Music

Cate Waft 9EJ

Isabel Snaas 9CJ

P.E. (Girls)

Isabel Snaas 9CJ

Zahra Kapasi 9SM Hannah Cleere 9SM Olivia Peacock 9SM

P.E (Boys)

Frazer Hanson 9CJ

Joshua Devereux 9DR Ali Kapasi 9DR

Science

Yi Wen Lee 7SG

Mikaeel Habib 8AH

Spanish

Kate Fisher 9SM

Ceyda Davidson 9CJ Alkis Loukos 9EJ

208

Shamal 2013


Awards and Results

Shamal 2013

209


Awards and Results

Senior (Years 10-13) Subject Prizes

210

Subjects

Winners

Special Mentions

Arabic

Inaam Mian 11 GJ

Art

Lydia Morgan 13JM

Shivani Maru 11GJ Neha Narain 11RA Anya Malik 11GJ Lauren Hindley 13VH Asena Ayan 13BT

Biology

Lavanya Malhotra 13TD

Saniya Mediratta 13BT Pauline Bagatelas 13BT

Business Studies

Jenna Pfeifer 11MS

Zoe Curtis 11DF Nadia Young 11GJ

Chemistry

Shivank Keni 13DM

Dominic Flower 13TD Sahas Singh 13JM

Design & Technology

Caleb Goddard 11GJ

Kelley Day 11KG Rohan Padmanabhan 11DF

Drama

Niamh Merrigan 13PR

Eleanor Abu-Nimeh 13PF Sam Bullock 13RG

Economics

Sahas Singh 13JM

Reuben Abraham 13VH

English

Pooja Nair 11KG

French

Smriti Talreja 13JM

Prianka Bhatia 13AM Imogen Lemon 11KM

Geography

Suprojit Paul 13DM

Alexander Mowat 13PF

History

Yusra Jafar 13LA

Pauline Bagatelas 13BT Aarya Mishra 13BV

ICT

Callum Hatter 13PR

Jamie McWhirter 13TD Imogen Hawksbee 13BV

Islamic Education

Shayan Momeni 12RG Inaam Mian 11GJ

Quran Recitation

Mohammad-Wahid Ghaffari 11KG Inaam Mian 11GJ

Mathematics

Adam Andreani 12SO

Further Mathematics

Isabel Taylor 13DM

Shaurya Kalsi 13BT Oh Hyun Kweon 12JC Dorotty Nagy 12TD Holly Brannelly 13GR

Music

Yasine El-Ashmawi 13LH

Joanna Helsby 13SO

P.E.

Anna-Louise Williams 13GC

Connor Murray 13JM

Physics

Shaurya Kalsi 13BT

Siddharth Sehgal 13BT

Spanish

Smriti Talreja 13JM

Kelly Shuttleworth 13AM Maryam El-Rashid 13CH

Shamal 2013

Mohammad Haider Mirza 12PF


Awards and Results

Shamal 2013

211


Awards and Results

Endeavour Prizes Awarded to a pupil who has made an outstanding effort across the curriculum, or who has made a very determined effort to overcome problems by a diligent approach to his or her studies.

Winners

Special Mentions

Year 7

Etienne Tillon 7VB

Niamh Bone 7SG Lauren Johnstone 7AA Naoise Morgan 7AA

Year 8

Daisy Kirkaldy 8JS

Chiara Rehman 8AH Oh Jun Kweon 8CT

Year 9

Denia Loukos 9CJ

Seรกn Mountain 9EJ Rowan Weaver 9RD

Year 10

Rohan Gupta 10RB

Raahim Zafrullah 10BA Amy Henderson 10KB

Year 11

Jenna Denton 11RA

JoeSingh 11RA Nermeen Islam 11RA

Pastoral Prizes Awarded to a pupil who has made valuable contributions to PSHE and the House Programme, is consistently well-organised, has shown care and consideration to members of tutor and year groups and has a positive attitude to school life.

Winners

Special Mentions

YEAR 7

Kiara Whittle 7SC

YEAR 8

Eleanor Reid 8AH

Yi Wen Lee 7SG Hamilton Rogers 7SC Harry Hughes 7WD Emma Kelly 8TJ Laura Murphy 8CT

YEAR 9

Jay Desai 9EJ

Kitty Willson 9RD Omar El-Ashmawi 9SM

YEAR 10

Jonathan Lahdo 10BA

Anusha Aggarwal 10RB Hasan Masud 10GW

YEAR 11

Emily Dunne 11KG

Kelley Day 11KG Urmika Mani 11RA

YEAR 12

Rehan Ayrton 12GC

Sarah Moore 12LH Conor Merrigan 12SO

YEAR 13

Lauren Hindley 13VH

Aarya Mishra 13BV Yasine El-Ashmawi 13LH

212

Shamal 2013


Awards and Results

All-Rounder Prizes Awarded to a pupil in recognition of his or her all-round academic and creative talent, social contributions and extra curricular participation.

Winners

Special Mentions

YEAR 7

Arya Flisher 7WD Jaimini Patel 7NB

Ibani Hattangadi 7AA Polly Jones 7VB

YEAR 8

Sophie Shams 8CT

Gregor Watson 8CT Julia MacKay 8EA

YEAR 9

Frazer Hanson 9CJ

Alexandra White 9RD Zahra Kapasi 9SM

YEAR 10

Sandip Roy 10GW

Alana Rogers 10BA Beatrice Prosser 10BA

YEAR 11

Bianca Pereira 11GJ

Gabrielle Guscott 11KM

Shamal 2013

213


Awards and Results

House Captains 2012-2013

Barbarossa

Sarah Moore 12LH Jessica MacCormick 12PR

Mia Zickerman-White 12TD Emma Britnor 12PF

Chichester Cousteau Heyerdahl

Lewis Streak 12AM Tom Harding 12TD James Ozden 12DM Conor Cassidy 12PF

Special Prizes The Ernst & Young Prize for Literature Awarded to a pupil who has shown an excellent degree of critical awareness and a genuine interest in exploring the complexities and subtleties of meaning in the language of literary texts.

Aarya Mishra 13BV

Special Mention: Yusra Jafar 13LA Kelly Shuttleworth 13AM

The Godwin Austen Johnson Prize for Outstanding Design Talent Emma Thrower 12RG

The ‘AAA’ Service Centre Prize Awarded to a Sixth Form Pupil (other than Head Boy or Head Girl) who has made the most significant contribution to the Sixth Form in terms of academic endeavour, active support of the Sixth Form community and who has a genuine concern for the welfare of others.

Reuben Abraham

13VH

Special Mention: Saniya Mediratta 13BT Ewan French 13BT

The Prize for Academic Excellence at GCSE Awarded to a GCSE pupil who has performed at an outstanding academic level.

Pooja Nair 11KG

Special Mention: Nikita Tourani 11KG Imogen Lemon 11KM

The Most Outstanding Performance in a School Production Award Daniel Wakefield 12CH

214

Shamal 2013

Special Mention: Henri Schomper 13LA Alexandra White 9RD


Awards and Results

Founder’s Prize for the Most Promising Musician (Under 14) Joonwoo Jeong 7VB

The Prize for Sporting Excellence 2012-2013 (Girls) Jessica MacCormick 12PR

Special Mention: Jessica Snaas 13DM Maryam El-Rashid 13CH Lara Fowler 11RA

The Prize for Sporting Excellence 2012-2013 (Boys) Connor Murray 12JM

Special Mention: Reuben Abraham 13VH Matt Scriven-Baker 13PF

The European Council of International Schools Award for International Understanding Awarded to a student who is a good representative of his or her own country, with a positive attitude towards the life and culture of others, able to converse in at least two languages, a contributing force in the life of the school, with the ability to bring people together into a sense of community, thus furthering the cause of international understanding.

Pauline Bagatelas 13BT

Special Mention: Samer Ashur 13CH Shivank Keni 13DM

Deputy Head Girl 2012-2013 Maryam El-Rashid 13CH Deputy Head Boy 2012-2013 Reuben Abraham 13VH Head Girl 2012-2013 Jessica Snaas 13DM Head Boy 2012-2013 Alex Young 13TD

Shamal 2013

215


Awards and Results

Photos: Yehya AlHafidh

216

Shamal 2013


Destination of Leavers 2012 Sanya Ahmed LSE, Economics and Philosophy Saffiya Al-Hafidh Szert Istvan Hungary, Veterinary Science Ali Alami Princeton, Economics Karim Amr Columbia, Mathematics Sophie Armstrong Nottingham, Engineering Kate Ashwell Gap Year Talia Banks Newcastle, Medicine Charles Barsaga Royal Northern College of Music, Music Inci Baysal Southampton, Psychology Tara Bell Nottingham, Philosophy and English Alesha Bhavnani Manchester, Politics and Sociology Jan Biddle Bristol, Aeronautical Engineering Michael Bingham Bristol, Law Alister Boags Southampton, Chemistry/ Mathematics Danielle Bolton Sydney/Melbourne, Veterinary Science Kim Boshoven Saxion Hogerschool, Holland, Interactive Media Design Honor Brannelly UCL, Mechanical Engineering Catriona Burke Leeds, English and Drama Christopher Burke Leeds, Geography Kate Burns Royal Holloway, Film and Media Jonathan Caddick Nottingham, Mechanical Engineering Peter Caneborg Edinburgh, Biomedical Science James Capon Gap Year Sid Choudhary NYU, Sports Management Ellie Collins Exeter, Management with Marketing Frith Connold Kingston, Art Foundation Natasha Daoud Bristol, Medicine Shounak Das Nottingham, Finance, Accounting and Management Sava Davis Royal Holloway, Geography Genna Daya Central St Martins, Art Foundation Lauren Dhanki Southampton, Law Rahul Dungarwal Georgia Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering Emma Fantham Queen’s, Sociology Alex Ferguson Bath, Management & Spanish Daniel Ferguson Melbourne/UWA, Mechanical Engineering Connie Fisk Loughborough, IT and Management Ben Gesterkamp Australia, Graphic/Industrial Design David Gowans Aberdeen College, Interactive Media Studies Yaeka Haitani UCL, PPE Philosophy and Politics Majdie Hajjar LSE, Law Jana Hannoun Sussex, Economics & International Relations Ciara Hartley Bath Spa, Primary Education Laura Henderson Leeds, Sociology & Social Policy Daniel Hendry University of North Carolina, Geography Louisa Henson St Andrews, Environmental Science Mark Heyster Loughborough, Product Design & Technology Isobel Hodgson Southampton, Environmental Geophysics

Owain Jones Coventry, Mechanical Engineering Nikhil Kanade Claremont McKenna, History Natacha Karam Kingston, Art Foundation Zain Kassam Surrey, Biochemistry Mahyar Kazranian Durham, Economics Sophia Kenaghan Leeds, Mathematics Neha Khan UCL, Geography Sameh Khan Western Ontario, Mechanical Engineering Yousef Khan Warwick, Business Management/ Law Matthew Kilsby Bath, Civil Engineering Abigail Laven Edinburgh, Interior Design Harry Loakman Glasgow, Sports Medicine/Science Jasim Malik LSE, Economics & Politics Hannah Matthews Edinburgh, Economics/Geography & International Development Charles May Gap Year Rutvij Merchant Northwestern, Medicine Josh Middleton Bristol, Law Sophie Middleton King’s, English & French Aman Navani Columbia, Economics & Politics Chandni Pagarani Bristol, Philosophy and Economics Dominic Palubiski Bristol, Chemistry Zoe Panayi Cambridge, Architecture Charlotte Peacock Cambridge, History Nayana Prakash Oxford, English Literature Raaghav Ramani Oxford, Mathematics Alice Raymond Leeds, English & Drama Kinara Rodrigues Southampton, Business & Management Frank Ryan Durham, Computer Science with Mathematics Jess Saunders Brighton, Physiotherapy Arnav Sashittal Bath, Economics & Government Conor Seabrook Swansea, Electronic Engineering Anwar Shaikh Unknown, Medicine Mustafa Shaikh Toronto, Engineering Science Zehra Sharif Loughborough, International Business Laura Shaw Bristol, Mechanical Engineering Aditi Shrikhand Vasser College (Deferred), Liberal Arts Aashini Shrivastav St. Andrews, History & Economics Eleni Skouroupathi Kingston, Civil Engineering Nico Spiteri Parsons New York, Art Foundation Gina Steel Edinburgh, Business Management Iona Stewart Cardiff, Geography Tom Summers Bristol, Aeronautical Engineering Yuvraj Talwar UCLA, Business Management Ellie Tarrant Taylor Nottingham Trent, Psychology Clare Thompson Bath, Biochemistry & Genetics Mark Thomson Queen Mary, Geography Rohan Tourani Bristol, Business Management Alice Turner Royal Holloway, English and Drama Henry Turpie University of Maastricht, International Business Emma Vaux Oxford Brookes, Interior Architecture Jonathan Wait Sheffield, Biomedical Science Jamie Wallace Leeds, Diagnostic Radiography Laura Worger Melbourne, Science

Shamal 2013

217


Autographs

Work Hard Play Hard Be Neat Be Civil Be Cooperative 218

Shamal 2013


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.