Autumn 2015 School Magazine
Kindergarten, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Present Christmas Around the World!
Contents
Cover image - Music from Around the World - Arts Depot
Christmas Around the World 2 Welcome from the Head of School 4 Our History 5 Sparks of Genius 6 Global Vision 8 Community 10 Beyond the Classroom 12 And finally 14 Music from Around the World 15
Welcome from the Head of School, Mr. David Rose Welcome to our Autumn edition of the Dwight School London magazine for the 2015/16 academic year. The school year got off to a fantastic start with many trips, activities, performances, and academic successes and I am delighted to capture some of these in this term’s magazine. During this term, we have seen our students head off to France, Shropshire and Kent. Student art has travelled with an exhibition to our sister schools in Seoul, Korea and to Shanghai, China. The students have performed at the Arts Depot and premiered their films at a the Curzon Cinema in Mayfair. We have had a focus on careers and university guidance and are delighted that our students are already having university interviews (including Oxbridge) and receiving firm offers. The students are already preparing for the next term where some of our best musicians are heading off to New York to perform at Carnegie Hall. I am sure they are welcoming the upcoming winter break to give them time to recharge for the rest of the busy year ahead. Best wishes for the holiday season. David Rose Head of School
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Our History We often get asked about the history of Dwight School London and the significance of our logo, so here is a brief insight into our background. There are three parallel stories – the Dwight family, the development of the school in New York and then the development of the schools in London and globally. The story begins in the UK in 1634 when John Dwight and his family made the journey from the small Essex town of Dedham in the UK to what became Dedham Massachusetts in the US. Prominent in local law and the military the family were very well respected and in 1795 descendant Timothy Dwight IV became the President of Yale College. His grandson Timothy Dwight V entered Yale in 1845. He served as a tutor in the College from 1851 to 1855 went abroad to continue his studies at the Universities of Bonn and Berlin and in 1886 he was also elected President of Yale College. During his years in office, Yale was recognised as a university – the third oldest in the US. In 1935, Yale constructed the ninth of its twelve residential colleges - Timothy Dwight College named after both Timothy Dwight V and his grandfather as they were regarded as important Presidents of Yale. _______________________________ In 1872 in New York, Dr Julius Sachs opened the Sachs Collegiate Institute (while his brother founded Goldman Sachs with his father-in-law Marcus Goldman.) Following many moves and developments Dr M C Spahn became Headmaster in 1950 followed by Dr Paul Beresford-Hill in 1976. In 1990 Dr Beresford-Hill introduced the IB into the school that had become known as The Anglo-American School. In around 1880 there was also involvement with the New York School of Languages and in 1888 that school was renamed Dwight in honour of Timothy Dwight V who said: “I cannot doubt that those who enjoy the advantages of your institution will be well prepared for their subsequent studies and their college life’. Dwight School merged with The New York Preparatory School for Boys in 1895 and further relocations and generational leadership changes went through to 1967 when Chancellor Stephen Spahn took over and in 1993 Dwight and the Anglo-American became one (and 48 years later Chancellor Spahn is still at the school.) _______________________________ Meanwhile, here in London there was another story. It started with Mrs Maria Wilson who in 1885 opened a small school called Holmewood in the Woodside Park area of Finchley in north London and at the same time, in Friern Barnet, St John’s High School for Boys (which became Friern Barnet Boys Grammar School) was founded. Also in the area was St Alban’s Catholic Preparatory School, opened in 1928. In 1972 Chancellor Stephen Spahn, always innovative and an educational pioneer, opened a campus here in London and later bought the three schools and merged them together to create what we have today. Today we continue to share our Dwight School logo with Timothy Dwight College at Yale. In spite of research there is no explanation why the items on the crest - the lion rampant, the crescent and the cross, were chosen except that it was the design engraved on a tankard for the Dwight family in 1725.
The Dwight family crest Timothy Dwight College Yale Dwight School We have made occasional connections with Yale and Timothy Dwight College – the Yale choir ‘Out of the Blue’ visited and performed for us in Upper School and with the IB as our programme we certainly endorse their mission statement: ‘To prepare students for leadership and service in an increasingly interdependent world.’ For the full history of Dwight go to http://issuu.com/thedwightschool/docs/dt_final/25 or the timeline http://www.dwight. edu/about/history/timeline.
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Personalised Learning
Igniting the Spark of Genius in every child Musical Maestro
Congratulations to Jacques Jervis from M5 (Year 11) who played cello with the Harringey Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra – HYMSO. They gave two concerts in the historic theatre at Alexandra Palace on Saturday, 19th September to mark both the centenary of the World War One Internment Camp and the closing of the theatre for refurbishment. Jacques also got to practice with the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Articulate Author
Budding Movie Director
For her M5 (Year 11) Personal Projects, Isabella Santangelo created a short film using her iPhone and video presentation software to record staff and student comments – written, illustrated, filmed and edited all by herself she now has a great marketing piece that we have added to our website. Scan the QR code to view it.
Congratulations to Upper School teacher Ms. Gemma Fanning who recently co-edited a book for Garnet Education publishers called Teaching Children English: From Research to Practice. This was a project set up by Gemma and her colleagues on the Young Learners and Teenagers Committee, which is part of IATEFL (International Association of TEFL). Gemma also contributed a chapter on the topic on one-to-one teaching with teens, drawing on her experience at Dwight School London’s EAL department. ISBN: 9781901095661. Since publishing the book in October, Gemma has moved to the Teacher Development Committee at IATEFL and recently completed her qualification to be an EAL Teacher Trainer at the University of Reading, with Communications Across Cultures.
Star of Stage
IB Diploma student, Samar Barakat enlisted the assistance of a few friends to help her to stage a play on the theme of mental health called I Am Not Me Anymore. She had an audience of about 20 healthcare professionals who were very moved by her one-woman show and who were very complimentary about her efforts and the school. Samar did an immense amount of research for this project and one of the theatre companies she contacted, Harts Theatre Company, featured Dwight London alumnus Holly Taw-Smith who attended Nottingham University where she studied English and Creative Writing and graduated with a first-class honours degree. Specialising in using drama for mental health awareness, this company will be running workshops with our students in the New Year. Dwight London in the Fast Lane Captained by M4 student Bethany Abbott, Dwight Lions will be taking to the track in the British Schools Karting Championship for 2016. Bethany races regularly on circuits across the UK and she is looking for recruits for the team. Drivers will be aged from 13 to 18 and practice sessions will give them the chance to familiarise themselves with the speed and the handling of the karts and learn the track inside-out so that when the racing starts, every driver is fully prepared. Bethany who holds a Motor Sports Association (MSA) licence is looking for volunteers and is happy to share her knowledge of the sport. Many of today’s successful racing drivers, including Lewis Hamilton started off in kart racing so who knows what the future holds? 6
Singing Sensation
We are proud to share that Camille Palmich in D2 passed her Grade 6 music exam this month at the Central School of Music. She achieved 99% and a Distinction, singing four songs from musical theatre: There are worse things I could do from Grease On a tree by a river (Tit Willow) from The Mikado Home from The Beauty and the Beast The Wizard and I from Wicked
Swim to Win
This term we competed in the Independent Schools Association London North Competition and had some fantastic results as three of our swimmers walked away with a medal: Ben Dunatov finished 3rd in the Year 4 front crawl event and won a bronze medal; Alexander Jensen finished 2nd in the Year 5 backstroke and won a silver medal; Sterre Blaauw finished 1st in the Year 4 breaststroke and won a gold medal. Because of their event times, both Sterre and Ben have been invited to compete in the National Competition which is being held on Saturday 23rd of January at the London Aquatics Centre in East London. They will be swimming against the best ISA swimmers in all of the UK. This is the first time in Dwight’s history that we have ever had a student represent our school in a National tournament of any kind. We have no doubt that they will make us proud!
Acting out the ‘Idiocy of Ignorance’
IB Diploma student Thomas O’Flaherty performed a solo piece on the penultimate day of this term for his assessment in IB Theatre Arts. The performance incorporated the acting techniques of the English actor, playwright and theatre director Steven Berkoff. His methods included mime and physical acting which the student demonstrated in his performance. The piece was about anti-Semitism. Titled Blind Hatred, it portrays the idiocy behind ignorance. Thomas acted out both a neo-Nazi and a Jewish man, acting out a physical confrontation between the two using mime. The play concluded with the Jewish man overcoming the neo-Nazi in a fight by killing him. The Jewish man then has a short monologue, declaring that despite our faith or skin colour, we are all human and due to the Nazi’s ignorance, he lost his life.
Unconditional University Offer
IB Diploma student Hannah Strauss has received an unconditional offer from Xavier University in Ohio, which includes a scholarship. Xavier University is a Jesuit college located in Cincinnati, and is among the oldest Catholic universities in the United States. Well done Hannah!
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Global Vision
Dwight School London has a great tradition of success in the Arts providing our students with opportunities to get on stage and perform. This term some of our older students took part in ISTA workshops in London. ISTA (The International Schools Theatre Association) believes that the future of the world depends on confident, internationally-minded, collaborative and culturally-literate young people who are empowered to engage with and change the world responsibly through the medium of theatre. Led by Mrs. Kennedy, our group joined students from Vienna International School, the International School of Paris, the Amman Baccalaureate School, TASIS, the International, Schools of Geneva and Luxembourg and the American Schools of Bucharest, The Hague and Budapest. Apart from masterclasses with professional actors, directors and playwrights they also visited the National Theatre to watch Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker and they watched Absent at Shoreditch Town Hall.
Bringing the Dwight Family Together Through Art The second 20 x 20 travelling Art Exhibition started in Dwight Seoul, Korea in September. The exhibition is now at Qibao Dwight High School in Shanghai, China. This year’s theme is what we think, we become. This is a quote rooted in Buddhism which alludes to the power that our minds hold in determining the type of person we wish to become. Students were welcomed to reflect and explore the theme to create an artistic response in any medium. We are looking forward to hosting the exhibition here at Dwight London in January.
The World of Work
This term M3 (Year 9) students have been learning about the world of work and employment. They have written letters of application for jobs, completed their CVs and taken part in a role play at a job interview. They have discussed questions such as writing conventions, selecting information to go on a CV and what attributes are needed for specific jobs. In November, students invited parents to come discuss their work experience with them, particularly focussing on global perspectives and the advantages of multi-lingualism in the work place. It was a very enriching and inspiring experience for our students.
University and Careers Guidance
Our University and Careers Guidance Counsellor, Fiona McCaffery attended the Council of International Schools annual forum on International Admission & Guidance in Edinburgh last month. This is a global gathering of university admission and recruitment officers and school guidance counsellors which offers unique opportunities to meet and exchange ideas about the admission processes, learn about current trends in international student recruitment and post-secondary admission and network with admission and guidance colleagues. She was also able to spend time in October with the College Guidance Team at Dwight New York.Ms. McCaffery is sharing all the useful information she learned with our D1 (Year 12) & D2 (Year 13) students to assist them with their university applications around the world. 8
Year 6 Excursion to France
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Community Back-to-School BBQ
It was lovely to have the sun join us at our Back-to-School BBQ in September! It was a fabulous get together of staff, students and parents to welcome our new families and catch up with old friends after the summer break.
International Evening
This fabulous annual event in November was another roaring success. Our families shared their traditional home-cooked delights and enjoyed sampling dishes from all around the world.
Partnering in our Community
Our Student Council met with two members of the North London Hospice staff in November and presented them with a cheque for ÂŁ1025. The money was raised last year by the Lower School and the two ladies from the Hospice, Filomena and Poala, explained where the money will go and how it will impact the lives of the people based in the Hospice. The North London Hospice is our neighbour and it was great for the children to see where some of the money they have helped to raise has gone.
English Classes for the Dwight Community
This term we opened two English classes for parents - a beginners and an intermediate class. The focus of both classes was communication, so over a cup of coffee in the Lower school library, we talked, learned, discussed and shared opinions. Topics were related to everyday life, the school and the news. The classes were so successful we will be continuing them next term.
Child Labour Awareness
This term the M5 (Year 11) Spanish groups have been learning about child labour. Knowing that this was currently happening in our world saddened our students, so they decided to do something about it: raising awareness amongst their peers and raise money to donate to a charity called Anti-Slavery that helps child labourers and homeless children. Anti-Slavery is the oldest international human rights as it was founded in 1839. The students presented all the IBMYP groups a short lecture connecting child labour to some school subjects such as Science, Maths, Individuals and Societies, French, English and Spanish. On Universal Children’s day, most of the M5 students were involved in a bake sale and a non-uniform day in order to raise money to help the charity. They also launched a just giving webpage for online donations that is still open. https://www.justgiving.com/Ani-Asatryan. Our students believe that child labour is a tragedy and they hope that all children will have the right to a healthy and fair childhood soon. 10
Winter Fair
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Beyond the Classroom Film School Mayfair Cinema Premiere
This year we entered three films- one was made by M2 (Year 8) and M3 (Year 9) and followed The Adventures of a Supergirl. The next film looked at regret and living for the moment and was made by M3 (Year 9) and M4 (Year 10): it was a touching and thought film. The final piece was written and produced by M5 (Year 11) and D1 (Year 12) and was a murder mystery with a brilliant twist. We were told that the Dwight School films were the most imaginative and the final film was outstanding. Two other schools also showed at the film festival, Henrietta Barnet School and Queen Elizabeth Boys School, Barnet. We shall be starting our new film course in January 2016 and we already have 28 students enrolled. Look out for our new films next year. We we really very proud of all the students who participated in these fantastic films.
Dwight School London Students Learn to Safe Drive and Stay Alive
Our IB Diploma students have learned the key elements to Safe Drive and Stay Alive this term. The students joined the Enfield Council’s road safety theatre, which is aimed at reducing road casulties among 16-18 year olds. The key messages delivered were on speed, drink and/or drug driving, seatbelts, peer pressure and mobile phones. The workshop ended with an emotional speech from a parent speaking about the loss of their child and was a very powerful message. Paul Johnson, IB Coordinator spoke after the workshop ‘we are very grateful to Enfield Council for putting on such a worthy workshop for students, it was heart wrenching to hear some of the stories and I know our students will never forget what was said, which will hopefully save lives!’ To find out more about the scheme go to http://content.met.police.uk/Article/Enfield-Road-Safety-Partne rship/1400001920575/1400001920575?scope_id=1257246763859
Netball Trip
17 girls from our Upper School Netball teams stayed at Condover Hall in Shropshire for a weekend of matches and training this term. When they wer not playing netball they were lucky enough to have the opportunity to try out zip wire, body zorbing, archery, climbing as well as abseiling.
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M1-M3 Bushcraft
During three days in October the M1, M2 and M3 students camped in the woods of Leeds Castle and participated in a range of outdoor survival type activities led and supervised by the trained and experienced staff from Bushcraft.
D1 & D2 Retreat
Our IB Diploma students headed off to their retreat on the Norfolk coast earlier in the term for a team building activity fun filled 3 days The trip was an intrinsic part of students’ Creativity, Action and Service Programme and where all students in D1 (Year 12) and D2 (Year 13) had the opportunity to get to know staff and fellow students. The activities the students experienced included orienteering, nightline, fencing, problem solving, archery, team tech, jacob’s ladder, low ropes, high equilibrium, mini olympics and a scrapheap challenge. It was a very busy three days!
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And finally....
Introducing Alison Cobbin, Dwight School London Executive Principal from January 2016! As of January 2016, David Rose becomes Director of Dwight School London to focus on strategic goals and development, as well as new initiatives for the Dwight Schools Group. Part of his role will be to assist with leadership succession planning for Dwight School London. I was brought up in Australia and qualified as an English and History teacher at Macquarie University in Sydney. In 1995 I moved to London with my husband and three young daughters to stay for one, maybe two years. More than 20 years later I am still here and I am happy to call London my home. Returning to work after a career break to look after my young children, I joined what was then Woodside Park School and has since evolved into Dwight London. I shared the school’s journey to become an IB World School. During this time I was an English, Games and ToK teacher, IB Diploma Co-ordinator and Upper School Principal. In 2009 I took up a post as a Pastoral Deputy Head in a large, thriving independent school in South East London. During my time there I completed an MBA in Educational Leadership (International) at UCL Institute of Education. Outside of work I have always enjoyed sport as both as a spectator and participant. After many years of playing competitive basketball and football I have now settled down to enjoying social netball, leisurely cycling around London and walking in the countryside. I am delighted to now be returning to the supportive and vibrant community at Dwight. I am excited to be back in an IBO school and in the international school community. My professional and personal experiences have confirmed my belief that the IB programmes provide a wonderful opportunity for children and young people to learn about the world they live in and equip them with the skills and character to make an impact on the that world. I look forward to being part of the exciting learning community at Dwight along with the students, staff and families. Best wishes for the holiday season. Alison Cobbin
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The Upper & Lower School Music Departments Present
Music from Around the World
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Dwight School London 6, Friern Barnet Lane London N11 3LX +44 (0)208920 0600 office@dwightlondon.org www.dwightlondon.org
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