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The end of term newsletter for the Godolphin and Latymer School
olphin News
Summer 2009 – Issue 12
Inside
Department News • School Sports • Opening of the Bishop Centre Friends of Godolphin and Latymer • Events • International Baccalaureate
I do hope that you will enjoy this edition of our termly newsletter. We have given it a new look and its content focuses on the girls’ activities and successes. Looking through this edition, I am reminded again and again of the liveliness and vibrancy that are the hallmarks of life at Godolphin and Latymer. Godolphin and Latymer girls have a wide range of achievements of which they can be proud in many areas; the
school is incredibly busy from first thing in the morning until well into the evening, thanks to the extensive extra-curricular programme. The following pages provide a flavour of what is going on. During our school holidays, exciting visits to many parts of the globe are on offerthanks to the willingness and generosity of the staff who spend time organising and leading these visits. Mrs Ruth Mercer
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Leadership at Godolphin and Latymer Each year a new team of sixth form girls take up leadership posts within the school. These are key roles, on which the school depends for its successful functioning and future development. The girls are wonderful ambassadors for the school and take great pride in its work; we are always extremely grateful to them for all their commitment and hard work. All aspects of school life benefit from the input of the sixth form. Their roles include those of Head Girl and Deputy Head Girls, as well as the Social Services Team, the Hospitality Team, the Green Team, Debating Captains and Games Captains. In addition a large number of sixth form girls take on the position of Form Assistants which brings them into close contact with other year groups in the school. The School Council, whose views are sought on all aspects of school life, is chaired by the Head Girl and her Deputies. Many thanks are due to the outgoing teams from 2008/9. They were most ably led by Isobel Duncan (Head Girl) and Sara Al-Naher, Chloe Bustin, Ariane Dwyer, Julia Kirkland, Abigail Sater and Helene ` ` Thorel, (Deputy Head Girls). Our new teams have already taken up their posts with great enthusiasm and we wish them every success in their new roles. The Head Girl for 2009/10 is Lilli Beard and the Deputy Head Girls are Alice Fraser, Olivia Johnson-King, Catrin Rushen, Nora Schlatte and Leigh Trefny.
The ninth senior debating final took place on Monday 23rd March. The motion was highly contentious and very topical: ‘This house supports the building of a third runway at Heathrow Airport’. Before a large, engaged and committed audience, Gigi Ettedgui and Hiba Saleem Danish took on the daunting task of arguing what is a very unpopular case in this part of West London; they were opposed by India Barker and Jenny Bates. The debate was vigorous, passionate, well informed and informative, and of exceptionally high quality. The judge, Dr Howard Bailes of St Paul’s Girls’ School, commented on how close the contest was and how it went right down to the last speech. The Elizabeth Crane Trophy for 2009 was won by Gigi Ettedgui and Hiba Saleem Danish, who now reign as senior debating champions for 2009-10. We were very pleased to welcome Mrs Jane Crane to present the trophy to the winners. The trophy and the debating competition as a whole are sponsored by her and her husband in memory of their daughter Elizabeth, who died suddenly in 1997 immediately after leaving Godolphin and Latymer. Their emotional generosity is as great as, if not greater than, their financial generosity; it must be very hard for them to return to the school year after year to see so many girls, so full of expectation, hope and potential for the future, who are the same age as their daughter was when she died. We have a very talented and committed team of debating captains for 2009-10. India Barker will be Captain, and Jessica Campbell and Louise English will be Vice-Captains. Mr Julian Bell English Debating Team below: left to right: Gigi Ettedgui, Hiba Saleem Danish, Mr Bell, Mrs Crane, India Barker, Jenny Bates
Mrs Ruth Mercer
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Let’s talk about it
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Public speaking victory! The public speaking year culminated in an impressive victory for the school’s public speaking team at the National Final of the English Speaking Union competition, held on Saturday 25th April at the City of London School. The team consisting of three girls from the UV, Francesca Humphreys as chair, Kitty ParkerBrooks as main speaker and Daniela Raffel as questioner, had previously won two regional-based rounds on course to the National Final which featured nine teams from schools across Britain including Oundle, Magdalen College, George Herriot’s and Central Newcastle High School. The standard of competition was extremely high and the topics which the main speakers chose to address, including “personal tragedies should not be played out in
front of the media” and “Barack Obama will be the saviour of America” leant themselves to lively, incisive questioning. The Godolphin team stood out in particular for how well each of the girls fulfilled their respective roles and also for their confidence and self-assurance in what is quite a nerve-racking situation. Their victory was fully deserved and as well as being ESU Public Speaking champions for this academic year the team will also be invited to Buckingham Palace in the Autumn to be presented with certificates from the President of the ESU, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. Miss Lucy Shackleton Classics
Left to Right Back row: Roger Tilbury, Trevor Phillips, Sarah Harrison (judges) Front row: Kitty Parker-Brooks Francesca Humphreys, Daniela Raffel Lucy Shackleton (coach) Edward Gould (Deputy Chairman of ESU)
Social Services Committee This term has been a great final chapter for the Social Services Committee of 2008-2009. We have greatly enjoyed selecting and fundraising for a charity each week, and are proud of the £20,885.30 that the school has raised over the course of the year.
you to everyone who has contributed to the school’s fundraising efforts this year! Martha Ellis-Leach
One highlight that helped to achieve this sum was Mamma Mia – The Teachers’ Musical, which saw Miss Biggins, Mr Ford and Miss Hodgkins, and many more teachers, showcasing their musical talents to help us raise an amazing £1,065 for Great Ormond Street Hospital. Other amounts, raised this term and last, by way of collections, cake sales and mufti days, include £770 for Comic Relief (via the popular sale of Red Noses!), £541 for the Red Cross: Bush Fire appeal and £405 for the kindergarten in Kapakli, S. Turkey. Thank
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Science Night Club
This year’s Science Nightclub was as popular as ever. Thirty girls from the LIV attended, ably helped and looked after by a team of effervescent sixth formers. Once they had made it past the bouncers and into the beautifully decorated underwater corridor, the evening could begin. A quick-fire quiz kept them on their toes before they went to the school hall to take a step into outer space, courtesy of Astrodome, a wonderful mobile planetarium. There was then a short interlude watching the school’s Water Rocket Challenge team fire off their rockets before dinner (a very nutritious pizza and choc-ice affair). The latter part of the evening began with an audience with Albert Einstein in which he wowed us with details of his life, his theories and an exploding universe. He was very impressed by the quality of the questions afterwards which left him quite exhausted! We then learned about planets – as well as building model Earth-Moon systems, we looked at the difficulties of actually defining what a planet is. It was finally time for a cup of cocoa and then bed (or rather, laboratory floor). There are unconfirmed reports of late night scary stories and midnight feasts, but, a few bleary eyes aside, the girls were up bright and early for breakfast and then the SNC Quiz, which tested how much they had picked up, as well as general knowledge. Finally it was time for the balloon release – each one tagged with the name of an attendee. There was to be a prize for the balloon that went the furthest, and it went to Ffion Dash, whose balloon made it all the way to Thetford, near Ipswich.
Albert explains relativity
It was a great night for all concerned, and thanks must go the sixth form helpers who worked tirelessly, and the staff who made it possible. The greatest thanks goes to the LIV girls who joined in so enthusiastically to make it such a memorable event.
Hope mine gets further than Shepherd’s Bush...
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The ever-so-ambitious water clock
The innovative, psychedelic lava-lamp-cum-egg-timer
IB Group 4 Science Symposium This year’s IB Group 4 Science Symposium took place on the evening of 11th June. Parents, friends and teachers all crowded into the Drama Studio to see what the girls had been up to for the previous three days. Each girl was part of a cross-disciplinary team, each of which had to create three clocks (one based loosely in physics, one in chemistry and one in biology). These clocks were then used to time a piece of music (a part of JS Bach’s Toccata and Fugue). The project is always great fun, with the emphasis on the process rather than outcome and the Symposium is the culmination of the project. Each team gave a short presentation outlining their ideas and how they brought them to fruition. They also each prepared a poster for viewing before or after the presentations.
The audience really enjoyed hearing about the trials and tribulations of each team, and how they overcame them. From racing woodlice named after some of our less popular politicians to a water clock that resembled a medieval trebuchet, the ideas were as individual and inventive as we have ever known. Prizes were awarded for the most innovative design (Danger! Danger! High Voltage! for their lava-lamp style timer), best presentation (The Super Red Giants) and most accurate timepiece (Purkinje Party). The evening was fun, informative and a great showcase for the talent of our IB girls. Mr Jaideep Barot Physics
Sixth form Physics trip to CERN Geneva. April 2009. During the Easter holiday 20 sixth form girls travelled to Geneva to visit the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. We were treated to a fascinating tour which included seeing the facility where all sections of the tube in which the particles are accelerated are tested before being installed in the underground tunnel. This gave us the opportunity for a close up look inside the tube and a chance to ask lots of questions. We also saw where antimatter was first created and were then given an excellent lunch in the enormous dining area where we rubbed shoulders with literally hundreds of the best brains from all over the world. We were surprised by how young
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they all were and several girls were inspired to aim for a placement there while they are at University. As well as a cruise on Lake Geneva and a delicious visit to a Chocolateria we also visited the Museum of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent and the United Nations Building. Both of these further impressed us by their vision of what can be achieved when people of high ideals from all over the world come together to work for peace and the relief of suffering in our troubled world.
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Art School Success Students in the Art Department have achieved success in securing places at some of London’s most respected art colleges. The students presented excellent portfolios to the colleges where competition for places is strong with students applying from all over the world. Five students submitted portfolios of innovative work of an exceptionally high technical standard. Melissa Millar has accepted a place at Kingston University, Ffion Harman at Wimbledon College of Art (University of the Arts), Mary Goldsbrough at Chelsea College of Art and Design (University of the Arts), Hannah Fickling at Central St Martins College of Art and Design (University of the Arts), and Cassie Cornish-Trestrail at the City of Guilds of London Art School. This really is an excellent achievement and we wish the girls well.
Cassandra Cornish-Trestrail UVI (a self-portrait, 12ft high by a 1.5 metres wide, produced in pen and ink)
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2009 Good Schools Guide A Level Award The Art department is celebrating the acknowledgement of their hard work and great results by the Good Schools Guide. The department has won the 2009 Good Schools Guide A Level Award. The award is given for girls who have taken Art & Design (Fine Art) at AS level and recognises the Godolphin and Latymer school to be the best performing school in Britain. What makes this so exciting for us is that the award is based on performance in the exams at this level over three years (from 2006-
2008) and also on the popularity of the subject at the Godolphin and Latymer School, when compared to other similar schools. To learn more about how the award is achieved see the webpage at www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/ exams-analysis-qlikview/gsg-a-level-gcse-awards/the-goodschools-guide-awards.html?Itemid=47 Miss Lucy Cooper Art
Jemima Murphy LVI (study from a natural form, 2 metres square, produced in oil paint)
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German Topic Day On the 23rd March 2009 a group of sixth form German students and staff from the German department attended the annual German Topic Day held in Euston. Seated in a large auditorium with other groups from various schools, the day comprised of a series of talks and interactive sessions run by two speakers and all spoken in German. Many of us had upcoming oral exams so it was great practice listening to and understanding what the speakers had to say. Topics that came up were all very current including Environment, Nuclear Power, Concepts of Beauty and Crime. Throughout the day it was really interesting to hear new insights and perspectives on these issues from another country and especially in the native language. A couple of interactive sessions of a game similar to Family Fortunes also allowed us to get involved and make use of some German that we had learned. I think we all gained a lot from the visit and thanks to Mrs Fenton and Mr Barnard for organizing everything. Katie Riklin
German Exchange 2009 In the Easter break eight girls took part in the German exchange during its 30th anniversary year and spent two weeks with their partners in Hamburg. We enjoyed the sights in and around Hamburg and participated enthusiastically in lessons at ‘Die Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums’. A particular highlight was the visit to the medieval town of Lübeck where we not only discovered several cultural sights of interest but also the world famous ‘Niederegger’ marzipan house, – of course we could not possibly leave without purchasing a delicious souvenir! The girls became very fond of their partners and it was no surprise to note a few tears at the airport when the moment came to say ‘Auf Wiedersehen’, an indication perhaps that lasting friendships had been formed. Mrs Ursula Fenton German
Granada Trip Thirty Lower Fifth girls spent the first week of the Easter holiday in Granada, in the south of Spain. After their morning lessons, they did a number of activities in the afternoon and spent time with their host families in the evenings. They admired the Alhambra and its stunning panoramic views, spent a day in Córdoba, enjoyed a flamenco show in a gipsy cave and visited the fascinating suburb of El Albaicín. Some of the culinary highlights of the visit included sipping sweet tea in an Arabic tea room, and trying the Spanish delicacy of chocolate con churros.
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UIV Nantes Exchange On the 28th March 2009, a group of 48 Godolphin girls and Latymer boys and girls arrived at St Pancras ready to embark on their journey to Nantes. Although we had already met our exchanges a few weeks beforehand, everyone was still nervous about arriving in a rural area of France and staying with a family they had never met. After a day of travelling, we said goodbyes to our friends, nervous about the weekend ahead that was to be spent with our exchange and their family. However, there was no need to worry, as all our families were lovely and very understanding. They took us on fantastic visits and most of us saw other English pupils throughout the weekend. Early on Monday we arrived at the Collège Saint Blaise with our exchange, excited about the visit ahead. We
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went to lots of amazing places throughout the course of the week including castles, Futuroscope (a French Theme Park), a submarine base and even to see a giant mechanical elephant! The week flew by and before we knew it we were back on the Eurostar, excited about seeing our parents and friends again. We all enjoyed the exchange very much, and would like to say a big thank you to Miss Prodhomme, Mrs Cuming and Mrs Halls for making the trip possible and providing us with an experience we will never forget. Ellie Harrison
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Intermediate Mathematics Challenge
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Keen followers of the progress of our mathematicians may remember that a total of seven girls from our UIV, LV, and UV did so well in the UK Mathematics Challenge that they were invited to take part in a further round taken by students across Europe. We are delighted to report that two of them have been awarded merits. These girls can therefore be regarded as the elite of the elite and deserve our warmest congratulations. They are:
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Sophia Hyer Camille Fenton Mr Stephen Raleigh Mathematics
Technology Department Girls in the Upper Third once again took part in the annual Master Chef competition and produced an array of delicious and skilful dishes for the judges to sample. Each form produced two winners who will now compete against each other early in September. Perhaps in a few years’ time one of these girls will follow in the footsteps of Nikki Compson in the Lower Fifth who, last term, took part in the Hammersmith and Fulham Young Chef of the Year award. Upper Third girls also visited Kew Gardens in preparation for their Lower Fourth courses. In addition to enjoying
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the beautiful surroundings, they were able to see many of the materials they use in their lessons actually growing. From mahogany trees to rosemary and runner beans the range of plants at Kew is amazing and as they moved from one climate zone to another, in the Palm House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory, girls were able to identify how the atmosphere in each was controlled to ensure the plants thrived in their natural environment. Mrs Jennifer Wright Technology
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Politics Visit to Parliament In June the Sixth formers from the Government & Politics class visited Parliament. Whilst waiting we saw a number of potential Speakers of the House of Commons conducting photo opportunities, including the eventual winner, John Bercow. We were able to stand at the dispatch box in the chamber of the House of Commons as well as going to some normally out of bounds areas such as the Members’ Terrace and one of the Committee Rooms. The day was finished by a walking tour of Whitehall highlighting its position as the “heart of government”.
of Independence and the Constitution. A lucky few were able to spot Obama’s entourage driving along Pennsylvania Avenue. We were also able to have visits to the world famous Smithsonian Museums with the students able to choose from their favourite venues, such as the National Gallery or the Aeronautical Wing. The visit was finished off with a lovely excursion to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. Mr Christian McCarthy History and Politics
Visit to Washington DC A mix of Upper and Lower Sixth formers went for a five day excursion to the heart of American Government, Washington DC. We had already had our sleepover in November to watch the US Election and were excited to be going to “Obama Town”. In a very full schedule, we were able to visit Congress, the Supreme Court, and the National Archives containing both the Declaration
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Sport The Summer Term has been extremely short but we have had as many Tennis, Rounders and Athletics fixtures as possible. Tennis The school entered the Aberdare Cup which is a national competition in Tennis involving 4 players (plus reserves if needed). Girls play singles matches and if the two schools are tied then doubles need to be played. We played and beat St. Paul’s Girls’ School in the first round, then had a bye as Alleyn’s School had Swine Flu and were unable to fulfil the fixture and then quickly beat Mill Hill in the third round. We had our closest fought match in the fourth round against Queenswood which went all the way to the third set tie break in the doubles. Unfortunately the girls narrowly lost but played exceptionally well, digging deep and working together. Lisa Losseva managed to beat an opponent she had never beaten before. The team consisted of Sabrina Stewart, Amelie Johansson, Lisa Losseva, Tamara Weymouth, Lara Kitchin. Thanks to Alice Harman who stepped in at the last minute against St. Paul’s and to Kate Osborne who was our super-sub and general team motivator and photographer and speaks to everyone’s parents! Athletics The girls entered a couple of competitions this term with the junior and intermediate teams coming 6th and 5th respectively in the English Schools Track and Field events. Alice Harman was selected to represent Hammersmith and Fulham in High Jump in the London Schools’ competition and on Saturday 13th June won the event with a PB of 1.55m. She has now been selected for the Junior Girls’ High Jump in the London Schools’ team to go to the English Schools’ Championships at Sheffield in July. Alice also had success in a combined events competition where she came overall second in the competition, competing in hurdles, long jump, high jump, shot putt and 800m. Congratulations on an outstanding season, Alice! Rounders Girls have demonstrated some fantastic skills during Rounders, in lessons, inter-form competitions and fixtures. Inter-form Rounders competition winners UIII LIV UIV
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A Team UIIIS LIVL UIVR
B Team UIIIS LIVL UIVC
C Team UIIIR LIVW UIVM
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free and loyal art thou Sports Day Yet again the LV are organising a sports day for the lower school as part of their Junior Sports Leader Award which involves the girls organising and running a sporting event. The LV classes have worked really hard to ensure the lower school will have a fun filled session, working with girls they may not usually work with and experiencing some new activities.
Sports Colours Lower School Athletics – Alice Harman Tennis – Tamara Weymouth Middle School Tennis – Amelie Johansson, Lisa Losseva 6th form Tennis – Sabrina Stewart, Lara Kitchin
LV Sports Day Other Successes Juno Stahl has had recent success in Ice Skating, winning the 14 and over Ladies Lee Valley Open and Romford Open as well as coming 2nd in the Blackpool Open, 13+. However Juno’s greatest achievement is qualifying for the Junior British Solo Ice Dance Championships. Xanni von Guionneau rowed to success in the National Schools’ Head winning the J14 Double Sculls. The Godolphin J14 and J15 teams gained great experience at their first National Schools’ competition with the J15 narrowly missing qualifying for the semi final. There will be a Rowing taster day for the current LIV going into UIV near the end of August which all girls are invited to attend to see how Rowing works; no experience required! A separate letter indicating the date will be sent out at a later date. Miss Ellen Elfick Physical Education
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The Bishop Centre Opening After three years of building works at the school, we were finally able to celebrate the completion of the arts phase of the Building the Future campaign with the official opening of The Bishop Centre on 25 June. Guests were treated to special music and drama performances and a reading of First, a poem by Marina Blake (UVH) set amongst the AS and A2 Fine Art Exhibition. The official opening ceremony was conducted by actress Samantha Bond, an Old Dolphin. Currently starring in Arcadia, she recorded a special message shown on the night, highlighting her experiences of drama and performing at G&L and the significance it held for her:
We were delighted that she was able to find the time to support us in this way. The entire school community: staff, parents, Old Dolphins, Friends and girls have been involved in this project and we were thrilled to have representatives from each group with us. It was a fantastic way in which to unveil The Bishop Centre. The Opening event was preceded by an Open Afternoon to which all local residents, current parents, Friends and Old Dolphins were invited. Mrs Tamlyn Worrall Development
I feel very privileged to have been invited by Lady Patten to open this magnificent building. What a remarkable transformation! No doubt I speak for many Old Dolphins when I say, I wish this had been here when I was at Godolphin.
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free and loyal art thou Friends In April, Dr David Starkey gave the first public lecture in the Bishop Centre. Covering the early years of Henry VIII’s life, irreverent and eloquent, Dr Starkey passionately conveyed his love and knowledge of history and underlined its importance and relevance to us today, drawing on comparisons between the promise of young Henry and President Obama. With over 400 guests, this was our largest audience for a lecture and we were delighted to welcome Friends, Old Dolphins, local residents and school students, parents and G&L girls. Dr Starkey has confirmed that he will come back to G&L when the second volume is released.
Calendar Monday, 5 October 2009 The Rt Honourable David Mellor Can Traditional British Democracy Survive? Monday 2 November 2009 Ben Brown A Witness to War: Ambition, Danger and Guilt Please contact friends@godolphinandlatymer.com for details and to book. A Gift for the Future. Godolphin and Latymer’s Annual Giving Programme to launch in September 2009. Please contact development@godolphinandlatymer.com for further details. Saturday and Sunday 19 and 20 September 2009 Godolphin and Latymer have been invited to participate in London Open House Weekend and will open The Rudland Music School and The Bishop Centre for the public for this weekend from 10am to 3pm.
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“Never a dull moment”... ..... as Isobel Duncan, our Head Girl who recently completed the Diploma programme described her experiences. The IB reaches its third ‘birthday’ at Godolphin this summer as another group of girls successfully completes the Diploma course. Isobel commented that studying the IB Diploma had been “an amazing experience. Although the prospect of doing six subjects may seem at first to be completely overwhelming, there is really nothing scary about it! In fact, all it means is that there is never a dull moment: throughout the past two years I have felt constantly inspired and academically stimulated.” This year’s IB girls have experienced the ‘Hamlet tea’, the LVI IB pre-exam picnic, and the silent aerobics
session to name but a few of their activities. IB girls do have a lot of fun and find the classroom atmosphere more relaxed, due to the two year span of the programme. Chloe, another of this year’s leavers commented, “I have thoroughly enjoyed the IB, and all the opportunities that it has presented me with. I think it’s also fair to say that the IB has taught me a greater appreciation for food eaten en masse, and this is definitely a talent I shall be taking to whichever university I end up at!”
...IB – it’s brilliant!
Godolphin and Latymer School
The IB Diploma Programme Life in the 21st century, in an interconnected globalised world, requires critical-thinking skills and a sense of international-mindedness, something that International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme students learn to know and understand.
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