Chs the magazine 2014 lr by GDST

The Magazine Croydon High School 2014

Letter from our Editors CONTENTS Another year passed at Croydon High means another school magazine packed with news and achievements. A huge range of activities and events has been held and enjoyed since September, so perhaps the toughest part of being on the editiorial committee has been whittling down our available content to a feasible, readable amount! Without the dedication of Ms Forshaw and Mrs Cook, this task would have been leagues more difficult. Thanks go to them for their hard work, guidance and patience with everyone involved. Also thanks to Mrs Simpson for her diligent proof-reading, which was much appreciated. We hope this magazine will display all the many things CHS girls have to be proud of, whether in terms of academic success or the community they each contribute to each day. Last of all, we hope the accomplishments of 2013-2014 will inspire great excitement for what will surely be the school’s biggest year yet, as we start our 140th anniversary celebrations.

Happy 140th birthday, Croydon High!

TITLE................................................... Page No. Interview with Mrs Leonard................................... 2 Getting to know our Head Girls........................... 3 House Reports........................................................ 4 Go-On Inspires....................................................... 6 Go-Beyond Expectations...................................... 7 Juniors.................................................................... 8 The Evolution of a Croydon High Girl.................26 Life in Year 7..........................................................28 Life in Year 8..........................................................30 Life in Year 9..........................................................32 Life in Year 10........................................................34 Life in Year 11........................................................36 Sixth Form Life.......................................................38 Amnesty International..........................................40 Sports Report.........................................................42

Kate Shillabeer, Amy Jones and Ellen Prizeman, co-editors

Sweet Music..........................................................48 Young Reporter Success......................................51 International Women’s Day.................................52 Shine and Silver D of E..........................................53 High Drama...........................................................54 Fine Art...................................................................58 Venice Trip.............................................................60 Creative Writing....................................................62 So Long…Farewell................................................64

Cover Story Our stunning cover photograph is the work of co-editor Ellen Prizeman, taken on the Art students memorable trip to Venice in October 2013. Ellen has perfectly captured the beauty of Venice and was awarded first prize in the photography competition that followed the trip. The wonders of Venice obviously impressed our girls. A gondola ride inspired second placed Jessica Maher’s photograph, while Blanche Brown’s reflective image won her third place. These two images can be seen on the back cover of the magazine and all three have been displayed proudly in school and attracted many admiring glances and comments. Well done girls; the subjects of your photographs were indeed stunning but it takes a special talent to capture them as you have.

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

An Interview with Mrs Leonard by Magazine Editors, Kate & Amy 2013 -14 has been another exciting and busy year at Croydon High School. We asked our Headteacher, Mrs Leonard for her thoughts on this year and the future for Croydon High. When asked about an event that she felt summed up this academic year, Mrs Leonard said, “There are so many different events that appeal for different reasons. In a GDST school like this, where we have all ages from 3 to 18, there have been wonderful events in the Junior School and in the Senior School. So that’s a difficult, in fact, an impossible question!” The Head has a background in sport, but she also shows a keen interest in music and drama, and the many academic events during the year. With her affinity for sport, we thought that Mrs Leonard would have some useful advice for staying motivated, especially towards the end of the academic year.“Variety,” is Mrs Leonard’s recommendation.“Find different ways to keep yourself interested and inspired. If you learn everything in the same way it’s tedious.” She also said that research through the internet can present the information in a slightly different, more engaging way, maintaining your interest for longer, and made it clear that discussion in the classroom, as a learning tool, can be as much use as any textbook. Croydon High School definitely uses this technique to the greatest benefit. Another factor for motivation is having goals. “Being aspirational is important. Having challenges keeps you motivated, which is lost if you become complacent and just accept what’s in front of you.” Another fear of some girls at Croydon High is failure in various areas of their academic studies. When asked about this, Mrs Leonard said: “You shouldn’t fear failure. Nobody’s perfect, and some of the best lessons are when you fail. For example, when you go up an employer’s tree, the jobs become fewer. If you apply for one of these roles you’re not likely to get it first time.” But at this point, she advised, you should be asking for feedback. Why didn’t I get the job? Where do I need to develop in order to do better next time? If you fear failure, it can stop you seizing opportunities. The Headteacher added, “Sometimes just the fact that you’ve seized the opportunity can put you way ahead of your peers, even though it might not have been a success. It means that you’ve had a go at something completely

outside of your comfort zone.” We agree that trying something new will give you skills other people may not have, and will increase your self-confidence.

Head Girls 2014-15 W

ith a new prefect team selected to lead the school in the coming academic year, we wanted to ask the Head Girls a few questions.

So what’s in store for the new academic year? Mrs Leonard had a lot of exciting news to tell us. “We are having a new Sports Pavilion built, starting next Easter, next to the artificial pitch. It will provide changing facilities and a hospitality area with a kitchen.”

Here they tell us a bit about themselves and we find out what makes Clara Agyekumhene and Swathy Satheskumar perfect for their new roles.

This will be beneficial for events such as Trust rallies where we often, in the past, have had lots of schools crammed into the Sports Block. The hockey and netball players will be able to get changed using facilities nearer to the pitch and courts to make these occasions more manageable, and this also means activities in the Sports Hall will generally be unaffected. Within academic life, one thing that is occupying a lot of parents’ and teachers’ minds is the upcoming curriculum changes. At present, the AS is part of the A Level, Mrs Leonard explained but with the planned changes this will no longer be the case. “The AS will be a completely separate qualification to the A Level, so I can see the AS disappearing and we may not even offer it. We may just offer A Levels and the EPQ.” The Extended Project Qualification is available to students in Year 13 as an independent project; each girl chooses an area of personal interest. The project consists of a period of study ending in a significant piece of work, such as an essay, and a 10-15 minute presentation. This counts as half an A Level and is highly regarded by universities. Lower down the school GCSEs are also changing: they will be weightier in terms of content. These changes will take place over two years, with the last of the new courses starting in September 2016. The grades are also changing, going from 1 to 9 instead of A*-G. Mrs Leonard said, “Whether making the system numeric will have a psychological impact I have no idea, but they’re going back to linear courses so there will be no modules. That will suit some girls, and it won’t suit others; it depends on their learning approach. But rest assured we will implement these changes carefully and support our girls fully as we always do.” It seems that we have had a very successful year, with much to be proud of. We now have another busy and exciting year ahead, especially as we will be celebrating our 140th anniversary.

SENIOR SCHOOL

Do you have a funny or embarrassing moment at CHS that you’re willing to share? C: A certain teacher we had a few years ago fell off her chair, and broke it. Literally the whole class went into hysterics. Fortunately, the teacher got up and was fine – and saw the funny side – but twenty minutes later the class was still laughing. S: I actually fall a lot; I do trip over ALL THE TIME. That’s pretty embarrassing!

Teenage Dreamers Here are some snaps of teachers in their younger years. See if you can guess who they grew up to be!

A school photo with a smile fit for the stage…

What is your earliest memory? S: My earliest memory is the first time my mum took me to the cinema, and we watched The Lion King. A few months later she got it for me on video and I would watch it and watch it. C: When I was about six, we used to visit Ghana, and I remember putting on performances with my sister for my grandparents. We thought we were really cool – acting out stuff in our pyjamas! Have you got a secret talent or something of interest about yourself? S: I have two secret talents. They’re pretty weird. I can basically click any joint in my body including my neck! Also I can throw stuff in the air and catch it in my mouth. I can do that with most things, even popcorn which is hard because it’s so light. C: Something of interest about me is that I teach swimming at a swim school at Whitgift, so I can give back what I’ve learnt to little kids. It’s actually quite fun and the reward, from seeing these little kids’ faces now they can swim and they’re not scared of the water, makes my Sundays.

What do you admire about each other? C: Swathy takes everything as it comes. I know deep down that she’s scared, but she’d never let you see that. I think that’s a really good quality to have, to get on with it with a smile. Everything she does is light-hearted and fun, whereas I’m more serious. It balances us out. S: Clara is one for teamwork. She won’t ever let you down. We are in this together, and the Head Girls will always work together, and Clara really means it. When I have a duty on my own, Clara will join me, even if she doesn’t need to. C: We were such good friends, even before we became Head Girls, so I know Swathy will always watch my back. How do you feel about taking on the responsibility of being Head Girl? S: It is scary. C: And stressful! S and C: But were are very proud of the honour and determined to do our best.

A politically minded teacher having a doze…

This teacher is wondering what to read and write next…

Already a successful hockey player, growing up to be a great team leader…

SENIOR SCHOOL 2013-2014 house reports CR OYDON HIGH

Curie HOUSE

urie have had a tough act to follow as reigning champions and Annette Azu and Amy Evans have been unbelievable leaders as shown by our incredible results in a variety of competitions.

Throughout the year Curie have continued to shine, taking first place in a number of competitions, including the Year 9 and 10 netball, the Maths competition, the Year 9 spelling bee and we were the individual champions of CHS has got Talent but overall placed third. We have had a steady gain of house points being placed second in many competitions. Obviously

we feel as a House that we have been robbed of many victories; however, we are grateful to gain second place After an inspirational assembly, by our very own Head of House Mrs Webb, on the lack of self-esteem in women, a competition was launched whereby girls had to write inspirational and encouraging quotes and stick them on the Drama studio door. The Curie

girls stepped up their game writing the most quotes! Well done girls, keep spreading the love. This year’s school play, Daisy Pulls It Off, was a major success with many Curie girls taking part, many tickets sold and Curie girls coming to support on both nights which perfectly sums up the unity of the House. During the interval and before curtain up, the House and Vice Captains, Annette and Amy, sold roses with messages that parents could send backstage. Over two nights, the girls raised a staggering £250 for Marie Curie Cancer Care. None of this would be possible without the help of the Junior members. Every single time we receive their house points

we are overwhelmed by their success. We see a bright future for Curie with these motivated girls leading the way! I would like to thank all members of Curie, girls and staff for their amazing efforts and contributions to the House. But a special thank you to Mrs Webb for her dedication and belief in the girls, the encouragement she gives us and for inspiring us to make a difference by supporting such incredible charities. (Oh and for her competitiveness - it can sometimes be a little scary but ultimately it helps us to win. So I’m all for it!) Here’s to another incredible year! House Captain: Lucy Robbins

SENIOR SCHOOL

Eliot HOUSE

nother great year for Eliot! We have seen successes in multiple competitions such as the CHS Talent Show where we were placed second and third with a fantastic performance from our Juniors and a combined year group dance which displayed to the whole school our untouchable Eliot spirit! house point competition, the House spirit never died and the number of entries for all of the competitions has been very pleasing. The Human Rights competition encouraged us to think about our right to education, amongst other things, and many original photos were submitted by Eliot girls.The Easter Card Design competition brought out Eliot’s creative side with many AMAZING cards and colourful Easter bunnies! Overall, it has been a great year for Eliot and thank We started the year off strongly, having

the Spelling Bee competition and for the

you to all girls who contributed to

the highest number of girls help out at

great scores from Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 who

competitions and won us House points.

the Open Morning, showing their support

came either second or third and helped

A big thanks to Mr Vickery, our Head of

for the school (and also winning us some

propel Eliot to an overall win!

House, for always being Eliot’s number

well-deserved house points).Our victory

Eliot got to show off a poetic side with

one supporter! Looking forward, I am sure

in the Christmas Tree competition was

the Haiku competition and displayed yet

Eliot will ‘flourish and prosper’ in many

also well deserved for the Senior School’s

another talent as we won this too, by a

competitions and events throughout

contributions and the Junior School’s

whole 25 points!

the next year and many years to come,

wonderful snowflakes. Big congratulations

Although Eliot have not always managed

so good luck and... Go Green, Go Eliot!

for our Year 11’s, who won their section of

to maintain first place in the overall

House Captain: Bethany Livermore

Seacole HOUSE

Garrett HOUSE

off to a flying start, winning both the Year 7 Harvest Box

permitting women to enter the medical professions.

competition, (won by Annabel Plummer who created

Her life story and determination

year is Garrett’s!! We have new

a fantastic box with lots of different and colourful

to keep on succeeding, even

tactics and new ideas to boost

decorations,) and the Your Summer Holiday competition.

when encountering failures on

our way to the top!

her journey, represents our House

Both the Junior and Senior

perfectly. This year has been a

School have made many

confident one for us and the

contributions to the House.

House is growing stronger. It’s just

The Juniors have had a

with Year 8 winning the House

that Garrett definitely does

the start for Garrett and over

phenomenal year, topping

netball and the whole House,

have talent! Halloween masks

the course of next year we are

the House points board on

in every year, winning the

competition, Easter card

going to keep striving to win

many occasions. That’s what

inter-house swimming! We’ve

competition and the Juniors

many more competitions!

we like to hear girls…keep

enjoyed drama and charity

own Easter competition were

A huge thanks and goodbye

going, no pressure!! Year 7

events as they have opened

all opportunities to gain points

and good luck, to our previous

have made a cracking start

up our competiveness! But our

for the House! Once again

House Captain Tanya Hill and

by winning the Spelling Bee

favourites have to be those

we are really looking forward

Deputy Navela Krishnarajah.

and the History competitions

relating to special times of the

to next year and it’s going to

They worked extremely hard

and we look forward to the

year. At Christmas we had the

be our year. Big thanks to our

for the House encouraging the

new Year 7’s joining us and

Tree competition (usually won

inspirational leader, Mrs Clarke

girls. Our new House Captains,

hope that they will be as

by us but unfortunately Eliot

and GO GARRETT LET’S

Breagh McEwan and Deputy

competitive. Garrett has been

stole our light; next year it must

SMASH IT!

Jessica Maher will now step up

successful in both sporting

be ours again!) Following this,

House Captain:

to the mark. Be ready girls! This

and academic competitions,

CHS Has Got Talent showed

Breagh McEwan

lizabeth Garrett’s determination started a course of

his year has been a great one for Seacole with the

ambition for other women and in 1876 an Act was passed

autumn term a highlight as straight away we were

CR OYDON HIGH

We then won the Halloween

There was stiff competition in

Mask competition with many

CHS Has Got Talent this year

fabulous but very scary entries!

and this time a Seacole act

Well done to all who took part

didn’t come in the top three,

and Isabel Andrews who won

but overall we came second

pattern.) Believe me, they

The Junior School have also

for our House! The Self Esteem

in the show. Unfortunately our

are very difficult to write, but

had a great year, with Seacole

competition really got the

Christmas decorations let us

Seacole girls managed! We just

girls taking part in the Talent

creative juices flowing hopefully

down, (although there were lots

missed second place mark by

Show , winning the Easter Card

made them feel more confident

and lots!) meaning we needed

0.5, narrowly losing to Curie. The

competition and performing

and good about themselves

to fight back in the competitions

inter-house sports competition

well in other events too!

and after all, we did come

ahead.

sparked a lot of tension and

Thank you to everyone who has

second. The winter school

New year and a fresh start. In

heat between the houses, and

taken part this year, including

production, Daisy Pulls it Off

the History and Geography

unfortunately it got the better

staff and girls, and especially

starred many Seacole girls and

competitions, we came second

of Seacole girls this year, who

the one and only Miss Dixon. This

we also came out on top on

and for the first time at Croydon

came fourth. However, the

has been a fantastic year for

ticket sales!

High we held a competition to

only way is up and we looked

Seacole - I hope that next year

December arrived which only

see who could write a haiku (a

forward to Sports Day, taking

will be even more fantastic.

means one thing… CHRISTMAS!

poem that has a 5-7-5 syllable

place on the 7th July!

House Captain: Jennifer Favre

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

GO ON goes ON INSPIRING YEARS 10 -13

Years 6-9 GO-BEYOND EXPECTATIONS

Croydon High’s inspirational Go On sessions continued

Ms Galvin asked us whether Margaret Thatcher changed

Damini Patel in Year 9 told us where Go-Beyond

Art and DT department which ensures that everyone gets

this year with more opportunities for senior girls to learn

Britain. We discussed the first female PM’s most controversial

has taken her.

to participate in something they enjoy. One of the sessions

fascinating things from inspirational people.

policies, their justification and their reception, and then

Kate Shillabeer tells us more.

went away to research them in more depth and produce

Girls at Croydon High have the opportunity to be part

presentations in small groups on their effects on

of the Go-Beyond programme, allowing them to stretch their

Mrs Webb kicked off the academic year; her session: Theatre-

British society.

what and why? took us through some pivotal periods in the dramatic arts, from the 12th century up to the present day.

Miss Kolankiewicz set us all the challenge of looking into

We were challenged to imagine our own ideal performance

how Eastern European leaders of the 80s and 90s eventually

and give a presentation on what it would involve. The catch:

brought an end to the bloc’s oppressive communist regime,

we couldn’t spend any hypothetical money.

but also encouraged us to see communism from a less

that I found very entertaining and fascinating was Tomb Raiders, hosted by Ms Devendra.

minds beyond the excellent teaching that is offered within

This was because we got to look at many different tombs

the school curriculum.

that exist in different cultures around the world. Then, we had the opportunity to make our own tomb, which we

The programme is offered to girls between years 6-9 and

were able to present to the other Go-Beyond members.

there are two sessions a term, where teachers give up their

The model of a tomb was to show the type of design we

western perspective, noting the positive effects it had on

time to teach something they are passionate about and

would like to live in after we die.

Girls returned at the follow-up session with armfuls of creative

a lot of lives. Miss Kolankiewicz’s personal insights, having

that will interest us. Some examples of these sessions include

ideas ranging from performing a promenade version of A

spent a lot of her childhood in Poland, really helped us

Tracking Migration by Mr Barker, Tomb Raiders by

Some of these discussions can also be in the form of

Midsummer Night’s Dream in a forest to borrowing articles of

understand this.

Ms Devendra, Architecture by Mr Pickering, Romance

experiences, as with Mr Pickering’s Architecture session,

Languages by Mr Connors, Non-Verbal Communication

when we were able to visit London and look at the design

The year was rounded off by Mr Divall, who taught us all

by Ms Diez, Legacies of the Leaders by Mrs Galvin and

of the buildings and their historical significance.

Next month brought us Mr Vickery, whose presentation,

about how the British film industry evolved during the

many more.

The Philosophy of Personal Identity, set minds churning

Second World War into a propaganda machine designed

and heads spinning with hundreds of new and complex

to rally the public. Subtle and not-so-subtle digs at Germany

questions about what it means to be oneself. Our challenge

were inserted into a great deal of wartime cinema, most

was to be ready, in a few weeks’ time, to discuss the topic in

of which was centred on the subject of the war anyway.

more depth after having read up on philosophies suggested

The light-hearted tone of the clips Mr Divall showed us was

to us. As expected, we came no closer to landing on any

surprising at first, but made a lot of sense when we thought

solid ground as to whether we have a single self or whether,

about the fear and anger which occupied the whole nation

second by second , we have an entirely new one, but the

during the 30s and 40s. What’s more, Mr Divall set the best

sessions left us with a whole lot to think about.

homework of all: go home and watch a wartime film!

clothing from audience members to use as costumes.

SENIOR SCHOOL

All the Go-Beyond sessions are inspiring and exciting. They I think that Go-Beyond is a great way for us to expand our

are on subjects that you may never think about exploring in

knowledge and will give us fantastic transferable skills. One

your day to day lives, especially when our lives are so busy

of the best things about Go-Beyond is that it encourages

with school life, homework and extra-curricular activities, as

team building skills, as when it comes to doing projects

well as all the electronic devices that seem to consume us.

to present, we work in different groups rather than doing individual work like most homework. Also, some of the

All I can say is that if you get the opportunity to Go-Beyond,

classes are creative and are done by teachers in the

then grab it. I certainly have.

CR OYDON HIGH

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Croydon High Juniors 2013-14 T

his has been a wonderful year. The girls have worked hard in all areas of school life: in their lessons, in sport, in their extra-curricular activities and in all the myriad special events that pepper the school year. I always enjoy the class assemblies that the girls produce, with a little help from their teachers, for their parents and friends. The amazing independence and confidence of the girls shines through and all the assemblies have not only been informative but great fun. The four big events, the Nativity Play, Spring Concert, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Dazzle’, have each reflected the talents of our girls, both musical and dramatic. It would not be fair to name individuals, but I would not be surprised to see some of the girls on stage or screen at some point in the future! I have also loved listening to our most excellent jazz band.

It is a real pleasure to have my office under the music room! The curriculum has changed to reflect the changes happening in the wider world. Algorithms in computing, technical names for parts of speech in English for KS1 and KS2 and, most exciting, the change in the History curriculum. Using our own archives, Year 5, Year 6 and Year 7 will be learning their history from real primary sources, including letters written by long gone CHS girls.

Junior School Drama ALICE IN WONDERLAND

underway. As the weeks of line-learning and rehearsals reached their climax, the audience of parents and friends were transported to the fantasy world created by Lewis Carroll. It was hard to remember that the actors were so young in years when they performed with such confidence. The catchy tunes were sung with skill by the large choirs under the direction of Mr Bentley, whilst the soloists were delightful. The energy and enthusiasm of the cast ensured that the show was a success, whilst the many cameo roles were particularly memorable.

The school will continue to change through the years, but the constant is the girls. With their endless enthusiasm, sparks of genius and tremendous sense of loyalty to their friends and teachers, they are what make Croydon High Juniors so special.

Miss Cordingley

Special Discount Offer 10% off to all Croydon High parents

JUNIOR SCHOOL

A motley assortment of strange creatures took over the Junior School in March. Year 3 became playing cards, lobsters, seals and turtles. Year 4 donned an array of colourful costumes reflecting the bizarre characters who inhabit Wonderland. The Year 3/4 production of “Alice in Wonderland” was

Girls, who had at audition declared they only wanted to be Alice, put their hearts into the roles in which they were cast and worked together to create a wonderful show. The teamwork displayed was excellent and so much was learned through the process. All the performers can be very proud of themselves.

Juniors sparkle in “Dazzle” There are times during rehearsals for any production, when the directors are tearing their hair out. The actors don’t seem to be able to learn their words, the props are impossible to make, the rehearsal spaces need to be used for something else, and the piles of costumes to be sewn grow ever- higher. But whatever the difficulties of the process, a performance is always a magical event: one that holds lasting memories for all who take part. This year’s production of the musical “Dazzle” by Years 5 and 6, proved no different. The weeks of preparation and effort rushed past and the girls pulled off another showstopper for their friends and families to enjoy. No doubt, the smiles at the final curtain, reflecting satisfaction at a job well done and the glow of pride on faces, confirmed that it was all worth it, but it is the lasting memories of such performances that are so important for the participants.

www.laserasecroydon.com 8

They will remember those moments when buttons wouldn’t undo or the trousers couldn’t be found. The gasp of surprise and delight when enchanted “snow” fell onto the stage over

Poppy Pringle and the laughter when it was still found in her hair the next day. Who could forget the incredible candy floss container that appeared from the creative team of Mrs Putman and Ms Back, and the hilarity of Sarky Cutter emerging with pink candyfloss on her head? There were many moments that will remain precious that are not recorded but will raise a smile in years to come and there are the wonderful performances recorded on DVDs that will be brought out and revisited when the girls are about to leave Croydon High. The amazing part- singing of soloists and chorus will thrill listeners once again and we will continue to be impressed at the quality of acting and the vast number of lines learned by 80 or so young performers. Then we will have affirmation that the efforts of the “Dazzle” team of 2014 were certainly worthwhile and the production was a real memory-maker.

“Dazzle – the Musical” words and music by Andrew Bailey 9

CR OYDON HIGH

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Junior School Music Poco a poco più forte… This has been a wonderful year for Junior School Music, starting with our first Informal Concert back in October, through to the final day of term where our Jazz Band were busy in every assembly. The Jazz band have been one of the mainstays of the Junior School, performing many times, entertaining parents before the Christmas Concert, playing at the Summer Fair and more. They also had the privilege of attending a workshop with Jazz great Digby Fairweather and performing alongside him and Mr Pickering in a wonderful concert in June. Anna, Anthea, Catherine and Ikjote are moving on from Croydon High, but they have made a huge contribution to Junior School music. The good news is we already have a new Jazz Band recruited from this year’s Year 5, who performed with only two rehearsals in a Junior school assembly.

‘Alice in Wonderland’ from Years 3 and 4, and ‘Dazzle’ from Years 5 and 6, who were performing songs in up to four parts.

In our Spring Concert we prepared an ambitious programme, including a performance of ‘Nicolas and the Pickled Boys’ from Britten’s cantata, ‘St Nicolas’. The Year 3 and 4 Choir, with help from the Year 6 Madrigal group, some soloists from Year 4 and with Mr Garrard as St Nicolas, gave a wonderful performance of this demanding piece. We were also lucky to be accompanied by Miss Chancellor, Miss Nagioff, Mrs Lovering, Miss Cordingley, Mrs Cohen and Miss Potts.

“Poco a poco più forte…”

In the class room we have been lucky enough to add to our stock of instruments, with six new xylophones and a drum kit, all of which are used in a regular basis in music lessons. And of course the Year 3 String Scheme continues to give our girls in Year 3 a fabulous opportunity to learn a stringed instrument under expert tuition, and they too have performed with great style in concerts during the year. And so with the 140th celebrations providing our next opportunity, Junior School music is getting stronger and stronger, or as they say in Italian…

Mr Bentley, Head of Junior Music

Other musical highlights for me were the girls’ carol singing in the Whitgift Centre and at the annual ‘Celebrate a Life’ Carol Service at the Royal Marsden Hospital, and the quality of the girls’ singing in our two musical productions,

Nursery at Godstone Farm

In July, Nursery had their first school trip to Godstone Farm. The girls had been so excited and had been counting down the sleeps for nearly a month. But finally the day came and the grown-ups drove all of the girls to the farm to see the animals. Once we had arrived we were taken to ride a HUGE tractor. We all piled on and were ready to go. During our very bumpy ride we saw pigs, chickens, sheep, goats, llamas, a bug hotel, and then, much to our surprise we saw dinosaurs…ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!! We couldn’t believe our eyes! Once the tractor had stopped we went to watch the pig feeding and met ‘Carrot’, the farm’s rather large and smelly pig. The girls were able to feed ‘Carrot’ and were amused to see her try to give Ishanvi a big sloppy kiss! Next was animal handling. We learnt about the chickens and rabbits and were allowed to touch them. They were very soft! We also got up close to terrapins, guinea pigs and a baby bunny. Miss Brown really wanted to take a rabbit home! After a snack we all went for a walk around the farm and saw various animals and plants before lunch. The trip ended with lots of fun in the soft play area before heading home. EVERYONE had ‘early bed’, including the teachers!

CR OYDON HIGH

JUNIOR SCHOOL

“We went on the coach.” “I loved the whole day.”

Malaika

JUNIOR SCHOOL

“I liked the soldiers because they were playing instruments.” Abirami

Charulata

“I saw the London Eye and I liked the horses.” Anjali

“I liked the horses because they were friendly.” Sharanika

“I liked the soldiers. It was noisy and it was cool.”

“We saw the horses. Their names were Concord and Lexington” Delina

t n t o e Lond w n o w n n o t Receptio Emma

“When we went to London my favourite was the gold carriage.” Amariah

“I liked our school trip and we had lunch.” Poppy

“My favourite bit was looking at the statues because they were tall.”

“I saw the golden coach.”

“We went to the National Gallery. We saw the Bathers.”

Amber

Reena

“I liked the black and gold carriage because it is complicated.” Anusheh

Fitnet “We saw the soldiers in a band.” Saarah 12

“We saw the golden coach and we said WOW!.”

“I saw a fabulous coach and it was gold and shiny.” Anya

Ava 13

CR OYDON HIGH

JUNIOR SCHOOL

YEA R 1

The girls have used alliteration to write list poems, riddles and acrostic poems about Animals. One terrifying tiger, Two hungry hippos, Three creepy crocodiles, Four funny fishes, Five slimy snakes, Six flying flamingos, Seven mischievous monkeys, Eight graceful giraffes, Nine enormous elephants, Ten cheeky chimpanzees.. Seanna Patel

As shimmering and bright as me!

Samara Sarpong

Mishka Chitra

Four excellent elephants,

Three tiny turtles,

What a shame that there are is no other fish,

Five creepy crawlies,

Four greedy gorrilas,

As vicious and horrible as me!

Six slithering snakes,

Five leaping leopards,

Emma Woodham

Seven flapping flamingoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s,

Six Silky Snakes,

Eight enormous elephants,

Seven elegant elephants,

Nine dancing dogs,

Eight snappy sharks,

Ten amazing alligators.

Nine hungry hippos,

Eva Green

Ten slithering snails.

One huge hippo, Two ticklish tigers, Three greedy gorillas, Four elegant elephants,

Year 1 went to London Zoo to see all the animals they had been writing about. Two beady eyes In tall tree tops Grizzling growl Eating marvellous meat Aurelia Yip

Amazing long legs Fluffy fur Friendly

Eating leaves

Gentle tall neck

Five creeping crocodiles,

Hello, I am the clown fish,

Six leopards leap,

I am the shiniest fish in the sea,

Lazy lion

Terrifying

In the peaceful plains

Itchy

I scream

Running wildly

What a shame that there are is no other fish,

Orange

Grizzling growl

Amazing legs

Naughty

Eating magenta meat

Fluffy fur

Ten snakes slither. Zariya Bennett

Amara Watson

Abisa Subramaniyam

Roaring tiger Imogen Hughes

Hello, I am the seahorse,

As curly and pointy as me!

Runs rapidly

POETRY

Four hungry hippos,

What a shame that there are no other fishes,

In the zappy zoo

Emily Bacchus

As bright and shimmering as me!

I am the prettiest fish in the sea,

Gigantic neck.

Really fast running

Nine lions lie,

Penelope Pelling

As blue and sparkling as me.

I am the most dangerous fish in the sea,

Three creepy crocodiles,

Ten funny fish.

What a shame that there are is no other fish,

Two lazy lions,

Eight good gazelles,

Nine galloping gazelles,

What a shame that there is no other fish,

Three gigantic gorillas,

Two messy monkeys,

Eight enormous elephants,

I am the silkiest fish in the sea,

Hello, I am the viper fish,

Seven gigantic giraffes,

Seven zappy zebras,

I am the liveliest fish in the sea,

One creepy crocodile,

One shiny, slithering, sliver and silky snake,

Six flapping flamingos,

Hello, I am the catfish,

Two terrifying tigers,

ANIMAL Five angry aardvarks,

Hello I am a dolphin,

One violet vulture,

Amy Johnson

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Fast as lightening Eating a lot of food. Zara Jesudasan

The girls made some great animal masks.

Desai Anderson 14

CR OYDON HIGH

JUNIOR SCHOOL

YEA R 2

How to find your way around Fairyland!

JUNIOR SCHOOL

YEA R 2 down under! Year 2 have been talking about Australia and with the help of the 4D room they went on a virtual trip to Australia and back in one day! They went to CHS airport collected their boarding passes, and went through the scanner. Captain Bentley and Air Stewardess Chancellor were waiting to welcome them on to the plane. Off they went for their amazing day! Look at our wonderful aboriginal art

Millie B

Gisela

Louise

Kayra On Wednesday we went to a museum in London. We saw dolls houses, they were stunning and beautiful. We saw old fashioned games, you had to put 20p in a slot to play. The train game was really fun! The dolls houses were interesting, I liked Queen Victoria’s.

Meg

Afterwards we went to a seaside workshop and we talked about seaside clothes. We played bingo and quoits. It was a wonderful day!

Rose

The Museum of Childhood Bethnal Green

The Owl and the Pussycat

We did some reverse printing to make our owls

Samuel Pepys by Sophia H

On the way to the museum we saw The Shard and The Monument. Once we reached the museum we looked at the incredible artefacts. We saw buckets and spades made out of metal and also the children used to wear knitted costumes to swim. We next saw a Punch and Judy display. After that we went to the workshop. At the workshop we saw objects about the seaside. We had two people each demonstrating and holding things from the olden days and the things we use at the seaside now. We also played a game of quoits and a game of seaside bingo. We also had a short Punch and Judy show. Finally we sang ‘Oh we do like to be beside the seaside’ while we came out of the room. We went to look at dolls houses, they were incredible There were china cups and plates. After that we went back to the coach (and on the way back some girls even slept).

Emily We all made Tudor houses for our Great Fire of London picture

Lilia Aiyana

Shreya 16

CR OYDON HIGH

JUNIOR SCHOOL

YEA R 3 Roman BANQUET Menu Starters (Gustatio) Fresh snail fattened on milk served on a flamingo’s tongue. Olives with salad and cheeses. Dormouse stuffed with pork and nuts.

Main Courses (Primae Mensala) Pan-fried thrush with a rich wine sauce. Roasted swan with putrified peacock’s brain. Tender hare on a bed of lettuce and dandelion leaves. Wild boar with a wine sauce.

Year 3 have been learning about The Romans a A letter of application to join the Roman army

A letter of application to join the Roman army

9 November 700

AD 46

Dear Sir,

I am Estellus Yipus. I am writing because I would like to join the Roman Army and I will help you to win battles.

My name is Nur-Aleenaus. I am a 20 year old boy and I would love to be a member of the fierce Roman army. I know a lot of facts about the army and would like to share them with you.

I have heard that your soldiers run 20 miles a day. I can run 30 miles a day. I am fit and strong. Your campaigns in other territories inspire me. I want to be part of your victory. I know that your soldiers wear a helmet called a cassis crista and use a short sword called a gladius. I can throw a spear and hit a target one hundred paces away! I am a talented swordsman with great speed and agility. People in my village say I’m the bravest of them all. I hope you will consider my application for the job of a Roman soldier.

Dates cooked in fresh, golden honey.

Yours faithfully

Egg custard with nettles.

Estella Yip

Sophia Jegham

Estellus Yipus

Roman soldiers have to be superfit and have to be able to run 26 miles once a month. I do that once a week! Roman soldiers have to have a healthy diet and they eat porridge, which is one of my favourite foods. Soldiers train with wooden swords and they are punished badly for not keeping their weapons clean. They also need to attend weapons training early every morning. I like to wake up early to exercise so I will be strong, fit and well trained. Roman soldiers are very disciplined and they take orders. I am happy to do that as I am eager to learn new things and to travel to new places as well as meeting new people. I am a good listener and a very fast runner. I want to protect my people and serve my county the best I can. I know I am not allowed any holiday and though it will be sad to say goodbye to my family, they will be very proud. I hope that you will consider my application and I look forward to hearing back form you.

Year 3 have been painting in the style of Georgia O’Keeffe 18

Year 3 have been learning about the Adventurers and Explorers and went to see The Golden Hinde in London.

Dear Black Bart,

Desserts (Secundae Mensae)

Ice Cream with figs.

A letter to a prospective captain from a crew-member. Sienna Mehta

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Yours faithfully Nur-Aleenaus Nur-Aleena Hameed

It is my solemn duty to inform you that you have been voted captain for our captain has disappeared and although we have searched, he is yet to be seen. We have accepted that he is never coming back. The aforesaid vote conditions say that you MUST be fair and willing to share gold and jewels. You will also need to be persuasive, for while I am definitely the strongest, my crew mates tend to get, shall we say, skittish and they need encouragement. You must be a calm yet tough instructor. As I am obedient, I will not need punishment, but I cannot say the same for my fellow men. People have declared that you are very powerful and I understand that you captured 400 ships. It is essential that you are bloodthirsty, or no loot for us! I simply am NOT willing to fight without the promising gleam of gold and silver. I and my men will stand loyally by your side if you will only share your earnings. Some lily-livered fellows voted for Anne Bonney! I think you will be highly suitable for a crew such as us.

5th October 1577 Today I woke up when the chickens started clucking after four hours of sleep in the lower deck as always. After a while one of the officers stomped in and told me I was meant to be at the capstan helping to raise the anchor so we could set sail. As a punishment I had no breakfast. The capstan was very heavy and the officers sang too fast for me to work so we had to raise two anchors instead of one. After that we had lunch at last. For lunch I had a small fish that tasted disgusting. I also managed to get my hands on an eye of sheep to suck on. My next job was to scrub the decks but as soon as I started the watch a man shouted “Enemy ship ahoy!”. We all started to panic because it was our first battle between us and the Spanish. I had to bring the very heavy barrels full of gunpowder up and down the stairs. The stairs were very, very steep and the barrels were as big as I was. Even Sir Francis was panicking a bit. We all helped to fire the cannons but then the Spanish fired back instead of running away! They found out they were no match for us because the cannons didn’t do much damage to our ship so they did run away after all. Tonight I am on night watch so I have to tie myself to the crow’s nest so I don’t fall off. I managed to ring eight bells because all was well after we won the battle and no-one was hurt in our ship. Now I will go to sleep after a very long day.

Naomi Murphy

Yours sincerely Rogue Raymond PS: I hope you will consider joining our fierce crew.

The girls painted their own galleons

YEA R 3

CR OYDON HIGH

JUNIOR SCHOOL

YEA R 4

Tudor Facts

Tudor Roses On Friday 6th June, Year 4 made some Tudor Roses. The rose was made out of clay. First we made the rose base and cross hatched it. Then we made the leaves and used the end of a paint brush to add in little detail. After that we made the petals, there were two different types of petals. The first ones were big and the second small. Finally we made a small ball for the centre of the rose. The week after that, we painted our roses. When they were finished we were all very pleased with them!

Jane Seymour

Catherine of Aragon When Catherine and Henry were married, she was 23 years old and he was nearly 18. During their marriage, Catherine was pregnant 6 times but only one child survived,

Her mother and father were Sir John Seymour and Margery Wentworth. She and King Henry VIII were fifth cousins. This is her signature:

Orrin

Zoe

The Tudor rose was created when Henry VII brought an end to the Wars of the Roses and married Elizabeth of York to unite the two warring families

Mary I. When King Henry VIII was King around 35 people were beheaded each week.

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn was born in 1501. Her childhood was spent at Hever Castle but she went to France to be educated. Anne was attractive, sharp tonged, witty and charming. When Anne returned from France she had a hood on her head. Henry VIII fell in love with Anne Boleyn and married her on January 25th 1533. Henry wanted a son but Anne failed to give him one. Anne was beheaded on May 19 1536 by Henry.

Sometimes for feasts the front of a chicken was sewn to the back of a pig.

Shriya

Did you know that Tudor toys were made from wood or materials that were easy to find, such as clay, stone, animal bones or pigs bladders?

Lady Jane Grey ruled for just nine days when Edward died in 1553 July 6th.

Vanessa In Tudor times people did not eat with a fork, instead they used knives and spoons and their fingers and sometimes people dipped toast into their beer!!!!!!!!!!

Sadeen

Pigs Bladders were blown up to make footballs. Other toys were made with clay, wood and animal bones.

After Henry VIII died Catherine married Jane Seymour’s dad.

Elizabeth I was the first person in Tudor times to use the flushing toilet!

Niamh

Nicole Some historians believe that over 70,000 people were executed in the reign of Henry VIII. Stealing was a serious Tudor crime and people could be punished just for stealing a bird’s egg. Stealing even a small amount of money could mean a death penalty.

Emily

Jessica

This is King Henry VIII’s signature:

Marina

• Did you know that Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485? • Did you know 5 kings and 2 queens ruled during the Tudor dynasty?

After we had had our break we went into the hall and we did some Tudor dancing in partners I was with Rebecca we made up a dance then we showed them to the class then we did some Tudor music with Mr. Bentley after that we then we had lunch then we went back to the junior school and we went outside and we made pomanders they are oranges that have cloves stuck in them they are like an air freshener they smell nice. I had a really good time on Tudor Day it was great.

Madeleine

Francesca

Our trip to Hever Castle We had waited two weeks for this day so we were a bit excited! First, we were all keen to get into the coach but we soon calmed down and travelled gracefully to Hever castle. Once there we rushed off the coach and looked at the amazing, vast Tudor gates. We had five minutes of snack time and then it was time to learn and to take a lot in; we breathed in and then entered the old beautiful castle. It was fabulous so no one could take their eyes off it. The sight stopped our hearts and we wished we had lived there 500 years ago. We were shown around by a lovely lady called Bea; she was very clever and she knew a lot of interesting facts. The rooms were enormous and there were many secrets we did not know but when we were done we almost knew everything that should be known . After the tour we went to cool down in the water maze. This was what we had all been waiting for, it looked great fun we put our coats on and we entered the water. The minute we ran in we got soaked!

• Did you know that the Tudors are considered to be one of the most colourful families in England? • The most talented men lived in the Tudor times like Shakespeare? • Did you know the Tudors ruled England from 1485 until 1603? • Did you know that not many children went to school because they couldn’t afford it?

Some sensible people were able to move around it without being soaked, but I didn’t! When we had finished and changed out of our wet clothes we had a delicious packed lunch and then we went in the wonderful Yew Maze!

• King Henry VII ruled until his death in 1509. • Following his brother’s and his father’s death, Henry VIII became King of England in 1509. • Henry VIII ruled until his death in 1547.

Catherine Parr was the eldest daughter of Sir Thomas Parr and his wife Maud Green, both of whom were at the court of Henry VIII in his early reign.

On the 16th of May we had a Tudor Day and we all came into school in Tudor costumes. I was Anne Boleyn. First we did a Tudor assembly then we practised Tudor writing we had to write our name then the alphabet then we had to write a simple sentence.

• Did you know that the Tudors are one of the most famous dynasties in world history?

Juno

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Shriya

India

CR OYDON HIGH

JUNIOR SCHOOL

YEA R 5

t c i V The

s n a i or

Pond Dipping Dipping in the pond, In with your net

Twirl it around twice to get a good batch

The Debate about Victorian Railways

Put it in the tray,

Lots of people say it was a golden age because of all of the inventions, the railways and other things like this. On the other hand some people say it was not because of child labour and poverty.

I am a canal worker and this is my view on the railways being built.

And see what you catch.

In the Victorian times, as I said, there were lots of inventions. Some of them we still have now. What would you do without your daily train to get to work? Can you imagine not having electricity? They did lots of great things. So many of them help us survive today. So why would you say it’s not a golden age? However, when all of that was happening, children were forced up chimneys and would be getting paid a penny a day. Children and their families suffered through horrible illnesses because the cities they lived in would get too over crowded. As well as this, factories were definitely not safe then and there was no law to protect the workers. Would you like to suffer like that? Can you imagine your child, under 10 years old, working? As a result, personally I think the Victorian era was not a golden age because I am a child and I could never imagine working like that. I don’t think I could carry on life with all of those things happening!

I think that trains are very dangerous and it is far safer and more sensible to travel by canal. If the cheaper railways do come, my wages will be cut and I won’t have enough rent to pay for my family home. So we will have to live in the cramped conditions of my canal boat. Moreover, the trains are a dreadful disruption to the landscape and environment. However, if the railways come I do hope that certain heavy things like coal still come by canal. This will prevent my way of life being destroyed. Thank You

Rosemary

Greek masks

Figure of eight and don’t forget

Was the Victorian era Really a Golden Age?

I think that the building of the railways is an absolute disgrace. It is almost certain that I will lose my job as a canal worker because everybody will travel to places by train and not canal.

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Get your hands dirty, don’t be a wimp Male and female fresh water shrimp.

Sarena

Anna K

Shajania

Loads of creatures staring at me To find out their names look at the key. What’s that black one? It makes me want to squirm. If it doesn’t have legs it is a fresh water worm.

Look a bit closer with the magnifying glass And share your ideas with the rest of the class.

Pond dipping at Nettlecombe

The one on our spoon has a shell that is thick It’s a cased caddisfly and that shell is a stick.

Ok little creatures time to set you free

Joani

Empty your tray and watch them flee Back in their homes in the muddy brown water Man with wife and mother with daughter.

Aid for the Poor Victorian England is not helping. Here are you, probably reading this newspaper, in a lovely, cosy sitting room, and yet there are people out there on the cold streets, not even able to afford a new pair of socks if they need them. These poor families are often supported by children as young as five years old, who are forced to work all day, every day in harsh, dirty conditions. They don’t even have enough money to afford a scrap of bread from a baker, or a cup of hot tea. The children of these families often work in mines, factories, mills, as matchgirls, as chimney sweeps or even in service in your households. If you visit any factories etc. in the future, pay attention to the punishments. These punishments are so bad, you probably won’t want me to tell you but I shall. If, for example, you worked in a mill and you dropped a bag of flour, you might get caned, you might have no money whatsoever for the next two days, just for a tiny thing like that. Also, there is the dangerous machinery. In a factory, there is such big, sharp equipment that you could easily have your fingers chopped off, even if you looked away for a second. 22

For example, I know a young girl named Hetty Groves, aged nine, who works in a brickyard, from 5 am until 9 pm. She said to me when I interviewed her, that she earns a half penny every two hours, and that they only have ten minutes for dinner, which consists of stale bread and broth. In all, she carries thirty-five tons per day, of clay and bricks. That’s more than twenty elephants standing on top of each other! She works through boiling summers and freezing winters, in only rags to keep herself warm. She doesn’t have any education and has no way to escape. Our local MP’s are against this, and so should you be. They voted for shorter hours, more time to rest, more money and no work for under nines. You can help by setting up ragged schools, if you are trained as a doctor or school teacher. Maybe, you could even take in a lodger or two, feed them, clean them and give them some money for more food. This isn’t much for them, but it probably seems a lot of hard work for you. If this article made your heart melt at the thought, then do something about it and HELP.

Anna

Inaya

Paper sculpture by Year 5

The Moon Monster Do you believe in magic? …………………Well you will when I tell you the story of Olivia, a fair haired, blue eyed girl. The wind whistled and the owls hooted as Olivia tried to haul up her pail of water from the well. Her footsteps were tailed around an army of white trees. Olivia looked at the moon with fascination and awe. “What a beautiful sky”, she thought. Olivia looked at her hands, which were red with rope burns and tried to warm them using the pocket of her fur coat. The crescent moon made the sky look like a cyclops. “Don’t be silly Olly”, she muttered to herself. “There are no such things as Cyclops” But little did Olivia know about the series of events that came next… Olivia stopped. What was it? Who was it? Olivia screamed, “Ll-ea-vv-e mme aalone!” she stammered. The moon had gone as if the cyclops was blinking. The monster came back and dew fell everywhere. “You are a nice cyclops,” Olivia exclaimed. Wind chimes blew and a group of stars merged together to make a hand. Slowly the well rope creaked and a pail of water emerged from the dark hole. “Tha……….” but the monster was nowhere to be found. She looked in the bucket and saw the eye or was it her friend blinking? Now do you believe in magic?”

Ivana 23

CR OYDON HIGH

JUNIOR SCHOOL

This work was done following a couple of sessions using Picture the Music (just a drone sound and an image were used to inspire imagination). The girls did some role play where they were ‘entrapped’ by their peers with their backs facing inwards in a circle. They had to talk about the circumstances that lead them to being trapped and what the interpretation of the word could be.

YEA R 6

Trapped

My aching head leans against the soothing, cold bars That is the window of my cell My burden grows

Silence. My voice echoes back from cold stone walls. The wall that exposes me from the outer world. Laughing, joking, chattering noisilyThe world where I belong no more. The path I took, The freedom I had lost.

I try to break through the dusty bricks They laugh cruelly at me The rattling of tin cups on doors deafens Yet no-one leaves My burden grows. I cling to the iron bars Bare feet droop lifelessly below My life’s meaning, snatched when I arrived I should have grabbed it when it was still mine My burden grows.

Break Through

In Another World

Lost in the confusion of my mind; Is there a way out of this terror-filled never-ending nightmare? My thoughts roam endlessly round and around My emotions running on overdrive. Visions of the wrongdoer and the callous acts exhaust me. Fearful, helpless – trepidation and apprehension consume me. These hateful thoughts; this dark place makes me incapable.

In another world there’s freedom, hope Where all my dreams come true Where the dark shadows change into bright, optimistic people Everybody smiles and has fun

My mind screams ‘run’ but finds my legs powerless to move. I have to find the power to confront the bully. I look up and see the light that glows through the barrier.

In another world days would fly past like a jet fighter A majestic waterfall would crash into the churning water below The hard marble floor would turn into a lush, open meadow And the rigid, flaky walls would transform into a tropical island

Elizabeth Bishop

But I am stuck in this world Which is like toiling non-stop yet receiving no pay Only unhappiness, misery and isolation exists All I hope for is freedom Freedom to escape to another world is my greatest desire

Sadness, anger, patience, guilt, The emotions flood in, I don’t know how, but I do know why, It’s the consequence.

I feel positivity that guides me to the other side with confidence and support. I finally find my strength. It’s time to break through. ‘Sweet dreams, no more appalling nightmares,’ I keep on telling myself. Happiness, peace, joy and delight await me. I am finally free.

In another world I am a free person Free to do what I desire Where the icy, stone cold bars Give way to an enchanted world

Ariya Khandelwal

Annabella Christou

A Week in Hell

Behind the bars

I was thrown into prison last week, Every night sleeping on a stone mattress, Sitting in a squalid corner of my cell Facing a brick wall As drab as my life My drab, meaningless life.

Trapped. Lonely. Empty. I can see my freedom racing away. Happiness gone, memories being sucked out of me. Putrid, horrible darkness, coldness. Playground shouts haunt me to this day; Taunting and menacing winds scream.

I was thrown into prison last week, The acid taste of unrefrigerated gruel, Breakfast, lunch and dinner All as hard as the frozen bars, Keeping me in isolation.

Lonely. Empty, Trapped. Out of reach, out of touch. Not even the slightest sense of a dream. Like a wall in my life, I can’t climb it. Everybody knows how I made the wrong choice. I am entrapped here for life.

I was thrown into prison last week, As lonely as a never-ending forest, As silent as a graveyard at the stroke of midnight. All I can hear are the cries of my fellow prisoners In pain and agony. into prison I was thrown last week A living hell. Milina Patel

My Burden

My worthless body peers out at happy people Who stare up at my tower and my captivity Salt spray fills my mouth Where only air and gruel inhabit My burden grows.

Behind Bars

Empty, Trapped, Lonely. Meaningless, unnecessary life. A nightmare that will live on. The fear getting closer day by day, night by night. You feel the warmth for not even a second. Will life ever be normal again? Rianna Patel

JUNIOR SCHOOL

I have done wrong so my pity is vacant I shake my door’s chain, to no avail I shan’t ever leave My burden grows. All I own are my thoughts and memories And regret for the deed I have done My burden grows.

Is it the Consequence?

The desperation lingers, On my fellow prisoners Just waiting, waiting for release It’s the consequence.

Neglected. Dark shadows loom across the wall, The shadows of misery, The shadows of death. Long, bony fingers I hardly recognise as mine. My back hunched up, The result of the labour I was forced to do. The taste of fear lingers in my mouth. I crave for the exit from this nightmare. My endless punishment, Thoughts tormenting me. The path I took, The freedom I had lost. Rikako Hirai claustrophobia I slowly pace round and round and round, Listening to the deafening echoes of sharp screams. I shiver in fear, apprehensive and nervous. The bitter cold walls, Condensation crying down them, seem to close in, While the sour perfume of death takes over. A feeling of helplessness circulates round by body. I feel helpless, helpless as a baby. Vanished from existence, Lost forever. I feel claustrophobic; there is nothing I can do! The thick cold bars prevent me from escaping. If only it were that easy. Trapped, cramped, enclosed in four walls. As I stare through the windows longing to be in that happy town, The fierce wind blows me back, sending shivers down my spine.

The insanity I sense Of the people around me As the madness hour approaches It’s the consequence.

Catherine Pears

The voices echo My friends, my family Silently calling my name It’s the consequence.

Alone in my horrible cell Dark, unforgiving place A poky, bitter, gloomy place Sucking on my soul

The fear makes me retch Sweaty, anxious bodies Waiting for the day they get out It’s the consequence.

My mind, trapped in a large maze Lost, doomed to die Guilt taunts me 24 hours a day Gnaws at my brain

The prison bars I feel, The draughty, tarnished prison bars, Slowly closing in, It’s the consequence.

I place my face against the barred window Fresh air rushes to my skin Outside, people having fun I kick the wall in vain

What’s going on in the outside world? As I stay on the inside. Is it the consequence? Or is it my imagination?

As fatigue overtakes me My past memories haunt me The terrible day I’ll never forget As back to torture me again

Vaishnavi Subramaniam

Ikjote Kandhola

My Cell

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

The Evolution of a Croydon High Girl by Janisha Perera (with grateful thanks to all the members of The Ivy Link community who so kindly shared their memories with her.) Growing up, Croydon High has been like a second home to me but even I (an honorary member of the nursery class of 2002!) am struggling up to keep up with all the changes in the school. After taking a trip back to the juniors to say a final farewell to Mrs Back and Mrs Putman, I got lost somewhere between the renovated reception area, the wonders of the 4D room and the revamped playground. Croydon High continues to adapt to new technology and ever changing circumstances as every great school should. But, believe it or not, there was once a time when the very thought of knee high skirts was regarded as outrageous, translating Virgil was compulsory and school ‘discos’ consisted of ballroom dancing! Thousands of girls have walked in and out of our doors, during different eras and from different backgrounds and one day when we return as old girls who knows what we will find of our alma mater? CHS has lived through the eras of the suffragettes, the Cuban Missile Crisis and even the legendary Spice Girls and whilst our ethos remains deeply rooted we are constantly evolving. Meeting some of our ‘old girls’ through the Ivy Link network gave me a sense of the school as it was in their day.

On April Fools’ Day, when the prefects were due to walk into Assembly, they had been exchanged with the prefects from Whitgift School. That didn’t go down well with Miss Cameron, our Headmistress!

keen to participate in discussion of the tense international affairs of their time and many favoured CND (the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) whilst some budding politicians even went on the Aldermaston marches! It seems the social impact of the 60’s also left a memorable mark on CHS as Mrs Di Clarke explained. “ Life for girls was more innocent, more sheltered to begin with, then the ‘Swinging Sixties’ gave us a greater degree of independence and the freedom to express ourselves; great advances were being made in literature, art, music, fashion etc. Women were achieving and encouraged to achieve in all spheres, particularly in what were seen as male professions. My head teachers, Doctor Adams and Miss Cameron, were both scientists. The school produced some wonderful scientists and doctors. It was a very forward thinking school; it showed us that there were no barriers to achievement.” The “agonising Our memorable moments evenings” as a year group were mostly of ballroom confined to field trips, with the rule dancing that what goes on during the field with Trinity trip stays on the field trip! If you’re at Wellesley really curious, check out the Road, under 2001 Leavers’ Yearbook! the close surveillance of matrons, soon disappeared and as alumna Dr Sujata Kandu put it, “the highlight of the social calendar” (aka the Fashion Show) became a ‘rite of passage’ for a CHS girl.

I learned one thing that has remained the same throughout Additionally, the custom of blaring out music during the decades is the excited anticipation, tempered with a lunchtime hasn’t died out through the years but the genre hint of dread, of entering Year 7. Finding “your group” as well certainly has changed! Today’s sixth formers prefer Beyoncé as your way around K block seems like an impossible feat to The Kinks and Tiger Tiger to the Orchid Ballroom! for every 11 year old girl. Along with developing her ability to navigate around the school, a When I asked the old girls about their time at CHS girl also adopted a hatred for CHS each came up with a very different view, There were some her school uniform, but even our many had funny anecdotes and memories real characters like blazers do not receive the kind eccentric teacher, Miss Trebble, of their own traditions but each and every of maltreatment hats did back in alumna agreed that the ethos remained who had a stuffed alligator the ‘50s’s. Although a navy velour the same. “CHS girls have independence, in her room called Homer… or white panama seems rather confidence, opinions and diplomacy. I teach and she used to trendy nowadays, then they were a fair few girls here at Imperial College and it talk to it! discarded at every opportunity! makes me quite proud!’ Fashion at CHS took a major turn when the Swinging Sixties brought about a whole new breed of Croydon High girl: a hooped petticoat wearing, bouffant bearing (think Dusty Springfield) teenager with rock and roll running through her veins. As expected, once the miniskirt came into fashion girls vainly tried to hitch up their skirts and they weren’t the only things that got higher! Apparently a ritual measuring of heels took place daily!

CHS girls go on to great things, such as renowned politician Dame Marion Roe, celebrated actress Dame Lilian Braithwaite and famous novelist Catherine Christian but these women, like us spent much of their childhood waiting, running for and missing buses, receiving school reports crowded with the word ‘potential’ and sitting in the very same assembly hall in the very same school.

Just like our mock elections we hold, old Croydonians were

We share a very strong and powerful bond.

The

Iv y Link Linking

Friends of the Croydon High School

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

Life in Year 7 O

ur Year 7 Magazine Rep Milla Booth has done a great job, writing articles and gathering information about events in her Year Group. Here are some of the highlights of their year.

Natural History Museum

themselves and try the activities, however nervous they felt. The weather added an extra dimension to the week, but in true CHS style, the girls were undaunted by rain and howling winds and enjoyed fighting the elements on the sand dunes in the evening. We thought about what goes into a song and looked at some of our favourite songs thinking about what can inspire a song, what makes us like particular songs and what emotions a song can portray.

of every opportunity Croydon High throws at them! Their year got off to a great start with the annual ‘bonding’ trip

n November, Year 7 went on a fieldtrip to The Natural History Museum – our first day trip in Year 7 so everyone was excited!

to Skern.

Friendships blossom at Skern

We went there to learn about ‘Our Earth’ (which was our

Our Skern adventure began at 6:30am on a Monday

project that term) and from Ecosystems to the Universe

morning in September as we started the journey down

and Planets, we travelled through a range of exhibitions

to North Devon. We arrived at 1:00pm, ate a hasty lunch

with many different interactive games and visual cases

and were ready to start the first activity! Soon the girls

to interest us. We filled in our worksheets and then

were running around the site solving puzzles, scaling

or scavenger hunt. After a much needed cup of hot chocolate, they went to bed tired out but excited about the forthcoming activities.

The inspiring instructors encouraged the girls to challenge

themselves as a strong year group and making the most

dinner, they were occupied on either a beach walk

Songwriting Workshop n June, singer and lyricist Hannah Scott ran a song writing workshop with Year 7.

This Year 7s have had a fantastic year, firmly establishing

the climbing wall and abseiling down. After a welcome

SENIOR SCHOOL

chose a couple of subjects that perhaps we wanted Surfing was felt by many (including Miss Kermani) to be

to know more about. When we got back to school, we

the best activity of the week... surf was definitely up! It

researched our questions and presented it to the rest of

was great to see the girls encourage each other and

the form.

form new friendships as they tried coastal traversing, high

A great time was had by all on our trip to The Natural

wires, zip line and rafting.

History Museum and we learnt a lot! To find out more about The Natural History Museum why not visit their

The week finished on a high – toasting marshmallows and

website – www.nhm.ac.uk

singing songs around the camp fire.

‘Skern was a wonderful opportunity to challenge yourself, make new friends and, most importantly to have fun.’ ‘Awesome, Skern was amazing, I loved everything!!!’ ‘Before I went to Skern I saw a picture of girls from the previous year abseiling and I said I was not going to do it, but I loved it!’

Hannah sang a couple of lines from her song ‘Days of Wine’. We thought about which words rhymed and which words, when normally said, don’t rhyme but when sung do. Then, using our knowledge of song structure, we wrote our own verses inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘ A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ which we had studied in English. We used the tune ‘ Twinkle, Twinkle, little Star’ as a melody for our verses. We decided that our songs would be about a relationship between two characters and we really thought about their emotions. Once everyone had come up with a verse we shared them with the rest of our form and then picked our favourite parts, thought of a title and there we had it! Our very own song! After the workshop, I caught up with Hannah to find out more about her career. I discovered she had been song writing for about 15 years; she loved music and playing the guitar and liked writing words, so merged the two together. She told me her best achievement in music and song writing so far was, before Ed Sheeran was really famous, playing at the same gig as him, and at the same gig as ‘Passenger’. A great time was had by all in Year 7 - who knows, one day we might become song writers like Hannah!

YEAR 7 NETBALL WINS LONDON YOUTH GAMES The Year 7 Netball team qualified for the London Youth Games at Crystal Palace by winning the Croydon Netball League. The girls wore their Croydon Borough t-shirts – proud to be flying the flag for Croydon! They won all their qualifying games to reach the semifinal against City of London School. In a tense match, Croydon High played brilliantly and won 9-8 after extra time to secure a place in the final against Harrow School. They won the final 8-3 and proved themselves worthy champions. Congratulations to our Year 7 Netball team: Vanessa Beal, Marney Ross-Johnson, Georgie Gill, Jojo Baker, Maddie Brookes, Seyi Ogunyemi, Franky Light, Valarie Moro and Maya Appiagyei-Yousuf.

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

Life in Year 8 T

hanks to Our Year 8 Magazine Reps, Emily Slade and Jodie Bowen who made sure that Year 8 are well represented in the Magazine. Here are some highlights from their year…

were all eager to see the interpretation of one of the

Visit to the Europa Centre

wave with a different name – and our cues of when to

audience would be children and teenagers – perfect for

The play started with Feste, the King’s fool, explaining to the audience what an Albanian wave is – a Mexican do it. Feste sings a song, with his accordion, about the brother and sister, Sebastian and Viola.

visit they wrote their own passports in French and were given a booklet to complete during the trip, which included interviews, questions about the town and different shops to visit. When they arrived they were itching to get started. They were only allowed to speak French to the staff at the Centre. The girls went round buying fake food and clothes and visiting fake shops like a post office, hotel, airport and estate agent. The girls loved

Viola is soon washed to shore on the coast of Illyria, where she searches frantically for her brother, who she then believes is dead. The play continues with scenes of love, loss, sadness and joy. However, there is a happy ending as the ‘love triangle’ works out, everyone marries the love of their life, and, as is the cliché, they all live happily ever after! The set proved to be very multifunctional, providing room for a bathtub on wheels (as the boat), a trapdoor, a seat, an old chest, a ‘love-o-meter’ and of course a water fight! The speakers on both sides of the stage produced many funny sound effects, causing a laugh from the audience every time! The costumes varied a lot from character to character – some wearing jeans and t-shirts, and others in typical clothes of Shakespeare’s time.

the idea of it and

The acting was so good that you could tell who the

the opportunity

character was just by the way that they moved and

to practise their

walked. Each actor obviously knew their character well,

French in a different

and so knew exactly how to portray their emotions.

environment. They

For example, Olivia, was always very posh and she always

even had to use

acted just as a Countess should –calmly, gracefully and in

their French to describe a ‘robber’ to the ‘police’ who

a refined manner.

‘broke’ in while they were shopping. Jodie Bowen

Twelfth Night In June, Year 8 set off to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre to see Twelfth Night. We had been studying the play in English but none of us had seen it acted out, so we

“It was fun for all the ages” Jennifer Cairns

a Year 8 class!

to Upminster to visit the

French lesson before the

“It was very humorous with a modern adaptation” Natasha Ball

modern version focuses a lot on the comedy. The target

stormy weather which sank the ship carrying identical

bus, train and tube. In their

“It was engaging” Siena Cornish “It was unique because it put its own twist on the book’s storyline” Payal Shah

Shakespeare’s classics. It is a romantic comedy, but the

In May Year 8 travelled Europa Centre, using the

Twelfth Night

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Not only was the play fun to watch, but it was also educational. We all loved the audience participation, and also the talented actors, whose songs, narration and voices made the play come alive. Everyone loved the

YEAR 8 ART WORK EXHIBITED AT JUBILEE CAFÉ

s part of their Art course, Year 8 have created A3 landscape paintings on canvas. They have worked from photographs that they took on their Geography fieldtrip in and around Selsdon.

The Art department selected a variety of paintings from each form, which were then exhibited in the Jubilee Café at Selsdon Hall (underneath Sainsburys); these paintings will remain exhibited there over the summer holidays, so please do go and take a look. The standard was exceptionally high and the judges from the Jubilee Church were looking for who captured Selsdon the best. The winner was Sharada Patel who captured the essence of Selsdon with her beautifully painted trees and clock tower. In second place was Natasha Ball who painted a figure in the phone box; this again was exceptionally painted with beautiful glass detail. In third place was Kristin Agyekumhene who painted a car park scene using really bright colours: very eye-catching with great perspective.

play, and it seemed a shame when it came to an end.

The paintings will be auctioned and all money

Emily Slade

raised will go to the NSPCC. Congratulations to all the girls.

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

Life in Year 9 M

agazine Reps, Antonia Pollard and Hannah Feighery contributed lots of ideas and material from a very busy year for our Year 9 girls.

British Library Inspires

GDST Spelling Bee On Thursday 19th June, we arose with excitement as Ellie Haden-Scott, Catherine Allen and myself were set

We arrived at the hotel at about 10:30 so it was straight

a challenge to learn and spell 105 German words in less

to our rooms. On the first day of skiing we gathered our

than two weeks! Our journey was full of practice for the

equipment to keep for the week.

big moment, although this was slightly embarrassing as

I would like to thank all three staff: Frau Leitner,

strangers had to put up with us reciting our words! On

We then were given helmets but I preferred to bring my

Miss Kermani and Mrs Winter for coming with us and

arrival at Putney High, we were full of apprehension.

own one. We had to walk to the slopes everyday but I

helping us through all our ups and downs, and the ski

considered this walk as a warm up, which was a good

instructors. When I arrived I couldn’t ski, like many others

thing. We were introduced to our instructors, Kurt and

think but Jan and Kurt taught us so well that now we are

Jan, who spoke good English which was a surprise for

all like professionals! By Lauren Pococke

did ease the nerves. We were scheduled second and Catherine was first to spell, followed by myself and then Ellie. When the results were read we quickly discovered that we had secured joint first place and so a tie breaker had to be the decider. After a little discussion we quickly chose Ellie as our last representative. After a nail biting

Geography trip to the British Library. We took part in two

went to Flachau, Austria for a week’s worth of skiing.

the day of the GDST Spelling Bee had arrived. Our team,

However, we were offered some tasty refreshments which

On Thursday 13th June, Year 9 went on an English and

On the 14th February 2014 a mixture of Year 8 and 9

me. Then we set off for our wonderful week skiing. We participated in many great activities such as

last round, we came second, losing to Howells School

bowling and a rollercoaster in the mountains. This was

by one point in the final! I would like to say a massive

a great holiday and I am glad I could spend it with

thank you to Frau K for giving up her time to help us

such great people. This was one of my favourite winter

practise and for taking us to the event. Overall, we really

holidays and I hope to go next year as well.

enjoyed the day.

workshops; Map Your World and Creative Writing. In the first workshop, we looked at the history of maps, different

Raising money for charity

types of map and cartography (mapping). We worked

As a member of Amnesty International, I find it useful to

Cybersmile. It raised over £65 and many people enjoyed

on making a map from memory, where we mapped the

know how to make the most money for my charity. I have

their purchases. And of course one of the major fund

route we took through the library to the classroom, and

discovered the best way is to hold a sale such as the

raising events is the Sixth Form’s fashion show, to say

looked at different types of maps. We saw a map of the

Candy Cane sale which I jointly organised in December.

nothing of our mufti days which bring in many pounds for

stars in the shape of the globe, showing from where in

Another successful way to make a profit for charity is to

charity. Antonia Pollard

the world you can see different star signs.

make teachers look silly.

In the Creative Writing workshop, we found interesting

The cross dressing staff quiz in March raised

words to describe the things we looked at, and then went back to the classroom, where we worked on

a decent profit of £60. People seem to

getting into character. We then, in groups, each picked

respond well to the idea that someone

one sentence from our writing, and organised them into a poem before performing this in front of the rest of the class. I found the trip fun and liked the way we moved around and looked at the library. Overall, it was a really good trip. Antonia Pollard

Emma Westray

they respect will let their hair down and enjoy themselves. In past years we held events like ‘Britain dances for Burma’. Over the year, many charity events have taken place at CHS with all forms aiming to raise money for their favourite charity, for example 7K held a bake and lolly sale to raise money for the worthy charity

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

Life in Year 10 J

anisha Perera is our Year 10 correspondent.

Clare Eats Her Words!

n Friday 27th June 2014 at lunchtime in the LRC Clare Ritchie, our very own Croydon High School author, and Blanche Brown, talented illustrator, gave a full audience of girls and staff the run-down on Clare’s published book Timeless, the cover of which was designed by Blanche. It tells the story of two young girls, born centuries apart, caught up in dark secrets. Clare said that she was inspired by the architecture of Sydenham Library, with its stone walls and barred windows suggesting an atmosphere of isolation. Blanche hoped to emphasise

role in our progression as a society. After a short break,

This theory stated that if this rocket were to travel around

we had a lecture from Professor Lord Robert Winston,

the world time would travel slower for the person in the

the pioneer of IVF treatment, which included some very

rocket than for the people on earth, thus appearing that

interesting facts, accompanied by some very squeamish

the person had travelled forwards in time.

images and videos!

Maths in Action

SENIOR SCHOOL

However, the speaker did say that even if time travel

The highly enthusiastic Andrea Sella, an inorganic

backwards were possible the number of paradoxes

23 Year 10 girls attended a Maths in Action conference in

chemist, tried to explain, from a chemistry point of view,

that would be caused would lead to catastrophic

London. We were treated to a total of five very different

the reason why zebras have stripes. He used a series of

consequences (this was explained through the

and engaging speakers with a strong expertise in

experiments, which he performed during the talk, which

Mona Lisa paradox).

Mathematics. The day started off with a talk by Dr Simon

explained the formation of patterns found naturally

Singh on the Maths contained in The Simpsons.

around us.

We then heard about the Mathematics applied to code

Finally, a Physics professor, and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s

an idea of the vast and varying different options there

breaking and were shown how a real WW2 Enigma

The Life Scientific, explored whether or not time travel is,

are if they were to choose a career in science.

machine worked. The day was rounded off by looking at

in fact, possible. This talk gave us much to think about as

the lateral thinking involved in solving mathematical and

it suggested, if we were able to build a rocket that could

logic puzzles which was very entertaining.

travel fast enough, we could travel forwards in time.

Overall, it was a really interesting day and, due to the talks being very different, it gave everyone who attended

The behaviour of the girls was exceptional throughout the day, a real credit to our school, as was our athletic ability as so many of us shunned the recommended option of the lift at Russell Square tube and took the 175 steps to the top (and back down again on the way home)!!

BRONZE DofE

The next day, Year 10 put their wet clothes and boots back on, with gritted teeth and fierce determination.

an important theme in the

The Year 10 girls from Croydon High School headed to

With renewed vigour, the girls experienced the

SCIENCE LIVE!

Amberley to complete their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh

quintessentially beautiful English countryside, possibly

truth; hence her choice of

expedition. While the forecast predicted blue skies and

getting even more than they bargained for due to a

On Friday 31st January, several girls from Year 10, along

shades of grey.

sunshine, the British weather played its usual game of

few misguided roundabout routes. Overall, everyone,

with Mrs Wright and Mrs Banks from the Chemistry

surprise showers and looming grey clouds.

including staff, had a wonderful trip.

Science Live, an opportunity for GCSE science students

Despite the weather, our girls eventually trudged into

On Monday morning it was heart-warming to see the

to learn about many different aspects of science and

camp at the end of their first day, sopping wet but

students share a smile in the hallway as they hobbled,

how scientists are working to solve current issues. Over

satisfied at what they had achieved. That night the trees

with stiff legs, to their next class.

the course of the day we attended talks from five

around the campsite were strewn with wet and muddy

different scientists about a range of topics, as well as a

clothing in the hope of it all drying out by morning.

couple of talks which gave advice on revision and exam

The single boots balancing on the tops of solitary posts

techniques for Science GCSEs. Dr Kate Lancaster told us

across the forest caused a few laughs amongst the staff.

how scientists are currently trying to make a star, through

Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time before the girls

nuclear fusion, as a clean energy source. This was a very

were fed and warm again.

cover – the difficulty of distinguishing lies from and

After a Q&A session we arrived at an important part of the Book Talk; Book Signing and the cutting of the beautiful Celebration Cake, modelled on Clare’s book and made by Mrs Ritchie. The cake featured the front cover and first page of Clare’s book – all edible! So we all ate Clare’s words – and very delicious they were!

department, went to the Dominion Theatre to watch

interesting concept which was made relatable to us as it is very likely to be our generation of scientists that will achieve this. Then Professor Mark Miodownik gave a lecture named

The evening menu ranged from pasta, to curry, to tuna dishes. No doubt Bear Grylls would have been impressed by the economical, nutritious and delicious hiking meals cooked by our very own CHS students.

“Stuff Matters”. He is a famous materials scientist and told us about all sorts of ‘stuff’ ranging from silent Velcro, Clare currently has 3 fantasy books on the go; we look forward to their publication!

used by the military, to leggings that could help disabled people to walk. This was my favourite talk as it gave an insight into how material science plays an important 35

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

Life in Year 11 T

hanks to Ysabel Cruickshank for her insight on the year.

Croydon High’s creative charity spectacle

iving to charity and appreciating our responsibility to think of others is a strong value within the ethos of Croydon High.

Even though it was the

pounds for this very worthwhile cause, showing our ability to be innovative in raising money and awareness, and to have fun.

As the most anticipated event in their calendar, the Year 11 prom was an unforgettable evening for all. The dance floor was

the girls to think beyond the classroom.

first Model United Nations

sufferers. 11Di managed to raise over two hundred

A night to remember

SENIOR SCHOOL

Conference for the team of

Larissa Kennedy, an active Year 11 debater, describes

ten debaters, the girls quickly

the extracurricular activity as unbelievably enriching, “In

made an impression, with Ellen

a world where today’s international relations will define

Lennox being nominated and

tomorrow’s future, knowledge of international affairs is

congratulated as a highly

more and more essential. Debating at Croydon High

commended delegate in her

allows me to become highly educated in international

committee.

affairs and the skills of debating.“

The debating continued as Shakira Mahadeva was

The girls’ second United Nations conference was even

runner up in the prestigious GDST Chrystall Prize

bigger and better. Ten Year 11 debaters, along with

competition in November with her impressive and

Sixth Formers and Year 10s, attended one of the largest

inspiring speech on Multiculturalism and its social

conferences ever held at the City of London School.

impact. Following this success, Croydon High debaters

The topics ranged dramatically from the development

battled it out in the winter Senior Debating competition.

of nuclear fusion, to the Crimea conflict and the

Ellen Lennox and Helen Springer won with their

question of the United Nations’ international diplomatic

intellectual and compelling views on feminism and

immunity. The day was educationally enriching and

buzzing as girls swayed

upholding the campaign for women’s rights. There were

reflected the amazing opportunity Croydon High

in beautiful gowns and

three different debates in the Final that all challenged

debating offers.

the boys looked dapper in back tie attire. A professional photographer captured the memories of the evening that Mrs Beck and Mrs Conrad had worked tirelessly to create. White and red streamers hung from the ceiling as the lights glittered round the room.

BORIS VISITS SELSDON by Barbara Bielecka On the 11th

phraseology, he certainly created a friendly and

March 2014, Boris

comfortable atmosphere, placing the audience at

Johnson, the

ease encouraging them to enjoy the evening. After

Celebrating the achievement of Year 11 mocks the girls

Mayor of London

his entertaining talk, attention was addressed to

danced late into the evening whilst dining on a platter

visited Selsdon

the audience who were given the chance to pose

set for a royal banquet. Dancing for nearly three hours

Hall to convey

questions to the Mayor.

straight, the girls showed that we at Croydon High do

his thoughts on

work hard and play hard. All the girls were most thankful

Croydon’s status,

While the majority opted to ask fitting questions

for everything Mrs Beck had done to make sure they

announce his

concerning Croydon’s future I had a different question

had a truly magical evening, and every girl had a night

promising plans

in mind. After much speculation, and despite Boris being

they will remember forever.

for our borough’s

adamant that he would not run for election before

The girls and their dates sat at magnificent dining tables decorated with luminous red and silver centrepieces.

So when 11DI were discussing their form charity task they wanted a new, innovative and exciting event for the whole school to participate in to raise money. The male staff bravely took on the female staff in a netball match! In the name of Cancer Research the staff battled it out, both sides just as competitive as

future and answer any questions from both the young

2015, I was curious to know whether he planned or

Year 11 debaters take on United Nations

and old present at this much anticipated event.

considered doing so afterwards. Although expressing

Although arriving late, being held up at a property

answer, Boris did not oppose the proposal and what’s

erupt in laughter. Almost the entire school community

The debating calendar has been constantly busy for Year

viewing in France, Boris appeared as fresh as a daisy as

more seemed very content with the idea.

attended and witnessed the dedication of the staff to

11s this year. From United Nations conferences to winter

he enthusiastically praised the Conservatives’ recent

support their pupils in charity fundraising.

debating finals, the debating team is bigger and stronger

achievements as well as commending the local council,

Furthermore, as I provided this suggestion the audience

than ever. Kicking off the debating calendar early, the

police and fire brigade for their efficient and successful

roared in support displaying their backing and approval

Pink banners and balloons set up by 11DI decked the

debating team attended their first Model United Nations

dealing with the recent flooding, particularly in the

of this idea. Overall this evening was a very relaxing,

sports block to remind the girls of the meaning behind

Conference at Latymer. Girls debated international

Purley and Kenley area.

enjoyable and pleasant experience, which had a real

the fun. Cancer Research do amazing work to further

topics from tackling the dictatorship in Burma to the

each other. Neck and neck the two teams sweated their hearts out as the girls screamed a whirlwind up in the sports hall. Mr Pickering memorably fell on Mrs Beck, following a collision, causing the entire sports hall to

the development of cancer drugs and support for

conflicts between the Kurds and the Turks.

clear, committed support for David Cameron in his

friendly community feel. Boris certainly had a stage With a beer in hand, his admirably positive attitude

presence and made the right moves to interest all

and exceptional use of his boundless witty and clever

members of the community who were present. 37

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

Sixth FORM LIFE The knowledge we’d gathered during our AS studies of

SENIOR SCHOOL

NCYW CONFERENCE TACKLES THE DISTRESSING SUBJECT OF FGM On Wednesday 12th March we welcomed around 170 delegates, from our own sixth form, local sixth forms

UK politics pieced itself together anew as we wandered

and sister GDST schools who joined us in considering and discussing a harrowing topic. We were also

through the house, upping the excitement of simply

delighted to welcome back delegates from the National Council of Women to join us for the day.

being in such an iconic place. Members of the press had been congregating outside when we arrived - unfortunately, we learned, not for us- and the atmosphere in Number 10 was busy, which is why we very nearly missed the PM himself rushing through a corridor as if – hear me out – he had

A Visit to Number 10 by Kate Shillabeer

something important to do. Chancellor George Osborne also made a cameo

trip to 10 Downing Street has been the highlight of

appearance in our afternoon, suited and booted

the academic year for GovPol classes for a number

almost as smartly as we were. What we came away

of years, and finally Monday 23rd June, the big day for

with, apart from bragging rights and a few cheesy

the current Year 12, arrived.

photos, was a clearer idea of what it’s really like to work

A bus, a train and a tube ride later, we made our way through the throng of tourists clustered around the big black gates and stepped over the threshold of Downing Street itself. After a brief zapping by security and several uncomfortable photographs outside, we were in! The house was grand and oozed with interesting history, relayed to us by ex-Croydon High girl and current Director of External Relations for David Cameron,

in politics. Personally, I was exasperated to discover that even politicians aren’t capable of putting the toilet seat back down once they’re done but, that set aside,

for our annual National Council of Young Women

of politics further.

(NCYW) Event, FGM was rarely acknowledged, let alone mentioned in detail by the media. Yet since deciding to

The second female PM is definitely someone to look out

go ahead with this challenging issue, it seems many have

for; who knows – she might just be from Croydon High.

jumped on our bandwagon and it has been a prominent

Big thanks go to Mr Vickery for organising it all.

Biologists’ Field Trip

The trip was planned to give them practical experience of ecological techniques, data collection and analysis, as well as preparing for A2 coursework. On Monday the students investigated the abundance and distribution of invertebrates in the river Mole. They were taught lots of new techniques and, despite not being very familiar with the organisms, quickly became 38

Six months ago, when we came up with the theme

the visit surely inspired a few of us to pursue our studies

Gabby Bertin.

29 Year 12 Biologists, accompanied by Mrs Conrad and Miss Devendra, travelled to Juniper Hall on Monday 30th June and Wednesday 2nd July.

Distinguished and inspiring speakers

debate on television documentaries, in the news and now also in political circles. Katie Tomsett with her letter from David Cameron

Croydon High was thrilled to invite Dr Comfort Momoh, Ifrah Ahmed and Rani Bilkhu to address not only our Sixth Form, but also girls from JAGS, Oasis Academy

able to distinguish between swimming, burrowing and striped mayfly nymphs! Several groups also found Signal crayfish – an invasive species from North America.

(Coulsdon), St Andrews, Portsmouth High, Sydenham,

for the faint hearted, yet it is important that young men,

Brighton, Streatham and South Hampstead High.

as well as women, are educated about this world wide

These were carefully transported back to the centre and put into their fish tank. This species is responsible for killing many of our native crayfish. The students were thankful that the good weather held all day and that we avoided the heavy rainfall experienced by the students back at school.

Dr Momoh is a renowned FGM specialist at Guy’s and

Wednesday saw the students walking up to Mickleham Downs in the blazing sunshine whilst we studied succession. The girls came well prepared with suncream and umbrellas and extra food! Lots of data was collected and later that afternoon the girls got messy testing soil samples – it had been many years since they had made mud pies!

survivor who works tirelessly to educate people about

issue, that the UN is trying so very hard to stop. St Thomas’ and founder of the African Well Women’s

We were delighted to receive a personal letter from

Clinic. Rani Bilkhu is Director of Jeena International,

David Cameron on the eve of our conference, wishing

an organisation which works towards safeguarding

us well and asking that we keep him informed about our

communities against gender violence in all forms. Ifrah

ideas. We did report back to him to convey the strength

Ahmed, who travelled from Ireland for the day, is an FGM

of opinion from our young women.

the horrors of FGM.

It will be very hard to top this event next year, both in terms of content and finding a subject that educates

We listened to their stories and the advice they gave

and inspires to the same degree, but no doubt we’ll rise

with both interest and admiration and felt empowered

to the challenge and we look forward to building on the

by what we had learned. FGM is certainly not a topic

success of this year’s annual NCYW conference. 39

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Amnesty International

mnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign internationally for recognised human rights to be respected. At the moment, there is a Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states everything people have a right to, or do not have the right to.

Sharada came first out of hundreds, scooping

Sharada’s comments appeared in the Local Guardian

the Amnesty International Young Human Rights

News: I feel touched and happy to win the award. I

Photographer Award (Lower Secondary category) with

hope my photo goes some way in giving homeless

her photograph entitled Homelessness – West Croydon.

persons the attention they need.

Annabel was runner up with her photo which focused on child abuse.

The rights were created by the countries in the United

showing support for the family of Kalpana Chakma, a

Nations, and agreed to by everyone. They should be

young Bangladeshi woman. She disappeared on 12

followed by everyone to help create a world in which

June 1996, abducted because of her campaign for the

we would all like to live.

rights of indigenous people in the Chittagong Hill Tract.

SENIOR SCHOOL

Emily Slade

We wrote a letter to the Home Office Minister asking for a thorough, independent re-investigation of the case. The winner was Katya Pitt, 8H (pictured below) who wrote in her card: “I am thinking of you and your family and support you in your struggle for justice”. Another competition was Everyone attending the Amnesty International

a photographic one. Girls

Club in the Learning Resource Centre

were asked to focus on a Human Right’s issue. The

The Declaration includes basic rights, such as “every

best were entered into the

human being is born equal in dignity and rights” and

national competition. Two of

“everyone has the right to life”. More specific rights are

our girls, Sharada Kashyap,

included, such as “Nobody shall be…denied the right to

Year 9, and Annabel

change his or her nationality”.

Plummer, Year 7, were

Homelessness – West Croydon

Sharada Kashyap

He Beat the Stuffing out of Her –

treated to a day in London

Beware Child Abuse

Croydon High School has an Amnesty International

at the Hulton Archive (Getty

Annabel Plummer

group because we believe that it is a worthy cause

Images) then the Award

and that everyone should be allowed freedom.

Ceremony at the Human

We also believe that AI increases awareness of what

Rights Action Centre.

Katya Pitt

is going on around us all of the time. Unfortunately, the world is not perfect, and there is discrimination and persecution in action, and so we have joined Amnesty in their worthy cause to fight for justice, everywhere, and for everyone. The Amnesty International group is a lunchtime club, hosted by Mrs Abrams. One of the year’s highlights was when we were invited to the Human Rights Action Centre in London, headquarters of AI, for a general tour and participation in a workshop focusing on the global campaign against torture. This gave us a glimpse of how a small youth group can make a difference. We hold competitions to get the school involved with Amnesty International, and also to raise money or provide support for people. At Christmas time we asked girls to design a card 40

Amnesty International Club members outside the Human Rights Action Centre

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SportsReport

SENIOR SCHOOL

port is a big part of life at Croydon High and there have been numerous individual and team performances to celebrate in this academic year. all the small things that we take for granted – even running water. We then travelled to Stellenbosch, via Spier Winery Farm, after our second training session. That evening provided another opportunity to buy native goods in Stellenbosch town and relax at the Stellenbosch Hotel. The following day, we journeyed to the famed Robben Island, to learn more about Mandela’s imprisonment from an ex-prisoner himself. All were fascinated by the facts and figures presented to us, as well as Mandela’s actual prison cell.

The Netball and Hockey Tour of South Africa in October was a resounding success and a fantastic experience

We travelled on to the Goedgedacht Trust, where we

for all involved. Georgina Halliday in Year 13 told us

stayed for two nights learning about the deprived

all about it…

children in Southern Africa, taking part in volunteer work,

Although the idea of animals roaming the grounds outside our chalets while we slept was not quite comforting for all, we were all mesmerised by the wilderness on the safari. We saw an incredible four out of the Big Five (lion, rhino, elephant and buffalo) as well as many zebras, giraffes, hippos and numerous antelope. Our many photos hardly do the beautiful African Savanah justice. Many thanks to the staff who accompanied us on tour, and especially to Mrs Beck, without whom it would not have taken place. It was a fantastic experience, and, I think all the girls will agree, a trip to remember.

playing with the young children and befriending some Following a successful and enjoyable Fun, Food &

of the girls our own age during the evening activities.

Auction Evening that raised funds for the Tour, 26 girls

It was another learning curve for many of us, as we

and four staff journeyed all the way to sunny South

remembered how privileged we all are to have stable

Africa for two weeks during October half term, 2013.

families and education of a high quality.

Inaugural Sports Presentation Evening

n July, the PE department held a Presentation Evening to

Our next matches were against Curro High School,

off in Cape Town, where the girls spent three days

where we won, lost and drew our netball matches, and

a great opportunity to celebrate the girls’ hard work.

occupied with leisure activities. Unfortunately, a

tied 1-1 in the hockey match. We then visited the High

Every girl invited had represented Croydon High School

brewing storm over the town caused our first matches

Performance Centre in Pretoria, where we trained for our

over the course of the year. Mrs Palmer congratulated

against Worcester Gymnasium to be cancelled, but

last match against Pretoria High School that afternoon.

the girls on the commitment they bring to their sport

the lengthy shopping time at the V&A Waterfront and

We won two out of the three netball matches and

“They commit their time to the training sessions and

the spectacular view from the top (3,600ft) of Table

narrowly missed a win in the hockey match.

they never let us down when it comes to representing

Mountain the following day certainly made up for it.

the school in the many fixtures that take place Our penultimate stop was at Konka Camp, which not

recognise many and varied successes and the event was

After an exhausting 11-hour flight, the tour kicked

The next matches were against the team from Langa

only included useful netball training from specialist

Township; we put up a good fight against their strong

coaches, but highly entertaining activities such as zip-

teams, who were no doubt used to the sweltering

wiring across a lake and kayaking. Our tour definitely

playing conditions. We were not victorious, but enjoyed

ended on a high; two nights at the fantastic Mabula

the matches immensely, picking up a few tips from the

Lodge became many of the girls’ favourite time on tour.

opposition. We spent the rest of the day meeting the

Aside from catching the sun’s rays by the pool with a

locals of Langa, and learning about their way of life.

mocktail in hand, we embarked on four extraordinary

The experience was culturally enriching as well as

safari game drives (two of which meant waking up

thought-provoking; we really began to appreciate

before 5am…).

throughout the year,” she said. Mrs Palmer went on to say “Sport can bring so much to people’s lives. Sport teaches you to work with others, to develop leadership qualities, to be competitive, to be self-disciplined; it teaches you to strive to be your best, to take pride in your achievements and be strong and resilient in face of defeat. Sport brings out so many emotions, both good and bad, all of which we can

Year 7 Netball – Winners of London Youth Games

learn from”. 43

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ot everyone left the Presentation Evening with a cup or colour or certificate in their hand, but everyone was acknowledged and celebrated for the contributions they made to

CHS’s sporting successes this year.

Each sport’s Captain delivered a report on the year Emily Beck – Netball Captain

Croydon League, due to goal difference again, but gained revenge by winning the Croydon Schools tournament. They also qualified for the Surrey finals and were runners up in the Trust tournament held at Croydon High and finally one of their most notable achievements was winning through to the Surrey Finals, reaching the semifinal before losing to the eventual National Champions, Guildford High.

Lucy Mars – Hockey Captain It has been another great year for hockey at Croydon High School. The U13’s started the year with an impressive 5-0 win against Sutton and went on to have some notable success, including wins against Woldingham and Bromley.

Year 11B’s were runners up in the Croydon League and the Year 11A’s were also runners up in the Croydon league, narrowly missing out on goal difference Senior teams had a good season with the B’s winning the Croydon League. The A’s were runners up in the 44

Surrey U19 Floor and Vault

Our U13 team had a really good year performing very well at the Tumbling and the Floor and Vault, with more complex moves and beautiful floor routines, as well as striving to improve their vaults. Unfortunately, due to their age, our U15 team was left unable to compete in most of their competitions this year. However, Kassia Mahadeva and Nayna Patel attended every training session and improved considerably, finally mastering their roundoff flicks.

The highlight of the year was without doubt the tour to South Africa last October half term, but there has been plenty to enjoy for our netballers all year Year 7 dominated Croydon Schools’ netball with the A’s winning both the league and tournament. The B’s were runners up in the tournament. The A’s were chosen to represent Croydon at the London Borough Youth Games. They played extremely well throughout the day and ended up winning the whole event.

Year 10 Netball Team

Melissa Pococke – Gymnastics Captain 2014 has been a very successful year for gymnastics at Croydon High. The juniors had a great season, improving on their results from last year by a considerable margin – all of this made more incredible given that they are much younger than most of the girls competing in their age group.

The U15’s placed a very respectable 4th in the U16 Surrey Tournament, playing against older opposition and the senior hockey team went to the Trust tournament in October where, after Mrs Beck’s great team talk and a lot of determination, we gave a very gutsy performance (with only 10 players) and we went on to draw two out of the four games against some very tough opposition. The U12’s had a very good season and at the Surrey Trophy the U14’s won 1 and drew 3 of their games against formidable opponents. The Junior School has also done very well with commendable performances coming from Phoebe Marchand and Joani Baker.

The Year 8B’s were runners up in the Croydon league on goal difference and Year 10 were runners up in the U15 Trust tournament

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Senior Netball A Team – Team of the Year

Congratulations to Renee Brown and Flora McEwan for being selected for Surrey Netball Satellite Academy In April, we held the inaugural Croydon High Ivy Link Netball Challenge where players past and present competed for the Trophy. Teams were named after significant CHS Heads, I am pleased to say that Leonard, our current senior team were the eventual winners in what was a very enjoyable but highly competitive standard of netball on show. It was nice to see so many old girls including some that left last year. My peers and I look forward to competing next year in the event. On behalf of all the netball players at Croydon High I would like to thank the PE Department for all their hard work throughout the season and all the parents who have supported us both on and off the court. Finally, I have loved (and am proud) to have represented Croydon High School since 2004 and I would like to present the school with a trophy which will be awarded annually to the Croydon High Sports Woman of the Year, for someone who has contributed most to school sport.

Year 9 Hockey

But by far the highlight of the season for all those involved was the Hockey Tour to South Africa. The team performed excellently and thoroughly enjoyed their time there. The team, which was formed from a mixture of girls from years 10 to 13, played three intense matches, with one of the most impressive goals coming from Kiera Ibrahim. While we were there we were given a great opportunity to train at the High Performance Centre at the University of Pretoria as well as at Stellenbosch University. Overall the tour was a great success. This year I was also given the opportunity to coach some of the teams including the U13 and U14 teams. I was very impressed with the high level of skill and team spirit that every girl showed - I can see them going on to be even more successful next year. I wish the next captain good luck and hope that they have as much fun as I did this year.

However, our best results came from our very strong U19 team. They won the Surrey Tumbling competition in October and later in the year, they performed, with injuries, at the Trust Rally and medalled again, placing 3rd. They also had the opportunity to work with the lower school at the Surrey Acro competition. After very little training, our four pairs went off and managed to place 4th, a commendable achievement. Of course, the highlight of 2014 for every gymnast was the Gym and Dance Display in February. This gave every student in the lower school an opportunity to take part and perform some very impressive routines; however this also gave the squads an opportunity to shine, both on and off the floor. Our Junior Squad routine was choreographed by Mrs Sue Dassie many years ago and edited by Shakira Mahadeva, and was performed excellently. Every single routine in the show was the result of months of hard work, assisted by the PE Department, especially Mrs Palmer and Maddie Lath. We will continue to strive to improve as a team and hope the next year to be even more successful than this one. 45

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Clara Agyekumhene – Swimming Captain Michael Phelps once said, “You can’t put a limit on anything, the more you dream, the farther you get’’, and that is definitely the attitude this seasons swimming team displayed. Our Year 7 and 8 teams showed what it meant to be senior swimmers by claiming 1st place at the Croydon schools swimming gala with some fantastic individual performances. The Year 9 and 10 swimmers also had a good night at their Croydon Schools championships, with outstanding swims from the whole team. The Sixth Form team had some excellent swims throughout the season despite some challenges over getting to training and galas! The most highly anticipated event in the swimming calendar is the Trust Swimming where the die-hard swimmers meet to determine which GDST school really has what it takes to make waves in the pool – and this year we showed we too can bring it! Every swimmer swam a strong race with personal best times right across the board Taylor and I qualified for the finals for our age group in the 50 metres front crawl finishing 3rd and 5th respectively. The junior school swimming gala in March was filled with solid swims from all our swimmers with each one placing in the top 6 in their event. With the amount of swimming talent in the junior school, we are definitely going to have a strong Year 7 team – I can’t wait to see them in action next season. Outside school many girls continue to represent clubs at county and regional level and this year Georgia Taylor medaled at the Surrey and Regional Championships in the 50 and 100metres front crawl. The level of swimming at Croydon High this year has been of a very high standard and it has been a pleasure to be your swimming captain. Sophie Haden-Scott – Athletics Captain This year, athletics at Croydon High has been a great success. Our new Year 7s have thrived, showing that they have great potential for the future. Their relay team came 3rd at the Trust Schools Athletics and also won Croydon Schools’ Athletics Competition overall, with some great individual results. Maya Appiagyei-Yousuf came 1st in the 800m and JoJo Baker came 1st in Discus. Year 9’s Carys Marsden was 1st in the Trust and Croydon Schools Discus and is going on to represent the borough at the Surrey Championships. 46

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She also represented Blackheath Harriors, finishing 2nd in the Kent Discus and Hammer with a PB in Hammer of 34.5m. As well as achieving great success in competitions outside school, Emma James won Gold in Shot for Croydon High in the Trust Athletics. Laura Baliman in Year 10 has worked very hard both outside and in school and it all paid off at Trust when she won Gold in the 100m sprint and finished 2nd in hurdles; two amazing achievements. Last year’s captain, Charlotte Rhule has once again been very successful this year finishing 3rd in the UK Youth Athletes League National finals in the 1500m. She was then selected to run for Great Britain in the European Championships Cup in the Czech Republic. It is great to see so many girls enjoy athletics so much that they train and compete outside of School. It also makes our school team even stronger! I would like to thank all the PE staff for the time they have put into Athletics this year and of course to all the girls who have taken part this year. Hopefully next year will be just as successful!

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SPORTS DAY 2014

ollowing last year’s wash out, we were very fortunate with the weather on Sports Day, with only two showers hindering the hurdle events.

Breagh McKewan – Tennis Captain The field events in the morning allowed us to use new We’ve had a very good summer of tennis this year and it has been an honour being tennis captain. At the National School Aegon Tennis we beat Trinty and Benenden but lost to Sevenoaks (who had a home advantage making us play on their inside courts even though it was sunny outside!) Congratulations to Natalie, Flora, and Hannah who all played very well. At St. George’s Festival, the Year 8 pairing of Flora and Freya McEwan did exceptionally well and reached the finals where they lost narrowly. The Year 9 team of Ellie Haden-Scott and Hannah Green and Year 10’s Sophie Haden-Scott and Lauren Kite also played well but had very strong opposition. Natalie and I also played well but clearly didn’t drink enough water either!

specialist equipment, thanks to our successful bid for HSBC athletics funding. We also saw the introduction of our new “tug of war” event, which involved all four houses pulling against each other to bring the centre hoop across the winning line on their side of the square. It was fiercely competed, with all girls and House captains loudly cheering their teams on. In the afternoon, the track events ran smoothly, with the highlight clearly being the house squadron relay. It certainly raised the noisiest cheer of the day!

Girls performed well in a two pair competition in Eastbourne. Georgie Gill and Kate Ferguson in Year 7 came 5th out of 14 schools. Flora McEwan in Year 8 and Hannah Green in Year 9 came 4th out of 14 schools. All years have played league matches and friendly matches against numerous schools. The participation has been positive and encouraging and I hope everyone has enjoyed themselves. I would like to take the opportunity to thank Natalie Haden-Scott for giving up her time to play with me and to represent the school even though she had exams and then had left school. I thoroughly enjoyed playing with her and the school will miss her talent and we wish her all the best in her gap year playing tennis in competitions. I would also like to thank Mrs Beck for being a marvellous chauffeur and encouraging and supporting us in all of our competitions.

Many school records were broken on the day – congratulations to all our record breakers in both the juniors and senior. All in all, another great Sports Day and we look forward to next year.

Sports Sports 47

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MUSIC

This year has been full of fun and variety in the Music Department, with a large number of established events in the Senior School.

CHS Singers take Tuscany by storm On the last day we visited Puccini’s house in the beautiful town of Lucca, where Mrs Cohen made us walk round the walls before giving us free time when we could shop again. In the afternoon we visited Pisa with its famous Leaning Tower before taking our flight back to Gatwick, exhausted but happy.

finale to remember! The Summer Concert featured girls from Years 7 to 10 and gave an opportunity for the music scholars in those years to perform solos.

I loved every second of Tuscany. I have made some great new friends and experienced the most wonderful concerts that reduced me to rears. (Sophie Hodgson Year 9)

CHS Singers have had a busy year preparing for their tour to Tuscany in July. They sang in many of our school concerts and had their own spectacular Pre-Tour concert in July before they left, as well as giving two lunchtime concerts.

These began in November with our Chamber Music Festival, one of the highlights of the year for musicians, showcasing small musical ensembles including girls from Years 7 to 13, all competing for a trophy. Nicola Rose, freelance musician, had the unenviable task of adjudicating the evening. She was full of energy, encouragement and excellent advice and eventually the overall winners were a trio comprising myself, Georgina Halliday and Eleanor Bunce performing Largo from Trio Pathétique by Glinka. This was a particularly memorable evening for Georgina and me to celebrate our last year as music scholars at Croydon High. Another particularly special event for me was my A level Music Recital, which took place at lunchtime where I performed a 15 minute programme on the clarinet. CHAMBER Other regular events included the St Cecilia’s Day Concert, including all our large instrumental groups in which we celebrated the music of Benjamin Britten (a composer whose centenary fell this year) with his Five Courtly dances and a rendition of Old Abram Brown, sung by all participants, to finish. At Christmas, as is traditional, we held our Senior Carol Service at All Saints’ Church, celebrating the music of Benjamin Britten once again, with carols from his Ceremony of Carols. The annual Spring Concert this year had an animal theme. The concert began with a performance of Saint-Saens’ Carnival of Animals, was followed by CHS Singers singing songs such as She’s like the Swallow, All Creatures now are merry minded and A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square and ended with the humorous Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo. With a few surprise costume changes from Mrs Cohen, it was definitely a 48

The first was our annual concert in St Matthew’s, Redhill and the second at Selsdon Day Centre. As well as the larger concerts, there were Informal Concerts for each Key Stage, held in the Recital Room. These are a great opportunity for girls to get experience playing solos in front of a small friendly audience, either practising for GCSE, A Level or graded music examinations. Eleanor Bunce gave a lunchtime recital, having gained her LTCL Performance Diploma in Piano. She was then selected to compete in the first GDST Young Musician of the Year Competition, held in Liverpool and was a credit to the school. There have been many outstanding successes in local Music Festivals too, with many of our girls winning cups and medals-sadly too many to list here. GDST MUSICIAN As the term closes, those here next year are already practising for our 140th celebration at the Fairfield Halls in November. The Music Department never rests! Eleanor Bunc

Molly Harris

SENIOR SCHOOL

Being part of the tour has been a privilege. Singing in Italy has been a great experience (Anjali Malik Year 9)

After a year of preparation, the 35 girls from Year 8 to Year 12, who make up CHS Singers, could hardly believe the day had come, when they would don their burgundy hoodies and board the plane from Gatwick to Pisa, for their long-awaited trip to Tuscany. At Pisa Airport we were collected by coach and taken to our hotel in Montecatini, where we would spend three nights. We had prepared three different programmes to perform in the Basilica Santa Maria Assunta, Montecatini, Villone Puccini (a retirement home in Pistoia) and the church of Santa Maria dei Ricci in Florence. The concerts were brilliant, with programmes including sacred music, spirituals, folk songs, madrigals and other favourites interspersed with instrumental solos and a vocal duet. We sang all the programmes from memory and the audiences were all very impressed and appreciative. As well as singing we had opportunities for sightseeing and, on arrival, we managed to cram in a visit to Montecatini Alto, a fortified medieval town on the top of a hill, to which we travelled by funicular railway, offering spectacular views.

On Wednesday we visited Pistoia on market day and had an opportunity to shop. The whole of the next day was spent in Florence, which for many of us, was the highlight of the trip. Mrs Cohen took us on a walking tour and we saw many of the famous sights including the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, the Piazza della Signori and the Palazzo Vecchio. We walked over the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in the city and also spent some time in the famous Uffizzi Gallery, before having pizza and ice cream in a restaurant near our concert venue.

I loved going on tour so much. The concerts were amazing . It was my first time in Italy and the best bit was seeing all the amazing buildings and places (Siena Cornish Year 8) I have never had such a wonderful experience on tour as when everyone gave us a standing ovation in the final concert. I felt such a strong emotional connection to everyone in the choir--an awesome experience (Melissa Pococke Year 12) Tuscany was amazing. I have so many life-long memories I will never forget. The concerts were great fun and truly touching (Nicole Bambroffe Year 8) My third and final tour was amazing. We had such a good time both performing and sightseeing and I wish we could repeat it all again. (Abbie Gunn Year 12) Receiving the standing ovation was the highlight of the tour for me. It felt very satisfying and was a reward after we had all worked so hard this year. (Tanya Dosanjh Year 11) The Choir Tour was fun packed from dawn to dusk. it was well worth a year’s rehearsal. the concerts were fab. (Abby Hughes Year 9) The last time I went on tour I was one of the youngest and now I’m one of the oldest. This time round has been amazing. Thank you to all the teachers for a fantastic time. (Jennifer Favre Year 12)

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THE DU PRÉ LEGACY LIVES ON… O ur celebrated alumna, Jacqueline du Pré, left a strong legacy at the school in terms of the number of girls who choose to take up the cello and who play to a very high standard. Year 13’s Georgina Halliday is an example of this and here she tells us why the instrument meeans so much to her.

I started cello at the age of seven in 2003 with Miss Nagioff at Croydon High. The size of the instrument was daunting at first, as were the difficult positions I had to learn. Coming from a musical family, I was lucky to have my mum supporting me every step of the way and in the early days, accompanying me on the piano. Practising scales was never my favourite part of playing the cello (I’m sure my fellow cellists agree) but it really was worth making time for. In year 6, I auditioned and was awarded a Music Scholarship for the Senior School. Shortly after, I passed my Grade V cello exam with distinction and in Year 9, passed Grade VII again with distinction. I was accepted into the Whitgift Chamber Orchestra and played in both Croydon High orchestras on a weekly basis. Joining a new orchestra (filled with boys!) was particularly terrifying at the time, especially as the music required a lot of practice. To this day, however, I am close to all the friends I made and grateful for the on-stage experience it has provided.

and coaching some of Miss Nagioff’s pupils in the holidays. As my final Grade VIII exam approached, AS exams were looming, and juggling between practice and study was the most challenging experience I have had with the cello. Nevertheless, I was delighted to gain my best distinction in my Grade VIII exam with full marks on two of my pieces. 11 years later, it is hard to imagine how different I would have become without my cello. I have learned, however clichéd, that I can achieve whatever I put my mind to. My confidence has blossomed, having performed solo over 70 times. I am proud of the responsibility the cello has brought me within the school and feel that I have grown and matured because of it. I have broadened my musical knowledge and appreciation, made many friends and particularly enjoyed participating in the Chamber music competition every year, performing high level pieces from the classical repertoire with girls of a similar level. Starting the cello was the best decision I could have made at such a young age. It is amazing where the cello can take you and the fun you can have with it and I shall definitely keep playing through university and beyond.

ALL THAT JAZZ… In June, we welcomed jazz legend Digby Fairweather to school to treat the girls to a jazz master class. Digby has been a full-time jazz musician since 1977 and is very well known and highly regarded in jazz circles. Digby spent a couple of hours in the afternoon working with Caroline Ip, Katya Pitt, Fariha Baba, Ikjote Kandhola, Anna Pamfil, Catherine Pears and Anthea Allen-Jubin and the girls certainly blossomed under his tutelage. His plan was to teach them improvisation and they were hesitant at the start, having had no experience of this sort of performance, but by the end of the session they were all joining in and playing with real confidence and enjoyment. That confidence was tested in the evening when the girls joined Digby in a fantastic two hour set, entertaining family and friends in the Memorial Garden. Over 60 guests, including staff, parents and members of 50

Yasmeen is award winning Young Reporter Croydon High girls have been involved in the Young Reporter Scheme since 2009, one year after its inception. The scheme is run by the London Newsquest newspaper group and this year over 1,000 students from 100 schools across London signed up to write eight articles over eight months. Finding interesting stories with a local angle, writing in an appropriate style and keeping to strict deadlines is a challenge for young writers but gives them a taste of what being a journalist is all about. We were delighted to hear that a panel of judges, made up of professional editors and journalists, had selected Yasmeen Ameer as the Best Feature Writer in the Year 12/13 category, for her article Campaigning for a new skate park in Croydon. Not only this, Yasmeen was also awarded the coveted Year 12/13 Best Reporter prize against stiff competition from all of the other 14 award winners. Yasmeen’s reward was a day at Kingston University working with journalism students, vouchers and also some real celebrity treatment at the Awards ceremony! Congratulations to Yasmeen and to the other eleven Croydon High girls who also completed the scheme. And here is Yasmeen’s award winning article.

Campaigning for a new Skate Park in Croydon

As I moved up the school, the work load increased but luckily the support from my mum and Miss Nagioff kept me going. As the oldest cellist in the school, I began to assist in junior concerts, taking cello sectionals for younger players

the public came together to picnic on the lawn and listen to some wonderful music. The stars of the show were undoubtedly the girls who joined Digby and really showed off not only their musical talent but their newly learned willingness to take musical risks and to improvise.The other surprise star was our own Mr Pickering who wowed us all with his accomplished performing on the tenor and soprano saxophones and the clarinet. Who knew, Mr P?

SENIOR SCHOOL

In recent years, older teenagers, in general, as well as in the Corydon area, spend more time indoors using technology than they do being active. Asked why, some say that they don’t have a sport that they like – they’d prefer to do something more extreme than the usual things such as tennis. Daniel is an avid skateboarder. Having taken up the sport two years ago, he says that skateboarding has many benefits, “It keeps your body and your mind active. There’s a certain satisfaction you get when you pull off a new trick.” Last August, he – with the help of a few friends – decided to set up a campaign to have a new skate park built in Lloyd Park in South Croydon. “At the moment, we just skate wherever we can. Sometimes it leads to issues where we’re supposedly trespassing which isn’t very good. I think we need a designated area to skateboard in.” The group feel that if this idea went ahead, there would be many benefits. For example boosting the business at Café Lloyd. As well as this, it may help to combat the bad reputation skateboarding currently holds. “A lot of people think of skating as this deviant activity and people associate it with drugs and crime, but once you get to know skaters, they’re really down-to-earth people. There’s a distinct sense of community in a skate park

because everyone’s so passionate about their sport – it might be eccentric but at the end of the day, it’s a sport like any other.” However, there is currently another skate park in the Croydon area. In July last year, Wandle Park reopened following a complete transformation in which the old skate park was refurbished. “It’s in quite a secluded area, and I know from when I have been there there’s a dangerous atmosphere – some of my friends have even been mugged there. There’s no sense of community there, like there is at the Undercroft in Southbank. Most people there were just sitting on the ramps getting drunk and shouting insults at us. It’s a shame because the park itself is great. The location is the main issue. I just want something like Wandle to be brought into Lloyd Park so that more people can enjoy its benefits and see skateboarding for what it really is and out in the open, not buried away as though a hindrance to society.” So far, the campaign has raised significant support through its Facebook page. And Daniel assures us a lot more will be done this year. He has already got in contact with the manager of green spaces at Croydon Council who has acknowledged his ideas but says that the council don’t currently have the funds available. “The next step will be to get quotes. The amount that the council suggest it will cost seems a bit far-fetched. After that, I will get in contact with the council again. I want to make them realise just how beneficial it would be to our local area, and how they should consider investing some of the money from the Olympic legacy into skateboarding.” Daniel and his friends are lucky to have a sport that they enjoy. It also gives them a break from studying. However, many teenagers going through GCSEs and A Levels at the moment do not have anything like this. As a borough, Croydon is rich in facilities and activities. Yet many of these, as well as events in the borough, seem to be aimed at either younger teenagers (ie. those who are around 1014) or those who are over 18 – many of whom prefer to do things such as going clubbing. There is less of a focus on those between these two age groups. Having more activities accessible to those aged 15 to 17 could help in a variety of ways. One teenager said, “I’d love to have more stuff to do in Croydon; all the good stuff happens in London, and it’s too much of a trek to get to.” In the past week alone, five teenagers have been stabbed in Croydon. This is a tremendous number. More facilities would lead to teenagers having less idle time which could in turn help to lower these extremely high levels of teenage crime. More than anything, I think that Croydon Council should take a bigger interest in developing the nonconventional sporting facilities that the area has, as a way to encourage teenagers to be active and find a sport that they fully enjoy like the Lloyd Park campaign members do.

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

International Women’s Day

n the 7th March 2014 I was honoured to be chosen to represent Croydon High School, as one of four GDST representatives, to attend the International Women’s Day Conference in the City of London. The Guildhall was the venue for the event; situated in the City of London, it is the world’s leading financial and business centre. The day started in the Old Library with a breakfast buffet. This was an opportunity for networking with those women who are so influential in the world of work. I was fortunate to meet and speak to various women, all of whom had fascinating experiences which have led them to the success that they now have today. Dress for Success was one such company that gripped my interest from the outset. The company’s main aim is to ‘help style and professionally guide women returning to employment.’ With one in every two women that they help gaining employment, the company’s success cannot be underestimated. The main conference started at 9am with Fiona Bruce as the overall presenter. Fiona is a regular presenter of the 6 o’clock and the 10 o’clock news on BBC1. She is also a patron of Refuge, the national domestic violence charity. She took this role upon herself after a close companion of hers remained in a violent relationship for seven years before eventually finding refuge. Fiona singled out the students from the GDST and the London Academy of Excellence, stating what a privilege it was to have us attending.

by Hannah Bloxsome

Fiona Woolf, the Lord Major of the City of London, was the next speaker. Her drive and passion for women in the workplace could not be underestimated. Fiona quoted Madeleine Albright’s saying, there is “a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” Angela Morrison followed on from this. Her speech was nothing short of totally inspirational. Although she doesn’t deny the luck she has had, Angela has committed herself to hard work and long hours in order to achieve success. Angela is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Direct Line but prior to this was the CIO at Sainsbury’s and worked as the European Strategy Director through the ASDA and Wal-Mart integration. Her self-belief has allowed her to fulfil her potential. Commandant Kim McCutcheon had a background in the military and was a leading light in the military world. She embarked upon her military journey with great passion and, by doing so, she fulfilled her ambitions. She became the Commanding Officer for the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps) (FANY- PRVC). FANY provides support to Military and Civil authorities in London during major events or incidents. The last speaker, from the HSBC itself, left a message of ‘believe in yourself.’ Alison Parker is the Chief Procurement Officer at HSBC and is responsible for managing billions of dollars of third party spend. Alison has always found herself in male dominated occupations but has never let this hold her back.

SHINE! SHINE! SHINE! The SHINE programme finished with a bang on Wednesday 2 April with a celebration for all the pupils involved in the project.

Thanks to everyone involved – all the staff who gave up their time to teach the pupils, the gap students and Mrs Pickett who did the coach runs every Saturday morning and especially to the sixth form mentors who were by all accounts ‘amazing’!

The parents were incredibly complimentary about the project and all stated how much their children had

This is the second year of a three year project and we are already planning for next year. See you all again…!

SILVER DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD

From the 28th June to the 1st of July, Croydon High School

On Friday 25 April 11

The day was truly inspirational. As a woman I know the importance of a female’s role in society but it never hurts to have it reinforced by remarkable women who are at the top of their chosen discipline.

left school to attempt the practice expedition for their

(Ages 8-18)

had their qualifying Silver Duke of Edinburgh expedition. Having been pulled back to school from their work experience and holidays, the girls managed to maintain a smile all the way to the New Forest. Night one was an unexpected challenge as the girls pitched, cooked and slept in a downpour of rain. Fortunately, this was interrupted by sunshine that was sustained for the rest of the trip.

Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award. With rucksacks packed,

Between two groups, the days and evenings were

waterproofs at the ready and a birthday balloon for Ellen –

comradely and enjoyable as stories, food and spare

the girls arrived at Bushy Wood Scout Camp raring to go.

clothing were shared amongst the girls. Gaby Light may

The tents were pitched in a beautiful bluebell wood and

have had an epiphany of a potential career path in

stoves lit to prepare dinner. The evening was a dry affair but

hairdressing, after being assigned ‘Camp Hair-Braider.’ (Even the gappies joined the large queue of customers.) The wild

“ We witnessed a noticeable increase in logic and maturity.” Parent

the following morning the girls were faced with sheeting packed up and set off for their first 17km walk. As luck would

forced to navigate around.

“I cannot express how grateful I am to ELOCUTE!” Parent

have it, the weather cleared up and the sun came out and

Despite this, each day our Year 11 girls rose and set off

a beautiful day ensued. Some burnt faces arrived in Seaford

before the staff could properly adjust to the morning light.

later that afternoon and the girls were in good spirits. Again,

Their enthusiasm and determination was outstanding on all

it was a beautiful evening for camping and cooking and the

levels, as they continued to push through an eclectic range

girls retired to their sleeping bags dry.

of emotional, mental and

Sunday morning arrived and a clear day with some

physical challenges. It is

“Fantastic training.” Student aged 17 “I couldn’t have done it without you guys.” Student aged 17

Last year, circa. 74% of students aged 8-18 who trained with ELOCUTE! secured a place at their first choice school or university.

rain in which to strike camp. In the face of adversity, the girls

occasional April showers was forecast. An early start for both groups ensured that they arrived another 17km

Visit www.elocuteworkshops.com or call 020 7381 6622 to book your place at our next workshop today! 52

benefited from attending. Deputy Heads from the schools stood up to tell the audience their thoughts and their pupils’ thoughts on the past eleven weeks and all asked if they could be a part of it next year.

Pupils from All Saints Primary, Broadmead Primary, Applegarth Academy and Wolsey Junior Academy all attended a celebration event with their families to mark the end of an eleven week Saturday morning programme involving them being taught amongst other things: architecture, Mandarin, spatial maths and 3D design.

intrepid Y11s

Training Young People to Speak with Confidence and Clarity

SENIOR SCHOOL

later at Birling Gap with time to spare. Photos and chips later, the girls boarded the bus back to CHS all having survived the expedition. Well done to all – you were brilliant!

horses proved an entertaining obstacle which the girls were

therefore unsurprising to say that both groups were passed by the Duke of Edinburgh assessor. Well done girls!

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

High Drama

SENIOR SCHOOL

n November 28th and 29th the upper school performed Daisy Pulls It Off directed by Mrs Webb. It was a fun comedy, suitable for a family night out, including a treasure hunt, cliff top rescue, hot water bottle fight and a live hockey match! We started rehearsals back in September, which now feels like a million years ago!

Although it was a much smaller cast than previous productions, there was a lot of enthusiasm and a very good response from the cast. We split up the rehearsal process into sections but in the final week we all came in on the Sunday to bring it all together. In the last week, we had our technical rehearsals and a dress rehearsal in front of the Junior School. Years 4, 5 and 6 were so supportive and laughed a lot, particularly at jokes that we forgot were funny, because we had been rehearsing so hard. They particularly found ‘the hairy star’ hilarious! We were very thankful to the enrichment class for making and producing all of the props needed for the play, in particular the four fantastic portraits of Mr Vickery (Sir Digby Beaumont), Mr Pickering, Mrs Simpson and Mrs Galvin! When show day came, there was a very tense atmosphere around the Drama department but we all knew that we would be absolutely fine. With the support of many teachers in the audience, and of course family and friends, we were quite relaxed. We would like to thank everyone who came to watch and created an absolute scrummy atmosphere in the hall!

Being at Croydon High School since I was four years old, I’ve always enjoyed being part of school plays and productions. Growing up and watching the ‘older girls’ in the school plays, it felt like a rite of passage to take part in every production possible! And now finally reaching Sixth Form, it feels as if my school acting career is complete! I was so happy gaining a main part in Daisy, Trixie Martin, as it has really boosted my confidence when it comes to acting! Despite the stress of A Levels at the same time as learning words, I think I managed to pull off a good performance. Mrs Webb told us to make our performance as real as possible, staying in character for the whole time. When I forgot my line, I asked for a prompt in character: “Oh dash it! I’ve completely forgotten my line. Can I have a prompt please?” which made the audience laugh greatly, and gave me assurance throughout the rest of the play. From the costumes to the set design, lighting and backstage, this whole production came together perfectly and made the whole performance easier. I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this play and I can only hope that next year I can be part of a production again. Looking to the future, drama and acting is something that I want to pursue and maybe one day I’ll be able to direct this jolly, fantastic play! Thank you Mrs Webb! By Jennifer Favre

YEAR 12 THEATRE STUDIES STUDENTS TRIUMPH AT LEATHERHEAD DRAMA FESTIVAL! On Wednesday May 7th, Miss Bonham and Mrs Webb led an intrepid group of students to perform at the Leatherhead Drama Festival. After a bus and two trains, we (Jennifer Favre, Jessica Martins, Lucy Robbins and sound operator Hannah Marsden) arrived at the Leatherhead Theatre for a technical and dress rehearsal to prepare for an evening performance of Claire Dowie’s Adult Child/Dead Child. This fantastic thought-provoking piece was developed by us for our AS Theatre Studies practical examination. Leatherhead Drama Festival has been running for 11 years, and celebrates local amateur theatre, both performances and new writing, and this was Croydon High’s second visit to the festival, after our debut last year when a cast of Year 8-10 students performed There’s A Leak! The Leatherhead Theatre is a 530-seat venue, and is pretty intimidating compared to our Drama Studio. However, we felt we gave a good performance, and were thrilled to all receive outstanding comments from the festival adjudicator, Bev Clark, as well as Special Mention certificates for each of our individual performances.

With 10 junior groups performing over five evenings that week, Mrs Webb was delighted to be informed that we had been nominated for the Richard Houghton Trophy for Outstanding Contribution to the Festival. So, on Saturday, May 17th, a return journey was made to Leatherhead to enjoy the awards evening and hope for success. We were delighted to be announced winners of the Richard Houghton Trophy, but perhaps the icing on the cake was that the award was presented to us by Claire Dowie, who wrote the piece. She was also kind enough to chat to us after the ceremony about the creative process and the way we had interpreted the play. As the piece is written as a monologue (for one voice/perfomer) it was quite a challenge to perform it on stage as a trio. Well done to Jennifer, Jessica and Lucy – this was thoroughly well-deserved, and we are extremely proud of them all!

By Jessica Martin

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

Year 7 Drama JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS by Esha Parekh On the 19th and 20th of June 2014 Year 7 performed

Our form decided that our narrators were a chorus of old

a rhyming version of the Greek myth, Jason and the

ladies telling the story as if they were gossiping with each

Argonauts. I was privileged to be given the part of

other, which the audience really loved.

Jason in 7S’s section of the play and was lucky enough to be working with the rest of my form and Mrs Webb and Mr Healy.

Mrs Webb and Mr Healy were really pleased with our performances, and it was brilliant to work all together as a year group on this project. It was also great to watch

The play is about a hero, Jason. who goes on an

the Year 8s perform Sherlock Holmes; this made us look

adventurous quest to defeat the Sirens, a giant, and fire

forward to how our skills will develop as we move into

breathing bulls to bring the Golden Fleece back to an

next year. In summary, the standard of the two nights

evil King, Aeetes. Jason was protected and helped on

was incredible, with many laughs and adventures.

this quest by his trusty Argonauts – Poeas had superior

We had a lot of fun learning lines and acting together

archery skills, Orpheus was a musician and of course

and the audience seemed to thoroughly enjoy the

the hefty Hercules helped with his strength.

two performances.

SENIOR SCHOOL

Year 8 Drama SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE GREAT EMERALD OF ALCAZAR by Jennifer Cairns On the 19th and 20th of June, the entire Year 8 performed Sherlock Holmes and the Great Emerald of Alcazar. It was a comical, melodramatic version of Sherlock Holmes and each of the three Year 8 classes had their own section to perform. We all had great fun in doing it. We particularly enjoyed the way that each time we heard the same joke we laughed along with the audience. There were the occasional malfunctions that made the play all the more enjoyable, for example when Jodie tripped as she was carrying the deceased Edgar Poppin off-stage! The way some parts were performed showed

some real comical genius – Venus Singh’s weeping Mrs Poppin, Lisa Shimizu’s Mrs Hudson, and Hannah Parsons’ and Lauren Burns’ Holmes and Watson were particularly superb. Both parents and their daughters had great fun in performing and watching this comedy, and we would all love to do it again. Each form felt like they were a strong part of the play; it involved a lot of team work and was a good bonding exercise to take part in an activity where you are working together as a whole year group. Mrs Webb and Mr Healy are really proud of all Year 7 & 8 for working together so creatively…well done girls!!!!

CR OYDON HIGH

The 2013 GDST Art Exhibition held at Streatham and Clapham

High School was an outstanding celebration of work produced by students at GDST schools all over the country. The exhibition room was beautifully set out like a marquee with girls’ work

filling the central space. Jonathan Yeo, one of Britain’s leading portrait artists, was a guest speaker; he has most recently painted the courageous Malala Yousafza. Yeo spoke about how pleased he was that schools are beginning to recognise Art as a worthwhile subject, which wasn’t the case when he was at school. He also reflected on bringing his daughters to meet Malala while he was

painting her because they didn’t particularly want to go to

school whereas Malala was shot because of her desire to be educated; he hoped her enthusiasm would rub off on them. It was especially interesting to see how each school was influenced by their surroundings, for example Ipswich High School’s work was clearly inspired by the harbour and seascape.

GCSE students Kate Shillabeer, Ellen Prizeman, Isabel Andrews,

Lucy Miller and Urbee Bandyopadhyay displayed their artwork along with A Level students Rhea Dillon and Georgia Syms. Everyone was blown away by the standard of work and its

diversity. It was also exciting to experience the energy in the

room due to the obvious passion of the students for their art and their enthusiastic appreciation of their peers’ work – no doubt taking inspiration for their next project.

EXHIBITION

SENIOR SCHOOL

GDST ART

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

2014 ART EXHIBITION by Ellen Prizeman On the evening of the 11th June family and friends gathered together to view and celebrate the GCSE, A Level Art and 3D Design exhibition where each girl showcased their work. While people circulated, music was played on the piano by the talented Miriam Chancellor. Rhea Dillon, the only Year 13 student, presented her work on stage and lived up to the high expectations which she created last year with her mesmerizing painting of her grandmother. This year, we had a GCSE student who studied both Art and 3D Design. Isobel Reeves managed to cope with the high workload and produced some remarkable pieces - including a carved picture of her father. Furthermore, after many years, we had a group of A Level 3D Design students whose work was definitely worth the wait and we hope their work inspires the younger girls. One parent said: ‘I am so impressed with the standard of work and how individual it all is.’ Overall it was a successful evening and enjoyed by everyone. Each year the quality of work produced increases but, as it has now been moderated, it has all been taken down …the hall seems quite bare without it.

LIFE DRAWING Life drawing was a very interesting experience. It taught us a lot of new techniques and we had to do many things out of our comfort zone, for example not drawing obvious outlines or drawing lots of different sketches very quickly. We had to get the things we thought were most important into our drawings first. It was interesting to be instructed by a professional artist from the Royal Academy. It was fun to work on a range of different scales, in mixed media and work from varied perspectives. Overall, it was a fun day and gave us all a great variety of work to add to our portfolios. 58

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

TRIP TO VENICE On Friday 18th October 2013 Years 10-12 Art students flew

great opportunity to sketch the work and buy some

to Venice. The trip acted as part of the girls’ GCSE and

postcards to stick in our sketchbooks. We also had the

A level coursework which they develop over their one or

great privilege of being able to experience the art at the

two year course, becoming 60% of their overall mark.

Biennale which is only open every two years and is full of art from all around the world. It was fantastic.

This was a four day study trip, thoroughly enjoyed by all, although arriving on Friday evening and missing our

We also took a boat trip to the islands of Murano and

boat wasn’t the best start as it meant walking with our

Burano. On Murano we watched a glassmaker create

luggage through the streets of Venice for what felt like

some beautiful jugs and a surprisingly intricate horse.

forever. And it was very hot.

While on the stunning island of Burano, which is known for its lace making, we had time to sketch and paint the

We visited the main historical sites, such as the Basilica

colourful houses that lined the canals.

di San Marco which was beautiful enough on the outside, let alone the inside. It is one of Venice’s most

One of the highlights of the trip was a ride on a

famous Roman Catholic cathedrals . During our visit,we

gondola –which was the inspiration for Jessica

had some time to sketch and take photographs of the

Maher’s photograph that came second in the Venice

beautiful building and the rest of its surroundings in Saint

photography competition. Blanche Brown came third

Mark’s Square. Later we visited the church of Santa

and Ellen Prizeman first.

Maria della Salute which is on the other side of the river. Again it is a stunning building in a picturesque setting.

Sarah Andrews, Year 10, said, “I really loved our trip to Venice and found it helped us to develop our techniques

Another stop on the trip was visiting some famous art

as we were constantly surrounded by so many different

galleries such as the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

things that were worth painting or sketching. I enjoyed

which is full of a diverse range of work from Andy Warhol

being around such an inspirational place that is so

to Anselm Kiefer to Jackson Pollock. This was also a

different from the landscapes we have at home.”

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

Creative Writing

And I ended up being with you

and bright eyes

You do not know how much you are worth

The hours behind us run. Dark shadows

We hope you enjoy just a few examples of the high standard of creative writing our girls produce.

And how much you have helped me through

Chase and grasp at our ankles tirelessly.

You make my smile a little bigger

The vast expanse of our unclaimed future

And you make my laugh a little louder

Stands before us, so let us claim it

In The Trenches By Sharada Patel

You make me giggle and you make me snigger

The pitter patter collides with my head,

Without thought of loss, of passing hours.

And each day you make me prouder

And my stomach groans for some soft warm bread,

Let us walk, forward, towards the unknown;

I love your flaws in every single way

With each daring step our bodies entwine,

The Underground by Kirsten Coates The Underground: the Tube. You’re putting your own life in the hands of a fast moving ‘tube’ underground. It’s not natural to be underground. These tubes zoom around

BEST FRIEND

Carpe Diem

There’s seven billion people on earth

Whilst we speak with youthful tongues

And I love the times we spend together

at the speed of lightning underneath the busy streets

The weight of the world is on my shoulders,

of London! Who wouldn’t be scared for their precious

Deadly shells create a field of boulders,

existence in a fast moving box?

The piercing water slithers round my feet,

With you only, forever and forever

And the rats patrol the alleyway street,

And even if the world comes to an end

The strong missing presence of those deceased,

You will always be my best friend.

Leaves a despairing mood, to say the least,

By Hannah Feighery 9D

You’re standing on the platform sinking in tall, sophisticated workers. When the tube finally does arrive you crawl your way in through an obstacle course of people pushing everyone in your way. It’s like attempting

The haunting echoes of horror-struck screams,

to shove one thousand schoolgirls into one coach.

Reveal lost stories of love, hopes and dreams,

There is a rotten smell. You are forced to inhale the scent of rats and mouldy food invading the stations. Your nose

The gun showed no mercy to those who bled, Our trench, the canvas of sloven red.

is filled with the distraught stench of sweat caused by the apes hanging from the ceiling for their lives. One step into the tube and you are in the middle of a chaotic jungle; hyenas laughing, swinging apes and snorting pigs. The excruciating noise is banging throughout your head. Ears are popping; a million different noises and feelings take over your ears. A shiver down your spine, you are filled with fear. Air is being stolen from you. It’s getting thicker and thicker. The walls of the tube are getting closer and tighter. You’re racing through space, shooting into a black hole. It’s like being a blind man. What will come next? You feel the confusion of not knowing where you are and the unpredictable future. You’re trapped! The doors bang shut as quickly as teeth bite. However, the doors do not open again for what feels like forever. Every swerve of the train is a mystery. People end up falling on the floor or into your lap. It is exactly like a prison. Light has been stripped. You are locked into a never-ending darkness. The tube pumps adrenaline around your body non-stop. It is an experience full of discomfort and adventure.

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

Fairy Tales Give me a glass slipper And I’ll give you my heart. Take away the poison apple, Let bad things fall apart. Be my frog then my prince And I’ll be your princess. Take me from my tower And you all know the rest! With a rose they cast a spell In love before the petals fell. I’ll dream about you in the water Just a little mermaid’s daughter. I trust you to wake me from my sleep Don’t leave me prisoner in the tower’s keep. Can you paint with all the colours of man? I’ll love you forever if you can. Take me on a carpet ride Or show me the whole new world outside. Be my fighter against all crime, Be my once upon a time. Fill my heart with joy and laughter And let’s live happily ever after. By Amy Marsden and Abigail Hughes

And I want to spend each and every day

With the dust of the path below our feet, Unaware of being consumed by time. With brave hearts we must clasp each minute, With each breath we must savour each second, And live, today. Lucy Miller

Brands: some thoughts from Katya Pitt Brands have the power to do anything, if you think about it.

or overrule minor despots in the name of a football player.

In extreme circumstances, they could provoke any country

Brands are not worried about that sort of thing. They only

into riot. David Beckham’s image, for example, is pasted

want our money. To satisfy us and lure us into the never-

all over Africa. If he (a patented brand) should so desire,

ending cycle of buying, then discarding, they will compete

the people of Africa could rise, possibly displacing a few

with other brands, but if we choose to move our favour, they

minor despots, before being subdued again, as the waves

could do nothing to oppose that choice. That is why I think,

on the shore are quelled by the tide. But that is in extreme

in the end, the customer has the most power over the brand.

circumstances. In all probability, the government would dissipate the brand if they saw any chance of opposition.

Some people are definitely slaves to a brand. The cycle begins when you buy that really cool, in – season dress that

Whenever I walk into Ikea, the feeling which shivers its way

Mrs Jones next door is simply clamouring to have. You are

into my mind is the feeling of all purpose lost, all progress and

so, so happy for one season. Unfortunately, the next range

ingenuity sucked into the gaping mouth of Ikea’s walkways,

appears and you simply must have that dress. The first dress

where it is impossible to resist the wilful determination of

is now so ugly! How could you even have touched it? This is

arrows on the floor. True, that particular feeling is probably

why people are slaves to brands; to impress others. The former

mine alone.

dress must now lie discarded in a charity shop window, when

On a more serious note, I gain a feeling of awe. That

once it was the pride and joy of its owner’s heart.

someone might come from one of the smaller, quieter

My simple solution is to buy what you actually like, and what

countries in the world and build this huge commercial

is really comfortable, and to smile sweetly at the neighbour

empire astounds me. Ikea’s tentacles grip many factories in

while she falls over in her stilettos. In fact, if the world abided

the Tiger Economies of the Far East, and employ hundreds of

by my theory, it would be a much better place.

thousands of workers each day. Also, Ikea’s industrial-looking shops rear their ugly heads in every corner of the globe, from the U.S.A to Russia.

Personally, people never influence me. I buy what I like, not what I think others have a 10% chance of liking. My brother is different. He buys very tight trousers to please girls at the

In the introductory paragraph, I announced my rather

youth club, and suffers unseen consequences (waddling

eccentric conclusion. It all leads to the question; do brands

around, etc.). If we find we are both dressed in jeans at

have power over us? Personally, I think only on a commercial

breakfast, I shrug it off while he rushes upstairs, panicking

level. They could not spur a group to conquer the world

about that sweet girl he may never meet.

CR OYDON HIGH

SENIOR SCHOOL

Senior Goodbyes As we reach the end of the academic year, we say farewell to colleagues who are moving on to new jobs and assorted other adventures.

Mr Rowe came to us from Sydenham High School last September and has spent the year ably helping us make the transition from ICT to Computer Science where he has made a real impact. His hard work has ensured that the school is in an excellent position as it begins a Computer Science GCSE course for the first time in September, with Computer Science being taught to every year group across the school. We wish him well as he enjoys his retirement.

SENIOR SCHOOL

Junior Farewells Farewell Miss Cordingley On the last day of term, CHS Juniors said goodbye to Miss Cordingley and presented her with a special painting of a tree on canvas. But this was no ordinary tree! All the leaves had been made by the different coloured

Thank you, Miss Cordingley, Mrs Putman and Ms Back for everything you have done for CHS and we wish you all success and

fingerprints of every girl in the school, who had then signed their

happiness in the future.

individual print. It looked amazing and Miss Cordingley was delighted. She was also given a book of good wishes from all the girls presented in a variety of ways.

Mr Constantinou has also been with us for a year, covering Mrs Murray’s maternity leave in the History department. He is a truly inspirational teacher and the girls in the Senior School have thoroughly enjoyed his lessons, as well as his rather flamboyant dress sense! We send him every good wish as he moves on to his next teaching post.

Miss Cordingley and our Year 6 leavers

Mrs Smee has decided, albeit very reluctantly, to take early retirement for health reasons. Mrs Smee has worked at the school for over 15 years and many girls have been fortunate to be taught by such an able, thorough and caring teacher. Her leadership of the Religious Studies department has seen it

Goodbye to a Dynamic Duo

flourish and achieve excellent results in public examinations.

Ms Back started at Croydon High in September 2003. She has

In addition she has led the POW (Poverty of the World) group and, in doing so,

always taught in Year 6 but, with the flexible timetable in the

has raised the awareness of the girls in areas of inequality and social justice. She will be sorely missed by all at

Junior School, has made many sorties into classes of younger

the school and we trust that she will enjoy a healthy retirement.

girls to teach a whole range of subjects. Most recently, she has been the Junior School Mathematics co-ordinator. We extend every good wish for a happy retirement. Mrs Putman has taught at CHS for 37 years!! She began in the Senior School in 1977 in the textiles department, teaching what was then known as ‘needlework’. She was the only teacher in the department at that time and

In September we were sad to say goodbye to our Admissions Registrar, Mrs Hewitt. As the first point of contact for prospective pupils and a source of support and encouragement to many many current and past students, Mrs Hewitt is someone whom everybody liked and respected and who will be hugely missed. We wished her well as she went off to pursue other interests – starting with a trip to Australia for the Ashes (fulfilling a lifelong dream!)

reintroduced needlework to all girls in Years 7, 8 and 9 and for O Level and A Level. She has taught almost exclusively in Year 6 since the early 90s, with one year out in Year 5. She has most recently been responsible for the delivery of Geography in the Junior School. We hope she has a very long, healthy and happy retirement and thank her for her committed contribution to the school over so many years. Mrs Putman and Ms Back have taught as a formidable and unique team in Year 6 for more than ten years. They take a very deep personal interest in all the girls and are both excellent teachers; liked and respected by the staff and the girls. They will be greatly missed next year.

Jessica Maher

Blanche Brown

Croydon High School, Old Farleigh Road, Selsdon, South Croydon CR2 8YB ďżź www.croydonhigh.gdst.net 020 8260 7500 Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy throughout the magazine, we hope you will forgive any minor errors.