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Croydon High School September—October News 2017
Leadership Likes I was struck by the enthusiasm generated around the school for the recent World Poetry Day. From Flashmobs bursting into classrooms, to the stirring Amnesty ‘Freedom Blues’ group’s performance of Ms Arakelyan’s specially composed music to Langston Hughes’ poem Freed om , you will have read about the fantastic response from the staff and girls. I particularly enjoyed reading the contributions from members of staff posted around the School. My own contribution was from possibly my favourite poet (if one can indeed ever have a favourite), Charles Baudelaire. He wrote, “Je ne peux concevoir aucune beauté qui ne porte en elle sa tristesse.” Roughly translated, this means “I can barely conceive of a type of beauty in which there is no melancholy.” Baudelaire was by all accounts a pensive, possibly quite moody character given to emotional outbursts; but he certainly enjoyed life, despite his questionable personal morals, principles and values. He saw poetry in
every aspect of life; sois toujours poète, même en prose , he wrote. I felt his lines a fitting contribution for the School. Amid the fun and excitement of the routine of the day – for example, the innovative teaching the girls are enjoying to enhance their skills, fashion show preparations, the Croydon High v Whitgift netball match, rehearsals for this year’s production of The Wizard of Oz - I felt it important to note that there is a time and place for quiet reflection. Life at School demands that we have fun but also that we complete perhaps more disagreeable tasks from time to time. A strong emotional balance comes from the ability to decide when one is saddened about something that has happened or when we are a little tired, to recognise when we could have responded differently to a challenge or behaved better. A healthy mind knows the benefit of allowing time to process emotions as they come to us and reflect upon our reactions to events and feelings.
EVERY GIRL
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EVERY DAY
With this in mind, I was delighted to read in The Guardian last week that there is a “Growing backlash among young people disillusioned with the negative aspects of … social media” and that a study showed
that 71% school pupils said they had taken temporary digital detoxes to escape it. I was greatly encouraged that there is a growing sense amongst young people of the detrimental effect social media can have upon mental health and, importantly, a recognition that we can choose not to engage in negative activity simply by engaging the nowadays under-utilised function of the simple off-button! The mental “freedom” and sense of empowerment that go hand-in-hand with both recognising and acting upon this choice can only be positive. You may have read the contribution in The Evening Standard from Suzie Longstaff, Headmistress of Putney High, one of our GDST sister schools, about The Positive Project https://www.standard.co.uk/news/education/ private-schoolgirls-use-emotional-barometer-app-to-track-wellbeing-a3639051.html
This is one tool I am looking forward to seeing our staff and girls use to assist them in achieving this balance when we launch it later this year.
As you will have gathered, our current mantra is Every girl, Every day. We aim to ensure every girl arrives at School excited about her day, looking forward to a fun-packed schedule, a buzzy environment, exciting lessons and enjoyable extra-curricular contribution. We want her to leave at the end of the day feeling that she has achieved something extraordinary by dint of her enthusiasm, commitment and personal qualities. However, we also want every girl to be aware that we understand that every day is different. Sometimes, she will come to school and need her teacher to remind her what those personal qualities are, she will need her tutor to act as mentor and coach to help her overcome a problem and her peers to be her champion. This is also part of our understanding of the Every girl, Every Day mantra. It’s about recognising what she needs at any given time in her school journey and ensuring we are best placed to intervene and deliver in the most suitable way for her.
There is no “beauty in which there is no melancholy”. I think Baudelaire’s words ring just as true today and serve as a fine reminder to us all as we prepare for the half term break about the important balance between amusement, enjoyment and contemplative reflection. Mrs Emma Pattison Head Mistress
A Night at the Opera On the evening of Tuesday 10th October the GCSE and A Level music sets were treated to a performance at the English National Opera. They visited the London Coliseum to see a production of Rossini’s comedic masterpiece, The Barber of Seville. The set and design were stunning and the quality of singing, from the famous Act 1 Aria Figaro, Figaro, Figaro to the magical quintet at the end of Act 2, was outstanding. The opera tells the story of the amorous Count Almaviva who has fallen in love with the ward of Dr Bartolo (who attempts to get both the beautiful girl and her extensive inheritance by marrying her). Thereafter, a complex plot unfolds involving several disguises and a hilarious final scene. There were
many
familiar
melodies
thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
and
everyone
Celebrating the Classes of 2017 With the best GCSE results since the A* was introduced, and 77% of A Level candidates moving seamlessly to their first choice University, there was much to celebrate last night at Croydon High’s annual Prize Giving ceremony. Friendly faces returned and staff welcomed the opportunity to say a welldeserved “congratulations” to the Class of 2017. Mrs Pattison condensed a busy year of achievements, distilling the essence of Croydon High girls: inspiring, compassionate and driven. Parents and pupils were treated to examples of this all night long with music from Imogen Cliff and Elizabeth Lovering. As a music festival award winner and diploma holder respectively, their performances were first rate. A drama vignette, “Phobia Workshop”, was delivered at such a pace and with impeccable comedic timing that it was impossible not to smile. The final performance of the evening was delivered by the next generation of Croydon High singers, whose
acapella mash-up was composed, rehearsed and performed under the leadership of Josie Cunningham. The school welcomed Caroline Handley (Alumna 1996) from the Financial Times to address the girls. Her insight into the world of work, particularly computing and technology industries, was refreshing. The message that career success and a fulfilling life come from an acceptance of one’s own interests, and the realization that finding these might take more than one bite of the cherry, was well received. With timely reminders about the validity of the information we consume, and the need to acknowledge our own unconscious bias, there was much for the girls to take away. The school will barely have time to draw breath. Year 6 joined the senior school ranks today, Year 7 return from a week at Skern Activity Centre and Year 12 head off to Vienna next week, just as the fixture card returns to full capacity. Before we know it, the class of 2018 will be taking to the stage.
Celebrating Grandparents On Friday 13th October Junior School girls invited their grandparents to a special afternoon at Croydon High. After a lovely afternoon tea in the Senior School Hall, Year 1 and 2 performed ‘Cauliflowers Fluffy’. There were some solo performances from Year 6 girls along with drama performances from Year 5, 6 and 13.
Grandparents then moved over to the Junior School, where they met their
granddaughters and visited their classrooms. Thanks to all the staff and students who contributed to make this a very special afternoon and to all of our special grandparents who attended.
EVERY GIRL
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EVERY DAY
Croydon High’s Golden Girls at the Palace Lucie
and
Imogen
collected
their
Duke
of
Edinburgh Gold awards from HRH the Earl of Wessex at St James’ Palace this week. Achieving your Gold Award is a big deal. It shows that one has the skills, determination and mentality to really succeed. So it’s only right that the girls enjoyed a proper celebration of their achievement. To achieve their Gold Awards the girls took on the challenge of completing the five sections of the Programme: Physical and Skills, Volunteering, Expedition and Residential. Lucie worked at Blackpool Zoo for her
residential and Imogen went to Tanzania to work in a hospital. The presentation was the culmination of a major challenge where the girls covered a range of activities that developed skills such as leadership, perseverance,
teamwork
and
communication.
Imogen engaged in a long conversation with the Earl about her expeditions and Lucy talked with their presenter, the new strictly judge Shirley Ballas about her dance physical challenge. Superb effort, no holding back our girls!
Congratulations Roshae! As Roshae’s form tutor, it was an absolute pleasure to attend the Rotary Club Photography Competition Prize giving. Roshae’s photograph of the pastel houses in Pimlico was commended as being near-perfect in composition, expressing subtlety of colour and demonstrating true natural talent. Roshae was presented with her prize by the mayor of Croydon, who explained that her photo was selected from 66 entries as the winner in a unanimous decision from the three independent judges. This is an incredible achievement for Roshae and I hope that she pursues her hobby of photography in the future – she has definitely got the knack! Ms Ellard
Freedom Blues in the LRC – A Celebration of National Poetry Day!
Freedom Is a strong seed Planted In a great need. I live here, too. I want freedom Just as you.
Our Amnesty International members and supporters ‘sang the blues’ with verve yesterday at lunchtime in the LRC as part of our National Poetry Day Celebrations. Ms Arakelyan composed music to Langston Hughes’ poem Freed om and conducted the singers, accompanied by Esther Green and her team of drummers. A brave handful of girls performed a dramatic rendition of Michael R. Burche’s thought-provoking poem First They Came for the Muslims (and I did not speak out). Jupleen Bains led a philosophical discussion on the concept of freedom, asking girls to ‘post’ their thoughts on the Wonder Wall. There were a variety of responses: FREEDOM IS the right to choose; an Illusion; being able to walk down the street holding anyone’s hand. The event ended with celebration cake – freedom themed, of course, with reference to Maya Angelou’s words The free bird…dips his wings…and dares to claim the sky.
‘Outstanding Delegate’ at the Reigate Model United Nations Last Saturday, 23rd September, a Croydon High party made the annual journey to Reigate Grammar School for the 21st annual Reigate Model United Nations (ReiMUN). 11 girls represented the Czech Republic, Egypt and Malaysia in a day of heated debate on issues of pressing international concern. It was the first external conference for our Year 11 delegation after experiencing our own MUN day in the
summer and they were quickly in the swing of things. Pleasingly, this year’s CROYMUN secretarygeneral Jennifer of Year 12 gained the ‘Outstanding Delegate’ on the environment committee.
Croydon High hit the Shakespeare Schools Festival On 5th October, the intrepid year 10 GCSE Drama students took a trip to the Leatherhead Theatre for their cast workshop as part of the Shakespeare Schools Festival. The workshop was in preparation for their upcoming performance of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ on November 10 – a chance for the girls to get used to the size of the stage and the theatre itself as well as working with another school who will be sharing our performance evening with us. The workshop began with some highly energetic warm up exercises that the group tackled with real enthusiasm. We then had the opportunity for a discussion with the cast of the other school; we shared how we approach rehearsals with varying interpretations of Shakespeare’s plays. The other cast are performing ‘Macbeth’; it was great to see their opening scene and offer them some feedback. In turn, we explained our visions and concepts for our play and had a useful conversation with the leaders of the workshop on how we should get these ideas across to the audience. The most anticipated section of the afternoon was the chance to perform a scene that we had rehearsed in lessons. We performed with as much passion as we possibly could, and were pleased and relieved to achieve some genuine laughs from the audience (though we suspect Mrs Webb and Ms Austen were laughing the loudest!) The contrast between performances was a tribute to each school’s creativity; knowing that each was eager to help one another, whether or not they were in the same school, made the whole experience so much easier. We would like to say a massive thank you to the Shakespeare Schools Festival workshop leaders who gave us so much confidence in our acting and devising skills and made the session extremely fun as well as being educational. We learnt some brilliant new rules for effective Drama which we have brought back to school and have displayed for everyone in the Drama Studio. Of course, we can’t forget the amazing Mrs Webb and Ms Austen who give us the opportunity and made it so special. We all loved the trip and can’t wait to go back to perform the whole show! Megan 10N
EVERY GIRL
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EVERY DAY
Croydon High’s Year 10 GCSE students will be performing their 30-minute abridged version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as part of the Shakespeare Schools Festival at the Leatherhead Theatre on Friday November 10th from 7pm. We would love to see you in the audience so if you are interested, please contact the box office on 01372 365141 or email boxoffice@the-theatre.org.
Life Drawing Class with the Royal Academy of Arts On Thursday 12th October, girls in the GCSE and A-level art groups took part in a life drawing class at Croydon High with the Royal Academy tutor and artist Jeanette Barnes (http://jeanettebarnesart.co.uk/). We were encouraged to work outside of our comfort zones and were introduced to new drawing techniques that will prove useful in our coursework and especially for our visit to Rome, where we will be studying the masters of anatomy! Throughout the day, we experimented
with
different
scales,
materials,
colours and time limitations resulting in a variety of exciting drawings. We were also encouraged to compare our drawings with a partner, and critically analyse the work by discussing the positives and negatives of the drawing. Jeanette Barnes was very
inspirational and definitely made us think more freely about how we draw and how to use charcoal more effectively. Everyone produced some fantastic studies and the class was certainly a great experience for us all. Lauren & Rhea Year 12 Art Scholars
Women Inspiring Women Years 11-13 students in Miss Kelly’s enrichment group Wo men Inspiring Wo m en delivered a fantastic workshop today to students in Year 4. The girls enjoyed teaching the younger girls about five different inspirational women including Irena Sendler, who smuggled over 2,500 Jewish children out of the
Warsaw Ghetto, provided them with false identity documents and shelter and saving them from the Holocaust. They also learnt about Rosalind Franklin’s contributions to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA. The enrichment group devised various ways of delivering information regarding these exceptional women including drama, quizzes, self-made videos and discussion work. The Year 4 girls then had time to reflect on the activities and what they had learnt, thinking about how they could be more inspirational themselves and overcome any obstacles they may be facing in their own lives.
In my Opinion... Year 13 English Language and Literature students were fortunate to have some extra support with their coursework this week. Guy Clapperton, a journalist with 24 years’ experience (and one of our parents) kindly came into school to give the girls the benefit of his expertise, offering general advice about writing opinion articles for The Guard ian. He also saw each student individually to give feedback on what she had
written so far. Each girl has chosen a topic area, which she has researched, and read a selection of journalism and some non-fiction texts in preparation for writing an opinion article for a broadsheet newspaper. This article, alongside a short story and a critical commentary will make up her A-level coursework submission. Insights and advice from a professional journalist have given the girls new impetus as they continue to work on this challenging task.
Super Skern! On 11th September Year 7 met very early on Monday morning to embark on an exciting week at Skern Lodge Croydon High tradition!
a
Throughout
the week the girls had the opportunity to take part in a huge range of activities including Surfing, Climbing, Abseiling, High Ropes course and Rafting.
The
focus of the week was making new friends and teamwork.
As the week
went on, the girls grew in confidence and
thrived
in
the
outdoor
environment. On our return to school on Friday evening, after a long journey, there were many tired faces amongst us, including the staff. We hope that the girls enjoyed the Skern experience; although a little daunting at first it was well worth it – they all made many new friends!
E V E RY G I R L
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E V E RY D AY
An Unforgettable Trip to Vienna On the 19th September, Year 12 embarked on a 3 day induction trip to Vienna. We arrived, after a short delay, in torrential rain, but this did not dampen our spirits and we went to our rooms tired but looking forward to the experiences ahead. Unfortunately, the weather was still poor when we went on our walking tour around the city. Our informative guides explained the historical significance of some of Vienna’s most beautiful buildings and sites. We gained a better appreciation of the geography of the city and quickly learnt how to navigate the underground system. Later that afternoon we visited St Stephen’s Cathedral and there was an opportunity to view some amazing fine art at the Leopold museum. We enjoyed a lot of free time shopping in the city centre before watching how high end, organic candy is made by hand, and of course enjoyed lots of testers! An American inspired dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe was the perfect way to end an exciting day. Our evenings were spent relaxing in the youth hostel and having late night ‘deep meaningful conversations!’ On our last day, we roamed around Vienna’s biggest market which sold everything from baklava to handbags. We explored the contemporary work at Mumok the Museum of Modern Art before flying home. The trip was an amazing way to make new friendships and deepen old ones. We would like to thank Mrs Gower, Mr Calderwood, Miss Cotton, Mrs Corner and Mrs Conrad for making the trip as incredible as it was; Vienna was an experience we will not forget any time soon! Y12 Nahid
GDST Young Leaders’ Conference The GDST Young Leaders’ Conference in Bath was a unique experience for members of the Prefect team. The conference consisted of meeting girls across the other GDST schools and working with them throughout the weekend. We were split into groups upon arrival on Friday morning and were given a quick briefing. Our task? To create a multi-channel digital campaign that would last a week for a real charity. A presentation on Sunday morning, explaining our campaign, had to be supported throughout the weekend by meetings with both judges and the charity ambassadors, to ensure that what we were doing could ensure a positive outcome. This was a big ask, yet we were all resilient and every team managed to create a credible and potentially successful project. All girls were accommodated in Bath’s two boarding houses and food was often supplied in both the Sixth Form Café and in the main canteen. On Saturday evening, when all of the hard work had been completed, all of the girls got ready for a formal dinner. This allowed us to socialise and network for the future, and we have made pretty good friends from various school across the country. All in all, the weekend was an enjoyable and unforgettable event and we would love to go again if we were able. Head Girl Sharna said “Bath was a unique experience to really use all of our skills and share ideas with new found friends. I was genuinely amazed at how much we were able to achieve over just two days and the campaigns that we created.” Senior Prefect Emma agreed, saying “The conference was a really interesting experience; I'm very proud of my group, not just because we came first for our charity, but because we've kept in contact and hope to see each other again soon.
Coin Trail for the Teenage Cancer Trust On the 23rd of November 2014, my friend Anna passed away after bravely fighting the cancer on her spinal cord for six months. In her memory, I decided to plan a coin trail with help from Abby in attempt to raise money for the charity that was so helpful in supporting her throughout her treatment. For the coin trail, we stretched white double sided tape around the whole school and asked the girls to put down their spare coppers and coins on the tape that we had laid down. As the girls placed down their coins, I collected them at the end of every day and positioned green tape to mark the progress of the coin trail. The trail started in the front entrance, stretched to J corridor, climbed the science block stairs and made a loop around the library. By the end of the week, the trail had even made hearts, stars and footprints! I know that the Teenage Cancer Trust will be thankful for the dedication of the girls in the trail. Y13 Kassia
A Fantastic Achievement for
Year 6 Mathematicians! On
Wednesday
4th
October
a
team
of
Year
6
Mathematicians went to the annual GDST Maths Conference held at the Mathematical Institute at Oxford University. The girls had an exciting and inspiring morning, working in teams to crack a range of different mathematical codes. After lunch, it was time for the quiz. The girls had 45 minutes to answer 20 very challenging questions. Our girls showed great team work and excellent problem solving and reasoning skills. We were
delighted to come 5th out of the 21 GDST schools that were present. Well done girls! A fantastic achievement!
Poetry Workshop The English department marked the end of a busy National Poetry Day with a poetry workshop for about 20 girls from years 9-12. The group looked at an often forgotten group of poets – women who wrote during the First World War. After enjoying refreshments, to energise them after a long day, the girls were given a brief introduction to the context of the war and the female poets. They then split into small focus groups, led by the English department, to explore a number of poems written by women such as E.Nesbit, Eleanor Farjeon and Amy Byng Scott. In their poignant writing, these women explore the sorrow and grief of those
who were left to ‘keep the home fires burning’ and who so often heard such terrible news from the front line. We discussed form, structure, language and ideas within their poetry and considered how they offer a different but equally valid perspective on the devastating effects of war.
EVERY GIRL
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EVERY DAY
Some October Sports Highlights Swimming On Tuesday 3rd October Croydon High A and B teams went to compete against the rest of the GDST schools. We had really good start with three individuals getting into the finals and both B team relays getting in too. Francesca and Amber finished in the top three in their respective individual events, Jessica in fourth and Amber third in the 50m Breaststroke and Francesca second in the 50m Butterfly. At the end we all got to meet Ellie Robinson and had our photo taken with her. We all had a really good time!
Football On Wednesday 18th October, we took a group of girls from Years 4, 5 and 6 to a girls football tournament at Alleyn’s School. This was the first time that the junior school had put a team forward for football. They were placed in a group with Rosemead, Blackheath and Dolphin School where they performed exceedingly well. The girls won their first game against Rosemead 3-0 with goals coming from Francesca, Sereana and Aiyana. The next game against Blackheath ended in a goalless draw with Croydon High having the majority of
the chances. They unfortunately lost their final game against Dolphin School, but again dominated possession. Notable performances - Madeleine for her endless determination in midfield and Delina for playing against girls two years above her. All of the girls played terrifically and should be proud with their work rate. Well done, Croydon High’s first ever football team!
Biathlon On Saturday 7th October the girls of Croydon High represented the school in the South East Regional Biathlon in Gillingham.
We
entered several teams which included the U11s, U12s U13 and U14s and the girls had a lot of work to do, firstly with a swim and then a
run around the 400m track at least twice depending on their age group. Starting off with the younger age groups, our U11s and U12s dived into the pool first and made a great start with a 50m swim followed by an 800m run. The U13s had a little more work to do with a 100m swim and 1,600m run, and the U15s had a 200m swim with 1,600m run. All the girls did an amazing job during such a tiring event, which included a bit of leg wobble after a speedy race around the track, and their amazing efforts really showed in the break-down of results. Pippa, Marion and Olivia being the fastest in their swimming heats and Amelia winning her running heat. Because of all their hard work Croydon High was in the top two in two of the age groups going through to the next rounds, with the top three performers in each group representing Croydon High again. Well done girls.
A Snapshot of the Year 9 Trip to Cรณrdoba, Spain
A Snapshot of the Year 10-13 Trip to Rome, Italy