Skylark 2019

The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School Nurturing Excellence

MAGA Z INE 201 9 /20

WELCOME & CONTENTS

WELCOME It has been the year that no-one was expecting. It started so very brightly, full of hope and ambition, with the unveiling of a new strategic plan, devised in collaboration with the Girls’ School.

For the first time in our histories, our Schools envisioned their futures together and started to define how we can work together in order to prepare, as meaningfully as possible, our young men and women, for the fast-changing, global community that they will inhabit. This energy, sense of aspiration and willingness to collaborate was evident in so much that followed.

The first half of the academic year went remarkably well. Public examination results were superb. Having won the national round of the European Youth Parliament the previous Summer, our joint debating team represented the UK at the European Youth Parliament in Hamburg. We enjoyed wonderful talks from the likes of Michael Morpurgo and Marina Litvinenko. Pupils celebrated successes in their Sixth Form and Middle School Projects, in the Senior Team Maths Challenge National Final, in the Physics and Astrophysics Olympiads. Sharp minds were very much on display in the excellent and entertaining final of the Dragons’ Den competition.

Sports flourished. The Bridge team regained the Bridge Schools Cup, the ninth win in eleven years; our U16 gymnasts won silver in the Trio National Finals; our tennis players won a national title in the LTA Schools Team Tennis Competition; and our U15 rugby squad reached a national quarter final. The institution that is HabsDash continued to grow and evolve, engaging students, staff and now runners from the Girls’ School too.

Our musicians were busy and brilliant too. The year started with our inaugural Stellar Strings Weekend and the now well-established Jazz Summer School. The Autumn term witnessed a soaked but stunning performance of the Big Band in Paternoster Square as part of the Lord Mayor’s Show, before we ended term with our customary Carol Service in St Albans Cathedral. Our actors served up a treat with their production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, featuring a fabulous cast of boys and girls, an incredible set and some quite astonishing music, devised and composed by our staff and pupils.

As the Extinction Rebellion grew strength globally, our Student Council worked hard to secure the EcoSchools Green Flag Award. This must rank as one of the proudest achievements of the academic year and one must not underestimate just how hard the students worked for this, nor how quickly they managed to secure this highest accolade. In the Spring, the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent worldwide movement highlighted another set of very significant concerns that face our society and our School, concerns which must be addressed, if we are to live up to the promise of being a school in which all pupils, regardless of difference, feel valued, welcome and included.

Then, shortly after February half term, everything changed. Along with the rest of the world, we adapted to a situation that no-one was expecting and for which no-one was adequately prepared. The site was shut down completely; pupils and staff sent home; all teaching and learning became remote; assemblies became film-clips; musical performances became recordings; House competitions became baking. It was all new and strange and, at times, it was far from comfortable or enjoyable.

However, the School community adapted superbly and worked hard and worked together to find solutions to problems that, frankly, we did not even know existed until recently. And there has been a very great deal to cherish from recent months. Our Design and Technology department, and many other colleagues, worked tirelessly to make over 4,000 pieces of PPE for frontline workers. Staff volunteers provided care for the children of key workers. Teachers and pupils learned to navigate Zoom and Teams and to interact in new and different ways. Exciting new initiatives, such as the Frontiers and Horizons programmes kept our minds fresh and enriched our learning.

The experience of recent months has, in so many ways, given us a very different perspective on almost everything and has served as a powerful reminder to be grateful for all we have. Personally, I have been enormously grateful to be part of such an energetic, ambitious and yet caring school, and enormously proud of all that our pupils and my colleagues have achieved this year. There is much to be done in the coming months: re-opening the school whilst adapting to ever-changing government guidelines, getting learning back on track to ensure that every child achieves their potential next year, supporting those who have been most affected by the crisis and addressing, head on, the challenge presented to us by the Black Lives Matter movement.

I am looking forward to the next 12 months enormously.

MR LOCK HEADMASTER

WELCOME & CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITOR When I was approached at the start of the year by Mr Lunn, who asked me if I would take the role of Student Editor for Skylark, I was overjoyed and very excited to be able to be part of such an amazing project. From there, I set up a team, and we set about collating and, at times, writing articles for the edition. Although a difficult journey, it has been a truly rewarding one, and I am extremely proud of this edition.

Skylark is as much a historical document as it is a collection of the experiences of all of us at Habs over the academic year. This year has been incredibly different from previous years, and we have hoped to capture that difference.

Nobody imagined the year would end so differently from previous years. Nobody could have imagined how the year would pan out. Nobody knew that we would have to switch to a completely new style of learning. Skylark is evidence of the successes of our transition to remote learning. From the clubs that continued or in some cases, started - online, to the staff efforts in making PPE for healthcare workers, Skylark attempts to document those shared moments that students and staff have experienced over the latter half of the academic year.

This edition could not have been put together without the help of the fabulous team and Mrs O’Hare, the support of Mrs

Pollock and Mrs Lough, and Mr Lunn’s fantastic photography. Many thanks also to the multitude of students and staff who contributed to the edition by writing articles about their experiences in events and activities – without their help, Skylark would not be the publication it is.

I hope you enjoy reading this edition.

SEIYA TANASE (L6S2)

FROM THE SCHOOL CAPTAIN I think we can all agree that the 2019-20 school year has been one that will not be forgotten, despite a rather abrupt and bittersweet ending. It has been filled with excitement, laughs, and drama – and I’m not just talking about the nearprofessional senior school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream! From the joyful lunchtime jazz concerts to the weekly high-spirited HabsDash, there was something everyone could enjoy.

The remarkable Big Band performance at the Lord Mayor’s show was one of my personal highlights of the year, as was the celebrity guest appearance of Claude Littner (yes, that Claude from The Apprentice) and other famous entrepreneurs in our very own Habs Dragons’ Den Competition. I am also extremely proud of the School for achieving the Green Flag Eco-Award,

a truly amazing accomplishment recognising our environmental commitments and setting a standard for the years to come.

Huge congratulations must go to the team of Habs boys and girls for representing the UK at the International Session of the European Youth Parliament in Hamburg. We have also become national champions in tennis and bridge, had students be selected to represent the south of England in football and the United Kingdom in gymnastics, and much more. I think it’s pretty safe to say that we have had a very successful year!

It would be impossible to write this without mentioning the transition to online lessons at the end of the Spring term, but in classic Habsboy fashion everyone rose to the challenge and made

the adjustment look easy! The innovative and holistic Frontiers programme for the Upper Sixth was a huge success and the remote Inter-House baking competition really united (and divided!) the entire Habs community, with Russells nabbing the top spot.

A huge thank you must go to Seiya Tanase, Mrs O’Hare and the whole team for putting together this excellent edition of Skylark – I hope you all enjoy reading it!

ZAMAAN DUDHIA (U6H1)

CONTENTS TRIPS 2

DRAMA 64

CLUBS & SOCIETIES

5

SPORT 68

EVENTS 13

HOUSES 74

ORIGINALS - ART

30

CHARITY MATTERS

80

ORIGINALS - PHOTOGRAPHY

35

CCF, OL & SCS

83

ORIGINALS - DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

40

COMMUNITY 93

ORIGINALS - LITERATURE

42

PREP & PRE-PREP

99

FEATURES 46

UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS

110

MUSIC 56

COMMON ROOM

113

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TRIPS

SENIOR SKI TRIP During February half term, 40 boys from Years 10, 12 and 13 went to Serre Chevalier in the French Alps.

Six days of mostly sunny conditions meant the boys were out all day every day improving their skiing. Our group stayed in a fine location at SkiBound’s Club Hotel Frejus. The hotel staff, accommodation, food and facilities were superb. The hotel staff were delighted with the good manners and general behaviour of our boys.

The trip culminated in an awards ceremony with the ESF ski instructors. The awards went to: • Ski King 2020 award for best skier – Jack (L6C1) • Most Improved award for best beginner – Oliver (10H1) • Man of the Tour for most supportive tourist – Dayo (L6M2) • Wipeout of the Week – Adem (10R1) The boys commented that it was one of the best school trips they had been on! A special mention to the Upper Sixth who were exceptional role models to the younger boys, taking responsibility willingly, and were great company.

The School would like to thank Mr Hardman, Mr Bartlett, Dr Hobbs, Mr Teague and Mr Lee for accompanying the boys on the trip and to all the staff behind the scenes for making the trip happen.

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TRIPS

FORTY HALL COMMUNITY VINEYARD TRIP Mr Catley, Mrs Edwards, Mr Thompson, Mr Vincent, Mr Hamshaw and Mr Amlot accompanied 46 Lower Sixth students to Forty Hall community vineyard today. The vineyard is an award-winning social enterprise that champions quality, sustainability, health, wellbeing and community involvement.

The boys were superbly behaved and threw themselves into the various tasks. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves and appreciated the fact that their work was benefiting the local community.

The staff at the vineyard were extremely impressed and grateful for all the valuable work that was carried out.

The School would like to thank all the staff that accompanied the boys on this trip and to Mr Simm, Mrs Adams and Mrs Tyerman for organising.

LOWER SIXTH HISTORY TRIP TO OXFORD On Friday 6 March as part of Field Day, 11 Lower Sixth History students went to Oxford accompanied by Dr St John, Mr Simm and Mr Clark.

The morning was spent on a walking tour of central Oxford on a sunny day, with Mr Clark pointing out buildings of historic and contemporary interest such as the Examination Schools, the Sheldonian Theatre and Balliol College (where the Prime Minister studied). Armed with his trusty Bodleian Library card and his abundance of charm, Dr St John was able to show the group the Divinity School, the oldest surviving university building in the world, with its famous elaborate vaulting dating back to 1485.

Dr St John guided the group around a number of sites connected with his own current research about Pusey, Newman and the Oxford Movement. The morning concluded with the group spending 45 minutes in the Ashmolean Museum looking at its superb collection of antiquities, artefacts and European Art. After lunch in the Cornmarket, the group walked down the High Street to Magdalen College School for the second Blackwell’s A-Level History Conference. We heard superb lectures from Professor William Doyle of Bristol University on ‘The French Revolution: the pivot of modern history’ and from

Professor Michael Broers of Oxford University on ‘The rise and fall of Napoleonic Empire’. After a quick dash along St Clements and a journey back to Elstree by coach, we were able to make it back to Habs for the traditional 17:30 departure.

We would like to express our thanks to the University of Oxford and MCS for hosting us on a memorable and inspiring Field Day excursion.

YEAR 7 VISIT GLOBE THEATRE AND HABERDASHERS’ HALL The boys visited Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, where they had an opportunity to learn a bit about the Globe Theatre and explored the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream through an exciting drama workshop.

They also visited Haberdashers’ Hall where they learned about the Company history and enjoyed a treasure hunt activity.

The School would like to thank all the staff that accompanied the boys and helped to make the trip a success.

The boys enjoyed it immensely and their behaviour was excellent throughout.

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TRIPS

LOWER SIXTH CHEMISTRY VISIT TO JOHNSON MATTHEY’S TECHNOLOGY CENTRE On Wednesday 5 February, a group of 15 Science students in the Lower Sixth went on a trip to the Johnson Matthey Technology Centre in Sonning Common. On arrival, the boys were given a talk about Johnson Matthey as a global corporation and their various worldwide branches, specialities and goals as a company.

The boys were then split into two groups. One group went to a laboratory to have a very current talk with a metallurgist on the future of Lithiumion batteries and the role of the company in introducing them to the car industry. The other group had a talk with research scientists who specialised in making resealable bags for fresh produce, which aim to limit the amount of gas the produce respires and slow down the process of rotting, with an overall goal of reducing food waste. The boys also carried out practical work on investigating which material is the best for spreading ethylene evenly.

After this, the boys congregated and did a large practical exercise in teams involving making a photoelectric cell

with titanium oxide and blackberry juice as the main components. The team which won was the one which recorded the largest average amount of light converted to electricity. While this was a fun exercise, the large variations in results demonstrated the challenge that researchers face in achieving consistency when scaling up technology from the bench scale to manufacturing.

The day ended by having an inspiring talk from an information analyst at the facility, who talked to the students about a career in science and explained that there are roles other than working in a laboratory. The boys learnt about the many roles in a large facility, about opportunities for the future in terms of careers and the way the industry is shifting.

Thanks must be given to Dr Chapman and Mrs Mehta for organising the trip and making the visit to such a diverse facility be possible.

NIRVAN MARATHE (L6C2)

LOWER SIXTH POLITICS STUDENTS VISIT THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT Every year Habs Lower Sixth Politics students undertake a trip to the Houses of Parliament to assist their A Level studies.

The current cohort of 19 students visited the Palace of Westminster on Tuesday 14 January. They received a tour of the outside of major government buildings in Whitehall from Mr Clark, followed by a tour of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and Westminster Hall by a guide from the Parliamentary Education Centre.

The pupils were able to watch the House of Commons in action from the Commons Strangers’ Gallery, including urgent questions about the future of the airline Flybe, questions to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab about Iran and a Queen’s Speech debate between Education Secretary Gavin Williamson and the Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner. They received a talk from Baroness Deech of Cumnor, a crossbench Peer, about her role and the work of the House of Lords. Later in the afternoon, they watched Lords’ Question Time from the House of Lords gallery and the start of a debate on the historic EU Withdrawal Bill.

The School would like to thank the Parliamentary Education Service for supporting the visit, as well as Mr McLarin and Mr Llewellyn who accompanied the group.

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CLUBS & SOCIETIES

CHESS CLUB AND ECF U19 NATIONAL SCHOOLS CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP The School’s Chess ‘B’ team enjoyed victory in the ECF U19 National Schools Championship at Latymer School on Tuesday 4 February. Both teams played well and it was a tense match with Habs coming out triumphant as the final score read 3½ to Habs B and 2½ to Latymer. This means the team qualified for the next round of the Region Championships and the Finals to be played later in the term.

Congratulations to: Niall (11M1), Aman (10J1), Avi (11J2), Lukas (8C1), Pranav (8J1) and Benny (9H2) On Thursday 27 February, our Habs ‘A’ Chess team played Aylesbury Grammar School at home in the latest round of the ECF U19 National Schools Championship. In a tense tournament of slow play matches, Habs swept the board with an outstanding 6-0 victory.

Commiserations to our opponents who displayed true sportsmanship.

Congratulations to: Ethan (U6J2), Savin (8H), Alex (9M1), Vishnu (U6M2), Ezra (9H2) and Shobhin (U6S2)

Both our ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams now qualified for the next round (playing each other!), which meant that the School had secured a place in the National finals.

This match was played in Aldenham House on Thursday 19 March as a round of tense, long play games. These pupils have been honing their skills for years, often against each other, under the tutelage of International Master Lorin D’Costa. In the spirit of cordiality, they played strong and elegant games.

Unsurprisingly, the final score was 2½- 2½. The rules dictate that Habs ‘A’ won on ‘board count’. Nonetheless, the ‘B’ team qualified for the finals through repechage. However, the ECF have suspended future games in the tournament until further notice. The finals, if they had been held, would have been played at Eton and Uppingham School in June.

The teams’ mastery on the chess board is formidable and they deserve every success. Moreover, their courtesy, humility, sportsmanship, drive and enthusiasm have been unfailing and impressive. They have worked hard and stepped in for each other when necessary for the good of the team.

Commendations to: Ethan, Leo, Savin, Alex, Vishnu, Ezra, Shobhin, Niall, Kian, Avi, Aman, Benny, Pranav, Lukas, Alan and Madhav

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CLUBS & SOCIETIES

MODEL UNITED NATIONS Model United Nations (MUN) has proved to be extremely popular at Habs, and this year was no exception. Students from Year 9 upwards regularly attended MUN Club in school, with enthusiasm, and many students participated in MUN Conferences organised by other schools over during this academic year.

MUN Club was held regularly during Monday after school, and the club would be split into two rooms, in order to accommodate the usual number of 40 students who attended. MUN Club provided students with the opportunity of debating topics which are of paramount importance, such as eliminating single-use plastics and the use of nuclear weapons. Experienced students were always welcoming to the newly joined students, assisting them in understanding MUN. In addition, guidance on how to construct a resolution, and the training of new chairs who could lead debates, had taken place throughout the year. Another one of the club’s proceedings involved preparation for upcoming conferences.

MUN Conferences were attended and appreciated greatly by Habs boys this academic year. In these conferences, students (delegates) are placed in committees and assigned a country.

A committee is a group of delegates who are debating resolutions on similar topics. A resolution is a set of statements or proposed ideas to combat an issue.

An example of a committee could be disarmament or environment. Multiple resolutions will be debated over the course of a conference and voted on by the delegates in the committee. A delegate must stay true to the policies of the country they have been assigned.

Usually towards the end of a conference, all delegates will convene with delegates of their country, and all committees

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come together, in General Assembly.

Here, the most voted for resolutions will be discussed and debated collectively.

Followed by this is the closing ceremony of the conference.

The first conference of this academic year was held in the Autumn term. On Saturday 5 October, nine Habs students participated in Reigate Grammar School MUN in Surrey. The Habs students worked alongside students from 16 other schools, debating and enjoying the process of gaining a deeper insight into current world issues. Three students won an award, and it was a fantastic experience for all.

Soon after, from Saturday 19 to Tuesday 22 October, Royal Russell International MUN was held, organised by Royal Russell School, in Croydon. Held annually, this residential MUN Conference is one that many look forward to, due to the wide range of countries that students visit from.

This four-day conference was a huge success, with three Habs students chairing, and several Distinguished Delegate awards won by the 19 students who attended.

Particular congratulations to the Habs Russia delegation, who won one of three Outstanding Delegation awards.

On the weekend of Saturday 1 to Sunday 2 February, 14 Habs students participated in the John Lyon MUN Conference. Excellent teamwork and leadership skills were displayed by the Habs students, who worked well with students from the other attending schools. This was also a conference enjoyed greatly by those who attended.

HabsMUN was scheduled to take place from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 March. However, unfortunately, it had to be cancelled. Although it could not go ahead as planned, everyone was

thoroughly appreciative of the students and teachers who helped organise it. In particular, the Year 13 Executive Team (led by James Kaye (U6R2), Sam Grankin (U6H2) and Jasper Federman (U6H1), Miss Edgell and Mr Cooper. They had all devoted many hours of their time, ensuring that the conference would have been a huge success.

MUN Conferences can be said to have given Habs students who attended a variety of experiences. Through their interactions, they have been taught how international relationships are formed. They have developed leadership abilities, having argued convincingly their country’s viewpoint on important international issues. MUN Conferences have been an excellent learning experience for Habs students, but they have also been immensely fun and exciting.

Overall, students have particularly enjoyed MUN, whether that be at conferences, or at the club held at school. Many will be looking forward to MUN physically restarting, hopefully sooner rather than later.

In recent weeks, MUN Club has been held virtually, with many students attending.

Although it has been different to MUN Club in school, all students have been enthusiastic to get involved with it, and to help it run smoothly. It has given students the valuable opportunity to continue to debate important topics, and even though held virtually, has given students something to look forward to each week.

Genuine thanks must go to Mr Cooper for his time and immense efforts to make MUN a success at Habs!

JATIN GUPTA (11S2)

CLUBS & SOCIETIES

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD CLUB In an environment where we consistently find vertical thinking to be most suitable, we seldom get the chance to approach problems laterally, and struggle when asked to do so. Cryptic crosswords are an excellent way of practising thinking in a different way to the norm.

Cryptic crosswords follow the same format as a usual crossword, but the clues may not be as they appear on first sight. Composed of a mixture of anagrams, synonyms and puns, they test your ability to think outside the box.

The clues may look strange and the answers even stranger, but perseverance is key; the more clues you look at, the more comfortable you will feel with them.

Transitioning from a Chemistry lab to a remote platform has been nearly seamless, with the only difference being an increase in frequency: the crossword is available throughout the week with meetings on Wednesdays and Fridays to go through the answers and explain them.

Abilities vary, with most students being beginners and staff tending to be veterans. A conscious effort is made not to move too fast and allow all members of the group to feel involved, regardless of ability. Led by Mr Whalley and Dr Chapman, the club offers a friendly and informal way of testing and developing lateral thinking, all the while enjoying a break from everyone’s busy schedules.

ESHAAN GHEI (L6R1)

CODE BREAKING CLUB Over the past few weeks, Code Breaking Club has been involved in a national code breaking challenge set by the University of Southampton. This is a team challenge and requires participants to work together to decrypt two encoded messages per week, with the difficulty increasing as new challenges are released. Ciphers used to encrypt the message have ranged from simple substitution ciphers to a combination of transposition and vigenère ciphers. The messages in this version of the challenge revolve around the theme of “Die Alchemisten”, on the use of nuclear energy by Germany in WW2 and efforts to stop the German nuclear program.

Our team of three people have managed to decrypt all the messages set. We thoroughly enjoyed this challenge and would recommend it as the next edition begins this autumn and runs

yearly. For reference, the challenge is currently available at https://www.cipherchallenge.org/. If you enjoy cracking codes and solving puzzles, if you want to understand what’s keeping your messages encrypted online, then this is for you. Join us every Friday lunchtime in M06, where we will be cracking some codes in preparation for some more national competitions. If you want to get some practice, come along to the club, or have a look at the previous editions of the cipher challenge.

YV OEK SQD HUQT JXYI, MU MQDJ OEK JE SECU QBEDW JE SETURHUQAYDW SBKR, WEET BKSA!

BRANDON YONG (9C2) ASHER NAGLER (9R2) SAAJ MALDE (7R)

ASTRONOMY CLUB The Astronomy Club started thanks to the enthusiasm of a small number of students.

One of the aims is to make observations of the sky. That’s why it started underground.

Let me explain. Considering that it started initially as a daytime activity when the stars are not visible, and considering the challenges of finding suitable equipment (we had an old telescope not in working conditions), it was dubious we could fulfil our aims. The club needed to start small, like a protostar, growing by trial and error. The good news is that Astronomy, the oldest science, offers vast learning opportunities.

Anyone who is interested is welcome.

MR E PAULETTO

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CLUBS & SOCIETIES

SUDOKU CLUB Sudoku Club has successfully been running in its current format for the last six years. Once a week, a small group of boys gather to socialise whilst completing a puzzle or two.

Younger students often arrive with little experience of solving sudoku puzzles and are soon able to tackle kenken, futoshiki and kakuro. Older

students attend and share new puzzles they have found, teaching the rules to younger students. A recent example of this is hashi puzzles (also known as “bridges”) where a pair of Sixth Form boys completed the problem on the interactive whiteboard with a group of younger students. This club continues to offer a space for pupils to unwind and

MEDSOC Organ donation. The worrying situation of our NHS. Covid-19.

This academic year has thrown medicine into the forefront of world politics and this has been reflected in our MedSoc meetings. Medicine is usually a topic spoken about in senior year groups but MedSoc has provided boys irrespective of age to engage and think widely about the issues in health and its often-significant effects on other aspects of the nation such as economics and culture. If not to juice up university applications and impress at interview, MedSoc is a place of extended discussions that arise from complex wider thoughts about not only the NHS but the state of public health in other continents.

The tireless work of the committee has allowed a diverse range of talks including medical ethics, artificial intelligence and its controversies within modern healthcare and the detailed study of pandemics and epidemics across the world which is pertinent with the situation surrounding Covid-19. These talks have not only been increasingly thoughtful but have given the boys many opportunities to ask questions and think hard on these topics especially when looking at our nation’s political approach to all things NHS. As well as this we have invited and successfully hosted many OHs including Sohum Patel, Rajan Matthew and Ashvin Kuri. Talks such as these have given many boys more details on what a job in medicine is like and not only provides support but can inspire paths in medicine such as cardiovascular disease which helps when writing Sixth Form Projects and reading further. The group have spoken widely about further education and especially in a subject which is so different to others. This range of talks demonstrates the depth of what we have successfully covered in a brilliant (quite truncated) year. Whether it carries on in the same method or capacity, MedSoc will still provide discovery and the chance of enrichment for students who want to learn more about healthcare, the public health situation of the world or just about what it is like working in medical fields.

AKSHI KUMAR (U6M2) VICE-CHAIR OF MEDSOC 2019/20

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tackle some interesting puzzles they may not have encountered before, in an informal and unpressured environment.

One student’s family life has been invaded by kenken puzzles as the two brothers became addicted to completing them. Long may such obsessions endure!

MR T JONES

CLUBS & SOCIETIES

SCOPE SCOPE magazine’s 30th issue is testament to the SCOPE committee’s dedication and proves once again that it is the greatest outlet for scientific minds in the School. 2019 has been a very exciting year for Science in many ways.

SHREY SHAH (U6J1) EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SCOPE COMMITTEE 2019/20

During its 74th Plenary Meeting, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2019 as the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements. 1869 is considered as the year of discovery of the Periodic System by the Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleev and 2019 commemorates the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements. The International Year aims to recognise the importance of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements as one of the most important and influential achievements in modern science, reflecting the essence not only of Chemistry, but also of Physics, Biology and other basic sciences disciplines.

Therefore, in honour of such a remarkable anniversary, SCOPE dedicated its 30th issue to the theme of ‘Elements’.

We have published a large range of articles from across many age groups, from articles about the history and discovery of elements, how vital certain elements are to maintaining our health, and the importance of studying elements for the future advancement of technology and energy. From Chemistry to Biology to Physics, there are articles to attract all. Elements are the foundation of the universe and life as we know it, so we hope that by reading this magazine, you will better appreciate the wondrous nature of the elements.

SCOPE 2019 aimed to take a deeper look at the Periodic Table and all that lies within. We hope to inspire readers to learn more about some of these topics further, both now and in the future.

TIMELINE It has been a great pleasure working on Timeline, Volume 11. This latest edition, which is also available online, truly illustrates the expertise of both The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ and Girls’ Schools by going beyond the classroom and exploring a vast variety of History from around the world. This year’s edition exhibits an especially extensive assortment of historical themes and ages. From the rise of Octavian in 30 BC to analysing US-Iraq relations following the Iraq War of 2003, there is definitely something for everyone to read and engage with. In my opinion, it is really important not only to read the articles as if they were a piece of journalism, but to challenge and grapple with some of the arguments made as that is what makes History such a fascinating study.

As historian H R Trevor-Roper said, ‘History is not merely what happened; it is what happened in the context of what might have happened’. I hope that all readers can take something away from the magazine and be inspired to extend their own knowledge of the past.

The student editors all relished the opportunity to create a platform upon which other students could expand their knowledge and captivate their interests.

We were determined to publish something which would highlight not only the depth of intellectual thought put into writing the articles, but also to emphasise the large variety of interesting topics History has to offer.

We would strongly recommend students to get involved in publishing a student magazine for any subject because it is a really enjoyable way of going above and beyond classroom studies while it also promises to hold great value to those who wish to go on to pursue the subject at a higher level.

now hand over the reins to a new batch of passionate and enthusiastic Lower Sixth students who have already started working conscientiously on what promises to be another allencompassing edition of Timeline.

My final words are a quote from Martin Luther King Jr: “We are not makers of History. We are made by History”.

JARED ONNIE (U6R2)

I would firstly like to thank Jay Patel (U6R1) and Neal Patel (U6H2) for their diligence towards the publication of Timeline, Volume 11. I would also like to thank Dr St John for presenting the team with the wonderful opportunity of illustrating a collection of classics which the Schools have to offer. We

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CLUBS & SOCIETIES

VERITAS Religion and global politics become more intrinsically linked every day; thus, this year’s Veritas journal analyses the effect of religion in steering superpowers through the complexities of modern politics.

Through both competition pieces and open-submissions, Veritas has become a place where Theology and Philosophy from any medium can be critically discussed.

From Wong Kheng Hshin’s analysis of ‘The Sage Train’ by Nicky Hansell to Jed Wagman’s review of ‘The Philosophy of The Truman Show’, this year’s Veritas has gone beyond previous editions’ essay competitions to include a wider variety of pieces relevant to Theology and Philosophy.

to Mr Raven and his colleagues for supporting students in this endeavour. Veritas continues to develop as an all-encompassing Theology and Philosophy journal, and I am sure it will only grow in the years to come!

JASPER FEDERMAN (U6H1)

This year’s interesting theme was Religion and Global Politics, kept at the heart of the edition with essay competitions running throughout the School tackling the way religion interacts with extremism, politics and world peace. Special mentions must go to the winner of each essay competition: Jay Treon (L6R1), Wong Kheng Hshin (9J2) and Milo Sinclair (8R1). Their essays were fascinating and deeply thought-provoking with careful analysis of key thinkers and the broader impacts of theology and religion on the modern political climate. These analytical pieces alongside engaging reports about lectures, whose topics included the Calvinist-Arminian debate, Maimonides and Apophatic Theology, serve to make Veritas 2020 holistic in encapsulating the work of T&P students at Habs. As interfaith dialogue strengthens and global conflict resolution strives forward, it has become clear that in-depth analysis of global politics through the lens of religion, such as in Veritas 2020, is vital for human progress.

Staff and student contributions alike were crucial in creating a well-rounded journal, and many thanks must be given

EQUILIBRIUM In the last few months, life as we know it has been in complete disequilibrium.

This edition of the School’s Economics magazine aims to unite everyone during these unprecedented times as we release our online edition of Equilibrium.

This was Mr Catley’s last term at Habs and we dedicate our latest publication in his honour and wish him a happy and well-deserved retirement.

Earlier in the process, we began our search for Lower Sixth editors to enhance and refine small details in the vast array of topics that had been put forward to the Equilibrium team. Members of the editorial team were assigned various roles in order to improve the overall quality of the finished product and without their help, as well as the diligence and advice from Mrs Zahid, Equilibrium would not have turned out as it did.

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This term we boast the highest number of entries in Equilibrium’s history, ranging from Trade Theory to Evaluating Medicare in the US. Most members of the Economics Society Committee wrote pieces, but what was most encouraging was the large amount of input from students from other year groups and subject areas such as Politics, History and Philosophy, which only added to the range of entries.

We look forward to our next issue, where we commit to recognise the impact and influence of BAME economists in our diverse subject.

In the meantime, Equilibrium continues to be an enthralling read with an array of the best entries from the Summer term.

HANS MEHRA (L6R2)

CLUBS & SOCIETIES

HABS GEOGRAPHICAL This year’s Habs Geographical magazine has been written exclusively by expert Sixth Form students. It draws upon all things with a geographical core but is also multi-disciplinary, with articles focusing on economics, politics and epidemiology, such as ‘Money, money, money: How cash proved to be Zimbabwe’s downfall’, a cross-curricular Economics essay by Rishi, and ‘The effect of Geography on the efficacy of democracy’, a cross-curricular Politics essay by Tabitha.

Memorable highlights include the imaginative photography taken by students, capturing the geographical world in an artistic frame, portraying poignant messages about inequality, urbanisation, and the beauty of the natural environment. Ishaan’s portrait photography

entitled ‘Village Life’ of Ahmedabad, India was very touching, and there is no doubt the readers will enjoy Michelle’s stunning photography of Pingvellir and Reykjavik, Iceland.

Of particular interest was the article about the geography of Habs itself: the reasons for its location in Elstree and information about the surrounding area (‘A local focus: The location of the Haberdashers’ Schools’ by Malika and Daniel). The articles give an academic insight into many pertinent topics including globalisation, climate change and the impact of COVID-19, such as ‘Climate change adaptation vs mitigation: which is better for a 21st Century world?’ by Daniel.

In addition, this edition has a contribution from a guest writer from St Joan of Arc Catholic School, Rickmansworth, and the team has been delighted to be working with other local schools on this venture.

I would thoroughly recommend you give it a read!

LEO SILVERBECK (L6S)

COOKERY CLUB Over lockdown, Miss Biggerstaff hosted a Cookery Club, providing an opportunity for boys from both the Prep and Senior School to improve their cooking. How-to videos were uploaded by Miss Biggerstaff regularly on the Microsoft Teams group chat, and boys were able to show off their skills there!

“Putting together the cookery videos was definitely something outside of my comfort zone, but I am so glad as I have loved seeing all of your fabulous dishes!”

Over the term, over 100 boys joined Cookery Club, making scones, VE day celebration cakes, lemon cakes, cheesecakes, rice dishes and rocky roads. Towards the end of the term, boys took their own initiative and started sharing home and heart recipes with each other.

Many thanks to Miss Biggerstaff for hosting this amazing club, and to the many boys who participated!

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CLUBS & SOCIETIES

AIRFIX CLUB This academic year, I ran Airfix Club since taking over the club after Mr Todhunter retired in 2019. The club is predominately made up of boys from Years 7 and 8. We create small plastic models of primarily vehicles from the World War 2 period. The club continued for the whole of the school year even through lockdown (over Zoom), as I wanted to continue providing a co-curricular activity for boys during such a difficult period.

I hope to continue the club this year, as long as restrictions allow.

Many thanks to Chris and Daanysh for helping to coordinate the club’s activities.

LOUIS RIVETT-CARNAC (L6S2)

DEBATING CLUB Debating at Habs has continued to go from strength to strength this year.

Last season we enjoyed a strong start, with Aniket (U6H2) coming in the top 10 speakers at Dulwich Schools and narrowly missing out on a place in the final with Keshav (10H1) in our first competition of the year. In our efforts to give younger boys more experience of competitions, we attended more competitions than ever before – mixing our most promising younger boys with the most experienced sixth formers.

The result, in our second competition, was that Aarnav (11H1) and Aniket won the Silver final at LSE Schools 2019, with Veylan (11J2) and Lucas (11H1) also joining them in the Silver final.

Breaks at Cambridge and Oxford Schools followed, although many competitions – including Durham Schools – had to be cancelled due to Covid-19. We were confident that we were going to finish the year strongly, particularly as we moved to more established pairings in the bigger competitions. Our approach has continued to pay off, however, with the deferred Imperial Schools 2020: Om (L6S2) and Aarnav managing to break into the Gold final, with Manav (U6M1) and Ahan (U6R2) breaking into the Silver final at the same competition. We look forward to going one step further soon and actually winning a Gold Final

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to go with our recent haul of Silver and Novice finals in the last 18 months.

Last year debating was held over two evenings, with Junior debating held on Tuesday and Senior debating held on Wednesday, whilst the best young debaters attended DebateMate training in the Girls’ School on Wednesdays.

Numbers were healthy, but this year there has been a resurgence in interest as clubs are held for individual year groups in our spiritual home, the Old Refectory – with nearly 100 boys regularly attending debating between years 7 and 11. If we can keep these numbers up going forwards, debating will be in very rude health indeed.

Particular thanks must go to all of the boys who pass on their skills through training the younger lads – whether

in person before Easter or online in the summer term, and also by taking responsibility for particular year groups since September. It is thanks to these boys that we have seen so much success both in and outside of school, and it is thanks to them that debating is such a cherished and enjoyed activity within school: our former captains Sam and Aniket, Abhisekh, our current captain Ahan and vice-captain Manav, Aarnav, Om, Lucas, Jonny (L6M), Veylan, Jonathan (L6H), James (L6C), Keshav, James (11J), Fola (10M), Alex (10M), and Toby (10R). And of course my thanks to Mr Simm for his able running of senior debating last year and this year, and for attending so many conferences so we are able to take part in as many as possible.

MR D HALL

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EVENTS WELLBEING WEEK RAAG CONCERT On the last day of Wellbeing Week, several students took part in Habs Indian Charity concert. It was called RAAG which means ‘beautiful melody’ and was an exciting fusion of Asian music with a Western taste.

have taken many steps from providing support to the education establishments for underprivileged children in Bihar, by supporting the modern eye hospital and a well equipped orthopaedic centre in Rajgir, India.

The concert included numerous Bollywood songs, a cover of Shape of You by Ed Sheeran with an Indian twist and traditional Indian classical music. The talented team included sitars, tablas, harmoniums as well as vocalists all coming together for a wonderful concert. With the help of Dr. Frances Shepard - who runs her own Music foundation and has a PhD in the ethnomusicology of India - the students organised this School concert which was entertaining for all.

Indian classical music is known to quiet one’s mind and relax their muscles, making one feel soothed while releasing the stress of the day. This music can be found to have a profound effect on both the emotions and the body. It can help student’s concentrate more and make them feel more optimistic about life.

RAAG was a fundraiser for charities, with the money this year going to Veerayatan who strive to uplift and empower humanity – guided by the principles of Humanitarianism (Seva), Education (Shiksha) and Development (Sadhna). Keeping these principles in mind the trustees of Veerayatan

Yash in Year 10, who organised the concert, said: “RAAG has been a great way to play melodic and peaceful Indian music for the School while hearing the wonderful talents of many students. During the rehearsals, we have bonded and made new friends as well as enjoy every minute of the concert. It truly felt inspirational to perform our Indian instruments to all our friends and teachers and this is what makes RAAG so enjoyable for Habs.”

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LIVE WELL WEEK A super week of various activities in February, centred on enjoyment of the good things in life, ended with a wonderful performance of Indian music at our ‘Mela’ in The Aske Hall. Habs has built the idea of ‘Live Well’ into the last week of half term, welcoming the lengthening days with a celebration of food and talent to boost our wellbeing.

Mindfulness Art ran all week with the calm and cakes proving popular!

This week we have been entertained by the brilliant pop-up kitchen show from our caterers, Chartwells. Year 7 and Year 8 learnt about nutrition and the joyful theatre of cooking as two teams of boys competed in Red and Green brigades to produce meals fit for critiquing by their peers! All the action was backed by a soundtrack and directed by the head chef, who called the hall to attention at various times with his commentary.

The fun continued in the Medburn with the ‘Smoothie Bike’ proving popular with the boys, pedalling and blending their choice of fruit and yoghurt and using their energy. Our weekly HabsDash, became Live Well Dash for the day and we had the excitement of the Prep School running for the first time in the event!

More focus on food was provided by Executive Chef Graham Ogden in his terrific assembly to the Sixth Form on

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Viking Cuisine. His presentation of his visit to explore the culinary delights of Tromso in Norway emphasised how much we can learn from the history and geography of cooking. We were delighted that he could give the talk to our Pre-Prep classes as they joined in with our Wellbeing Wednesday.

A superb day of activity in the Prep featured the planting of bulbs up and down the North Drive, yoga classes, art and design tasks and alternative outdoor games. The highlight for many of the boys was the assembly from Jamie Knight, a world class freestyle footballer, who performed with outstanding skill and took workshops all afternoon. The queue for autographs was lengthy!

Around the School, the theme was continued in form time, lessons and the Library, putting us in a great frame of mind for half term and planning for Live Well 2021!

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SCHOOL DIVERSITY WEEK “Why a School Diversity Week?

Because it asks us to consider others and where we stand on issues and freedom of expression.”

From Monday 22 June, Habs celebrated Diversity Week as part of the School’s enrichment, education and awareness of issues about race, gender, identity and our values as a community. The

prime aim has been to reflect upon the Black Lives Matter campaign.

The School also affirms support for LGBTQ+ freedoms, hence the logos of Black Lives Matter, Progress Pride and Stonewall School Champions alongside each other this week.

The major events were the two assemblies on anti-racism, given by pupils to their peers in the Middle School and the Sixth Form. These pupils - and one former School Captain - were exceptional in their presentations; frank, honest, dignified and composed.

Tamilore Awosile (OH 2019), Dayo (Year 12), Malcolm (Year 10), Tolu (Year 13), Abim (Year 10), Jamar (Year 12), Samadi (Year 9) and Jonathan (Year 11) deserve our heartfelt thanks and respect.

The week started with a ‘Speak Out’ competition for the whole of Year 7 and Year 8. After an opening Zoom talk on why we support and promote diversity, pupils had the day to create and record 90 second ‘speak outs’ on the challenges, benefits or heroes of diversity. The calibre of the entries was incredible. The finale was a brilliant event and the quality of public speaking and content was very high. The winner

was Freddie in Joblings. His speech was original, articulate and persuasive.

And he did it from his garden, using examples from nature!

The ever popular HabsDashGo! was transformed into ‘RaibowDashGo!’, as it has been before. Each of the School’s House Captains led by example, running 3.5km to kickstart the campaign with a determination to show that sport is everyone’s game at Habs!

There was also a separate HabsDashGo! session dedicated to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Other events during the week included protest poetry writing, poster design and a fantastic ‘Heart and Home’ Cookery Club task bringing together favourite and meaningful recipes.

Resources for reading and educating ourselves about Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ support have further enhanced understanding and commitment. Form time throughout the week has been spent reflecting on what diversity and inclusion mean and we will continue our efforts into the future.

Habs can, and will, do more!

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HABS WELCOME STAR-STUDDED PANEL TO ELSTREE FOR DRAGONS’ DEN EVENT On Wednesday 4 March, The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School hosted the grand final of its own Dragons’ Den competition. The competition ran for the first time in 2016 and this year ran in partnership with the neighbouring Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls. The final took place as part of National Careers Week, and the aim of the initiative is to encourage creativity, entrepreneurial spirit; and to help pupils refine their presentation skills and ability to think on their feet.

As in previous years, the School encouraged teams of pupils to explore their entrepreneurial instincts and submit a business idea. Ten teams were selected to pitch to a specially invited panel of Dragons in two afterschool heats; after which four teams were invited to pitch in the grand final.

The teams of students, all in Years 10 and 11, pitched their ideas to a starstudded panel of judges comprising Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE, DL, Founder and Chairman of Cobra Beer; former TV Dragon Nick Jenkins, Founder of Moonpig; Claude Littner, successful entrepreneur and celebrated aide to Lord Sugar on BBC1’s The Apprentice;

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and Shivani Shah, UK General Manager of cosmetics brands Maybelline, Essie and NYX Professional Make Up. The event was once again introduced and chaired by television presenter Sonali Shah, who expertly kept proceedings to time. After four excellent pitches, the judges were unable to pick just one winner.

HydroClean, comprising Athavan, Anish, Keshav, Erekle and Yash in Year 10 from the Boys’ School and Pedal Power’s Phoebe and Tanya from the Girls’ School were declared joint winners.

HydroClean came up with a solution to clear seas, rivers and lakes from plastic by collecting the waste in a mobile bin system. Pedal Power invented a system whereby kinaesthetic energy from riding a bike, as well as solar energy, was used to charge a mobile device.

After the event all finalists were lucky enough to be able not only to network with the judges, but also receive one-toone informal feedback and take some photos with them!

Claude Littner said: “I must congratulate all of the teams. It is clear that the Habs pupils have worked tremendously hard.

They have surpassed my expectations and certainly are all winners to me!

A huge congratulations to all at Haberdashers’ for putting on this fantastic event.”

Nick Jenkins said: “The event was great fun. This sort of thing is a truly important exercise and encourages entrepreneurial spirit. I was very impressed with the ability of the willingness of the pupils to pitch in front of a jam-packed Bourne Hall all full of their peers, parents, teachers and the ‘dragons’. What’s also impressive is that all teams had some element of a social mission. It is evident that the teams had really thought about their ideas and had conducted an abundance of research.”

Lord Bilimoria said: “I strongly believe that what I have witnessed at Haberdashers’ is the type of thing that every school in Britain should be doing.

It builds key skills such as creativity and innovation. I really could not believe that these pupils are only 15 or 16 years of age, but then again this is Habs.

The Schools live up to their reputation – they are all very bright pupils and excel academically, but they are also so well-rounded and take advantage of

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all opportunities on offer to them. It’s astonishing! Well done to them all.”

Shivani Shah said: “Habs Dragons’ Den is a brilliant initiative. I’m very passionate about supporting young people to be successful as individuals, particularly in business. The pupils were composed under pressure and really held their own – they acquitted themselves incredibly well. It was great to see that the Girls’ School was involved in this year’s competition. I grew up close by to Habs, but never had this sort of opportunity when I was at school. Habs is very forward-thinking and has a stunning campus in which to learn and grow.”

The competition was the vision of Khilan Dodhia, an Old Boy himself and Partner at Encore Capital. Khilan explained the reason why he wanted to help organise the event for the third time: “It’s important that students and their parents think about a broader range of careers. There are new opportunities

out there. This year we were delighted to welcome the Girls’ School to the event. We used the popular Dragons’ Den theme again to engage the younger audience into being passionate about business. We’re delighted to continue to inspire entrepreneurship. The ‘dragons’ were tough and the pupils were excellent and composed in pitching and answering all of their questions. The quality and confidence on show from the Habs pupils was unbelievable.”

The School is extremely grateful to Khilan and his colleagues at Encore Capital for their ongoing support with this exciting competition. Immense thanks must also go to the judges for giving up their time to attend the event, as well as to those at the School who worked tirelessly to ensure the success of the competition yet again.

MARINA LITVINENKO VISITS HABS On Thursday 21 November, Habs Politics Society was privileged to host Marina Litvinenko, the wife of Alexander Litvinenko.

Mrs Litvinenko gave a deeply moving, informative and fascinating talk on the events that led to the poisoning of her husband, Alexander, and the consequences and impact this had on her and people around us. Alexander Litvinenko was a former officer of the Russian Federal Security Service and KGB, who was forced to flee from prosecution in Russia and he fortunately received political asylum here in the United Kingdom. However, on 1 November 2006, Litvinenko suddenly fell ill and was hospitalised from poisoning by Polonium-210. She also gave her opinion on where she sees Russia heading into the future.

Nearly 200 pupils from the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools packed the Bourne Hall and listened spellbound to a balanced, hopeful and personal account of the family’s fight for the truth and for justice. It was inspiring to see how brave Mrs Litvinenko has been, coping with this horrifying deed committed by two Russians, and in all probability authorised by President Putin. This shocking yet breath-taking account really helped the pupils imagine how the family have had to adapt their lives and the devastating effect this has had on them.

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ASKE PROJECT AWARDS On Wednesday 29 January, the School was delighted to celebrate the considerable academic endeavour and achievements of our Aske Project prize winners at a special assembly held in the Bourne Hall.

makes logical and judicious use of a wide range of sources to which our Library team provides extensive access.

Many also undertake primary research or produce original pieces of writing or multi-media presentations.

With academic enquiry that readily reaches far above A level standard and even into original research, our students explored questions of anti-Zionism in orthodox Jewish communities, identifying fake news using machine learning, campaign finance reform and the thought of John Locke, curing heart disease using C-Cure, an analysis of circadian rhythms and the school day, and the geometry of circles, to name but a few.

We are very proud of all of our students, both for their commitment to academic enquiry and for the stunning results that their hard work achieves. Many congratulations to them all.

The Aske Project requires that students independently research a question of their own choosing over a period of six months. As verified by our external markers and viva examiners, our students achieve undergraduate standards of research, and their projects demonstrate their curiosity, innovative and critical thinking, all framed within high standards of research methodology. The process, alongside their A Level studies, prepares them exceptionally well for university.

All our Lower Sixth students undertake an Aske Project and, with the guidance of an advisor, theypresent work that

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Aske Project Prize Winners 2020 First Prize: Joshua Birns (U6H1) Maths: Investigation of circle geometry

Tietz STEM Prize: Shanai Nair (U6R1) Computer Science: Using machine learning to differentiate between real and fake news articles Prize for Original Writing: Aaron Garland (U6S2) “On, Heritage.”

A poetry anthology deliberating heritage and immigration Humanities Prize: Ashley Turner (U6M2) Economics: Time in the environmental Kuznets curve model: theory and discussion

Second Prize: Abhisekh Chatterjee (U6C2) Medicine: The elimination of senescent cell as a novel treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease

Humanities Prize: Jake Charnley (U6J2) History: The 17th Century experienced a general political crisis

Tietz STEM Prize: James Levy (U6H1) Biology: Do schools begin too early?

Humanities Prize: Sam Grankin (U6H2) Politics: How can campaign finance reform align the US with Locke’s ideal of democracy

Tietz STEM Prize: Yuta Sato (U6C1) Biology: Can we mend heart break?

Assessing the efficacy of C_Cure in patients with heart failure of ischaemic origin

Humanities Prize: Eli Tapnack (U6R1) Theology and Philosophy: Is Zionism or anti-Zionism the more authentic expression of Jewish tradition? An enquiry into the development of contemporary Jewish thought.

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DAME MINOUCHE SHAFIK VISITS HABS On Friday 31 January, the Habs Economics Society was delighted to welcome its first high-profile speaker of the decade, Dame Minouche Shafik.

Dame Minouche, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, former Vice President of the World Bank and current Director of LSE (to name but a few of her outstanding achievements) visited Habs to speak to students from the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools.

The talk began with the Chairman of the Economics Society asking a series of questions to Dame Minouche about various aspects of her career. Some of the questions asked included: What inspired Dame Minouche to study three economics-related degrees at different universities? What was her time like whilst Vice President of the World Bank? Would she have voted for an interest rate cut at the recent Monetary Policy Committee meeting?

How can we stimulate economic growth in the UK following Brexit?

provoking responses to some very interesting and challenging questions.

These questions were based on an array of topics including climate change, gender equality in financial and economics-related professions, Islamic financing, and her work on the Oslo Peace Accords.

A huge thank you to Dame Minouche for taking the time out of her busy schedule to visit Habs. We look forward to inviting her back to the School to talk again soon.

The audience were then invited to ask questions to Dame Minouche where she offered insightful and thought-

GREEN FLAG AWARD “The Earth is what we all have in common” - Wendell Berry The School is delighted that, with the help of our Sixth Formers, Habs has secured the prestigious Green Flag Award.

From the hundreds of species of flora and fauna to the vast expanses of open green land in our School, we value the conservation of the environment. At a time where tackling climate change has become more vital than ever, the School strongly believes that as individuals, everyone has an important part to play in rehabilitating ecosystems.

Gabriel, Akash and Ishaan, then pushed through any tangible ideas to the Senior Leadership Team in an effort to implement these proposals and drive positive climate action.

From reducing plastic usage and introducing a pen recycling scheme to ensuring waste is properly collected, Habs has made many changes to become greener.

At the same time, Habs has been working towards an Eco-Schools Award, and the School was recently awarded the highest of honours, the

Green Flag Award, for dedication to conserving the environment.

Individual choices can make a difference to the environment and it is hoped that we can encourage other schools and students to drive climate action in their communities.

Habs would like to thank the whole school community for working together as a team to help make this achievement possible.

Last year, the School embarked on a journey to become increasingly ecofriendly. Habs is taking a three-pronged approach towards this goal: awareness, proposal and action.

Through student-led assemblies, pupils have raised awareness about water scarcity, plastic pollution, and the impacts of climate change on children across the globe.

From within the student body, ten boys formed the ‘Eco-Committee’, a think-tank that meets bi-weekly and formulates ideas and concepts that will make the School greener.

Three students from the Committee, Skylark 2019/20 ~ 19

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FINE ART AND GRAPHICS WORKSHOP On Wednesday 11 December, the Year 9 and 10 Fine Art students and Year 10 Graphic Art students participated in an insightful workshop from artist Ian Murphy. Known for his realistic architectural drawings and paintings, Mr Murphy first talked to the students about the process of his artwork, from his original sketch to a large-scale oil painting. It was incredible to see the numerous steps the artist takes to allow for an idea to develop. Using a wide range of media, Mr Murphy then demonstrated how he uses a variety of media to create exciting surface textures, and the boys then created their own surfaces to draw on.

After lunch, the students returned to the Aske Hall to start drawing. Taking inspiration from Mr Murphy’s style, they used media such as pencil, graphite powder, biro and white paint to build up layers in their work and create interesting tone and depth. Overall, having the opportunity to work with a successful practising artist and to extend their own portfolios was not only informative but also engaging and exciting.

Thank you to Mrs Weber and the Art department for organising the workshop, and to Mr Murphy for the fantastic experience!

ACTOR DOMINIC WEST ENTERS HABS MONOLOGUE COMPETITION Actor Dominic West (The Wire, Les Misérables, Tomb Raider, The Forgotten, The Affair, Brassic, and more) left a message and his own entry for the Habs Inter-House Monologue Competition, a rendition of “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” (Sonnet 18) by William Shakespeare, the “greatest writer”.

Before starting, Dominic West described what he believes to be the only way to hope to understand great writing.

“I think if you read a great piece of writing, then it immeasurably enriches your life, but if you speak it out loud, then you understand more fully the importance of sound to language. But if you learn it and speak it out loud, that’s really the only way you can get under the skin of great writing.”

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MOCK SUPER TUESDAY DEBATE 2020 is a US Presidential election year.

To coincide with the contest the Politics Society held a mock Presidential debate, a tradition that has been going as far back as 2004. The pupils were able to arrange their debate on Tuesday 3 March, which of course in the US was Super Tuesday. No fewer than 14 US States held their primaries on that Tuesday, including the two most populous: California and Texas.

A crowd of 120 students, teachers and support staff from the two Habs Elstree Schools attended the debate at lunchtime in the school library. It covered several issues including the US economy, women’s rights, gun control, climate change, impeachment and healthcare. We congratulate the

students who took a leading role in the debate for a lunchtime of highquality political discussion and argument. Oliver and George were the Chairs.

The following students were Presidential candidates in the debate: Sean (L6H2) as Michael Bloomberg, Former Mayor of New York Krish (U6R2) as Bernie Sanders, Senator for Vermont Sam (U6H2) as Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States

Alexandra (Y11 Girls’ School) as Amy Klobuchar, Senator for Minnesota Victoria (Y11 Girls’ School) as Elizabeth Warren, Senator for Massachusetts Rohan (U6C1) as Donald Trump, 45th and current President of the United States

HABS REPRESENTED AT VEX IQ NATIONAL FINALS Our VEX Club competed in the National VEX Finals in Telford over the course of two days, Sunday 1 and Monday 2 March. Habs Boys had two teams competing and we were joined by one team from the Habs Girls.

After an energetic, fun and intensive two days of competitive robotics against 60 teams from across the UK, our Year 9 team (Habs SciClones) won the VEX Sportsmanship Award along with finishing 12th in the individual skills round and 14th in the teamwork round.

Our Year 8 team (Habs_Dynamics) won the VEX Build Award. They also finished 8th in teamwork and 16th in the skills round.

Year 9 team:

Year 8 team:

Daniel (9J1) Andrew (9C1) Marco (9J2) Suren (9H1) Vishnu (9M1)

Alex (8C1) Dejhor (8R2) Kush (8J1) Julian (8J2) Phalgun (8R2)

HABS STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN MUN CONFERENCE AT JOHN LYONS SCHOOL On Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 February, 14 Habs boys participated in the MUN Conference at John Lyon School.

The students represented the nations of Cuba, Nigeria, Philippines, USA, Pakistan and South Africa. Debates covered

topics of the environment, the economy, human rights and disarmament.

also encouraged other participating schools to come to HABSMUN.

Excellent teamwork was displayed by everyone, and friends were made over the weekend with students from the other six schools. The Habs students

The School would like to thank Mr Cooper and Mr Simm for accompanying the students on their trip.

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EVE KUGLER VISITS HABS ON BEHALF OF MARCH OF THE LIVING Last week, the School was honoured to have the incredible Eve Kugler come in to speak on behalf of March of the Living. Students and teachers from the Boys’ and Girls’ School attended the lunchtime JSOC event to hear the important story of Mrs Kugler and her family’s escape from the holocaust.

Mrs Kugler was born in Germany and was seven years old in 1938 when Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, took place. Her entire family was torn apart by the Nazis and miraculously her parents survived several concentration camps, with her younger sister forced into hiding. Mrs Kugler and her other sister managed to escape to America

and live in a foster home. Remarkably, Mrs Kugler was reunited with her parents and younger sister in 1946.

Mrs Kugler is a huge inspiration to us all and we are extremely grateful for her time in educating us on such a harrowing, historical event. Mrs Kugler is now 89 and is still travelling up and down the country visiting schools and educational trusts, spreading her story.

Once again, on behalf of Habs and the JSOC team, the School would like to thank Mrs Kugler for providing us with her precious time; it is a privilege to have heard her speak.

HABS PHYSICISTS TO REPRESENT UK Having achieved Gold Awards in, respectively, the British Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad, and Round 2 of the British Physics Olympiad respectively, Josh Kaye (U6R2) and James Wirth (U6S1) attended online training and selection camps this Easter run by the University of Oxford. As a result of this, we are delighted to report that Josh has been selected for the UK International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad team and James has been selected as a reserve for the UK International Physics Olympiad team.

Many congratulations to them both!

YEAR 8 READING LESSON Mr Dunne’s Year 8 English lesson went ahead as usual during lockdown, with the students sending in some wonderful photos of them reading their books. Here is a collage of his students, reading around the home!

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SCHRODERS PRIZE Rohan Oyewole (U6J2) has been named as this year’s winner of the Schroders Economics Prize.

This is an essay competition open to all economists across the Haberdashers’ family of schools – entries are typically written by Lower Sixth students over the summer holiday prior to the Upper Sixth year.

This year’s essay title was: ‘Fiscal policy is the only ammunition authorities have to combat a global downturn given the current level of interest rates. Discuss.’

At a lunch at Haberdashers’ Hall on Tuesday 21 January, Rohan received first prize, whilst Aniket was named second runner-up.

Mr Catley received 10 entries and chose the essays by Rohan, Aniket Chakravorty (U6H2) and Edward Fage (U6R1) as the top three to submit for external judging.

HABS BOYS EXCEL AT LSE SCHOOLS’ DEBATING COMPETITION On Saturday 30 November, four Habs teams went with Mr Simm to the LSE Schools’ Debating Competition 2019. Speaking on motions varying from ‘This house would cap the amount that parents can spend on children’ to ‘This house believes that the UK should pursue closer ties with China at the expense of relations with the US’, the boys were intellectually stimulated and engaged throughout the day.

Results were especially impressive given the size of the competition, with over 100 teams and 200 competitors attending on the day. Special congratulations must extend to Aniket and Aarnav, who finished 6th, and Lucas and Veylan, who finished 7th. Both teams qualified for the silver final, which Aniket and Aarnav then won – defeating teams from Dulwich College and Sevenoaks. No other school had two teams in the top eight. There were excellent results among younger boys too, with Fola (who is only in Year 9) finishing 2nd on the novice speaker tab, while Lucas finished 3rd. The impressive performance of our novice speakers shows that the future of Habs debating is very bright.

This result follows impressive performances at the Dulwich College Schools’ Competition and in the first round of the ESU Debating Competition, where our boys were accompanied by Mr Hall. This has been a term of excellent progress, and we look forward to LSE Juniors, Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and other competitions with confidence next term.

SUCCESS AT LAND ROVER 4X4 IN SCHOOLS COMPETITION On Tuesday 28 January, five teams across Years 8, 9 and 10 competed at the Land Rover 4x4 in Schools regional final. The boys had to design and build a remote control 4x4 vehicle to tackle the challenging Land Rover test track, as well as give presentations to several Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) engineers and face a ‘scrutineering’ panel where their engineering was put to the test.

All the teams (listed below) did a brilliant job and were excellent ambassadors for the School in terms of their preparation, teamwork and conduct on the day. One of our Year 8 teams, Team Andromeda, particularly impressed the judges and they were awarded both the ‘Best Track Performance’ and ‘Research and Development’ awards. The team will be re-presented with their awards in Junior School Assembly later in the

term. Team Medex (Year 9) was chosen for the ‘Judges Choice Award’ for their very current team ethos which focuses on sustainable design and their idea to create an efficient off-road ambulance.

students advice and support on the day.

Thanks must also go to Mr Roncarati and Mr Hughes-Caley for helping the boys in the design and construction of the shells.

Our team from Year 10, Team Explorer, is through to the National Final and will be off to the Jaguar Land Rover Factory in Castle Bromwich to compete against the other regional finalists in March. The top prize from the national final includes a fast track through the JLR application process and graduate scheme should the boys want to pursue engineering in the future. A fantastic opportunity! They are now working hard for this and were planning how they are going to ‘up their game’ on the minibus drive home.

Team Andromeda (Year 8): Oscar, Rafi, Sam, Edward (Best Track Performance Award & Research and Development Award)

The School would like to thank Mr Teague and Miss Harrison for accompanying the trip and giving the

Team Explorer (Year 10): Raghav, Ali, Sai, Anurag, Yash, Keshav (Through to National Final)

Team Hephaestus (Year 8): Evan, Lucas, Ethan, Arnav, Sohan Team Scorpio (Year 8): Zackariya, Rishi, Akaash, Eddie Team MEDEX (Year 9): Yonal, Anay, Fola, Vishnu, Aaryan, John (Judges Choice Award)

Skylark 2019/20 ~ 23

EVENTS

JEFFREY WEINBERG VISITS HABS The School was delighted to welcome to Habs Jeffrey Weinberg on Monday 25 November. His lunchtime talk in the Aske Hall to the Politics Society was attended by over 120 students from the Boys’ School and the Girls’ School, as well as staff from both Schools.

The School is grateful to the HABS Foundation and the Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford, as well as Mr Weinberg, for allowing this event to happen.

Mr Weinberg is respected on both sides of Atlantic for his unique perspective on the contemporary US presidency as both a practitioner and an academic. His presentation ‘The View from the Oval Office: Insights into the Legislative Presidency’ examined the tools available to contemporary presidents.

Our guest speaker served each of the last nine Presidents of the United States as a legislative attorney at the Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President.

He was assigned to the White House’s National Economic Council during the Administration of President George W Bush He recently retired from the Office of Management and Budget after 45 years distinguished service. He is currently adjunct professor for the Washington Campus, a consortium of 16 universities.

He answered a wide array of questions about Presidents past and present, on both theoretical and practical matters, and encouraged the students when they get to Higher Education to get to know their Professors well and to make as extensive and constructive use of their ‘Office Hours’ as possible.

ZOOM SESSION WITH PAEDIATRIC SURGEON It was a real privilege to listen to Mr Alexander, a parent and consultant neonatal and paediatric surgeon, as he ran an online Zoom session for pupils of all ages, as well as staff, to help them understand the science behind COVID-19 and why it had caused a pandemic.

After his talk, Mr Alexander fielded questions from students, ranging from ‘Is it safe to take in your shopping?’ to ‘The complexity of herd immunity’. This was a really rewarding discussion and pupils left the meeting feeling more informed.

It is hoped that the School will be able to run another session very soon. Many thanks to Mr Alexander for giving up his time to speak to Habs pupils.

BRIDGE SCHOOL CUP WINNERS On Saturday 7 March, Habs sent three teams of four bridge players to the Schools Cup. After finding a late replacement because of illness and some traffic, the teams arrived slightly late and had no time to settle, but Habs ‘A’ team, which included Kavinthan, Aniket, Ben and James, remained calm and proceeded serenely through the qualifier to the semi-final. A comfortable victory over St. Paul’s meant the team met last year’s winners, Loughborough, in the final.

In the first hand, Loughborough took an early lead, but the boys remained calm and focused. They played some outstanding bridge to come from 0-10 down to win 38-10.

This is the ninth win in eleven years for Habs. Ben and Kavinthan were also in the last team which won the competition two years ago.

The boys in all the teams thoroughly enjoyed the day.

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EVENTS

PUPILS MARK VE DAY FROM HOME Pupils created some wonderful music to mark the 75th Anniversary of VE Day from home. The work they have put into this is superb and certainly fitting for this special occasion.

Here is some of the music that the boys produced:

Alfie Mack (11C1) An original composition that samples Winston Churchill’s speech that was broadcast from Downing Street on 8 May 1945 to announce the end of the war in Europe: “We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing, but let us not forget for a moment the toils and efforts that lie ahead.”

Nathan Freeman (7R2) Nathan recorded a vocal performance

of ‘We’ll Meet Again’, which was famously performed by Vera Lynn, the ‘Forces’ Sweetheart’. Vera Lynn’s musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during WWII. She performed for the troops in Egypt, India and Burma...and she performed again this year to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of VE Day!

William Heselton (9R1) William recorded the Last Post and Reveille, with a silence in between for us to remember, respect and reflect.

Alex Pylypenko (8C1) Alex wrote a piano arrangement of George Butterworth’s The Banks of Green Willow. Butterworth (1885 – 1916) was an English composer best known for the orchestral idyll The

Banks of Green Willow and his song settings of A E Housman’s poems from A Shropshire Lad. Butterworth was killed in 1916 at Pozieres, France during the Battle of the Somme aged just 31.

Habs Airfix Club, which is led by Louis Rivett-Carnac (L6S2) also held a VE Day themed Zoom meeting.

VIRTUAL QUESTIONING WITH LOCAL MP The Habs Politics Society hosted their first ever totally remote, online event on Thursday 7 May. For many years, the Politics Society has hosted famous names from the world of politics at Elstree, including future Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Theresa May, then Party Leaders like Nigel Farage and Natalie Bennett and former Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. They have hosted in the past Skype calls with speakers in North America to discuss US Politics. They were delighted that, even though the majority of our school community are not present currently on our fabulous campus because of the national lockdown, they were able to arrange a Politics Society event.

Dean Russell, who was elected Conservative MP for the bellwether seat of Watford in December 2019, took

questions from students from Habs Boys, Habs Girls and other partner schools about the politics of the current Coronavirus crisis.

Mr Russell spoke about his own background and his experiences before becoming a Member of Parliament.

He spoke about how the Government had to react quickly to the health and economic challenges of COVID-19, as well as what he had seen of the local impact as a volunteer with the Salvation Army and at Watford General Hospital. He paid tribute to the heroic work of NHS staff and the strong sense of community he has witnessed in Watford.

Questions from students covered issues such as the government’s preparations for the crisis, the supply of Personal

Protective Equipment and testing, the impact of the crisis on local businesses and the national economy, as well as what social distancing measures might be in place when schools return.

The School is grateful to Mr Russell for giving of his time generously to answer our questions from our students and to everyone who helped. A huge thank you also to Mr Clark for organising the event.

INTER-HOUSE ART COMPETITION In an exciting new addition to the inter-House competitions this year, pupils in Year 7, 8 and 9 have had the opportunity to enter a second Inter-House Art competition. Using 5cm by 5cm squares, Year 7 and 8 pupils demonstrated their keen observational skills and quick pace to draw 20 and 30 objects respectively.

Year 9 took on an origami challenge and drew complex paper forms, expertly capturing the light, folds, shadows and dimensions. We also saw entries from staff, including Mr Handley, Ms Revens and Mr J Teague.

Congratulations to the overall winners, team Russells, and to all who entered.

Skylark 2019/20 ~ 25

EVENTS

FRONTIERS PROGRAMME During lockdown, Habs launched its Frontiers Programme for Year 13 pupils.

At its core, the Frontiers Programme is a holistic programme of live online sessions. It aims to give students greater insight into the area of study that they have opted to read at university, to continue to broaden their intellectual horizons and to continue to support their pastoral wellbeing, so that they can maintain the momentum needed to start university informed and on the right track.

The School recognised that the new way of working was challenging for our students – especially for the Year 13 cohort, who would be progressing to study at university in the autumn. As part of the Frontiers Programme, Habs offered over 70 tutorials from staff, over 50 open online courses and over 40 talks from Old Haberdashers. The School’s glittering alumni were on hand to talk about their experiences at university, offering advice and guidance to cover all-things academic, co-curricular and

Frontiers tutorial was one of the most enjoyable experiences of the lockdown period - it was inspiring and energising to be able to talk about my passion to a diverse group of interested young men.”

pastoral. Topics include managing worklife balance, mental health and wellbeing, relationships and more.

What our students say…

Aniket, Year 13: “I’m absolutely loving Frontiers and I think it is one of the best things happening during lockdown.”

Mr Lock, Headmaster: “The Habs Frontiers Programme is designed to provide Year 13 students with the best resources ahead of their undergraduate study. It is vitally important that they are fully equipped before they begin their university courses and these holistic online sessions will give them a plethora of opportunities to continue to learn, develop and grow, not just academically, but also more broadly to support their wellbeing. I am delighted that our students are able to benefit from these excellent sessions.”

Ejaaz, Year 13: “I think the programme has been fantastic so far and the tutorials I have attended have been extremely enjoyable and informative.”

What our staff say…

Mrs Miller-Smith, Teacher of MFL: “How lovely to see the list of old boys willing to give up their time. Speaks volumes of their experiences here.”

Mr Bown, Director of Teaching: “My

F1 IN SCHOOLS REGIONAL FINALS Following a useful workshop at the UCL Mechanical Engineering Department where the F1 in Schools Year 7 Habs boys and Year 8 Habs girls Entry Class teams prepared their miniature racing cars and were given feedback and advice from the UCL staff, the teams then went to the Regional Finals on Wednesday 29 January at Harlow College. They raced their cars, made presentations to the judges and had their engineering portfolios assessed.

This was the teams’ first ever F1 in Schools event, and they picked up a lot of ideas and tips from the older teams on how to progress through to the next stages of the competition.

Congratulations to team Thrust Engineering for gaining the highest score in the Entry Class division and winning the Entry Class Regional Champions Award. Their prize is to be VIP guests at the National Finals at the Bristol Aerospace Museum in April.

They will get a chance to race their car and meet with the professional F1 in Schools teams under the wings of the Concorde.

Thrust Engineering also gained the

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award for Best Engineered Car. This was for making effective use of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Computer Aided Design to develop their car.

Team Vortex picked up the Entry Class: Future Stars Award which means the judges felt they have the most potential when moving into the higherlevel classes.

Very well done to Team Peregrine for getting the Star Quality: Judges Award. I was lucky to be able to watch their confident verbal presentation which really impressed the judges.

The next step for all teams is to re-form in the Summer Term and enter into the Development Class competition in order to gain access to the National Finals and then to form a Professional Class team in order to enter the World Championships. The winning team of the World Championships

will gain scholarships to study Engineering at UCL.

The teams: Thrust Engineering: Isaac, Jack, Krish and Yun Fei Peregrine: Evan, Kai, Seb, Rian, Dan and Ore Vortex: Yuhki, Neerva, Rhys, Zishaan, Thomas, Ishan, Shaahil and Neev Velocity: Thalia, Nicole, Sofia and Alexia

EVENTS

LOWER SIXTH POLITICS DINNER On Thursday 5 December, over 50 boys attended the Politics Dinner at the Girls’ School, with guest speaker Luisa Porritt, a Liberal Democrat MP. After a delicious dinner served by the catering staff, the boys heard the incredible story of how Ms Porritt climbed the political ladder and became a member of the European Parliament in May 2019. She

described her transition from journalist to politician, which she claims is a position ‘no one really ever aims for.’

The boys were inspired by her journey, from choosing a party that aligned with her values to being elected as a local MP and then a member of the European Parliament. An engaging Q&A session followed, where the boys learnt about

the inner workings of Parliament and the history of the Liberal Democrats.

Overall, it was an amazingly informative evening, with great food! Thank you to Mr Clark and the Politics department for organising it, and to the Girls’ School catering staff.

HABS BOYS AND GIRLS REPRESENT THE UK AT HAMBURG In late June 2019, a team of students from Habs Boys and Habs Girls won the Summer National Session 2019 of European Youth Parliament UK in Liverpool. They were invited to represent the United Kingdom in the 91st International Session of the European Youth Parliament. A group of seven Upper Sixth students travelled to Hamburg on Friday 20 September to take part in a busy programme of team building, cultural activities and committee work over the last few days.

Saturday 21 September saw the opportunity for the United Kingdom delegation to introduce themselves to more 300 other delegates from Council of Europe. On Sunday 22 September, the delegates were busy in committees and received talks on the session theme of Remember, Reflect, React. The official opening ceremony for the 91st session of the European Youth Parliament took place on the Monday morning in the St. Katharinen Main Church, where five different speakers talked for two hours about European cooperation and the need for civic engagement from young people in the era of populism.

We look forward to our students continuing to make a positive contribution to the conference through their role in committee work and the forthcoming debates in the General Assembly.

ARTICULATION PRIZE Manav Ponnekanti (L6M2) took part in the ARTiculation Prize regional heats at the MK Gallery in Milton Keynes. After an initial tour of the gallery, the participants all entered the gallery’s Sky Room where Manav competed against six other students from a variety of schools including Lord Wandsworth College and Magdalen College.

Manav was second to present with his talk titled Finding Reality in Rothko. All the presentations were adjudicated by the MK Gallery director, Anthony Spira. Mr Spira concluded the event saying that he was in awe of all speakers and could not himself have achieved such eloquence at a young age.

Mr Spira also specifically praised Manav for his dynamism and personal story adding that the presentation was “strong, moving and fantastic” and lauding his transition from sceptical to terrified (of Rothko’s work).

He praised Manav for bringing in music, something beyond the visual arts, as an analogy. Manav presented with an eloquent passion that certainly kept the audience engaged.

The School is delighted to announce that Manav won these regional heats and has now been invited to compete in the semi-finals to be held at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford on Wednesday 4 March.

Skylark 2019/20 ~ 27

EVENTS

SHREYAS SELECTED FOR ISAAC PHYSICS SENIOR PHYSICS CHALLENGE The School is very excited to announce that Shreyas Shringarpure (L6S2) has been selected to participate in the Isaac Physics Senior Physics Challenge Summer School Competition, run by the University of Cambridge.

Places on this prestigious course, which will run virtually this year, are awarded for commitment and excellence in problem solving, and are limited to some 40 to 50 Year 12 physics students from across the United Kingdom. A talented and diligent physicist and mathematician, with strong problem-solving skills, Shreyas will surely excel as the Summer School takes a deep dive into university-level problems in quantum mechanics.

Congratulations, Shreyas!

VIRTUAL KEITH DAWSON PRIZE ASSEMBLY 2020

Wednesday 17 June marked the fourth Keith Dawson Independent Learning Project Prize-Giving Assembly, albeit virtually. The Dawson Project provides an opportunity for Year 9 boys at Habs to pursue a subject of special interest.

Over a period of five months, pupils research, engage with and delve into a question of their choosing before presenting their project in any format they think suitable.

Haberdashers’ students are rightly known for their intellectual energy.

It is this fact, along with the passion that Habs boys possess to explore new

ideas, concepts and theories and to discuss these with their peers, that is fundamental to the vision of the project.

Population is Increasing; Resources are depleting. Was Thanos Right?

(Geography)

This year’s prize winners reflect the outstanding quality of projects, academic engagement and intellectual accomplishments of our Year 9 students.

It is especially pleasing to see projects in fields not usually considered on the Year 9 curriculum, such as Psychology, Sports Science, Economics and Law. We hope that this spirit of enquiry and the sense of achievement it brings will stay with our pupils for years to come.

Maths/Economics

Keith Dawson Project Prize Winners 2020: Humanities

Rishi Shah (9R2) Can technical analysis help your investment trading?

(Economics)

Sai Mehta (9R1) Mathematical Paradoxes: Friends or Foes? (Maths)

Science Kavin Kandeepan (9S2) Is Synesthesia the ‘Sixth Sense’? (Biology) Sohan Das (9S2) An investigation into the significance of HHV-6 in Catatonia and Mental Health Disorders (Biology)

of Stalingrad become the turning point of World War Two? (History)

James Kaye (9C1) How to best optimise performance in endurance sport through nutrition (Sports Science)

Yonal Perera (9M2) Is a ‘global

Creatives

Slava Bulin (9H1) How did the battle

country’ feasible? (Politics)

Christopher Pigott (9C2) Composing

Aryan Janjale (9C2) How will AI

a Fugue (Music)

affect Religion and Morals? (T&P)

Fraser Hauser (9J1) Is Jazz once again the music of the people? (Music)

Nikhil D Shah (9M2) The World’s

HABS MATHS MASTERCLASS On the morning of Thursday 30 January, three Lower Sixth Further Mathematicians accompanied Mrs Harte to Radlett Preparatory School as part of the Habs Maths Outreach Programme.

Charlie, Akira and Jay, who is a former Radlett Prep Pupil (Class of 2014), spent the morning working with Year 5 students, leading them through activities based on mathematical

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topics the pupils had recently studied.

The pupils were led through various group tasks in a fun and imaginative way developed by Mrs Harte.

Jay commented: “It was a wonderful opportunity returning to my old school and seeing some of my old teachers and friends. I think the Habs Maths Outreach programme is an excellent idea.”

“It was nice to give something back to my old school that I wasn’t lucky enough to be able to experience during my time there. Mrs Harte really does something special for the children and it was so encouraging to see them actively taking part and enjoying every moment of the morning.”

EVENTS

SENIOR MATHEMATICS TEAM CHALLENGE On Wednesday 27 November, a team of four Habs mathematics students took part in the Middlesex regional final of the Senior Mathematics Team Challenge, which is organised by the UK Mathematics Trust and the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme.

The School is pleased to report that the Habs team came first and hence qualified for the national finals of the competition in February.

The Habs team of Josh Kaye (U6R2), Krish Nanavati (L6R1), Daniel Shapiro (L6M1) and Akira Tanase (L6M2) competed in three rounds of mathematical competition including: • a group round, ten problems of varying type and difficulty; • a series of shuttles in which the answer from one question feeds in to the next; • a crossnumber (mathematical crossword).

In the national final, the team came 27th out of 88 teams - 27th overall out of over 1200 teams.

The students got the chance to challenge the best teams from all around the country in a series of maths challenges, including making a poster related to structure in chemistry, various pair and group questions and a final relay round involving a lot of running around.

The competition combines mathematical, communication and teamwork skills, and offers students another way to express and develop their enjoyment of mathematics.

Many thanks must go to Mrs Brock and Mr Haring for their work with the strongest mathematicians at our after-school Maths Club each week, which is growing in popularity, and for accompanying and helping the students prepare for the past few months for the regional and national finals.

RED HAND DAY ASSEMBLY The United Nations estimates that one in six children live in areas of conflict today. That is at least 360 million children living in areas affected by war.

Over 300,000 of these children are child soldiers.

Wednesday 12 February marked International Red Hand Day, a universal day recognised by the United Nations, dedicated to raising awareness and promoting positive social change on the topic of using children as soldiers and for labour.

The sad reality is children are often used to fight in wars. According to international human rights law, no child under the age of 18 can be recruited into the armed forces whether that be by the government or by militias and gangs.

Despite this, the average age for a child to become a solider is 12 years old.

The term ‘child soldier’ encompasses a wide range of roles in which children – boys and girls – are used in military conflict. The responsibilities of a child soldier can include armed combat, being a spy, a cook, a porter, a messenger or ‘wife’. Regardless of the responsibilities, each role has longterm, negative effects on children.

Children are kidnapped from their homes or lured by the false promise of a better life only to find that they have been recruited into a life of forced labour and despair. This often happens in less economically developed countries.

While the physical effects of being a child soldier are varied, the horrors of armed conflict do leave long-lasting psychological effects. Most notably post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and severe personality changes. The principal damage is psychological.

In order to tackle this issue, organisations take a four-pronged approach.

1. Educating and empowering children allowing them to increase their decision-making skills and urging them to promote peace and social unity.

2. Strengthening families and caregivers to be the first line of protection and care for children – establishing a strong support network.

3. Partnering with communities to address the root causes of violence against children. This can include tackling inequality, inadequate social protection, poverty and beliefs that tolerate and spread violence.

4. Reintegration. This is what Third Hope, our school charity does. Third Hope’s aim is to build training centres for people, adults and children that have been freed or escaped from a life where they have been kept as child soldiers.

They provide a home, education and community alongside healing therapies for victims. Third Hope are building a village in Northern Uganda where exchild soldiers can find a place to learn, train, heal and rediscover hope: hope for their future and hope for the restoration of their communities.

But what can we do to help tackle the issue of children being used in warfare?

1. Educate yourself. Visit Third Hope’s website to learn more about the situation.

2. Spread the word. Tell you friends and families that there are children across the globe that are being forced to kill or be killed.

3. Finally, donate to charities and organisations like Third Hope who are on the front lines eradicating this crime and supporting victims. They count on our support to develop infrastructure, provide simple resources such as textbooks and security for their residents.

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ORIGINALS - ART

Lucas Petter (11J2)

Finn McCabe (L6H2) 30 ~ Skylark 2019/20

ORIGINALS - ART

Ori Katz (L6S1)

Shabarish Ketheeswaran (L6J2)

Skylark 2019/20 ~ 31

ORIGINALS - ART

Alex Kesterlian (L6S1)

Isaac Green (L6H1)

32 ~ Skylark 2019/20

Louis Rivett-Carnac (L6S2)

ORIGINALS - ART

Mackenzie Pullen (L6M1)

Thomas Cheng (U6H1)

Mackenzie Pullen (L6M1) & Ram Vekaria (L6S2) Skylark 2019/20 ~ 33

ORIGINALS - ART

Gabriel Mendoza (L6J2)

34 ~ Skylark 2019/20

ORIGINALS - PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION WINNERS

September 2019 - Phalgun Deevanapalli (8R2) & Monty Burta (8R1)

November 2019 - Josh Zinkin (10S2)

October 2019 - Joseph Pressinger (9H1)

Skylark 2019/20 ~ 35

ORIGINALS - PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION WINNERS

December 2019 - Faraz Ahmad (9R2)

January 2020 - David Cai (L6M2) 36 ~ Skylark 2019/20

ORIGINALS - PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION WINNERS

February 2020 - Edward Isaacs (U6C2) March 2020 - Lucas Nieszporek-Richardson (8M1)

May 2020 - James Lucas (8S1)

April 2020 - Mackenzie Pullen (L6M1) Skylark 2019/20 ~ 37

ORIGINALS - PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION WINNERS

June 2020 - Saul Grenfell (7M1)

July 2020 - Adi Soundalgekar (9R1) 38 ~ Skylark 2019/20

ORIGINALS - PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION WINNERS

August 2020 - Lucas Nieszporek-Richardson (8M1)

August 2020 - Joshua Zinkin (10S2) Skylark 2019/20 ~ 39

ORIGINALS - DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

Radheshyam Kawar (11S2) Albert Kwok (11C2)

Alexander Vickers (11R2)

Jamie Gordon (11R1) Ansh Patel (11M1)

Klemmen Maloney (11H1)

Maxim Vassilev (11S1)

Gianpaolo Ruju (11S1)

Oscar Ellis (11H2) 40 ~ Skylark 2019/20

Rohan Patel (11R2)

Nick Bell (11M2)

ORIGINALS - DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

Charlie Evans (11R2) Jake Piler (11C2)

Ben Brownstone (11R1) Alexis Alexandrou (11S2) Paras Shah (11S1)

Sajeev Ravichandran (11M1)

Jamie Broadis (11J1)

George Balint (11J1)

Thanushan Balachanthiran (11R2) Kiran Patel (11J2)

Josh Heimann (11R1)

Jake Piler (11C2)

Joel Berman (11R2)

Sur Agrawal (11H1) Skylark 2019/20 ~ 41

ORIGINALS - LITERATURE

ORIGINALS - LITERATURE Let me be honest with you, I’ve been dreading it all day. I’m new to the school so I don’t know what to expect. The bell rang, at exactly 12:40, and the whole class packed up in a flash and made their way to the queue. The class could be described as a purple blue as we made our way to the Bates, as the whole class dashed towards it with our purple coloured bags swaying on our backs. I followed them, in order to not stand out, as I have the proclivity to do so.

As the new boys, I knew my place and I stood with my arms ironed against my side, to avoid any awkward contact with anyone else. Shortly after my year entered the queue, the older boys arrived. Forcefully, they pushed past every younger child to make their way to the front, leaving a group of angry, powerless, smaller kids behind. We were angry but we accepted it because they were bigger, taller, stronger and moved in packs like a bunch of wolves, so what were a few scrawny Year 8’s going to do?

Well I’ll tell you what we’re going to do!

Nothing...

Finally, after what seemed like forever, we entered the dining hall. Inside wasn’t much better than the queue. It was louder than a concert and about

Cautiously, he stepped out of the warmth of his cottage, away from the comfort and security of the slow burning logs in the hearth, like a mouse meeting a cat, and onto the frostglazed grass, which had once been a lush shade of deep green. The cold bit him and pierced his skin like a knife. His parents had recently left home, to meet a visiting relative.

A few feet in front of him were some old tiles, drained of all colour and cracked from the pressure and weight of the ancient mahogany tree, whose roots were seeping out of the ground. The tree’s upper branches were gnarled and nearly stripped bare. The Sun had begun to slowly walk down the sky, whilst the Moon climbed up. The Winter Sky was painted in many deep hues of orange and red, turning darker by the minute. A selection of lifeless and barren leaves dusted the unused dining table.

Straight ahead of him lay a foreboding fence, blocking off the garden from the outside world. The fence was tipped

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as organised as a riot. Hungry boys dashed around, waiting impatiently for their food and often giving the lunch ladies the most unpleasant time when their plate wasn’t as full as they desired.

I waited for the herd to pass, before carefully picking up my own plate. I then handed it to the dinner lady, who slapped on the portion of food that I asked for, before screaming ‘’move!’’, as I stared, standing as still as a cat right before the pounce. I moved quickly after, in order to not bring too much attention to myself. That would be bad.

I paid for the meal and was left with the hardest decision.

Where do I sit?

I stood in the middle of the dining hall, scanning the area but trying hard not to make eye contact with anyone, as I often had the tendency to stare at others and make things awkward. So I scanned the dining hall by looking down at the floor, using my peripheral vision to find myself a seat. Eventually, I had to move because of the piercing eyes of other students, and as if one they all looked my way. I moved quickly but slow enough to continue to scan, until I found the most ideal seat.

with sharp metal prongs and no door, preventing no-one through the back. His parents were very firm on their position: Don’t go over the fence. This was his chance to slip away and discover what was on the other side. How bad could it be? No one would notice.

In the distance, further than the fence could prevent him seeing, street lamps flickered on, guiding motorists through the daunting night. The sky had turned pure black now, stars were unevenly distributed amongst the night sky, like sugar sprinkled across a dark abyss.

He looked back at his house. It was miserable alone. He spotted his worn out boots on the side of the door. Was this a sign, he thought? He slid his numb feet into the shoes, undoing and redoing the muddy laces.

He ran to the pantry, found the dirty, unused ladder, and with it ran to the edge of the fence. The ladder was printed with paint marks, which had come about when their house was painted, years ago.

I dropped myself into the hard, brown, wooden chair that cradled the remains of somebody’s dry pasta. I tucked my chair in, after clearing the mess, while my fingers slowly pressed into the fresh, moist chewing gum that stuck to the bottom of it. I powered through the sloppy food, discretely covering my nose from the lingering smell of my spaghetti. I was on a table with the quiet, the weird and the awkward.

Get me out of here!

Feeling like I just risked my health, I lifted my final spoonful of food into my mouth.

As I hastily made my way towards the exit, I clumsily dropped my plate and its descent felt as it was happening in slow motion but its crash filled the whole dining hall with its noise. Once again, as if one face they all stared at me and the loud noise decreased momentarily, to the point where you could hear the slightest breath. I fled in embarrassment and my quick footsteps were accompanied by a burst of laughter.

Lunch? In the Bates?

Never again.

JACOB HAYNES (11M1)

Lined up against the two-metre-high fence, painstakingly, and with the utmost care, he managed to climb over the fence, avoiding the spikes, something he had aspired to do for a long time.

Finally, meticulously, with much anticipation, he slid down the fence, since the ladder was on the other side.

Slowly turning around, apprehensive knowing he couldn’t turn back, not at this stage. Within seconds, his face lit up, quite literally, and after processing and examining what was before him, he beamed, and his adrenaline kicked in, and he broke into a sprint. He was sprinting fast into the distance, eye-set on a location, into the clear terrestrial night.

DHILAN MEHTA’S (9S1)

ORIGINALS - LITERATURE

MACBETH POEM Fair is foul and foul is fair,

beginning,

their homeland,

An intriguing prophecy the witches would share,

Banquo starts to be suspicious of Macbeth,

As they march their army begins to expand,

All hail Macbeth, Thane of Glamis!

And blames him for Duncan’s death,

The people of Scotland had put down their arms,

Macbeth realised he would have to kill his friend,

Macbeth sent for the murder of Macduff’s child and wife,

All hail Macbeth, Thane of Cawdor!

So sent three murderers to help him meet his end,

Scotland had fallen back into order, All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!

Macbeth’s future actions would fill no one with laughter, Banquo’s descendants will sit on the throne, The truthfulness of the witches’ words was unknown, Then came riding in one of Duncan’s thanes, He told news that confused everyone’s brains, The Thane of Cawdor was found to be a traitor, Macbeth was awarded his title not much later,

Fleance, Banquo’s son, had fled,

The murderers were skilled so killed them with ease,

While his father lay on the floor surrounded by red,

When the news came to Macduff he was brought to his knees,

Macbeth has a banquet to celebrate his crown,

Lady Macbeth felt guilt and would start to shake,

But when he heard about Fleance his mood went down,

And one day her own life she would take,

He turned and saw the Ghost of Banquo sitting on his throne,

Young Siward attempts to slay the tyrant,

No one else saw it; it was a vision of his own,

But was savagely killed in a way so violent,

Lady Macbeth rushed everyone away, claiming his majesty was ill,

Macduff went in to finish the deed,

This supernatural episode had made Macbeth regret his kill,

Macbeth wrote a letter to his dear wife,

Macbeth goes to see Hecate, the head witch,

To tell her about the amazing change that happened to his life,

To see if she could change his fate and make a switch,

When she read the letter her brain began to tick,

She tells him, “No man of woman born shall harm Macbeth”,

She plotted to commit a deed so sick,

This filled him with confidence, as he believed he had cheated death,

Murder Duncan in his bed while he sleeps, And get the guards so drunk they are left in heaps, Macbeth was hesitant to send Duncan to hell, But lady Macbeth convinced him by ringing the bell, Macbeth was soon crowned king, But the events of the play were just

But Macduff’s son would not easily give up his life,

Macduff meets with Malcolm, Duncan’s son,

He exposed Macbeth’s weakness and made him bleed, This is due to Macduff being from his mother’s womb untimely ripped, Macbeth’s severed head Macduff tightly gripped, After this victory Malcolm was soon crowned king, This would bring this tragic story to its ending.

BEN WEINSTEIN (10C1)

To discuss the issue of Macbeth and what must be done, They decide to march to Scotland and set their country right, There would be no peace; there would be a large fight, Macduff and Malcolm march towards

YEAR 7 ILLUMINATED POEMS Mr Dunne asked his Year 7 English class to take one of their own poems and transform it into an ‘illuminated’ or ‘kinetic’ poem.

This is a digital art form that uses moving type and typographical design.

Here is a wonderful entry from Laksh Patel (7M) who reflects on what he has been grateful for during the challenging recent months.

Counting My Blessings by Laksh Patel Thank you for giving me the space and time to be still and know peace

Thank you for making me face this strange world and overcome my fears

Thank you for helping me see that this life is one of luxury

Thank you for bringing us all together although we are apart

Thank you for showing me the joys of spring the colours and the scents

Thank you for helping me count the ways that you and I are blessed Thank you

Skylark 2019/20 ~ 43

ORIGINALS - LITERATURE

NINE HABS BOYS IN TOP 3.7% OF ‘500 WORDS’ COMPETITION ENTRIES BBC Radio 2 and Oxford Dictionaries for Children have once again teamed up for ‘500 Words’ – the nationwide competition to find the most talented young writers in the UK. Nine Habs pupils entered the competition and were among 135,000 young writers across the country hoping to get through to the second round.

The School is delighted to announce that, following the judging process, Aarav, Connor and Ish (all Year 3), Aiden, Bartholomew, Saish and Shaurya (all Year 4), Jacob (Year 6), and Ray (Year 8) have just been informed that their ‘500 Words’ pieces have been shortlisted and that they are now in Round 2 of the competition. Only 5,000 write-ups were shortlisted for Round 2 from the 135,000 entries in total, which means that these nine boys are in the top 3.7% nationally!

The School would like to congratulate the pupils on this fantastic achievement.

500 Words 2020 by Ray Makori (8M1) They accumulated above us in great numbers uniformed in their own eminence. For man fears most, what he's created with the abusing of his power and negligence of the consequences all bundled up in this shield of blissfulness in which echo's ‘’ inevitability is not a fear it’s a deadline’’ This message has been wired into to the brains of humanity since the stone age affecting much more than a consensus.

But with a twist. One that will result in unconceptualizable fatalities (as an estimate 7 billion.) But this is not due to an epidemic, an omnipotent force beyond our control. But really the consequences of the lack of foresight for decades, irrational belief in higher powers doing something about it and the most calamitous of them all procrastination. This one word may be the downfall in humanity imminently. The worlds phone is on low battery, yet we as a global population have left it till 1%.

And if we don’t find the correct charger soon the phone will die.

Yet unlike a phone our world cannot be brought back. And neither can we. Life is a priceless gift, yet we have not just thrown one life away we are throwing away the continuity of the human race.

Our legacy as the most superior form of existence merely drowned in the floods caused by the rising sea level as the polar caps have completely melted.

People turning are turning spiritual.

Looking to existential beings to save

YEAR 8 ENGLISH REMOTELY PERFORM SCENES FROM ‘THE TEMPEST’ The English department believed that the best way to appreciate Shakespeare is to get up and do it! Boys in Mrs MorrisWolffe’s Year 8 English group have been studying ‘The Tempest’ and were determined to act out some scenes from the play through remote learning.

They have been rehearsing the very funny scene where Prospero lures the clowns, Trinculo, Stephano and Caliban, with some ‘trumpery’ (gaudy clothes

44 ~ Skylark 2019/20

and accessories) and then sets his spirit dogs on them as a punishment for plotting to kill him.

Well done to all the mums, dads, brothers and sisters who got involved, taking on the roles of the clowns and dressing up in some fabulous and outrageous clothes, hats and wigs! Also to the cats and dogs who played, some rather reluctantly we are told, the spirit dogs.

their creations from dying out. Have the mercy to forgive us for sacrificing the greatest gift our consciences could ever conceptualise for petty tradeable’s and this desire for every human to not reach eternal happiness but adversely achieve a social status. Be considered a modernday aristocrat. Well let's not forget without the gift of life nothing would exist to us. We have been engulfed in this ideology the superiority is happiness but as the human race learnt to late true happiness is to be grateful for the gift of life.

It began to rain liquidised CO2 emissions.

This would be the last rainfall of any kind humanity would see. But not for the whole world. Australia ended the race early. The last of their atmosphere had been brought to wherever the human race would shortly be joining. Meaning they sizzled under the boiling hand of the sun.

Ironically, the sun radiating was why life flourished, yet the sun burning was the end of the world. Europe, America, Russia and Asia battled clung with a tenacious fist onto the last of life yet was sunken.

This possibly the most guilt-ridden reminder of the sheer puerile approach we had to an issue of such paramount importance and required sagaciousness of those that led the industrial revolution the beginning of this all.

I say bye to the reader of this. Here I sit at the top of Mount Everest a symbol paramountcy and fortitude. Soon to be brought down in great defeat.

ORIGINALS - LITERATURE

SHAKESPEARE OFF BY HEART COMPETITION As part of the Shakespeare Off By Heart Competition organised by the English department staff, pupils in Year 7 were asked to create films of themselves performing one of Shakespeare’s speeches. This would usually be a live event, however, due to the current situation, the criteria was expanded to include not only their performance skills but also their film-making abilities.

The results were genuinely joyous the sheer endeavour and creativity of the boys, along with their talents and willingness to not play it safe, was wonderful to see!

Skylark 2019/20 ~ 45

FEATURES UGANDA SABBATICAL In June 2019, Mrs Pollock went on sabbatical to visit our two School charities in Uganda: Green Pastures, a secondary school in Mbale, Eastern Uganda and Third Hope, a rehabilitation centre in the north of Uganda which takes care of former child soldiers who were forcibly abducted into rebel armies.

Described as ‘The Pearl of Africa’, I was eagerly looking forward to my third visit to Uganda. The warmth in every sense is enveloping, from the welcoming tightly-knit communities to the warmth of the sun and red earth, the cheerful night sounds of the crickets and the vividness of the stars which look so strikingly close.

It is a beautiful fertile country. It is also a young country where over half the population of Uganda is under 16 but currently only approximately 15% finish secondary education. Uganda’s government is taking every measure to ensure that many more children access education but it is not an easy process. Since the cessation of civil wars, the economy of the country is hugely improving but as in many countries there is still a significant level of poverty. Many buses and taxis bear slogans of what every young person knows and dreams: ‘Education empowers, Education Liberates.’

Green Pastures Secondary School is a small school of 200 students set on the edge of one of the worst slum districts in Uganda of 90 000 war refugees from all over sub-Saharan Africa. The school was set up, as is common in Africa, by the local community. Habs Charity Committee has been raising funds to support 65 orphans who attend the school from the local community.

46 ~ Skylark 2019/20

Having been in email correspondence for a few years with the Headmaster, I was eagerly anticipating our first meeting. The Headmaster collected me in his car from my guest house on my first morning. It was the rainy season and heavier than usual rainfall caused havoc on mud roads. We skirted the slum of Namatale, skidded and slid down thick mud tracks just about managing not to slide into the swamp and turned into the school grounds, past the armed security guard behind a very rough concrete wall and barbed wire. 200 girls and boys were waiting patiently with their teachers in the main school hall, seated on wooden plank benches. I was thrilled to speak at this assembly, to read out many of the messages sent by Habs students and to hand over a full team set of Arsenal football kit, kindly donated by Arsenal through contacts with our Games department. You can imagine the excitement from boys and girls whose passion is football.

Green Pastures School is regarded as an excellent school locally. It is a permanent structure built of concrete with glass windows to keep out the rain. The pupils work exceptionally hard and proudly showed me round their school: • School lunch of beans and posho (maize porridge) was being prepared in two large cooking pots over an open fire as the kitchen ovens had broken. Since my visit, the Charity Committee has raised funds to provide new stoves for the kitchen.

• Dormitories, some with three-tier bunk beds. No one owns a car and therefore the majority of secondary school pupils need to stay at schools which are often beyond walking distance. Dormitories also provide accommodation for the orphans.

• Classrooms with specialist teachers but only a very rough blackboard and few text books. Some pupils had exercise books to write in. Not all.

FEATURES

a war orphan herself. I sat in on a health care programme on women’s health and an AA programme specifically for alcoholic prostitutes.

Northern Uganda: Third Hope After my week at Green Pastures we travelled 9 hours north, deep into bush country close to the borders of South Sudan and DR Congo. Whilst this is much more fertile, lush territory it is a recent post-conflict zone scarred by the civil wars of rebel armies.

I was very warmly welcomed and entertained by dances and songs from the girls and drumming displays from the boys.

Congratulations Green Pastures Senior 4 class (GCSE equivalent) We have been delighted to hear that the senior students were able to take national exams in December and did so well that the school was placed at number 10 in the Mbale District league tables. This is tremendously good news for the school. They held an open day style celebration with dignitaries from the local cozmmunity. Prizes of mattresses (for those hard bunk beds) were awarded to the top students as the Headmaster said to ‘motivate the younger ones.’

The Charity Committee is now raising funds to build a new dormitory block to enable even more students to attend this wonderful school.

Namatala Slum

During my week at Green Pastures I spent time talking to the pupils, observing lessons and, as requested by the Headmaster, I ran a workshop with the senior teachers on school development plans and team-building skills. I was very sorry indeed to hear during this session that the school had lost its other sponsor and was struggling to keep going. The seminar took a very interesting turn as the senior teachers were particularly interested in hearing ideas on how to promote their school to secure financial sustainability.

What began as a 2-hour seminar turned into a 4-hour Q&A session. They were keen on the concept of an open day and we had a stimulating discussion on how that might be managed and tailored to the local context.

Before we left Mbale to travel north, I spent a day with Ugandan social workers visiting the slum district where some of the pupils come from. For the first time I came face to face with severely malnourished children: a 4 year old lying on a pillow hardly able to breathe looked no more than 18 months old, his helper

It was here that only few years ago, according to the UN, the worst humanitarian disaster on the planet was taking place. Over 30 000 children as young as 5 were abducted by the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army). Over a period of 20 years, children were kidnapped from their villages at night, often mutilated, made to do the most brutal atrocities such as murder their parents and burn their huts so that they had nowhere to run back to; drugged, beaten tortured, they were forced to live lives of unimaginable horror and become those brutal rebel soldiers themselves: girls and boys.

Third Hope Rehabilitation Centre Third Hope Rehabilitation Centre was started by Mrs McIntyre who used to teach English and Drama at Habs. Her PhD research into the use of drama in trauma counselling took her to this area of northern Uganda. She bought 22 acres of land in the heart of where the abductions had taken place and under the leadership of a local Ugandan team built and established a typical village grass-roofed home, offering skills training in agriculture, carpentry and tailoring, arts and sports therapy and trauma counselling for child soldiers who managed to escape the rebel armies.

Many have returned but are deeply traumatised, often unable to speak of the atrocities they have endured.

Skylark 2019/20 ~ 47

FEATURES

Life in a Rural Village We were met at the Third Hope Centre by the Ugandan team who showed us to our rooms. Peering through the mercifully cool gloom, I noticed the smooth cow-pat floors and walls, homemade timberframed beds draped in mosquito nets which would also catch anything falling from the grass roof at night. Mrs McIntyre explained the daily routines: • one flask of hot water per day to wash • all water to be collected in yellow jerry cans from the local bore hole daily pushing a wheelbarrow • wellington boots to be worn at all times outside as protection against snakes: mambas and pythons were in plentiful supply • nothing to be wasted - everything was put to excellent use from feeding pineapple peelings to the donkeys to watering trees with tea slops English Classes My role for my three-week stay was to start English lessons for the 30 trainees (former child soldiers) currently doing the rehabilitation programme. I couldn’t wait to meet my class as I looked around the classroom: wooden planks on petrol drums for seats, a rush mat on the floor for the young women nursing babies and managing toddlers.

My new students started to come in and I couldn’t help feeling suddenly rather nervous as I realised that some of these young people had had very significant roles in the LRA, their stories deeply and obviously etched into their features and bearing. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Working through a translator, a war-orphan himself, I asked my new students what they wanted to learn in the next three weeks. Going around the room the verdict was unanimous: ‘Everything… teach us everything.’ English is the official language of Uganda but these young soldiers were beaten if they spoke any English during their time in captivity. Many of them had had no schooling whatsoever.

Nerves fled as we began with basic greetings and introductions: ‘Hello.. how are you? My name is… ’; shopping: ‘May I have some soap/potatoes/razors please’ and what I wasn’t expecting, ‘air-time’ for a rare and shared mobile phone; we moved on to tentative roleplay and action songs. I’d like to say it was all fun and games. But it wasn’t.

Whilst the majority keenly participated, some were understandably anxious, reticent, silent but content to observe.

The second week in, I handed out paper and pencils for anyone who wanted to copy words from my flip chart.

Kneeling on the floor to lean on their benches, I could see many who couldn’t write but were desperate to try. I traced out their name in dots on the paper.

The sense of achievement at having written their name was something I will never forget.

Living and Dealing with Trauma ‘I just don’t know what to do with all their anger and pain,’ one of the Ugandan team leaders said to me following the monthly counselling session. Everyone in this community has a story to tell: every team member has had close family members or friends who have been abducted, killed or committed suicide; every trainee who has perpetrated these crimes cannot speak of or admit to what they have done. There is just a collective unspoken understanding of what they have all been through but it is not until stories are told and pain voiced that any real healing process fully begins. Many are just beginning to open up about the abandonment they experienced and the crippling sense of injustice they feel at losing their childhood. This healing will surely be a long-term process. However, as they are learning from the process of planting trees on the farm, patient perseverance is the key to all lasting recovery.

Sports and games afternoons always follow these counselling sessions. It is important to end counselling days in a relaxed way: football is always a popular choice for both men and women. The sounds of fun and laughter, team games and rounding up my last afternoon with a vigorous and hilarious rendition of ‘head, shoulders, knees and toes’ was a wonderful note to end on. What a privilege it had been to spend time getting to know these young people. A local teacher spent this sports afternoon with us. His observation was so encouraging for the team: ‘These young people who come back from captivity depressed and silent are beginning to get life back in them.’

Perhaps the most sobering moment of my visit was seeing the worn, handwritten sign-up list for another 150 former child soldiers who live within walking distance of Third Hope and who would love to do the programme.

Two of the columns were headed: ‘Age Abducted, Age Returned.’

It was a tremendous yet salutary experience for me to live alongside these young people for a short time and to see how we can help the local communities to support these young lives. Heart-felt thanks to Rev Brandon, the Charity Committee and to everyone who has so willingly donated to these causes. Every penny from our mufti days and charity fund-raising events goes towards supporting these young people.

I want to conclude with the words of the Ugandan project manager: ‘We thank each one of you for thinking of a people you have never seen but choosing to help us walk through our troubles to a place of hope.’

For further information please visit: Thirdhope.org

MRS K POLLOCK 48 ~ Skylark 2019/20

FEATURES

INTERVIEWING MR AND MRS SWALLOW: A LIFE AT HABS Ahead of Mr and Mrs Swallow’s retirement, Skylark interviewed them on their time at Habs. Both gave some delightful, charismatic responses.

They will be missed both in the MFL department and within the wider school community, and we wish them both a very happy retirement.

Mrs Swallow’s answers How did you meet?

We were fellow students on the Cambridge PGCE course, then we, independently, got our first jobs in North Yorkshire. That was when we discovered we had lived our childhood as close neighbours, on either side of the Pennines, and knew lots of the same places.

Visiting our respective families over the years has therefore always been very easy, but having 2 Christmas meals on the one day is something I really cannot recommend, however attractive it might sound!

What has changed the most during your time at HABS? Very little, apart from the fantastic new buildings.

The boys are still energetic, talented and fun.

What has changed most is us!! We came here as young teachers and were prepared to give it three years before returning to our beloved north.

After three years John was made Housemaster of Joblings, and we moved house, so we thought we would give it a bit longer.

Habs has been a big part of our family’s life; our two daughters were at the Girls’ School and our son Robert is class of 2016. They enjoyed their studies and gained such a lot from their cocurricular interests, for all of which I say a big “thank you” to our colleagues.

What year has been the most memorable at HABS?

What is your favourite memory of HABS?

I have never known anything like what is happening at the moment with the Covid 19 lock down.

There are many memories. We have met such great colleagues and the pupils are so energetic. I know, every day when we’re driving in, that someone will say something amazing, either bring up a grammar point, or a vocab question, or just say something very funny.

I must say that being asked to do a reading at last year’s Carol Service was a huge honour and a real highlight of my time at HABS, even though I was very nervous about ruining the whole event and everyone’s hard work!

Specifics, though: we used to have a lot to do with the School plays, including the Staff play, John doing lighting and I used to do costumes with Miss Bird. I contributed to plays for many years, and it was always fun to be a part of such a huge project.

I remember doing a workshop at the National Theatre and hiring costumes from the RSC at Stratford.

Being in the MFL department means I have done lots of trips and exchanges.

We have been to many beautiful places in France, Germany, Spain, even the US one year; it is always fun to help broaden pupils’ horizons and hear their reactions and their funny stories of these new experiences. I shall never forget the first time we took a French exchange to the Vosges and one 6th former was attempting cross country skiing in a full length overcoat. Of course, the many visits to schools abroad means we have made lots of great friends among our partner school colleagues too.

If you hadn’t become teachers what would you have done instead?

At the time I would still have used my languages, as I absolutely love my subject and simply could not live without it. As I had shorthand qualifications I was thinking of some sort of EU or translation work.

Now I would like to think that I would have gone into professional costume making as I have stitched since about the age of 7. I am still going to apply to Angels for a work experience placement and am hoping my colleague Mrs Nash will be able to help me out there. I would love to have worked on a period costume drama, such as Downton, or the Elizabeth films.

What are your plans for retirement?

We are hoping to be able to support our children, just be around a lot more to spend time with them. Our eldest daughter lives in Bristol, and that is a lovely city and area I would like to

explore more. We enjoy being in Norfolk and am looking forward to lots of beach walks and having friends to stay. When I’m not gardening or swimming or sewing I’ll be reading. We would like to pick up hobbies we have let lapse, canal boating and going to the opera, for example. There has been talk of taking a camper van round the remoter parts of Scotland.

A long term plan was to visit family in Australia and friends in NZ, so as soon as is practicable, we will be off there.

We’d also like to head west to see friends in Chicago.

Are there any changes you would like to make to the school before you leave?

What could be more beautiful than the wonderful grounds we enjoy every day?

I’m looking forward to being invited back to see the completed Minerva project. I think the pupils will greatly enjoy that new building.

What do you hope your legacy is?

I have really enjoyed teaching my subject, from Year 6 Prep through to A Level. The Habs classroom is certainly an energetic environment and I have really enjoyed the sense of humour which comes across. I hope my many shortcuts to tricky grammar rules endure in the minds of my pupils and I hope they continue to be inquisitive and enthusiastic in their approach to the importance of language learning and their respect of other cultures.

My work with the university applications has allowed me to work with whole year groups, and many more colleagues across all subjects. I have been really pleased to see the boys follow their path and go on to enjoy their studies and career. John and I enjoy our association with the Foundation and OH reunions are always really warm occasions.

Skylark 2019/20 ~ 49

FEATURES

It was very exciting; there would have been a big bang if we’d hit the wall.

I’ve always enjoyed taking junior boys on Language Exchanges, though it’s the problems we had that stick in the mind, the coach breaking down in the mountains, the bomb scare evacuation of Basel airport, every year a lost mobile phone on a ride in the Europa-Park.

Possibly I’m proudest of singing in the choir at a Barbican Gala Concert together with our three children who were all pupils here at the time.

Are there any colleagues you will particularly miss once you retire?

I will miss everyone, in MFL, the Careers and University Applications Office, the whole staff; I shall miss coming here to be with all the fun people who make up this super team. There is so much expertise here; how will I cope without recommended reading lists, crossword help, not to mention IT advice!

But I shan’t miss Mr Swallow; I’m taking him with me.

What has changed the most during your time at HABS? We’ve seen a few new buildings in our time, and the number of female staff members has multiplied; Janet was one of six female teachers in 1985. When we started the Mod Languages Dept had one BBC B computer that lived in a cupboard, whereas now we spend more time working on computers than away from them, never more so than now of course given the necessity of remote learning.

What won’t you miss about HABS? I think we spend too much time in front of a screen. I will not miss the “If you go to…”, “if you click on..” conversations I hear all the time in the corridor.

I will not miss the journey in every day, particularly those dark and frosty January mornings!

Mr Swallow’s answers How did you meet?

We met on the teacher training course at Cambridge. Janet always wore a smart blazer and carried a wicker basket, and usually arrived late for the seminars.

I was one of six Johns on the course, so Janet was never quite sure which John I was. My big chance to make an impression was when she dramatically fell off her bike in front of the Dept of Education, stepping onto the kerb but missing it. I made to help her up but one of the lecturers got in first.

What is your favourite memory of HABS? So many memories, we’ve been teaching at Habs for 35 years! I used to be in charge of stage lighting for all the school plays and we once had to create the impression of the deck of a ship in a storm for the start of ‘The Tempest’, which involved swinging a bar laden with stage lights to and fro in close proximity to the back wall of the stage.

50 ~ Skylark 2019/20

What year has been the most memorable at HABS? We came to Habs in 1985; that summer we got married, moved house and changed jobs, three stressful events that one is not supposed to combine, so that was pretty memorable. 1990 saw the 300th anniversary of the Schools’ foundation; there was a gala concert given by the Elstree and Hatcham Schools at the Royal Festival Hall and I was excited to be involved on stage.

That was a truly memorable event.

If you hadn’t become teachers what would you have done instead?

I would have found work in some capacity in the travel industry, where I could use my languages. I enjoy travelling and having a varied programme of work, I wouldn’t have wanted to be tied to a desk.

What are your plans for retirement?

We have friends and family in Australia and New Zealand; we will have the time to plan an extended visit there. We will also see more of our own children, two of whom are teachers. They will be tied down in term time, but we won’t!

And I fancy volunteering for the North Norfolk steam railway; I might yet get to be a train driver.

Are there any changes you would like to make to the school before you leave?

I am not enjoying the ‘new normal’ of remote teaching, so the change I do want to see before I retire is a resumption of real schooling in some form or other, teaching real pupils in a real classroom. The school is about to embark on a lot of change with a relatively new Headmaster overseeing new building and a new sixth form curriculum. Schools should develop over time, but I hope we can preserve our traditional values while we embrace change.

What do you hope your legacy is?

The boys probably think I’m quaintly old-fashioned, but I hope they also think I’m an encouraging presence, supporting them in their achievements and giving them space to develop as individuals.

And I hope they think my sense of humour as is as keen as I think it is.

Are there any colleagues you will particularly miss once you retire?

Yes, but it would be invidious to name individuals here. I will miss all those colleagues I have worked closely with as a Housemaster, language teacher, hockey coach, UCAS adviser and I hope to see my friends on the staff still if they aren’t too busy working. I intend to stay in contact with the School, it’s been a big part of our lives and of our children’s lives.

What won’t you miss about HABS? I won’t miss the commute. We’ve lived in the same house for 32 years and the journey to work is getting a bit boring; at least there is some unpredictability guessing where the hold-ups will happen. And I won’t miss the marking load. Older students’ essays, when they offer and justify opinions, can be quite interesting to mark, but I do get frustrated with the repetition of changing the first letter of a noun to a capital letter and swapping over the Perfect Tense auxiliary.

SOHAM KANABAR (L6J1) NIRVAN MARATHE (L6C2)

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HABS RESPONDING TO THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT Towards the end of the academic year, the world was engulfed in outrage, by the killing of a black man by white police officers in the United States of America. Habs responded by examining their own policies and the experiences of their own students, as well as increasing discussion on the topic. Skylark conducted an interview with Mr Lock on the School’s response to the Black Lives Matter movement.

On 25 May, George Floyd was killed by white police in Minneapolis.

What was your gut response?

My gut response was one of horror, and great sadness that this is a story that has been replayed, particularly in America. If we go back to the killing of Martin Luther King, if we go back to the killing of Rodney King, if we go back to that culture of lynching and slavery this is a story that has been repeated. I was desperately sad and angry that the change that has been promised by every generation has not come.

I didn’t immediately think of its impact in the UK and, if I’m honest, I guess what I have learnt in the past few weeks is that the greatest privilege of being white and middle class is to believe that there isn’t a problem here. And it’s a great privilege to be able to walk around thinking there isn’t a problem. From all I had heard people say, from having Tamilore as School Captain, from having Black History Month and from having a very diverse community, I believed, as many of us believed, that actually we were on the other side of the fence to the situation in Minneapolis. The challenge now has been to question how far that is true, and the challenge is to make sure that it is true – to ensure that this is a school for everyone.

This was not the first instance a black man has been killed unjustly, but acted as a trigger for huge amounts of frustration and anger to spread across the world. How has the school tackled discrimination until now?

The School has always been clear that we have a zero-tolerance policy toward racism. When incidents of racism have been reported, they have been dealt with severely. I know that I have spoken each September to the Junior School to lay out my expectations, which have been an absolute zero-tolerance approach to racism and discrimination.

Our staff code of conduct is absolutely clear about the importance of valuing every child regardless of race or any other characteristics. Likewise, we regard ourselves absolutely as an equal opportunities employer. I hope there are lots of things at School that celebrate the diversity of our community. I understand why Habs and schools

like Habs have been challenged to reconsider what they do, and we’re taking it very seriously. We’re feeling it very acutely, and I’ve found the process painful because this is something I had believed we were good at. It was hard to feel that perception being broken and having to start over again. Habs has a very diverse community; there is genuine representation of different faiths and backgrounds - and we celebrate that diversity.

What issues of racism do we need to tackle?

There are four main issues we need to explore in the School. I’ve spent a lot of time listening to black pupils and black old boys, and it has been painful and illuminating to hear their thoughts.

One is diversity among staff: our staff body looks different to our pupil body.

I will firmly defend that we have always appointed the best person for the job, but we need to do more to ensure the field of candidates applying to us is more diverse. Secondly, diversity of the curriculum. How do we make the community more representative of our pupil body, and prepare students for a global world? The third challenge is microaggressions - the culture on the corridors. How do we change that culture? Not only found in Habs, but I think Habs boys regard themselves as being quick witted, they like impressing each other, and often speak before they think. That is a big challenge because we need to recondition our conversations. The fourth one is about what I call our listening ears. How did we, the staff, fail to hear what was happening in the corridors. I met every Friday morning with Tamilore last academic year and Zamaan this year how do we enable better mechanisms that help us hear from the students what is happening out there?

So that is the problem at Habs and I think it’s similar in other schools. In society, it is enormous. It’s in education, it’s economic, it’s ingrained prejudice, it’s cultural. In this country, at least, we’re in a better place than we were twenty years ago, but it’s far too slow.

The School has worked with former and current students. How has this shaped its response?

We’ve listened really carefully, and we’ve tried to get a real sense of their experiences. We have to strike a balance now, between acting and not rushing. It’s very important that if unconscious bias is a part of the problem, we don’t get a group of middle-aged white men to come up with all the solutions. So we’re currently doing a lot of listening. We are also in the process of engaging external professional support to work with us, who will be someone BAME to come in and help us work through those findings.

It’s very important that we have some independent views and guidance.

I’ve been delighted with the way staff and students have responded in the past few weeks. We’ve seen a surge of assemblies and people taking action to change things. My job is to build something that will deliver lasting cultural change over the next decade.

I need to take a bit longer to create systems and cultures that will deliver this lasting change. The danger is that we talk about things now, but by September we’ve forgotten. It’s important that we don’t just go back to how things were.

How will the curriculum change?

What we need to do is look at subjects like History, English Literature, Art, Music and challenge ourselves: how much of what we’re teaching reflects the diversity of our pupils? I think the response is about embedding it into what we teach. We look for role-models in the curriculum, and we need to think how we can build that naturally.

How do you think the School can build pupil participation into this process?

We need to reconsider how we do student voice around this particular issue. I think the Student Council has been amazing, particularly around environmental issues. They have brought about real change and driven the agenda forward, which is great. We need to think about how student representation can help with this issue, but I don’t think it is necessarily a question of telling the Student Council to focus on it a bit more. I know that they’re already very concerned and keen to be engaged, and I suspect we will form some kind of longstanding working party that is looking specifically at this issue.

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Jamar Iferenta, a student in the Lower Sixth, has been one of the key people running assemblies on racism and diversity in the School. He also spoke to the Editor about what he believes needs to be done from now.

I believe change starts from the top: fundamental changes have to be made considering how the School addresses race concerning bias, representation, and more generally. So far a massive step has been taken in understanding and addressing this issue. There needs to be an environment where it’s not acceptable to treat people differently, or worse, because of their race. We need an environment where it’s the norm for any form or suggestion of racist comments to be called out and dealt with severely.

We need to focus on educating the younger years so that the problem does not perpetuate as they get older.

Also, we appreciate what the School has done so far, for example teachers listening to us and trying to establish the experiences of racism for both past and present black students. We are also thankful to Mr Lock, Mr Amlot, and other teachers who have taken, and are taking, an active role, and have shown that they are willing to start open conversations and make changes.

In the short term, we also need to change behaviours, the way we speak to each other and the way teachers respond when they encounter any form of racism in the School. We need to make sure teachers don’t feel uncomfortable calling out racism.

In the long term, I think we need to make real, tangible changes and improvements such employing black teachers to act as a role models to black students. A more diverse governing body also brings more connected thinking to ensure that all students are catered for. I’d also like to see mentors supporting students at school. Reforms in the curriculum are also necessary - understanding and knowledge are key to giving people a better understanding of black history. In this regard, I’m hoping this would help dispel myths about black people. I also think that we need to recognise more of the things black people have done, and still do. The School needs to take a firm stance against all forms of racism, both covert and overt, to ensure it neither continues or is encouraged.

Another way this can be done is by encouraging discussions on race between pupils and staff, who are sometimes uncomfortable to approach the topic. I also think that this is an issue that requires every single individual’s engagement - every student needs to feel impacted by it and take an active role in achieving change. By doing that, we’ll achieve a positive environment that enables everyone to thrive. Now that people are listening, it’s time to speak up and make permanent changes that have a long-term impact that will outlast all of us.

This is just the start. We still need to do more and come together to eradicate any form of racism from the School.

SEIYA TANASE (L6S2)

SWITCH FOR A DAY (LESSON SWAP) As part of the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Schools’ new joint strategy there is a larger focus on enhancing co-curricular programmes and collaborative activities.

So, in spirit of this, in the Autumn term four Lower Sixth students from the Girls’ School and four Lower Sixth students from the Boys’ School participated in a ‘school swap for a day’. The aim of this day was to experience what school life was like in each School and how this differed, and if there were any similarities. We wanted to immerse ourselves in the other School to fully experience the different teaching styles, interactions between students and teachers and the overall environment of the Schools. It is safe to say the experience was enjoyable and enlightening for all of us. Below are accounts from some of the students that took part in the School swap and their review of the day.

Daniel’s account (switched with Ilana) I arrived at the Girls’ School on a rainy Tuesday morning and was greeted by a cheerful receptionist before heading to my first lesson, Economics. As I walked into the classroom I was greeted by many friendly faces. The lesson was collaborative and we discussed the problems together as a group if we came 52 ~ Skylark 2019/20

across a particularly hard question. The lessons were very lively, with a sociable relationship between the teacher and all of the students, meaning that nobody was left out of the class discussions.

There is a much more relaxed feel than at the Boys’ School which has more independent learning during lessons.

During morning break I visited the Common Room and had toast with butter which was a nice change to the hashbrowns that we have in the Boys’ School! The Girls’ School common room is much quieter than the one in the Boys’ School, with a less raucous break time, providing a calmer space.

After break, I ventured out to the temporary chemistry labs and learnt about organic structure. The Chemistry lessons were very similar to the Boys’ School with the teacher drawing on the board and explaining so that all of the students could copy the diagrams down.

The teaching style is mostly dictating the facts rather than discussion-based learning, as had been the case in Economics. Sheets were given out and everybody worked silently and carefully to reap as much of the benefits from the lesson as possible, which is similar to the academic skills sessions that took place after lunch when I was given a session on how to reference sources in relation

to academic essays for future life. This taught me how to reference and cite a large variety of different type of sources and it posed some difficult questions which developed vital critical thinking skills which cannot be learnt in many other scenarios.

At the end of the day, I had a double Maths lesson which was very similar in both Schools as it is mainly independent learning and asking the teacher for help if there are any particularly challenging questions.

Overall, my day was interesting and allowed me to gain an insight into what it is like to go to Habs Girls’ School and I am glad that I had the opportunity to do so. My overall impressions from the day were that the girls have lots more free time to work or relax in school and do not have as many lessons, meaning they can reduce their workload at home. The teachers seem more professional with the students which has both positive and negative aspects.

Ilana’s account (switched with Daniel) When I volunteered myself to go to the Boys’ School for a day, I did not believe that the two Schools could be so different as they both have the same

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name and are in the same area. I was proven wrong as soon as I got there.

There seemed to be a rushed feeling throughout the hallways compared to the relaxed aura in the Girls’ School. This was probably due to the buzz of students rushing through the halls and the noises coming from the various quads outside.

Not only was the atmosphere dissimilar, the lesson structure differed greatly from what I was used to. The lessons were less collaborative and more individual work was done. There was also a lot more background chatter as the classrooms I was in were smaller and had more pupils in. The only anomaly to this was that the teaching style for the Maths lesson I was in was similar to the ones I have at the Girls’ School as it was PowerPoint-based and involved using the textbook. Overall, I felt the Girls’ School is a lot calmer than the fast-paced, almost stressful impression across the wall, and it was clear that even though they have the same name they are different Schools entirely.

Anisha’s account (switched with Soham) The day began with a somewhat hectic guitar ensemble rehearsal in which the group was practising for their lunchtime concert. After listening to the boys competing to make the most noise, we rushed to the first lesson of the day – Maths. It was a somewhat confusing lesson, considering I don’t take A-Level Maths, but I soon managed to grasp the concept quickly and answered some of the questions we went through as a class. It was fascinating to see the boys competing to answer questions in front of the class, and for them to tackle Maths with so much enthusiasm. Following break, where we helped set up the stage for the lunchtime guitar performance, we headed to an Economics lesson, another subject I don’t have the fortune of taking. This was one of my favourite lessons of the day, considering it was an entirely new subject to me, and I was taught about formulas I could apply to real life situations. At lunchtime and an astounding guitar performance later, I arrived at Chemistry. Without a doubt, this was the lesson I enjoyed the most, as to be perfectly honest I had no idea what was going on, and could instead focus on the differences between the teaching in the Girls’ and Boys’ School, and discovered that the boys asked considerably more questions, and also opted to work individually rather than in groups, as we do in the Girls’ School, when given a task. We then moved to Biology, the last lesson of the day, where we answered questions about the xylem and the phloem, something I had hoped to leave behind at GCSE Level. I did, however, come out of the lesson having learned a great deal more and with a renewed love for Biology. The day was

hectic and somewhat fast-paced but it was a valuable experience as I spent my time noticing small differences between the Schools, and was shocked at just how many small differences there were.

However, despite all the differences, the School felt the same as ours – a welcoming environment full of students eager to learn.

Soham’s account (switched with Anisha) The style of teaching in the Schools is very different but have both catered to their respective classes and the personas within them. In the Girls’ School, lessons were very much discussion-based and the whole class was able to contribute equally. During English, we studied poetry and each person was given a designated stanza while others would be able to help and give alternative suggestions for the analysis. It showed me how well the class developed as a team. Afterwards, I was given the opportunity to visit an A Level Chemistry lesson. The lesson was mainly discussionbased as the teacher gave students the option to answer questions orally instead of filling out worksheets in silence. The students were also given a booklet of questions and notes that they were able to fill in. The relaxing atmosphere at the Girls’ School was a pleasant surprise during lunchtime as we can sit, talk and de-stress. The afternoon brought an academic skills lesson where there we had discussions about current affairs, helping everyone keep up to date with the social issues concerning Brexit. After that, I was treated to a Politics lesson which was enjoyable as we learnt about the House of Lords. Again, during these humanities classes, it was noticeable that it was mainly discussion-based.

Furthermore, with only five students and the teacher it was a very intimate class.

I thoroughly enjoyed the day as I was able to participate in lessons that I was skeptical about and I feel the School has made an excellent effort to establish an exceptional learning environment.

lunch with Economics, where I drew up various diagrams that I had learnt about in previous lessons, so found this to be good revision and also helped in further understanding some concepts which I had struggled with before. The final lesson of the day for me was Physics, in which I surprised myself by enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would, as even though it was a subject I had long forgotten about I was able to take part in an experiment involving waves (an aspect of science of I do miss).

Throughout the day I had noticed that both the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools do share similarities in learning, but also some differences, as I thought that there was a lot more interactive learning at the Boys’ School and they wouldn’t hesitate to ask any kind of question to their teacher, no matter what it was. Still, I believe these differences in learning and teaching styles were small compared to the positive qualities and enthusiastic environment that the schools share.

DANIEL GOLDSTONE (L6S1) SOHAM KANABAR (L6J1) ILANA (FROM THE GIRLS’ SCHOOL) ANISHA (FROM THE GIRLS’ SCHOOL) TAMZIN (FROM THE GIRLS’ SCHOOL)

Tamzin’s account (switched with Jay) After a warm welcome at Aldenham House, the school day began with a Further Maths lesson, a far cry from my usual humanities subjects. Even though I struggled to grasp the concept, I found that the excited atmosphere in the classroom wore off on me and I soon had a go at some of the calculations myself.

After break, I took part in a Politics lesson, which I thoroughly enjoyed as the students gave presentations on various topics, all of which were engaging, as the boys were all confident and ended up being quite convincing in their views.

These were followed by discussions that prompted interesting questions and some passionate (and at times heated) arguments. We returned to lessons after Skylark 2019/20 ~ 53

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NEW DEVELOPMENTS The School is delighted to announce that construction for new, state-of-the-art academic hubs with accommodation for Maths, English, Modern Languages, Theology and Philosophy, and Economics will start soon. The two new buildings will replace older academic accommodation and will support the School in maintaining its outstanding academic status. See below for the concept photos of the new developments.

Block A Lobby

Drama Studio: Performance

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Block A Corridor

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Drama Studio: Teaching

Landscape View

Landscape View

3D Views

INSPIRATIONAL HABS TEACHER CYCLES OVER 500 MILES IN 24 HOURS At 5pm on Friday 1 November 2019, Mr M Broadwith, teacher of Mathematics at The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School and an ‘Old Boy’ of the School, started the 24-hour World Time Trial Championship (WTTC) in Borrego Springs, California. Mr Broadwith covered an astonishing 510 miles in 24 hours and finished second out of 108 cyclists, winning the silver medal. The WTTC took place in the desert and the conditions were harsh, particularly overnight. Despite this, Mr Broadwith maintained an impressive average speed of just over 21mph.

Mr Broadwith is the current holder of the Land’s End to John O’Groats cycling record, which he set in June of last year. He is also three time National 24-hour time trial champion. Everyone at Haberdashers’ congratulate Mr Broadwith on another remarkable triumph. He is a shining example of how hard work and determination pay off to achieve success.

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MUSIC AUTUMN CONCERT The annual Autumn Concert on Thursday 17 October proved to be a musical triumph. The range and quality were very good indeed, from Year 7 boys who really did sing and hugely enjoyed the Michael Jackson medley, to a virtuoso individual performance and a stunning performance of the Shostakovich.

Under the Director of Music, Mr Osmond, the Year 7s opened the evening with true flare and brilliance with their performance of Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’. This was followed by our Senior Guitar Ensemble led by Ms Galuszka, who played a range of pieces, including Ramin Djawadi’s ‘Game of Thrones’.

The School Choir performed an engaging and humorous rendition of ‘Good King Kong Looked Out’ by PDQ Bach, complete with kazoos.

The Junior Young Musician of the Year, Raphael 11H, then performed Felix Mendelssohn’s ‘Andante and Rondo Capriccioso’ on the piano, to rapturous applause. Before the interval, Big Band closed the concert with a range of pieces, directed by Mr Simm, all of which were greatly received. Particular acclaim goes to Ashley (U6M2) on alto sax and William (9R1) on trumpet who took solo spots in two of the pieces.

The Concert Band opened the second half of the evening with the ‘Count Basie Tribute’, arranged by John Moss and directed

by Mr Simm. The Symphony Orchestra followed, playing Dmitri Shostakovich’s ‘Festive Overture’, a piece demanding great skill and concentration – Headmaster Mr Lock clearly expressed after the concert what a phenomenal performance it was. To close the evening, the Year 7s once again gave their all, singing ‘Blame it on the Boogie’ and ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson, this time with orchestral accompaniment, to huge cheers.

This Autumn Concert was a real accomplishment and parents and guests were fulsome in their praise, and rightly so. The Music department would like to pass on our thanks to the boys, the parents and the instrumental staff involved.

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HABS JAZZ In September 2019, the Music department started the year with an absolute bang performing with the Habs Jazz Summer School at the prestigious Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho. All in the audience were blown away by the incredible level of the performing students, who were completely at home playing at this internationally renowned jazz venue.

HABS JAZZ PODCAST During lockdown Mr Taylor, Mr Herd and Mr Ormston continued to enthuse our students by recording weekly podcasts with our finest jazz musicians.

In week 4, the Habs jazz podcast was curated by Kielan (U6J2), one of our finest musicians at Habs, who is also studying A-Level music. As it was his last term at Habs, the podcast celebrated what he has achieved in his time here at the School. All of the music was composed by Kielan, with performances by his friends, family and teachers.

In week 6, the Habs jazz podcast brought a Leavers’ Special, handing over the reins to Arun (U6H2), another absolutely stunning performer and A-Level music student going on to study Music at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Arun’s podcast consisted of a collection of his songs, guitar improvisations, spoken word and instrumental compositions, exploring the breadth and depth of one of the great creative talents here at the School.

In week 8, the Habs jazz podcast explored and honoured Jazz and the Civil Rights movement in America. Mr Taylor wrote: “We have all been shocked and appalled by recent events in the US. In the Habs jazz community we have been sharing resources, educating ourselves in the troubled history of jazz music and its relevance to what is happening today. Alongside the music I would like to share with you background notes (attached) written by the students for each piece performed. These are stories of dreadful injustice and prejudice, out of which perhaps the most powerful cultural movement of the 20th century was born.”

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HABS BIG BAND PERFORM AT THE RENOWNED LORD MAYOR’S SHOW Habs Big Band was honoured to perform as part of the celebrations for the 804th Lord Mayor’s Show on Saturday 9 November, welcoming the appointment of the 692nd Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman William Russell. The Haberdashers’ Company celebrated his election with various performances from Haberdashers’ schools, including the Abraham Darby Show Band and Monmouth Jazz Orchestra, playing on Cheapside and in Pasternoster Square.

Led by Mr Simm and performing in the Show Zone in Paternoster Square, Habs Big Band closed the afternoon performance set in style.

In spite of the torrential rain and the sound of the nearby bells of St Paul’s Cathedral pealing, the energy, punch and swing of the Habs Big Band powerfully emerged, wowing the audience that had amassed around the stage. From their opening number, Buddy Rich’s version of Love for Sale, through to their closing item, Count Bubba by Gordon Goodwin, the energy in the Band was mirrored by the whooping and warm applause from our audience who braved the elements to enjoy a terrific afternoon of jazz and Big Band playing.

Virtuosic improvised solos rang out around the square from the offset

and the appreciative crowd broke into rapturous applause at the conclusion of each solo offering. It was a pleasure to witness such remarkable skill and control from such young and talented musicians and a real demonstration of the strength and quality of musicmaking at Habs.

Habs Big Band was once again on top form and the pupils were, typically, terrific ambassadors for the Music department and our wider School community. It was a great privilege for the School to be invited to perform and share in a wonderful and memorable day.

KIELAN MAKES THE FINAL OF BBC YOUNG JAZZ MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR Kielan Sheard (U6J2) has made the final of BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year. This will be broadcast on BBC4 as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival. There are only 5 musicians from across the country selected for the final, so this is a massive deal for Kielan who has achieved something truly astounding.

We wish Kielan every success.

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THE HABERDASHERS’ MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR On Thursday 14 February, students, staff and members from across the country came together at Haberdashers’ Hall for the first Haberdashers’ Musician of the Year – a celebration of the vast range of talent in our Schools that resulted in a fantastic evening of musical entertainment. Theo Sibtain (U6R1) won the heats at our School, and so went on to represent the Boys’ School in the inaugural ‘Musician of the Year’.

The award was developed to showcase the considerable musical accomplishments of Haberdashers’ students and to further develop the Haberdashers’ identity across the family of Schools. The Schools were invited to send one competitor from each of their Senior Schools, making eight participants in total.

The first half of the evening featured four exceptional pianists, the second a variety of musical instruments (and voice) of staggeringly high quality: Haberdashers’ Monmouth Girls: Xiaoli (Piano) Haberdashers’ Aske’s Crayford Academy: Marfa (Piano) Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School Theo (Piano) Haberdashers’ Aske’s Knights Academy: Yusuf (Piano)

MUSIC SCHOLARS’ CONCERT On Thursday 3 October the Seldon Hall hosted the School’s music scholars for a show of talent and musical finesse.

From Bach to Brahms, Ginastera to Gershwin, Sharf to Saint-Saëns, there was an extraordinary range of music played all to a very high standard.

The audience was hugely appreciative: an excellent start to the musical year’s evening concerts.

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Haberdashers’ Monmouth Boys: Sam (Singer) Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College: Ishmael Huan (Trumpet) Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls: Lauren (Clarinet) Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby: Oliver (Euphonium) The judges, led by highly acclaimed conductor Professor Jane Glover CBE, took some time to reach their decision.

Professor Glover thanked all the competitors for a ‘fantastic evening’, before going on to say, ‘It is so reassuring to be reminded that music is so highly regarded in Haberdashers’ Schools... it’s a source of great joy to us. It was an incredibly hard decision because we had such positive things to say about all of you.’

The winner was Theo for his beautiful piano rendition of Glinka’s The Lark, the runner up Oliver for his wonderful ‘Rhapsody for Euphonium.’

This inaugural competition was such a success that it will now be an annual feature in the Haberdashers’ Company calendar. Many congratulations to Theo who took home the honours, winning the inaugural Musician of the Year with his terrific performance at the piano.

Well done, Theo - our Schools, and Company, are proud of you!

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STELLAR STRINGS WEEKEND The Stellar Strings weekend is a fantastic occasion for students from the Boys’ and Girls’ Prep and Senior Schools to perform and appreciate strings music together. With more than 130 students from Year 5 right up to Sixth Form, the weekend saw rehearsals and performances of a variety of music styles and techniques.

Not only does the weekend offer a chance to perform in smaller chamber ensembles of matched ability, but you also perform as part of one huge bowed string orchestra as well. It provides an excellent opportunity to practise and improve many musical disciplines, as well as to form new friendships and share a real sense of community.

The concert was thoroughly enjoyable for the performers, as well as for parents who came to support. The final piece, Waltz No 2 by Shostakovich had to be the highlight, performed by everyone, it certainly created fond and lasting memories for all.

Stellar Strings was an extremely fulfilling experience and I cannot wait until the next course.

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HABS MUSIC FESTIVAL …Oh yes nothing can, nor will, stop music making at HABS!!

Adam Mackey, Joseph Pressinger, Elliot Campbell, Keshav Kedia Joblings: Charlie Selby, Ore Adebayo, Alexander Jain, Doron Zeital, Aaditya Som, Arda Duymaz, Alexander Chakraborty, Freddie Sanitt, Parsa Zamani, Camran Riaz, Ben Steinhart, Avi Dodhia, Thomas Ng, Vihaan Gulhane, Christopher Chor, David Chung, Tom Shooter, Niam Tanna, Arian Heravi, Anurag Chaudhari

The festival is aimed at encouraging all boys in the first four years at Habs to make music. Through this competition we hope to advance, promote, and encourage the study and practice of music-making in all its many facets. There is no minimum standard and we hope that each House will celebrate their wealth of musical talent. Diversity and multiculturalism are integral to the Habs community, and the Festival hopes to reflect this in allowing as many musical styles as possible to share the stage as equals.

The Music Festival has continued to be one of the musical highlights of the year, and despite lockdown we had over 130 individual performances submitted, showing that musicmaking is still going strong within our community. We have been bowled over by the quantity and quality of performances of our boys who have really embraced this opportunity to share their musical talents during this lockdown period.

Meadows: Saul Grenfell, Tom Finch, Rudra Sachdev, Rian Shah, Arjun Shah, Lucas Nieszporek-Richardson, Zafer Ilkiz, Jason Pan, Alex Leslie, Umer Rahim, Shaan Sharma, John WilliamsKerslake, Aarush Mitra Russells: Jeet Thakrar, Millan Thakrar, Nathan Freeman, Saaj Malde, Amar Malde, Viraj Iyer, Dean Buckland, Zack Saurymper, Theo Wong, Jai Bhalla, Aaron Shah, Aryan Patel, Daniel Mooney-Seyfang, Monty Burton, Sujan Dodhia, Aryan Prabhudesai, Aathith Ravichandran, James Pannick, Kian Shah, Akaash Chohan, Phalgun Deevanapalli, Mofe Akinmade, Oliver Thompson, Ali Tahir, Josh Jonas, Sai Mehta, William Heselton, Sachein Mukunthan, Adi Baweja, Sahrid Kancherla, Toluwani Ayetan, Adi Soundalgekar, Shaan Gera, Abim Tayo, Haider Tahir, Rohan Rambhai, Yash Shah, Kayan Vekaria, Louis Benjamin Strouts: Dan Grenfell, Dev Patel, Raees Bhatti, Ojas Sharma, Joshua Man, Udai Shah, Sohan Das, Dylan Shah, Daniel Albert

All students received feedback from the adjudicator for their performance and, crucially, that all important House point which has led to an enthralling contest in the Crossman Shield. Huge congratulations to all the boys who took part:

Performances varied from Classical to Popular to Jazz, from singing to whistling to rapping, from exam pieces to composed performances to 5-part arrangements, from US to UK to India.

The diversity, passion and talent from our boys has been incredible. Enjoy the entries by following the link: https://habstube.habsboys.org.uk/View. aspx?id=54148~5j~C4GTS0vAws

Calverts: Jack Clapper, Sahil Mehta, James O’Callaghan, Madhav Kaushik, Jonny Marshall, Toby Buchler, Alex Pylypenko, James Greenwold, Kalum Dissanaike, Sachin Shah, Austin Kindler, Christopher Pigott, Aman Chhaya, Jack Greenwold, Ben Weinstein, Robin Blake, Jacob Goldwater, Kairav Bhudia, Armaan Marathe

The initial adjudicators, Mrs O’Hare (Year 7), Mr Redfern (Year 8) , Mr Osmond (Year 9) and Mr Simm (Year 10) had the difficult decision of choosing a winner per year group, and runners-up that would then go on to compete against each other in the Final of the Habs Young Musician of the Year 2020. Our finalists were:

Henderson: Jamie Hugh, Krishan Kucheria, Meko Noorani, Nathan Cazin, Sami Kastner, Daniel Idlbi, Toby Hedges, Yuhki Nomura, Yunfei Fan, Ishan Chag, Arnav Masurkar, Rhys Jones, Chun Yen Chin, Adam Smith, Dylan Ladwa, Robert Kaye, Aarav Anil, Savin Dias, Ali Hassan, Eshan Dave, Matthew Hodes, 62 ~ Skylark 2019/20

YEAR 7 Winner - Viraj Iyer (R) Runners-Up - Toby Buchler (C), Jonny Marshall (C), Freddie Sanitt (J), Tom Finch (M), Nathan Freeman (R)

YEAR 8 Winner - Alex Pylypenko (C) Runners-Up - Dylan Ladwa (H), Robert Kaye (H), Parsa Zamani (J), Joshua Man (S)

YEAR 9 Winner - William Heselton (R) Runners-Up - Joseph Pressinger (H), Dylan Shah (S)

YEAR 10 Winner - Louis Benjamin (R) Runners-Up - Robin Blake (C), Armaan Marathe (C), Christopher Chor (J), Thomas Shooter (J), Anurag Chaudhari (J), Abim Tayo (R), Yash Shah (R)

Congratulations to all our finalists who put on a fantastic musical display, showing confidence, expression, maturity and passion. Luckily, we had the musical expertise of our external adjudicator Iain Carnegie to decide the overall winner and to award the accolade of the Young Musician of the Year 2020. He agreed that the standard was exceptional and that it was extremely difficult to pick just one winner. However, he was won over by the expressive, “technically polished” and “truly dynamic performance, in every sense of the term” of one musician in particular: Louis Benjamin (R), who played Stravinsky’s 3 Pieces for Clarinet Solo Nos. 1 and 3.

MUSIC

Winner of the Music Festival & Young Musician of the Year 2020 is awarded to: Louis Benjamin (R)

Winner of the Audience Prize 2020 is awarded to: Abim Tayo (R)

The Crossman Prize 2020 is awarded to: RUSSELLS It was clear from the very start which House was in a very strong position to go on and win the Crossman Prize for Music this year with the majority of entries in all year groups in the opening stages of the competition, and three out of the four year group winners, belonging to this House. I know that Mr Hardman and Mr Handley will be ecstatic about the result, and to quote Mr Hardman “seriously, it’s all down to that man, Tom Handley…… he is and has been a machine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” and “the lads have risen to the challenge superbly well!”

Huge congratulations to Louis, Abim and Russells and all our finalists - well done.

Thanks go to all our music entries this year – you have been fantastic, particularly in this period of lockdown.

Thank you to the 287 supporters who voted Abim as their Audience prize winner. Thank you also to the wonderful Heads of Houses and Deputies for their continued support of the Music Festival and for rallying the troops. Thank you, too, to our external adjudicator Iain Carnegie for giving his expertise and reactions to our finalists, and of course for picking our winner. And thank you to James Ball for putting together the videos on HabsTube, which I hope you will enjoy.

MRS D O’HARE Skylark 2019/20 ~ 63

DRAMA SENIOR SCHOOL PLAY A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM On Friday 13 December 2019, I was lucky enough to be able to see one of the best plays I have ever observed in my entire life, all from the comfort of my very own school!

With an interesting, blissful and creative re-invention of the Shakespeare classic, the Senior School Play delivered yet another vibrant performance involving amazing, detailed characters who felt intrinsically human thanks to the impressive acting of the Senior School students and the Drama department with special mentions to Mrs D Morris-Wolffe and Mr R Weinman for their tireless labour to ensure the play was a success (which is indisputably was)!

The play employed a plethora of stage professionals, including Laura Dredger and Ingrid Mackinnon who were responsible for the sleek, mesmerizing movement portrayed throughout the play. Furthermore, the enchanting, powerful and thematic music by

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Mr T Taylor and Mr M Herd enhanced the performance by extending the empathy of the audience with the often emotional, expressive performances of the actors.

The original music, choreography and script all contribute to the creation of a stunning, unique play that couldn’t be witnessed anywhere else in the world and thus ensured an unforgettable experience.

The captivating story included elements of fantasy with a band of fairies desperately attempting to find their way in the chaotic magical forest, elements of romance with the four well-written youth lovers who genuinely caused the audience to root for them and a cheeky reference to drama itself with the storyline of the actors desperately rehearsing for their upcoming play. Seeing these stories crossover was extremely intriguing and ensured my attention was hooked and maintained from the start and I was definitely rewarded for that attention

considering the vigorous storytelling and dynamic subplots involving love triangles, magical transformation and even mistaken identities.

For everyone who was fortunate enough to watch the play, I’m certain you’ll agree with my review on it. However if anyone hasn’t, I’d recommend that instead of taking my word they experience the brilliant play for themselves; it’s openly available on HabsTube so I would absolutely recommend spending some time watching it!

LUCAS VALLADARES (11H1)

DRAMA

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DRAMA

NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE SUCCESS The School is delighted to share that both Manish (Year 11) and Sam (Year 10) have been accepted into the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, after successfully auditioning earlier this year. This is a remarkable achievement, with over 6,000 young people between 14-26 auditioning this year!

The National Youth Theatre is a fantastic training ground, with a very similar ethos to what we aim to create here at Habs. It has produced some of the most celebrated actors, directors and writers in the country and is a wonderful opportunity not only for the boys to challenge themselves and receive training from industry professionals but also a chance to work with amazingly diverse and talented other young people from around the country. It is a great experience, and the skills gained will hopefully serve them in whatever they choose to do in the future.

Congratulations to Manish and Sam!

ACTOR LEWIS DOHERTY PERFORMS AT HABS Year 8, Year 9 and GCSE students, staff and parents were treated to the show BOAR on Monday 20 January.

The second show in a trilogy devised and performed by Lewis Doherty, BOAR takes us into an epic fantasy world with a nod to films like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones.

Mr Doherty says: “I want the audience to see things that they didn’t think were possible live on stage. I play over 30 characters, with more accents than I can count and underscore the action with live sound effects. I wanted to make a show for people who don’t think theatre is for them and for the audience to have a really fun night out.”

The students were captivated by Lewis’ incredible performance skills and the brilliant sound and lighting design. Their questions afterwards revealed their genuine engagement and delight. It was inspiring for them to see how a story can be told clearly and playfully with just a stool, two bike lights and one performer playing a vast range of characters.

answering the many questions and demonstrating his beat-boxing skills to the delight of Year 8!

Demi in Year 11 commented: “I genuinely thought I was watching an epic film.”

The School wishes Mr Doherty the best of luck in his forthcoming performances at the Vault Festival in March. We would also like to thank him and his technical team for bringing such a fantastic show to Habs,

RAVE REVIEWS FOR HABS BOY Habs is delighted to announce the success of Jobe (9S2), who has recently been recognised for his brilliant performance as best friend Billy in BIG, The Musical. Jobe has been involved in musical theatre productions outside of the School for the last three years. He started as Billy (original cast) in School of Rock at the New London Theatre for 12 months (2016/17). He then moved on to performing as Eric and Nigel (original cast) in Matilda during the UK and Ireland Tour for six months (2017/18) and then solely as Nigel in Matilda again at The

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Cambridge Theatre for another six months (2018/19). Jobe was also invited to a Press Night for Big, The Musical, and his recent performance in the show at the Dominion has been greeted with nothing but praise from the press. The Guardian mentioned ‘Josh’s firecracker best friend Billy (Jobe) is a scene-stealer.’ The School would like to congratulate Jobe on his fantastic success!

DRAMA

Boys from Year 7 and 8 were asked to create a 2 min audio drama from the starting point “On my way to...”

Massive thanks to all of you who took part in this - it was so great to see how you all interpreted what was a difficult brief and the creativity and imagination that went in to producing your pieces!

Below are the results, but all of you who entered should genuinely be really pleased with your efforts.

Winners & Special Mentions 1st Place - Toby Cohen (7M) 2nd Place - Rafi Ritterband (8H2) Joint 3rd Place - Saul Grenfell (7M), Jeet Thakrar (7R), Ben Rossiter (8R2) Special Mentions - Niyam Shah (7R), Ishan Chag (7H), Alex Millins (8M2)

MR R WEINMAN

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SPORT YEAR 8 CROSS COUNTRY SUCCESS The Habs Year 8 Cross Country team started the new term in impressive fashion as they powered to team victory at the prestigious Bedfordia event on Tuesday 14 January.

Bedfordia attracts some of the strongest school cross country teams in the country and this victory demonstrates the talent and dedication to training that is present amongst this year group. The race took place in very testing conditions, with strong winds ensuring that the Habs runners had to race cleverly and find cover wherever possible. The course covered a variety of terrains and gradients which made it a tough but fair test for all of the runners.

Peter (8J1) produced an exceptional performance in his favoured cross-

country conditions and led the team home. He was pushed all the way by a fantastic run from Jordan (8H2) who has made great progress this year. Max (8S1) did remarkably well to finish the race in a prominent position after he rolled his ankle in an early fall, whilst Rafi (8R1) finished strongly and showed the benefit of his recent training. Camran (8J2), Elijah (8R2) and Rafi (8J2) worked extremely hard and fought for every place which made sure that the entire team had finished within the first 30 positions and gave the team a commanding victory.

to carry this impressive form into their subsequent races this term, starting with the Hertfordshire County Championships on Saturday 1 February.

The Year 8 team had previously won the local round of the English Schools’ National Cross Country Cup and had narrowly missed out on a place at the national finals. The team will be hoping

SENIOR TENNIS TEAM SUCCESS Habs Senior Tennis team was victorious in dramatic circumstances in their final regional knock-out round against Felsted of Essex on Thursday 27 February. The team, consisting of Arjun (U6R1), Joe (L6S1), Freddie (L6J1) and Joseph (L6H1), now progress to the National Finals of the prestigious LTA Schools Team Tennis Competition in March.

After the initial four singles and two doubles matches, we were all square at

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3-3 after superb wins for Arjun and Joe. Arjun and Joseph then bravely stepped up to play a final shoot-out tie-break up to 10 points, holding their nerve superbly to win 10-3 under immense pressure.

Most importantly the boys acted impeccably both on and off the court, showing great sportsmanship at all times. https://www.habsboys.org.uk/ post-article/~board/news/post/seniortennis-team-success

SPORT

U14 GYMNASTICS SUCCESS The School is delighted to announce that the U14 Gymnastics team has won the U14 East of England Regional Floor and Vault Championships at Chelmsford Gym Club. The team, involving Jobe (9S2), Sudais (9H1), Chris (9C2), Joel (8R1) and Alex (6RB), topped a strong field of six schools from across the region. The competition was tough and two of the boys had falls on the vault, but held their nerve to stick their last attempt under pressure!

The School would like to thank Ms Burman who has taken on the coaching and massive congratulations must go to the boys for all their hard work and perseverance. They were great ambassadors for the School and everyone is looking forward to the National Finals later in March.

ACROBATICS SUCCESS FOR HABS BOYS During the year, Habs students Jacob (6LH) and Sam (11M1) have been competing in numerous acrobatic competitions across the country. The School would like to congratulate both students on their fantastic achievements. Jacob has won silver in the Youth Men’s Pairs at Spelthorne Acrobatics and Sam won gold at Bristol International Acrobatics competition with his partner. Furthermore, Sam and his partner have been selected as reserves for the World Acrobatics Championships in the 11-16 age category for Team GB. Well done Jacob and Sam!

TOP 100 CRICKETING SCHOOLS Habs is excited to announce that the School has, once again, been selected as one of the ‘Top 100 Cricketing Schools’ listed in The Cricketer Schools Guide 2021.

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SPORT

BIARRITZ U14 RUGBY PRE-SEASON Towards the end of the Summer holidays, 18 future Under 14 rugby players arrived at Luton airport as they prepared to travel for their pre-season training camp to Biarritz. Upon arriving in Soustons, our home for the week, dinner was quickly digested before a quick game of touch to remind the boys what the oval ball looks and feels like after almost nine months for some away from the ‘beautiful game’.

Rising early on Wednesday allowed for a 90 minute training session in preparation for the match against Tyrosse in the evening. Handling, tackling and rucking drills were followed by some time game play and organisation. When temperatures rose too high, the boys went for their showers before having some downtime and their lunch. The afternoon was spent on the high wires course where, with the encouragement of those safely on the ground, the boys threw themselves along, over and down numerous obstacles attached to the trees.

The evening game was arranged very much as a training game with the first three 10 minute quarters giving the opportunity for the whole squad to take the field at some stage. In the final quarter teams were mixed up to allow the Habs players to experience some real French flare and to appreciate what it means to really ‘jouer jouer.’ The opposition were well drilled and highly skilled, throwing the ball wide into space.

The experience was fantastic for the team and showed them just how much work we need to put in over the coming weeks and months. Tired but enthused by the experiences of the day the boys went to bed with stomachs full of pizza.

Thursday morning started with some conditioning work before some more skill based work, as there were some tired and sore bodies from the previous night.

Lunch was followed by a trip to the beach for surfing, which soon turned into body boarding which soon became simply jumping into the Atlantic!

Unfortunately the weather conditions, although blistering hot and clear skies, had also produced some strong on shore winds and the incoming high tide meant that it was simply too unsafe to surf.

None the less after a good hour in the water followed by some touch rugby on the beach it was time for ice cream and waffles before heading back to camp. The boys were so full of energy that evening that we embarked on a 90 minute game of touch before dinner.

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The final evening activity before bed was packing bags and sweeping the bedroom floors. Due to the cancelled surfing, paddle boarding on the lake was organised for the boys with half the group at a time all standing on the gigantic nine person board. Encouraged by the teachers on their single boards it was a great way for the boys to be forced to work as a team to effectively and efficiently co-ordinate all nine paddles.

Final room checks and lunch saw us depart soon after midday and start the journey back home.

An invaluable four training sessions and game exposed the players to almost seven hours of rugby over three days which should set them up for preseason back at Habs next week and the upcoming season.

As ever a trip like this does not just happen. Many thanks to Mr Metcalfe for his leg work over the course of the

last eight months to set up the tour and get the boys and parents on board, Mrs Goldberg for all her hard work helping to organise the trip and Evolve/parent pay.

Mr Cooper and Mr Lawrence accompanied us on the trip providing huge amounts of support to the boys on and off the training pitch while helping to ensure everything ran smoothly.

Finally the Habs boys who behaved themselves well, were polite, threw themselves into all the rugby and activities with enthusiasm and certainly pulled together well as a group. The staff running the activities complemented them on their manners and good behaviour.

It was a fantastic end to the Summer.

SPORT

SPORTS SUMMER INTER-HOUSE CHALLENGE The Sports Department were delighted to announce their inter-House challenges for the Summer term encouraging students to stay active during lockdown whilst earning points for their house.

The overarching inter-House challenge saw students ‘Go the Distance’ walking

or running as far as they could for an hour a day. We have been thrilled to see students, staff and even parents joining in. Weekly challenges gave students the opportunity to earn bonus points with press-ups, planks, keepy-uppies and a cycling challenge. With exceptional

efforts from all students notably Saaj Malde (7R) and Joshua Becker (7R) Russells have been taken into an early lead. We look forward to receiving more entries, releasing new weekly challenges and to eagerly watch the rest of the challenge play out.

THE SPORTS NEWSLETTER The Sports Newsletter delivers weekly updates, academic resource information, skill and practical challenges and access to vast amounts of content to ensure students are keeping active and healthy in both body and mind. With links to bespoke fitness programmes designed by Habs PE staff for each year group along with links to external resources from trained professionals the newsletter has encouraging and emphasising the importance of staying active during this testing time. Students were also provided with mindfulness and yoga exercises and tutorials. The newsletter has been hugely successful gaining 1,900 hits for the first edition!

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SPORT

FITNESS PROGRAMMES Support for those wishing to follow a more structured approach to their fitness was provided via links to suggested 4-6 week training plans. Guidance was based on a range of fitness components, recognising that pupils have differing levels of access to space and equipment. Boys were encouraged to try different activities throughout the period, rather than being too sports specific.

BELIEVE PERFORMSPORTS PSYCHOLOGY AND WELLBEING During this time of remote learning we have extended our relationship with Believe Perform. Providing full access to their range of tutorials, athlete support and infographics based on developing the mental side of sports performance and psychological wellbeing more widely.

MONITORING STUDENT WELLBEING The inclusion of a weekly wellbeing survey has helped us to track engagement, monitor pupil responses to exercise, understand what sleep patterns look like and give us data which we could use to either follow up on individuals or areas of concern. The focus on both physical and mental wellbeing has underpinned all that we do, with additional resources on mindfulness, yoga and healthy eating all featuring regularly.

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SPORT

INTRODUCING OUR ‘HABS ELITE’ It has been really pleasing that we have also been able to raise the profile of some of our senior sports performers and captains through the ‘Meet Our Elite’ video presentation series. (Arman Islam (U6S1), Zamaan Dudhia (U6H1), Isaac Green (L6H1), Ed Cleaver (U6M1)). Our Habs Elite describe their greatest sporting successes and provide a description of their sporting CV along with tips to stay fit during lockdown.

GAMES AFTERNOONS Remote Games afternoons were a great success this term. Students were delivered a programme spanning five sports and provided with fitness, skills and a tactical analysis exercise along will a well-being survey to fill out each week.

“I really enjoyed doing sports outside in my garden. It wasn't as good as school, but I can manage” Y8 Student

FITNESS/SKILLS CHALLENGES Games afternoons also provided students with the opportunity to try out skill and fitness activities that were set to them through the weekly newsletter.

From juggling to cricket, basketball and hockey skills, videos and pictures flooded in of students attempting the challenges.

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HOUSES

HOUSES RUSSELLS For an outsider, Russells’ history since the 1970s seems to resemble that of Tottenham Hotspur’s: trophy-less when it comes to the major titles. Yet, my experience of being part of this incredible house for the best part of seven years now, has shown me that all parallels end there. We are so much more than a bunch of disappointing individuals, constantly overshadowed by superior neighbours. Being part of Team Russells means having undying team spirit, fierce levels of commitment, and always winning and losing as a united team, with good grace. Being part of Team Russells is about being part of a family, and Russells plays the role of the greenhouse in order to allow the acorns - who join us in Year 7 - to become the great mighty oaks that leave us come Year 13.

My first term in the House Captain role was a glorious one. Capped off by receiving the Crossman and Dunton shield in front of thousands of adoring fans in the legendary Allianz stadium.

Ecstasy! Russells had done it! Over 30 years of pain and hurt had come to a stunning end. In that moment where I raised the shield above my head with pride, I knew exactly how Bobby Moore must have felt, way back in 1966, as he raised the World Cup for the first time

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in England’s footballing history - a truly remarkable moment. The difference is that I am sure for Russells, these shields are a mark of many to follow as we continue to work ever harder to ensure the shields stay in Mr Hardman’s cabinet for years to come.

This academic year has been jam-packed full of incredible Russells spirit during inter-house activities. Fantastic team performances in Inter-House Bridge, Debating, Water Polo, Cross Country, Badminton and more, have seen Russells sit in 1st position in the Crossman as we near the Easter break. Yet, although not strictly a competition, the most impressive display of Team Russells’ spirit and commitment this year has been displayed in the HabsDash, where Russells have absolutely blown all other Houses out of the water in terms of number of runners, perfectly illustrated by the mighty blues managing to achieve the coveted ‘Russells to Brussels!’

Beyond the inter-House realm, with the annual Russells ‘Iron Man’ having just kicked off as I write this, I am reminded

of the great charity work Russells does year after year. This year Russells’ house charity will have its focus on raising money for ‘Shine for Shani,’ a charity set up by the parents of fellow Russells’ boy, Joel Berman, following the loss of their daughter and Joel’s sister, Shani. The cause is a great one; all money raised through the fund will be distributed to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity in order to help save and improve the lives of children with heart conditions similar to Shani’s. Let us all ensure we do as much as possible over the coming term to raise as much money as possible for this special cause.

Finally, a huge thank you must go out to the brilliant Russells tutor team as well as to Deputy Housemaster, Mr Handley, for the copious amount of work and running around he does to keep the House in order. As ever, the most important thank you must go out to Mr Hardman, the man that makes Russells tick, and turns our house into our home.

ELI TAPNACK (U6R1) HOUSE CAPTAIN

HOUSES

STROUTS Although it has been many months since we were last together as a House, my affinity to the boys and staff of Strouts has burned as brightly as ever during this period of enforced absence. I have been so impressed with how Stroutonians, of all ages, have adapted to working from home and I have been equally amazed by the sheer professionalism of my colleagues in providing both pastoral care and remote learning of the highest standard. In many ways, a lack of social contact is the antithesis of what Habs is all about in that normally we would thrive and grow as a result of hundreds of interactions each day yet somehow we have managed to stay connected during this time, albeit via different methods of communication. The endless zoom calls, registrations on teams and a number of phone calls home have all contributed to

a genuine feeling of togetherness even though we have been apart.

As I write, I won`t be alone in saying that It has been an absolute joy to return to school over the last few weeks to provide some contact time to various year groups before the summer holidays.

I have missed the camaraderie of simply being in school: the peals of laughter ringing across the astroturf, the chance encounter with a retiring colleague, the smiles of the boys` as they bump into long lost friends.

As the lockdown eases, I am very much looking forward to saying a proper farewell to our Year 13 boys in September. With the closure of the School in March, those final months of school, that we can all recall as adults, were cruelly taken away from them and I

hope that we can go some way towards addressing that disappointment when we meet again.

As this extraordinary term comes to a close, I would like to wish each Stroutonian and his family every health and happiness during the summer holidays, and I can`t wait to get us all back together in September.

NB My congratulations are extended to Mr Jones upon his appointment as Head of House for Hendersons. He has been quite superb in his role as Deputy Head of House in Strouts over the years, and I wish him every success in the future.

I would also like to welcome Mr Mehta from the Maths department as our new Deputy and I look forward to working alongside him from September.

MR A METCALFE

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HOUSES

HENDERSONS Throughout my time in Hendersons, this House has been one of superb ability and the most unique of all for its pastoral support and commitment. For many years the House has been labelled as the underdog for their unsatisfactory results in the Crossman shield (even though we’ve won the academic awards pretty much every single year!). Yet I am so immensely proud that in recent years we’ve progressed as a House, we’ve learnt from our mistakes, we’ve worked hard and shown great resilience, which last year led us justly to a fabulous second place in the Crossman, a mere few points off first place.

But it is not this victory that gives the House its edge, it’s the courage each and every Hendersonian shows, it’s that boy who’s never stepped on a rugby pitch before but will get out on a blistering Saturday morning in the pouring rain and freezing temperatures to support their mates, it’s the hundreds of hours of practice that a boy spends practising their instrument (we congratulate Raphael Chung in Year 10 Hendersons for winning the Habs Musician of the Year 2019), or the time the Sixth Formers

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worked with Year 7 and 8 students to create a winning piece of theatre in front of a professional director (done by the juniors this year, whilst also having National Theatre director Matt Harrison awarding best actor to Rafi Cohen – Year 8 Hendersons). These are the actions that make a Hendersonian so distinctive and special.

What can so easily be said about the House by any pupil in the School is the devotion that Hendersonians show to charity. We are currently supporting Donnie’s Fund, a charity focused on families in neonatal intensive care, whilst furthering dialogue on medical ethics. In previous years we’ve totalled an extraordinary amount for various charities, and this year we are on track for raising an enormous total of £10,000 (higher than any house in history)!

Leading this House has been such an honour. I am immensely proud of every single pupil and staff member who make up this home within Habs and I wish every Hendersonian the best of luck and encouragement for their future endeavours.

As a House we are saying farewell to our Upper Sixth cohort. These boys have been some of my closest friends for these seven senior school years, some even since the beginning of prep school – a full eleven years. I will leave this school with so many magical memories and I am so grateful for this awesome Upper Sixth Hendersons group for their support, their laughter, their commitment and their undoubted respect and consideration for one another.

Final thanks to our sensational tutor team, arguably the strongest in the School. They work tirelessly round the clock and on behalf of all the boys, we are extraordinarily grateful for their support, patience and diligence throughout their time in the House.

JAMANIVIR KUMAR (U6H2)

HOUSES

CALVERTS Last academic year was another busy and successful one for Calverts. In September, we were delighted to welcome the new 7C into the house, who started the year with a prompt win in the first Crossman event of the year. They excelled in all the activities, including scrabble, chess, the general knowledge quiz and the science quiz.

Calverts then went on to win the Senior IH Drama Competition.

Our Charity events were no less successful, with the annual Calverts Easter Fete the best attended charity event of the school in years. There was even a large number of students from the Girls’ School who joined in the event.

We didn’t stop there, with another tremendously successful charity event, the Calverts Charity Triathlon.

Finally, many thanks to all the boys who participated for a fantastic effort in the inter-House water polo competition.

MR P BARTLETT

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HOUSES

MEADOWS To quote the Queen, may well be considered an ‘annus horribulus’ for many reasons including tearing the Crossman schedule to shreds! Countless events were scrapped (current Year 8s are yet to play a House waterpolo competition in the last two years) and new ones created for those with an interest in drama and making audio/ visual recordings they were in their element! A talented bunch of 7M boys

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have added strength to the junior end of the House whilst we have said goodbye to our Year 13s. A rebuilding program will commence for Meadows as we say farewell to four Form Tutors and one Deputy Housemaster. Mr Baird leaves to join the Perse School Cambridge, Mr Raatz who becomes the Senior Tutor in the Sixth Form, Mr Mehta has become the Deputy Head of House for Strouts, Dr Citron back to Joblings and finally

Dr Chapmans take over as Head of House of Joblings in September. I wish them all the best in their new roles. Back to the drawing board for our new House Captain Jamie Goodkind and his team of Prefects to get Meadows back on track.

My thanks to Akshi Kumar and his cohort for all their efforts this year.

MR D TABERNER

HOUSES

JOBLINGS Through the early years of my school life, Joblings had always been the House that didn’t necessarily display success through a collection of trophies, but preferred to measure success through means of involvement and an immense sense of community – galvanising the Jobloid family. In more recent years however, as well as strengthening the Jobloid family Mr Swallow has had to get his feather duster out and dust the shelve in the Housemaster Office for our growing silverware collection.

To boys, parents and staff, the Crossman Shield is often regarded as a measure of success. Despite the Crossman never defining Joblings in the past, this year we have excelled in the Inter-House arena and consequently we are going into the second half of the Spring Term in second place, just 5 points behind Russells, with the ambition to steal back what was ours a year ago. Our current position on the leaderboard has been a result of great success in many events this year.

To name a select and impressive few: the Year 7s superb performance in the Inter-House afternoon helped to not only forge strong bonds between them in their early stage of school life, but also pushed Joblings up the leaderboard into first place at the start of the Autumn term. Winning all the possible prizes in the Senior House Drama competition secured a grand total of 12 points, and winning Inter-House Water Polo helped to gain a further 6 points for the House.

The temporary loan of the Crossman is coming to an end!

Outside the domains of the Inter-House world, Joblings House Charity has continued to raise enormous sums of money and donations for our House Charity. This academic year our House Charity has been ‘Goods for Good’ – which offer global humanitarian aid to

those in need. Our main aim for our donations was to deliver presents at Christmas to those in refugee camps within conflict inflicted countries. This was a great initiative and went down very well within the House – it was lovely to see and be a part of.

However, all of the above mentioned merely scratches the surface when attempting to describe Joblings as a House. The generosity displayed, as well as the team spirit this year, really promotes the sense of belonging within the Jobloid family. The grit and determination are unmatched by any House, and the Jobloid spirit - perhaps best displayed on Sports Day with the ‘GREEN ARMY’ chant - truly is one of a kind.

Finally, none of what makes Joblings so special would be possible without the Bearded 1-der himself – Mr Swallow – and his unparalleled Deputy Head of House – Mrs Fielden. I would like to thank both of them and the whole tutor team for everything they do, it really doesn’t go unnoticed and is appreciated immensely. As a House we learnt that Mr Swallow will be retiring at the end of this academic year. On behalf of Joblings and the extended Jobloid family (including parents and Old Jobloids) I would like to thank him for all the time he has dedicated over the years to ensuring we as individuals, and as a House, are the best we can be, for both school life and in preparation for the future, we truly are indebted to him. Despite it being very sad to see him go, we wish him all the best for his richly deserved retirement.

NIKHIL PATEL (U6J1) HOUSE CAPTAIN

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CHARITY MATTERS

CHARITY MATTERS SCHOOL CHARITY – THIRD HOPE AND GREEN PASTURES This year, the Charity Matters Committee was determined to raise even more money for our two School charities, Third Hope and Green Pastures. Third Hope is a charity which focuses on the rehabilitation of North Ugandan exchild soldiers, with an estimated 30,000 children abducted during the 20-year civil war. Green Pastures is a charity which focuses on providing education for children in Uganda. Our aim was to bring together the School community across a multitude of events in an effort to give back to these two amazing causes.

Early in the academic year, in December, the Committee organised and held a Krispy Kreme sale. Helped by many committee members and student volunteers, the sale ran during break and lunchtime, before a final push at the end of the day to finish selling all our stock.

The sale proved hugely successful, as we made a cool £700 profit, which was bolstered by the sales of our charity calendars, helping us to reach £1000 by the end of the Autumn term. As we approached Christmas, the committee ran the annual appeal for Borehamwood Foodbank, part of the Trussell Trust.

The foodbank helps to support some of the most vulnerable people in the community, and so we urged members of the School to give generously, with every donation making a substantial difference to those in need.

As we returned in the Spring term, looking to continue our fundraising, the Committee was eager to see how the Junior School had done in the £1 Challenge.

Launched at the end of December just prior to the Christmas holidays, the £1 Challenge involved giving each boy in Years 7 and 8 £1 and encouraging them to go and make it into as much money as they could. In February, Our Committee Chairman, Rohan Thandi, leading our Red after giving the boys Hand Day Assembly some time to go out there and maximise their profits, our Ex-child soldiers are generally abducted Committee members went around to from their homes and ordered to kill for each form to collect the money. This reasons they do not understand. Scared, led to a really great response, with they are forced to oblige, and many the boys raising a sizable sum – well of those who are fortunate enough to done Junior School! However, beyond make it home are traumatised and in fundraising, an important role we have is need of support. to raise awareness about the key issues Unfortunately, though we looked to the charities we support are helping to continue our efforts over the remainder mitigate. This was seen in our candid of the Spring and Summer term, the assembly on Wednesday 12 February, closing of schools due to coronavirus Red Hand Day. Red Hand Day is a day put this on hold. However, despite the to campaign against the use of child shortened year, we are delighted to soldiers and make others aware of the announce that we raised almost £12,000 problem, exemplified in North Uganda this year! Thanks must go to both where Third Hope is based.

Reverend Brandon and Mrs Pollock for their continued support and help as supervisors, Rohan for his exceptional leadership and the rest of the Charity Matters Committee. We are extremely happy that, with your help, we have managed to raise so much this year and, with lots of events organised for when we come back in September, we hope to do even better next year!

RISHI JOBANPUTRA (L6H1) CHARITY MATTERS COMMITTEE MEMBER

Our three School Vice-Captains, Joe Rossiter, Ed Fage and Krish Chadha, with Committee Chairman Rohan Thandi and Committee Supervisor Reverend Brandon with donations for Borehamwood Foodbank 80 ~ Skylark 2019/20

CHARITY MATTERS

BOREHAMWOOD FOODBANK DONATIONS The use of foodbanks has increased enormously due to Covid-19 and the resulting economic difficulties experienced by many in our communities. It is especially vital that the foodbanks are kept well stocked in order to help families in the run up to Christmas.

The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School is committed to offering our students the opportunity to support our local community especially at such a challenging time. We

are therefore collecting donations for the Borehamwood Foodbank. The WD6 foodbank is located on Croxdale Road at the Old Haberdashers Association Clubhouse, so it has a very special connection with the OH community.

There has been an overwhelmingly generous response from our School families and the Old Haberdashers community.

Thank you.

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR Jack in Year 9 has been recognised as a Volunteer of the Year, working with Project Impact.

Project Impact is a Jewish youth volunteering programme that Jack has worked with throughout this year. He has worked with a number of charities, including Beit Halochem, a charity that helps rehabilitate war veterans; Crisis, a charity dedicated to helping end homelessness; Jewish Blind and Disabled; and Norwood, a charity for helping those with learning disabilities. Sessions ran on a Sunday afternoon and included activities such as learning basic sign language, making posters for Beit Halochem and running a fair on Mitzvah Day. Throughout lockdown, the programme continued to run, as Jack listened to guest speakers and made baked goods for key workers.

The School is proud of Jack for making such a great contribution to the local community.

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CHARITY MATTERS

HEARING DOGS FOR DEAF PEOPLE CHARITY ORGANISATION The Junior School was visited during their assembly on Wednesday 11 March by Liz Arendt and Rufus. Ms Arendt spoke to the students about her experiences of being deaf and the support she received through the organisation Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

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To raise money for dogs like Rufus, the Habs Boys and Girls joined together for the Junior School Disco to raise money for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

The School would like to thank Ms Arendt and Rufus for taking the time to provide a warm, engaging, and informative assembly.

COMBINED CADET FORCE (CCF) ARMY END OF YEAR REPORT This year, the Cadets of Habs CCF Army Section have significantly progressed, under the leadership of one of the finest Upper Sixth cadre in recent memory.

Led by CUO Latif, RSM Sheard, CSM Thandi and CSM Littleford, amongst others, the Section has enjoyed two Field Day exercises, in addition to the weekly Friday training.

In October, after only three weeks, the Army Section was deployed to Bramley training area in cold and wet conditions. The year 10 cadets showed great discipline and resilience to quickly construct their bashas for the night, whilst the Year 11 Cadets entered their harbour routines before going on night-time reconnaissance patrols. The following day saw an exciting array of training activities, with a blank fire section attack exercise, sniper stalk, and ambush lesson. It was also a useful experience for the Year 12 Cadets, who realised the challenges of commanding a platoon, but who coped well and learnt from their mistakes.

During the winter months, Capt Gannarelli and Lt Col Woodall took the Year 10 Cadets through their weapon handling tests, which plays a crucial part in the enjoyment of army at Habs.

To be able to conduct blank and live fire activities is an immense privilege

and thoroughly looked forward to by all. It is a credit to the dedication of the staff, putting in hours during lunch times, before and after school, that for the second year in a row, Year 10 Cadets have been able to participate in blank fire exercises by the Spring. Meanwhile, the Year 11 Cadets developed their fieldcraft skills in preparation for Field Day, whilst the Lower Sixth embarked on their leadership development programme, under 2Lt McLarin. This was an interesting and important part of their journey through the army section, as they practiced delivering orders, planning operations, and discovering different methods of leadership, in preparation for next year.

After extensive planning and briefings from the SNCOs, the Army Section left for Norfolk, on its Spring Field Day. The Year 10 Cadets took more of an independent role in setting up their bashas, whilst the Year 11s, under the command of the Lower Sixth, deployed tactically to establish a harbour. After the night-time reconnaissance patrols of the ambush site for the next day, sentries were deployed. It was pleasing to see how everyone had learnt from the Autumn Field Day and that the hard work of the last year had paid off. Setting up a harbour in total darkness is difficult

and it is unlikely that it will go perfectly the first time. However, by learning from our mistakes, things went much more smoothly this time round.

The platoon ambush exercise on Friday is always a highlight, and this year, two successful and imaginative operations were carried out. Under the leadership of Cpl Levin, the excellent drills on the completion of the ambush permitted the effective repulsion of a counterattack.

The Year 11s also took part in navigation and casualty evacuation tasks, whilst the Year 10s participated in a paintball close-quarter battle lane, and also experienced their first taste of blank fire in a controlled section attack.

This year has been the most enjoyable year for me so far. This was due to the tireless effort of all the staff involved, as well as the work of the Upper Sixth.

They have left a legacy that the Lower Sixth will aspire to continue. It was disappointing not to be able to build upon this training in our annual camp.

However, Army Section has continued on Zoom, with Year 13 boys and staff preparing lessons in their own free time.

This shows the dedication of Cadets and the enjoyment that boys get out of their time in the Army at Habs.

JACK COBB (L6C1)

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COMBINED CADET FORCE (CCF)

ROYAL NAVY END OF YEAR REPORT Despite disruption to the school year, the CCF Navy Section has still managed to enjoy a wide range of activities. The year was kicked off by a brilliant Field Day, giving cadets the opportunity to get stuck in with water sports at Queen Mary Reservoir, or to help the Friends of Croxley Common Moor with scrub-bashing. Both of these Field Day experiences were highly successful, the cadets loved getting stuck in with the water sports and helping clear large areas of scrub for the preservation of the moor.

Throughout the Autumn term the SNCOs prepared many interactive and fun sessions for the cadets including raft building, sailing and bushcraft.

Later in the term activities were moved indoors, and this gave some of the Able Cadet 2*s an opportunity to lead and teach groups of younger

cadets. Not only was this helpful for the lower-ranked cadets to progress their knowledge but was also an excellent opportunity for the older cadets to gain more leadership experience.

The infamous promotion test came shortly after the start of the Spring term, where cadets are tested on information from all the lessons in the Autumn term. The swimming test also followed, where cadets have to fashion a life jacket out of their No4 uniform trousers. Those who pass both the written test and the swimming test can then be promoted to the next rank.

The main highlight of this year was the Ampthill trip. This overnight field trip involved map reading, camping, cooking and many other fun activities.

The cadets were assigned a drop off point and navigated to the campsite

whilst carrying all of their camping gear. Upon arrival the cadets pitched their tents and prepared an evening meal. One group decided to go the extra mile and brought a cheese board and crackers. The following morning was full of cadet-run activities, the senior cadets had all created an activity for the younger cadets and scored each group on how well they completed the activity. Once the points had been counted and the winning group announced, the CCF Navy section returned to school.

During lockdown, the Navy Section Officers have continued to show the Navy spirit. Whether it was the kahoot or any of the other challenges set, the cadets kept spirits high and got stuck in. We all look forward to another successful year in September.

DANIEL LOVELESS (L6J1)

BEING A NAVY CADET The best word I can think of relating to the Royal Navy Section? Opportunity.

The recurring theme throughout the entire section is the presence of opportunities to anyone, regardless of age or rank. There are regularly available navy courses run by the actual Royal Navy throughout most school holidays, with an incredibly wide variety of options, ranging from Adventure Training, including Kayaking through vicious torrents, and Mountain Biking, to a Level 2 Powerboating Course which even includes a nationally-recognised qualification.

These courses are largely cheap,

subsidised by the Royal Navy itself in order to promote teamwork and leadership skills among the youth and to encourage development of personalities suited for the Royal Navy.

The Navy section leaders continually provide information about the newest opportunities, and those who have been like Krystjan Warner or Oscar Bialek enjoyed them immensely.

Even ignoring the amazing external opportunities, regular field trips to Queen Mary Reservoir and Naval Museums give every cadet the opportunity to learn crucial knowledge regarding naval history, which is further

celebrated by the Navy’s esteemed ‘Trafalgar Night’. This is alongside providing everyone ample opportunity to develop their physical sailing skills in activities from Windsurfing to PaddleBoarding which ensures every cadet has something to look forward to and enjoy.

Within the Royal Navy itself, there are constantly opportunities to improve your position in the section or just generally develop your leadership potential through teaching sessions in the winter months. This can be done passionately on any topic of interest related to the Navy. Further, regular games and activities like Surveillance and Codebreaking give the opportunity for cadets to attempt new activities or enhance their critical thinking capabilities, which is crucial for the Navy Section.

To summarise, the Royal Navy provides cadets true opportunity. It is never too late to start, either, as I only really started embracing the opportunities provided this year and will be attending a Royal Navy course this February after hearing the amazing experiences of those who have done it in the past. So, after all this, hopefully you will understand the sheer volume of opportunities the Royal Navy Section provides.

LUCAS VALLADARES (11H1)

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COMBINED CADET FORCE (CCF)

MARCH FIELD DAY - RN AMPTHILL EXPEDITION THURSDAY 5 TO FRIDAY 6 MARCH A YEAR 10 PERSPECTIVE The RN Ampthill Expedition of 2020 began on a chilly and wet Thursday evening, where we sat on the bus waiting to be dropped off at our locations for the night hike into the campsite. Once dropped off in the pitch black on a silent country road, we began our hike into the diverse and tropical wilderness more commonly known as Bedfordshire. An hour into the hike we were completely lost in a knee-deep mud bath with only a couple of sheep for company. We navigated using maps and compasses around the seemingly endless fields and shared jokes and got to know each other in our walking group. Soon enough, we were relieved to see the eagerly waiting Lt Cdr Hardman at the checkpoint, and from there onwards we hiked into the already

packed campsite, realising we were one of the last groups to arrive at 9pm.

In the cold and almost freezing temperatures, we set up our tent and cooked a fine dinner consisting of pasta and tomato sauce which warmed and cheered everyone up. By midnight we were snugly wrapped up in our sleeping bags, with 3 to a tent to help stay warm as the temperature dropped overnight.

Morning soon arrived, and after a night of little sleep, it was expected that many would stay in their sleeping bags all day. But soon enough, everyone was up and about at the crack of dawn cooking breakfast in all their delicacies.

It ranged from porridge to pancakes, beans and sausages.

We then participated in the various activities that the Year 12 cadets had organised around the park. The favourite for many was catching eggs and sledging down a hill at 20mph whilst dodging tennis balls.

In the afternoon we packed up and headed for the coach to arrive back at school.

Ampthill was an amazing experience and one from which we will all cherish many memories. We would like to thank Lt Chapman, Lt Cdr Hardman, SLt Redfern, Miss Willows, Mr Cooper, Mr Lock and Lt Hall for making this trip possible and so enjoyable for us all.

JACK GREENWOLD (10C2)

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COMBINED CADET FORCE (CCF)

A YEAR 12 PERSPECTIVE This March Field Day, the CCF Navy spent their day free from school enjoying the great outdoors and undertaking some team building activities. We set out on the Thursday afternoon broken up into small groups who were to be dropped off at various locations, tasked with navigating through the dark to the campsite. With visibility low, the sun setting fast and a group of hungry Year 10’s and 11’s it was

quite a task for the sixth form to lead the cadets to their distant rest. However, expecting nothing less from the well trained and experienced senior cadets everyone made it to the campsite in good time and safely.

The cadets were greeting by our very own Headmaster, Mr Lock, who enjoyed his dinner with us. Sleep was not really possible on such a cold night, many of us woke up with ice having formed on

BRNC OFFICER INITIAL COURSE During the October half-term, I travelled down to Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth to undertake the Officer’s Initial Course (OIC) which, if completed, would promote me to Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Navy. The course lasted a week and during the time everyone was put through their paces, practising the art of drill for a couple of hours every morning and evening, and completing other tasks inside and outside the classroom. My personal highlight was getting in the DRU (Damage Repair Unit) which simulated a torpedo hitting a ship and having to plug holes before the water rose too high while being tilted 25 degrees. It was quite an experience which certainly brought home the real dangers facing our RN servicemen and women across the world every

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day. However, what I feel I took most out of my week in Dartmouth was simply a sense of how the Royal Navy works and why it exists; the principles on which it is founded which gives clear instruction to how operatives should carry themselves and its vision for the future.

I wish to thank the Chiefs and Warrant Officers who made the week as enjoyable as it was, and I look forward to getting stuck into all RN activities back at Habs.

SLT C REDFERN

the outside of the tents. Ignoring this however and in the great words of our Lieutenant Commander Hardman, the cadets really ‘Seized the day’ on Friday, with the older cadets having organised a number of teambuilding exercises for the younger cadets, many of which were disturbed by dogs on walks. In fact, one activity could not continue when a dog decided to steal the frisbee!

DAANYSH MIRZA (L6C1)

COMBINED CADET FORCE (CCF)

SCRUB-BASHING It was a fine October morning when 83 boys, mostly hailing from the CCF RN section, and 13 staff filled three coaches with loppers and saws, ready to face the toughest vegetation that Croxley Common Moor could throw at them. Upon arrival we were greeted warmly by the Friends of Croxley Common Moor, some of whom have been lopping there for years, helping to preserve the Site of Special Scientific Interest that holds within it some species that are not found anywhere else in the UK. Once we were given our guidance for the day, the group set to, keen to start bashing straight away.

The first half an hour of any scrub-bashing venture is a slow one, as you acclimatise to your loppers and bowsaws, and formulate the most effective method of cutting, and then clearing as much vegetation as possible. The seasoned scrub-bashers among the group knew that location was important, picking out areas slightly less dense but with a larger girth of branch; the rookies however, somewhat blinded by their enthusiasm, rushed in to find more fiddly, spikier areas of vegetation.

Nevertheless, once the initial half hour had passed, the scrub-bashers were in full swing, lopping, sawing and clearing at

an incredible rate. From then, the group bashed as hard as they could, breaking for refreshment every hour-all the while the ever-mightier bonfire blazed on.

In the final hour, loppers and bowsaws were reluctantly put down, and the focus switched to clearing the masses of scrub that had been bashed.

At the end of the day, we were able to step back and see the truly staggering task that we had collectively completed, a conservation effort that would take the Friends of Croxley Common Moor years to do themselves; an end to a fantastic day of productivity that makes a real difference to the wildlife in our local community.

Both boys and staff showed teamwork, determination and resilience in their scrubbashing excursion, with all coming home completely gratified, yet tired, from their sublime efforts.

Thanks must go to the Friends of Croxley Common Moor for directing boys so expertly, boys and staff for working so hard throughout the day, and to Lt Cdr Hardman who, with such great passion and enthusiasm, has once again delivered a fantastic Field Day activity.

CDT ANDREW ROGERS AB1*

RN JUNIOR LEADERSHIP COURSE, PLYMOUTH After a brief lunch, we prepared ourselves for the obstacle course; in wet weather it made for a real challenge, with a number of comical falls. The highlight of the course was definitely the river crossing, where we had to wade in up to waist-deep, freezing cold water to cross to the other side. A warm shower later, and we got ready to play an improvisation game, in which we were given a random topic and had to waffle about it for 60 seconds, whilst keeping the talk informative and interesting for others.

At the end of the February half term, five of us attended a Junior Leadership training course at the Raleigh naval base in Plymouth. When we arrived, we gathered with all the cadets for the course and all got to know each other through a series of team-building exercises designed to introduce everyone to the each other. We soon found common interests and settled down quickly.

The first morning of the course consisted of a hearty breakfast, uniform inspection, and drill practice - we learnt not only to follow commands, but also to give them to a squad of cadets initially challenging but we soon got the hang of it, with Lucas belting out commands confidently to the amusement of the others.

The course was tragically cut short the morning after, due to storm Dennis cutting off all rail and road transport from Plymouth. Luckily, we managed to catch a train at the last second, followed by a treacherous journey back to Paddington comprising of four different segments. We all arrived back happily and safe.

KRYSTJAN, LUCAS, ALEX, LEO, AND JACK

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COMBINED CADET FORCE (CCF)

SUMMER SAILING COURSE The annual Navy Summer Sailing Course ran this year during the first week of the summer holidays, from the Monday 15 to Thursday 18 July 2019 at Aldenham Sailing Club by the reservoir. As sailing is an integral part of the Navy Section at Habs, all cadets are required to have achieved an RYA Level 1 or above in sailing. The sailing course provided all participants with the opportunity to achieve this level and higher no matter whether they had previous experience or not. The course was open to everyone this year, so there was a mix of boys learning and we were joined by a member of the Girls’ School too.

Many of us had never sailed before the course, and so excitement built up in the days leading up to the course. On the first day we walked up to Aldenham

Sailing Club in the glorious sunlight and heat, the latter of which fortunately stuck with us the length of the course.

We talked through safety and theory and were able to get out on the water before the end of the day, after rigging all the boats. Sailing for the first time was massively exhilarating and very much worth rigging the boats for. The Habs fleet includes 24 Toppers (with gleaming new sails), 6 Lasers and powerboats. This allowed everyone to be out sailing at the same time, each in their own boat.

This pattern was repeated on each of the three days, as we progressed through the theory and practical skills required for the RYA assessment, picking up a knowledge of knots and some history of the Navy section along the way. We continued sailing through more adverse and wet

conditions and were lucky enough for the winds to pick up on the last day, allowing us to race around the course during our regattas. This was also accompanied by some rather spectacular capsizes. By the end of the course everyone had achieved either a Level 1 or 2, and we all departed with a newfound love for sailing, as well as a doughnut to add.

Everyone on the course thoroughly enjoyed it, being massive fun and an amazing way to start off the summer.

We are very thankful to everyone who helped in running the course, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking to join the Navy section or who wants to learn to sail.

KESHAV KEDIA (10H1)

ROYAL NAVY CADETS PREPARE FOR FIELD DAY On Sunday 2 February, 18 of the senior Royal Navy Cadets, led by Warrant Officer Zak, began their preparation for the March Field Day by taking part in a reconnaissance hike in the Ampthill area.

They put their navigation skills to the test and checked out several routes that

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will be used by the teams of the younger cadets later this term during a night hike.

It was an excellent opportunity for them to develop their skills in assessing risk, planning ahead and leading a group, whilst also providing time to get out in the fresh air, enjoy the countryside and bond in their groups.

The School would like to thank Lt G Chapman, Lt Cdr Hardman, SLt Redfern and Miss Willows for giving up their Sunday and accompanying the boys on the trip.

COMBINED CADET FORCE (CCF)

RAF END OF YEAR REPORT The Royal Air Force section of the CCF has had an incredible year, despite the current climate preventing us from taking part in activities for most of the second half of the year. Our year started off with a reminder of the basics of drill and uniform standards, whilst the new Year 10s learnt this in order to receive their uniforms. Following this, we broke out into year groups to continue training as before. The Year 10s began with the history of the RAF, alongside basics of flight and the organisation and structure of the Air Force, in preparation for the First Class Cadet exams. Meanwhile, the Year 11s began their skill at arms training, learning how to work with rifles and passing their safety tests. Training would often encompass a parade at the beginning of the afternoon, before specific activities in certain parts of the RAF syllabus. These include orientation exercises and learning skills such as how to use a map and compass, as well as leadership tasks. Techniques such as SMEAC and PICSIE were taught and practised in a number of tasks where

cadets lead a group of their peers through various hypothetical tasks demonstrating good leadership skills.

The older year groups, now promoted, would be assisting and helping through this process. Other activities include learning airmanship skills, through theory lessons, building model aircraft and the use of virtual and physical flight simulators on school computers. The physical skills in RAF are built up by practising setting up tents and we often used the obstacle course in training.

Inter-flight competitions are held regularly, including sporting and athletic rounds alongside uniform standards, drill and the hotly contested tug-of-war.

At the end of the Autumn term, the RAF took a team for the Regional Area Squadron Trophy for the first time in recent years. A group of 12 cadets from the senior years spent Friday evenings and days after school training for the multiple tasks that were involved on the day, including drill, first aid, shooting, flight theory and more. The day was thoroughly enjoyable and will hopefully

allow us to go into this competition in future years with much more confidence.

Our first Field Day had numerous fun activities for all age groups, including the Upper Sixth going flying and the Lower Sixth spending a day doing both low ropes courses at an RAF base and a high ropes course at Go Ape. Continuing our training in the Spring term led to a camping trip for the younger year groups and an Air Experience Flight for the Lower Sixth, complete with an opportunity to control the aircraft whilst carrying out barrel rolls and loop-the-loops for the students.

In spite of our time together being cut short, the RAF still enjoyed a hugely successful year, largely down to the immense contributions from the staff members who spent their time organising all the activities, in particular Flight Lieutenant Pearson, and we eagerly await the opportunity to resume training.

KRISH NANAVATI (L6R1)

AREA SQUADRON TROPHY COMPETITION Sunday 1 December saw a select team of cadets from the RAF section of the CCF make our way up to RAF Halton for the annual South East Area Squadron Trophy. With the team captained by Flight Sergeant Ejaaz Cadinouche and overseen by Flight Lieutenant Pearson, our day began with a very early start from the coach park.

Upon arrival at RAF Halton, it was clear that the standard we were competing against was not to be underestimated.

We were to go head-to-head with other schools’ RAF sections, taking part in drill, uniform inspection, RAF knowledge, aircraft recognition, First Aid, command tasks and shooting.

It was the first time in many years that Habs had sent a team to the Area Squadron Trophy. Some of the other schools were regular participants, and, needless to say, regular winners in a range of the assessed categories.

Despite the intimidating nature of one of the schools’ perfect static and dynamic drill and their polished Oxford shoes likened to mirrors, we ploughed into the competition with what we had. Our team were blessed with a

couple of hours to rest and compose ourselves for the drill inspection. This would only be ten minutes or so of the entire day, but for me, it would be the most nerve-wracking ten minutes as I was drill captain. This meant that I had to lead the team’s drill, shouting commands loud and clear enough for the team to hear and not march into the unsuspecting tires and camo netting lying around.

Having been put out of our misery, we were privileged to be given a personalised and bespoke tutorial on perfecting our drill technique by the drill inspector. We knew that this probably meant our drill was ever so slightly below par as none of the other schools received this treatment, but we nevertheless took advantage of the expertise on offer, ready to pass it on to those back at Habs.

We proceeded to continue with the following categories throughout the day, taking on a very confusing command task, having our RAF knowledge and aircraft recognition put to the test, including our First Aid

skills and finally obtaining some notably excellent results in the shooting.

The day was rounded off with a final parade and awards ceremony and, despite our marksmanship skills, we weren’t able to take away any awards with us. In fact, we came stone dead last. But that didn’t mean anything as the day was extremely beneficial to all of us as cadets and we took away lessons and skills much more valuable than any award. And it was pretty fun, too.

Special thanks must go to Pilot Officer Hooker and Flight Lieutenant Pearson for working with us to practise our drill every Friday and various days after school in the cold.

The experience added a great deal to our skill and appreciation of the standards that exist in the CCF and gave us as the more senior cadets a drive to implement those standards in the younger generations of the RAF section. Thank you to all who participated in the team and enjoy your promotions. Use them well…

EJAAZ CADINOUCHE (U6C1)

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COMBINED CADET FORCE (CCF)

BARNHAM FIELD DAY We finally pulled into RAF Barnham at approximately 20:00. Many of us were already exhausted from the dull coach journey, however, this did not affect our enthusiasm for what was yet to come. Having collected our kit, we slowly made our way towards the large gate, which indicated the entrance of the training area. Beyond the gate were twisting paths that led into the night.

We found a spot, sat down, and cooked our rations. Many of us agreed that the rations were certainly not the highlight of the trip.

We started waking up at around 05:00 to 05:30, as we had to be ready by 06:15. There was lots of grumbling, however this soon stopped when we began to cook ourselves breakfast.

Breakfast was made up of beans,

sausage, and bacon (which was my favourite meal). It was at last time to begin the fun part.

Firstly, we learnt multiple methods of tactical movement to sneak up on opponents. This included crawling chest-down through long grass and silently walking along beds of crunchy leaves. We then went on to ways of avoiding detection. We had a go at concealing our faces in green and brown paint to blend in with our surroundings. Learning hand signals and observation techniques were also crucial for being tactical and defending against opponents.

To put into action what we had learnt, we played a huge game of capture the flag. The idea was that we would infiltrate the enemy’s base using a

combination of tactical movement and detection avoidance techniques.

Unfortunately, both teams performed so well on the defensive side of things that neither managed to obtain flags. Despite this, it was still hugely enjoyable to try these techniques out up against real opponents.

Although people did not like the fact that we had to wake up so early, almost all of us still very much enjoyed the trip. It was great fun being able to do activities which many of us relished. It was an experience which many of us will remember and we are all very eager for when we do a similar trip in the future. Thank you to Flight Lieutenant Pearson for organising the day and making it a such a memorable one.

JAMES CHRYSAPHIADES (10H1)

WITTERING FIELD DAY This year’s RAF trip for Year 12 consisted of a visit to RAF Wittering, where we were presented with the opportunity to go flying. We stayed overnight in the barracks section of the air base, and the next day were given the early military wake up, when we got changed into our working blues and marched towards to the Officers’ Mess at the base to have breakfast. The temperature was just above freezing, but there were clear skies perfect for flying. After an enriching breakfast, we gathered into the flight prep room, where two training RAF servicemen came and gave a thorough safety briefing. This included

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the possibility of having to abandon the aircraft mid-flight and the use of a parachute to land safely on the ground.

Three experienced pilots were available on the day which meant that everyone was able to fly, and by around 9:30 the first batch of cadets were sent to fly, after being fitted with a flight helmet and suit. When boarding the aircraft, flight engineers were on hand to make us as comfortable as possible in the cockpit of the aircraft.

Then once we took off from the air base, the pilot gave full control to us to allow us to manoeuvre the aircraft.

It was amazing how you could feel the smallest of control inputs. Furthermore, we were given the opportunity to perform aerobatic manoeuvres like loop-the-loops and barrel rolls. In the end it was really a once-in-a-lifetime experience, which gave everyone a feeling of satisfaction when we left the base. Just like every other Field Day, it also taught us the art of discipline where we were made to organise and clean our uniform to look impeccable, while it also provided an amazing sense of excitement and achievement.

DANIEL MALEKYAZDI (L6R1)

OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP (OL) OL FIELD DAY – THE BRECON BEACONS On the Thursday 5 March, the Year 10 OL Group made their way to the Parkwood Outdoors Centre in Dolygaer which is in the South of Wales. After a long drive there, we arrived at the Centre and were given our first taste of the cold in Wales. As well as this, panic arose after we found out that there was no signal at the Centre and that we had to socialise.

On the first morning, we woke up early and got to making our breakfast using Trangias. With some groups making porridge or hot chocolate, one group decided to make the most of this opportunity by cooking bacon. After breakfast, we made our way to the shower blocks to put on our wetsuits for our two activities that day: Caving and Gorge Scrambling, both of which people were very excited for.

After getting suited up, we split into two groups and went to each place to start our activities. Gorge scrambling is an activity where you use a mixture of skills to make your way up a river. It is harder than you think! The skills that we had to use were: climbing, wading and most importantly teamwork, which was essential if you did not want to submerge yourself in the freezing cold river! Despite the cold, it was great fun and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The second activity that we did was caving, which was damp, cold and wet, and involved squeezing yourself through small gaps. Our instructors did not force us to do anything, however they thought that we should try to do it as it was out of our comfort zone. They also gave us many challenges which meant that we would have to get stuck in or we would

actually get stuck. These challenges were something that we would not usually come up against, so we had to think outside of the box.

After these amazing activities, we had a 15km hike the next day around the area where we were staying which provided amazing views of the lakes, mountains and rolling hills around Wales.

I would like to thank Mr Teague, Mrs Hanlon, Miss Von Truchsess, Mr Roncarati and Mr Hughes-Caley, as well as the instructors at Parkwood Outdoors Centre, for helping us and providing an amazing time.

KAYAN VEKARIA (10R2)

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SCHOOL & COMMUNITY SERVICE (SCS)

SCHOOL & COMMUNITY SERVICE (SCS) AUDIO-VISUAL SCS Being involved with AV SCS is an enjoyable and interesting experience as it can teach you many skills over the course of the year. The Audio-Visual SCS activity involves monitoring the morning assemblies that take place, by ensuring the power point is ready to go as well as preparing the sound system, involving the microphones and speakers.

This is a fun and insightful activity as it has taught me many practical skills in the field of technology and presenting to where I have learnt more than the basics of operating a sound and speaker

system and a further understanding of the functionalities of a computer.

Moreover, while being involved in AV SCS, I have improved skills such as communication and teamwork as there are typically two or more of us working together on a day.

Attending SCS in the mornings as well as during some events, such as Open Day, has cultivated my skills and abilities, which would also help later in life. The techniques which I have picked up from Audio-Visual will be very useful in many jobs where there is technology

or various other situations where these skills may come into practice. AudioVisual is a very recommendable option for you to choose as it could help you with the improvement of many skills as well as it providing the opportunities for you to learn new ones. Also, it presents a new scheduled commitment which is attended to for two mornings in the school week and can help improve the ability to follow a healthy routine and lifestyle and can add to the appeal of a school day.

SYAN SHAH (10M2)

DRAMA SCS In Drama SCS on Friday afternoons we have carried out a variety of projects, from fitting lights in the Bourne Hall to designing a small 3D birds-eye view plan of the Drama Studio.

When I signed up for Drama SCS I did not know what to expect, I knew there would be an element of set design but other than that I was clueless; we have done all sorts during this year my favourites being: putting together and later taking apart the stage for a production, putting together the set for the Senior School Play, playing with the shopping trolleys that were brought in,

playing Four Square with the inflatable ball, having a competition to see who can build the tallest paper tower and so many more. Admittedly there is some heavy lifting which I must say is my least favourite part of the process, but it has definitely built up team spirit within the other individuals doing Drama SCS. One of the most preposterous objects we have had to transport was actually a bathtub which we took to the Bourne from the Drama Studio, which took ages.

Regardless of this heavy lifting, I had so much fun this year doing Drama SCS because each project we do is always

SCS REFUGEE WORKSHOP During Field Day, as part of the SCS activities, the School partnered with Give Together and the Barnet Refugee Services to facilitate and provide an interactive and engaging workshop to introduce the topics of refugee migration, displacement and the power of the youth community in supporting the challenges faced by refugees.

The boys heard stories about the journeys of refugees from different conflict zones and had the

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opportunity to meet refugees who have undertaken these journeys and are now living in England to ask them first hand about their experiences.

The boys then worked in smaller groups led by youth facilitators to encourage discussion and reflection. The day concluded with the students giving of their time to create a collective canvas artwork which will be displayed at the Barnet Refugee Services Head Office.

so collaborative and it gets everyone involved; so even when we do have to carry a bathtub - for example - from the Drama Studio to the Bourne, we do it together. I also think I have picked up a number of skills whilst doing Drama SCS, such as teamwork, bonding, craftsmanship and resilience. These values are definitely important in all walks of life, in the workplace and in general. Drama SCS has no doubt left me with life skills that will benefit me long after I leave Habs.

ABIM TAYO (10R2)

COMMUNITY INTER-FAITH PANEL DISCUSSION Over 150 students and teaching staff gathered for an ‘Inter-Faith Panel Discussion’ led by six Lower Sixth pupils on Thursday morning.

Chaired by Jay, Sam (Judaism), Charlie (Christianity), Abbas (Islam), Saihaj (Sikhism) and Ishaan (Hinduism/Jainism) answered a number of challenging and

thought-provoking questions based on religion and faith.

The panel discussed the essences of their religion, how their beliefs contradict or intertwine with science as well as collectively expressing how it is vital to respect all people regardless of their beliefs, before responding to a handful of questions from the audience.

One of the panel members stated that, “We can see a clear link here between all the religions being represented today here; they are all expressing teachings of truth, love, forgiveness, peace and service to others.”

This perfectly describes the aim of the panel, which was to uphold religious harmony, diversity and inter-faith respect between all at Habs. The panel was a showcase of how, despite varied beliefs, ultimately it is possible for us all to live in unity.

We are extremely fortunate and grateful to have students from such broad cultural, religious and non-religious backgrounds at the School to share their beliefs and thoughts.

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COMMUNITY

RELIGIOUS ASSEMBLIES This academic year saw a range of faith assemblies including Jewish, Buddhist, Jain, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Chapel, Humanist and Secular assemblies. Here is a selection of some of those.

JEWISH ASSEMBLY Jewish Assembly is a weekly assembly which takes place in the Seldon Hall, home to over 200 boys week in week out. At Jewish Assembly an external speaker is arranged to visit each week by the committee made up of students, from Lower Sixth and Year 11, so we can learn and have a broadened knowledge from different speakers from different Jewish sectors and communities.

Each week the assembly starts with an opening prayer of the Shema. The Shema is recited by a volunteer from Year 7 or Year 8. Everyone respectfully stands and covers their heads showing their respect and simulating wearing a Kippah (a Jewish head covering.) After the Shema the speaker will then speak

on an enticing thought-provoking topic. In Jewish Assembly, our desire for a diverse range of speakers is always prominent and visible through the speakers we have had within the past year. We have had speakers such as Lily Ebert, a holocaust survivor originating from Hungary who survived the horrors of the second world war, an impaired former soldier flown over from Israel representing Beit Halochem, Oli Anisfeld (OH) who now works for JTV, Rabbi Moshe Levy on behalf of Chazak and a presentation from Stand Up, an organisation tackling antiSemitism and Islamophobia, which was joint with Muslim Assembly and had 350 boys present.

After the speech, we finish the assembly with our original concept of Jew of the week. This simple initiative consists of us choosing a biblical figure as “this week’s Jew of the week” and us teaching everyone a bit about this character and their role in the bible.

In the words of Jesse Tapnack in Year 10 who religiously attends Jewish Assembly each week, “Jewish Assembly has the perfect mix of funny and serious moments and always makes sure everyone leaves with some food for thought and a big smile on their face!”

JOEL HERMAN (L6C1) JEWISH ASSEMBLY CHAIRMAN

HINDU ASSEMBLY “Hinduism is a relentless pursuit after the truth” – Mahatma Gandhi.

As a committee, we believe that truth, love and acceptance are the essence of all religions. These three principles exist in every walk of life. Whether you are a believer or a non-believer, they play pivotal roles in how we interact with others as human beings. Accepting all is love.

If love is the central belief system in your life no matter what faith you follow, if love is the tool you use to carve your way through life, it does not matter what faith you follow and what teachings you embrace as long as it

becomes something to better you as a human being. Anything that divides people is not love.

As young people, we must question our belief systems, adapt and evolve.

Our ancient Hindu scriptures, the Upanishads asked this of us. Religious scholars have concluded that a religion is not a religion unless it continuously evolves to promote acceptance. The great sages and thinkers have called these faiths and philosophies by various names, but ultimately, the truth is one.

We express in our assemblies that we must all be willing to listen to the doctrine expressed by other religions.

We must not condemn them or seek faults in them. Rather, be open and honest; accepting any truth or teaching that we see fit for our lives. We must give the utmost respect, importance and compassion to the essence of every religion: truth, love and acceptance.

Hence, our ultimate goal as a committee is to spread the three universal pillars of truth, love and acceptance to all the students who come to listen to our assemblies. We do not ask for people to change or improve, simply to accept all.

ISHAAN SHAH (L6S2)

BUDDHISM ASSEMBLY “I teach only suffering and the cessation of suffering.” – Gautama Buddha Liberation from the cycle of suffering is one of the focal points of Buddhism; it is the overarching goal of all Buddhists.

Our committee hopes to help people understand the roots of suffering within a Buddhist framework and how people may be able to incorporate certain practices such as meditation to lessen their own suffering and by extension the suffering of those around them.

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sublime states of mind that need to be perfected in order to be released from suffering: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity.

We believe that all can benefit from cultivating mental qualities such as these and thus our assemblies are the product of our efforts to reflect teachings like this into our presentations. Since the beginning of this year, the Buddhist Assembly Committee has been hard at work to produce educational and critical presentations regarding the analysis and modern discussion of key Buddhist

concepts and themes. The Committee hopes to encourage its audience to be open to a perspective that they may not have encountered or considered before and consequently we believe in the immense importance of respecting and supporting others who practise different faiths. We as a committee are grateful for the support we have received and would love for any new people to come along!

PARAM VYAS (11J2) AND THE BUDDHISM COMMITTEE

COMMUNITY

SIKH ASSEMBLY Sikh Assembly takes place in the small classroom of B08 and regularly attracts audiences that fill up the room, eager to learn about the Sikh religion. Each week, we educate the students about Sikh culture, folklore and current issues and topics regarding Sikhism. At the end of each assembly there is an open discussion where the students ask us topical questions where we can provide our views to potentially help others gain a better understanding of the values

and beliefs which are taught by the religion. The assemblies we present aim to convey any valuable messages from the religion, some of which the students could potentially apply in their lives.

They can vary from the teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib or lessons learnt from the lives of the Gurus to the life of Sikhs in the western World.

of our assemblies focussing on the history of Sikhs, discrimination and the experience of being a Sikh in the UK. The discussions at the end often open up entirely new discussions such as the importance of religion in modern life or where to draw the line between satire and racism. The assembly is kindly supervised by Mr Fletcher every week.

In particular, we like to focus on the human element of Sikhism, with many

CHINMAY MULLAPUDI (L6S1)

HUMANIST ASSEMBLY The Humanist Assembly has grown in strength and numbers since being introduced five years ago. While Covid has seen us move to remote delivery and reduced numbers, it has also opened the assembly up for years 7-9, who were previously excluded for reasons of space in our traditional venue of the sixth form common room.

Humanists believe that human beings should be valued as individuals and as a collective society. We don’t feel the need to believe in an all powerful being or organised religion, preferred to see humanity as the root cause of all our problems and solutions. Assemblies are diverse and cover a wide range of topics, from philosophy to specific

events. Recent assemblies have seen presentations on Carl Sagan, 1960s TV series The Prisoner, Cults, The Music of Humanists and the tradition of Krampusnacht. All are welcome, whether they hold religious beliefs or none.

HAMISH AITKEN (L6H2)

CAROL SERVICE ‘Rebuilding, re-imagining and restoring connections’ The Carol Service at St Albans Cathedral “As this Autumn term draws to a close, our presence here in this ancient Cathedral reminds us of the blessing that we share in belonging to our school community and to each other’s lives.”

Reverend Brandon The annual Carol Service took place on Monday 9 December in St Albans Cathedral.

This traditional event traces its roots back into the School’s history bringing together staff, pupils, parents and governors to strengthen relationships within our community and celebrate the birth of Christ.

The service featured the School choir, who sang A Spotless Rose, Deo Gracias, Bethlehem Down and Sir Christèmas, as well as lessons from the Bible read out by members of staff, pupils and governors. There were also addresses and prayers from Reverend Brandon and the Reverend Canon Tim Bull.

The Chaplain – Reverend Brandon – emphasised the theme of ‘Blessing’ this year; a Biblical theme reflected in society even now.

“Such a pattern is repeated in almost all religions – an original blessing, then a fall from grace and finally a restoration of harmony and blessing once more.

This pattern strikes a chord in our hearts – for human relationships are masked by … the deep significance of loss and redemption.”

On the theme of loss and redemption, the Chaplain extended his message to include major debates of our time, such as climate change.

“It is there that we can witness the extent of man’s fall from grace and his misuse of this earth of majesty, entrusted to him for future generations.”

The Chaplain also emphasised the importance of looking ahead with a positive outlook, and how the School can make a difference.

“Such reminders serve to impress upon us the importance of rebuilding, reimagining and restoring the connection between God and mankind and between each other.”

“As we gather in this place today, let our prayer be a prayer for restoration – that we can use what God has given us to steward and not destroy, to plant and not to plunder.”

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COMMUNITY

PRE 1970 REUNION

A CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF SIMON GELBER (OH 1973) We are sad to report the passing of Simon Gelber (OH 1973) on New Year’s Day, having suffered a heart attack over Christmas.

Simon was a true stalwart of Old Haberdashers’ sports and the Old

Haberdashers’ Association, and his enthusiasm and love for life could not do anything but positively affect those around him in a multitude of ways. As President of the Old Haberdashers’ Cricket Club, his exuberant influence

can never be underestimated, impacting as he did a wonderful Haberdashers institution and welcoming all to join its ranks in a true spirit of friendship across the generations.

HABSDASH QUOTES “HabsDash is a fun way for students to spend their lunchtimes exercising as a community. The timed aspect allows us to strive to beat ourselves and our peers every week. Most importantly it lets us keep control of our physical health which invaluably contributes to our mental health.”

HARRY DAVIS (11R2)

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“Doing HabsDash regularly enables you to balance academic pressures, relieve stress, and most importantly stay healthy and active. After a run, you feel satisfied with your achievement and if HabsDash is taken up consistently, improvement is inevitable. These improvements mean you set goals for the future and become motivated which in itself betters your wellbeing.”

“HabsDash is an unbelievable feat of school life and something that has definitely transformed me as a person.

I do it every week without failure and now have run over 3 marathons collectively. It has made me much fitter and gives me a boost mentally.

In fact, I have now reduced my time by approximately 5 minutes over a full year of running. An amazing, unique feature of Habs life.”

YIANNIS SHAMTANI (11M2)

JAKE PILER (11C2)

COMMUNITY

JOHN CARLETON (1938-2020) It is with great regret that we inform the wide Haberdashers community of the passing of John Carleton, the School’s highly respected former Second Master, who passed away peacefully in the early hours of Wednesday 15 April. He had been suffering from dementia for three years.

methods of teaching was matched by John’s steadfast encouragement of innovation. Many Old Haberdashers of that generation owe so much to John and his refusal to settle for second best, always gently coercing his Sixth Form pupils to strive for the ‘outstanding’ and not just for the ‘very good’.

John Carleton was born in Paddington Green General Hospital, early in the New Year of 1938. When the Second World War broke out and the Blitz began, John was evacuated with his mother to his grandmother’s house in Wales. Here the family stayed for the duration of the hostilities, before returning to West London but not without John having assimilated a distinctive Welsh accent (at times….) – which many of his teenage charges at Haberdashers will recall.

On the retirement of Dai Barling in 1982, John was an immediate first choice for the role of Second Master at Habs. As Bruce McGowan’s right-hand man for five years, he effectively ran the School during Bruce’s Chairmanship of the Headmasters’ Conference in 1985. When Bruce retired in 1987, John again was a great ally, friend and source of support to Keith Dawson, and his wise and sage advice helped to ease Jeremy Goulding (as John’s fourth Headmaster at Haberdashers) into his new position in Aldenham House in 1996, before himself retiring in 1998.

He attended St Clement Danes secondary school in Hammersmith and then in 1956 went to Exeter University to read Chemistry and whilst there met his wife Janet.

John was appointed to the role of Chemistry teacher at The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School,

by Headmaster, Tom Taylor in 1960 and very quickly proved himself to be a first-class educator. Passionate about his subject and an outstanding classroom practitioner, he earned the respect of boys and colleagues alike, while also providing guidance, support and care for those who were lucky enough to find themselves around him.

In 1966, Tom Taylor approached John to become Head of Chemistry, and never one to shirk a challenge (he was already the School Liaison Manager for the construction of the new Phase Two Science Block), John embraced the opportunity.

In 1970, John became acting Head of Science and was confirmed in this post in 1972. Under his tutelage, science flourished at Haberdashers with the recruitment of a group of young colleagues whose wish to adopt new

In retirement, John and Janet kept in close contact with Habs and were enthusiastic supporters of School Music and Drama as well as attending the near annual gathering of the Termites (Habs members of staff who had spent 100 terms or more at the School). They also enjoyed travel and spent much time in France, a country they loved and knew very well.

resolute disciplinary rock who kept a tight ship without any hint of vindictiveness.

John was also a man of rare, hidden talents. My wife, Marjorie, vividly remembers his coming to the rescue when someone helping in the Head’s House had locked her car keys in her car. With deft, and evidently practiced, use of a credit card John had the driver’s door open within 20 seconds.

Jaws dropped, awestruck.”

David Lindsay, Habs former School Chaplain, recalls: “John gave his life to Habs – a fine teacher, a superb administrator, but, more than that, a thoroughly decent man with a caring and compassionate heart.”

Finally, for those of us who were fortunate enough to be taught at Habs during John’s long time there, the words of David Thomas, his erstwhile colleague at Westbere Road, ring clear.

“He was all that a schoolmaster should be.”

(With thanks to the late Simon Boyes on whose valedictory piece in 1998’s Skylark this tribute is based)

A dedicated family man, John was intensely proud of his children Andrew and Louise (who both attended the Schools at Elstree) and their own families, based in the UK and Germany.

In Keith Dawson’s own words: “He was one of the best friends the School can have had in its long history.

John had the essence of Habs in his bones and he gave more than a professional lifetime to serving and supporting it. He was straight as a die, a firm and trusty friend who could be relied on to speak difficult truth when necessary.

The boys he taught admired him and spoke of him decades later with warm affection; those he hadn’t taught respected him as an understated but

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COMMUNITY

DR SAMANI PRATIBHA PRAGYA AND RESPECTED SAMANI VIPUL PRAGYA VISIT HABS On Thursday 5 December, the Jain Assembly Committee was honoured to host the Respected Dr Samani Pratibha Pragya and Respected Samani Vipul Pragya, two Jain nuns who have been propagating Jainism for over 25 years.

at the age of 25 and she completed her PhD on ‘Preksha Meditation: History and Methods’ from SOAS university.

She is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at SOAS and Head of the Jain World Peace Centre in London.

Dr Samani Pratibha Pragya was initiated as a Samani (Jain nun) by His Holiness Acharya Shri Tulsi in the 1989

At the Jain Assembly, she guided a peaceful sound and colour meditation for the students. This mindfulness

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helped the students relax and temporarily disconnect from the everyday stresses of life. Later, she spoke on the core values of Jainism, including Ahimsa (non-violence). She also spoke about her PhD as well as on ‘Seizing the Day’. We extend our gratitude to the Respected Samanis for coming to the School for giving a very inspirational and uplifting talk.

PREP & PRE-PREP PRE-PREP AND PREP BOYS DONATE TO FOOD FOR ALL Our Pre-Prep and Prep Schools are proud to be supporting London’s homeless this winter.

The boys and their parents donated bags full of items that can make a real difference to people struggling on the streets. These will be donated to the charity Food For All. This proved an ideal opportunity for the boys to engage in a positive way and make a difference to those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

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PREP & PRE-PREP

HOUSE DISTANCE CHALLENGE Boys from Year 1 to 6 recently took part in a House Distance Competition.

By walking, running or cycling as far as they could over a period of seven days, they ‘collected’ kilometres for their House. The effort and motivation shown by all pupils was only topped by the enjoyment they experienced taking part.

Collectively, the boys managed to travel an incredible 3,913.29km, with Georges pipping the other Houses to top spot, contributing 1,239.04km.

Whether boys used this a fitness challenge or a chance to spend some family time outside in the sun, it has been fantastic to see so many taking part. Well done, Prep boys!

MINI OLYMPICS HOUSE COMPETITION Pre-Prep and Prep School pupils spent the past week completing Olympic-style events both at home and in school.

The five events were selected to test speed, endurance and power, allowing pupils to push to their physical limits. Every pupil who submitted a score earned points for their House, and in the end every single point made a difference.

PRE-PREP HARVEST FESTIVAL

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Congratulations to Andrews who narrowly pipped Patricks to the top spot.

Well done to all the pupils who took part and a special well done must go to our Victor Ludorum: Year 1: Mylo Year 2: Reeday Year 3: Lewis Year 4: Francis Year 5: Lani Year 6: Samuel

PREP & PRE-PREP

YEAR 2 LIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT DAY On Monday 11 November, the Year 2 boys experienced a day of life in Ancient Egypt.

They dressed up to get into character and enthusiastically participated in making artefacts and taking on a variety of roles to represent the society of 14th Century BC. Through drama, music, dance and roleplay the pupils re-created the Royal Court and entertained their very own pharaoh Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti!

PRE-PREP BOYS CELEBRATE ST ANDREWS DAY As part of the St Andrew’s Day celebrations, the Pre-Prep boys in the Andrews House came to school dressed in the national colours of blue and white.

They learnt lots of facts about St Andrew and had the chance to sample some Scottish delicacies whilst listening to Scottish music.

Some of the boys really got into the spirit of things and tried on traditional highland dress and attempted to play the bagpipes. Lots of fun and laughter was had by all!

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PREP & PRE-PREP

PRE-PREP HEALTHY EATING DAY The Pre-Prep had lots of fun today creating edible art in our Healthy Eating Workshops.

Using the Hungry Caterpillar story, the boys took a closer look at the food we eat, where it comes from and the nutritional super powers it can bring to our lives!

YEAR 1 FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE WORKSHOP Year 1 had a fun-filled day learning about Florence Nightingale.

They enjoyed making items such as candle holders, pill boxes, lockets and medals. Then they became detectives and inspected the contents of suitcases belonging to various individuals on their way to Scutari, deciding who they belonged to.

Finally they set to work, improving the conditions of the hospital in Scutari. They role-played being soldiers, nurses, gardeners and laundry workers and enjoyed using all the artefacts from that time.

PRE-PREP WORLD BOOK DAY The Pre-Prep had fun celebrating World Book Day! The boys came into School dressed as their favourite book character and enjoyed writing about them. Our visiting author, Josh Lacey delivered a

special assembly sharing excerpts from his Dragonsitter series. The boys were inspired in their workshops to create their own fictitious character and write letters describing their character’s antics.

They were then treated to a special tea party lunch and much fun was had! https://www.habsboys.org.uk/ post-article/~board/news/post/pre-prepworld-book-day

PRE-PREP CELEBRATES ST PATRICK’S DAY The Pre-Prep Patricks boys had their house party celebration on Tuesday 17 March. They enjoyed an Irish themed lunch together and tasted freshly baked Irish soda bread, whilst listening to lively Irish music.

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The boys joined in making Leprechauns, crazy clovers and green hats. The highlight of the event was decorating cupcakes with green icing and edible ‘Leprechaun gold’.

https://www.habsboys.org.uk/ post-article/~board/news/post/preprep-celebrate-st-patricks-day

PREP & PRE-PREP

BOOK CLUB: YEAR 11 READ WITH PRE-PREP/ PREP BOYS Just over two weeks ago, the call went out to Year 11 pupils to volunteer to take part in a new reading initiative (‘Book Club’) with boys from the Pre-Prep and Prep Schools.

There was a tremendous response, and 47 Year 11 pupils have volunteered to give their time one evening a week to virtually read along with a group of younger boys via Zoom.

The demand from the Pre-Prep and Prep School students was incredible, with 117 boys signing up for the Book Club. Last week was the first week of running the Book Club and, despite the logistical challenges of relying on unerring internet connections, the sessions proved a great success. Indeed, there have been a lot of positive emails from parents of the younger boys thanking the Year 11 pupils for volunteering their time and reading expertise.

The Book Club continues this week, before pausing for half term. It is hoped that it can be kept running after the break.

SUCCESSFUL START FOR YEAR 3 BOYS “Please may we get my friend Vivaan in the picture?”

Blessed with another week of sun, our new Year 3 were certainly making the most of the warm weather. Brandon was out playing football with Vivaan and insisted we get this photo of them together.

Indeed, making friends, playing games and settling gently into the rhythms of school life has been a key part of our Year 3 induction. We talked to the three of them to find out more about what they’ve been up to.

Five boys are huddled around a large piece of sugar paper; on the board are a list of classroom rules dating from the 19th century. We politely asked the boys what they’re up to. Lucas explains they’re making a set of rules: ‘We’re working together in a group and we’re trying to make rules that are important enough to go on our wall to be classroom rules. We came up with some like be grateful for what you have. I’m happy I have lots of friends here and am friends with everyone in my class.’

make and when the bird hits the block he dies and then he goes to the next game! I really love coding!’

On this note of friendship, when we caught up with Lucas at break-time, we saw him racing a friend around the playground on a large pair of stilts.

Apparently, he can now run on both stilts - and can even outrace the whole of the Year 6!

We caught Mikaeel midway through a Maths lesson. When asked about the best bit of the school week, he spoke volumes about ICT. He’s so keen on ICT that he’s even developing his own game on SCRATCH at home.

Mikaeel had this to say about building his skills at the lunchtime Coding Club: ‘I’ve been playing ‘Flappy Bird’. It’s a game that you code and then you can send it to your friends. There are these blocks you

We already met Brandon’s friend Vivaan, but just before he ran over to find him, an older boy came over to Brandon to give him a high-five. It really was a genuine moment of kindness on an average school day. When asked about his favourite part of the school week, Brandon has much to say about the football clubs - as well as a goal scored during a school match!

However, he also has a great deal to say about all the learning he’s been doing: ‘I like lessons like English and Maths. In Maths we were partitioning numbers. So basically splitting up big numbers making them easier to read. Then we were adding up three numbers, which made … 4019!’

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A SUCCESSFUL BEGINNING Starting a new school can be hugely exciting and we’re so proud of our Year 3 for launching themselves enthusiastically into the Autumn term.

Whether coding, playing football or racing on stilts, every one of them has managed to find their way to class, make new friends and join a range of co-curricular clubs and activities.

Congratulations to our Year 3 for making such a great start to the School year!

HABS WELCOMES SIR MICHAEL MORPURGO On the evening of Friday 18 October, Habs had the tremendous pleasure of welcoming celebrated children’s author, poet, playwright, and librettist Sir Michael Morpurgo to give a much-anticipated talk to pupils, parents and staff in a packed Bourne Hall.

The author of 140 books, Sir Michael Morpurgo, began by explaining that his visit to Habs felt very much like coming home as he had spent the first months of his life in ‘a little-known place called Radlett’ having been born up the road in St Albans.

He then plunged into the rich history of his storytelling career, touching upon moments in his life which had inspired his countless books. He reflected that his latest work ‘Boy Giant: Son of Gulliver’ while being influenced by Jonathan Swift’s classic story, was ultimately inspired by the lives of modern-day migrants trying to find their way to safer lands.

After reading an extract from ‘Boy Giant’, Sir Michael told the rapt audience how stories and tales came to him from myriad places and often unsolicited sources.

‘Butterfly Lion’ had begun as a memory of his unhappy time as a boarding school pupil in Sussex and how he had once tried to abscond to return to his home 100 miles away. Then, an overheard story at a dinner party centring on a convalescing soldier 104 ~ Skylark 2019/20

who witnessed the slaughter of a circus train of animals combined with a chance meeting with Virginia McKenna of the Born Free Foundation to cement the nascent theme for Sir Michael’s prizewinning ‘?’.

Sir Michael was full of wit and humour throughout the evening, entertaining parents and children alike with his tales from real life and fiction. The Q&A section at the end of the evening allowed Sir Michael to explore in greater detail more specific moments of his life including the writing of ‘War Horse’ and his enjoyment of live theatre (on the occasions he visits dramatic productions of his epic tale of Joey the horse and Albert his owner, he often finds himself on stage singing in the chorus) and what had fired him to write ‘Meeting Cezanne’ and ‘Mr Skip’. After such a thrilling and captivating hour in Sir Michael’s company it was no surprise to be told, when asked: ‘If he wasn’t an author, what would he be?’ The response came: “an actor”.

Before he left, Habs was honoured to provide Sir Michael with a cheque for £2,000 which will be donated to his charity ‘Farms for City Children’.

Founded by Sir Michael Morpurgo and his wife Lady Clare, the charity offers urban children across the country the opportunity to live and work together for a week on a real farm in the countryside.

The charity, which has been running since 1976, currently has three working

farms welcoming 3,200 children and 400 teachers every year.

It was a fantastic opportunity for all to witness Sir Michael live. As Manav from Year 6 said: “It was not only enjoyable, but informative and inspiring.”

The School would like to thank Sir Michael Morpurgo for visiting Habs and addressing our excited Prep pupils, parents and staff. Thanks must also go to Mr Bloch for organising the event. It was a truly wonderful and memorable evening.

PREP & PRE-PREP

PREP BOYS PARTICIPATE IN SCIENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS A group of Prep School boys visited the Science Museum in London to represent Habs in the National Inter-School Science Championships on Wednesday 29 January.

The competition required teamwork and tactics, in addition to a broad understanding of many Scientific topics. Well done to all the boys for their outstanding efforts.

FENCING SUCCESS FOR HABS PREP STUDENTS Last week, The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ Prep School took part in their first Hertfordshire School Fencing League against St Hilda’s School, Harpenden.

Year 4 boys Om, Yixing and Dylan were representing the School and performed brilliantly. Throughout the match they were required to display values of courage, teamwork and resilience and were able to apply their training to a competitive situation.

Through a tough-fought match they came out victorious winning 45-29!

It was a great performance from the boys and more Habs teams will be performing at such events across the rest of the term.

BRONZE AND SILVER ECO AWARDS The recently formed Eco-Council has been working very hard since the beginning of the year. We are pleased to announce that as a result of their efforts, they have now achieved the bronze and silver award for the Prep School.

They are now focusing their time on attaining ‘Green Flag’ status as an eco-friendly school.

Well done to all of the Prep boys for their support so far.

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PREP & PRE-PREP

PRIMARY STARS FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT AT WATFORD FC The Prep School’s U11 A team were hugely excited during their preparation for a trip to the Watford FC training ground on Friday 31 January.

They participated in the Primary Stars Football Tournament and their excitement was successfully transferred into positive performances on the pitch

as they went unbeaten in their first three matches. This left them second in a group of eight teams.

After a short lunch break attention turned to the sideline as a number of Watford FC players made their way around the teams, pausing for photos and offering support to the boys.

While results didn’t go in the boys’ favour to allow them to qualify for the semifinals, their spirits were not dampened and they ended the day with a convincing victory. It was a great the experience for the boys that will certainly stand them in good stead for the rest of the term.

Well done to all who took part!

YEAR 6 VISIT THE NATIONAL GALLERY As part of their current art curriculum, last week Year 6 spent an inspiring day at the National Gallery in London.

The boys were given an excellent talk on still life painting which will be explored in greater depth during their art lessons this term.

During the afternoon, the boys split up into small groups with their group leader and began to explore the amazing array of diverse pictures in the galleries.

They spent time discussing and looking carefully at a select group of paintings and thoughtfully answered questions on their worksheets.

The boys had a wonderful time and are encouraged to revisit the gallery with their families to show them the collection of paintings, which is free to the public.

PREP CROSS COUNTRY MEET Well done to the Year 3 – 6 Cross Country teams who took part in a meet at Highgate recently.

Xander in Year 4 who came first and second respectively, while Taha in Year 3 came fourth.

Overall, the School came second, and stand out performances came from: Jacob in Year 6 who came fifth and Jacob in Year 5 who came second n their races. There was also Francis and

Well done to all the boys in the team in what were very tricky conditions.

Brilliant resilience and perseverance evidenced throughout.

106 ~ Skylark 2019/20

https://www.habsboys.org.uk/ post-article/~board/news/post/prepcross-country-meet

PREP & PRE-PREP

OUR PREP WELLBEING WEEK Following a successful Wellbeing Week, Luca (Year 5) and Chijioke (Year 6) reflected back on the impact of Wellbeing Week in the Prep School.

Wellbeing Week was fantastic again this year and I loved every part of it. It kicked off with 5EF telling us all about wellbeing in their class assembly on Monday and along with the wellbeing sessions each morning, Rev Brandon’s assembly on Friday and, the highlight, Wednesday’s wellbeing day, I learnt so much. For me, I better understood the importance of looking after our mind, body and soul. This means being inclusive so that everyone feels welcome and valued in our community. We must keep our body healthy with nutritious food, exercise and keeping our minds active. I now know the value of relaxing by enjoying our pets, music and sport and how important this is in having balance in our lives.

On Wellbeing Wednesday, I couldn’t wait for the exciting activities it held in store for the boys in the Prep School. For

Patricks, we started off with a calming, soothing yoga session taken by Mr Lipscomb and Mrs Pullen. We focused on our core muscles and the yoga awakened muscular tissues which I had never used before. Next, we could relax our abdominals and traced Olympic events onto multicoloured rings which would soon make a collage to be hung around the School.

Afterwards we took to the mud, worms and insects in planting bulbs next to the North Drive Car Park. Toiling with the ground, we unearthed many worms and managed to plant five bulbs without irritating them. We soon jumped into fun games and activities taken by Mr Emery and were exhausted with games such as Evolution, Mr Emery’s favourite, and Space Invasion.

During lunch, we took part in the Prep Dash which was two laps around the school. Usually, I am averse to crosscountry running but this time, it made me feel better afterwards and proud

that I completed it alongside my friends.

After lunch, we were all anticipating the best as we were having an assembly taken by football freestyler star Jamie Knight – one of the top ten in the world.

He started off by displaying his skills and then called some of us up to try and do some of his tricks.

Following that, Patricks indulged in a silent disco for an hour and time flew away like an eagle. Subsequently, we had our own session with Jamie Knight and tried some of the tricks for ourselves.

Lastly, we ended with a relaxing piece of colouring with Mr Thomas which I probably enjoyed the most as I sat with my friends and we were allowed to chat freely. I loved Wellbeing Day and it taught me so much, not only about having fun with my friends but, most importantly, about looking after myself now and in the future. https://www.habsboys.org.uk/ post-article/~board/news/post/our-prepwellbeing-week

SIXTH FORMERS VOLUNTEER WITH PREP BOYS In recent weeks, members of the Sixth Form have been volunteering at Prep School classes and clubs. Sixth Formers Jonathan, Daniel G, Jamie, Fahad, Daniel G and Atharv have been involved with the Year 6 Maths is Fun! club and the Year 3 Thinking Skills club.

Habs teacher Mrs Harte said: “The boys, always smiling and with boundless energy, make these sessions ever so valuable. The Prep pupils have really appreciated the time spent with them and constantly look forward to seeing the Sixth Formers again.”

Sixth Former Alex commented: “As well as being a fun and engaging way for the Year 6 pupils to practice some maths, it was a great experience for the Sixth Formers. It was rewarding to help the Year 6 pupils solve tricky problems and encourage them to work together in their groups.”

Other Senior School members Daniel M, Alex, Aaren and Abbas attended double Year 6 maths lessons for the whole year maths activity in the Prep Hall. This included a multitude of fun activities for the Year 6 pupils which tested a variety of mathematical skills and their ability to work together in teams.

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PREP & PRE-PREP

BEVERLEY NAIDOO VISITS THE PREP ON WORLD BOOK DAY On Thursday 5 March, World Book Day, the School was very fortunate to have the famous and award winning author, Ms Naidoo, visit the Prep. After a special introductory assembly, Ms Naidoo delivered a variety of workshops to all year groups.

During the presentations to Years 5 and 6, Ms Naidoo shared information about growing up in South Africa under apartheid and how she and others fought for equality and justice for all which eventually led to her seeking a new life in Britain. She also shared her process as a writer, talking about the importance of editing and rehearsing your writing until you get it exactly right – a good example to our own aspiring authors!

For the Year 3 and 4 workshops, Ms Naidoo explained the fascinating story of ‘Cinderella of the Nile’, the earliest known version of Cinderella about a rosy-cheeked girl called Rhodopis who is captured in the mountains of Greece. She is sold in Samos, where wise storyteller Aesop befriends her.

Sold again in Egypt, she is given a pair of rose-red slippers. But when Horus the Falcon sweeps in to steal a slipper, Rhodopis has little idea that this act will lead her to the King of Egypt.

Ms Naidoo also performed some of her poems, with the help of boys who put great effort and enthusiasm into their performance. Pupils particularly enjoyed hearing her read extracts from some of her stories aloud, including the powerful opening of ‘The Other Side of Truth’

which Year 6 are studying this half-term.

This gave the boys a great insight into her writing style, as well as a cultural appreciation for where the story was set and the challenges that South Africa has faced. At lunchtime, Ms Naidoo signed books in the library to a very long queue of enthusiastic boys. It was an inspiring visit and lovely to see many of our pupils clutching their signed books tightly, ready for a quality read!

In addition to Ms Naidoo’s visit, all of the boys also dressed up as their favourite characters from their favourite books. Some classrooms were turned into a ‘Story Telling Den’ and the boys brought blankets and cushions into school, so they could listen to the stories comfortably in front of the ‘roaring fire’.

PREP SCHOOL SHARED READING PROGRAMME Pupils from the Lower Sixth have been inspiring the Year 3 boys with their reading where they have been looking at a range of fiction books, exploring vocabulary and choosing books together.

The programme focuses on helping foster and develop a love of reading.

Here are some of the Year 3 boys’ thoughts on the opportunity: “It has helped me to gain confidence.” Kamran.

“It helps me with my understanding of words.” - Joe and Seb. “I love reading with Akash because it is fun talking about the books we read.”

- Aarav

The Sixth Form pupils also had positive comments about the programme:

encourage all Sixth Form to take part.”

- Guy.

“It is nice to be able to come back to the Prep to help and watch the boys progress.” - Jake.

“Because I struggled with reading I really value the opportunity to help others.” - Adam.

“I have found the experience really enjoyable and developed a really good relationship with my reading partner.

It has taught us both many different skills.” - Jonathan.

“The experience is valuable and rewarding.” - Atharv.

“It is a great privilege to give back to the School.” - Akash.

It has been great to watch the boys exchange school experiences and for the Year 3 boys to ask questions about life for a Sixth Form pupil which they are curious to hear about.

“Every week Lewis improves and he reads even the most complicated words fluently and has shown a great commitment to learning. I would

BROTHERS MAKE PROTECTIVE VISORS FOR NHS STAFF Two brothers in the Prep School have been making protective visors for NHS staff. Nathan in Year 3 and Ollie in Year 5, with help from their parents, have been using their spare time at home to produce these visors for the anaesthetists and other doctors in the hospitals.

Nathan said: “When helping clear a sick patient’s airway, three doctors need to wear one each for protection.”

Ollie added: “They [the masks] can only be worn once because of germs, and then have to be discarded, so there’s a very serious shortage in the country. We bought foam, elastic, a glue gun and our cousin donated 100 sheets of A4 acetate. By cutting and sticking these together, and carefully following instructions that were provided, we’ve been making many visors that can be used in hospital.”

The School is very proud of its pupils, parents, staff, alumni and wider members of the Haberdashers’ community for their selfless acts during these uncertain times.

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PREP & PRE-PREP

PREP YOUNG MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR On Friday 6 March and Tuesday 10 March, 45 finalists took to the Seldon Hall platform to perform in the Junior, Senior Ensemble and Senior Solo categories of Prep Young Musician of the Year 2020.

We heard music from the early 1700s, pop songs in the current charts and everything in between: Handel, Nirvana, Mussorgsky, Bon Jovi, Miles Davis, Tchaikovsky – the list goes on. Whilst the levels of difficulty and challenges varied, one quality was consistent amongst all competitors: the dedication to performing at the very highest

standard possible.

Thank you to all boys for creating an unforgettable couple of afternoons.

Special appreciation to Mr Osmond, Director of Music, and Mr Ian Hope for their well-judged, informative and encouraging adjudication.

The winners in the Junior Category: Audience Award: Ben (Year 4, singing) Prize for performance with most promise: Benjamin (Year 3, acoustic guitar)

Young Musician Ensemble of the Year: Samih (Year 4, flute) The winners in the Senior Ensemble Category:

Audience Award: Luke, Keshav, Aaryan, Alex, Richard (Year 6 Band: K.A.L)

Prize for performance with most promise: Ravi, Jacob, Luke (Year 6 Band: The Watermelon Men)

Young Musician Ensemble of the Year: Joe, Harrison, Zac, Noah, Shayan, Luke (Prep Jazz Band: Jazz Rules)

The winners in the Senior Solo Category:

Audience Award: Aaryan (Year 6, singing)

Prize for performance with most promise: Rahul (Year 4, acoustic guitar) Prep Young Musician of the Year 2020: Timo (Year 6, violin)

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UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS

UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS 2019 University

Places 2016/17 Entry

Places 2017/18 Entry

Places 2018/19 Entry

Places 2019/20

Cambridge

22

19

19

15

Bristol

20

13

19

10

UCL

14

10

13

12

Nottingham

12

6

12

21

Oxford

11

16

9

9

Kings

10

10

4

2

Durham

7

9

8

6

Warwick

7

17

16

14

Edinburgh

6

3

6

2

LSE

5

7

10

5

Imperial

4

10

8

7

Leeds

4

7

2

1

Birmingham

3

0

5

2

St Andrews

3

0

0

4

Southampton

3

1

3

1

Exeter

2

1

0

8

Leeds College of Music

2

0

0

0

Reading

2

0

0

1

Sheffield

2

0

2

2

St George’s

1

2

3

1

University of East Anglia

1

0

0

0

Aston

1

0

1

1

Buckingham

1

0

0

0

Cardiff

1

1

3

0

City

1

1

0

1

110 ~ Skylark 2019/20

UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS

Hull York Medical School

1

0

0

0

Newcastle

1

0

0

2

Queen Mary

1

1

1

2

Sussex

1

2

0

0

York

1

0

2

0

Essex

1

0

0

Liverpool

1

0

0

Bath

2

2

5

Loughborough

1

0

1

Manchester Metropolitan

1

0

0

Swansea

1

1

0

Brighton and Sussex Medical School

1

0

0

Leicester

1

0

0

Coventry

1

0

0

1

0

Oxford Brookes Brighton

1

Manchester

1

2

Westminster

1

0

Nottingham Trent

2

0

Lincoln

2

0

Greenwich

1

SOAS

1

University of the Arts, London

1

St Martin’s School of Art

Total

1 (Also secured Cambridge 2019)

150

147

156

144

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HISTORIC HABS

HISTORIC HABS BOYS CELEBRATE A LEVEL RESULTS The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School warmly congratulates our Year 13 students on achieving an excellent set of A Level results enabling them to secure, once again, places at prestigious universities the most popular this year including Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, LSE, UCL, Bristol, Warwick and Durham.

With nearly 20% of Habs pupils receiving some financial assistance, the School is enormously proud that its academic and extensive co-curricular opportunities are available to all.

During what would have been their exam time, Sixth Formers were offered a ‘Frontiers Programme’. At its core, it was a holistic programme of live online sessions with the aim of giving students greater insights into the area of study that they have opted to read at university. The programme also continued to broaden their intellectual horizons and support their pastoral wellbeing, enabling them to maintain the momentum needed to start university informed and on the right track.

hockey pitch and being part of the famous Habs Big Band!

I would like to thank all my teachers for always being there to support and educate me. After being at the School for 11 years, I think the teachers play a big part in making Habs the School that it is and there’s no way that I would have been able to get this far without them.

The last few months have been quite tough for everyone, and I am extremely proud of the students and staff alike for their resilience and resolve - the mark of a truly exceptional group of people.”

Jamanvir, who has confirmed his place to study Natural Sciences at University College London with two A* and an A, said: “Probably the biggest feeling right now is just relief. There was a level of uncertainty going into these results and I am grateful for getting what I need for next year.

Josh, who achieved 4 A* and will be going on to study Mathematics at Jesus College, University of Cambridge, said: “I’m ecstatic about my results – after an extraordinarily tough year, unlike no other, I am so pleased to see my hard work having paid off. After working throughout lockdown towards them, I am especially pleased with my STEP (Cambridge Maths entrance exam) results. The School was particularly helpful and supportive towards me.

I would especially like to thank my teachers for going above and beyond throughout my time at Habs, and especially during the last few months.

School Captain Zamaan, who received 4 A* and will go on to study Engineering Design at the University of Bristol, said: “I am overjoyed with my results and am glad that all my hard work paid off, despite not sitting the exams!

The School provided lots of support during lockdown, both academically and pastorally, which really helped during such an uncertain period of time.

Remote learning was brilliant - teachers adjusted their normal lesson plans to fit the needs of the students and the online environment that we found ourselves in.

Throughout my time at the School, I’ve always been quite active outside the classroom, taking part in activities ranging from music to sport. I especially loved representing the School on the 112 ~ Skylark 2019/20

The Frontiers Programme was a highly enjoyable fortnight, seeing a side of teachers’ expertise that we wouldn’t normally get to see during a normal School year. The breadth of the content delivered was phenomenal, and hopefully this programme can continue for other pupils even when School returns to normal.

During my time at Habs, I have had the opportunity to participate in many cocurricular activities but dedicated most of my time over the past few years to Model United Nations (MUN). I was SecretaryGeneral of the infamous HABSMUN 2020 that was cancelled immediately beforehand due to the pandemic but loved every minute of planning the conference with the rest of the team, who I am extremely close with.”

Having continuous zoom calls with our teachers and friends, created a sense of normality and unity, something absolutely crucial for so many kids struggling with the lockdown. Online lessons, as well as the Frontiers Programme, helped us to keep a daily routine, whilst of course keeping us intellectually stimulated and interested.

Speaking for both myself and others, this was a really great and important thing the School provided, not only on the academic side of things but more importantly, keeping us mentally healthy and alert.

At School, I loved to represent in sport, drama and music. Some of my greatest memories lie there on stage in the Bourne Hall, performing in amazing concerts or incredible theatre productions. I have a huge collected thanks to everyone at Habs: to all the teachers who saw me through my time there, to Hendersons for guiding me all the way up the School, to all the Joe’s and Bates staff who were always so kind and generous, and to the friends and teachers I grew closer to in the last few years, who undoubtedly went out of their way to make School such an amazing and inspirational place.”

Rohan, who received three A* and will be studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Balliol College, University of Oxford, said: “I am both elated and grateful to get the results that I wanted.

This results day was unlike any other

HISTORIC HABS

that I’ve experienced and was something we’ve all been waiting for since March, so to finally receive our results was both exciting and a relief.

Habs has supported students as much as possible during these difficult times, so much so that sometimes it felt like I was back at School! I have thoroughly enjoyed remote learning and, in many aspects, the School has made it just as good as in normal times. The Frontiers Programme was very different. It gave us a chance to diverge from the general curriculum and delve deeper into areas that we are more interested in. It also gave us a taster as to what university life may be like. The sudden changes have made me further appreciate the extensive support that Habs offers. It highlighted to me that Habs is a School that really cares about their students and their staff.

During my time at Habs, there’s always been a plethora of activities on offer and I took full advantage of them. Playing 1st XV rugby and representing the School

on a national level for athletics have definitely been a highlight for me. With so many opportunities at hand, students can find that anything they want to do is already an established club or society.

I’d like to thank all my teachers, who I felt went the extra mile when it came to our learning. For example, when Oxbridge interviews were approaching, many students, myself in particular, would ask difficult and sometimes unrelated questions. The teachers would not only answer these questions, but inspire a deeper interest and provide a greater understanding that helps in all realms of academia. Safe to say, my Oxford application would have been far more difficult without the knowledge and confidence Habs afforded me. I hope that I can give back to the community that has helped me so much one day.”

Mr Gus Lock, Headmaster, warmly congratulated the pupils: “The theme for recent School assemblies has been ‘resilience’ and that is exactly what our Year 13 pupils have demonstrated over

COMMON ROOM The Common Room year began with the Headmaster’s Garden Party. It was a lovely event and those in attendance enjoyed the delicious buffet. The thanks of the Common Room must go to the Headmaster for hosting us.

A slightly less formal social occasion was held at the Battle Axes at the end of the second week to welcome our new colleagues. This again was thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance as we enjoyed the last few moments of the warm weather.

A particular mention to Loren Hooker for compiling the minutes from staff briefing, despite teaching a seven period day, then seamlessly taking over as Social Secretary. Carmen Willows, who has now taken over as Secretary, is still able to help with any task with unwavering enthusiasm.

After a much-needed two-week October half term, we welcomed back Nick Hamshaw as he started his new role as Senior Deputy Head.

The Christmas celebrations started off with a trip into London to The Racketeer. A great evening was had by all and it proved a good way to wind down towards the Christmas holidays.

Christmas lunch for staff in the Bates was also a cause of celebration to mark the end of term. A Task Master element prompted much merriment.

We moved away from the traditional Christmas celebrations with an event at Box Park Wembley where staff warmed their vocal cords by singing renditions of 80s and Christmas classics! It was a great way to start the holiday and find some much-needed Christmas cheer at the end of a busy term.

In the New Year, February saw the return of the annual Valentine’s Quiz, hosted by Geoff Kissane, in which the Maths department team snatched the victory. A good time was enjoyed by all. The AGM followed in late February, giving an opportunity to reflect on the previous topics and create a new agenda for the year ahead looking largely at ensuring sustainability and continuing our eco-friendly focus in the Common Room.

October had prompted a more active event with Habs runners entering the annual London Winter 10km Run, which was due to take place in February.

However, due to bad weather and gale force winds, the much-anticipated run was cancelled. We look forward to entering again come 2021.

The rest of 2020 followed this trend as the Coronavirus spread quickly around the world. As we entered March many sporting events, overseas trips, HABSMUN and Mencap were cancelled.

On Friday 20 March the Government announced the closure of all schools.

the best part of five months. I am very proud of their character, strength and positive attitude. Whilst it is a great pity that they were unable to sit their public examinations this year, they have worked exceptionally hard during their time at the School, excelling not only in the classroom but on the sports field, on the drama stage, in music performances and in the many rewarding charity and community events at Habs. I want to thank our immensely dedicated staff for their expert, passionate teaching and guidance. I also want to thank our very supportive parents who can be justly proud of their sons’ achievements.

Warmest congratulations to our Year 13 pupils who, having endured and overcome obstacles during this unusual year, will no doubt go on to enjoy some quite remarkable careers and become the problem-solvers of the future.”

Congratulations to the Class of 2020 – this cohort will certainly go down in history and will continue to thrive!

COMMON ROOM

We then started remote teaching on Monday 23 March as the whole country was in lockdown. The lockdown, however, did not stop the Common Room Committee. Three weekly Zoom calls were set up for the staff to meet and chat while at home and provided some much-needed social interaction in these uncertain times.

At the beginning of the Summer term, we welcomed Rob Sykes via Zoom as he began his role as Deputy Head Academic. An unusual way to meet the staff body but we warmly welcome him back.

There have been several staff departures this year and, as ever, we are sorry to see so many wonderful colleagues move on to pastures new, but we wish them all the very best and hope that they will keep in touch with the Habs community.

After the Easter break, Mark Gainey retired after just over 16 years of dedicated service as Premises Manager at the Girls’ School and more recently as Head of Estates across the both sites. We wish Mark well as he retires and now has the time for refurbishing, not building this time, his classic car collection.

As the Summer approaches, we prepare to lose a further 22 colleagues. First, there are those whose service has been brief, but no less significant: Rachel Edgell, this year’s Aske-Princeton Skylark 2019/20 ~ 113

COMMON ROOM

International Fellow, leaves us after a year in the Economics department; German assistant Eyleen Paul leaves us after a year in the MFL department; French assistant Wassila Boutchich leaves after three years to return home and continue her career; James Fletcher teacher of Theology and Philosophy, keen organiser of the Junior Schools’ Challenge and coach to the U15B hockey team, leaves us after two years to move to Gibraltar; and Claire Williams leaves us after being a member of the Music department as a Singing teacher for the past two years.

A few new colleagues leave Habs after spending a year as maternity cover; Tina Mehta in the Chemistry department; Graham Sims and Andrew Marlow both in the Music department as teachers of Guitar. We wish them well in their new endeavours.

We also say goodbye to some longer serving members of the teaching staff as Marcus Baird leaves the Geography department after four years at Habs for The Perse School in Cambridge; Ben Rylands bids farewell as he relocates to Scotland after five years of service to the School as Deputy Head of Middle School and teacher of Theology and Philosophy; KS2 teacher James Emery leaves Habs Prep after two and a half years as he is moves to Shropshire; Maria Bousiopoulou leaves us after seven and a half years in her pivotal role of teacher of Academic Support; and Phill Stiff leave Habs after 14 years in the Sports department and serving in the School’s CCF RAF section. Another great loss to Habs is Clare Harrison, who served as Head of House for Hendersons and teacher of Biology for seven years. Clare leaves us to be Head of Sixth Form at Merchant Taylors’ School. We are sorry to see them go

114 ~ Skylark 2019/20

but wish them success and happiness in their new roles.

Alongside these departing members of staff, we must recognise and thank this year’s retirees. Altogether this select group of colleagues have a combined 150 years of service at Habs! Firstly, the Economics department loses Head of Department Mark Catley who retires after five years. Geoff Kissane from the Maths department will be sorely missed as he retires after 12 years, spending the last two years as Chief Timekeeper for HabsDash, a role that will be challenging to fill. In the Prep School, we say goodbye to Andrea Fielden, a Year 2 Form Teacher who is retiring after an amazing 15 years teaching at Habs in her current role. The MFL department also bids farewell to Alison McKenzie who retires from teaching and her role as Senior Tutor to the Junior School after 17 years. We sadly say another fond farewell in the MFL department as both John and Janet Swallow retire after 35 years of teaching. Besides teaching, John had great success in his role as Head of House for Joblings and Janet in her role as Head of UCAS. They will both be missed. Steven Charlwood also declares his innings after 31 years in the Maths department and as Master in Charge of Cricket. It is a great shame for the School to be losing so many longserving and distinguished colleagues at once, but we wish them absolute happiness in their retirement. It is certainly well-deserved!

As well as waving goodbye to departing colleagues, we also welcome several new faces. In no particular order, this year has seen the arrival of: John Dunne in English; Joanna Wolfson in Economics; Carmen Willows in Maths; Joel Knight in Physics; Oliver Tromans

in Theology and Philosophy; Katie Nicholson in Art, and Fiona McEwan-Cox in Academic Support. We are delighted to have all of them on board for what we hope will be the start of their own long and happy Habs careers.

Speaking of new faces, several members of the Common Room have also welcomed arrivals of their own this academic year, starting with Frankie Charig, giving birth to a son, Hubert Ezra, and Ed Barnett’s new arrival of a little baby girl, followed by the birth of Phill Stiff’s second child.

The New Year also saw a further flurry of new life as two more staff members welcomed their own bundles of joy. First, Lando Marcus Aaron Castle was born to Ursula Galuszka then Tom Taylor and his wife brought us news of the arrival of their new little one. The Common Room offers sincere congratulations to all of our new parents.

And this article would not be complete without making mention of another monumental achievement by a beloved staff member. At Easter, Chemistry Technician Harsha Dawda celebrated her 100th term at Habs. An amazing milestone, Well done Harsha!

It has been another packed year for the Common Room. Regardless of lockdown, life at Habs remains busy as ever, and we look forward to socialising safely again whenever we can do so.

Through all the comings and goings, births, marriages and achievements, the unsurpassable spirit of the Common Room remains constant. It is a genuine privilege to work with such dedicated, affable and resourceful people, and I’m sure I speak for the entire Common Room when I say: long may it endure.

COMMON ROOM

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COMMON ROOM

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MEET THE TEAM

MEET THE TEAM

SEIYA TANASE STUDENT EDITOR

NIRVAN MARATHE DEPUTY EDITOR

SHREY SHAH DEPUTY EDITOR

SOHAM KANABAR DEPUTY EDITOR

OSCAR BIALEK DESIGN

JAY BATAVIA CCF & SCS

JATIN GUPTA CHARITY MATTERS

ABIM TAYO HOUSES

DANIEL GOLDSTONE HOUSES

LUCAS VALLADARES CLUBS & SOCIETIES

JONATHAN LEVENE COMMUNITY

OZAIR SURTI EVENTS

YASH SHAH EVENTS

NICHOLAS HAMMOND SPORT

MRS DAISY O’HARE STAFF EDITOR

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M A G AZ I NE 2 0 1 9 / 2 0

THE HABERDASHERS’ ASKE’S BOYS’ SCHOOL Butterfly Lane, Elstree, Hertfordshire WD6 3AF 020 8266 1700 office@habsboys.org.uk www.habsboys.org.uk