Skylight - Spring 2021 by Haberdashers' Boys' School

TO G E T H E R #WeAreHabs

Spring 2021

Featured in this issue...

Students qualify for European Youth Parliament UK National Session

Habs shares homelearning equipment with local community Mark Ramprakash MBE, Sir David Lidington (OH 1974) and more!

Habs Jazz Podcast

HabsMUN 2021

Pre-Prep STEM Club

The Headmaster’s

End of term letter

Dear Parents, It is becoming rather predictable to say that this has been a complex term! Since I last wrote, the national situation has both deteriorated and improved; schools have prepared for variety of scenarios and eventually managed to reopen. For centuries, schools have relied on tradition and routine, following identical patterns from year to year. They say that necessity is the mother of invention and over the last 12 months we have embraced innovation, perhaps like never before, adapting, experimenting failing and improving. The willingness of teachers, support staff, parent volunteers and students to adjust has been nothing short of inspiring and the eagerness of so many to engage with their local communities and offer support to those most in need has been heart-warming. Whilst I never thought I would say this, in spite of the trials, tribulations and headaches of the last year, I am so pleased and proud to have had the opportunity to witness the boundless ambition and compassion of this special community at this extraordinary time. Successive lockdowns have helped us to learn and there is much that we will keep for the future. A great advantage has been the ability to engage a host of world-class lunchtime speakers with relative ease and HabsTalks was most certainly a highlight of remote provision. Talks by, among many others, Sir David Lidington (OH 1974), John Vincent (OH 1990), Lord Alfred Dubs, Joe Denly and Mark Ramprakash MBE brought a new dimension to the term. In a similar vein, activities like HabsMUN, the European Youth Parliament and debating forged on with great success online. Lockdown proved no barrier to the Arts and creativity either, with the new weekly

Arts forum, ‘Submarine’, serving up a smorgasbord of creativity and imagination, whilst monthly photography competitions, Art workshops and collaborative musicmaking brought opportunities for everyone to engage. The incredible performance of ‘I Want You Back’ is a thing of great joy and wonder – please find time to listen to it. Physical activity was essential for a healthy and happy lockdown, and HabsDashGO! once again drew hundreds onto the streets. Equally popular were the morning fitness sessions for Prep and Pre-Prep pupils, with well over 100 boys joining every morning for their dose of daily exercise and an incredible 215 boys showing up for ‘Wellbeing Wednesday.’ Everyone was delighted to return to Elstree in March. Teaching is ultimately about relationships and, whilst we are now feeling confident about remote learning, nothing beats the real thing. The campus is at its best in spring and, whilst the building site emits a steady hum, the chatter of excitable Lower School pupils drowns it out fairly effectively! With planning permission granted to bring the Pre-Prep on site, the coming years will see even more construction, but the temporary disruption will be well worth it. The resulting onsite obstacles presented further challenges for the organisers of HabsDash. Never daunted, they proceeded to stage one of the most energising and powerful events I have experienced since arriving at the School. In glorious spring sunshine, RainbowDash saw close to 300 boys, girls and staff running in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, wearing bright colours and brighter smiles in a strong

statement of inclusion. In a carnival atmosphere, there was even a rainbow of balloons over the finish line and a performance from DJ Metcalfe – a joyful way to welcome the final days of term! Next term will see renewed challenges. The world is changing at a dizzying pace and we need to react and respond with courage and ambition. There will be the immediate issues surrounding the awarding of public examination grades for many pupils, and I wish everyone involved the very best for the coming weeks. More profound are the ongoing discussions that affect everyone regarding culture, diversity and inclusion, whether this be in relation to race, gender or sexuality. We aspire to be a community which listens with humility, asks hard questions and has the courage to speak truth. We aspire to be a community based on love for others, regardless of difference. And we have much still to do. With warmest wishes,

Gus Lock

Headmaster

Success Stories Year 11 student volunteers at local Covid Vaccine Hub Over the course of the spring term, Noah (11S2) volunteered at the local Covid Vaccine Hub, which covers 180,000 patients in Barnet. The Hub provides two different types of vaccine: the Pfizer BioNTech and Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines. Each shift at the Hub lasts around seven hours, although staff have to arrive early to take a lateral flow rapid Covid test. Noah has worked in various positions on site, including roles as a marshal and a non-clinical patient pre-screener. Thoroughly enjoying this work, he is planning to continue volunteering for at least one shift a week at the Hub. Congratulations Noah – this is a tremendous act of service!

Year 7 student raises £2,500 for NHS Joshi (7R) raised £2,500 in just 24 hours for the Intensive Care Unit in Barnet Hospital! Motivated by how hard his father worked as a consultant during the pandemic, he set up a fundraising page for the staff in the department – all of whom are working relentlessly. The money will go towards new coffee machines, coffee pods, health bars, snacks and hand creams for the ICU staff during the crisis. Well done, Joshi!

Habs shares home-learning equipment with local community Habs Boys and Habs Girls have been busy delivering bundles of new laptops and dongles with pre-loaded internet, to several Schools in the community. The initiative has been created by both Schools to try and support the rising numbers of families struggling to access learning at home due to poor connectivity and lack of devices. Schools currently receiving the equipment include the London Academy, Bourne Hill Primary, How Wood Primary, Cowley Hill Primary, Fairfield Junior and St John’s Radlett, to name a few. As well as providing a number of Chromebooks and dongles to support home learning, Habs Boys and Habs Girls have also created a selection of educational ‘BookyBoxes’ for primary students – packs containing a great book, ready-made guided reading resources and a fun and relevant activity or toy. These are being delivered to local families in the community to provide additional remote learning support.

Success Stories Year 7 student raises £2,500 for NHS This half term, Harnek (7J) volunteered at a local charity – One Vision – to try and make a difference to his local community. One Vision is currently helping people affected by the pandemic, providing hot meals and essentials to families around the Watford area. Harnek was involved with packing hot meals (langar) made in the Sikh Gurdwara, as well as transporting them to Stanborough Park Church. These meals were then delivered to vulnerable families by volunteers. He was particularly amazed to see different communities come together to help those less fortunate - one of the core principles of the Sikh faith.

Year 9 student donates to foodbanks during lockdown Benjamin (9J1) contacted two local foodbanks, Burnt Oak Community Centre and Finchley Foodbank, to help organise door-to-door food collections from families who wanted to donate. Each week involves him checking with the foodbank to see what items they are in most need of. He then publicises these items to local donors, along with a deadline for drop off or collection. The car can be so full that his family have to put the back seats down to fit all of the bags into the car! Congratulations, Benjamin - a wonderful example of community service!

Parent and staff volunteer for student Covid tests Habs is hugely indebted to the parent and staff volunteers, who worked together by overseeing and supervising Covid tests for students in the Old Refectory, Aldenham House. This has been an incredible help and the process played an integral part in enabling all to return safely to the campus in March following lockdown. It was a slick, successful and beneficial process. Many thanks to all who answered the call to volunteer – it really does encapsulate the boundless spirit of the Habs community!

Success Stories Habs Boys qualify for European Youth Parliament UK National Session A number of Habs students recently took part in the East of England and London and South East regional forums of the European Youth Parliament UK. Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, these took place on Zoom and involved a weekend of team building, committee work and debating resolutions in general assembly. This year’s forums

included the innovation of students working in teams with other young people they had not met before. The School is delighted that four Habs students: Jatin, Jonny, Lucas and Zaver have been asked to take part in the National Sessions taking place later in the year. Congratulations and best wishes to them all!

The boys take up the story: Jatin (L6S2) said, “The EYP Regional Round was an exciting and an extremely memorable experience! The topic of my committee was ‘Misinformation’. On the first day, we transformed and constructed our ideas regarding this topic into a resolution, presenting it to the General Assembly the following day. Our resolution passed and we also had the opportunity to debate the resolutions of other committees. Through this, I was able to further enhance my critical thinking skills, as well as develop my understanding on how to put forward logical arguments, in addition to gaining knowledge on important topics in our world today. Overall, it was an enjoyable weekend and I am looking forward to the National Finals!”

Success Stories The boys take up the story: Jonny (L6R2) commented, “I enjoyed the weekend I spent doing EYP thoroughly, not only due to the diverse range of issues that were debated but also in regard to the highly sociable environment which was in no way limited by the fact that discussion took place over Zoom. I revelled in the highly intellectual and sometimes heated debate that surrounded issues such as vaccine distribution equity and the protection of employment during a pandemic that culminated in resolutions on these issues being presented to the General Assembly. Over the weekend I feel that I learnt a lot, working constructively with new people to create viable and multi-faceted responses to very topical issues, as well as having to articulate these solutions in speeches to other committees and members of the conference. I look forward to meeting new people and discussing more fascinating topics at the next conference!” Lucas (L6H1) added, “Our conference was exceptional. Throughout the session, there was a friendly atmosphere that promoted teamwork and kindness, leading to everyone developing confidence in their speeches and speaking more and more. Similarly, the public speaking skills developed through the conference will inevitably be extremely useful in later life and thus I’m grateful I had the opportunity to attend. Not only was the debate highly productive, with interesting, engaging points, but the topics covered were both immensely significant in the modern world and accompanied by detailed explanations which massively broadened my understanding of some key issues. Overall, qualifying from the regionals feels like a dream come true and I’m excited to see what’s in store in the next round!” Zaver (L6J2) had this to say: “I recently took part in a two-day virtual European Youth Parliament (EYP) event and was allocated to a committee focusing on privacy, big data and misinformation. The first day was spent taking part in various team building activities, followed by working with fellow delegates to write a resolution. The next day was the General Assembly. I was selected to give the opening speech for our resolution after which there was an open and lively debate followed by a vote. Fortunately, our resolution passed with a large majority. Being able to collaborate with people I had not met prior to the event was an important skill and I formed a lot of friendships over the two days. EYP provided me with the chance to hear from a diverse range of people who were equally passionate as myself about solving important issues. This opportunity gave me the chance to hone my debating skills and express my opinions whilst also learning and collaborating with others to come up with solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.” The School is grateful for EYPUK for continuing to provide excellent conferences that offer wonderful opportunities for young people to improve their skills and their understanding of contemporary issues. Both Habs Boys and Habs Girls are committed to providing students with first-rate co-curricular experiences.

Success Stories The Aske Project 2021 On Wednesday 27 January, the School was delighted to celebrate the considerable academic endeavour and achievements of our Aske Project prize winners. With academic enquiry that readily reaches beyond an A Level standard and into original research, our students explored questions of bioengineering and climate change, the home bias in economics, mathematical modelling and Covid-19, the growth of populism, an examination of the use of RNAi to cure Huntington’s Disease and the survival of the Chinese Communist Party in the 1920s and 30s, to name but a few. The 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, their innovative and their critical thinking, all framed within high standards of research methodology. This process alongside their A Level studies prepares them exceptionally well for university. Starting this year, the Project has evolved into a new independent study project in the Sixth Form, which seeks to go further in developing these skills with a new bespoke programme of staff support and skills development for all Lower Sixth Form students across the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools. The final Project cohort have succeeded in setting a very high standard for them to build on in the pursuit of their interests. 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!

Staying Active: Our Community Long nights, cold weather outdoors – even the odd sprinkling of snow. It would be an understatement to say that the co-curricular programme at Habs has been more important than ever. Whether it is jogging round the block, birdwatching from the garden patio, or relaxing with a spot of yoga, the School has worked hard this term to keep our students engaged throughout remote learning. Three Year 7s shared their stories about how they’ve kept active over the spring term.

Success Stories Joe (7R) and HabsDash “It’s good to get exercise outside! Being inside on a screen all day isn’t helpful for anyone.”

This was how Joe chose to introduce HabsDash. A weekly competition in which boys are tasked with running and recording their times, HabsDash has been a staple of our co-curricular offering for the past few years. It has certainly been a gift for Joe over the past few weeks. “I usually swim but changed to running during lockdown. Since the leisure centres and swimming pools are closed, we thought it would be good to go running as a family.” Joe goes running every week with his father, mother and sister, uploading his personal best time at the end of the session. Getting everybody involved has always been a key part of HabsDash, with Joe saying: “When you see your name on the leader board, you then look down and see your friends on it too. You might call up a friend, discuss the times and personal bests. Last week my friend Zack did a great PB and I called him up to say ‘I’m never going to catch you.’”

Felix (7C) and Birdwatching While Joe has sights on personal bests, Felix has opted for the quieter activity of birdwatching. Heading out onto the local footpaths with his mother, he’s thrown himself into the Big Garden Birdwatch, an event promoted by Mr Coleman and Mr Hardman. After asking for a few tips, Felix suggests: “You should do a lot of listening, especially beside hedgerows. In the winter the hedgerows don’t lose their leaves, so you’re more likely to hear and see birds at ground level.” Felix has developed this hobby by taking notes of the birds he sees and recording their details in a birdwatching log. Although most of the birds seen are fairly common, he has seen a few redwings which feed on the holly berries in his garden. Alongside his bird logs, he’s trying to identify birds by song: “I’m very much a beginner, but I know the song of the great tit, whilst robins have a really long, bubbling call. Blackbirds are my favourite because they have quite a long song which isn’t repetitive. They can go on for 45 seconds to one minute at a time!”

Success Stories Yajna (7S) and yoga Whilst Felix has kept busy outdoors, Yajna has opted to unwind in his living room. Attending the weekly yoga and meditation sessions run by Mr Walters, this club has allowed him to relax throughout the pressures of lockdown. When asked about the benefits of yoga, Yajna says: “It’s more important than ever during this crisis. Some people aren’t getting any exercise! But for yoga all you need is a small space and yourself. And it makes you feel relaxed if you’re frustrated, since you just need to sit down, think and reflect.” Good advice for all, Yajna! Emphasising the need to remove distractions, he recommends an ideal place: one that is quiet and uncluttered. Having found the ideal space, Yajna suggests two techniques: “The cobra stretch is where you put your legs on the floor and heave your chest upwards. As you look upward, you feel all the tension goes away. But the most effective is the small mountain. You put both hands on the floor, one leg in front of the other, and then you hold it for 30 seconds.”

Bring the School to you Perhaps what these clubs and societies demonstrate is the continued willingness of students, staff and the School community to stay active throughout this challenging period. Whether it is beating personal bests, watching redwings fly past or practising the cobra stretch, it has certainly been another busy spring term at Haberdashers’. Thank you to all the staff and students involved in contributing to our co-curricular programme – and for making Habs such an active community!

Success Stories AI4Youth 2021 On Tuesday 9 February, the School hosted a panel of artificial intelligence (AI) education experts and Intel dignitaries to award AI4Youth certificates to five boys from Habs for their project ‘HabsBoys Chatbot.’ The students involved in the project were Noah (11S2), Ari (11H1), Yash (11R2), Alex (9C1) and Keshav Gupta (OH 2020). The Habs team presented the detail of the project to a judging panel consisting of Stuart Walker (Head of Education UK & Ireland at Intel Corporation), Nirosha Holton (Associate Lecturer and Academic Mentor at the University of Exeter), Marisa Connolly Álvarez (Education Sales Specialist, UK and Ireland Product Business Fujitsu), and Tim Barrett (STEM Ambassador and Wearable Tech Developer at Intel). They received great compliments from all who attended, and as such, Anshul Sonak, Intel Principal Engineer for their Digital Readiness Partnership Program, said: “Intel are trying to democratise and demystify AI and we are so proud of Habs Boys for being the first ambassadors in this country to use our resources and create this real world beneficial project.” The aim of this project, inspired by Keshav Gupta (OH 2020), was to create an AI chatbot where a user would be able to ask questions on a vast array of topics and the system would respond in a manner consistent with the message of the Dada Bhagwan Foundation. The foundation has the goal of spreading peace, harmony and ultimate contentment to mankind, through the science of self-realisation. Keshav said: “I wanted to create a chatbot so that more people would be able to take advantage of the

organisation that was so helpful for me.” The followers of the foundation are from all around the world, but the target audience is users over 12 years old. This chatbot can be easily integrated and adapted for various other groups, companies and organisations – most importantly it is about the scalability of this chatbot – and the students involved have plenty of ideas for expanding to a mobile app. Recognising that the chatbot enhances and digitally transforms the user experience for all followers, the students are keen to get feedback from the users and continue to develop the project over the next year as part of the thriving Computing Society at Habs. Keshav said: “I believe it engages the users, and optimises their journey through the Dada Bhagwan website.” This could in the future be the tool to help users find out more about local events, the quote of the day, or even an in-depth understanding of a specific topic, centralising all the followers onto one platform, where videos and books can be recommended based on their interests. Both the School and Intel are looking forward to seeing how this project develops, and the team and the School are grateful for the ongoing support from Intel for this and other projects.

Success Stories Year 11 student places in top 20 for the British Mathematical Olympiad Congratulations to Erekle (11M1) who turned in a superb performance recently in the BMO2 (British Mathematical Olympiad) examination! This is the hardest Maths exam for school students in the UK, and for a student from Year 11 to score in the top 20 in the country is a remarkable achievement. To reach this stage, Erekle had to qualify via the Senior Maths challenge in November and the BMO1 follow up exam. Erekle has been invited to attend further training during the Easter break and will be eyeing a place in the team of six for the International Mathematics Olympiad later in the year.

Lower School Reading Challenge At the beginning of the academic year, Head of Lower School, Mr Hardman, asked the Lower School boys to keep a note of the books they had read since September. Unbeknownst to Mr Hardman, Ravjoth (7M) set himself a target during the first lockdown last March. The target was to read 100 books in a year and Ravjoth had hit his target with two months to go! Well done, Ravjoth!

2021 British Physics Olympiad Senior Physics Challenge problem-solving skills. In a report sent back to the School, it was stated:

The School is delighted to share the results of the 2021 British Physics Olympiad, the Senior Physics Challenge. This year’s competition consisted of two 30-minute multiple choice papers that were administered online on Friday 5 March. Out of 40 Habs entries, the results were: • 13 Gold

• 19 Silver

• 8 Bronze

The multiple-choice format differed from the standard paper format, which emphasises

“This multiple-choice competition looks for quick thinking and fluency in a range of small topic areas questioned. There are a number of puzzle-like questions which require the students to do small manipulations and at speed. There were 40 questions in an hour, and this would have been a huge challenge.” In acknowledgement of this, those who participated have done extremely well. Congratulations to all those involved!

Schroders Essay Competition 2020 Each year, the School’s Economics department takes part in an annual essay competition run by Schroders Bank, against other Haberdashers’ schools. The School would like to congratulate all the boys that entered the Schroders Essay Competition – the quality of writing was excellent. The title this year was ‘Governments are rapidly increasing their deficits and debt to support the economy. Running a government deficit is i) Bad for the economy and ii) Will require taxes to go up in the future.’ It is a huge privilege to announce that the winners this year are Jamar (U6H2) and Aly (U6C2). Congratulations to Aly and Jamar, who are finalists for the overall prize, as well as to all the students who entered.

Success Stories Debating at Habs The start of the year saw success for Habs debaters participating in both the Oxford and Cambridge regional rounds, with two teams qualifying in each event. The Oxford regional contest consisted of two rounds with familiar debates. Notably, an Old Haberdasher - Aniket Chakravorty (OH 2020) - was co-ordinating the event for our region. At the end of a three-hour evening, Lucas (L6H1), James (L6C2), Jonny (L6R2) and Veylan (L6J2) proved the strength of our Habs Lower Sixth cohort by qualifying for the next round.

Keshav (11H1) had qualified for the Cambridge finals. A special mention to Keshav who stepped up so readily at the last minute to fill in as Ahan’s partner. All in all, both competitions were very successful ‘outings’ for Habs, putting us in good stead for the Oxford and Cambridge finals, as well as upcoming competitions in general. The debating revolution at Habs continues!

This term, on Saturday 13 February, four Habs teams competed virtually in the Cambridge Regional North London round. By the end of the debates, Habs had shown their prowess in the competition; Om (L6S2), Aarnav (L6H1), Ahan (U6R2) and

Middle School students compete at Imperial Juniors online debating competition On Saturday 28 February, eight students from Years 9 and 10 competed in the Imperial Juniors online debating competition. For several of the boys this was their first experience of competitive debating, although it was a rare junior competition for Alex (10M1) and Fola (10M2), who frequently compete on the senior circuit. 56 teams entered the competition and after three rounds of debating different topics, 12 teams made it to a gold final, a silver final and a bronze final respectively with four teams starring in each. Before this competition Fola and Alex had never progressed to a final. As a result of their top finishes (second, first and first) Alex and Fola made it into the gold final – on the balance of the first three debates, they were ranked third – level on team points, and only six speaker points behind the team who ranked first in the

preliminary debates. However, going into the gold final, Alex and Fola had finished above each of their three opponents when head-tohead with them earlier in the day. In the end, Alex and Fola came in a close second to the team in Closing Opposition whom they had previously beaten in the second round – in a decision which split the judging panel 3-2. Nevertheless, Habs is closer to that significant step of winning a gold final at a major competition.

Events HabsMUN 2021 Our annual HabsMUN (Model United Nations) conference was held online. We were joined by students from 18 schools from across the UK and overseas. The following is a report written by Lucas, one of our Year 12s on the organising committee. “The weekend of 13 March, I was fortunate enough to attend, and even help chair, HabsMUN 2021. It was the first online rendition in the entire history of the conference and thus no one knew what to expect. However, I am confident that it managed to exceed every expectation. Reaching over 250+ delegates and over 50+ submitted resolutions was a staggering, surreal and ultimately really satisfying experience. On the first day, delegates introduced themselves to each other and began to lobby their resolutions. Discussing critical topics ranging from the issue of Myanmar to vaccine equality and climate migrants, attendees maintained clear professionalism as they productively contributed to debates so passionate and powerful that one might expect to see them in the real United Nations. Following some fierce debate from both the proposition and opposition, with many amendments and points of information thrown in, each committee laboured hard to produce the final resolutions they would pass and move into the General Assembly (GA). Having asked some of the other chairs, each committee seemed to have had its fair share of eloquent debates and

wild moments with some standouts being an impromptu rap battle and a speech being delivered entirely in the position of a handstand. On the Sunday, during the GA, the delegates were active, engaged and always prepared to thrust their placard proudly into the clouds (or should I say into the Cloud) which ensured a steady stream of well-articulated, analytical and impressive points throughout the day. Debating each resolution within a 25-minute slot, delegates had to think critically and fast on their feet and they managed this astoundingly, producing some of the best and most interesting speeches I’ve ever heard. Overall, the General Assembly was high quality and it was encouraging to see just how many delegates and respective delegations wished to stay and focus on resolutions from other committees.

Events HabsMUN 2021

additionally three Distinguished Delegate Awards, among others!

To conclude the day, we received a captivating, and ultimately wholesome, speech from the Secretary-General, Sean (U6H2) thanking all the delegates, the supporting staff and the wider organising team. With that came the awards, and participants seized a range of victories from ‘Outstanding Delegate’, ‘Distinguished Delegate’ and ‘Highly Commended Delegate’. A special mention must be given to St Vincent and the Grenadines, who took home not only the Outstanding Delegation award but

Ultimately, working alongside a great team of PGAs, including George (L6J1), Julien (L6H1) and Aryan (L6J1) was a really enjoyable experience and further appreciation has to be given to Jatin (L6S2) for his help with management and planning. Moreover, the hard work of Nicholas (U6H2) in the IT department was appreciated and even more so than normal due to the special conditions of the conference – it truly could not have happened without him! Finally, a massive thank you must be given to Sean for all the hard work he put into planning and organising the conference. He put in quite literally hundreds of hours and it paid off, and I am confident I speak for the entire organising team when I say he was an inspirational leader.” Written by Lucas (L6H1)

Events HabsDashGO! Once again, the School community came out in force to participate in HabsDashGO! - the virtual version of the Schools’ popular weekly run. With this lockdown taking place through January and February, it meant that a whole range of different weather conditions was experienced. Our runners met wind, rain and snow whilst pounding the pavements of their local areas. Every three days, pupils and teachers alike were encouraged to send in details of their 3.5km run that they had done within their own local neighbourhood. These entries were collated and a results sheet sent out to the whole school community. Between them, those taking part managed to run a distance equivalent to that between Elstree and the Black Sea, some 2,500km away. HabsDash itself is a weekly community run that builds on the ability of regular exercise to provide enormous health and wellbeing benefits. Seeing close to 200 participants every week, it is an opportunity for pupils of all ages, alongside teachers and support staff, to come together and spend a lunchtime running through the School’s picturesque grounds.

Events RainbowDash 2021 On Tuesday 23 March, HabsDash was once again transformed into the annual RainbowDash! Students and staff from both Habs Boys and Habs Girls ran the circuit of the campus dressed in bright colours, for a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. It was a wonderful occasion, which showed a real togetherness and the spirit of the Habs community.

Events LGBTQ+ History Month February marked the start of LGBTQ+ History Month – a month that sought to educate students about prejudice and make LGBTQ+ people visible in all their rich diversity. The School was proud to be part of the annual celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month and held a wide range of activities throughout February. The activities were just one component of the wider work done across the School to support our LGBTQ+ community.

Activity LGBT+ Identity through Poetry Diversity in the World of Computing Diversity in Art ‘Faith in Yourself’ (Faith and LGBTQ+) LGBT The Glamour Boys (The gay MPs who fought prejudice and Nazism in WWII) - Chris Bryant What is the problem with Football? (Football and anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes)

Year Group Year 9 to 13 Year 7 to 9 Year 10 to 13 Year 9 to 13 Year 9 to 13

Year 7 to 13

Children’s Mental Health Week 2021 On Wednesday 3 February, Habs acknowledged Inside Out Day as part of Children’s Mental Health Week. Inside Out Day aims to raise awareness amongst children regarding the huge importance of being kind and mindful of others, as it can be difficult to tell how someone else may be feeling. To do this, an item of clothing is worn inside out, to make everyone ‘stop and think’. This included the weekly version of HabsDashGO! for which the Student Council and the School encouraged runners to wear a piece of clothing inside out.

Burst the Bubble UK A number of Habs students (Jonathan (U6J2) Ozair (11S1), Param (11H2), Oli (L6R2), Kazim (L6C2), Lucas (L6H1), Felix (L6M2) and Krish (11C1)) have all been involved with Burst the Bubble UK. This is a youth-run organisation focused on raising awareness, encouraging dialogue and promoting the involvement of young people in the most crucial issues facing the world today. Within Habs Boys, there are a great number of student ambassadors working in a variety of roles, from media to editing to management. The team has been working particularly hard to help Burst the Bubble in the Free Ekpar campaign, as well as helping podcast production. Well done to all involved!

Events Anthony Nolan Trust’s and DKMS Stem Cell Register Assembly As part of the School’s longstanding support of the Anthony Nolan Trust’s and DKMS stem cell register, this term the Sixth Form were invited to join the register as potential donors. The message was ever more powerful this time, as the call for help came from a family within the local community. Through the personal engagement of one of our students, Yash (11R2), we invited Mrs Kirpa Gudhka to address the School about their family’s search for a stem cell donor for their young son, Veer. Veer’s life is relying on the generosity of a person from anywhere in the world: the chances of a positive match are slim, and the search for a donor therefore poses an anxious waiting period. It is an honour for the School to support the Gudhka’s campaign - and it is at moments like this that our students so often and reliably rise to the challenge and help others in need. Indeed, this came about through the outstanding initiative of Yash, who first established the contact between Family Gudhka and our school. We are proud of the students and others who have registered to be donors. The DKMS/Anthony Nolan stem cell register is open to anyone between the ages of 16 and 55; in the spirit of Yash’s drive, we would encourage our boys and their families to join the register.

Monmouth Enterprise Initiative On Tuesday 2 February, 18 students from Year 12 were invited to the Monmouth Enterprise Initiative. The day included several talks from professionals in the Information Technology industry, organised by the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists. The experience aimed to provide students with a greater insight into the breadth of prospects in the IT sector, as well as several pathways to enter it. The talks were incredibly informative, covering a range of topics in great detail, for example ‘Emerging Technologies in IT’, ‘Consultancy within IT’, and ‘Entrepreneurship within IT’. The day finished with Q&A sessions. The final talk focused on seizing opportunities, and students left the day feeling far more confident about their knowledge of the IT industry.

Events Habs recently announced a new regular slot where the School brings talks, interviews, presentations and masterclasses, from a wide range of speakers across a broad spectrum of topics and industries, to students, staff and the wider Habs community.

Professor Lawrence Goldman (OH 1975) As part of our new HabsTalks programme, on Monday 25 January 2021 the History Society hosted Professor Lawrence Goldman (OH 1975). Professor Goldman, former Director of the Institute of Historical Research, former Editor of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and Emeritus Fellow of St Peter’s College, Oxford, spoke about ‘Race, Region and Rebellion: The Origins of the American Civil War 1846-61.’ The School was delighted to be joined for the talk by several Sixth Form students and colleagues from the Girls’ School, as well as former colleagues from the History Department and Old Haberdashers who studied History. The School is grateful to Professor Goldman for sharing his expertise and skill as a historian with our students and wider community.

Generation2Generation – Holocaust Memorial Day The History Department hosted a remote talk by David Wirth on Wednesday 13 January 2021. David represented the charity Generation2Generation, who seek to enable the continuation of Holocaust memory. Mr Wirth spoke very movingly about his parents: Eva Wirth, née Szepesi, and Istvan Wirth. Both were Hungarian-born Jews who survived the Holocaust and moved to the United Kingdom as refugees in the late 1950s. Mr Wirth’s presentation used family photos, maps, statistics, as well as video testimony from Eva, recorded before her death. The School would like to thank Mr Wirth for giving his time so generously, as well as Mrs Fecher who arranged contact with Generation2Generation. Mr Wirth’s conclusion, “be kind, do not hate”, is a strong message that we will continue to reflect on.

Events Dr Agnes Kaposi – Holocaust Memorial Day On Tuesday 26 January, the Jewish Society, jointly with the History Society and the Girls’ School, had the immense privilege of hearing the story of Holocaust survivor Dr Agnes Kaposi. Interviewed by her granddaughter Molly, Agnes told about her life experiences and how she re-built her life following the atrocities. Centred around three special people involved, Dr Kaposi’s story was a harrowing and stark one – half of her family were murdered in the war; a demonstration of the depths to which humanity can sink. At the same time, her story also shows of the hope and humanity which can be found in even the darkest places. Having explained how she spent comparatively minimal time in concentration camps relative to other survivors, Dr Kaposi then went on to tell the story of how she rebuilt her life in Hungary and then England, becoming an engineer and only the third female fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. Her book, Yellow Star Red Star, is available to buy from March of the Living. It tells her story, verified at all junctures by Holocaust historian Dr László Csősz, and all proceeds go to Holocaust Education and charities that have supported Agnes. The School would like to thank Dr Kaposi, Molly, Dr Csősz and Cassie Matus (CEO of March of the Living) for their time. It was our honour to organise this event.

Lord Alfred Dubs Habs International Relations and Economics Society was privileged to have Lord Alfred Dubs speak this term. Given his role in implementing the Dubs Amendment concerning child refugees - and as a child refugee himself, who came to the UK via the Kindertransport mission escaping the Nazis - it was fascinating to hear his thoughts on human rights and migration. As a former MP (Labour, Battersea) and active Peer in the House of Lords, he spoke on the role of Government and Parliament in tackling human rights abuses. Lord Dubs was also kind enough to answer a number of questions put forward by members of the school community. He gave insights into the politics of migration in the UK and explored strategies to tackle human rights abuses around the world. Habs is immensely grateful to Lord Dubs for giving his time.

Events Sir David Lidington (OH 1974) As part of the HabsTalks programme, the School was delighted to welcome Sir David Lidington (OH 1974) on Friday 29 January 2021, to speak via Zoom about ‘the United Kingdom in a Changing World.’ Sir David Lidington is currently Chairman of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI), the oldest defence and security thinktank in the world. From 1992 to 2019 he was Member of Parliament for Aylesbury, serving on his party’s Front Bench for most of his time in Parliament and de facto Deputy Prime Minister under Theresa May. During his talk, Sir David outlined the challenges and opportunities that the United Kingdom now faces outside the formal organisation of the EU: these include the re-emergence of China as a global power, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and the increasing threat of climate disaster. There were a number of questions after the talk, including whether Sir David had any advice for young people thinking about a career in politics. His advice was varied: to get involved in local parties, to be aware of the possibility of failure, and to appreciate the importance of a hinterland beyond the Westminster bubble. Habs is extremely grateful to Sir David Lidington for speaking to the School community.

Dr Peter Liddel

On Monday 1 March 2021, Habs was delighted to introduce Dr Peter Liddel of the University of Manchester to speak on the subject of ancient Greek inscriptions. The study of Greek inscribed texts, known in academic language as ‘epigraphy’, is an important subdiscipline within the field of ancient Greek history. As Dr Liddel explained, the interest in Greek inscriptions dates back to the 16th century, but epigraphy did not gain full academic respectability until the middle of the 19th, in the generation after the liberation of Greece from Ottoman rule. The School is privileged to have been able to listen to a world expert in the field. This was a magnificent crossing of interrelated disciplines: for modern historians, a reminder that questions the use of source material that have a long and ancient history; for ancient historians and classicists, a reminder that the evidence with which we grapple also has a rich modern history behind it which we can, at times, overlook.

Events Professor David Read “On Tuesday 2 March, the School was delighted to host Professor David Read, a Professorial Fellow in Chemical Education from the University of Southampton. He was compelling, confident, and extremely intelligent speaker, and I was captivated by the presentation and took regular notes throughout. Combining modern social issues with scientific evidence and reasoning helped convey critical information to an audience with interests ranging from environmental science to pure chemistry. Professor Read discussed and portrayed a wide range of key modern issues and especially their environmental consequences, focusing on their relationship with scientific innovation and ideas of eco-friendly science. Ranging from questions of decreasing oil supplies to the acceleration of global warming in recent years, Professor Read repeatedly emphasised the immense importance of sustainability and how scientific developments were facilitating cleaner technologies and would continue to do so in a likely exponential rate in the future. Additionally, Professor Read spent significant amounts of time highlighting the sheer significance of the scientific approach and methodology, demonstrating just how innate scientific reasoning is to the solutions to many pressing modern day problems. One of my personal favourite aspects of the presentation was the sheer level of interactivity; by regularly establishing polls and asking questions, he ensured the audience remained not only engaged but actively excited and inspired, with a peak of 38 voters out of 56 total participants. As a result, those in attendance left the talk empowered, with a sense of increased understanding regarding modern social issues and scientific involvement alongside a feeling of newly developed, encouraged passion for environmental sciences.” Written by Lucas (L6H1), Science Society Committee

Ex-international cricketer Mark Ramprakash MBE On Friday 19 February, the School had the pleasure of welcoming ex-England, Middlesex and Surrey cricketer Mark Ramprakash. It was an amazing opportunity that saw over 150 current students, Old Haberdashers and staff log on to listen to him. Mr Ramprakash is only one of 25 cricketers in the history of the game to have scored over 100 first class hundreds and has amassed over 39,500 first class runs over his career. Since retiring, He has become England’s Test and white ball batting coach. Mr Ramprakash started by giving the students his insight into what successful leadership in cricket looked like, through his journey from first class and international cricket, as well as through his coaching journey. Students asked stimulating questions, which ranged from the technical to the tactical, and covered all aspects of Mr Ramprakash’s journey as an international cricketer and coach. The School would like to thank Mr Ramprakash for giving up his time for students, Old Haberdashers and staff. It could have gone on for a few more hours with the number of questions that were sent in!

Art, Music and Drama Art Graphics at Habs Graphic Communication, introduced to the School’s Art department three years ago, both complements and offers an alternative to Fine Art for students in Year 9 and above. Highspecification laptops, Wacom tablets and access to Adobe Creative Cloud provide pupils with the opportunity to fully explore digital media, alongside more traditional techniques. The course is thriving, and this year will see our first cohort of Year 11 Graphic Designers completing their GCSE! Year 9 pupils have explored the theme ‘If you could put one message on a t-shirt what would it be?’ Each pupil has worked towards creating a range of logo designs and illustrations to promote World Ocean’s Day. In class they have sketched, researched designers, and made stencils to screen print their designs (by hand) onto t-shirts. Then for homework the boys were asked to design another illustration or logo using Adobe Illustrator. They researched inspiring designers, drew their own imagery using Illustrator, trialled and refined their designs, and learnt lots of new digital techniques. All of the designs are created from scratch by the students, with no imported imagery. During the coming year, we look forward to seeing their ideas develop for the themes ‘Can graphic design save your life?’ and ‘Do you judge a book by its cover?’

Art, Music and Drama Art Workshops by We Explore Drawing The Art department was delighted to offer Years 7 and 8 the chance to take part in an urban sketching mastery class with Jeanette Barnes. The School’s Art A Level students also had the chance to take part in a portraiture workshop with Paul Brandford. Jeanette Barnes and Paul Brandford, from We Explore Drawing, are multi-award-winning artists. They have over 25 years of teaching experience, leading workshops for a range of institutions, including the Royal Academy of Arts.

In the Years 7 and 8 workshops, Mrs Barnes helped the pupils to explore the world of urban sketching. Her exercises encouraged a confident approach to creating drawings full of atmosphere and life. In the A Level workshop with Mr Brandford, the pupils explored ideas that can bring portrait drawing to life. Mr Brandford led the boys through a series of fast-paced exercises, developing inventive approaches to portraiture. Well done to everyone who took part!

Art, Music and Drama New weekly arts forum, Submarine Over the past two terms, students have been presenting and workshopping their creative projects at the School’s weekly arts forum, Submarine. We are delighted to share with you some of the work from those sessions. 1. Photo by Jamie (L6J1)

3. Photo by Felix (L6M2)

4. D rawing of “Lushana” by Albert (L6C2)

2. “Thunderstorms” by Julien (L6H1)

5. S ample of scripts and alphabets devised by Albert (L6C2)

6. Excerpt from “Swirl” by Joe (U6R2)

Art, Music and Drama Year 7 pupil wins first place during the Online Watford Music Festival Over the February half term, Vivaan (7M) participated in the Online Watford Music Festival. Competing in the pianoforte section, Vivaan secured first place with honours, receiving 91 marks out of 100 in the 11 to 14 category. Congratulations, Vivaan!

Year 12 student to represent Habs at the ARTiculation Heats Huge congratulations to Bailey (L6S1) for winning the internal heat for ARTiculation 2021 with his presentation on the painting Atlantic Civilisation by Fougeron. ARTiculation is the Roche Court Educational Trust’s national and international public speaking initiative, championing the appreciation and discussion of art. It enables students to develop their confidence and ability to express their opinions, thoughts

and reactions to the visual world. The standard of all the entrances received was extremely high this year and our judges, Mr Wheeler and Mrs Nicholson were very impressed with the quality and breadth of the subject matter discussed. The passion with which everyone spoke was inspirational Well done to all that entered.

Art, Music and Drama Photo of the Month Competition winners

December’s winner: Aishiek (9J2) January’s winner: Ben (L6C1)

February’s winner: Rayaan (10J1)

Art, Music and Drama Running a Rehearsal on Zoom In late March 2020, many of the School’s ensembles were less than a week away from a final concert of the year. With no realistic prospect of returning to school prior to the summer the ensembles turned into groups on Teams, with the group leaders encouraging weekly games such as ‘share your favourite trombone solo’ or ‘learn and record this piece for the group.’ This January, the School had a very different situation. Ensembles which had been split into small year group bubbles for the first term found themselves back in lockdown, but now the prospect of returning to perform in a concert towards the end of the year was a real one. It was therefore essential that students and staff-maintained momentum and kept the groups playing. Anyone who has ever tried to sing Happy Birthday on Zoom knows the inherent problems with delay and will know that any attempt to hold a live rehearsal with multiple users unmuted was not going to end well. Instead, the Music department reconstituted many of the

ensembles to their pre-Covid state (with mixed year groups) and then employed the breakout room facility within Zoom to create multiple spaces for each individual section. High staffing levels enabled each breakout room session to be led by a member of the instrumental team, who would conduct the rehearsal with everyone on mute apart from one person at any one time – sometimes the teacher, sometimes a pupil. Students quickly adapted to this new way of working and they clearly enjoyed the sessions and were learning a lot. Many of the groups have been recording solo tracks to be stitched together into ensemble performances which we will be sharing in the next few weeks. Others have returned to school to form large groups with two-metre distancing. Being able to hear the fruits of the lockdown work for the first time, it is amazing how much the boys have managed to achieve while on mute! Assuming the current government road map is not significantly delayed, the School plans to have several concerts at the very end of the summer term.

Remote Music Project – A Review of The Jackson 5 There are many things to consider when putting together a performance remotely: a great arrangement to showcase everyone, without needing to rely on any individual, a strong backing track to record with, a great editor to stitch it all together and, above all, a group of people willing to spend time and commit to playing and recording. Despite all these barriers, Mr Herd, Musician in Residence, together with Mr Taylor, Head of Jazz, decided early this term to create a performance which would involve as many of the students as possible. Having chosen the infectious I Want You Back by The Jackson 5, Mr Herd created parts for every instrument that are taught at the School. Vocal lines, oboe parts, cello parts, they all had their place. A group of instrumental staff recorded themselves and their tracks were put together by Mr Taylor to create a backing track which was

sent to the students involved. Remote auditions were held for lead vocalists, Pre-Prep boys were asked to record themselves clapping in time, and gradually the offerings began to arrive in Mr Taylor’s inbox. Mr Taylor is masterminding the sound editing, and with over 150 recordings so far to put together (and more still to come), it is no small task. The end result will be a real demonstration of the entire School community (Senior, Prep and PrePrep) working together towards a common goal.

Art, Music and Drama The Habs Jazz Podcast The Habs Jazz Podcast first grew out of the need to replace the lunchtime concert series when, in March 2020, the first national lockdown was announced. As the School community went into remote learning, it seemed fitting (if ambitious!) that Habs could make a musical offering every week - replacing the customary pulse of music running through the School with a broadcast straight into people’s homes. In spring 2020, this podcast took the form of solo recordings and when we returned to school in September this was able to grow to include full ensembles. When the campus closed once again in January 2021, staff and students stretched their ambition further and decided to take on remote ensemble recordings, whilst sticking to their tough weekly schedule of the first lockdown. They had to learn how to use audio engineering software, record to click tracks, and learn new repertoire from scratch every week, whilst still producing high quality performances. It was an enormous pleasure to see how the students (and staff!) rose to this challenge and Habs is extremely proud of the music that has been created in this period. A highlight was the podcast Rain, Rain – with a broad range of performances spanning traditional jazz through to a moving reimagining of the Randy Newman song I Think It’s Going To Rain Today.

As students and staff prepare back-toschool podcasts, the School is incredibly excited to hear what can be achieved now everyone is back on campus. Jazz continues to go from strength to strength at Habs. The School was delighted to welcome new jazz bass and guitar teacher Mr Tom McCredie as an addition to the brilliant team already working at Habs. The School is proud to have many of the finest young jazz musicians in the country within its ranks, and in the younger years the talent is very exciting. Habs looks forward to what the Jazz Podcast may hold in the future.

Art, Music and Drama Junior School Play rehearsals In the trickiest of circumstances, the Years 8 and 9 companies of the Junior School Play, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, have kept rehearsing in preparation for the Junior School play. The company has continued to rehearse over Zoom with huge commitment and energy. The plan for the performances and final rehearsals are still being finalised, but the show will happen - and it looks set to be a magical, wonderful occasion! Performers will continue working on their lines and mapping out their stage journeys, and the students have really hit the ground running on their return. Habswould like to thank Mrs MorrisWolffe for directing the play with such energy, Mr Hammond for arranging such beautiful sound, and Simone for working so hard on all the costumes.

Senior School production When Habs entered the first spell of remote learning, the Drama department made the decision that rather than create a piece of theatre that was simply filmed and streamed, there was an opportunity to try something new and explore the potential of how theatre and film can work together. Working with students from both the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools, this is a hugely ambitious and imaginative piece of storytelling, devised and created by, and working in collaboration with, the exciting production company Tea Films to realise this vision - including tanks of water, running machines, fireworks and an intergenerational story spanning 75 years! Habs is very fortunate to be working alongside a brilliant team of professional artists including director Matthew Harrison and, during the second lockdown, staff and students have adapted the project, so that

alongside online rehearsals, members of the company have been working as part of the writing team, guided by the brilliant writer and poet Ella Frears, and creating music and lyrics with Habs music teachers Mr Herd, Musician in Residence, and Mr Taylor, Head of Jazz. Students are also part of the filmmaking team, helping to plan and produce content, visualise ideas and document the process. The School is now looking forward to stepping into the next phase of the rehearsal process, where students can begin to physically bring the work and story to life while adhering to restrictions and Covid-19 rules. The School is aiming to film towards the end of the summer term and is hugely excited about the project, which is unlike anything done before.

Art, Music and Drama Drama welcomes Katie Sykes and Stefan Gregor via Zoom GCSE and A Level Drama students both had the opportunity to listen to two experts in the industry via Zoom. Costume Designer Katie Sykes discussed her amazing costume designs for the National Theatre’s production of Peter Pan with the GCSE drama groups. The conversation covered how the costumes fitted with the overall playful and ensemble style of the production. Meanwhile, the A Level Drama students have been studying the Young Vic’s production of Yerma, an adaptation of Lorca’s play. Mr Gregor, the play’s sound designer, spoke to the students via Zoom. In Australia during the call, Mr Gregor, kindly stayed up past midnight to provide the students with some fascinating insights into the haunting soundscapes he created for this powerful, harrowing production.

Sport Joe Denly visits Habs via Zoom On Monday 25 January, Habs had the pleasure of welcoming England and Kent cricketer Joe Denly to the cricket community for a Q&A session. It was an amazing opportunity for over 70 attendees, made up of boys from Years 7 to 13, as well as staff. The School’s students asked Joe about his sporting journey, which ran from schoolboy cricketer through to the pinnacle of his career: representing his country in the Ashes series. The boys asked a fantastic range of questions on all aspects of the life of a professional sportsman, from technical to tactical, physical to mental. Mr Denly spoke at length about his preparation going into his first Ashes series, as well as how he adapted and trained his game to suit different cricketing formats: 20/20, 50 overs, first-class and Test match cricket. The boys were also eager to quiz Mr Denly on more amusing aspects of his career including the ‘easiest dropped catch’ in Test history and his appearance on ‘A Question of Sport’. It was a truly inspiring interview, providing a fascinating insight into Joe’s career whilst offering some terrific advice for our Habs Cricket community. The School would like to thank Joe for giving up his time and very much look forward to welcoming him back to Habs in the near future.

PE seminar series During lockdown, it was great to connect with students in live PE lessons. Students rotated through a six-week carousel of topics including diet and nutrition, injury and rehabilitation, RAMP warm-up, the effects of exercise, sleep, methods of training and sports psychology and preparing to succeed. Students were provided with a presentation on their chosen topic and then discussed detail further during a Q&A session with each member of staff. These seminars provided students with greater knowledge and understanding of the theoretical concepts that underpin a healthy and athletic lifestyle. It is hoped that increasing the live aspect of PE lessons encouraged the boys to be more engaged with the theoretical side of Physical Education.

Sport Remote Games and co-curricular provision during second lockdown The School was delighted with the amount of engagement on remote learning and Games resources and thoroughly enjoyed receiving updates, pictures and videos from students taking part in a variety of physical activities. For the duration of their remote learning, students have been provided with fitness, tactical and skill activities for six sports. Students also completed a weekly wellbeing survey and accessed nutrition, sleep and yoga and meditation resources. Along with their Games and co-curricular sports resource pack, students joined live fitness workouts with Mr Anderson and Mr Dutta. These included cardio and strength training both with and without equipment to ensure the activities were suitable to all.

High Performance Programme Habs is excited to introduce the High Performance Programme (HPP) created for students who have been highlighted as working at or towards the higher levels of sporting performance. The HPP will include: • Access to additional strength and conditioning/ athletic development sessions • Support workshops on a range of topics including nutrition, sports psychology, sporting careers and pathways, time management and sleep amongst others • A 1-1 mentoring scheme as staff seek to help each student to better identify and balance the demands of playing high level sport with their academics and social life.

Pre-Prep and Prep House Fitness Competition Towards the end of January, the Prep School introduced a House Fitness Competition! They had an average of 130 boys a day logging onto their morning fitness sessions, which was a fantastic effort from the boys. Every time a boy turned up for a session, they received 10 points, which were attributed to their House. It was a fiercely competitive event, with the standings changing on a daily basis, but very well done to Davids, who were crowned champions. The club continued daily until the end of remote learning. Well done to everyone who came along!

Leafy Learners This term, Year 1 and Year 2 boys enthusiastically continued to join in with our outdoor adventures in Leafy Learners. They were involved in a number of different tasks. These included collecting ‘wild pets’, which they then released safely and respectfully back into their correct habitat. They created colourful pebble art bugs, and even some magical woodland potions, which were accompanied by some wonderful rhymes and wishes. The students also looked after the birds in their gardens by assembling apple and pinecone birdfeeders – and there are truly some budding wildlife photographers amongst the Pre-Prep!

Chinese New Year The Year 1 boys had lots of fun learning about Chinese New Year during February! They looked at the different traditions in their Theology and Philosophy lessons, before creating paper dragons in Art.

Prep and Pre-Prep Pre-Prep STEM Club Pre-Prep students have been involved in a lunchtime STEM Club during the recent lockdown. Over the last few weeks, they participated in lots of different challenges! They learned how to make paper aeroplanes and paper boats. The boats were then placed onto water to see how many coins they could hold before they sank. They also participated in a water illusion experiment. This involved drawing two arrows pointing in different directions, as well as writing down some words. The students then had to place a cup of water down onto the arrows and words, watching how their direction changed. Next up was the bubble experiment. The boys filled a plastic bottle three-quarters full with water, before adding washing up liquid. After this, they had to tip the bottle upside down, pouring the water into the sink quickly. The bottle was then left full of bubbles, which they turned the right way up, before placing the bottle in front of a window. Finally, they watched in amazement as the bubbles turned from transparent to rainbow colours! The Pre-Prep students were also challenged to create a maze for their marbles using Lego.

Year 1 Science Class At the start of February, the Year 1 boys had so much fun with Science! They carefully investigated the best material to muffle sound. The boys then used their plastic cups to make telephones, so as to investigate how sound can travel.

Prep and Pre-Prep Fitness Club on ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’ The Prep School had an amazing turnout on ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’, with 215 boys taking part in the morning fitness session. Well done to everyone who came along!

Wellbeing Wednesday Sports House Competition Students were invited to take part in a House sports competition on Wednesday 10 February. Pupils could enter one, two or even three of the following challenges: keepups with a football, keep-ups with a cricket bat and a burpee time challenge. Every repetition was counted and was attributed to their house. The results were as follows:

Place First Second Third Fourth

House Andrews Davids Patricks Georges

Points 1,583 1,455 1,209 1,156

Well done to all involved!

World Book Day The Pre-Prep boys enjoyed celebrating a virtual World Book Day. The boys showed great spirit and dressed up as their favourite book character. Craig Bradley, a renowned poet, gave a fabulous workshop to each class and finished with a sing-along during a whole school assembly!

The Habs Community Old Haberdasher receives ‘The Captain’s Award’ for work with The Royal Navy Congratulations to SubLieutenant Harry Jukes (OH 2015), who has received ‘The Captain’s Award’ for producing software that has brought the Royal Navy forward technologically by around five years.

Old Haberdasher receives SJA Award Congratulations to Jonathan Liew (OH 2003) on being named sports writer of the year at March 2021’s British Sports Journalism Awards. SJA praised Jonathan’s “abundant style” and “insight and emotion”.

The Habs Community In any normal year, Old Haberdashers play a very important role by coming into School and willingly providing advice to our current students about applying to university. Even during lockdown, they were still happy to do this via the omnipresent Zoom!

Class of 2020 return to discuss university application process with current Year 12s Year 12 students had the opportunity to meet six Old Haberdashers on Tuesday 2 March, learning about their experiences of applying for university. The School welcomed the following boys: • Ronit Anand - Social Anthropology at The London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London • Ed Fage - Economics and Management at the University of Oxford • Jasper Federman - Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion at the University of Cambridge • Sam Grankin - History and Politics at the University of Cambridge • Rohan Thandi - Combined Honours in Social Sciences at Durham University • Ashley Turner - Economics and Management at the University of Oxford The 2020 Old Haberdashers spoke candidly about their experiences of applying to university and how they decided what they wanted to study. Jasper and Rohan both urged the Year 12s to spend time researching the subtle differences between courses, whilst Sam explained a little about the Oxbridge interview process, highlighting the fact that he is now taught by the academics who interviewed him. It was a fantastic event and the School would like to thank the Old Haberdashers for their support. We wish them well on their return to university!

The Habs Community Old Haberdashers share their Oxbridge application experiences with current students On Wednesday 3 March, over 300 students from Year 9 to 11 joined a Zoom call to hear about applying to Oxbridge. The School was delighted to welcome five Old Haberdashers to the call who discussed their own academic journey: • Harry Kingdon (OH 2015) - Philosophy at the University of Cambridge • Hugo Murphy (OH 2016) - English at the University of Oxford and a MA at the University of Cambridge • Jordan Bernstein (OH 2016) - Law at the University of Oxford • Rohan Oyewole (OH 2020) - PPE at the University of Oxford • Josh Kaye (OH 2020) - Maths at the University of Cambridge Josh’s main suggestion to our aspiring applicants was to enjoy getting confused. He talked about the art of problem solving and using YouTube to discover new and challenging problems. This matched with Hugo’s love of grappling with difficult ideas and the joy of reading literary reviews. Other tips included not ruling anything out, to prepare early and enjoy becoming an independent thinker. In true Habs’ style, the panel were put through their paces with a quick-fire round of questions at the end. One Year 9 parent wrote: “It was a pleasure listening to the Old Haberdashers who spoke with such openness and enthusiasm.” It was a wonderful evening and the School would like to thank the Old Haberdashers for their time and good humour. Best of luck to our future Oxbridge applicants.

The Habs Community Internships for our recent Class of 2020 leavers The Foundation is delighted that a great number of Old Haberdashers have reacted to an appeal made by a number of recent School leavers by providing internships, work experience and careers advice via the alumni portal, Habs Community. This has proved very successful, resulting in many messages of the type shown below. “I would like to formally thank the Habs Foundation for the help and support provided in reaching out to the Old Haberdasher community in search of placements and opportunities on my behalf in what has been a challenging past year for everyone. I was kindly contacted by over 25 Old Haberdashers offering advice, support and work opportunities and have now successfully found a placement for the next few months within a creative marketing agency start-up founded by an Old Haberdasher.”

1970s Decade Reunion by Zoom The Foundation was delighted that over 100 Old Haberdashers successfully overcame Zoom fatigue, to participate in a reunion of 1970s leavers on Monday 8 March. In fact, several Old Haberdashers located overseas and out of London, who would not ordinarily have been able to attend a reunion on a Monday evening at Elstree, were able to take part via Zoom. The Foundation was especially honoured to be joined by John Wigley and Paul Hayler, former staff members and Heads of House who taught many of the 1970s pupils. Following a generous welcome and introduction from the Headmaster, Gus Lock, the proposed format of the evening was explained by the Director of the Foundation, Roger Llewellyn - although the trials of modern technology meant there was a technical hitch in placing each year group into their own breakout room. Thankfully, help was at hand in the form of Andrew Caspari (OH 1979) who expertly managed the room assignment, allowing each year group to reconnect with their peers. The Old Haberdashers thoroughly enjoyed catching up with each other in their respective breakout rooms and joining other year groups too. There were plenty of amusing anecdotes and laughter, and after an hour and half in the breakout rooms, all gathered together once again in the main session for a final farewell. Following the event, the Foundation has received many heart-warming messages from attendees: “Many thanks for a great event. Was brilliant. Roll on the next one.” “It was a very enjoyable trip down Memory Lane and fascinating for us all to see what kind of old men we’ve turned into!” “It was great to have the opportunity to meet up with people I have not seen since my last day at school.”

It is plain to see that, virtual or otherwise, Old Haberdashers enjoy each other’s company and we will definitely plan a physical reunion at the School as soon as is feasible.

Staff News LEAVERS Sarah Goldberg, Admissions Registrar leaves us after five years. Initially employed as PA to the Director of Co-curricular, Sarah joined the Admissions team in September 2019 and has transformed its processes and practices. She has been an invaluable support to colleagues within and beyond the department and has always thrown herself enthusiastically into school life, arranging and accompanying trips and supporting the many charitable events here at Habs. Sarah will be greatly missed when she leaves to become Admissions Registrar at Francis Holland School and we wish her every success and happiness in her new role. Anna Leith, Library Assistant retires after six years at Habs, where she has been a much valued member of the Library team. Anna has always been helpful, hardworking and always ready to lend a hand with her customary efficiency. She will be missed by both the boys and her colleagues, and we wish her all the very best for the future. Rash Patel, IT Operations and User Support Service Manager leaves us after four years. Rash has decided to retire from his role, to spend time with his wife and children. He is looking forward to being able to explore more of the world. We would like to thank Rash for his dedication and support, most notably for his hard work in support of remote teaching and learning. We all wish him well for the future. Julia Pickersgill, Cleaning Manager leaves us after 18 years of dedicated service, across both Schools. Julia is impressively dedicated, hardworking and conscientious. She has served Habs diligently during her time with us and has been a friendly and well-liked colleague to so many members of staff across the Schools. We send her the warmest best wishes and thanks, as she moves back to Wales to be near her family.

JOINERS Manish Chandaria Head of IT and Data Brannan Cooper Junior IT and AV Support Officer James Franklin Senior Grounds Person Henry Gauntlett Teacher of Biology Thomas Gurney Grounds Person Claire Leaver Temporary Teacher of English Gregory Monk Temporary Teacher of Music Mark Pedroz Temporary Teacher of English Binnur Rogers Admissions Registrar Sebastian Sultan Classroom Assistant Theodorus Vrionides Temporary Teacher of Physics

INTERNAL MOVEMENTS Nicholas Geering

Deputy Head of House (Calverts)

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