Greenhouse - 2020-21 by Haberdashers' Girls' School

MAGAZINE 2020/21

Welcome

Welcome From the Headmistress

his year has felt at times like the challenge of getting a fox, a chicken, and a sack of corn across a river.

Again, since the chicken and corn can’t be left together, she leaves the chicken and she takes the corn across and leaves it with the fox.

The woman has a rowing boat, and it can only carry her and one other thing.

She then returns to pick up the chicken and heads across the river one last time.

If the fox and the chicken are left together, the fox will eat the chicken. If the chicken and the corn are left together, the chicken will eat the corn.

Inventiveness, perseverance, resilience and care have characterised this year for all of us at Habs. It has been a year like no other and when I look at what every member of our Habs Community has accomplished I am very proud to be your Headmistress. I had hoped that we would not have had to experience another lockdown and period of remote learning this academic year, but your resilience and adaptability has impressed me once again. A hybrid St Catherine’s Day with students participating in the service in person and remotely and the ability to be back in St Martin-in-the-Fields, albeit in reduced Covid secure numbers, were a testament to the Habs Community’s determination to maintain our traditions whilst adapting our approach to the ‘new normal’.

How does the woman do it? The woman and the chicken cross the river, (the fox and corn are safe together), she leaves the chicken on the other side and goes back across. The woman then takes the fox across the river, and since she can’t leave the fox and chicken together, she brings the chicken back.

The pandemic has also accelerated our ambitions to be a more globally focussed community enabling us to host visiting speakers from across the world via Zoom and to join up with our charitable partners online, such as the live story reading sessions with our partners at Parikrma in Bangalore. Our Upper 5 and Upper 6 have had to be more resilient than most with the shifting sands around GCSEs and A Levels and I am particularly proud of the way they, with their teachers, have risen to the challenge this year. I look forward to being

Welcome

Welcome from the Head Girl

still remember receiving my first copy of the Greenhouse magazine back in 2014 flicking frantically through the pages – never thinking that I would be here, able to introduce it, a magazine which I have always felt is an important part in representing the talents and variety amongst the Habs Community. As my time at Habs draws to a close, I can’t help but reflect on what an incredible journey it has been over the past seven years. Being your Head Girl has truly been an honour and a privilege, and I feel very fortunate to have had such a resilient and well spirited student body by my side. Seeing your continual perseverance, even after being unexpectedly plunged into lockdown, has been inspirational, remaining in good spirits even after such a strange year. Looking back, I realise how exceedingly lucky we are to have such a consistently caring and supportive school environment, provided by both teaching and non-teaching staff alike, who have worked tirelessly to ensure that we have had a year as close to ‘normal’ as possible. It has been wonderful to see how, despite the circumstances, we have managed to innovate, having an exciting year full of different activities, whether it be the introduction of our very first Habs Podcast, online concerts, the Habs online art gallery, or the Upper 6 House Dance! I have also been incredibly lucky to work alongside a Senior Team who strive to improve Habs for everyone and am very happy to say that we have been able to develop the accessibility of Student Voice and the level of peer support within the Sixth Form, as well as emphasising the importance of wellbeing and the benefits of failure in our assemblies. I cannot think of a better way to end my time at Habs than being Head Girl and giving back to a school that has done so much for us. Now, all that’s left to do is say thank you. Thank you to the Senior Leadership Team who have been a constant source of support, and of course, on behalf of the student body, a huge thank you to Mrs Hardy. You have been such a role model to us all and it has been a privilege to work with you this year. able to welcome friends and family back to the school in person confident that our community will thrive whatever the future has in store.

Last, but most certainly not least, thank you to the Class of 2021. We have been so fortunate to watch each other grow into the people we are. I know that we will be able to take our learning forward into all our future endeavours, and I do wish you all the best!

Mrs Hardy

Temi Erinle Head Girl

Welcome

Events & Expressive Arts Sport 20 Sports Introduction Educational Visits ARTiculation 6th Form Experience Day 6 St Catherine’s Day 6 Dr Aderin-Pocock STEM Building Opening 7 Talks in Cyber Space 8 ESU Public Speaking Competition 9 French Debating Competition 9 Geography Trip 10 Kew Gardens Art Trip 11 M5 Team Building Day 12 Maths in Action 13 MUN 13 Psychology in Action 14 Remembrance Day 14 Bushcraft 15

GCSE and A Level Art Anatomical Art House Art Design and Technology House Poetry Novel Writing Edna Judd An Inspector Calls Drama All Quiet on Set! Shakespeare Schools’ Festival Music Carol Writing Competition Music at Habs During the Pandemic The Carol Service

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Magazine Committee Editor Jessica Alagaratnam Deputy Editor Lara Cohen Events and Educational Visits Editors Golda Igla Kiara Jayalath Sarannia Ragulan Mathujana Thirunavukkarasu Expressive Arts Editors Amelia Delaney Ella Goldwater

Habs Life Editors Ayesha Ahmed Talia Rubin Sports Editors Temi Elesin Alexandra Kagan Features Editors Lauren Frankal Victoria Pellerani Concha Staff Editors Louise Jeffcock Julie Maister

Captains Sports Colours Habs Elite Athlete in Lockdown Lacrosse Netball Dance Swimming Badminton Gymnastics Trampolining Cross Country Athletics Rounders Tennis

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MAGAZINE 2020/21 Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls Aldenham Road Elstree Hertfordshire WD6 3BT www.habsgirls.org.uk Tel. 020 8266 2300 @habsgirlsSchool Follow us on:

Welcome

Features

Una Vasta Gamma di Scelti

Wellbeing at Habs

Volunteering at Habs

History Repeating Itself?

Houses at Habs

Habs Life House Reports Leaving Staff New Teaching Staff New Support Staff School Positions Charity Report Spirituality at Habs

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Broadening the Bubble

Student Voice

From the Editor

Welcome to the 2020-21 edition of The Greenhouse!

he Greenhouse is a greatly loved, annual tradition here at Habs. Everyone, inside and out of the school, thoroughly enjoy the issues that reflect on the past year.

This year has been both amazing and confusing. From being in and out of lockdown and online learning we have found numerous ways to adapt, ensuring that Habs life never ceases. Clubs, talks and lessons moved to different platforms which meant we could expand our communication and welcome many guests. When we were in school this year, school life continued to thrive. Although socially distant, students were still enriched in, and out, of the classroom.

In this edition we have collated the memorable experiences from this year. From our Carol Service to our Sports Day, to reaching beyond the Habs bubble - volunteering and undertaking charity work, we have aimed to document the exciting and fulfilling experiences our students have accomplished throughout the year. I have taken great pleasure in being the editor of this year’s Greenhouse magazine and working with the fantastic and creative editorial team has been such a joy. Lastly, I would like to specially thank Mrs Jeffcock and Ms Maister for their unwavering support that made this edition possible. Jessica Alagaratnam Editor

Events & Educational Visits

Upper 5 Sixth Form Experience Day Each year, for one whole day, the Upper 5 are given the fantastic opportunity, to gain an understanding and insight into studying in the Sixth Form at Habs.

n 6 October, the Upper 5 had their introduction to the Sixth Form. The experience offered a wide variety of prospects, from looking at new subjects, to wearing our own clothes and listening to talks from Mrs Davies and Mrs Opie about life and expectations in the Sixth Form at Habs. We had tasters delivered by teachers about A Level subjects including Geography, Music, DT, and many more which gave us the experience of what an actual A Level lesson would be like in any given subject. This gave us

a clear insight as to which subjects we would like to continue studying at a higher level. As a year group, we found the day very helpful and informative. It was especially useful to develop a deeper understanding of what taking new subjects, such as Psychology, Politics and Economics, would be like. Overall, it was an inspiring day, exciting and thought provoking. Alexandra Delaney Upper 5 Aesc

St Catherine’s Day Habs celebrates the festival of its patron saint, St Catherine.

t Catherine’s Day this year was, as always, a definite highlight, despite changes to the normal layout of the day due to Covid. The annual celebration began with Senior School students attending the traditional service online, watching a live broadcast of the event streamed from the Prevett Hall. The hymns were sung by the wonderful St Catherine’s Singers, conducted by Mr Scott, and readings were given by students from Lower 6. The service was certainly a memorable one, as it was held online, Scan to listen

yet was still incredibly enjoyable and a real testimony to the resilience and will of our school to maintain our heritage despite these unusual circumstances. The afternoon consisted of engaging and exciting activities for all year groups, from the annual quiz to the Edna Judd Poetry Competition, and the reading of the St Catherine’s Prize-winning essays, followed by a fascinating Q and A session with the BBC TV presenter Nick Robinson. Students also competed in House Netball and rocket launching activities, making the day a fantastic and memorable experience for all. Ella Goldwater L6 LWA

Events & Educational Visits

Dr Aderin-Pocock

Guest Speaker at The STEM Building’s Official Opening Physicist, author and presenter, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE presents a webinar ‘Reaching for the stars - when will we make it out there?’

n October we celebrated the opening of Habs new STEM building with a virtual event headlined by Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, presenter of BBC4’s ‘The Sky at Night’.

Dr Aderin-Pocock’s list of accomplishments include partaking in the development of the ‘European Extremely Large Telescope (EELT)’ and writing her book ‘The Sky at Night’. Being able to execute these incredible projects, whilst using her dyslexia to think differently, motivated the students. She reminded us that “having crazy dreams allows you to go places that you never thought possible”. A further passion for Dr Aderin-Pocock is diversity in science, and her lecture explored how widely physics can be applied, even in areas such as Politics.

Dr Aderin-Pocock left students with the notion that it is our responsibility to fight ethnic disparity, especially within STEM, and that, “aiming high and thinking big gives us endless possibilities”. The new STEM building contains 15 labs and a large multi-purpose space for lectures and experimental demonstrations. The facilities will increase capacity for longer term projects and more diverse activities. The students feel incredibly privileged that we can enjoy a state-of-the-art STEM environment, in which we can work collaboratively and undertake fascinating experiments. The STEM building, has been made possible by the bequest of former Habs student, Dr Luena Hatcher. Mathujana Thirunavukkarasu L6 MMS

Events & Educational Visits

Talks in Cyber Space Helena Webb

Can we trust computers to make decisions for us?

n Ada Lovelace Day, we heard from Helena Webb, Senior Researcher, Department of Computer Science, Oxford University. Using the example of AI outperforming doctors in diagnosing breast cancer, she discussed automated decision making and whether AI could be trusted. Helena Webb, Senior Researcher, Department of Computer Science, Oxford University

Zoe Caplan L6 MMS

Sir David Lidington ‘The UK in a changing world.’

i r David Lidington has had a varied Parliamentary career with the Conservative Party and was popularly described as ‘de facto Deputy Prime Minister’ for Theresa May. He explored the future of the UK, considering: the digital future, global power, international relationships, assets, Scotland and (of course) Brexit.

Politics fascinates him for three reasons: the desire ‘to make a difference’, a ‘fascination in human beings’ and above all a ‘sense of theatre’. Victoria Pellerani Concha L6 CR

Sir David Lidington, former Conservative MP, who served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office. Former student at Habs Boys.

Dr Marc Balint Psychology Society discuss Anxiety and Depression Disorders.

ixteen percent of the UK population have anxiety or depression at any one time. Dr Balint provided us with an understanding of these disorders and the different therapies that combat them, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

Dr Balint took us through a guided meditation which acknowledged our breathing patterns and made us aware of being in the moment. It is highly recommended to practice breathing techniques and focus on the here and now. It does help! Lara Cohen L6 MMS

Dr Marc Balint, Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Events & Educational Visits

ESU Public Speaking Competition In February, one team comprised of Helena McConnell, Claudia Caisley and Madison Sinclair entered the ESU Public Speaking Competition.

or the first time ever, the competition was held on Zoom but that did nothing to change the usual remarkable standard of the evening. We were all very excited to take part and we learned so much from the six rounds of speaking and questioning. The

topics spoken on were fascinating and included threats to democracy, climate change and Covid-19. Madison spoke well about the idea that there are two pandemics happening currently, both Covid-19 and mental health. It was a close competition (there were 45 minutes of judges’ deliberation!), and after

a nervous wait, our team narrowly came third and an individual prize was awarded to Claudia Caisley for ‘Best Chairperson’. Overall, it was an extremely valuable and memorable experience. Helena McConnell U5 Aleph

Joutes Oratories The annual French National Debating Competition.

n February, Rámya Bart Lower 6 and I were honoured to represent Habs in the annual Joutes Oratories French debating competition, hosted by St Paul’s Girls’ School. To practise, we attended weekly sessions with Madame Janin, debating controversial topics such as the principle of French secularism. We were well-prepared and excited to compete. This year, for the first time, the competition was held online. However, the prestigious level of debate remained high. Three current affairs topics were debated in French:

1. L’intelligence artificielle est-elle une menace pour l’humanité? (‘Is Artificial Intelligence a menace for humanity?’) 2. La croissance verte est un leurre. (‘Green growth is a lie.’) 3. En période de crise sanitaire, les gouvernements doivent avoir toute latitude de restreindre les libertés individuelles. (‘During a health crisis, the government should have full power to restrain individual liberties.’)

The event was a genuine learning experience, that not only developed debating skills but the confidence and the ability to express oneself eloquently in another language. We eagerly anticipate participating next year. Talia Rubin L6 MMS

After an evening of fierce, exciting, and intellectual debate, we were placed second in our pool.

Events & Educational Visits

Geographers in Canary Wharf A Level Geography students visited Canary Wharf to study its regeneration.

n October, A Level Geography students visited Canary Wharf to further understand the regeneration process undertaken in the late 1900s. Having studied the progression of this redevelopment in the classroom it was time for a field trip to see for ourselves the almost complete product. Immediately on leaving Canary Wharf Station we were met with an array of majestic, high-rise buildings. Canary Wharf is now the secondary central business district of London (after the City of London). However, the contrast between this and the remains of the London Docklands was fascinating. First, we visited Poplar, a short distance to the north of Canary Wharf’s towers. Poplar was a ‘new

town’ in the 1830s, providing homes for dock workers, and is still undergoing regeneration. The rundown and fractured buildings were a stark contrast to sophisticated Canary Wharf. Nonetheless, we could see the sense of community was more significant in here than in the busy but ‘soulless’ Canary Wharf. We then travelled to Canary Wharf. It was incredible to see the absolute divide between the two sites, from the people to the quality of housing and shops. Finally, we visited The Museum of London Docklands to study the effect of the regeneration on the world of trade. Overall, this trip was very thoughtprovoking and engaging and I realised how successful the

regeneration task was at creating a world-leading financial hub. Aaliyah Patel L6 RS

Events & Educational Visits

Art at Kew Gardens A Level Art students travel to Kew Gardens to gain inspiration from the most biodiverse place on Earth.

n September, A Level Art students visited Kew Gardens, a word-leading diverse botanic garden, full of the most amazing plants and fungi. The aim was for students to draw inspiration from the art of nature, as well as to experiment with various art techniques, styles and methods. The Art Department kindly provided us with a wide variety of papers as well as numerous art materials to draw with.

We began with a few ‘warm up’ activities. These consisted of us using any type of media we wished to draw the outside of one of the magnificent iron and glass tropical greenhouses. In another activity we were allowed to use any part of our exhilarating surroundings to encourage our artistic creativity. Mrs Deamer, Mrs Hobbs and Mr Turner gave us a time limit of one minute to sketch our chosen muse from memory! We also challenged ourselves and expanded our skills by drawing with our non-dominant hand, not only in

pencil but also in ink. Later we took rubbings from numerous sites within the hundreds of acres. Before photography the only way to capture the botanical rainbow of the natural world was through art. Throughout the day, we were constantly learning new and unique techniques to enhance our own drawings and to gain more creative freedom. Fortunately, it didn’t rain, and a good time was had by everyone! Keya Patel L6 RS

Events & Educational Visits

Middle Five Team Building Day Middle Five bonding with new classmates.

t the beginning of the Autumn term the current Middle 5 came back to new forms. This was the first time we had been in a new class since joining Habs, in Lower 4, three years ago! Fortunately, we were given a day to get to know our classmates, since it was possible that some of us may never had worked alongside, or been in a club, with each other. Being in a new class is a challenge, but Team Building Day was an enjoyable and beneficial opportunity to build new relationships through a wide range of activities.

We took part in drama and eventplanning as well as: Jenga, ‘Chat, Chill and Chomp’ and dance. My class started with Jenga, a game most of us hadn’t played in a long time! It required us to put trust in our teammates; we worked together to get the highest number of moves. Next, we participated in ‘Chat, Chill and Chomp’, a discussion over cookies on topics ranging from the problem with fast fashion, to pineapple on pizza! This led to open debate and listening to alternative viewpoints. Following that, it was the dance studio to learn the choreography for a dance

to You Can’t Stop the Beat from Hairspray. This was a competition between the whole year group, and we were judged on which team was the most in-sync. It was great fun to end the day dancing together. Eden Dell M5 Aleph

Events & Educational Visits

Maths-in-Action Day ‘How can I use maths when I leave school?’

abs A Level mathematics students have a wide range of possible career options, however, during this packed day, constructed around a series of talks, the importance of maths in many fields of further study was reinforced. Considering design and engineering highlighted the role maths plays when building a 1000mph car. In finance and economics, we discovered how the destructive side of maths can lead to a terrible recession. Whereas, in medicine and epidemiology, we learnt how maths combats disease, through understanding antibiotic resistance or tracking bacterial infection.

Finally, no Maths-in-Action Day would be complete without a ‘Puzzles and Conundrums’ session. Here, we delved into a variety of puzzles with many different solutions. In true Habs spirit, this led to a friendly, yet energetic, competition to determine who could come up with the most creative answers! We were left feeling confident and excited that maths beyond Habs can take us anywhere, in our careers and studies, that we wish to go. Sarannia Ragulan L6 MMS

The rich legacy left by previous generations of mathematicians, whose work still influences us today, left us amazed at the incredible historical significance of mathematicians.

MUN Online MUN maintains high standard of debate.

n March, the 12th annual HABSMUN conference was held online, with all delegates eager and excited. I, and others in the Lower Sixth, were also looking forward to chairing for the first time.

As the chair for the Health Committee, I witnessed stirring levels of enthusiastic debate on ‘Vaccine Equality’ and ‘A Woman’s Right to Choose’, with the delegates arguing eloquently to pass logical solutions to the problems posed.

With over 250 delegates participating from around the world, and more than 60 resolutions submitted, our first experience of online HABSMUN promised to be a weekend of fruitful discussion.

On Sunday it was General Assembly, where it was fascinating to listen to the delegates speak on the issues raised and to hear the resolution that each committee decided best solved the issue.

Eight committees debated relevant, topical questions, ranging from the situation in Myanmar to the plight of climate migrants. Impressively, the delegates maintained the high standard of debate that can be seen each year at HABSMUN.

HABSMUN 2021 was, a truly unique experience, and we hope that next year we will be able to debate once again in person. Talia Rubin L6 MMS

Events & Educational Visits

Psychology-in-Action Day Exploring psychology beyond the A Level curriculum.

he Psychology-inAction Day gave Habs A Level psychologists the opportunity to delve into the world of the mind, and a range of topics beyond classroom studies. The day focused around six different talks, delivered by engaging speakers. ‘The Art of Rest’, was on the importance of taking breaks and how resting can be psychologically beneficial. ‘Is it Normal to be Mad?’, as the title suggests was a discussion on mental health, diagnosis, and symptoms. This gave an insight into how clinically trained psychologists diagnose different disorders such as

depression and schizophrenia. This was followed by ‘Preparing Athletes for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games’, exploring how sports psychologists train athletes’ minds to maximise performance.

enlightening and intriguing and it was a useful exercise to immerse ourselves in psychology beyond A Level. Riana Bhojwani L6 RS

After the lunch there was ‘Study Skills’, extremely useful for exam and revision techniques! A thoughtprovoking talk was ‘Child Psychology and Gender Identity’, inviting us to consider how childhood experiences can affect identity. Finally, there was fun with ‘Dance and the Brain’. Here, we learnt dances that corresponded to differing emotions and feelings. These diverse talks were

Remembrance Day Head Girl, Temi Erinle, lays a wreath for those who lost their lives in The Great War

lthough different this year, we were still able to commemorate Remembrance Day, remaining humbled by the sacrifices these men and women made for us. This year, I had the honour of laying the wreath dedicated to three former Habs students who gave their lives in the Great War: George Frederick Hodson, John Belmont Jewell and Hubert Victor Pullin, brave men whose incredible stories we were able to learn about. The service was enhanced by a moving reading from a section of For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon,

and the haunting playing of The Last Post making the Remembrance Day assembly as meaningful as always. I’m so proud to be a part of our school community, and that we were able to come ‘together’, even if not physically, to pay tribute. Also for the wearing of our poppies and the wonderful pebble poppy that the junior school created! Later in the week, we had a thoughtprovoking assembly on the selective remembrance of history and how the history we choose can influence our perceptions. Temi Erinle U6 JHB

Events & Educational Visits

Bushcraft Lower 4 go wild in the country!

t is surprising, really, how through lockdown many people have forgotten what true “connection with nature” is like, but this trip rekindled the adventurous spark in Lower 4 students. From dealing with bugs in the tent to watching Miss Turner pull a salmon’s eye from its head, this trip helped ‘build character’, as one could call it. Camping out not only helped us face our fears but encouraged us to socialise and make new friends. Being part of ‘tribe’ competitions, and songs in the yurt, Bushcraft supported our friendships and helped us get to

know even more people. Activities like trap building, shelter making and fire constructing developed our teamwork, and skills like wood whittling, forest first aid, camouflage games, and tree identification encouraged us to appreciate nature for what it can do to help us and the beauties (and potentially dangers) that lie within forests.

We also experienced ‘luxury’ with five star portaloos and an unforgettable brushing-your-teeth-spit-hole. The whole trip was unique, fun, and very informative. No other camping trip in the future will be quite like it! Freya Bruce L4 A

Nothing would stop the teachers joining in as well, pretending to be victims of a plane crash that we had to deal with (perhaps with a little assistance from the ‘invalids’) and a few were chosen to fillet a salmon for us to eat (although some people chose to eat the eyeballs raw- I think a few of them regretted it afterwards!).

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Una Vasta Gamma di Scelti Exploring languages at Habs. Languages are a very prominent part of life at Habs, from the different languages offered in time-tabled lessons to the exciting opportunities offered by clubs and extra-curricular activities. There is something for everyone to delve into and many students have got so much out of these incredible opportunities. There are lots of bespoke opportunities at Habs and we are incredibly fortunate to have these choices. The ability to speak and understand more than one language is a precious commodity in the wider world enabling you to communicate with countless people abroad and open different job opportunities as well as providing you with long lasting life skills. In ‘normal’ times, various language trips would be taking place throughout the year such as the Middle 5 Spanish trip to Benalmádena and the Lower 5 French study trips. These trips help students to open their horizons to cultures and allow them to really expand their studies. We look forward to being able to organise these trips soon. Lauren Frankal L6 DHH

We recently set up a brand-new Spanish club – Español Fantástico on Teams for Lower 4 to Lower 5. This includes cooking sessions, exploring Spanish music, culture competitions and more. This club has been a great success so far and every meeting has been so much fun! The students have got a lot out of it already and it has been a joy to spend time with them exploring new elements of Spanish culture. We are very excited to see where this club takes us next! Emma Levy L6 SN This year I had the exciting opportunity to take a ten-week introductory course in Mandarin as part of the Enrichment program. As someone who is passionate about learning languages, I really enjoyed this experience and felt that it benefitted me hugely. Mandarin is very different to other modern foreign languages, such as French or Spanish, and it was certainly more challenging. However, I discovered that I was able to transfer skills of logic and linguistics to help me on this course. We were able to gain an

Talia Ruben received a Bronze award in the UK Linguistics Olympiad

insight into not only the language, but also the cultural values of China, and it was interesting to see how this was reflected in the language itself. I would strongly recommend this course to anyone who has an interest in studying languages or wants to try a new experience and broaden their horizons. Talia Rubin L6 MMS

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Les Joutes Oratoires, otherwise known as French Debating, is an amazing club I am fortunate enough to be involved in. If you are someone who loves languages, French debating is a great opportunity to extend your French vocabulary and expand your knowledge on topics surrounding the Francophone world. We have debated such interesting topics from ‘La Technologie’, where we discussed whether or not technology frees us, to ‘Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité’, whether this idea exists as a reality in France or if it is just a fictional promise. This has greatly improved my communication and public speaking skills, which are essential in life and we are looking forward to our debating competition which is soon approaching!

Over the Autumn Term, I attended the Lower 4 Disney Film Club. Every week we watched a different Disney film in French (with much-needed subtitles!). I really enjoyed going to this club because with the big screen and the lights off, it feels like being in a cinema. It is the perfect club to do after school; you can sit back and relax whilst also learning French without even trying! It is really interesting to see how classic, well-loved films sound in a different language and some of the films – such as Beauty and the Beast (or should I say La Belle et la Bête) – sound even more enchanting. The club has given me a greater interest in learning another language and, as if I didn’t love Disney films enough already, now I’m even more obsessed!

Rámya Bart L6 SN

Dena Stock L4 Aske

Trying different French breads

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Broade n i ng

the Bubble

At school we have created a warm, welcoming and friendly environment which offers safety, community and a sense of family for all students. However, recently both Girls’ and Boys’ Schools have been looking into expanding the horizons of this community. Mr Bill Friar was appointed in January 2021 as the Director of Development for both schools. In this newly created role, Mr Friar oversees philanthropic fundraising and alumni relations for the school. He believes, “It’s so important to stay connected to the world and to other people, particularly those whose experience differs from our own; it helps keep us human.” The students at both schools have already been implementing these new connections. In the Girls’ School, groups of students were able to read stories, via a video call, to the young children in Bangalore as part of the school’s partnership with Parikrma Humanity Foundation. Across the wall, the students at the Boys’ School have a pen-pal scheme to write to an Old Haberdasher who may be feeling lonely or isolated,

and staff and alumni formed a group during lockdown that delivered groceries to local elderly residents. The student experience can be even better with the joint partnerships that are forming between other schools. Mr Plotkin, a Boys’ and Girls’ School teacher who oversees Partnerships, believes that, “There are two very good reasons for our students to work with others outside the ‘Habs Bubble’. The first is the most obvious: our students are amazingly talented in all sorts of ways and can use those talents to improve the lives of other students who are right next to us. The second reason is more about the benefits to our school community. We know that our students have an enormous amount to offer the students that they work with. But there are also huge benefits for our students: partnership work will

give them the chance to be socially responsible, exposed to the real world outside of Habs, and develop leadership and communication skills.” Mr Plotkin has been running a Reading Partner Programme for many years, which pairs members of the Sixth Form as reading mentors for primary school students. Mr Plotkin has ensured that this amazing scheme has continued even during Covid. Now, the students construct BookyBoxes, designed to support primary students in reading high-quality books. Jess Alagaratnam L6 LWA and Lara Cohen L6 MMS

Mixing Things Up! “In the Lower 6, there have been many more initiatives for our year group to take part in alongside the Boys’ School. Every week, we have Enrichment and our Aske Level sessions joint with the boys, and several students also share their A Level subjects with them. I’ve found the Enrichment sessions helpful as they are largely discussion based, and the Boys definitely don’t hold back their opinions, which has led to some extremely engaging debates. As for the Aske level and our A Level subjects, it is a real advantage to bounce ideas off each other and look at things from a different viewpoint.” Arianna Sultan L6 SN “Our Enrichment lessons make for a good opportunity to meet your counterparts that otherwise you rarely see. I’m taking part in Enrichment in the Girls’ School and

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have found that it is one of the most enjoyable parts of my week. Co-Ed is such an important part of our school lives as allowing students to connect, express opinions and learn with the students from both schools is great preparation for your future life.”

“Co-Ed teaching has been incredibly enjoyable this year. Simply being in a different environment to the one we have been in for the past few years helps to enhance and broaden our views. It allows us to converse with people from both schools, who

hold a similar passion for a subject. The ability to socialise and meet new people, especially during this time, has also been gratifying.” Rian Shah L6 The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School

Jake Piler L6 The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School “Working with the Boys’ School forges friendships between people you wouldn’t normally spend time with during school hours and finding people that share your interests and subjects. It also allows students to experience the Habs community in a wider context by understanding a variety of teaching and learning techniques across both schools.” Emily Delaney L6 NP

Expressive Arts

ARTiculation

Art

The regional heat of this year’s competition was held in January.

A selection of the inspiring work produced by A Level and GCSE Art students this year.

he ARTiculation competition, which encourages students to submit tenminute presentations discussing a piece of art of their choice, ran slightly differently this year due to Covid. I was delighted to place first in the in-school heats, having written my presentation on the painting Susanna and the Elders by Artemisia. I looked at the painting in close detail, discovering the fine details that pointed towards Artemisia’s feminist viewpoints, and discussed the background of the painting and comparisons between this beautiful piece and others depicting the same story. In January, I competed in the Regional Final. Running over Zoom, I was competing against six other very talented and enthusiastic students from schools in the area. The event was adjudicated by a lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Asian Art, Dr Wenny Teo, who fed back on each presentation towards the end. Although I unfortunately did not place for the following round, I hugely enjoyed participating in the competition, and found the experience a great way to advance my skills in public speaking and to connect with other artenthusiasts from my age group in the country. Ella Goldwater L6 LWA

Susanna and the Elders by Artemisia

Natasha Mitra GCSE

Maya Batavia GCSE

Expressive Arts

Ishaani Patel GCSE

Taliah Spencer-Jacobs GCSE

Amelia Clarke GCSE

Ella Cowie A Level

Ella Ockrim GCSE

Evie Sultman GCSE

Sarah Wald GCSE

Expressive Arts

Aiyana Gordon GCSE

Isabella Jain GCSE

Katie Swabel A Level

Alexandra Rosenthal A Level

Expressive Arts

Emily O’Carroll GCSE

Talia Peters GCSE

Sophie Parkinson A Level

Expressive Arts

Anatomical Art The aspiring medics course that utilises their creativity.

rt for Medics is an enrichment course chosen by many aspiring medics, or anyone interested from both the Girls’ and Boys’ School, to improve their manual dexterity and study the anatomy of the human body. It entails a four week course where Year 12 students complete a range of activities from working with clay, to sculpting hearts, to painting different organs in the human body. This year, Art for Medics was a bit different causing many students to attend it online, however, this did not stop the creativity. Students were sent silicone skin models and suture clamps which allowed them to practise suturing from home. In another session students had fun using face paint and make-up to paint muscles and tissues on their arms and faces. This allowed students to have some fun, whilst some chose to paint their arms, other students painted on their family members. This experience encouraged many students to get creative and enhance their knowledge of the human body. Art for medics is a much loved enrichment course due to its use of creativity intertwined with learning about the human anatomy. Simran Sidhu L6 SN

Expressive Arts

Lydia Reid’s winning entry

House Art Competition This year’s competition, ‘Hands up for Habs Art’, showcased the importance of our hands.

henever I am set a brief, I spend the first few days sketching my ideas. For the brief of hands, I filled a few pages with doodles of hands in various positions. I then began to consider the importance of hands in expressing emotion. The sketches that stuck out to me were all the ones that showed an act that is important to me: holding hands, praying, drawing. I decided that I would draw hands arranged around two figures hugging – using their hands to affirm their support and affection for each other. To me, it is these moments of affection, creativity, and unity, shown through our hands, that make us human.

In lockdown, many of these moments of support have been denied to us due to Covid regulations and face masks have become a symbol of the virus’s impact on daily life. Whilst effective in limiting the spread of the virus, the masks also limit the range of emotion that we show through our faces - whether a smile from a stranger, or supporting a friend, an element of our humanity is hidden behind the mask. To replicate this feeling, I mounted my drawing behind curtains, hiding away these signs of affection, until the mask is pulled back. House Art is always a great source of inspiration and a great way to relax during a busy term. Lydia Reid L6 CR

Expressive Arts

DT GCSE and A Level projects DT students explain how they continued designing and creating fantastic work, even through lockdown. Lydia Reid L6 CR This is a snapshot of some of the design work that I did during lockdown. It has been an unusual year for DT, as we haven’t been able to use the workshops. This has meant that over lockdown we have spent more time than normal on the design and iteration process. In the Spring Term, we did a Bluetooth speaker project, following research into the Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Op Art design movements. We spent weeks doing design exercises to generate ideas based around these areas including looking at dysfunctional design and synaesthesia music inspired abstract art. My design draws on the influences of both Op Art and 1920s Art Deco styles. All of the modelling for this project had to be done at home. Despite the limitations on this project, it was very interesting to spend more time than usual on designing and modelling. The final speaker slowly rotates on a stepper motor whilst playing music and with a light inside.

Aashni Chavda L6 NP This slide represents the inspiration and exploration stage in a DT project. Inspiration can evolve from anything, from architecture to nature. It helps you to build links and connections with your design ideas and the real world, enabling you as a designer to enhance your project. Design revolves around experimenting and iterating. Throughout the A Level course we have had the opportunity to investigate various manufacturing techniques as well as gain new skills in the workshop. Unfortunately, Covid halted our practical lessons consequently allowing us to focus more on design principles. This encouraged us to think outside the box and explore new techniques unfamiliar to us. For our lockdown projects we made use of the resources available to us at home. I foraged through my garden shed to find neglected materials that I could use. For example, I used the remains of an underfloor heating pipe as a stand for my cloud lamp.

Expressive Arts Beatrice Pavitt

Dorsa Aram U5 Aske & Bea Pavitt U5 Alpha DT gives you opportunities that other subjects may not. It is able to combine the best of both the STEM and Creative world, making it a win-win for everyone. As you move further up the school, you have the creative freedom to select the problem you want to solve, especially at A Level. If you want to make a crazy chair-table contraption like Betsy in Upper 5, you can too! Or you want to make a chair with music blasting out from the built-in speakers like Phoebe in Upper 5? Although we were put in a strange situation for most of the GCSE course over the past 18 months, being able to make our projects was definitely a challenge, but a fun one. Being at home for so long meant that we were taking inspiration from the most basic things that we interact with daily such Phoebe Grankin as the vase of flowers on the kitchen table or even our school files. We got to work with such cool mechanisms as microcontrollers, LED lights and of course copper sheet metal! Dorsa Aram

Aparna Shankar & Sophia Nanthakumar M5 Aesc You may think DT in lockdown would be difficult, as not everyone is lucky enough to have a DT workshop in their back garden. But during lockdown, Middle 5 learnt the wonders of a simple piece of paper and scissors. Paper folding, flatpack designs and slice-form were among some of the main techniques we used to transform a flat piece of paper into a model submarine or hot air balloon, ready to zoom into the sky, (see what we did there?). But of course, this would not have been possible without Mr Squire’s handmade templates. It was an unusual experience to be able to do something creative in lockdown and discover a different aspect of DT away from the workshop. Trading blocks of wood for a piece of paper and a saw for some scissors made us realise design technology is about problem solving, not following a set of instructions. As odd as it may seem, it was very therapeutic, folding and cutting paper in our bedrooms on a Thursday afternoon. Lockdown DT lessons enabled us to think outside the box, even though we were cooped up in one, and overall were a very enjoyable experience.

Betsy Rowold

Expressive Arts

House Poetry There were some fantastic entries for the House Poetry Writing competition, ‘See it Like a Poet’ this year.

First Place: Yeats taught me to watch the statues. The rotating of a stone eye wildly rolling to stare at its granite lid, the sky, a peach moon face pressed next to its lips. Soft tissue chipped at: the chisel of some Architect of God. Flaking in a snow-storm of fleshy white, the scraps of a love letter to Pythagoras’ theorem. Shakespeare taught me to make love to the Classics then steal away half-clothed in a toga regretfully pulling the covers up to smother the conjugations I found quite confuddling. I proclaim: ‘Et tu, Brute?’ in protest (of rising cookie prices). Stabbed in the gut by censorship I fall money dripping out my pockets oozing out my chocolate chip heart. Poe taught me to listen to cawing in the clinking of a triangle shivering in winter twilight the slippery sucker of a cold tentacle glueing itself to my shadowy shoes.

Racing down Elstree lanes beeping heartbeat in my ears. or Soul settled uncomfortably between poky shelves - tired limbs tracing the great-granddaughter of the abacus whispering to her Moles for evermore. Plath, I cut with gliding scissors out the looming shadow of Hughes. Hold her up, try her for size chuck her in the scraps bin. The spotlight sickly neon on the globular cheeks stuffed full with my denial of that female legacy. Dickinson kissed my dimples and left a silvery stain - reminding me not all poets wear pants. ADRIFT! She reeled me in, pulling tendon and ligament - tying them in a bow So I am inextricably bound to the wondrous detention of her quill. Yael Katz Sprules

Expressive Arts

Second Place: Masks

Third Place: I live.

Some call them muzzles, Choking, muting, filling Their mouths with stale cloth.

I don’t see a tree, I see a rooted soldier. I don’t see a window, I see the world outside. I don’t see a plastic bottle, I see a traitor to the planet. I don’t see a pie tin, I see the creator of souls.

Some think them cruel, Tools of authority used To beat us into self-imposed submission. Some find them comforting, A barrier before us that Cannot be breached. But I see them as flashes of colour in an ever darkening world, The last stand of humanity against the unseen, The sacrifice of a nation.

I don’t see a house, I see a saviour of the human race. I don’t see a river, I see the source of human survival. I don’t see a book, I see knowledge encased in a cage. I don’t see a hair band, I see a female crown. I don’t see poetry, I see life wrapped up into words. I don’t see emotion, I see raw origin of nature. I don’t merely exist; I smell, I feel, I hear, I live. Anastasia Veremeeva Gillett

Abigail Sleep Powell

Expressive Arts

Novel Writing Both the Girls’ and Boys’ Schools were challenged to write the first ten pages of a novel for the competition. 1st Place: All Fall Down

2nd Place: Protection

He’s trapped. The dark rises to meet his heaving chest, the dust settling into the cracks on his bloodied knuckles. He can hear his breath rasping, grating against his windpipe, the stone grating above his head. Where’s Ashley? She has to be here somewhere. She was right next to him. He tries to sit, but his head hits hard rock and he tastes his own fear.

I had always thought it would take a lifetime to understand the world, but in the end, it took just one day. The eighteen-year-old straight-A student daughter of firm but loving parents, ready to take on any challenges the swinging Sixties could throw my way, my life was perfect, or so it seemed. At a time when the dreary 1950s were about to give way to the youth revolution of the Sixties, I was cocooned in a state of blissful innocence. As another Monday morning dawned in the stiflingly respectable, prim, grey, close-knit North London suburb where our religious community was centred, I awoke, gabbled the blessings over my breakfast, nagged my brother to hurry up or we’d miss the bus, and flung myself out of the front door.

‘Ash?’ He lets the scream tear from his chest, again and again, the shouts filling with desperation. He stops after five minutes. Either she isn’t here, or she can’t respond, and there’s no use in thinking about either of those possibilities until he’s able to help her. All he can think of, though, are the wells of fear in her eyes, the light swimming in those tears. She had known it was coming, had turned and dragged him to the lift, but the hailstorm of earth and stone had separated them, and then - well, nothing. Then he had woken up alone, swathed in darkness, trapped in what would probably be his coffin.

Emily Shulman L6 NP

Abigail Sleep M5 Aesc

The Middle School also produced some fantastic entries. Mind Magician

Similarities Between Us - Chapter 1

Then a car fell on me.

The high street was quite empty. There couldn’t have been more than a dozen people walking on the pavement. I was walking in the predominantly Commoner part of London. It was warm and my thick woollen coat felt suffocating. I noticed an Underclass teenager - a boy around my age - walking a few metres away from me. He was walking in the same direction as me. My muscles tightened in fear. The boy was wearing a black hoodie that hid his face and ripped jeans.

I should probably explain how that happened. So, the day started like it always did, I got out of bed, my hair looking like a dog had chewed on it. I brushed my hair (or at least I tried to brush it as best I could). Then I went downstairs and snatched a bagel from the cupboard and raced to school. When I got to school the register had already started, as usual, and as I was walking to my seat, Mr Jenkins shouted, “Melinda Jay, why are you late again?” He carried on doing the register before I could mumble a reply. Sofia Rusche L4 Aesc

Gavriella Epstein-Lightman L5 A

Expressive Arts

Edna Judd Poetry Recital Competition Students in Lower 4 and Upper 4 competed in the annual Edna Judd Poetry Recital Competition.

he Edna Judd Poetry Competition was a great opportunity for me to explore different themes of poetry, find out about various authors and learn how to perform poems. For the first stage of the competition, we had to recite our chosen poem to our class and our teacher, who then decided which students would make it to the next round – the semi-finals. We then sent in a video of ourselves reciting the poem, a few from each House, of which around ten people overall were asked to participate in the finals. We all had the privilege of reciting our poem in front of the whole of our year group, and although I was quite nervous about the daunting nature of showing everyone my performance, I tried my best, and as a result, I was awarded first place, representing Millar. I was extremely proud of my achievement, and everybody who

entered worked incredibly hard, especially the finalists who were very successful. Throughout the course of the competition, I learnt about iambic pentameter, how to speak clearly, control my nerves and perform in front of a large audience. I enjoyed every second of it and I was extremely impressed with myself and my friends for memorising these complex poems and showing them to everyone. Evita Foster U4 Aleph

Expressive Arts

An Inspector Calls Capitalism vs Socialism with a side of Murder Mystery?

ow does the murder of a young lady spark heated debate on social morals and responsibility? Yet, at the beginning of February, these were the issues students pondered as they watched a delightful re-enactment of J.B. Priestley’s compelling play An Inspector Calls. On this winter lockdown morning lucky Middle 5 and Upper 5 were treated to a digital performance by the wonderful Box Clever Theatre Company. The company interspersed the show with talk and discussion about the themes and intriguing moral judgments within the play. From in-depth explanations by the actors about the characters’ viewpoints, to live student interaction that allowed Middle 5 to express opinions, this event proved the adage ‘the show must go on’. Not even the pandemic could stop theatre!

An Inspector Calls is part of the English Literature GCSE syllabus and all the students will be grateful for the extra notes and tips that were shared. Here are two reviews from the participants in Middle 5: “It was interesting to see a different take, and it gave me an opportunity to look at the characters from a different angle and hear opinions from people outside Habs.” “It was great to see the play come to life interspersed with intriguing ideas and opinions about the characters”. Although the session was on Microsoft Teams, the event felt intimate, and we thank the Box Clever Theatre Company for their production.

The Box Clever Theatre Company in Rehearsal

Tama Guisado Okumura M5 A

Expressive Arts

Drama T

his year has been one of discovering alternatives to standard performances, and our school community has risen to the challenge. With entries to the Youth Drama Festival by Middle 5 and Upper 6 students, as well as GCSE and A Level exam pieces, the show really has gone on amidst the pandemic. It is the constant creativity and adaptability of Mrs Wallace and Ms Bridgeman-Williams, along with Mr Janes and

Mr Shorey, that has made this unusual year a theatrically enjoyable one. Not having any Middle or Upper School plays was a great shame, but I am sure that (when external audiences are permitted) all the creativity being limited in the past year will explode to create some wonderful theatre and very talented actors. Charlotte Hooker Drama Prefect

Quiet on Set! Bringing theatre to the big screen.

ince October a group of students from the Girls’ and Boys’ Schools were involved in an exciting film-making project. The project has been completely devised by us, and we spent many rehearsal sessions writing and developing stories from our own lives and situations we had created. We wanted the piece to be largely narrative in order to tell two stories, one from an elderly gentleman about his past life and one from a younger boy’s perspective. This enabled us to give a modern touch to the piece while also exploring a secluded ‘bottle world’ which pushes the limits of belief. A key part of the film is ensemble so it was really important for us to be able to work collaboratively and get to know each other as before starting this project some of us had never worked together. During the first month we were able to keep rehearsing at school, socially distanced and sanitising frequently. This in-person rehearsal time was vital as it strengthened our working environment and enabled us to get better acquainted. Unfortunately, due to multiple

lockdowns we had to move our rehearsals over to Zoom. Rehearsing on Zoom was new to all of us and we had to adapt how we worked, having found that movement and staging moments were almost impossible. Despite these challenges, we also hugely benefitted from working on Zoom as we could spend lots of time creating material, talking and learning more in detail about the characters in the piece. We used breakout rooms frequently to create short improvisations which actually enabled us to discover new ideas. As we eased out of lockdown we got back into the rehearsal room and are bringing the piece together, which is very exciting for all of us as it has been so long since we have been together as a cast. Being a part of this film is something that we all thoroughly enjoy as not only does it provide us with a break from our A Level studies, but we have also all become good friends. Everyone looks forward to rehearsals and the creative and enjoyable environment that comes with it. Jessica Alagaratnam L6 LWA

Expressive Arts

Shakespeare Schools’ Festival Workshop Middle Five Drama students put on a modern version of Twelfth Night.

ll the Middle 5 GCSE Drama students performed the Shakespearian comedy for the Shakespeare Schools’ Festival, a celebration of the bard’s plays interpreted by different schools. We set our production in a modern setting, a night club, which we felt added to the confusion and chaos of the play. We experimented with the music, dance and colour of the 1970s and 80s and wanted to look closely at the idea of unrequited love: the comedy, sadness and angst. Using these themes, we started transferring the text on to the stage, employing techniques such as still images and ensemble work.

To develop our work further, we took part in a workshop, learning new and exciting ways to play our characters and to use our bodies to portray different emotions, such as thinking of animals that best represented our characters. In doing this, we were trying to symbolise the night club, with slight nods to the setting of Shakespeare’s original play. We filmed our production, and our video entry was played in November, to a live audience. Maya Dhanani M5 Aleph

Expressive Arts

Music D

espite the circumstances, the music life of the school has remained ever lively, with some wonderful recordings, and some live concerts along the way. We’ve had plenty of fantastic live performances from St Catherine’s Singers, with their performance on St Catherine’s Day and the Carol Service. Other ensembles were also hard at work, producing some wonderful recordings for Christmas. We have plenty left to look forward to this year, with the Chamber and Symphony orchestras currently working on concertos, featuring some of the Upper Sixth students as soloists. It is brilliant to see how much effort everyone has put in this year to keep the musical life of the school thriving. Valerie Zakharov Music Prefect

The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Carol Competition The third annual Christmas Carol Competition took place in the Autumn Term.

ow in its third year, we once again welcomed the Schools Christmas Carol Competition. At December’s Carol Service we enjoyed listening to a performance Scan to listen of the most recent winner. There were entries from across the UK and the runners-up were Tingshuo Yang (Eton College) and Charlotte Wan (Godolphin and Latymer).

Winner - Hannah Runting

The winner this year was Hannah Runting, a Year 13 student at Mayfield Grammar School in Gravesend, who will be going on to study the harp at the Royal Academy of Music. Congratulations to all who took part, and we look forward to the competition continuing for many years to come. Ella Goldwater L6 LWA and Amelia Delaney L6 LWA

Expressive Arts

Music at Habs During the Pandemic The Music Department have adapted well to the Covid restrictions.

his year, music at Habs has been a little different, with the department having to work around the restrictions and Covid rules. Despite this, music activities have continued to happen, with a range of orchestras and choirs taking place during lunchtimes and after school. Masks have to be worn for those playing instruments that allow them to do this and the seats are spaced apart at a two-metre distance. Although there are disadvantages to this such as the challenges in hearing other players with the clarity and volume that we used to achieve, it has been wonderful to play again collectively and create music together, which we all missed during lockdown.

The choirs have run in a very similar style to the orchestras. It has been so exciting to sing in a group again and the music department has managed to organise it so that St Catherine’s Singers, for example, can sing with all the year groups present and socially distanced as we use a larger space. Choirs have also been recording hymns to be used for our live assemblies that are then broadcast to classrooms. Despite the pandemic restrictions, Habs have maintained our involvement in music, whether through performances in assembly, individual music lessons or lunchtime and after school clubs. We are excited to see what the coming terms bring for the ever-thriving music department at Habs. Ella Goldwater L6 LWA and Amelia Delaney L6 LWA

Expressive Arts

The Habs Carol Service The Carol Service rises to the challenge!

A previous Carol Service where the church was full!

ike many other areas of school life, the St Catherine’s Singers choir has faced many difficulties this year. Starting with year group ‘bubble’ rehearsals and eventually expanding to include the whole choir socially distanced, it has been musically challenging to sound like a cohesive unit. In September I don’t think anyone quite believed that we would be able to achieve what we have this term; not only did we sing in the St Catherine’s Day service, but a choir of eight even had the opportunity to perform in St Martin-in-the-Fields for our annual Carol Service, which turned out to be incredibly special.

On the day I could hardly believe that despite the challenges the school has faced this year, I was still lucky enough to be able to contribute to my final Carol Service at Habs. While it was certainly unusual to have a congregation of only five people in the church, a strong sense of community was still achieved in the knowledge that the service was being streamed to the whole of Habs, including the Old Girls. The service had the building blocks of a typical Habs Carol Service, including opening with Once in Royal David’s City and a selection of pieces by Rutter and others, but the day was made more poignant with the knowledge that we were incredibly lucky to be able to carry out the Carol Service at all this year. Kate Austin U6 CW

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Student Voice!

Students help improve community through Student Voice. This year there have been many changes to the way that Student Voice is run, one being the creation of Student Voice representatives for each year group. The Student Voice Prefect has taken the lead helped by the Senior Team. Consequently, it is felt, that much more has been achieved when compared with previous years. Here are some thoughts from the students that help run Student Voice: “Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, face-to-face interactions between students and teachers have been restricted. Therefore, the Senior Team decided that this year, Student Voice was more important than ever. An improved platform was created, where students could voice their suggestions and concerns that were then discussed between the Senior Team and Student Voice representatives from each year. It has proven highly successful with improvements being made to many different aspects of school life.”

and leadership, as well as allowing me to give back to the school and contribute to long-lasting change. My favourite aspect regarding the Student Voice Committee is being able to communicate with teachers and students alike to find solutions and improvements upon which to build. In the words of the American abolitionist and political activist, Harriet Tubman, “Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world”. I believe Student Voice gives us a prime opportunity to do this within Habs”.

“I have greatly enjoyed my role as Student Voice Prefect. It has allowed me to develop my own personal skill set, such as communication, teamwork

Zoya

Dena

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Yasmi

This year’s Student Voice representatives have all relished the opportunity to work together as a team alongside the Senior Team, Yasmine Hulf (the Student Voice Prefect), and members of staff. Together we have created real change in the Habs community. Even though this academic year has been different when compared with other years, we have been able to meet frequently and discuss issues raised by each year group. Due to this, we have implemented such changes as creating Eco reps, improving online learning and installing more water fountains around school, to name just a few. We were all very excited to work together to continue to improve the school this year. Student Voice is somewhere for the student body to speak, express opinions, voice challenges and importantly make suggestions. This contributes to the ideal school atmosphere, and so we are very thankful for everyone’s contributions to Student Voice. If you have any suggestions for how to further improve the school or have any issues that you believe can be addressed by Student Voice, please use the link that can be found on Microsoft Teams, or scan the QR code to access the student voice website.

Malika

Yasmine Hulf U6 AED, Temi Elesin L6 LWA, Malika Uppal U6 JJM, Reeva Patel U5 Aleph, Aparna Shankar M5 Aesc, Zoya Mankhand L5 Aesc, Eva Davies U4 Aesc, Dena Stock L4 Aske

Reeva

Temi

Eva

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The theme of Mental Health Awareness and Wellbeing Week 2020 was kindness to oneself and each other.

ellbeing is defined by The World Health Organisation as ‘a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. Nowadays, more than ever before, it is so important to keep up your mental wellbeing just as much as your physical wellbeing. Due to Covid-19, the number of people with mental health conditions is increasing. Bereavement, isolation, loss of income, and the fear of uncertainty of this time we are living in are all triggering factors to the rise of mental health conditions. Therefore, it is so important that during this

time we look after our mental wellbeing. Some ideas to help better your wellbeing are to be compassionate to yourself and others, to do something you love, to go outside, clear your head and do some exercise. Always know that there is someone to talk to, whether it is your family, friends, helplines or someone at school. Habs has always taken care to look after the wellbeing of their students but with Covid-19 and increasing anxiety, they have put more emphasis on making sure that we are not overwhelmed by what is going on around us. There have been small tutor group meetings

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that enable you to discuss any concerns or just have a chat. Even more virtual clubs are taking place which encourages people to do something different and come together. The teachers are constantly checking in on us and providing us with suggestions to do something new and exciting, not just academically but for relaxation too.

“If you can be anything be kind.”

In October, Mental Health Awareness and Wellbeing Week took place at Habs focusing this year on kindness. This theme was delivered through many mediums by the Wellbeing Committee. We made a PowerPoint which included a slide each morning with a thought for the day, suggestions of what students can do to further look after their wellbeing such as mindfulness techniques, and advice to look after, not only themselves, but their friends too. We also made a short clip asking both Lower 6 and Upper 6 what they like to do to look after their wellbeing and a wellbeing website was set up. Every form group decided on inspirational quotes which were then forwarded to us and written on bunting which were

displayed around the school to add some positivity to everyone’s day. On Friday 16 October, students came into school wearing fluffy socks in support of Mental Health Awareness and donated money to the charity, Young Minds. Mrs Hardy was kind enough to give her view on this year’s theme: ‘“If you can be anything be kind.” I have a sweatshirt with this message on it which I like to wear when I am not at school but maybe I should wear it to school because I think that kindness should run through the fabric of a school and a school which has a culture of kindness is a school which is building a better world. Kindness comes in many different forms. It can be a simple act of acknowledgement or greeting, the apposite question or evidenced in an actual object. Kindness is the thoughtful gesture, the well-timed joke or compliment. Kindness is putting someone else first and showing generosity of spirit and sowing kindness costs nothing but reaps a bountiful harvest.’ Lara Cohen L6 MMS

Scan to watch Wellbeing Week

Sport

Sport S

port is an integral part of the school and this year more than ever the students have shown incredible positivity and motivation. The Habs sports community is very diverse with a wide variety of clubs on offer, and the list of sports played by students continues to grow. This year we have put extra focus on recognising all pupils’ sporting achievements including those for less well-known sports and achievements outside school. We have such a strong pool of talent and the commitment and passion for a range of disciplines is fantastic.  During the lockdowns, the department posted daily workout videos, held online PE clubs and offered a wide variety of at home drills and sessions for the students, with great participation across the school. Although each sports club has operated very differently than in previous years, the students have adapted extremely well to the Covid restrictions and year bubbles and have responded with even more enthusiasm and dedication! On behalf of the students, I would like to give huge thanks to the PE staff for working so hard to provide a fun, inclusive and successful sporting community for the students. Emma Bevis School Sports Captain

Captains School Sports Emma Bevis Athletics Co: Jaden Adu & Zoe St John Badminton Angéla Argyrou Cross Country Clara Livingston Dance Sophie Levine Vice: Sona Yadav Gymnastics Co: Camille White & Emma Bevis

Lacrosse Co: Tabitha Dresden & Madeline Pritchard Netball Isabel Wellings Vice: Olivia Scarles Rounders Natasha Pittal Swimming Co: Francesca Peccei & Malika Uppal Tennis Lucy Blyth Trampolining Emma Bevis Vice: Madison Sinclair

Sports Colours Sports Colours are awarded to students who have gone above and beyond in their contribution to a sport. They are recognised for their achievement and dedication. Badminton Senior: Angélica Argyrou Junior: Maya Balasingham, Ashley Fawn, Tanya Gupta, Diya Kedia, Skye Pennifer, Edith Rendell, Annabel Room, Sareena Shah, Arya Singh, Amy Welsh Dance Senior: Sophie Levine, Sona Yadav, Sophie Parkinson, Priya Kalairajah Junior: Gaby Becker, Alicia Downey, Rachel Gittleson Gymnastics Senior: Emma Bevis, Camille White Junior: Alicia Downey, Rachel Gittleson Lacrosse Senior: Tabitha Dresden, Madeline Pritchard, Olivia Scarles Junior: Aimee Benjamin, Josie Brownstone, Annabel Davis, Eden Dell, Ashley Fawn, Alicia Ho, Lily Myers, Arya Singh, Mimi Subair Netball Senior: Ilana Keren, Olivia Scarles, Maddie Prichard, Isabel Wellings Junior: Josie Brownstone, Annabel Davis, Eden Dell, Ashley Fawn, Lily Myers, Arya Singh, Mimi Subair, Sophie Sutton Swimming Senior: Mali Uppal, Francesca Peccei, Nicola Marett Junior: Ayza Affan, Tanvi Shah Trampolining Senior: Emma Bevis

Sport

Habs Elite Athlete in Lockdown The resilience that leads to thriving in lockdown.

have played tennis since I was three years old, and so have grown up in the comforting environment of the tennis community, where everyone knows each other well. It really is a tennis family. Over the past few years, I have been lucky enough to have been invited to compete in many competitions including county, regional, national, and international tournaments. However, lockdown completely changed my daily tennis life and routine. Suddenly, I went from being on the court two or three times a day to being at home and needing to train at home!

My brother and I created a mini home gym, buying in all the equipment we needed to stay on top of our own training. We passed lockdown by running on the track and motivating each other to continue pursuing our individual sports, even if the world had paused. One of my favourite moments was training through a thunderstorm with our dog, who happens to love the rain. My tennis coaches have been amazing this year, and as part of the training from home we increased our focus on tennis IQ, which meant sitting down to watch my favourite players and analysing their games. We also had Zoom calls with the Middlesex team so we could stay in touch and boost our morale.

Lockdown has made me appreciate just how much I love the game, and what a big part of my life tennis occupies. Caitlin Amdor U4 A

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ndoubtedly, lacrosse this year has been different, but no less fun! Within the senior team we have still been playing as a group of three year groups, although at a distance. Also, we have found new ways to merge the year groups with our ‘big sister’ scheme, in which each player in the team has a buddy in another year group. We haven’t been able to play against other schools this year, however this has given us time to focus and keep up with training. We are also grateful that we have been able to play games within our year groups. It’s been so much fun to have played lacrosse throughout our school careers and such an honour to be captains this year. Thank you to all the players and coaches for helping to continue the ‘Habs Lax Family’ even in such a strange year! Tabitha Dresden & Madeline Pritchard Co Captains

Netball S

adly, this season hasn’t been what any of us were hoping for or expecting from our last year representing Habs in netball. However, we have still loved watching the younger students get involved and become committed to the game, which hopefully bodes well for Habs success in the seasons that lie ahead.

Although fixtures against different schools are usually a large and much enjoyed part of the sport, with students thriving on the competition and opportunity to represent their school, for obvious reasons, this season the attention of the team has shifted to training. So, we adopted a positive attitude and decided to use this forced

extra coaching time to up the Habs game! This focus has been pivotal in enabling us to build on our skills and we are delighted to have witnessed the confidence of the players shoot through the roof, whilst also becoming closer as a team. We are both particularly sad to say goodbye to our chosen sport of Habs netball. We will miss our fellow team members and the coaches who have helped us along the way since our early Habs years, and we have all made memories that we will not throw away any time soon! However, most importantly, we are excited and optimistic for the success the teams will have next year once they jump into the new season.

Isabel Wellings & Olivia Scarles Co Captains

Sport

Dance T

Despite the unusual circumstances, at the beginning of the year we explored alternative ways to present a performance in both dance companies. Each year group had the opportunity to choreograph part of a routine, allowing them to have their own creative license in their performance.

school. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to hold regular online sessions in which were able to explore various genres of dance; some of these were even run by students!

During the lockdown we were determined to continue encouraging dance for all students throughout the

Sophie Levine Captain & Sona Yadav Vice

Swimming T

his year has undoubtingly been considerably different from, and more challenging than, previous years. However, the swim team has still been able to train every week complying with the school guidelines. This has given us the opportunity to focus on technique and strength building, with the aim and hope of returning to the Herts District Gala schedule next year. We’re extremely proud of all the swimmers this year for pursuing their training during these difficult circumstances and for keeping up the great swimming team spirit. We can’t wait to swim together as a team again! Malika Uppal & Francesca Peccei Co Captains

We are excited to create more ways to maintain the enthusiasm for dance at Habs!

Badminton I’

m proud to say badminton ran successfully as a lunchtime club throughout the Autumn Term, despite the challenges that came with social distancing and the measures implemented to ensure the sport could continue to run safely. We introduced music to our lunchtime sessions via a portable speaker which created a lively, engaging, and enjoyable atmosphere, this addition I’m sure will continue even once lockdown measures are completely eased. During the lockdowns we remained active creating ways for students to maintain physical fitness and enthusiasm for the sport from home, such as through body-strengthening exercises and racket skills. We are all looking forward to resuming our badminton sessions as soon as we can. Angela Argyrou Captain

Sport

Gymnastics Trampolining D

espite being faced with many challenges this year, behind the scenes the Habs gym team have been working extremely hard. We have been motivating each other to keep our creativity and strength up, even choreographing new routines ready for competition next year. We have discovered that training together, with all age groups, is one of the unique things about gymnastics, and we have missed that element; teamwork and friendship are integral. One of the positives to be gained from lockdown gymnastics was having time to learn new, untried skills, and maybe even teaching family members some new tricks! Thank you to our coaches for your support, there is no doubt that next year will be fantastic; we already have some new routines!

his year the Trampoline Team has made great progress and each individual member has improved on skills, fitness, and flexibility. Each year group worked together to learn new moves, improve technique, and compete in fun inter-year challenges. Upper 5 won the Japana stretching competition, Lower 4 and Upper 4 tied for the highest jumps and Upper 6 won the swivel hips. Special congratulations to Aimee Johnson and Isabella Patel for winning most improved in flexibility. We were so proud to see such amazing team spirit, enthusiasm, and positivity from everyone. We’d like to thank Cheryl for everything she does to support the squad - she really is the heart of Habs trampolining. Emma Bevis Captain & Madison Sinclair Vice

Camille White Co Captain

Cross Country D

ue to the pandemic, unfortunately there were no big cross-country races this season, but that didn’t stop us from running. Cross Country Club ran every Thursday lunchtime, and was a great opportunity for students in all the year groups to get some fresh air during the school day. Runners across different year groups also competed in the Habs Dash at the Boys’ School, a weekly event, with some impressive times and records achieved! Despite the circumstances this year, it has been amazing to see everyone remaining motivated and boosting each other’s spirits up in cross-country. Keep on running! Clara Livingston Captain

Sport

Athletics A

fter a long period of limited athletics fixtures, the season kicked off with an impressive number of athletes, from Lower 4 to Middle 5, competing in the inter-year Athletics Tournament. The event was held on a sunny Thursday after school, with many students achieving a personal best, with many athletes also challenging themselves by competing in new events. It was also a great opportunity for students in the older years to demonstrate their experience and athletic ability, and to teach alongside the PE staff, when explaining how to tackle an event. We hope this season will be filled with many more days like this: days with teamwork, excitement, and highquality performances across the years. Jaden Adu & Zoe St John Co Captains

Rounders T

his year Habs rounders returned bigger and better than ever! Every year group had at least one squad as well as copious opportunities for all to play.

From the U12 to the U15, two squads a week have been developing skills and strengthening the teams to prepare for the matches ahead. From bowling, to batting, to deep fielding there has been space for all students to get involved and embrace their love for the greatest sport of all, that is rounders! Two U13 fixtures against Aldenham School were arranged. As I write this, we are hoping to have the sun shining for many more rounders practice sessions ahead of the biggest event of the year, inter-House Rounders, at the end of the term! Natasha Pittal Captain

Tennis D

espite the challenges that we have faced this year, and the adaptations we have had to make, I am happy to say that Tennis Club consistently took place during the Summer Term, with students enjoying after school tennis clubs almost every day of the week. It has been great to see so many students on the courts at lunch time and the involvement from all year groups (even the teachers) throughout the school has been impressive. In addition, many students have been able to develop their technical skills, which has led to improving on an individual level. Each year group has a healthy tennis community. I’m looking forward to the rest of the Summer Term and can’t wait to see more people out on the courts. Lucy Blyth Captain

Feature

Volunteering at Habs

In true Habs spirit, not even a pandemic could stop our students from helping out in their wider community, whether it be virtually or in-person. From helping the NHS at our local hospital, to reading stories to children on the other side of the world, students across the school have done some incredible things to make a time so difficult for some, just that much better. Read on to find out more! Sarannia Ragulan L6 MMS & Kiara Jayalath L6 JC

Watford General “Being a Teens and Young People Befriending Volunteer was not only a great way to make new friends, but also, a very humbling and eye opening experience as I saw the pressure on the NHS and the effect Covid has had on the hospital. It showed me how much work doctors and nurses do and how much they have sacrificed.”

“It has been amazing to see how much the patients and staff appreciate our help around the hospital. We have done a large variety of jobs from admitting patients into the blood clinic, to giving patients food and drinks, to taking patient belongings from family members who are not allowed to visit.”

Anastasia Taylor L6 NP

Simran Sidhu L6 SN

“I volunteered at Watford General quite a few times in the Christmas holidays and it was so great to feel like I was making an active difference and helping in the NHS. It was very fulfilling to give back and put my time into helping the healthcare staff and speaking to the patients.”

“The current situation in hospitals has only given me a greater appreciation for all that the hospital staff do, as well as a better understanding of what life is like on and off the wards. Albeit being emotionally difficult at times, I have been able to have incredibly rewarding conversations with patients who have been unable to see family for weeks. To be able to make such fond memories, with everyone in the hospital, during a time like this, is something I will be forever grateful for!”

Ayesha Ahmed L6 LW

Mathujana Thirunavukkarasu L6 MMS

Feature

HerDrive

Parikrma

“We work in partnership with HerDrive, which collects bras and menstrual care products for people who need them in our area. It was extremely exciting as we were their first drive in the UK, and it is something we are deeply passionate about. We have been making posters and advertising on social media to raise awareness for it, and then, at the start of January, we began collecting donations and have received a lot more than expected!”

“The children ask us thought-provoking questions, including whether the mole in Wind in the Willows is an omnivore, herbivore, or a carnivore, which keeps us on our toes! In the most recent session, they were able to read the book to us – we were really impressed by their eloquent English and enthusiastic expressions! It was such a rewarding experience seeing the children’s confidence and language progress throughout the few weeks we spent with them.”

Emily Pasi U5 Aleph, Charlotte Grant U5 Alpha, Ella Aharony U5 Aesc, Sophie Broomberg U5 Aske

Shishukunj “Every Sunday, we volunteer at an international charity called Shishukunj, looking after children aged six to eleven. Due to the pandemic, Shishukunj had to move online which limits what we can do. Nonetheless, fun and innovative sessions like Zumba are produced by us. We have also been able to connect to other Shishukunj centres around the world which is an amazing experience.” Sienna Patel M5 Aesc, Sianna Thakrar M5 A

Yathusia Asokanathan L6 SN “Along with reading The Jungle Book, we prepared a PowerPoint with several pictures. Seeing the smiles on their faces was an extremely rewarding experience. After we finished the story there was a lot of time for them to ask us questions about the story. We were extremely impressed with the wide range of creative and unique questions they produced!” Vanshika Goyal L6 DHH “Reading short stories to the students of Parikrma has been a highlight for me this year. I look forward to talking to them each week and helping the students to improve their English. It is always uplifting seeing them so enthusiastic and excited to join in with reading and asking questions. There have been so many keen students who have joined our calls and I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to meet them.” Nicola Marrett L6 SEB

Feature

Repeating Itself? Isolating isn’t as new as we think. One of our features’ editors delves into the school archives. Over a year ago, on 20 March 2019, the school marked it’s first closure as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic. This came as quite a shock for everyone, as it was the first time that most of the members of the school would have to be sent home indefinitely. At the time, it was popular opinion that this would only last a few months, but since then there have been two more national lockdowns, and one more school closure. Students started the school year on time, as planned, after the summer holidays, but this return to semi-normality meant that cases rose, and the UK reached a second peak in cases. This then resulted in the newfound school

routine lasting only a term. Going home for Christmas a few days early, meant that pupils were not in school from 11 December to 8 March 2020. Thankfully, the school was already accustomed to the system of online learning, which was still running for those who had to isolate during the first term, so the transition back home was fairly smooth. Although at the time these lockdowns seemed alien and a once in a lifetime event, this was not the first time that Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls’ buildings have had to shut unexpectedly. Perhaps the most obvious

Feature

case is the school’s evacuation, as a result of World War II, where pupils were evacuated to Dorchester (Saturday 2 September), because of fears of a blitz. The expected bombing did not happen, resulting in pupils slowly starting to return to London, meaning the school was then partially reopened in January 1940, and fully reopened in August the same year. Six weeks after the reopening, on the night of 12 October, the Acton building was bombed. This resulted in the destruction of both the library and dining room, which were only re-built nine years later, but thankfully there was no loss of life. This shows how the school has had to deal with unforeseen circumstances before, and that this experience is not altogether new. Perhaps a less well known, but more relevant example of school closure, was at the time of the measles epidemic of 1904 in Acton. Immediately, one can see the similarity with the ongoing situation, and although the lockdown was on a much smaller scale, it still shares some parallels with the measures that have been put into place over the past year and a half. A local newspaper article at the time reported that, in Acton, there were ‘over 300 children down with the disease’, resulting in the closure of schools, and pupils

going home. This is interesting as it displays how infection control was achieved by similar methods to those used to deal with the current pandemic. Despite being over a century ago, it seems that not much has actually changed, as might be expected with the creation of the National Health Service in 1948. Both these examples demonstrate resilience and how the school has been able to successfully deal with closure. It also shows the advancements, but also affinities, in how these adversities have been handled in all cases. It is interesting to see that this past year has not been as unique as one would think, in terms of school closure, with similar conditions (although scarce) having been experienced before. Victoria Pellerani Concha L6 CR

resilience

Habs Life

in House Lacrosse Gillett raring to go

House Report: Gillett

his year more than ev er the positivity and adaptiveness of every one in Gillett has shone through, espec ially in the Lower 4 wh o have shown huge am ounts of enthusiasm. We kicked off to an inc redible start with an amazing Alice in Wond erland themed trolle y, complete with dry ice and hand paint ed details, that took firs t prize. We’ve had lots of successes in sport across all ye ar groups and it’s been great to see ho w much talent and tea mwork the House holds. We’d like to tha nk Neeve Capaldo for producing the hilarious House Po dcast and the other Lo we r 6 reps for their hard work throu ghout the year. Durin g lockdown we had lots of entries for different competitions: from running a total of over 1,200 km during half term to winning the Minute to Win it comp etition. On behalf of the House, I’d like to thank Mrs Mo rris for everything she do es for us; she truly is the heart of Gil lett. Emma Bevis House Prefect

Gillett in wonderland

Habs Life

Gillett at th e ready wit h their ban ner

rd Gillett working ha ard Gillett’s House Bo

Gillett ahead in cross country

Habs Life

The Gilliland lac rosse team

House Report: Gilliland Gilliland’s bean stalk

has been for Gilliland! We hat an incredible year it with a win in the House got off to a creative start Lower 6 House Reps had Art competition, and the decorating the Jack and lots of fun designing and lley, with an emphasis on the Beanstalk harvest tro sonal highlights materials. One of my per recycled and sustainable ole-school House wh House Noticeboard; as was putting together the I wanted to r, tely impossible this yea Assemblies were unfortuna informed about ne ryo board could keep eve make sure that the notice e activities ativ cre rse, none of the fun and upcoming events. Of cou who never t, igh Wr s n possible without Mis this year would have bee e spirit to itiv pet com laughter, and a fierce fails to bring enthusiasm, rk with an wo to ugh use. I was also lucky eno everything we do as a Ho morable me so r yea o helped to make this amazing Lower 6 team, wh I know and t, fec Pre being Gilliland House and positive. I have loved e! com to rs yea the ngth to strength in the House will go from stre

t Jenny Hayes House Prefec

Habs Life

growing! Gilliland’s House Board is

Go Gilliland!

Gilliland netball team

Habs Life

Harold’s lacrosse team

House Report: Harold

t has been a differen t year to say the lea st, but Harold has achieve d so much nonethe less, and I am so proud of every member of our Hous e. We have continued to thr ive and have manage d to claim five victories in inter-House Netb all years, with both all across teams in the Lower 6 being undefeated There have also be . en many small Hous e competitions held over Teams during lockdown, to keep everyone busy inside their homes. Harold have managed to ga in many achieveme in these as well such nts as coming second pla ce in the exercise challenge with 118,2 16 steps in total. It is our enthusiastic nature and spirit tha t have pulled us thr ough in real life competitions, and we have been able to tak e these qualities and adapt them thr ough lockdown. Mi ss Millns, our Head House, has been su of ch a strong leader and all of these even have been down to ts her hard work. Many thanks for being su a fantastic role mode ch l for our entire Hous e!

Victoria Hu House Prefect

ley The House Trol

Habs Life

Harold’s banner for sports day

ard Harold’s House Bo

n Harold in actio

Harold ready for Netball

Habs Life

Millar’s lacrosse team

House Report: Millar the House eaning some of m id ov C te pi es apt, Millar’s have had to ad ns io tit pe m co has remained d House spirit an sm ith ia us th en ly engaging w wer 4 especial Lo ith w , ul rf ng de ro st been won es. It has also all the activiti help put the ic ie and Jess a, ph So , ps re ar ill us and helped to have two M ch was hilario hi w , er th ge to t finitely ended House Podcas ected. Millar de nn co s se ou H g Term prize, to keep all the ning the Sprin in w , ng ba a ith come together the year off w the House has ay w e th s of d ou a time at Hab and I am so pr to remember le ab g my in at Be th . ar fely say during this ye means I can sa s se ou H t no ou e ith er me w when there w ve been the sa , re would not ha he e Prefect. Lastly nc se rie ou pe ex ing Millar’s H be d e ve th lo ep ve to ke them, and I ha rie for helping thank Miss Mes to wait to hear e ot lik nn ld ca I ou Iw tivities and ac e th ith w House involved e future! victories in th about Millar’s

House Prefect Isabel Wellings

Millar is following the yellow bric k road

Habs Life

day banner Millar’s sports

mfy! Board looks co Millar’s House

Millar on the attack

Millar at the front

Habs Life

am ready! Lacrosse te

House Report: Powell ell’s tea The tiger who came to Pow

e have had a crazy ye ar to say the least, but the Houses have really come together, continuing to hold fan tastic events and competitions. Powell has fantastically come first overall in House Rounders, Lower 5 Netball, Upper 4 Lacro sse, and of course, ou r adorable House Board (especia lly popular with the Ju nior School and Rainbow girls!). We ha ve hand-made snowfl akes to decorate Christmas trees, held poetry competitions, org anised quizzes, created podc asts, and pulled off do zens of sports’ competitions, all whilst under social distancin g restrictions and going in and out of lockdowns; an inc redible feat. I am extremely proud of wh at Powell has achieved this year and the hard work and ex tensive participation across all years, as well as the impressi ve dedication of the Lower 6 reps to organising so many of these activities. The cre ativity and enthusiasm has been truly inspiring, and it has been an honour to represent the House this year. Shreya Patel House Prefect

Habs Life

Powell catching up!

nge! Powell meeting all in ora Powell’s sports day ban ner

ball Powell on the run in House Net

Powell’s House Board

Habs Life

Sprules raring to go at cross coun try

House Report: Sprules S

prules have had a brilliant year this year – despite being absent from the school site due to lockdown, House spirit has remained high and I couldn’t be happier to represent Sprules as House Prefect this year. We have ing we did, doing brilliantly in Sports, everyth in excelled in the Cross Country Competition, had overall first coming for House Art, with one girl in the entries ble many incredi and over lockdown kept involved , second coming Lower 6 challenge! Whilst, due to the it Win to Minute with the couldn’t take place, I have events House many ic pandem wonderful reps will take our future the in that every hope huge thank you to the a say to like would I ! us to success Nelson and myself Miss helped have that reps Lower 6 ing things like the organis and events House with this year , I couldn’t Overall g. amazin been you’ve – t Podcas House as I leave and year, this done have we how of r be proude best of the you of one single every wish I year Habs this Rules! Sprules – ber remem and – future the luck for Hannah Newman House Prefect

Sprules’ House Tro lley

Habs Life

ces! going pla Board is se u o H Sprules’

Catch it Sprules !

Sprules’ lacrosse team

Habs Life

Leaving Staff

Mr Phillips

Mr Stock

Miss Chelliah

What was your favourite memory at Habs? There are so many happy memories over 15 years it’s difficult to pick out one.

What has been your favourite memory of Habs? Roaming over the Brecon Beacons with students on a DofE Gold expedition - in fog, rain and blazing sunshine!

What has been your favourite memory of Habs? So many wonderful memories- I’ll just pick a few. Students smiling and waving to me in my car as they walk past on the zebra crossing by the black gates, the ‘Probabili-tree’ bonsai tree I got as a gift, my first ever trip to Wimbledon and a form day trip to Cambridge for punting and a picnic.

What is a lesson you have learned here that you will never forget? Always expect the unexpected. What will you miss most about Habs? Teaching amazingly responsive students. Making music with students who are real ‘givers’. Working with amazingly skilled and caring colleagues. What surprised you most about Habs? The balance between set in stone traditions and innovations. What would you like to do after leaving Habs? Enjoy my family, write film music, get back to performing a little, catch up on my reading, lots of cycling, gardening and not hearing lesson bells!

What is a lesson you have learned here that you will never forget? There is always another way to view any idea; after all this time, students are still coming up with questions and perspectives I have not considered before. What is your favourite school event? The Carol Service (with plenty of congregational carols!). Tell us about your most embarrassing moment at school? It was some time ago, but I did once oversleep and miss the start of a school day; thankfully I wasn’t teaching first period! What surprised you most about Habs? The seemingly boundless energy of many of the people; they start early, are on the move all day, and get home late…and then do it all again the next day!

What is a lesson you have learned here that you will never forget? It’s never too late to learn. I took some piano lessons here a few years ago and was so pleased to achieve my dream of learning to play Chopin’s Fantasie Impromptu. Sum up Habs in three words. Intelligent, ambitious, welcoming. What advice would you give to your students? Show the world what you can do. Keep working hard; good students will always do well in life. (And - if it’s tricky, draw a piccy! If in doubt, draw it out! My GCSE and A Level students will understand). Where would you still like to travel? Scandinavia to see the Northern Lights.

Habs Life

Miss Walker

Miss Hargreaves

Mr Salter Perez

What will you miss most about Habs? I will miss the students. It has been wonderful to be a small part of so many of your lives for the last three years. I’ll also miss the excellent food!

Sum up Habs in three words. Opportunities. Challenge. Curiosity.

What has been your favourite memory of Habs? I couldn’t possibly pick a single favourite!

What is your favourite school event? I enjoyed performing in the House Singing and House Dance, although I’m not sure anyone else did! What advice would you give to your students? Be confident – remember how talented and intelligent you are. What would you like to do after leaving Habs? Next year, I will be the Head of Religion and Philosophy at St Albans School. Where would you still like to travel? I’ve really missed travelling during the last year. In fact, we had a trip booked to see my brother, who has lived in New York for over ten years, which had to be cancelled. So that’s high on the list for this year.

What will you miss most about Habs? The people. What advice would you give to your students? Never stop learning. Tell us about your most embarrassing moment at school? Solo dancing at the silent disco to get students onto the dance floor. Where would you still like to travel? I would love to travel to Chile!

What will you miss most about Habs? Badminton on Thursdays. What is your favourite school event? St Catherine’s Day is great. What advice would you give to your students? Don’t be discouraged by failure. Where would you still like to travel? Back to 2019…

We would also like to thank… Ms Hodgkiss (English teacher) Ms Kamdar (Library Assistant) Mr Vallade (Music Technician)

Habs Life

New Teaching Staff This year we welcomed several new teachers. Our editors took the opportunity to catch up with them and see how they were settling in.

Miss Jones Deputy Head (Pastoral)

Miss Milsom Assistant Head (Pastoral)

Mr Dinu Teacher of Psychology

What has been your best experience at Habs so far? I loved seeing the House trollies! I felt it gave me a glimpse into a side of Habs that I am desperate to see more of post-Covid – brilliantly creative, collaborative, proud, socially-minded and slightly bonkers.

What has been your best experience at Habs so far? Meeting all of you! It has been amazing to walk the corridors of Habs and meet as many students as possible, I have been blown away by how fantastic everyone is and how welcoming you have all been.

Tell us about a hidden talent. I can fly a plane (a very little one… not much use for school trips, sadly).

What is the best thing about being a teacher? Working with all of you. I also really love my subject; helping students to thrive. Every day is completely different and so inspiring in some way. I’m not sure what other job gives you that!

What has been your best experience at Habs so far? From the beginning I enjoyed the warmth and care of the staff, especially the colleagues from my Department. Furthermore, I am highly impressed by the quality of students at Habs, who never fail to amaze me with their willingness to work, engage with the material in various ways, and show splendid intellectual capabilities.

What is the best thing about being a teacher? You! I just love getting to know amazing students, connecting over a shared passion or funny moment, feeling like I’ve been involved in however small a way in the lives of people who it feels inevitable will go on to do incredible things in the world. If not your subject, which other would you choose to teach? I’d love to teach everyone about the edible plants, mushrooms, seeds, nuts and berries you can find on pretty much any walk in the UK – even in London!

Which three things would you take to a desert island? Is it cheating if I say my mum for one of the three things? I miss her! If I had to take three items then they would be – a really good book, a bar of white chocolate, and a jigsaw puzzle.

What is your favourite thing about your subject? The best thing about Psychology is that it is applicable to all human beings and situations. Trying to decipher the behaviours, drives, and motivators of one of the most complex beings on Earth is fascinating. What is the best thing about being a teacher? The best aspect of being a teacher is that I get the chance to share my passion with young minds containing unlimited potential, and hopefully inspire a few students to become the best they can be in their field.

Habs Life

Mrs Benjamin Teacher of Mathematics

Mrs Fellas Teacher of Mathematics

Mrs Kapadia Teacher of Science

How would you sum up Habs in three words. Community, ambitious, green

Which extra house event would you include if you had the chance? House singing competition (I am not sure if it existed pre-Covid…).

If you weren’t a teacher, what would you be? A chef! I have always loved cooking and am always looking for inspiration from different cuisines.

Tell us about a hidden talent. I qualified as a balloon artist and used to decorate rooms with balloons or make balloon arrangements as gifts. If not your subject, which other would you choose to teach? Sport as I enjoy running outdoors and more recently I am enjoying spinning on a Peleton - it’s a massive stress release, as well as healthy, which is the perfect antidote to screens and my sweet tooth.

Tell us about a hidden talent. I run marathons! And lots of other races too. If you had to describe yourself in one word, what would it be? Kind. If you weren’t a teacher, what would you be? An archaeologist.

What are you looking forward to most about teaching post-covid? Experiencing life at Habs fully and being able to interact with pupils and all members of staff freely. What inspired you to become a teacher? I was always a shy student who would crumble at the thought of public speaking. I never considered teaching as a profession until I started working as a Learning Assistant - supporting students with special educational needs. This is when I realised that I wanted to teach, impart my knowledge and instil a love of learning amongst young adults.

Habs Life

New Support Staff This year we’ve been delighted to welcome new support staff in a variety of roles, including some colleagues who provide support to both the Boys’ and Girls’ schools.

Bill Friar

Anne Sartori

Sarah Belchier

Denise Jones

Marie-Pierre Artunduaga

Wajahat Nawaz

Helen McKay

Patricia Headlam

Vicky Mensah

Director of Development

School Counsellor

Senior School Receptionist

Deputy Exams Officer

French Oral Assistant

Compliance Officer

Senior School Receptionist

Caretaker

PA to Deputy Head Academic, Assistant Head Academic and Assistant Head Admissions, Marketing and Development

Habs Life

School Positions Form Captains Autumn Term

L4 A Amelie Melzack Grace Howie L4 Aesc Devi Shah Rahni Spaul L4 Aleph Riya Tailor Dhiya Biju-Dhyaneish L4 Alpha Libby Bruce Saathana Tharmendiran L4 Aske Maya Nicholls Saphira Relevy U4 A Lottie Brook Emily Heese U4 Aesc Navya Vakharia Misha Mistry U4 Aleph Madison Bradley Evita Foster U4 Alpha Ahria Ajanthan Mia Sherman U4 Ansuz Maddy Ashley Elin Fielden U4 Aske Emily Shaw Priya Pushparajasekaran L5 A Ruby Weissbart Bijal Kapadia L5 Aesc Pearl Castleton Nicole Karunanithy L5 Aleph Sofia Allen Eden Chesler

School Prefects

Libby Abrahams Damilola Adesida Lauren Amdor Angéla Argyrou Santhana Arnold Abinaya Arulalagan Ayman Asaria Kate Austin Cressie Barnett Emma Bevis Tania Cohen-Dominguez Eliza Copland Ella Cowie Hannah Davies Tabitha Dresden

L5 Alpha Belinda Mendes de Costa Iman Khan L5 Aske Shiara Mediwake Amanda Castello-Cortes M5 A Diya Kedia Maya Fernandes M5 Aesc Sienna Patel Juliet Taub M5 Aleph Gemma Fray Thishana Thisainathan M5 Alpha Margi Barot Simran Bhavnani M5 Aske Hannah Keane Katie Pollock U5 A Tamara Teper Chloe Ashton U5 Aesc Isabella Jain Maria Loubenski U5 Aleph Maya Brockie Evie Sultman U5 Alpha Charlotte Grant Sumayya Quddus U5 Aske Anuva Shah Uma Tugnait

Spring Term

L4 A Amelie Melzack Grace Howie L4 Aesc Devi Shah Rahni Spaul L4 Aleph Riya Tailor Dhiya Biju-Dhyaneish Grace Farmer Isabel Farmer Halle Greenston Emily Hampton Jenny Hayes Charlotte Hooker Victoria Hu Yasmine Hulf Matilda Jackson-Long Priya Kalairajah Karishma Kara Maha Khan Sophie Levine Ashleigh Lin Maryam Mazhar Ella Mudhar Milla Mulvany

L4 Alpha Libby Bruce Saathana Tharmendiran L4 Aske Maya Nicholls Saphira Relevy U4 A Alisha Mehta Zahra Qureshi U4 Aesc Alicia Bogard Aliya Wahid U4 Aleph Fumbi Oresanwo Himidi Perera U4 Alpha Lucy Ginsberg Sajini Krunakaran U4 Ansuz Sophie Greenburgh Piera Goodman U4 Aske Esther Tuckwell Elena Erceg L5 A Mia Moshal Sophie Lunzer L5 Aesc Simi Joshi Charlotte Saunderson L5 Aleph Lily Coppel Sofia Allen L5 Alpha Victoria Willott Harnee Jeyaseelan L5 Aske Miranda Bell Anaya Jess M5 A Annabel Room Natasha Wahab M5 Aesc Edith Rendell Abigail Sleep

Eva Namdar Hannah Newman Isabel Oliver Sharanie Pankayachelvan Lauren Parsons Anjali Patel Shreya Patel Francesca Peccei Anisha Pick Madeline Pritchard Krisha Sedani Amy Shaw Emily Shillinglaw Erica Shuker Rachel Simmonds-Rosten Sophie Simons Charlene Tai

M5 Aleph Lale Rogers Gaby Becker M5 Alpha Josie Brownstone Jaime Chester M5 Aske Natasha Tarnofsky Sareena Shah U5 A Charissa Monney Lakshmi Linkeshwaran U5 Aesc Aarushi Dubey Hannah Noordin U5 Aleph Reeva Patel Lian Baruch U5 Alpha Anji Suri Maddy Sinclair U5 Aske Rachel Pearlman Lydia Berlioz

Summer Term L4 A Annabel Parsons Jemima Copley L4 Aesc Elodie Levene Amber Rahman L4 Aleph Tia Odedra Leila Hoch L4 Alpha Olivia Barash Lee Amaya Jobanputra L4 Aske Amayah Perdios Gabriella Willman

All other year groups remained in post from the Spring Term as they were not able to fully take on the leadership role due to lockdown. Isabel Wellings Camille White Sona Yadav Valerie Zakharov

Senior Team Temi Erinle

Head Girl Katie Dimson Deputy Head Girl Malika Uppal Sixth Form Prefect Talia Dimson Upper School Prefect Jessica Folwell Middle School Prefect

Habs Life

Charity Report Despite the challenges of Covid, Habs Girls has continued to support many charities. Despite the challenges brought by Covid this year, we are both immensely proud of the way in which our community has been able to continue giving our time and donations to many different causes. This year we did not support one specific charity but both individuals in the school community, and the school as a whole, have supported many charities including those we have strong ties with such as the Parikrma Foundation and the Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants. We have continued to run many events such as Harvest, non-uniform days for Parikrma and of course St Catherine’s Day. We are delighted to announce that from St Catherine’s Day alone we raised £6,000 for Parikrma and in total we raised a huge £11,639.35 this academic year. A highlight for us both was a Zoom call on St Catherine’s Day with Habs students and Parikrma students; it was a truly incredible atmosphere and it made our day so much better, we loved seeing so many students connecting despite the physical distance between us. Our connection with the students in Bangalore is unmatched and we will always continue to stay in touch, even after leaving Habs Girls.

We want to reiterate our gratitude for being so generous and enthusiastic this year and encourage everyone to keep up their amazing generosity next year!

Collecting for Harvest

The Harvest collection being transported to Islington

Lauren Amdor and Ella Mudhar Charity Reps

Habs Life

Spirituality at Habs Habs Girls can choose from a variety of assemblies that help them consider their place in the world.

ere at Habs, we are very lucky to have weekly denominational assemblies, where we can learn about a broad range of religions and cultures. These assemblies are put together by Sixth Form students with the support of a member of staff. They are incredibly interesting because of the thorough research and exciting presentation techniques. We enjoy these weekly assemblies so much because they make us rounded and well-informed individuals who are culturally aware and knowledgeable about the diversity within our school and beyond.

Christian Assembly This year the Christian Assembly team have been finding new ways to connect with our faith group at school. Over Teams we are able to utilise videos, slide shows and fun skits that explain biblical and theological concepts in new and approachable ways. Over the Autumn Term we put together a nativity play, performed by the Lower 6, for all years to enjoy. Jessica Alagaratnam L6 LWA

Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist Assembly The Committee focused on making assemblies interesting, accessible and informative for the period of remote learning this year. A joint assembly with the Muslin Assembly Committee on idol worship stimulated discussion and posed questions that all years in the school engaged in. Festivals and important dates are used to educate the school community about the worship of all four religions. We can’t wait for assemblies to start in person again! Vaidehi Chauhan L6 MMS

Humanist Assembly Humanist Committee has enjoyed presenting live assemblies online this year, with topics ranging from Philosophy of Time to World Book Day, all the while continuing the dynamic and engaging discussion assemblies that Humanist Assembly is known for. This created unique challenges over Teams with discussions such as the vaccine rollout, but all the Upper 6 still got the chance to have a real-life debate on the topic of leadership. Meetings continued to be filled with new ideas and collaboration between year groups, which means we’re excited to see what Humanist Committee do next – hopefully without the added challenge of using an online platform! Kate Austin U6 CW

Jewish Assembly Over the course of this year, the JSOC team has worked hard to maintain contact with the younger years despite the lack of inperson events, posting weekly assemblies on the Teams channel with interactive activities such as a Yom Kippur quiz. We also hosted an inspiring talk from Agnes Kaposi, a Holocaust survivor, in honour of Holocaust Memorial Day which was attended by over 200 students. It was fantastic to see the usual high levels of engagement with online activities. Talia Rubin L6 MMS

Muslim Assembly The Muslim Assembly Committee put together videos and PowerPoints on different topics in Islam from Harmful Stereotypes of Muslims in movies and TV to Islamic Architecture. We have even had a joint assembly with the Hindu Assembly where we discussed idol worship. Throughout the year, we have shared our knowledge of the religion and hopefully the school community has become even more well-informed on a breadth of religions and have widened their horizons. Ayesha Ahmed L6 LWA

Feature

Houses at Habs The importance of the House system. As the members of the last student year group to have experienced Habs without the House system, it can definitively be said that the Houses have brought a whole new dimension to life at Habs. The Houses have been able to bring students together in a unique way, which during lockdown has seemed more important than ever. Through good-natured competitiveness, the Houses have been able to connect students throughout all year groups, as well as staff from varying

faculties, which has contributed to solidify our school community. Becoming House prefects this year, has truly made us realise how important House is; Habs students will always have their House spirit in common, and their dedication and loyalty is an admirable sight. Some, during lockdown two, whilst school remained open - even sported their House’s personalised face masks around the corridors.

A staple of House is the variety of inter-House Competitions. These range from a multitude of sport, to dance, to music and through to poetry and debating. This enables all students to shine, whatever their extra-curricular interests may be. Every year there is always a great sense of excitement surrounding House competitions, and it was no different this year. We started with the highly anticipated House Trolley Competition that is part of the Harvest Celebration. The Lower 6

Feature

reps beautifully decorated their own trollies with the theme of childhood stories and with recycling in mind, made certain that all materials used were brought in from home to reduce as much waste as possible. The result was six creative trolleys imbued with nostalgia, with Gillett House seizing the win in the end. Another feature of House, that has remained unchanged despite this year’s circumstances, is the level of enthusiasm towards inter-House sports. With team chants aplenty and success in the air, team members and supporters alike all have a great time. Competition is fierce, as experienced while refereeing House netball, where Harold was victorious, while Millar and Powell came out on top in lacrosse. A silver lining that has come from this year’s rules and restrictions was that all year groups were able to witness the spectacle that is the Edna Judd Competition. This is an event that allows the Lower 4 and Upper 4 to thrive, exploring a love for poetry while simultaneously utilising their showmanship to put

on a performance. From poems including Still I Rise by Maya Angelou and The Crocodile by Roald Dahl, all spectators were thoroughly enthralled by the students’ readings. The Edna Judd Competition is a truly exciting experience for the Lower 4, new members of the Senior School, and therefore a glimpse into the start of possibilities and opportunities at Habs. Though House Competitions this year have been hindered by lockdowns, the House spirit has not been dulled. The weekly challenge, aptly named Minute to Win It, has been an enjoyable way to keep connected and spend some time away from the screen. Some personal favourites include the Biscuit Challenge and Sox in a Box. Ultimately, it is the teamwork, comradeship, and support within House, that has helped us during this particularly challenging year, and it is these elements that symbolise the essence of House. Victoria Hu U6 LC Izzy Wellings U6 KH

Greenhouse - 2020-21

Articles inside

New Teaching Staff

Leaving Staff

Shakespeare Schools’ Festival

An Inspector Calls

Geography Trip

Anatomical Art

Design and Technology

M5 Team Building Day

Building Opening

Bushcraft

Edna Judd

Kew Gardens Art Trip