In the
picture • Junior and Senior School Edition •
May/June Issue 2020
This is the final edition of In the Picture for the academic year 2019 -210. And what a year it has been! This edition rounds up some of the bigger events and activities taking place in May and June across the whole school as well as reflecting on how the pandemic has focused our minds on green issues and sustainability, and how that’s been reflected in some of the brilliant Guided Home Learning and in-school projects the girls have been in engaged in during this half term. We hope you enjoy reading about this and all that remains is to wish you a restful summer break.
Leading girls’ education
Where girls learn without limits
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Dedication to diversity
School Diversity Week has been on the NHSG Senior School calendar for a number of years, and this year it proved particularly timely taking place between the 22nd and 26th June. In the past year, we are delighted to have been awarded the Stonewall Bronze Award, in recognition of our ongoing work to address homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, and for our commitment to celebrating diversity in all its forms. Taking part in School Diversity Week is just one part of our approach. Despite the fact that we couldn’t be in school to mark Diversity Week with our usual endeavours, the programme that took place in a virtual space was extremely full and informative. Although the primary aim of
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Diversity Week is to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues, we always take the opportunity to look at tolerance and diversity more widely at this time of year. Over the past few weeks, we have had an explicit focus on racial prejudice and discrimination across the curriculum in light of current events. Members of the Sixth Form have also shared an assembly with the younger girls, talking to them about the history of the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as discussing examples of microaggression, and what we, as a school, can do to help tackle racial prejudice in any form.
alumnae of our school community, who presented to different Year Groups via Teams.
Throughout the week, we organised various remote activities for the girls in relation to the theme of diversity. This included a number of external speakers, two of whom are
The following day, alumna Liv Devine, singer and song-writer, currently signed with Warner Bros Records, shared her experiences with Years 9 and 10 about growing up as gay,
Girls in Years 11-13 heard from Jessica Lynn, world-renowned transgender advocate, educator, and activist. Her experiences as a transgender woman and parent led her to dedicate her life to spreading awareness and acceptance of gender non-conforming communities around the world. She talked to the girls about her life story, from knowing as a young child, coping mechanisms, to finally transitioning later in life.
and what she would say to her younger self, knowing what she knows now. Liv (pictured above) left NHSG in 2015 so was the perfect candidate to relay her Senior School memories to the girls. It was also a fantastic opportunity to listen to some of Liv’s music, especially as she is making waves on Radio 1’s playlist with her latest single, Don’t Say It. On Friday 26th June, another NHSG alumna and inaugural Head Girl, Davina Nylander (pictured right) spoke to the girls about her “experiences growing up as a black girl.” Davina is now in her fifth year studying Medicine at University College London. She has written and spoken about her own experiences of growing up as a black girl in Newcastle through a number of mediums and agreed to talk to all of the girls from Years 7-9 to pass on her message of self-love, embracing your own uniqueness and the importance of finding your identity.
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The 3 statements that shaped her talk were:
1. The things that make you stand out are the best things about you. 2. Your blackness is beautiful 3. You’re never alone, even when it feels like it. All the talks were excellent, but Liv and Davina’s had strong resonance with their being former members of our School. In addition to the planned talks, the Diversity channel on Teams was buzzing with activity throughout the week, with a
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flurry of quizzes, quotes, pictures and stories all linked to themes of equality and diversity. A number of cocurricular clubs running during the week were also linked to the theme of diversity. Congratulations to Julianna Zobrist and Emma Walsingham who won prizes for the most creative diversity-themed bakes in cookery club! Julianna’s cake is pictured on the cover of this publication and Emma’s is pictured above!
Record numbers sign up to inspiring Change Makers Summit
The pandemic has truly highlighted the enormous benefits of being part of an organisation as unique and forward-thinking as the GDST. Schools across the network have pulled together to create some fantastic online resources and experiences for girls over the past couple of months, one of which was the iconic Change Makers Summit on Thursday 21st May. More than 25,000 young people from across the UK joined the virtual host, Norwich High School for Girls, for its Inspiring Change Makers Summit 2020. This inaugural online conference followed on from its pioneering Inspiring Females programme launched four years ago. This year’s event reached more young women than ever before from across the state and independent sector – and was supported by an illustrious roll
call of exciting women leaders from chef Prue Leith to engineer extraordinaire Yewande Akinola. The original plan had been to stage this year’s event at Norwich Football Club after the resounding success of last year’s summit at Chelsea Football Club, but after lockdown restrictions were implemented across the UK, the online conference took shape. Kirsty von Malaisé, Headmistress of Norwich High and founder of the awardwinning Inspiring Females programme, said: “ We wanted to create this event to continue our mission to inspire, educate and empower young people, at a time when young people might need it the most. So many are facing a range of challenges, from students in Year 11 and 13, who have questions about their futures
after having examinations cancelled, to those at the beginning of their senior school years who may be missing out on so many rich extra-curricular and pastoral opportunities.” Chief Executive of the GDST, Cheryl Giovannoni, launched the day with a focus on successful female world leaders, who have been particularly inspiring during this pandemic, and closed with a call to action – to just go for it, to “Own your dreams and make them a reality. Never be too afraid to tackle the things you want to do in the world”. The day’s sessions were prerecorded and timetabled so that girls were guided through the conference with an element of synchronisation. All of the content was designed to inspire, engage and empower our future changemakers and there was truly something for
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everyone; from Diplomacy and Sport, to Creative Arts and Law. The speakers also discussed practical methods for harnessing your passions, achieving your goals and being the best you can be. It was brilliant to watch alumna of Central High, Jo Ashbridge (pictured below), delivering a session for this inspirational event. Jo is the founder and director of architecture charity, AzuKo, and her passion lies in humanitarian work, disaster relief and sustainable development. She set the girls a project using design as a tool to improve lives, just as she has in her own career. Joining Jo in the line up of change making females was Prue Leith and Yewande Akinola, Olympic hockey champion Kate RichardsonWalsh; Tram Anh Nguyen, Co-founder of the Centre for Finance, Technology and
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Entrepreneurship; Tessy Ojo, Chief Executive of the Diana Award; England netballer Ama Agbeze, and Sunday Times Style Editor-in-Chief Lorraine Candy. “A real silver lining for us at this time has been the good will and kindness of our speakers who have all volunteered their support to deliver such a broad selection of sessions – keep fit,
meditation, yoga, keynotes, interactive sessions, careers talks, one-to-one Q&As and live panel sessions, charity and social enterprise awareness, and so much more – all shaped into a full day’s programme for young people to engage in,” said Mrs von Malaisé.” Girls who took part left feeling thoroughly inspired. Here are a selection of comments from girls
across the GDST network:
“I learnt that I don’t need to have a fixed plan for my life ahead of me; it is allowed to change.” “I learnt how to know my own strengths and use them effectively to improve myself and my performance.” “We can all be change makers if we put your minds into it.” “Shyness is a superpower!” “I’ve learnt that mistakes are okay, in fact, they’re amazing! It’s important to remember that no one becomes successful through immediate triumph; they’ll have failed many times before. Fail = First Attempt In Learning.”
“The meditation/breathing exercise that can help you become super confident in stressful times.” “Be like a chameleon, don’t be afraid of change.” “I should try and leave the world in a better way than before.” “To believe in me.” “We can all be change makers if we put your minds into it.” “I’ve found new ways to improve my productivity.” “I learnt that you don’t have to go down the traditional route to be successful in life..”
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A mark of recognition for NHSG Sport It has been wonderful to see girls continuing to challenge themselves in sport and developing their skills and fitness through our Guided Home Learning programme over the last half term. Girls have taken part in a variety of sports initiatives including Virtual School Games and NHSG House Sports Competition as part of National School Sports Week. We were delighted to receive both the Virtual and Recognition Mark Awards in relation to our commitment to Sports activities by the Newcastle PE and School Sport Service. Congratulations to all our girls and we are looking forward to seeing them demonstrate their skills when we can get back to playing sport at school and in competition.
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A memorable musical evening with Junior girls After the success of our Senior School lockdown concert, we knew we had to recreate the experience for girls and parents of Junior School. Girls recorded their musical talents at home and Mr Newey pieced their submissions together to create another musical spectacle for our whole school community to enjoy. From singers to celloists, the variety and quality of melodious flair was magnificent and made for a heartwarming evening of entertainment. Well done to everyone who took part - you were superb.
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Quick-fire questions with 2019/20 Head Girl, Katie Dixon Describe your school experience in three words? An absolute blast. Who was your best friend? I’ve got a really close group of lovely friends, but I will give a special mention to Anna O’Donnell because we have been such good friends ever since we were in Year 7. Any mischief? When we were in Year 9 my friends and I would order Dominos pizzas and eat them in our locker room every Tuesday lunch time (taking advantage of Dominos Two for Tuesday deal!). We find it hilarious to look back on, we acted like it was mission impossible sneaking them into the building and then we would stash the empty boxes in the spare lockers. This went on for a few months and by the time we were discovered we had roughly 30 pizza boxes to clear out!
Where was your favourite place at school to hang out? I spent most of my free time in the common room because it’s such a great space to chill and all the Sixth Formers hang out there. Sporty or outside field lingerer? I’ve enjoyed playing netball and hockey the whole way through school, and I’ve made so many friends and memories going all over the country for different matches and competitions. I was also lucky enough to be a part of the NHSG netball team that won Trust netball for the first time in
Favourite teacher? Mr Tippett! I’ve enjoyed working closely with him this past year on the forum executive committee, and we’ve had a lot of laughs. He was also a really good sport and took part in making a TikTok with us on our last day, despite TikTok being banned!
decades in 2019. The sports tour to Australia was the culmination of many happy years of sporting activities in school, and it really was the trip of a lifetime.
Let’s talk about the food… Lunch is one of the highlights of my day, I’ve always enjoyed the school dinners and love that you can take whatever you want from the counter. Bacon and hash browns from the common room regularly set me up for the day!
Other than Head Girl, did you win any prizes or awards? I was awarded an honorary scholarship when moving into the senior school and I also achieved an academic excellence award for my GCSEs. My most recent award was the Miss Belton Drama
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Award which I won for my performance in the school production of Oliver! in which I played Fagin. What advice would you offer your younger school-age self? Take advantage of all the opportunities and don’t hesitate to get involved in things. I was hesitant to do the school musicals when I was in Years 7 and 8 because none of my close friends were doing them. They became the highlight of my year, and you make so many more friends when you do co-curricular activities. What are your plans now school has finished? Hopefully in September I will be going to Newcastle University to study Medicine, which I’m very excited about! How have you and your friends have found lockdown life? Although I’ve found lockdown a bit boring at times, I have tried to keep myself entertained by running and baking, and I have a quiz night with my friends every week on Zoom. It’s great that we can now meet some of our friends outside, and we’re enjoying going for walks and picnics while the weather is nice. Thank you for sharing those answers, Katie, and for being a star Head Girl this year (on and off the stage)! We are disappointed we haven’t been able to say farewell in the usual way but we wish you the best of luck with your start in Medicine and we hope you can tell us all about it in the near future.
A green approach to Guided Home Learning From cleaner air to liberated wildlife, coronavirus lockdowns across the world appear have had a number of positive effects on the environment. Modern life as we know it has largely been put on pause but the natural world has continued to tick over, and even shown signs of benefiting from our absence. Without the usual resources of the classroom, NHSG teachers have encouraged girls to look to their homes for materials that can play a part in Guided Home Learning. Girls in Nursery right up through to Sixth Form have been incredibly creative in the ways in which they have put recycled items to use. Girls in the Early Years who were able to return to school have also worked on some excellent ‘junkyard’ models. Take a look at some of these examples!
Year 2 rounded off their dinosaur topic with some pre-historic creature creativity. Meanwhile, Reception got to grips with some junkyard boat modelling to investigate floating and sinking.
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Year 5 constructed models of traditional Tudor homes by decorating recycled cardboard boxes and some spare dolls house furniture for the interior. Year 4 completed some lovely collage work using old magazine pages organised by colour. We’re certain they will have pride of place on the fridge door by now.
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Much research has been completed by girls on the topic of renewable and sustainable energy over the course of the term. (Above) Annabelle, Year 2, has created a Science poster which explains this complex process and ways we can help to sustain our planet. In Physics Guided Home Learning, Year 7 designed an island and planned how to survive on it, using renewable energy resources. Here’s some fabulous examples of the girls’ inventive approach.
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Year 12 Geographers considered the impact of the pandemic on the population, with a particular focus on urban spaces. Here are some of Esme Poore’s thoughts:
How urban spaces may change as a result of coronavirus
Greater awareness of nature and the development of green communities
Closure of the great indoors (museums, restaurants, clubs) has opened our eyes to the great outdoors on our doorsteps. Yet, only 26% of green spaces in London are accessible to the public. In Japan, doctors regularly prescribe time spent around nature for medical ailments, it carries support from the science on biophilia, for its many physical and mental health benefits. Greener streets could be healthier streets, easing pressure on the NHS. Centrepiece urban projects supporting this green outlook include Paris Plages and Mexico City’s Paseo de la Reforma. Small, tactical interventions at the neighbourhood scale can also have a large impact such as, Derbyshire Pocket Park or Van Gogh Walk, which is a space where nearby residents—many of whom don’t have a garden—can enjoy nature. Whilst London has seen 85% reduction in vehicles on roads, there has been a surge in car rentals as people are avoiding public transport. This threatens to undo recent efforts to limit pollution, so investment in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure is a logical solution. Paris added 650km of cycle lanes, Lima added 300km, New York added 64km since lockdown. UK measures include road closures, speed restrictions, pop-up bike lanes and wider pavements. The ‘London Streetspace’ programme will transform London’s streets to accommodate a possible ten-fold increase in cycling and five-fold increase in walking when lockdown restrictions are eased, and the government has pledged £2bn fund to boost active mobility.
Communities brought together or torn apart
Coronavirus could lead to entrenchment of exclusionary political narratives, calling for new borders around urban communities, overseen by leaders with the capacity to build them. In the past, after a widespread medical emergency, Jewish communities and other socially stigmatised groups, e.g. those affected by leprosy, have borne the brunt of public anger. References to the “China virus” by Donald Trump suggest that a blame culture is likely to be a feature of this pandemic’s aftermath as well. However, the sudden growth of mutual aid groups has brought neighbours together across age groups and demographic divides. There is potential for a fundamental shift in urban social relations, city residents have newfound desires to have more human contact and links to people unlike themselves. Nevertheless, the duration of these sentiments in uncertain, especially after the virus has passed.
Revitalisation of the local high street
50% of UK labour force currently working from home. Return to centralised offices will be a slow and arduous process, perhaps never complete as working from home becomes more appealing. This working from home revolution could catalyse the rejuvenation of high streets. 38% of London’s population live within a 3 min walk of a high street. The empty properties on high streets (due to decline and growth of online retailing) could become a new breed of community co-working spaces and other support functions to provide a much-needed change of scene from working in our homes.
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A Bio Psychology module in Year 12 Psychology lessons saw pupils completing models of a sensory, relay and motor neuron using items from home such as eyelash curlers, potatoes, keys and various pieces of jewellery.
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Year 3 were very creative with their Egyptian topic. Take a look at their dazzling pendants, collars and jewels using paper and craft materials from home. Vivienne (pictured bottom right) even fashioned a cartouche, an Egyptian name plate, from salt dough bread.
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Jessica, Year 2, used problem-solving skills and imagination to develop a fantastically fishy invention which will reduce the amount of plastic in the oceans. (Left) This Roman road construction was completed using just Lego by a Year 4 pupil. (Overleaf) Year 1 received a surprise in the post for their Science topic on life cycles. The special card included two broad bean seeds with information on how to ‘plant’ them to observe germination and record scientific notes and diagrams in a ‘bean diary’. Girls in Senior School have also planted tomatoes from a slice. The growth has been exceptional and Mrs Waton is going to award a prize for the most fruitful plant at the end of the Summer.
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Meanwhile, our Go Green Club at Senior School have been meeting up in a virtual space and making plans for the new academic Year. They have already developed a new logo ready for their relaunch in September and formulated some guidance for the summer holiday which we could all usefully follow: •Cut down on summer clothes buying, and when necessary buy from sustainable retail brands such as the H&M Conscious range •Try eating vegetarian for a week or two in summer (and if you find it doable, carry on for longer!) •Read-around living in a more sustainable way and explore more advanced writings about the ethics of consumerism and fast fashion. •Avoid driving or getting the bus too often. Switch to summery, local walks or cycle rides. •Work on your garden, if accessible, and try to grow your own summer fruit and veg for picnics and BBQs. •Spend some free time going through your wardrobes and donating clothes that are unwanted, but mending or adjusting clothes that you like but don’t wear. This cuts down on our fast fashion habits.
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