6 minute read
Extra-Curricular
NHEHS Hosts MUN
Noticing an MUN conference had never been hosted at NHEHS, a group of Year 13 students decided to make it happen. When Mr Shoults enthusiastically accepted our proposal, we immediately started planning. Having only attended MUN conferences before, we soon realised there were lots of things to plan which we hadn’t considered before, from catering, to IT, to organising a keynote speaker, to inviting other schools. Luckily, with Mrs Swift’s help, we arranged all these things, and after many hours spent glueing placards together, the conference was ready to begin.
The day ran smoothly, with the delegates from each school listening to an excellent speech by Jonathan Tait-Harris, a UN War Crimes investigator, then heading off to their committees for a day of debate. We decided to include the Security Council, a Human Rights Committee, an Economic and Social Committee and a Political Committee, which were chaired by ourselves and guest chairs from Hampton’s and the London Oratory. After an interesting morning of debate, the delegates then rejoined their delegations for the emergency crisis in the General Assembly, in which USA decided they wanted to leave the UN. It was a very rewarding experience, and we hope NHEHS continues to host MUN conferences in the future.
Eve Harrington, Year 13
MUN
MUN took place on Saturday 12th May. Every student is a delegate of a country, which they then represent in different motions. Firstly, in our countries we took part in different workshops, before debating the main topic and writing a resolution. The day ended in the main hall where a resolution from DISEC, in which every country voted for or against it, with different countries delivering a speech agreeing or disagreeing with the motion. In the end, the majority of countries voted for this resolution to be passed and it was! MUN was an interesting and fascinating experience and resulted in a lot of fun. We would highly recommend going as you can make new friends and the experience is enjoyable.
Shaan Walia and Isabella Stümpfle, Year 7
NHEHS Film Festival
After months of meticulous planning, Notting Hill’s inaugural Film Festival took place on 5th and 6th July 2018. Throughout the week, fascinating workshops were held in the school for girls to learn skills and behind-the-scenes tricks about the film industry
from distinguished professionals. These included a screenwriting workshop with Caroline Slocock, analysing film with Nick Murphy, a double negative special effects workshop and many more.
On Friday night, budding filmmakers from across the GDST journeyed to NHEHS to attend the screening and Awards Ceremony of the GDST Short Film and Composition Competitions, involving many entrants from NHEHS. The competition was to create a short film under 7 minutes based on the theme of ‘Colour’. We had a panel of esteemed judges: NHEHS alumna and renowned historian Bettany Hughes, former Minister for Culture under David Cameron, Ed Vaizey, and the immensely successful film producer Nisha Parti, known for her work on ‘Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone’ (2001). There was a brilliant dance to start the evening, choreographed by our own Alice Pygram. It was a wonderful night and many congratulations to all of our winners!
Daphne Argyropoulos, Year 12
Some of the clubs at NHEHS!
Exploring Science Club Da Vinci Club Breakfast Maths Club Feminism Society Cloud 9 Weather Club The Only Way is Ethics Club VEX Robotics Mindfulness Club Conservation Club Soul Choir Creating Writing Club Knitting Club
Some more events of the past year!
Adam Smith Institute Economics conference First Lego League Regional Champions Chrystall Prize Junior MUN at Reigate Forensics day for Junior Schools NHEHS Medic Conference University Challenge
ESU Schools Mace
Despite not having any experience in debating, we set ourselves the challenge of signing up to the ESU Schools Mace.
For the first round, the motion was, ‘This house would pay all elected politicians the median wage in their country’. We were debating for the proposition, discussing how a median wage would help politicians to relate their constituents, preventing elitism and building a fairer Britain. To prepare, we also explored what the other side might argue so we could effectively rebut their points.
Miraculously after an evening of fruitful debate, too many flapjacks and a long, tense wait to discover the final result, we successfully made it to the next round. For Round 2, we were shocked to learn that we were debating against the same team and again for the proposition. This time, we were debating for the prohibition of the media using computer software to cosmetically enhance an individual’s appearance.
We passionately researched and argued for this topic, learning more about the harms of photoshop and social media. Despite our best efforts, we sadly didn’t make it to the next round due to the impressive competition. Yet, we learnt so much from the useful feedback and would definitely want to try more debating competitions in the future. The experience has given us confidence in public speaking and a myriad of skills that we can apply to all our subjects. We would truly encourage all future Year 12s to consider taking part.
Natasha Ketel and Anika Haran, Year 12 Inaugural Chess Competition
On 27th February, NHEHS hosted its first ever Inter-School Chess Competition with Ellen Wilkinson School. The competition was run and organised by our very own Chess Committee of Phyllis Keen, Leena Van Surell and Rachel Pearson — under the ever-watchful guidance of Mr. Smith.
Girls from Years 7 through to 12 took part and impressed us with their determination and at times ruthless tactical manoeuvres. Despite the snow outside, there was a warm and relaxed atmosphere with ample supplies of biscuits and chocolates, as well as a classical music request list. Overall, the competition was a success, with not only NHEHS winning the competition but in revealing the strategic talents of our girls. We hope this is only the start of NHEHS’ chess story so keep your eyes pealed for more competitions!
Leena Van Surell, Year 12
European Youth Parliament
On a classically dreary morning in March a group of us set forth for Westminster, to the Europe House where we would be partaking in the European Youth Parliament. Since this was the first time any of us had done this, we were all very excited about what the day would entail.
When we reached the Europe House, we went through security, then off to the conference room for a day of what we were hoping would be full of fruitful debate. Our team was set to present the debate on tax havens which gave us the opportunity to further our learning about the matter. The first debate began and we were all slightly taken aback by the sheer eloquence and passion the other teams portrayed in their arguments. We began to listen intently to what was being said in order to prepare questions that would challenge the opposition.
The process continued throughout the day until it was our turn to present our thoughts and knowledge on tax havens. We were all slightly nervous, however as the debate went on we gained more confidence in ourselves allowing us to present a succinct, well thought out argument. As the judges conferred, we waited anxiously about whether or not we were going to progress to the next round. Unfortunately, we did not make it through, which lead to us feeling slightly disappointed but we were still proud of how much we managed to achieve.
NHEHS Ski Trip Italy 2018
Anika Dhawan, Year 12
