The North Londoner 2016

The North Londoner 2015 - 2016 North London Collegiate School Magazine

North London Collegiate School Canons Canons Drive Edgware Middlesex HA8 7RJ 020 8952 0912 office@nlcs.org.uk www.nlcs.org.uk Charity No. 1115843

The North Londoner

An Independent School for Girls aged 4-18

CONTENTS

The North Londoner North London Collegiate School - School Magazine 2015 – 2016 Editorial 2 Official

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Valedictory Day

19

Art

39

Charity

53

Creative Writing

61

Enrichment

67

Library & Archives

79

Performing Arts

93

Sport

103

Trips

111

School Magazine 2015/16

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EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL Welcome to the 2015-16 edition of The North Londoner Magazine. It has been such an honour to document the vibrancy of life at North London over this academic year. We have seen many academic achievements, an inspiring range of enrichment opportunities and extra-curricular activities in art, music, drama and sport.

One of the most important things about an education at North London Collegiate School is that students are encouraged to look outwards and to use their talents to make a difference to the lives of other people. Girls have continued to throw themselves wholeheartedly into community service by taking part in fundraising events and visits to local care homes and schools.

During the summer holidays groups of students have travelled overseas to participate in our charitable partnerships in Zambia, Madagascar and for the first time this year, they have visited Uzbekistan.

The School has been delighted to host many engaging and interesting visitors this year. We welcomed architectural historian Dan Cruickshank as the keynote speaker at our first Senior Societies talk of the academic year. Other guests have included Tracy Chevalier, author of the highly acclaimed ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ and Team GB Paralympian Stefanie Reid.

Continuing to channel the School’s spirit of internationalism, girls in all year groups have travelled across the globe to enrich their cultural perspectives, as well as their subject knowledge. Students had the

opportunity to visit six of the continents, with trips to destinations including Colombia, USA, China and our sister school on the island of Jeju in South Korea. Girls have also participated in numerous language exchanges.

We welcomed students for the 67th year of exchanges with the Goethe-Gymnasium in Ludwigsburg, Germany, as well as students from SCEGGS our Australian exchange school in Sydney. We were delighted that students from our partnership schools were able to attend Founder’s Day and celebrate our shared heritage together.

Students’ have displayed their creative talents in numerous concerts and productions. Audiences have been entertained by Year 7 in the Arts Celebration and Dance Display, by Year 8 and 9 in their modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and the Senior School production of Alan Ayckbourn’s The Revenger’s Comedies delighted audiences with some hilarious performances.

During our inaugural Sports Week students could take part in a variety of activities, many sampling new sports for the first time. The School was also thrilled to erect a climbing wall in the Sports Hall, making a fantastic addition to our sporting facilities.

It has been both a pleasure and a challenge to record the activities and events that our students have taken part in over this academic year, as there have been so many! We hope that you enjoy reading this edition of The North Londoner as much as we have enjoyed creating it.

THE EDITORIAL TEAM Iris Wang, Lelia Hussein, Lizzie Quinn, Savannah Harper, Shivani Gangadia, Sian Mathur and Ms Larraine Bristow Photography: Bob Workman, Graham Ryder, Larraine Bristow, Michael Pilkington, Steve Gregson, plus many contributions from staff and students.

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North London Collegiate School

OFFICIAL

School Magazine 2015/16

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of some poor fellow’s mouth.”

FOUNDER’S DAY 2016 ADDRESS “Girls are different from boys; their brains are too light, their foreheads too small, their reasoning powers too defective...to make them good students…” These are the words of a Cambridge don in 1860 when asked whether he thought girls were capable of an academic education.

Public examinations for schools, set and marked by academics in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, had been introduced two years earlier, and by 1861 boys in more than 100 schools were taking them. The arguments went on: girls weren’t up to taking examinations because they were unsuited to writing for so long; it would make them ill. The university dons offered instead to draw up different, gentler papers suited to girls…

And then, suddenly, Cambridge gave in. In early November 1863, it was agreed that, experimentally, for one year only, they would let girls sit the examinations on the 14th December. Imagine being given six week’s warning that you could sit an examination, or that as a teacher you could prepare candidates for one in such a short time. Miss Buss, founder and first Headmistress of the North London Collegiate School for Girls, thought it was a tremendous idea and put forward twenty-five candidates straight away.

Frances Mary Buss was a central figure in the women’s movement in the 19th century. Her name is there at every major milestone in the story of women’s education.

Her vision and determination changed not only the quality of girls’ education in her century, but women’s lives for the future.

Frances Mary Buss

She believed passionately in two causes: in education and women: to her, education gave freedom – to think and to judge, to aspire to a better life. Many Victorians were working for the reform of an education system that had grown up piecemeal in England. But there was terrific resistance to the idea of women sharing in the reforms. Some believed that educating women would have negative economic consequences: when ONL Lilian Lindsay said she wanted to become a dentist, she was told: “I am afraid, Madam, you are taking the bread out Lilian Lindsay

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It is hard to overstate the challenges that the 23-year-old Miss Buss had to overcome in establishing her first school in Camden that would offer to girls the same opportunities as boys.

Frances Mary Buss as a Young Woman

Although she had very little education herself, - just certificates in French, German and Geography from evening classes for governesses - she had to find a way to supplement the family income because her father, who had only ever made a spasmodic living as an artist, had just lost a big commission from the author Charles Dickens. Mr Buss had produced the first few engravings for The Pickwick Papers, but the author thought they weren’t up to much and sacked him.

Dickens Dream

So Miss Buss moved the family accommodation to the attic floors of their home at 46 Camden Street and secured an income by opening a school in the rest of the house.

In 1850, girls from a middleclass background were expected only to acquire those “accomplishments” that would make them good companions for their husbands and suitable ornaments for the home: “gentle trills on the piano... sketches of some picturesque ruins and some delicate

The family home 1850

North London Collegiate School

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rest had problems ranging from a curvature of the spine to anaemia, knock-knees and lung congestion; one poor student with a weak back was advised by the doctor “to hang from a pole for 3 minutes night and morning.”

But the Headmistress of North London Collegiate School had more strategic ideas to improve the health and strength of the girls in her care. She spoke to sceptical parents, who thought Physical Education was unladylike, about the value of Musical Gymnastics as an antidote to the mental strain of examinations and won their support.

In the early days of the school, a Captain Chiasso came twice a week for early morning Callisthenics in the garden;

A Ladies’ lot

tapestry work.” Miss Buss thought there could be more to middle-class women’s lives than staying indoors practising the piano or gossiping over needlework.

But in the 19th century, she had an enormous battle on her hands to achieve her dream. Because it wasn’t only university academics, who had reservations about educating women: it was widely believed as a proven physiological fact that women were too fragile to be educated in the way boys were. It was thought that girls would become feverish if they were required to study algebra; some doctors reported that too much learning had a damaging effect on the ability of women to have children, and churchmen warned that educated women would be tempted to ignore the “home comforts” of their menfolk.

The First Prospectus

The way Miss Buss addressed this particular challenge is a good example of her political skill: in her first prospectus she argued for girls to be educated because of the role they would one day play in the home as mothers: “it is of the greatest importance that the future mothers of families should be so educated that they may be able to diffuse among their children the truths and duties of religion..”

Miss Buss also had to prove that girls were physically strong enough to study. She employed a doctor to inspect her pupils. The results were shocking: Dr Hoggan described only six of 335 girls examined as strong and vigorous. The

School Magazine 2015/16

Calisthenics

Miss Buss campaigned to get rid of corsets, and looser clothes were introduced with more freedom of movement for arms and legs; North London was the first girls’ school to have a gymnasium with parallel bars and a Giant Stride. She approved of team games, unlike one of her

Gymnasium - The Giant Stride

contemporaries who is reported to have said when she first saw a game of hockey, “The poor girls have only got one ball to chase: put on another two for them to run after.”

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The North London Collegiate School curriculum was from the beginning ambitious in its breadth and depth: Religious instruction and scripture, History and Geography, Arithmetic, both English and French Language and Literature, Latin, the principles of natural Philosophy and other branches of Science, Drawing, Singing and Physical Education. Optional extras included Italian and German, Piano, Harmony and musical composition, Painting in watercolours and Dancing.

School Rules 1870s

Timetable 1860s

It was a complex task to educate girls to the same standard as boys. For the first time, hundreds of female pupils were to be taught together, and Miss Buss wanted to achieve discipline without using the cane, which was then common in boys’ schools. Regular attendance was also a problem: girls were often removed by their families with no warning because they were “wanted at home” or just “to have a term’s rest”.

When the school moved to larger premises in Camden, a hall was built to enable the whole school to meet and develop a corporate identity, for prayers and plays and concerts, completely normal for us today, but unheard of

Clothworkers’ Hall 1890

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for girls’ schools in the 19th century… there was a half hour stint in the gymnasium each day where identically dressed girls performed a drill. And there were a great number of rules. Some girls found these dumbfounding: a sign on the school water fountain insisting pupils walked round it in a given direction provoked much hilarity. Girls were forbidden to get wet on the way to school, to walk more than three in a row, or to hang a boot bag by only one loop.

But Miss Buss felt she had to impose this elaborate system in order to develop in her pupils the character as well as the physical strength needed to make the most of their education: she had to discourage the girls forgetting things, being late and just generally unreliable.

But most of all, she had to prove to the doubters that girls wouldn’t become hysterical under pressure. The first time she entered her pupils for examinations, The Times reported the event in a short paragraph commenting that “the idea almost takes one’s breath away”. A girl who threatened to faint in class, which seemed to happen regularly in the early days of the School, was likely to be laid on the floor and struck sharply on the chest with a wet towel, or have a jug of very cold water thrown in her face.

North London Collegiate School became the model for all the girls’ academic day schools because, from the outset, Miss Buss wanted an ambitious and liberal curriculum.

Lessons in her school were not to be dictated notes given by teachers with no background in the subject but had to

North London Collegiate School

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provoke thought, opening doors to what could be known and where it could be found out. They had to be taught to think and produce their own work.

The kind of liberal education she wanted was already available for boys at the great public schools that were expanding or being opened across the country. When boys left they continued to university, and some came back to teach the next generation. The challenge for Miss Buss was how to break into that system: for girls couldn’t go to university, so there were no qualified women. It certainly wasn’t the norm for men to teach in girls’ schools, and if they did, Miss Buss feared they would patronise and underestimate the girls.

Mary Buss’s nature to rest on her laurels. Her next challenge was to make her school, which had started in her family home, a public school that would outlive her and would become the model of all public day schools for girls.

To achieve this, she had to form a trust that brought with it two major challenges: the raising of funds required for buildings and putting herself under the control of a board of trustees.

Alexandra Princess of Wales

So she searched for like-minded women to teach with her, and who would be prepared to study at university as opportunities opened there. Her school became the training ground for teachers and headmistresses, for many of the High Schools for Girls in England and overseas that sprang up in the late 19th and early 20th century were, all based on North London Collegiate School.

Because in 1864, a royal commission was set up to look at the provision of secondary education in England. Miss Buss petitioned for the right to appear before the Commissioners to persuade them that girls’ education should be included in their recommendations. She found it a nerve-wracking experience and apparently there were some tears, which the Commissioners approved of Henry Labouchere, and called “perfect womanliness”. Her 1st Baron Taunton, Chairman of the arguments were, in any case, listened to Taunton Commission and it was recommended that schools run on the lines of North London be founded “on the outskirts of every considerable town.” Miss Buss’s confidence in her style of education had been proved right, and by the 1880’s, North London Collegiate School stood as the mother of the girls’ day school movement.

She could be proud of what she had achieved, but it was not in Frances School Magazine 2015/16

The Princess of Wales, NLCS Prize Day 1879

Fund-raising was frustratingly slow at first; it made Frances Mary Buss angry that while she could only raise a few hundred pounds, a boys’ school in the City raised £60,000 in one evening. Eventually, the Princess of Wales allowed the School to be placed under her patronage and endowments from the Brewers, and then the Clothworkers City Livery Companies were secured. But even this presented problems for Miss Buss: some parents objected to a School dependent on charitable donations. One angry father wrote that he thought this approach was “not suitable to those members of the Middle Class who stand in no need of pecuniary assistance in the education of their families”.

Miss Buss gritted her teeth and ploughed on, and in July 1879, the new building for North London Collegiate in Camden’s Sandall Road was opened, while her second School moved into the old building at 202 Camden Road.

Working with a board of trustees meant that she gave up her private ownership of her School and made it over to Governors from whom she accepted a salary. It must have been a hard thing to do, because before then, right or wrong, she had been in control. [There is no doubt she did not expect the governors to do anything more than be a polite band of supporters, and she was frustrated when]

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Sandall Road

She had to seek [their] her governors’ permission for matters she would previously have decided herself, and she got very cross indeed when they disagreed with her plans.

One quarrel seems to have centred on one of Miss Buss’s more eccentric ideas. She had been on holiday in Switzerland and seen some training for young Swiss boys whereby they were taken out on a lake, and their boat

Rowing on the River

deliberately capsized, so they had to swim to the shore, developing life-saving skills and initiative. Miss Buss thought it would be a good idea to do the same with the girls on the Serpentine. The Chairman did not agree. Miss Buss was very angry but no boat was purchased, and eventually relationships seem to have improved.

The demands of her pioneering work took a personal toll; as early as 1870, FMB felt overwhelmed by the work she was undertaking. She wrote a great deal to her family when under pressure and the letters in our archive are revealing. To her brother, Septimus, she complains: … at times I feel so irritable I feel inclined to throw things at people,” and one of her pupils said that being in the same house as Miss Buss was like breathing the electric atmosphere of an impending storm.

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Her friend Emily Davies, the founder of Girton College, Cambridge was a support but didn’t hold back from some frank home truths as well. “You were very anxious to have your School, which you have made as a private one by your own exertions, turned into a public school. You have succeeded. It has Emily Davies brought you great honour, and you have enjoyed the position it has given you. But you are not willing to accept the inevitable drawbacks...The loss of freedom and promptitude of action which only the owner of a school can fairly claim, is I think serious.

And once Emily Davies wrote to her friend, perhaps in the spirit of encouragement, “I have often noticed how different you are at the end of a HOLIDAY …so much less bitter, and more reasonable and easier to get on with.”

But the huge contribution she made to the fight for women’s education wore her out in the end. She was absent from school for most of 1894, suffering from a series of illnesses. She died at the age of 67 on 24th December of that year.

Thousands of women and girls – at a time when it was unusual for them to attend a family funeral, united in a public ceremony to honour her, and her coffin was borne by six women with prominent positions in the world of education.

Frances Mary Buss had been one of the leading figures of the 19th century women’s movement. There is no good history of education that does not pay tribute to her. She was a leader who was capable of imagining what others dismissed as impossible, and she had the energy and determination to find ways of making it happen.

Her fortitude and stoicism enabled her to challenge assumptions and prejudices, as well as constant opposition to her ideas. Her success was that so many of her teachers

North London Collegiate School

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Theydon Bois - Miss Buss’ Grave

and pupils went past her. They got the degrees that weren’t possible for her and she had the generosity to be delighted for them.

She appointed and trained inspirational teachers and set the standard for professional development when boys’ schools didn’t believe in it. She made sure her staff shared her belief in the infinite possibilities of personal improvement, and all her teachers were educated in the art of teaching and the “power of imparting knowledge”.

In 1869, she became the first woman fellow of the College of Preceptors, the only qualification or honour she received in her lifetime, and she helped the College’s

work to improve the status of teaching as a profession. North London Collegiate School, as the first public day school for girls, was the model for girls’ day education in England, and Miss Buss’s ideas were absorbed by a whole generation of headmistresses and schoolmistresses, many of whom were taught by her.

Miss Buss’ Pendant as Founding President of the Association of Head Mistresses

And though she needed to be independentminded and strong-willed to achieve the changes she believed in, she knew the value of cooperation with others, founding with them the Association of Headmistresses to help decide “ what we ought to assert and what to surrender”.

But most of all, she persuaded Royal Commissioners, City Companies, Lord Mayors and Royal Princesses, physicians and universities that women might be educated without

Miss Buss at the Conference of Headmistresses 1887

School Magazine 2015/16

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any danger to themselves or Society.

Any study of Miss Buss’s life reveals that her great schools were the work not just of her head, but of her heart. That pioneering spirit that made North London Collegiate School can still be felt at the heart of our School today; I think we could assure her that we are the inheritors of her revolution and that what she achieved because of her passion, her belief and her commitment cannot be reversed. The daffodils we will carry in our procession this morning are testament to that: the first great flower of Spring, it blossoms early and is tough enough to withstand the frost. And, like her friend Emily Davies of Girton College, we, her successors, can take pleasure in the hope that those who fill vacant places will not fail to carry on, for generations to come, the precious traditions left in their keeping.

Bernice McCabe Headmistress March 2016

Mrs McCabe and the Senior Committee on Founder’s Day 2016

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North London Collegiate School

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS North London Collegiate School Jeju Now in its fifth year of operation, NLCS Jeju continues its successful growth, both in terms of numbers of students and academic achievements. The School has grown to just under 1200 students with more than 140 staff.

The School’s (i)GCSE results for Year 11 students continue to improve, year on year. Last year’s Year 11 students performed incredibly well, with over 65% of all examinations taken achieving an A or A* award which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the students and teachers.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) results are the School’s strongest results to date.

The average points score in 2016 was 38 points, which is considerably higher than world average of 30 points, and with 43% of students earning a diploma score of 40+,this is a tremendous achievement. In addition, 73.4% of all grades were 6/7, the two highest grades that can be awarded.

This puts NLCS Jeju on a par with the highest performing jurisdictions in the world, such as Singapore, which also has a country average of 38 points.

NLCS Jeju Founder’s Day 2016

Links between NLCS (UK) and NLCS Jeju continue to deepen and students from both schools have contributed to the publication of Interact. The latest issue of the magazine has focused on the timely theme of toleration.

Two students, Yoon Park, from NLCS Jeju, and Sophia Ratnam, from NLCS UK, collaborated to present a new initiative: NLCS Global Forum.

“I am very pleased how our magazine Global, www. nlcsglobal.com, has managed to link NLCS Jeju and NLCS UK together through working towards its aim of cultural exchange. Global has interviewed not only students and staff at NLCS Jeju and NLCS UK, but also the British Embassy, the Embassy of Mexico, the Embassy of Denmark, the Colonel Defence Attaché Embassy of India, the Consulate General of Mexico in Boston, the politics professor at King’s College Cambridge, and the associate director of admission office at Wellesley College. Through the introduction of academics and diplomacy, more people of various nationalities are reading the magazine”, said Yoon Park.

“Now that we have reached our goal of making cultural exchange between the two sister schools more active, we thought that unlike other magazine publications that deliver one-sided news, various international issues should be discussed from both ways between the two schools. Thus, we have decided to provide an online forum where NLCS Jeju and NLCS UK students and staff can overcome the constraints of time and paper, and actively communicate and debate about various international issues with different (or the same) viewpoints”, stated Sophia Ratnam.

Arts Festival Fashion Show

School Magazine 2015/16

The two students hope that this forum, http:// nlcsglobalforum.tumblr.com/, will be the perfect platform to

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INTERNATION NEWS

NLCS Jeju Senior School Production

have intense debates and to exchange and share exciting posts and ideas.

In November, 16 NLCS Jeju students were selected to participate in The Hague International MUN conference

(THIMUN Conference). This conference brings together over 150 international schools from across Asia, and provides the opportunity for participants to involve themselves in a range of debates on global issues from

NLCS Jeju Junior School Drama workshop

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North London Collegiate School

INTERNATION NEWS JEJU

sustainable development to border disputes and war. The THIMUN Singapore conference is a five-day simulation of the United Nations for secondary school students and takes place in the second half of November each year in Singapore.

2015-16 saw another year of the student exchange between the two schools, which involved seven students this year, from Year 9 at NLCS (UK). The girls enjoyed their visit very much, and presented an excellent assembly in which they discussed their experiences and the new cultural and educational understanding they had taken from it. They seem to have particularly enjoyed being part of the NLCS Jeju Arts Festival week, performing on stage alongside their exchange partners and entering into the spirit of NLCS Jeju’s end of term celebrations. Prior to the girls’ visit to Jeju, their Korean exchange partners visited Canons in the Spring Term, taking part in all aspects of School life and were honoured guests at our Founder’s Day celebration at the end of Term.

Jeju Exchange Group

The Gap-year programme, offers Year 13 NLCS (UK) students and recently graduated ONLs the chance to contribute to school life in Jeju. The opportunity to live and work in such a central location in the Far East is a great opportunity for North London Collegiate School students, many of whom are likely to find themselves eventually working in this economically important region of the world. Previous participants have enjoyed the experience so much that they have stayed on as teachers and Assistant House-Mistresses at the School!

But perhaps the most important legacy of NLCS Jeju’s fifth year of operation is the four Year 7 girls who joined NLCS (UK) in September 2015, whose parents would not otherwise have been able to afford an independent school education and whose school fees for their full seven years at NLCS have been covered by just one year’s royalty payment from the establishment of NLCS Jeju.

NLCS Jeju Dance performance

School Magazine 2015/16

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INTERNATIONAL

NLCS Dubai

is made of these opportunities for students and ONLs.

At the beginning of 2014, the School started discussions with an Indian company about setting up a second NLCS ‘franchise’ school in Dubai. In March 2015 we were delighted to announce that the agreement had been signed and that NLCS Dubai will be built and funded by our partners, Sobha.

With another ‘sister’ School in the Middle East, North London will be able to offer further opportunities for cultural and educational enrichment for its students and professional development opportunities for its staff. The benefits of NLCS Jeju, to our students and staff, have grown beyond expectations. The girls have benefitted not only from the chance to go on exchange visits, but also from working collaboratively, whether it be through joint projects, journals or debates, with students from another culture. In addition, over 20 ONLs have already undertaken gap years out in Jeju. For our staff, the professional development opportunities offered by the project have been significant and have been cited by those involved as the best professional development of their careers: allowing them to reflect actively on their own work and bring fresh ideas back to the London school.

Since March, we have been working to secure the licence for NLCS Dubai from the Dubai private schools regulator and the preliminary licence has now been granted. NLCS Dubai is therefore planned to open in September 2017.

As with NLCS Jeju, the school with be co-educational and configured in a ‘diamond’ structure whereby girls and boys are taught together in the Junior School, in separate classes in the middle years, and together again in the Sixth Form, to reflect the NLCS ethos of single-sex education.

A particularly exciting part of this project is the opportunities for service which it will offer. Sobha’s Chairman has devoted half of his wealth to a charitable project in Kerala in which he supports over two thousand people across three villages there: providing food and clothing, education, healthcare, housing and jobs for young widows, and care for elderly people. The gap-year and community service opportunities offered by this project, particularly in the school and hospital located there, are very exciting, and plans are underway to ensure the most

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NLCS Dubai will also provide an increase in our bursary provision. When the School in Dubai reaches capacity, each year’s income will fund the equivalent of five full bursaries at North London for the entire Secondary education of those girls. This represents a substantial increase in our bursary provision and one which will allow us to maintain a socially diverse intake of the brightest girls from across London and the surrounding counties.

By Mr Dan Lewis,Principal NLCS Duabi

North London Collegiate School

OFFICIAL

LEAVERS' DESTINATIONS 2016 Abrahams Emily

BRISTOL

Politics and International Relations

Abrahams Amber

CAMBRIDGE (Girton)

Economics

Adewusi Danielle

Applying 2017

Medicine

Ajala Zeenat

CARDIFF

Chemistry

Alam Ayesha

Applying 2017

Medicine

Balabey Megan

CAMBRIDGE (Clare)

Economics

Barot Meera

Applying 2017

Beck September

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON

Pharmacy

Beer Jasmine

BRISTOL

English

Benson Ella

CAMBRIDGE (St. Catharine's)

Land Economy

Bessant Serena

OXFORD (Open)

Law

Breslauer Sophia

COLUMBIA (USA)

Liberal Arts

Buckle Mallika

CAMBRIDGE (King's)

English

Charles Jade

CAMBRIDGE (Magdalene)

Modern and Medieval Languages

Chiew Chloe

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON

English

Choudhary Minal

IMPERIAL

Design Engineering

Choudhury Nabeelah

Applying 2017

Clelland Ailsa

OXFORD (Merton)

Law with French Law

Cohen Jennifer

BIRMINGHAM

English

Contadini Wright

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

Psychology

Cowen Claudia

OXFORD (Balliol)

Classics

Darwin Frances

ART ACADEMY

Art Foundatio

Dean Isabelle

BRISTOL

Law

Dong Bingjie

CAMBRIDGE (Trinity Hall)

Economics

Dryer Ellie

BRISTOL

Economics

Dugaeva Ksenia

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

MFL

Fennessy Rebecca

CAMBRIDGE (Gonville & Caius)

Law

Foxton Katie

CAMBRIDGE (Trinity Hall)

History

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French, Abigail

Appling 2017

Geography

Fung, Rebecca

LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

Geography with Economics

Gleeson De Clare, Octavia

Applying 2017

Classics

Gopaldas, Priya

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

Medicine

Goss-Williams, Rebecca

UNIVERISTY OF MANCHESTER

Geography

Greane, Vanessa

EXETER

Philosophy and History

Haffner, Leeron

Applying 2017

Land Economy

Hampton, Charlotte

WARWICK

Engineering

Haq, Minal

OXFORD (Christ Church)

Law

Hochhauser, Rachel

Applying 2017

History

Hommel, Katie

WARWICK

Computer Science

Hosseini Ardehali, Anahita

ARCHITECTURAL ASSOC

Architecture (Foundation)

Huseyin, Amy

CAMBRIDGE (St. John's)

Medicine

Ippolito, Aurelija

Applying 2017

Biomedical sciences

Ismail, Safia

BIRMINGHAM

Psychology

Jones, Jessica

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

Modern Languages

Keliris-Thomas, Sophie

DURHAM

Classical Civilisation

Khadum, Dina

OXFORD (St. John's)

German and Arabic

Kirupakaran, Vyshnavie

QUEEN MARY'S UNIVERSITY OF LONDON Biomedical Sciences

Kotecha, Karissa

Applying 2017

Dentistry

Kotecha, Alisha

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON

Dentistry

Lane, Georgie

WARWICK

Economics

Lewis, Rachel

BRISTOL

Psychology

Link, Grace

Applying 2017

Classics

Liu, Ivy

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

Materials Science and Engineering

Li-Williams, Scarlett

Applying 2017

biology

Magona, Feimoh

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON

Midwifery Studies with Registration as a Midwife

Massoud, Layla

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

Psychology

Melvin, Joanna (Naemi)

CAMBRIDGE (Trinity)

Classics

Miller, Sasha

City and Guilds Art College

Art Foundation

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North London Collegiate School

OFFICIAL

Miller, Eve

EDINBURGH

Biomedical Sciences

Mohamed, Sabrina

STANFORD (USA)

Liberal Arts

Mosheim, Georgia

LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

Economics

Mulholland, Claudia

DURHAM

Politics

Nanthakumaran, Diveena

WARWICK

Economics

Nasser, Fatema

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON

Neuroscience

Nsugbe, Anisah

Applying 2017

Politics and Spanish

Ojomo, Ifeoluwa

WARWICK

Mathematics and Economics

Orlova, Ekaterina

WARWICK

History of Art

Oyefeso, Gbeke

NOTTINGHAM

Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Parry, Ruth

BRISTOL

Chemistry with Industrial Experience

Patel, Nishka

Applying 2017

Patel, Anushka

Applying 2017

Biology

Patel, Aashni

DURHAM

Combined Honours in Social Sciences

Patel, Sophia

DURHAM

Economics

Patel, Anya

DURHAM

Natural Sciences

Peng, Margaret

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

Biology

Pillutla, Kavya

BRISTOL

Biology

Plumley, Laura

OXFORD (St. Anne's)

Classics

Qian, Una

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

Engineering

Radia, Priya

Applying 2017

Law

Rajananthanan, Asveny

Applying 2017

Medicine

Rajani, Ruhi

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

Law

Rattan, Asha

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON

Global Health and Social Med

Rutnam, Daphne

OXFORD (Hertford)

Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Sangani, Chandni

OXFORD (Worcester)

History

Shah, Anushka

Applying 2017

MFL

Shah, Nikita

BIRMINGHAM

Chemical Engineering

Shah, Ishira

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON

Dentistry

Shah, Hurshni

NOTTINGHAM

Law

School Magazine 2015/16

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OFFICIAL

Shah, Kanak

OXFORD (Queen's)

English and French

Shah, Isha

Applying 2017

Shah, Aashni

BIRMINGHAM

Dentistry

Shah, Rianna

OXFORD (New)

French and Spanish

Shanmuganathan, Meenusha

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

Medicine

Shome, Ishani

ST ANDREWS

History

Sivakumar, Ambrutha

IMPERIAL

Medicine

Spanner, Alexandra

YORK

Politics and International Relations

Steinert, Ella

ST ANDREWS

Biology

Taylor, Tamsin

OXFORD (Lady Margaret Hall)

History

Thirunavukkarasu, Jackshanaa

Applying 2017

Medicine

Tikiribandara, Bethmi

CARDIFF

Biomedical Sciences

Trenner, Mira

OXFORD (Magdalen)

English Language and Literature

Tsuji, Chisato

CAMBRIDGE (Pembroke)

Natural Sciences

Upson, Yuliya

LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Vassiliades, Anna-Maria

Applying 2017

Biology

Veal-Baschwitz, Carlota

Applying 2017

Liberal arts

Vercoutre, Tilly

OXFORD (Lady Margaret Hall)

English Language and Literature

Vijayakumar, Danishia

CAMBRIDGE (St. John's)

Mathematics

Violaris, Elizabeth

Applying 2017

Social anthropology

Wilson, Esme

OXFORD (Pembroke)

Economics and Management

Wong, Andrea

OXFORD (New)

Economics and Management

Wu, Hannah

Applying 2017

English Literature

Xu, Diane

CAMBRIDGE (Emmanuel)

Medicine

Yamaguchi, Nanami

OXFORD (Keble)

Biomedical Sciences

Yogandran, Shamini

WARWICK

English Literature

Yusfin, Lara

Applying 2017

Anthropology

Zandstra, Tamsin

WARWICK

Hispanic Studies and Italian

Zhu, Karen

IMPERIAL

Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry

*correct at time of going to print

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North London Collegiate School

OFFICIAL VALEDICTORY DAY – CLASS OF 2016

At the end of the Summer Term we bid farewell to a wonderful group students at NLCS. Year 13 girls were joined by their close family and friends for a special service in the hall and a celebration in the grounds of Canons. Many a tear was shed as staff and girls said goodbye to each other.

We thank the girls for their constant enthusiasm, endless creativity, intellectual curiosity and their sense of fun. We wish them the best of luck in their future.

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North London Collegiate School

School Magazine 2015/16

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North London Collegiate School

School Magazine 2015/16

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North London Collegiate School

OFFICIAL PRIZE LIST 2016 Academic Excellence Subject Prizes Dame Kitty Anderson Award

Katie Foxton

Dame Kitty Anderson Award

Naemi Melvin

Sophie Bryant Award

Chisato Tsuji

Sophie Bryant Award

Sabrina Mohamed

Art

R.W. Buss

Sasha Miller

Art

Moy Keightley

Frances Darwin

Classics

John Back

Amelia Cowen

Classics

Hester Armstead

Laura Plumley

Classics

Amy Harris

Mira Trenner (with English)

Drama

Clothworkers

Jasmine Beer (with Classics)

Economics

Joan Brackenbury

Diveena Nanthakumaran

Economics

H D Donaldson

Esme Wilson

Economics

Ridley

Andrea Wong

English

Senior English

Hannah Wu

English

Stella Gibbons Memorial

Mallika Buckle

English

Sebba

Tilly Vercoutre

English

Elsie Todd

Chloe Chiew

Geography

Walton

Abigail French

Geography

Jane Agnes Chessar

Ella Benson

Geography

Priscilla Frances Sharland

Rebecca Fung

Government and Politics

Leonard Brooks

Yuliya Upson (with Economics)

History

Senior History

Daphne Rutnam

History

M E Gossip

Rachel Hochhauser

History

Hatfield

Ishani Shome

Mathematics

L.E. Walter

Danishia Vijayakumar

Mathematics

Clara Collet

Bingjie Dong

School Magazine 2015/16

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OFFICIAL

Mathematics

Edith Collet

Una Qian

Mathematics

Buss-Crane

Georgia Mosheim

Mathematics

Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Megan Balabey (Mathematics and Economics)

MFL

Mensbier

Kanak Shah (French and English)

MFL

Betty Hanemann

Rianna Shah (French and Spanish)

MFL

Patricia Erskine

Jade Charles (French, Spanish and Mandarin)

MFL

Eleanor Lyndon

Ksenia Dugaeva (French)

MFL

Marjorie Muir

Serena Bessant

MFL

Caroline Senator

Rebecca Fennessy (Spanish and History)

MFL

D’Hondt

Ailsa Clelland (French and Spanish)

(Ger)

Heinz Ulrich Lachmann

Dina Khadum

Religious Studies

Septimus Buss

Rachel Lewis

Religious Studies

Alice Lupton

Layla Massoud

Philosophy

John Back

Hurshni Shah

Science

Doris Gregory

Diane Xu (Biology and Physics)

Science

Doris Gregory

Eve Miller (Biology)

Science

Nachschen

Ayesha Alam (Biology and Chemistry)

Science

Emma Guggenheim

Karen Zhu (Chemistry)

Science

Webb

Aurelija Ippolito (Chemistry)

Science

Harker

Nanami Yamaguchi (Biology)

Science

Elizabeth Tuckett

Amy Huseyin (Biology, Chemistry and English)

Science

Leslie Pauline Leader

Margaret Peng (Biology)

Science

Kay Nicholson prize for Physics

Nikita Shah

Medicine

Louise Sinclair Memorial Prize

Ruth Parry

(Bio)

Nicola Goldfarb

Fatema Nasser

University Awards

Nicola Goldfarb Girton Book Prize

Amber Abrahams

??

Brandenberg Prize

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North London Collegiate School

OFFICIAL

Service Prizes Service to the School

Commander Corby

Grace Link

Service to the School

Dame Kitty Anderson

Chisato Tsuji

Service to the School

Dame Kitty Anderson

Charlotte Hampton

Service to the School

Miss Drummond

Anisah Nsugbe

Service to the School

Miss Drummond

Sophia Breslauer

Service to the School

Yvonne Grover

Dina Khadum

Service to the School

Yvonne Grover

Jade Charles

Service to Canonaid

Miss Gad Patemean

Leeron Haffner

Service to Canonaid

Miss Gad Patemean

Amy Huseyin

Service to the Community

Stephanie Lee

Diveena Nanthakumaran

Service to the Community

ONLA

Service to Drama

Emma Hedges

Elizabeth Violaris

Service to Sport

Bradstreet Cup

Naemi Melvin

Service to Sport

Windsor Cup

Isabelle Dean

Service to Sport

Smallwood Trophy

Ella Benson

(Dance/Gymnastics)

Alexander Cup

Aashni Patel

Service to Music

Fanny Green

Mallika Buckle

Service to Music

Lucy Welch

Ruhi Rajani

Service to Music

Frances Mary Buss

Rianna Shah

Service to Music

Enid Hoggan

Amber Abrahams

Service to Music

Agnes Hackney

Katie Foxton

Service to School Societies

Prance

Anna-Maria Vassiliades

Service to School Societies

Prance

Kanak Shah

Service to School Societies

Elisabeth Hoskyn

Claudia Contadini Wright

Service to School Societies

Elisabeth Hoskyn

Jennifer Cohen

Service to School Societies

Maclean-Frazer Memorial

Danishia Vijayakumar

Service to School Societies

Maclean-Frazer Memorial

Safia Ismail

Service to Junior School

Clara Begbie

Isabelle Dean

Service to the Magazine

Mary Sybill Smith

Vanessa Greane

Service to the Arts

Philippa Threlfall

Esme Wilson

Service to the School Libraries

Olive Wright

Margaret Peng

Service as a Form Assistant

Clothworkers

Alexandra Spanner

School Magazine 2015/16

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OFFICIAL

COLOURS The wide variety of activities that take place in school outside of the classroom play a central role in helping students to grow, to develop their character and become well equipped to tackle life’s challenges.

We award Colours as a way of acknowledging and celebrating the extra-curricular contributions made by the

students, and recognising the value of these contributions as part of their broader education and development as people. Half Colours are awarded to students in Years 10 and above whose commitment in a certain area has been particularly impressive, over a significant period of time.

Senior Colours are awarded to students in Years 12 and 13 whose contribution has been truly exceptional, going far above and beyond what would normally be expected.

Autumn 2015 Senior Colours for contribution to Community Service: Vyshnavie Kirupakaran Diveena Nanthakumaran Kiera Obi Mallaika Viswanath Shamini Yogandran

Gishani Poopalasingam Ragavi Thayananthan Anouk Wijeratne Half Colours for contribution to Drama:

Sarika Ali Aashni Chohan Aisha Goodman Libby Nash

Amelia Bogert Lauren Botje Alana Bralsford Chantelle Levy Dorothy-Li Chan Shivani Dasani Imogen Gordon Zusi Inegbeniki Aashni Thanki

Senior Colours for contribution to Sport:

Half Colours for contribution to Music:

Senior Colours for contribution to Drama:

Ella Benson Isabelle Dean Sabrina Mohamed Ella Steinert

Senior Colours for Service to the School: Jade Charles Margaret Peng Kanak Shah Danishia Vijayakumar

Half Colours for contribution to Community Service: Laila Arain Katrina Gadsby Amy Huseyin Biranavi Kirupakaran Sarah Li

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Amber Abrahams Bianca Fung Katie Hommel Anoushka Sharp

Half Colours for contribution to Sport: Nanami Yamaguchi

Half Colours for Service to the School: Leila Hussein Sailee Khurjekar Claudia Marks Asha Rattan Aberami Shanmugarasa Sophia Sheera

Spring Term 2016 Senior Colours for contribution to Art: Sasha Miller Esme Wilson

Senior Colours for contribution to Community Service: Leeron Haffner Senior Colours for contribution to Drama: Sara Hazemi Arjuna Keshvani-Ham Rhea Menon Jennifer Wheldon

Senior Colours for contribution to Music: Katie Foxton Ruhi Rajani Rianna Shah

Senior Colours for contribution to Sport: Amelia Cowen Charlotte Hampton Naemi Melvin Esme Wilson Nanami Yamaguchi

Senior Colours for contribution to Service to the School: Chisato Tsuji

North London Collegiate School

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Half Colours for contribution to Art: Scarlett Li-Williams

Half Colours for contribution to Community Service: Shira Dworkin Avesta Ala’Aldeen

Half Colours for contribution to Drama: Saibhan Bains Cara Chedid Kezia Levy Honi Pein Mihika Prakash Maria Sigrid Remme Anushka Saxena Ishani Shah Abby Thayananthan Imogen Woods-Wilford

Half Colours for contribution to Music: Mallika Buckle Cassie Chan Sarah Li Ivy Liu Naemi Melvin Daphne Rutnam

Half Colours for contribution to Sport: Alana Bralsford Cassie Chan Grace Link Brennan Megregian Thiviya Sivakanthan

Half Colours for contribution to Service to the School: Tolu Akinyede Natalie Berkoff Natasha Blackburn-Friesinger Sophia Breslauer Ella Broomberg Claudia Contadini-Wright Serena Dodhia

School Magazine 2015/16

Yasmin Fairnington Rebecca Fennessy Katie Foxton Rebecca Fung Amber Herdman-Hyams Lindsey Ingate Sarah Li Becky McMahon Riya Mehta Eve Miller Georgia Mosheim Isha Shah Anam Shaida Aashni Thanki Mira Trenner Anna-Maria Vassiliades Karen Zhu

Summer Term 2016 Senior Colours for contribution to Community Service: Katrina Gadsby Gishani Poopalasingam Aberami Shanmugarasa

Half Colours for contribution to Drama: Defne Artun Maha Al-Bahrani Liana Greenan- Barrett Nadia Massoud Sonali Patel Aanya Shah Francesca Shaw Aliya Siddiqui Yuuki Uchida Anouk Wijeratne Mia Yaffes Geethana Yogarajah

Half Colours for contribution to Music: Suyeon Kim Stephanie Lever Hannah Whitfield

Half Colours for contribution to Sport:

Senior Colours for contribution to Sport:

Hannah Buluwela Cara Chedid Isabel Isaacs Sana Iwao Sofia Johanson Georgie Marlborough Sian Mathur Millie Pope Ellie Sidoli

Aparna Arya Izzy Grint

Half Colours for Service to the School:

Senior Colours for contribution to Drama: Claudia Marks Cynthuja Ramanan Lucia Rimini

Senior Colours for Service to the School: Sailee Khurjekar Lizzie Quinn

Half Colours for contribution to Community Service: Sailee Khurjekar Berenika Kotelko Oluranti Kuti Anam Shaida Arabella Zuckerman

Lucy Bannatyne Aashni Chohan Felicity Ginsburg Emily Godwin Riyana Khiroya Gishani Poopalasingam Deena Seennapen Laila Shah Jennifer Wheldon Hannah Whitfield Megan Wilson

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OFFICIAL STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES Senior Committee 2015-2016 Grace Link (Senior Student) Sophia Breslauer Charlotte Hampton Anisah Nsugbe Chisato Tsuji Naemi Melvin (Games Captain)

First and Junior School Form Assistants 15/16 RO: RL: 1C: 1H 2A 2B 3B 3L

Jennifer Cohen, Eve Miller Anya Patel, Alexandra Spanner Ambrutha Sivakumar, Elizabeth Violaris Jade Charles, Asha Rattan Isabelle Dean. Aurelija Ippolito Megan Balabey, Gbeke Oyefeso Sophie Keliris-Thomas Nishka Patel

Year 7 Form Assistants Ellie Dryer, Alisha Kotecha, Ruth Parry, Isha Shah, Ishani Shome, Jackshanaa Thirunavukkarasu, Carlota VealBaschwitz, Lara Yusfin

School Ambassadors Danielle Adewusi, Anahita Hosseini Ardehali, Minal Haq, Jessica Jones, Anushka Patel, Asveny Rajananthanan, Bethmi Tikiribandara, Anna-Maria Vassiliades, Claudia Contadini Wright

Peer Counsellors Meera Barot, September Beck, Ellie Dryer, Elena Edwards, Priya Gopaldas, Katie Hommel, Amy Huseyin, Karissa Kotecha, Sasha Miller, Asveny Rajananthanan, Meenusha Shanmuganathan, Jackshanaa Thirunavukkarasu, Bethmi Tikiribandara, Diane Xu

Social Affairs Committee Chair: Anushka Patel, Members: Emily Abrahams, Zeenat Ajala, Abigail French, Jessica Jones, Karissa Kotecha, Rebecca Goss-Williams

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Sports Committee Captain Athletics Badminton Dance Recreational Sports Gymnastics Lacrosse Netball Swimming Tennis

Naemi Melvin Aurelija Ippolito Danishia Vijayakumar Vanessa Greane, Claudia Mulholland Priya Gopaldas, Ifeoluwa Ojomo Aashni Patel, Esme Wilson Amelia Bezuidenhout Cowen Ella Benson, Esme Wilson Isabelle Dean, Ella Steinert Nanami Yamaguchi

Sports Committee Ella Benson, Isabelle Dean, Aashni Patel, Esme Wilson, Nanami Yamaguchi

Sixth Form Mentor Leader Anna-Maria Vassiliades

Duke of Edinburgh – Mrs Betts & Dr Browning Ella Steinert

Archepelago Society – Dr Roberts Chair: Mallika Buckle Vice-Chair; Kanak Shah Secretary; Octavia Gleeson De Clare Publicity (performance); Grace Link Katie Foxton Member;

Architecture Society – Mr Robinson Chair: Secretary: Publicity:

Anahita Hosseini Ardehali Esme Wilson Frances Darwin

Art & Design Society – Mr Robinson Co-Chairs: Secretary: Members; Publicity:

Sasha Miller, Esme Wilson Anahita Hosseini Ardehali Frances Darwin, Scarlett Li-Williams Sabrina Mohamed

North London Collegiate School

OFFICIAL

Canonaid – Dr Burbidge

Debating Society – Dr Murray-Pepper

Co-Chairs: Leeron Haffner, Amy Huseyin Meenusha Shanmuganathan Secretary: Communication: Rebecca Fennessy, Diveena Nanthakumaran Publicity: Amber Abrahams, Ifeoluwa Ojomo, Anushka Shah, Bethmi Tikiribandara Liaison: Year 7, Margaret Peng, Year 8, Fatema Nasser, Year 9, Aashni Shah, Year 10, Ayesha Alam, Year 11, September Beck, Year 12, Chandni Sangani, Year 13, Ishira Shah Nikita Shah, Shamini Yogandran Members: Danishia Vijayakumar Treasurer:

Co-Chairs: Jasmine Beer, Ksenia Dugaeva Secretary: Rachel Hochhauser Publicity: Chloe Chiew Members: Amber Abrahams, Serena Bessant, Hurshni Shah, Yuliya Upson, Tilly Vercoutre Competitions Officer: Ifeoluwa Ojomo

Chess Society - Mr Winston Chess Officers: Diane Xu

Katie Hommel, Ambrusha Sivakumar,

Christian Society – Dr Jackson Co-Chairs: Secretary: Publicity;

Ifeoluwa Ojomo, Gbeke Oyefeso Asha Rattan Daphne Rutnam

Economics Society – Mr Foster Chair: Georgia Mosheim Co Vice Chairs: Amber Abrahams, Andrea Wong Secretary: Danishia Vijayakumar Chief Publicity: Rebecca Fung Publicity: Bingjie Dong, Daphne Rutnam Chief Editor: Minal Haq Editors: Megan Balabey, Ksenia Dugaeva, Diveena Nanthakumaran Chief Subject Chloe Chiew Development: Subject Leeron Haffner, Ifeoluwa Ojomo, Development: Aashni Patel Officers: Members: Ella Benson, Elena Edwards, Georgie Lane, Sophia Patel, Priya Radia, Isha Shah, Rianna Shah, Shamini Yogandran

Classics Society - Mrs O’Sullivan

Engineering Society - Miss Rice

Chair: Amelia Bezuidenhout Cowen Secretary: Laura Plumley Publicity: Octavia Gleeson De Clare, Sophie Keliris-Thomas Members: Grace Link, Naemi Melvin, Chisato Tsuji

Chair: Minal Choudhary, Nikita Shah Secretary: Sabrina Mohamed, Publicity: Una Cheng (Qian), Ivy Liu, Members: Leeron Haffner, Charlotte Hampton

Computing Society – Dr Cripps Co-Chair: Publicity: Secretary:

Bingjie Dong, Katie Hommel Minal Choudhary Nanami Yamaguchi

Creative Writing Society - Ms Anslow Chair: Feimoh Magona Secretary: Kanak Shah Members; Jasmine Beer, Mira Trenner, Andrea Wong

School Magazine 2015/16

Film and Media Society – Mrs Bedi Chair: Secretary: Publicity:

Andrea Wong Sophie Keliris-Thomas Meera Barot

Geography Society - Miss Roberts Chair (Spatial): Jennifer Cohen Chair Abigail French Patel (young geographers): Secretary: Rebecca Fung Publicity: Ella Benson, Aashni Patel Member: Rachel Hochhauser Competitions Officer: Isabelle Dean Young Geographers Co-ordinator: Rebecca Goss-Williams

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OFFICIAL

Hindu, Jain and Sikh Society – Miss Mott-Thornton

Literary Society – Mr James-Williams

Co-Chairs: Ishira Shah, Ambrutha Sivakumar Secretary: Aashni Shah Publicity: Kavya Pillutla Member: Anushka Patel

Co-Chairs: Mira Trenner, Claudia Contadini Wright Vice Chair: Katie Foxton Tamsin Taylor Secretary: Publicity: Hannah Wu Members: Jasmine Beer, Chloe Chiew, Chandni Sangani, Diane Xu, Shamini Yogandran

History Society – Dr Van Reyk

Chairs: Rebecca Fennessy Vice-Chairs: Katie Foxton, Yuliya Upson Active History Officers: Rachel Hochhauser, Tamsin Taylor Publicity: Ishani Shome Secretary: Daphne Rutnam Members: Alma Oparvar, Chandni Sangani, Alexandra Spanner, Elizabeth Violaris, Tamsin Zandstra, Young Historians Liaison: Lara Yusfin

Human Rights Society – Miss Fforde Chair: Tilly Vercoutre Secretary: Ruhi Rajani Publicity: Ekaterina Orlova Members: Sophia Breslauer, Claudia Mulholland, Diveena Nanthakumaran, Rianna Shah

Jewish Society - Mrs Shaw & Mrs Gamsu Chair: Rachel Hochhauser Jennifer Cohen Secretary: Publicity: Jade Charles Members: Sophia Breslauer, Jade Charles, Abigail French.

LBGT Society – Miss Gibbs & Dr Goward Chair: Vice Chair: Secretary: Publicity:

Sabrina Mohamed Zeenat Ajala Mira Trenner Sasha Miller

Law Society – Mr Glock Co-Chairs: Isabelle Dean, Hurshni Shah Vice Chair: Serena Bessant, Ailsa Clelland Secretary: Tamsin Zandstra Publicity: Rebecca Fennessy, Priya Radia Members: Chloe Chiew, Amelia Bezuidenhout Cowen, Dina Khadum, Layla Massoud, Georgia Mosheim, Alma Oparvar, Ruhi Rajani, Rebecca Goss-Williams

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Mathematics Society - Mr Winston & Miss Cooper Chair: Danishia Vijayakumar Publicity: Rebecca Fung, Sophia Patel Secretary: Kavya Pillutla Editor: Georgie Lane Members: Bingjie Dong, Ksenia Dugaeva, Naemi Melvin, Georgia Mosheim, Karen Zhu Website: Vyshnavie Kirupakaran

Music Society – Mr Haigh Co-Chair: Vice Chair: Secretary: Blog/ Animal Welfare:

Danielle Adewusi, Ruhi Rajani Mallika Buckle, Vyshnavie Kirupakaran Hurshni Shah Karissa Kotecha

Muslim Society - Mrs Hutchings Chair: Safia Ismail Secretary: Minal Haq Members: Anahita Hosseini Ardehali, Megan Balabey, Nabeelah Choudhury, Dina Khadum, Layla Massoud

Oriental Society - Ms Hickman Co-Chair: Hannah Wu, Karen Zhu Secretary: Ivy Liu Publicity: Diane Xu Member: Una Cheng (Qian)

Performing Arts Society – Mr Kenwright Chair: Sophie Keliris-Thomas Secretary: Meera Barot Members: Laura Plumley, Tamsin Taylor

North London Collegiate School

OFFICIAL

Philosophy Society – Mr Holt

Science Society – Mr McMillan & Miss Welford

Chair: Elizabeth Violaris Vice Chairs: (Young Phils) Anushka Shah Secretary: Layla Massoud Publicity: Gbeke Oyefeso Members: Emily Abrahams, Vanessa Greane, Dina Khadum, Rachel Lewis, Priya Radia

Co-Chairs: Eve Miller, Anna-Maria Vassiliades Secretary: Margaret Peng Publicity: Katie Hommel (lead publicity), Ivy Liu, Anya Patel, Nikita Shah Chief Magazine Editor: Karen Zhu Vice Editors: Priya Gopaldas, Scarlett Li-Williams Chief Medical Officer: September Beck Medical Officers: Danielle Adewusi, Ambrutha Sivakumar Medical Co-Editors: Asveny Rajananthanan, Asha Rattan Chief Animal Safia Ismail Welfare Officer: Vice Editor/Assistant Aashni Shah Animal Welfare: Writers: Zeenat Ajala, Ella Steinert Science Club: Fatema Nasser (lead science club), Ayesha Alam, Nabeelah Choudhury Nishka Patel, Nanami Yamaguchi Mentoring: Members: Una Cheng (Qian) Amelia Bezuidenhout Cowen, Ellie Dryer, Alisha Kotecha, Ruth Parry, Kavya Pillutla, Isha Shah, Ishira Shah, Jackshanaa Thirunavukkarasu, Chisato Tsuji, Claudia Contadini Wright, Diane Xu Webmaster: Amy Huseyin, Assistant Webmaster: Vyshnavie Kirupakaran

Photography Society – Mr Hardy Chair: Scarlett Li-Williams, Secretary: Frances Darwin, Members: Emily Abrahams, Jasmine Beer, Chloë Chiew, Katie Foxton, Nishka Patel, Kavya Pillutla, Una Qian, Anushka Shah, Isha Shah, Jackshanaa Thirunavakkarasu, Bethmi Tikiribandara

Politics and Current Affairs Society – Mr Pearson Chair: Serena Bessant Vice Chair: Daphne Rutnam Claudia Mulholland Secretary: Publicity: Alma Oparvar, Yuliya Upson Members: Emily Abrahams, Carlota VealBaschwitz, Anisah Nsugbe, Ekaterina Orlova, Ishani Shome, Alexandra Spanner, Tamsin Zandstra

Polyglot Society – Miss Suri Co-Chairs: Jade Charles, Kanak Shah Rianna Shah Vice Chair: Secretary: Ailsa Clelland Minal Haq, Laura Plumley Publicity: Members: Carlota Veal-Baschwitz, Aurelija Ippolito, Dina Khadum, Anushka Shah, Hannah Wu, Lara Yusfin

Public Speaking Society – Dr McLoughlin Co-Chairs: Publicity: Secretary: Members:

Megan Balabey, Alisha Kotecha Jessica Jones, Isha Shah Fatema Nasser Ayesha Alam, Octavia Gleeson De Clare

Psychology Society – Dr Jackson Chair: Layla Massoud Secretary: Rachel Lewis Publicity: Vanessa Greane Members: Nabeelah Choudhury, Ellie Dryer, Safia Ismail, Feimoh Magona, Sophia Patel, Meenusha Shanmuganathan, Tilly Vercoutre School Magazine 2015/16

United Nations Society - Mrs S. Dean Chair: Vice Chair: Secretary: Publicity: Member:

Safia Ismail Ella Steinert Amber Abrahams Chloe Chiew Yuliya Upson

Librarians Katie Foxton, Margaret Peng

Compendium Editorial Team Mallika Buckle, Georgie Lane

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OFFICIAL

THE PRINCES TEACHING INSTITUTE In 2002, Mrs McCabe was asked to direct the first Prince of Wales’ Education Summer School for teachers of English and History. From this Summer School grew what became the Prince’s Teaching Institute (PTI), an independent education charity for state school teachers of which HRH the Prince of Wales is President and Mrs McCabe CoDirector, responsible for educational direction.

The links between North London Collegiate School and the charity are naturally close, due to Mrs McCabe’s involvement in establishing the PTI, with the same philosophy of inspirational subject teaching at the heart of both organisations. A number of former and current North London Collegiate School staff are involved in designing PTI programmes and contributing to their programme of events.

The philosophy of the PTI is rooted in its commitment to improving children’s education in state schools. Recognising that teachers rarely receive high quality training in their chosen subject after leaving university, it provides inspiring subject enrichment lectures and workshops for teachers to help reinvigorate their love of subject and pass on that subject passion to their pupils.

Working in partnership with the University of Cambridge, the PTI organises events and conferences for state school teachers and Headteachers throughout the year, often with high profile academics, writers, scientists and performers delivering inspiring lectures on topics far beyond the constraints of exam syllabuses. An annual Summer School is held in June and an Autumn Residential is held annually in November. These and other events provide an inspirational forum for teachers, generating discussion about the contribution of individual subjects to education and the best ways for these subjects to be taught.

North London Collegiate School staff and Sixth Form students are given the opportunity to take part in PTI Summer Schools and residentials. As part of their visit, students attend lectures and participate in panel discussions with other Sixth Form students and teachers from schools across the country.

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AUTUMN RESIDENTIAL The Princes Teaching Institute Residential during the November term provided a haven in which a subject specialists in Maths, Science, English, Art and Music had the time to devote to the study of their academic area. The variety of different lectures available enabled teaching staff to re-engage with their subject passion.

As part of the Maths residential, I attended lectures on everything from the mathematics of mosquito nets, to the history and mathematics of reinforcing battlements in France, to the mathematics of animal behaviour.

Each lecture was delivered by a specialist in their field including eminent professors from Cambridge and the Vice Chair of the Royal Statistical Society. Importantly all the lecturers provided insights and ignited discussion into how this material could be delivered within a secondary classroom environment to ensure the best experiences for all of our students.

We held a panel where students currently in Year 11 and the Sixth Form explained why they enjoyed mathematics and their insights into teaching excellence and how they best learn. Additionally we discussed the issues and any potential resolutions that we are currently facing in mathematics education today. This proved to be a most constructive exercise with much room for debate and some very useful outcomes. We then presented these findings to a panel of influential individuals from examination board administrators to Ofsted inspectors for further consideration.

By Miss Catriona Buffham, Teacher of Maths

SUMMER SCHOOL I attended the English Residential at Homerton College for the span of three days, a course which offered many opportunities for further engagement with the subject.

It was an enriching experience, filled with many lectures all under the overarching arm of Romanticism. The event opened with a lecture from Professor Sir Jonathan Bate CBE titled ‘What is Romanticism?’, which explored the various threads of literature that interweaved to form North London Collegiate School

OFFICIAL

the main blanket of the movement. Other lectures from Cambridge Professors of English followed this opening, and we were addressed by prominent speakers throughout the duration of the course. Some of my personal highlights included a close reading of Ode to a Nightingale in a seminar session and a workshop of The Tempest run by The Royal Shakespeare Company. Our final day concluded with a morning creative writing workshop with the author Roland Chambers who encouraged us all to write our own poems and prose. The Residential was a truly inspirational course which affirmed my passion for English literature!

By Iris Wang (Year 12) During the Summer School, I was lucky enough to be able to swap between the English and Latin courses and I learnt a great deal about both by doing this. I went to the Latin Keynote Lecture taken by Charlotte Higgins.

She spoke about Roman Britain and how it is just as exciting as Ancient Rome, despite the lack of sun and a sense of the exotic! She spoke about recent discoveries in England of Ancient artefacts, and whilst speaking about these she informed us all a great deal about how the people in Roman Britain lived their lives and how the Romans interacted with the Britons. I enjoyed a talk

by Dr Corinna Russell about the differences between Romance and Romanticism. I learnt about the Romantics’ attitudes towards truth and what it meant to them. I had the opportunity to take part in a language taster session.

I chose Hebrew and spent a very enjoyable two hours learning about the Hebrew script. Overall, it is easy to say that the Summer School was a greatly enriching experience. It showed me how much effort teachers go to in order to create the perfect lesson, using a mixture of different media, fun, engaging activities and use of their own passion for the subject.

that constitute France’s cultural makeup. This discussion on the strengths and contradictions of French culture was, unfortunately, very topical, given the recent tragic events in Paris.

Dr Emilia Wilton-Godberfforde gave an intriguing talk about the ability of computers to translate, the merits of different available translators and some of their short comings - most of which seemed to lie in the ambiguity of human language itself and in the hands of the humans using them.

Following the attacks on Charlie Hebdo, a group of French academics put aside their work to assemble a collection of major 18th-century writing promoting tolerance. Dr Caroline Warman explained how she worked with more than 100 students and academics from Oxford University to translate the extracts into English.

On our last day we were asked to ‘forget tables and chairs and stand up for French!’. Audrey Johnson created Theatre VO in 2008 and has since inspired many students and teachers. The workshop was very creative and engaging.

We learnt so many fun and challenging activities on how to use drama in our classrooms. A huge success and a very enjoyable moment; I cannot wait to use all I have learnt with my students.

Every day was punctuated by very useful discussions in small groups about different challenges we can face as modern languages teachers.

The three days provided me with numerous opportunities to network, learn from experts, share ideas and gain new knowledge, insight and inspiration. I found the residential a truly invigorating and uplifting experience.

By Nadège Bourguilleau, Teacher of French

By Emily Godwin (Year 12) I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to attend the Summer residential in Cambridge. The first day started with a fascinating talk by Sir Christopher Hum on his own experiences travelling the world and working as a modern linguist. In the afternoon Professor Philippe Marlière, professor of French politics at University College London, gave a very interesting talk on French society (especially after the Charlie Hebdo attacks). In his lecture, Professor Marlière covered a number of aspects of French culture, highlighting the historical and geographical particularities School Magazine 2015/16

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OFFICIAL

LEAVING STAFF SUMMER 2016 Teaching Staff Matthew Willett who joined us in September 2015 in the Maths Department. He is leaving to us to take up the post of teacher of Maths at South Hampstead High School.

Becky Brown who joined us in September 2008 in the History and Politics Department. Becky has held a number of roles including assistant timetabler, assistant Head of Middle School, as well as latterly Head of History & Politics.

She is leaving us to take up the post as Director of Sixth Form at Northwood College.

Jonathan Burbidge joined us initially as a maternity cover in the Geography department. He has been invaluable helping out with 11+ interviews and more recently taking on the role of Community Service officer. He is leaving us to take up the post of Teacher of Geography at Dulwich College.

Paul McKeating joined us in September 2004 in the Chemistry Department. Paul has been a committed and caring teacher and tutor in both the Upper School and Sixth Form and more recently has been an assistant Head of Sixth Form. He is leaving us to take up the post as Head of Chemistry and Deputy Head of Sixth Form at Shrewsbury High School.

Madeleine Fforde who joined us in September 2013 in the Classics Department and more recently has been Special educational needs advisor. In addition she has held a popular knitting circle in the Upper School. She is leaving us to take up the post of Teacher of Classics at Sheffield High School.

Victoria Jacques joined us in September 2002 in the Maths Department and latterly has held the post of second in Maths. Alongside this she has been a wonderfully caring tutor. She is leaving us to take up the post as Teacher of Mathematics at St Albans High School.

Catriona Buffham who joined us in September 2012 in the Maths Department. Catriona has held a number of roles with us including assisting with the timetable, being assessment co-ordinator and also key stage 3 maths coordinator. She is leaving us to take up the post of Head of Mathematics at St Helen and St Katharine School in Abingdon.

Davina Suri joined us in September 2011 in the Modern Foreign Languages Department. She is leaving us to take up the post of Head of Modern Languages at Queen’s College, Harley Street.

Alex Cocksworth who joined us in September 2010 is leaving to take up the role of Housemistress at Bradfield College. Alex has been an inspiring teacher of English, has run Mad Hatters and was Assistant Head of Middle School prior to taking over as Head of Middle School in 2013.

Charlie Pearson who joined us in September 2009 in the History and Politics Department. Charlie has latterly been Head of Politics and has also been involved in Model United Nations and in running the weekly referendum. He is leaving us to take up the post as Teacher of History and Head of Politics at Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College.

Susannah Stutely who joined us in September 2008 in the Biology Department. Susie has been a stalwart supporter of Duke of Edinburgh as well as previously being Head of Biology. She is leaving us to take up the post as Head of Biology at Merchant Taylors’ School.

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Jenny Burdett joined us in September 2001 in the Maths Department. Jenny has been an inspiring teacher of Maths, a caring and supportive tutor as well as holding other responsibilities as assessment co-ordinator and assistant Head of Sixth Form. She is leaving us to take up the post as Teacher of Mathematics at Kings College London Mathematics School.

Non-teaching staff Pedro Tejero who has been working closely with Ben in the catering department for almost 4 years. Pedro has been promoted to Catering manager at Queen’s College, Harley Street – lucky them!

Retiring Staff Helen Griffiths has retired after 12 years at the School.

Helen worked in numerous roles throughout the Junior School, Senior School and Bursary. She eventually settled as a Science Assistant where she spent a number of years working alongside the technicians to ensure the students were able to have the equipment they required for the exciting practical work they do. Helen always performed her very physically demanding role with a smile on her face and with friendly words to share with colleagues.

North London Collegiate School

REMEMBRANCE

REMBERANCE Brian Acreman, Physics Teacher Brian taught Physics at the School between 1996 and 2009 and was a very popular member of staff. He contacted the School upon discovering that he was very ill, to notify us and to say his farewells to his former colleagues. Brian’s son, David, had a little girl in February 2016, and Brian was thrilled to be a grandfather and spoke about her with huge enthusiasm.

Enid Ellis, Former Deputy Headmistress Enid worked with extraordinary dedication at North London from 1946 until 1980, when she took early retirement from her role of Deputy Headmistress. This puts her amongst our longest serving members of staff.

She was a remarkable lady and NLCS was an important part of her life, visiting us at Canons as recently as last year.

Former staff all speak with great fondness of her and the many years they had the pleasure of knowing her.

Elena Scott, Music Teacher Elena taught at NLCS from 1975 to 1987. She was a very popular teacher, much loved by her piano pupils and her colleagues. She was a wonderful accompanist, and helped many of the girls in their ABRSM practical music exams. After she retired, she moved from Stanmore to Herefordshire to be nearer to her son and his family, and was active in the musical life of Leominster until the time of her death last April.

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Dr Edwina Sherrington, RS and Philosophy Teacher Edwina taught at North London Collegiate School from 2006 and 2011 and our Head of School Alex Wilson, formerly Head of the RS and Philosophy department, and Michael Burke, Director of Studies and Administration, both had the pleasure of working with Edwina very closely and speak with great fondness of her. Edwina often mentioned her enjoyment of the time spent at North London Collegiate School prior to her retirement in 2011, and she spoke very highly of her colleagues and pupils.

Dr Tony Wallis, Head of Information Technology Tony Wallis joined North London Collegiate School in 1987. He oversaw the pioneering introduction and development of computers/IT at NLCS and was involved in all aspects of IT at the School. Tony retired in 1995 as Head of Information Technology but that was far from the end of the story and he remained a firm friend of the School, pursuing his hobby of photography and taking photos and preparing the layout of the Junior School’s magazine, Omnibuss, for some 18 years after his retirement. Tony will be sorely missed by both the Senior School and Junior School. We are indebted to him for his long-standing service to the School.

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DRAMA DEVELOPMENT

2015-16 saw the continued growth of North London’s alumnae and fundraising programme. We managed to pack an incredible 20 events for ONLs into the school calendar. Highlights included the Women in Media Symposium in February; this was the third in our series of industry-specific events to inspire and inform current students about a variety of careers.

Guest speaker Stevie Spring, Chairman of the Inspired Thinking Group and Children in Need, together with a panel of accomplished ONLs, discussed their careers and the factors contributing to their success.

Other networking events were held for ONLs in Law, STEMM, Media and the Arts. We also launched the ONLA Business Society; the inaugural event was attended by ONLs working in areas such as banking, consulting chartered accountancy and academia. These events have proved incredibly useful for creating new connections, sharing ideas and bringing together ONLs of varying ages and experiences.

In addition to our career networking events, we were delighted to arrange reunions across the year, from those who left in 2015 to those whose school days ended over 50 years ago. These events were well-attended, and full of reminiscences and renewed friendships.

Members of the Big Six from the last 19 years returned to Canons in January for the second Big Six Dinner. After exploring ways in which they might help current and future generations of North London students, three former members of the Big Six came to talk to older students about life after School and the steps they have taken to achieve a work-life balance. They participated in an open and frank discussion of the challenges they have faced and gave advice on how to overcome them.

The year closed with our annual ONLA Picnic. All ONLs are invited each year to bring a picnic and relax in the grounds along with their families and friends.

We continue to support ONLs as much as possible, not just through through career networking societies, but also through finding work experience placements, and acting as a ‘sounding board’ for those who want to return to work having taken time out: we truly are a Community for Life.

Our programme of Neighbourhood Drinks Parties continues to bring together parents living in a local area; during 2015-16, we were generously hosted at homes in West Hampstead, Finchley and Northwood. These events provided an informal way for Mrs McCabe, school staff and governors to chat with parents, and for parents across all year groups to meet each other at a location other than the coach stop! We were also delighted to welcome hosts of these parties to a special dinner as a thank-you for their generosity, kindly hosted by Junior School parents Stuart and Melodie Isaacs.

The Development Office also works to keep former parents and staff – Friends of NLCS – in touch with the School and current developments. We welcomed several Friends to a Private View in the PAC in December, for an exhibition of celebrated artist Venetia Norris of work from her residency at Canons. We also were thrilled to host an Evening with Lord Daniel Finkelstein in Conversation with Jo Coburn (ONL) in March: an audience of over 250 packed into the PAC, to hear Lord Finkelstein speak about recent political developments and the media. Were delighted to raise nearly £2,500 for the Bursary Fund.

We were immensely grateful to be notified by a number of ONLs during the year of their intention to leave the School a Gift in their Will; The Frances Mary Buss Fellowship was set up several years ago as a means of thanking those who have let us know about a future legacy.

We continue to raise much-needed funds for bursaries at the School; our goal is for the equivalent of 10% of Senior School students to receive a 100% bursary. Thank you to all those supporters who are enabling us to work towards this aim. Gifts of all sizes make a difference.

As the year came to a close, the Development team started preparations for our forthcoming capital campaign, which will include improvements to the Art and Music facilities, and to the Junior School. We look forward to sharing more details with you soon.

By Deborah Sobel, Director of Development

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North London Collegiate School

ART

EXHIBITIONS

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE The School has been delighted to continue its artist-inresidence programme at Canons this academic year. We have welcomed two artists; Linda Jenkins, a textile artist and ONL, and Esme Dollow, a fine artist painter and

recent graduate from Coventry University. Both artists led workshops with girls extending their ideas and widening their portfolio of skills and processes. These workshops were accompanied by lunchtime walk-in surgeries where small groups and individuals came to visit each artist and work alongside them.

Linda Jenkins (ONL) Following her residency in the Spring Term, Linda mounted an exhibition of the work she completed during her time at Canons. Pieces in the exhibition explored Linda’s fascination with surfaces, textures, shapes and colours found in her surroundings but which are often overlooked.

Focusing on the mysterious, magical and contemplative, her work was inspired by both the natural world – in particular, the huge ancient trees – and the school’s architecture. ‘I spent hours walking around the grounds and the buildings, both inside and outside, to absorb the sense of place. I was also conscious of the memories – half remembered – that were triggered by experiencing this space from my past.’ An ONL herself, Linda trained as a fine artist before becoming a specialist teacher of Art and Design and has expanded her range of materials and techniques to include collage, fabrics and stitching as well as lino and mono-printing, drawing and painting, observing the development of multi-layered surfaces.

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North London Collegiate School

EXHIBITIONS

Esme Dollow Esme, who graduated from the highly regarded Fine Art Degree course at Coventry University, specialises in painting in oils, using different glazing and wash techniques to build up layers of translucent colour that create an extraordinary sense of depth to her work.

Her contemporary still-lifes explore ideas of nostalgia and the everyday, focusing on the visual qualities of familiar or desirable objects. By portraying these often solitary items with ambiguous backdrops, she aims to displace them from their usual contexts, questioning traditional definitions of ‘still-life’ and its conventional subject matter.

During her residency, Esme led workshops with students of different age groups, and in particular showing students preparing for their Art GCSE exam how to layer paint and work negative space. Esme completed a number of her own paintings, including a beautiful work, The Red Room, which she painted in response to the wallpaper designed by artist, Peggy Angus, alumna and Head of Art at North

London Collegiate School between 1947 and 1970. Esme has kindly donated The Red Room to the School as part of its permanent Art Collection. Esme will be holding an exhibition of her work in the Autumn Term.

Venetia Norris On the 15 October, floral artist Venetia Norris held an exhibition in the upper gallery of the Performing Arts Centre. Venetia was the artist-in-residence in the Summer of 2014 and used her time at the School to create eyecatching, layered pieces. She focuses on organic forms and floral structures while incorporating architectural details from the school. The layered texture of her work, she says, mirrors her gradual discovery of the historical background of North London. In her piece, Calculated Steps, she draws on the detail of the Old House stairs, and in Canons Life

School Magazine 2015/16

she uses clippings from the magazine itself! The exhibition was lively with art enthusiasts, staff and students, as well as friends of the artist.

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ARTS FESTIVAL

NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL ARTS FESTIVAL This year the School was tremendously excited to hold its first ever Arts Festival. From Sunday 26 June to Monday 4 July, a great number of concerts, performances, exhibitions and workshops took place to celebrate the creativity and talent of students. The Festival was full of fantastic events ranging from a Modern Foreign Languages soirée

to Tai Chi and Botanical Illustration workshops. Other highlights included an evening with renowned art critic and presenter, Andrew Graham-Dixon and a Gala Music Evening, as well as contributions from all subjects including Maths, Science and English.

The Festival contributes to the School’s principal aim of providing a broad and stimulating education for girls to develop their skills and confidence, and to give them the best preparation for the experiences of adult life.

DRAMA & PERFORMANCE Year 10 performed Blink, a play by Phil Porter. This dark and funny love story explored the developing relationship of two characters, Sophie and Jonah, and a fox called Scruffilitis. The play was performed by two different casts over two nights, in the Black Drama Studio which provided an intimate venue for this thought-provoking and intriguing look at loneliness and love in the 21st Century.

Lion,Witch & Wardrobe NLCS-Blink

Students in Years 2 to 13 came together for the annual Gym & Dance Display. This innovative and impressive show included gymnastics, dance, cheerleading and trampoline routines. It was a fantastic opportunity for girls throughout the School to perform together.

Year 13 students, accompanied by staff, held a final farewell Leavers’ Concert in the Music School. It was a fabulous evening of music and song, and a few goodbye tears!

NLCS-Blink

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The Performing Arts Centre was transformed into a winter wonderland complete with snow as Year 6 participated in a full-scale production of the classic children’s story, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The Year 6 production always proves to be a wonderful way of showcasing their talents as they celebrate the time they have spent in the Junior School.

North London Collegiate School

ARTS FESTIVAL

GALA MUSIC EVENING A highlight of the week was the Gala Music Evening.

The whole School community – current students, ONLs, staff, parents, friends and family – came together to

create a choir for the occasion and sang extracts from Handel’s Messiah. Students and music teachers formed the orchestra to accompany the choir. Before the main concert, performers and guests enjoyed a picnic and refreshments in the School grounds. It was a wonderful celebration of music and a great way to bring the North London School community together.

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ARTS FESTIVAL

ARTS SHOWCASE

Play in a day - rehearsal

On the final Monday of term was the Arts Showcase, which took place throughout the afternoon and evening – the finale of the whole Arts Festival. It was an extravaganza of workshops, performances and exhibitions. Activities included poetry, dance, film and theatre, photography, music and painting. Many students organised and participated in these activities through their societies, clubs and academic subjects.

K-Pop

Activities included a Korean dance workshop, a modern languages soiree, a dance showcase, a ‘science behind music’ workshop, a ‘play in a day’ produced by the Drama Department and a musical talent show. Year 7 students performed Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the grounds, the Afro-Caribbean Society provided a steel pan workshop, and students took part in workshops on botanical illustration and a performance poetry competition.

A group of girls in Year 10 organised a K-Pop Dance performance and workshop, and throughout the afternoon, French and Art came together for ‘Monet by the Pond’ where girls painted giant colour murals inspired the artist and his work.

Tai Chi class

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North London Collegiate School

ARTS FESTIVAL

Steel pan workshop

During the week students also enjoyed projects and activities including a Public Speaking Morning, Tai Chi classes, short film and photography competitions, art installations, a creative writing ‘Moth Storytelling’ event, trips to the Theatre and a Performing Arts Jamboree.

Monet by the Pond

Our inaugural Arts Festival was a great success and hopefully the first of many to come.

A Mid Summers Night’s Dream

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GCSE ART

AMBER STAFFORD

ALANA BRANSFORD

ELIZABETH BOURN JUNGMIN SEO

TAMZIN LENT

AMBER HERDMAN HYAMS ISABELLE COATES

GEORGIA BENSON

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North London Collegiate School

GCSE ART

ISOBEL MASON

ANNABEL CHRISTIE

CICILY RUTNAM

JASMINE CHEN

CHLOE HEALEY

KEYA PATANI

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KUREHA YAMAGUCHI

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GCSE ART

SASHA ABRAHAMS

LAUREN MUNGER

MIA PATEL

MIA SIMNOVIC

MEGHNA AMIN

NATALIE BERKOFF

SERENA DODHIA

DANIELLA BENNETT REMINGTON

REBECCA MCMAHON

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North London Collegiate School

GCSE ART

NIRALI PATEL

ARIELLE LANDE

SERAPHINA DE ROUGEMONT

ELIZABETH JOYCE

BRYONY ORR TESS HADIK

SOPHIE SCRIMGOUR

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SIXTH FORM ART

ANAHITA HOSSEINI

ESME WILSON

ESME WILSON

FRAN DARWEN

TILLY VERCOUTRE

SCARLETT LI-WILLIAMS

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North London Collegiate School

SIXTH FORM ART

SASHA MILLER

SABRINA MOHAMED FRAN DARWEN

SABRINA MOHAMED

ABIGAIL FRENCH

ANAHITA HOSSEINI

SCARLETT LI-WILLIAMS

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SIXTH FORM ART

ANUSHKA SHAH

ABIGAIL FRENCH

HANNAH WU

SASHA MILLER

TILLY VE COUTRE

HANNAH WU

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North London Collegiate School

CHARITY

CHARITY

CHARITY At North London, girls are encouraged to participate in many charitable activities, not just within the School community, but also with an international outlook.

Heavily embedded in the School ethos is the importance of giving back to society, and students aim to achieve this through many charitable ventures, such as visits to care homes and special-needs schools, participating

AUTUMN In September, the School voted to support the charity The British Red Cross Migrant Appeal, which provides help for migrants who have made the difficult journey across the Mediterranean and require food, shelter and help in reconnecting separated families and loved ones. Members of the Sixth Form Charity Committee Canonaid gave an assembly about the charity and collected donations from students every Tuesday morning through their year group ambassadors.

Girls held a mufti-day to raise funds for Jeans for Genes Day, the annual fundraising event raising money for children and families affected by genetic disorders. This event is always greeted with much enthusiasm, as girls dressed in

in fundraising events and even travelling to support charitable projects overseas. This year has been extremely busy with girls baking for cake sales, singing at the local hospital, taking part in a charity ‘Mastermind’ competition, organising a fashion show and participating in an overseas expedition to Uzbekistan, amongst many other activities and events.

their denim jeans to support the national charity Genetic Disorders UK. Canonaid invited a speaker from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international NGO that works to combat diseases and illnesses in war-torn or developing regions.

Harry Ingram discussed his experiences working with MSF and outlined why it is so important that those who have the means continue to help those who do not. The students who attended the talk were keen to ask questions and were incredibly taken by the importance of such work.

Over the Autumn Term, girls also put together and donated backpacks for the charity Mary’s Meals. Annette Davies, a representative from the charity, visited us for the Harvest assembly and spoke about the work that they do in assuring that children across the world can attend school. The project asks individuals to fill backpacks with essentials for schooling. This year, each form put together several backpacks that have now been distributed to children in need. The tutor groups did an excellent job, and together the School managed to donate over fifty bulging backpacks!

The Year 11 charity committee Time Out also held weekly meetings planning various fundraising events to take place during the academic year as well as raising money from a number of cake sales. The Year 11 charity committee, Time Out, started a fantastic series of fundraising events which included a bake sale, which raised £78 as well as the sale of Secret Santa presents.

The committee chose to support Young Minds, the UK’s leading charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of young people.

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North London Collegiate School

CHARITY

COMMUNITY VISITS Visits to the Livability care homes in Harrow and Edgware remained as popular as ever with students in Years 9 to 13. It has been excellent to see the bond between North London Collegiate School students and residents from the homes grow ever stronger.

A group of Sixth Form students have continued to visit Northway School in Mill Hill, a school for children with special needs and disabilities, during lunchtimes and free periods. The staff at Northway School were impressed by the commitment and initiative shown by the students, who enjoyed making a contribution to the life of the school.

Students in Years 10 to 13 continued to visit Knights Court care home during afternoon activities slots. Some girls were even generous enough to make cakes for residents, while others brought in books from the Library to entertain them. Many residents have said that our students’ visits are the highlight of their week. They take great pleasure from hearing about life at North London Collegiate School, as well as telling girls stories from their own remarkable lives.

of festivity and entertainment at North London Collegiate School’s Livability Christmas Party. The Christmas Panto is always the highlight of the evening, as girls in Year 12 put a clever twist on a classic fairy-tale. This, along with a superb ballet performance, formed the bulk of the evening’s entertainment. Each resident also received a gift purchased by a form group, ranging from board games to slippers and bath salts.

As a wonderful end to the term, the Art Society organised the annual charity fashion show ‘Fantasy Fashion’ involving girls of all ages designing, making and modelling an array of highly imaginative dresses around the theme ‘Contrast’.

The evening was as vibrant and enjoyable as ever. This exciting event continues to raise money for the Karenni Student Development Programme (KSDP), a charity set up by ONL Stephanie Lee. The charity works closely with the Karenni people, providing basic needs and education in the smallest and poorest of the ethnic minority states in Burma.

A number of Year 12 students volunteered at Kisharon School for children with special needs and disabilities, assisting in lessons and getting to know the children. These community service links have now been going for several years, and are ever-growingly stronger term by term.

The last few weeks of the Autumn Term are always characterised by plenty of Christmas spirit. As is tradition, residents of local care homes were treated to an evening

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CHARITY

SPRING In January the School community voted to support the charity The UN Syrian Migrant Appeal which provides help and emergency support for migrants. Canonaid also held a Mufti Day, raising money for Auditory Verbal, a charity for deaf children with the theme of ‘Loud Shirt Day’, with proceeds going on to support children with hearing difficulties.

Two North London Collegiate School teams went to Harrow School for a Mastermind style quiz in aid of the charity Mind in Harrow, which provides support and care for those suffering from mental illnesses. They had been tasked with fundraising £1,200 to compete, and the girls met their target successfully by arranging lots of different fundraising activities between them. Our two teams went into battle against teams from several other local schools.

The girls were asked questions on Maths, Science, Music and Arts, and Humanities. Our girls performed admirably and scored the highest score in the science round. The second phase of the challenge was a head-to-head scenario, where each team was pitted against another team. Both of our teams won their head-to-head, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to claw back the lead from some very impressive scores made by Harrow School, Whitmore High School and the Jewish Community Secondary School.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon at the end of the term, girls busily prepared a fantastic range of charity stalls and activities for the second annual Canonaid House Fête.

Visitors were greeted with a variety of delicious cakes and sweets, tempting milkshakes and even fresh waffles.

In addition to this, there was a selection of creative games, activities and musical performances. The afternoon was a great success; there was a wonderful community atmosphere, and the event raised £1,234 for charity.

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North London Collegiate School

CHARITY

SUMMER In the Summer Term, the new Canonaid committee members were appointed, and their first responsibility was to choose the charity for the term. They selected The Veerni Project, a smaller charity that supports the education and health of women in the Rajasthan area. By doing this, women are given independence through careers and social responsibility.

It was a busy second half of the year for girls volunteering at the local care homes. Visits to the Livability homes in Harrow and Edgware continued, with girls from Years 9 to 12 taking an active part in enriching the daily lives of the elderly residents there. Some girls volunteered for a second term, reflecting just how much they enjoy regular contact with the residents and how much they are valued by the homes. The annual Livability Summer Party was a fitting way to crown another successful term, with

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residents from a number of homes enjoying the traditional strawberries, cake and musical entertainment provided by the girls.

We maintained our links with Northway School in Mill Hill, a specialist school catering for more than ninety-five students with a range of learning difficulties, particularly those on the Autism spectrum. Girls in Year 12 were enthusiastic in providing warm encouragement to small groups of students at Northway. Similarly, girls in Year 10 consolidated our relationship with Kisharon School for Jewish children with learning difficulties. The students there have benefited greatly from the generosity and willing shown by our girls during their lessons.

We look forward to building further on our community service links in the new academic year.

By Dr Johnathan Burbidge and Mr Nick Massey, Community Service Co-ordinators

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CHARITY

SCIENCE FOR SIXTH FORMERS An exciting one-day Science Conference ‘Science for Sixth Formers’ took place at Queen Mary University of London on 2 July 2016, planned and organised entirely

by Year 12 students, Laila Shah and Megan Wilson. The event explored the broad spectrum of scientific disciplines, covering Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Medicine, and how advances in these fields impact our everyday life. Leila and Megan explained their motivation for organising the event: “It is our aim to show science not as a collection of individual niches but as a holistic subject which will significantly expand opportunities and create new careers for our generation. We organised the event to raise funds to support the building of a science laboratory at the Flying Angels School in Zambia, where we are lucky

enough to be teaching this summer. With the prospect of teaching science to the Zambian children, we believe that this event is the perfect way to spread awareness and raise money for the School”.

PARTNERSHIPS DURING THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS UZBEKISTAN During the summer holidays, one of the new trips which the girls were able to take part in was the Uzbekistan trip.

The trip lasted for 17 days and entailed a six-day trek in the Chimgan Mountains, with wonderful views of River Canyons, waterfalls and rolling hills. The girls also had the opportunity to engage with the local community through taking part in a big community project in the Nuratau Mountains, where they also gained an insight into a rich new language. Once arriving at the local village, the team lived in nomadic-style yurts and explored the surrounding sand dunes.

Individually they raised £2000 in various ways, such as holding bake sales during lunch time. The teams’ financial contribution aided the Uzbekistani people through the building of wells, helping create safer housing and assisting with the annual fruit harvest. Not only did they be help with the community, but they were also able to experience

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the the beautiful cities of Uzbekistan, including Bukhara and Samarkand, which has stunning mosques and covered bazaars to explore.

This philanthropic trip allowed the girls to value a different lifestyle and culture as well as the importance of the simple things in life.

North London Collegiate School

CHARITY

ZAMBIA North London Collegiate School is happy to celebrate their ninth year of the annual trip to Flying Angels School in Zambia. Wanting to help to fulfil his vision of having a strong education system in the Ngombe community, Reverend Bernard Sakala reached out to North London in hope of creating a partnership and helping the development of the poor community. Last year there were 18 students and four teachers travelling on this lifechanging journey. The duration of the trip lasted 16 days with a focus on the girls helping to educate the students of Flying Angels, with the girls then travelling to Livingstone to see some of the amazing tourists features it had to offer, such as the iconic Victoria Falls, and a safari which lead to the outskirts of Botswana.

All money and resources for the annual trip were raised through student-led fundraising efforts, such as the science

lecture held at Queen Mary College, London and many bake sales which have been held during school lunch times.

This pioneering science lecture was a new, innovative way in which the students decided to raise money, and all proceedings which were collected throughout the fundraising section of the trip went towards finishing off the construction of the science laboratories and paying for equipment and resources. These science laboratories are extremely important as it will enable the school to be recognised as an exam centre, allowing the students to sit exams at school rather than having to pay and travel for long distances to sit them elsewhere.

In preparation for the trip, alongside with fundraising, the girls attended a Teaching Training Programme led by the teachers of North London. These lessons aided the girls in helping to structure their lessons as well as with support for development of teaching at the school. In addition, the sponsored Flying Angels staff were then able to support their colleagues in lesson planning and delivery. This is an important factor in developing the school and enabling them to build the high standards that they are continually working towards. This exhilarating trip allowed the students to engage with other cultures and develop many skills.

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FANTASY FASHION

FANTASY FASHION This year’s Fantasy Fashion, organised by the Art Society, involved girls of all ages designing, making and modelling an array of highly innovative and unique dresses designed around the theme ‘Contrast’, with costumes ranging from ‘Marvel’s superheroes’ to the ‘Black Swan’. The evening was as vibrant and enjoyable as ever. This exciting event continues to raise money for the Karenni Student Development Programme (KSDP), a charity set up by

ONL Stephanie Lee. The charity works closely with the Karenni people, providing basic needs and education in the smallest and poorest of the ethnic minority states in Burma.

By Lindsey Ingate (Year 11)

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CREATIVE WRITING

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CREATIVE WRITING Two creative writing competitions, organised by the Creative Writing Society, run annually in November, inviting entries from girls in Year 7 right through to Year 13. It is moving to see how much this form of creativity means to certain individuals and to see voices develop over the years. In addition to organising competitions, the society meet weekly to share and discuss each other’s imaginative writing. As ever, originality of form and voice has been remarkable this year, with much poetic prose and playfully structured

CREATIVE WRITING PRIZES 2015 Short Story Competition (Years 7 to 9 ) Winner: Zarah Kaye Clarke (Year 9) THE BULLET “Your dad’s dead Jack.”

“No he isn’t mum.”

“Jack ...”

“No mum, no, he isn’t dead.”

I knew he wasn’t dead, I could feel it, surely he couldn’t be dead, dad wouldn’t die; would he? I left then, I needed to think. I walked quickly out of our quiet cottage, hurdled the fence at the bottom of the wilting veggie patch and broke into a run. I was good at running because I played football and coach made us run every day, dad was good at running too, no, dad is good at running, that’s why they took him to war. That’s why they were going to take me ... one day.

Waking suddenly, I sat up, I was in a ditch, strange, I couldn’t remember falling asleep in a ditch. Looking around I saw Charlie, Charlie was asleep too. As a matter of fact everyone was asleep, all splayed out on top of each other fast asleep. It was ominously silent and still as though nothing breathed. I had never heard anything so still.

No rats were squeaking and scuttling, no wind whistled through the gun slits, not even the scratch of a pen writing a last love letter home.

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poetry. In the Spring and Summer Terms, the society held weekly workshops for all wielders of pen and imagination.Vampires were very popular, however more themes including love and nostalgia were seen this year. Creative writing also featured prominently in the North London Collegiate School Arts Festival.

The Summer Term’s Weaselwords (Creative Writing Society publication) graced the tables of the Arts Festival café, and spontaneous storytellers were invited to an open mic in the style of the New York ‘Moth’.

I sat down on the lush grassy bank alongside the sparkling river, I watched the dancing sunlight rays throw themselves playfully into the pools of crystal water like the little village children splashing joyful in the shallows, then a cloud moved across the sun and the water went a dull muddy brown like the soles of dad’s boots after he had fed the cows in the morning.

Maybe dad will never feed the cows ever again now, maybe mum had been right, he was dead, the war office wouldn’t lie, if he was dead he was dead there isn’t an inbetween. But it just didn’t seem right, there was something wrong and I suddenly had a burning need to find out.

Anger rose up inside me opened its mouth and roared, its guns shooting me inside.

It wasn’t right, I reached over and punched Charlie grumbling his name. He didn’t reply or even stir, he always a heavy sleeper.

“Charlie! Mate wake up!” Nothing. l noticed then how bare he looked, he didn’t have any kit on, nor did I, nor did anyone. What was going on? I grabbed his hand, it was stone cold and rigid, waxy under my warm palm, lifeless.

DEAD. At the end of our football practise a tall austere looking man strode onto the pitch and at once a deathly silence fell across the grass as though night had come too fast too quick.

“We need more men!” He barked as if commanding a troop. “We need YOU to fight for YOUR country and bring joy and happiness to all.” He didn’t sound very happy, his speech sounded flat and over recited like he had said it too many times and it had never happened. He thrust a sheet of paper at our captain and strode off.

“What does it say?” the team chorused.

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CREATIVE WRITING

“It says we must fight.” James Morris said bravely, with a stutter. Everyone looked at each other, fear set deep in their eyes like bullets; their faces dark and unforgiving.

Everyone signed up, how could we not, it was for the team, and it was for dad.

It hit me, well it didn’t, I was the only one who wasn’t hit; they were dead. I lay upon body after body each one asleep ... eternal sleep.

Short Story Competition (Years 10 to11) Winner: Farah Mirza (Year 11) THE PHONE BOX THAT I CALL HOME The ever-angry commuters with heavy bags on their shoulders and heavier bags under their eyes, ruthlessly pulling their designer coats around their abdomens, confirmed my first thought this morning. It’s a cold day and probably one of the coldest. I wish I hadn’t woken because as soon as I did, my body burned with a chill and my mouth felt drier than a cracker in a desert. I really fancy a cracker now. Sleep is the only place where I can take refuge from weather and hunger and the threat that is reality. The cold has a cunning way of charging through the cracks in the door, the tiny cracks where the door doesn’t meet the frame, and then rampaging its way through the sleeping bag, the tiny holes in the fabric layers of a sleeping bag, and then attacking at my garments, all three layers, and diffusing through the skin and shooting into the hollows of my bones and making enemies with the calcium. I really wish it wouldn’t do that. Now, I am cold, and I have no designer coat to protect me.

One benefit of being frozen to the point of numbness is that, for a moment, I was unable to feel the ache in my back. Contorting your body to fit into a telephone box isn’t the most restful position and my back makes the biggest compromise, half horizontal, half vertical, and fully deformed. Normally I would make some effort to kick the door open and roll out so I could start my job but the cold is something I can’t afford to acquaint with... literally. If get out of here, the breeze will bite me even harder and I will need to move to get my lazy blood circulating again which requires movement but moving burns energy and if energy goes out, energy ought to go in, but energy hides School Magazine 2015/16

When I got home mum was waiting, I told her about the tall unhappy man in harsh uniform, how I was going to war. She told me how I was too young and how I wasn’t allowed. I didn’t listen. She begged. “Please Jack I’ve already lost your father please don’t let me lose you, please listen to me, please.”

“Mum I’m sorry. I will find dad we will come home, promise. I will never forget you ...”

in food and food is bought with money but I don’t have money. Oh, how I wish I had some money, some colourful paper with your majesty’s face stamped on it, some help with surviving. I guess that is where my job comes in handy.

I sit outside my telephone box with a polystyrene cup and I hold it out all day until I have enough change to get food.

I earn about fifty pence an hour so in total, seeing as I work twelve hours per day, I can buy a standard meal deal every day. The sandwich options are brilliant. I’m a lucky man. People round here are very good with ‘spare change’.

Little do they know that their ‘spare change’ is allowing me to survive. They’re a generous bunch.

I have no way of judging the time but I guess 7:31. If I go outside now, I am bound to get a few pennies when people swarm out from the station although on a day like today, it would be nothing short of a miracle to see a stern man slow down and remove his nimble hands from the depths of his pocket to drop some coins into my cup.

Naturally I have developed some immunity to my own smell but I am still aware that not showering or washing for a month must leave you radiating a vile stench. This aroma of greasy hair and weeks of body odour mixed with whatever a quick dip in a bin smells like must scream “come closer!” But Friday is a good day. Roderigo and Paula own a cafe down the road and every Friday I pollute the airs of their building and in return they grant me a free meal. Of course I feel bad for stealing from them but I think I’m doing them a favour. All their kindness will just make it even easier for them to get to heaven. I don’t really believe in all of that but I sure do hope there is some place where kind hearts get rewarded.

I don’t blame people for not wanting to stop. It is fairly common for people to think that if they give me money, it will most likely go towards buying drugs. I completely understand their hesitance. I don’t take drugs. It’s a nasty business. But I recognise the temptation others face. You’re lonely and as much as you may want to live, there’s no

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legal way of doing it comfortably. Everybody has bad days but most find happiness again by sleeping well or eating chocolate or feeling loved. There’s none of that here. The only option is taking a substance as a substitute and then you can forget that you’re one of the most irrelevant particles on this Earth. Once you’ve forgotten that, it seems foolish to remember it again. It comes at a real cost though. It’s a really nasty business. I’ve never understood it myself. I also never understood math at school but I do wonder if it was just because she had such a strong accent.

It was a robust Welsh accent.

Anyway, I doubt I will be completely happy again but if I ever am, I want it to be authentic. I don’t want to wake up the next day and realise it has worn off and then blaze in a fever of desperation as I crave some more fictional relief. I have faith in my luck changing. I’m a realist... and that’s why I know that one day, as I scavenge through the rubbish tips, I will find a magic lamp and I will give it a stroke and a genie will pop out and ask me my three wishes and I will say “to be happy with a roof over my head and food in my fridge”, and it will magically punch me round the face and tell me to wake up and smell the coffee. I do love the smell of coffee. Honestly, it’s only when you’re in a situation like mine when you genuinely learn to live every day as it comes. As for getting back on track, I have no way of judging the future. I really fancy some coffee now.

The warmth that accumulated during sleep has all disappeared. I had a feeling winter would be difficult. The tarmac roads are once again burdened with the weight of relentless cars, taxis and clumps of people that pay no attention to the tiny red man on the traffic lights. I see their faces, always unyielding, often frustrated, and I wonder what must be going through their minds to make them so angry. They have so many reasons to smile and so many opportunities at their disposal and yet they look dead. Is that what this world has done to them? Or is it what they have done to themselves? Either way, I wish they would lighten up. I live in a telephone box and not even I have a frown so prominent. I’m starting to think that I have the upper hand here. If you’re poor, you’re sad, if you’re rich, you’re sad. You either have nothing and want something or have something and want something else. There is no winning. What do I want? Well... right now I really want some strong, black coffee.

whatever else. My main goal today is to not hit my funny bone. It’s a reasonable goal. It really hurts. Or tingles. 3... 2...

1... kick. The door swings open. Funny bone and all else is still intact. I do notice that I put way too much effort into opening a door that doesn’t even close properly. I know that an amoeba could kick it open but it’s more fun to do it this way.

It is unquestionably chilly. You know it’s chilly when people don’t have their phones out because their hands would get too cold. I reluctantly slide out of the once warm sleeping bag and shove it back into the telephone box.

I stretch my back. It clicks; multiple times. I stand up and run on the spot, urging my blood to move. I don’t mind wasting some energy because today is a good day. I decide that today, sitting down is not an option. I would freeze over, die, and I am not dying today because I really, really want some coffee. I pick up my polystyrene cup, and as the angry people pass, I throw them a smile. Today, smiling isn’t even a tactic; I’m simply trying to remind people to not be so grumpy. Everyone’s far too skilled at being a pessimist. As I do my jig and look a little too joyous for most people, a lady walks by and she is laughing at me and I’m laughing back and we laugh together for a few seconds.

As I had secretly hoped, she pulls out a note – I didn’t expect a note, I predicted £1 – but it is £10. It’s a lot. I say “you’re a kind woman. I thank you greatly,” and she replies, “Go grab yourself some coffee to keep you warm.” Then she walks off. I don’t know where to, probably an office block. I wonder where on the world this woman lives in order to believe coffee prices have inflated to £10 but I am certainly not complaining. I continue hopping. Blood is racing. I feel rich.

The moment was rich.

I like my coffee rich.

I think I should start to manoeuvre now. Yesterday I hit my funny bone so the aim of today is to not do that. That’s another positive of my life compared to those angry, speed-walking connoisseurs. They have goals every day that actually stress them out, work stuff, bills, bills, bills and

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Short Story Competition (Years 12 to13) Winner: Hannah Whitfield (Year 12) GROWING UP WITH EYES GLUED SHUT Once upon a time you were a little kid, sitting on the windowsill with plasters on your knees, counting the stars in the sky. Then your big brother told you that they were all just aeroplanes, that there aren’t any stars in the city, moron. So you drew a map of the world, poured all your change into a jam jar, and set about planning your quest to find the stars. Turns out the world was a lot bigger than you thought and you didn’t have enough purple crayons to possibly cover it all. But every day stuck at home was a day spent in shade rather than starlight, so you started building your getaway train out of Lego bricks and Blu-tack. When you told your big brother all of your plans he laughed and laughed and laughed. Blu-tack won’t hold a train together, he told you. You should use Sellotape instead. Together you built up your multi-coloured locomotive, and one cloudless, starless night, you drove off to find the stars.

Off you went, your big brother at the wheel, you in the back with a handmade compass. You travelled first to a great forest, with trees that grew as high as the moon. You stared up at the sky but couldn’t find a single star. There were too many trees, your big brother said wisely. You can’t see the stars through the branches.

You drove next to the open sea, tentative train tracks balanced on the water, lego bricks creaking in the salty wind. You squinted at the night’s sky but saw only the murky black waves, rising ten times higher than your poor little train. Your big brother started to turn the train

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around, you needed to get out of there now. Those sea monsters ate all the stars in the sky, he told you, what you do think they’ll eat next?

With determination still running through your blood, you travelled as far north as you could go, until the windows of your little locomotive were all covered in frost and the wheels got stuck in the snow. But up here, the sky was filled with colour, green and purple and vivid pink, dancing with each other across the night. And there were stars, oh how many stars you could see! You didn’t have enough fingers to count them all. Your big brother lifted you up onto his shoulders and you took your jam jar out of your pocket. You waved it through the sky, bottling the brightness to take back home to your starless city.

Off you chugged, homeward bound, with a jar full of stars and a heart at rest. When you returned, you ran upstairs to your bedroom, still filled with discarded star hunting plans.

Only, when you took out your jam jar, you found it filled with nothing but a few tiny melted snowdrops. The stars had all escaped.

Your big brother looked at you sadly, and told you that real stars just can’t survive in the city. Your quest had been for naught. You went to sleep that night with tears on your cheeks that sparkled like the northern stars had done.

You awoke two hours later. But this time, the suffocating city darkness had been filled with a warm yellowish glow.

You blinked up at the ceiling to see rows upon rows of brightly shining stars. Your smile nearly split your face in two as you gazed up at them all, drinking in the joyous starlight. Then you spotted your big brother sitting on the end of your bed. He held up a handful of plastic wrapping, his grin matching yours.

“Who needs real stars anyway?”

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION This is a challenge involving the writing of both poetry and prose, and offering the possibility of including a third form of creative expression.

Winner: Katie Kessler

through the windscreen? That’s what mom always says. “It’s fine,” said Anna, “just leave it. Say, why don’t you tell me about your day? We’ll be home before you know it.”

Jordan told her about sums, and spelling tests, and Teacher giving them all cookies before lunch time. George drove them down the highway, and street-light after street-light sailed past the window. He told her about his hair, how he hated his curls. When he was older, and had his own house, he would straighten his hair out, gel it up so it went spiky and dye it blue. “Kids at school say that afros ain’t punk.” Jordan said. “But mom likes my hair the way it is, so I’ll wait ‘till I’m older.”

Anna nodded. “Great idea. Your mom at home right now?”

THE RIDE HOME (EXTRACT) They drove a van. George sat in the front, and Anna carefully strapped Jordan into one of the back seats. His feet didn’t touch the ground, and from his position, the back of George’s head was obscured by seats and bags. Anna sat opposite him, but she didn’t have a seatbelt, which Jordan immediately pointed out. “You gotta have a seatbelt. For safety.”

She pondered him for a moment, before nodding and pulling her seatbelt-buckle into its socket. “You’re right, Jordan,” she said, “We should always be careful.”

The van started, and it occurred to Jordan that he had never ridden in anything but a car or a bus before. The van was noisier and jerkier, and Jordan felt himself bouncing where he sat. The seats were too big, he realised. Nervously, he tugged on his seatbelt, waiting for it to jam automatically like it was supposed to.

Anna seemed to notice his concern and she leaned forwards to pat him on the knee.

“Hey. Relax. First time in a van?”

Jordan nodded, and tugged his seatbelt again. It loosened, stiffly.

What if it don’t work and I fly

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“She’s in China. She works outside America a lot.” The bottom of the window of the van was just above Jordan’s eye-level, so he had to point his eyes upwards to see out of the window. “That’s why I’m going back to Uncle Elton’s.”

He gave up on the window, and leant on the side of the van. He fidgeted, flicked his hands through his hair, picked the dirt out from under his nails. He looked up out of the window, to see that the streetlights had been replaced with fields, meadows and grazing cows. I don’t remember Uncle Elton living in the countryside. “Hey,” he called out to George, “This isn’t the way!”

George barked back, “Don’t worry! We’re going the long way. Gotta pick up some supplies.”

Anna said, “Take it easy. Relax!”

But a knot was tying itself in Jordan’s stomach. He knew something wasn’t right, his guts were squirming from it, but he just couldn’t place what it was. He wondered if he had done something wrong. “Is mom gonna be mad at me?” he mumbled.

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CLASSICS WEEK During Classics week, there were many interesting events taking place. A talk by Mr Langdale entitled ‘Orpheus, Eurydice and the birth of Opera’ focused on the tale of the very earliest opera performed at the start of the 17th Century based on the works of Virgil, Ovid, Boethius and others. A Nicholson Lecture delivered by Ms Picton investigated why the worlds ‘democratic’ government was established in Athens and explored how democracy in Athens functioned and interlinked with geography, politics, religion and identity.

During the week, a group of students in the Upper School and Sixth Form also saw a modern interpretation of Menander’s Dyskolos at University College London. After having a thought-provoking lecture on the background of Classical theatre, this play soon had girls collapsing with laughter, especially with the hilarious appearance of an Old

SCIENCE WEEK During Science Week there was a vibrant, exciting programme organised by the Science Department. A lecture symposium on the theme of ‘The Science of Sport’ involved enriching talks from Professor David Cowan, Head of the Department of Forensic Science & Drug Monitoring at Kings College London and Co-Director of the London Anti-Doping Laboratory; Mr Richard Nieveen, one of the most experienced prosthetists in the UK, and Miss Stefanie Reid, Team GB Paralympic Athlete. The evening was a fascinating opportunity to hear a range of speakers discuss the impact that Science has made and continues to make on the world of professional sport.

TS ELIOT SYMPOSIM In the Autumn term, several Year 11 girls alongside their Year 12 chairs participated in the annual T.S. Eliot Poetry Prize Symposia with Queen Elizabeth’s School. The pupils met for four sessions over the duration of several months, reading and discussing the works of poetry nominated for the T.S. Eliot Prize 2015. The girls were all very engaged in the texts and with their peers, keen to share some brilliant and insightful ideas and interpretations.

One of the Year 11 students commented: ‘Being part of the TS Elliot symposium thoroughly enhanced my

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North Londoner as the old hag. It was a great experience and showed the students Ancient Greek comedy at its best. The week proved to be a great success and provided an enriching experience to the girls.

During Senior Societies, girls in Years 11 to 13 had a fascinating talk by Martin Elliott about the impact of Formula One in medical practice. He spoke about how his team at Great Ormond Street Hospital learnt a great deal about the importance of teamwork during pit-stops in Formula One races, and how he applied this to his surgeries in the hospital.

The week’s finale was the Science Fair, which attracted a lot of interest from girls in all years and contained lots of demonstrations, hands-on science-related activities and displays of competition work. Overall, the week was a great enriching and fun experience!

By Jasmine Chen (Year 11)

understanding of poetry in a social and interesting way.

Throughout a number of discussions held with the boys at Queen Elizabeth’s School, which were cumulatively lively I found myself having to analyse aspects of completely new poetry in a variety of ways. It was really interesting to have such dynamic and humorous discussions. Overall it was a really good experience and a great way to mix poetry with discussion about philosophical, romantic and a variety of other ideas.’

By Iris Wang (Year12)

North London Collegiate School

ENRICHMENT & SOCIETIES PHILOSOPHY CONFERENCE On 1 February, North London Collegiate School held a Philosophy Conference, with pupils from schools including Oundle School, Forest School, Bedford School, St Albans High School for Girls, Bentley Wood High School and Queen Elizabeth’s School. Our distinguished speakers were Professor Margaret Boden OBE, speaking about Machine Consciousness; Professor Ray Monk, investigating the life and work of the most captivating,

influential, misunderstood and iconic figures of 20th century philosophy, Ludwig Wittgenstein; Dr Robyn Waller, exploring Free-Will, Action and the Mind; and Professor Jonathan Wolff examining Political Philosophy. The conference has proved to be yet another success, where girls had an opportunity to hear different opinions on such a wide variety of topics.

HISPANIC THEATRE FESTIVAL On 7 October 2016 the school hosted the third annual Hispanic Theatre Festival which, with fourteen participating schools, was our biggest yet. We congratulate all the participants who combined impressive acting skills with

linguistic talent as usual and put on a fabulous show for us all. North London Collegiate School’s Crónica de una muerte anunciada impressed the audience and judges alike, and we congratulate Anushka Haria (Year 12), who was awarded Best Spoken Spanish out of all of the ninety participants. Well done also to the Spanish Glee! singers who entertained us while the judges were deliberating.

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LANGUAGES WEEK This year’s Languages Week took place between 21-25 September 2016 and was an exciting opportunity for budding - or more experienced linguists - to explore their passion for languages. The week was a success, with various language-related activities happening every day, including a foreign food stall and introductory sessions to different languages and cultures.

Sixth Form students offered daily chat sessions in a variety of languages to help younger girls improve their technique and confidence. The weekly Miniglot session tackled the entertaining task of Bavarian cake-decorating – and the theme was continued in the Brazilian taster session when girls made and sampled traditional chocolate truffles. Year 13 girls showed off their linguistic skills in an interpreting showcase which involved girls translating directly as a member of staff gave a presentation. The week also included two lectures by fascinating speakers who shared their work and love for languages. Firstly, Dr Chris Cummins from the University of Edinburgh gave an interesting talk on linguistics. During Senior Societies, Professor Ritchie Robertson, Taylor Professor of the German Language at the University of Oxford, came and spoke to the girls about the importance of correct translation and the results of mistranslation, using Kafka as an example. Collaboration with other societies such as Debating, allowed Polyglot to branch out and integrate languages into different people’s areas of interest; for instance, there was a debate entirely in French about whether or not Anglicism’s should be allowed in the French language. In the student’s assembly, they talked about some amazing polyglots who have devoted their lives to learning languages. The week culminated in an international fair with treats such as Japanese Green Tea Kit Kat’s, Spanish turrón, Chinese moon cakes and Greek mezze. The students played traditional French boules on the lawn and smashed a Mexican piñata.

Overall, the week was an overwhelming success, with every break-time packed full of exciting activities, allowing the students to embrace the importance of learning new languages and appreciating different cultures. Thanks go to Jade Charles (Year 13) and Kanak Shah (Year 13), the Chairs of Polyglot, and all their work and organisation that went into preparing such a successful Languages Week.

By Ailsa Clelland, Secretary of Polyglot Society (Year 13)

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ECONOMICS SOCIETY Economics Society has had an extremely exciting and busy year. They have constantly tried to keep their activities centred around current economic events. This has included discussions on the May 2015 General Election, debating whether or not the UK should leave the EU and held their own mock Autumn Statement. They have worked hard to spark the whole school’s interest in Economics, especially trying to entice Years 7 to 11, who had not yet had the chance to study it as a subject.

They have continued with ‘Young Economists’ for Years 7 to 9 where activities such as ‘The Trading Game’ which allowed the younger girls to familiarise themselves with concepts such as supply, demand and international trade.

Economics Society had a very successful and jam-packed year of speakers. As well as arranging trips to lectures in London, in particular at the London School of Economics, They have had some great speakers from a wide array of different industries come in for their Senior Society slots. Early in the year Andy Rubin, Chairman of ‘Pentland Brands’, a company that owns global fashion and sports businesses, talked to the students about the significance of current economic events and the resulting volatility for large businesses in the UK. Furthermore, Martin Wolf from

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the Financial Times spoke on the economic climate since the 2008 Crisis and discussed ways in which the UK will move forward. They have had a broad range of speakers from the financial sector to the Treasury, and they have been met by great questions from large audiences of Years 11 to 13.

This year Economics Society have published two editions of their Economics magazine ‘Capital’ both online and as a hard copy. All members of the society wrote fascinating articles on a range of topics and editors compiled them together to create a professional magazine. Economic Society had their ‘Economic Figure of the Week’ where they chose someone who had appeared a lot in the news that week or that they felt the rest of the school should know about and wrote about them on their Economics Society board.

Geography and Economics week was the busiest time for the society. They joined with Geography Society to organise activities for the whole School, such as a debate against Harrow School. The week finished with an assembly on the growing importance of technology and how this would affect the job market. This year, economics continued to grow and become a bigger part of the school and the activities were enjoyed immensely by all students.

By Georgia Mosheim, Chair of Economics Society (Year 13)

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GEOGRAPHY SOCIETY This year has been a very exciting year for Geography Society. The Society’s aim was to demonstrate the breadth of geography to all parts of the School.

The Society hosted three Senior Societies speakers – Louis Trup (University of Oxford), who spoke on the geography of the internet; Bharath Ganesh (University College London), who discussed the geography of hiphop, and Simon Faulkner (Royal Geographical Society) who discussed geography and university and how you can use geographical approaches to make the most out university. Together, these three speakers enthusiastically demonstrated the breadth and value of geography, drawing from examples relevant to both them and the girls.

twister; a global fashion quiz; a session where girls could design their own world transport system, and another where girls could design and present their own country, complete with flag, national anthem, and cuisine. All of these sessions were well attended, ensured that the girls left with a smile on their face and showed how creative the girls can be.

Over the year, there have been three publications of Spatial which have examined London, Literature, and Happiness (June 2015), Development Internationalism and TNCs (March 2015), and Important Places and Moving Between Them (January 2016), all with contributions from girls and edited by Jen Cohen.

The Young Geographers regular lunchtime club allowed Middle School students, particularly Year 7 to experience the breadth of geography and get involved in crosscurricular geography in a fun and interactive way. This popular club had numerous highlights including a treasure hunt around the School, with challenging questions about countries to lead you to the next location; an end of term party, with cake decorating, global karaoke and world map

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The focal point of the year was Geography and Economics Week. During this week, they aimed to show the links between Geography and Economics, and tackle relevant issues such as globalisation, urbanisation, development and migration. Highlights of this week included a cake competition, where girls’ masterpieces were judged and then eaten, the screening of Cowspiracy, a form time quiz for the whole school, Mr Murray’s Nicholson Lecture entitled #geoglolz and the City which explored urban space and the extent to which it can be used for fun and a staff-student debate with the motion ‘THB McDonalds is More Powerful Than Obama’. The main event was the Geography Symposium on migration, where two visiting speakers – Emilia Gentlemen, Social Affairs correspondent from the Guardian and Dr Kavita Datta, the Director for the Centre for the Study of Migration, Queen Mary University –discussed migration in the UK and how it was

JEWISH SOCIETY It has been an exciting and eventful year for Jewish Society.

The Society have hosted speakers who covered a range of topics: from a history of the Jewish emigration from Arab countries to ethical issues involving organ donation according to Jewish law. The weekly provision of pizza certainly did entice many students every Tuesday to attend their Lunch and Learn Sessions.

The mental health sessions were particularly enjoyed with a member of the JAMI organisation which advocates the breaking of taboos associated with mental issues and encouraged students to reach out to others suffering from such issues. This was a highly important session due to the lack of awareness possessed by many teenagers regarding the subject.

One particularly poignant and memorable session was a Senior Societies talk given by Lady Zahava Kohn, a survivor of the Holocaust, accompanied by her daughter

PHILOSOPHY SOCIETY In the Winter Term, Philosophy Society organised visitors from some excellent speakers to speak in Senior Societies, including Dr Mark Faulkner from SOAS, on “the vitality of African religions”. Additionally, Sixth Form students paired up with Science Society to run a Senior Societies session.

They discussed the philosophy of free will and whether the

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portrayed in the media.

A ‘Balloon Debate’ at Harrow School involved six pairs of students (three from North London Collegiate School and three from Harrow) who made a case for ‘saving’ a prominent economist from ejection from a hypothetical hot air balloon. The fine selection of economists included Adam Smith, Friedrich Hayek, John Maynard Keynes, Karl Marx, Joseph Stiglitz, and Milton Friedman. The winners were a North London Collegiate School pairing (Keynes), taking the lead by just one vote.

The Geography and Economics Week was a great success with huge numbers of girls getting involved in a variety of different ways from across the School.

By Abi French, Chair of Geography Society – Young Geographers (Year 13)

Hephzibah Rudofsky, who is an ONL. Lady Kohn talked about the process of dehumanisation faced by the Jews in Amsterdam and detailed her deportation to BergenBelsen concentration camp. It captured the plight of Jews in their fight for survival and informed students of the atrocities during the Holocaust. The students were very grateful to have been given the opportunity to hear such a remarkable story first hand.

Jewish Society also presented varied assemblies. They addressed the causes and events of the Six-Day War following its 48th anniversary, thereby informing students of a topic they had not approached in History. Coupled with this was a talk on Israel advocacy, encouraging fluency in argument and confidence. Finally, members of the Society who had visited the concentration camps and ghettos in Poland detailed their experiences, articulating emotive accounts of the human suffering endured and the incredible acts of courage by prisoners.

By Rachel Hochhauser, Chair of Jewish Society (Year 13) concept is threatened by recent advances in neuroscience.

The discussion was very lively and focused on whether criminals with psychological disorders can be held fully responsible for their crimes.

Philosophy Society has met every Thursday evening.

Invigorated by several very enthusiastic Year 12 students, the Philosophy Society has had some well attended evening discussions on topics ranging from the death

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ENRICHMENT & SOCIETIES

penalty to the existence of God, to the question of whether the existence of zombies is theoretically possible.

These discussions were led by the Sixth Form students and then opened up for informal discussion. Students have also held sessions presenting the ideas that they have explored in the Extended Research Qualification. These topics ranged from the possibility of artificial intelligence to whether there is morality in the animal kingdom.

In the Spring and Summer Terms, Philosophy students from Year 12 attended evening lectures on ‘Moral Luck and the Peculiarity of Blame’ by Professor Simon Blackburn and ‘The nature and purpose of Philosophy’ by Daniel Dennett.

During the Spring and Summer Terms, Philosophy Society featured nearly every week in Senior Societies.

In January, Professor Sian Hawthorne of SOAS, University of London, gave a talk entitled, “Is Philosophy Just for Men?” The answer, of course, was a resounding “no!” but the talk delved into the history of gender bias and cultural imperialism in the study of philosophy.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH BRONZE Approximately sixty-five students from Year 10 completed their Bronze expeditions from the previous year 201415. The first was on 13 to 14 June starting from Great Missenden station, camping at Braidwood and ending at Chesham Station at the end of the Metropolitan line.

Fourteen members of staff accompanied the girls on day one, teaching them map reading skills, then meeting them at checkpoints on the second day. The second expedition was on 27to28 June, and the girls had to demonstrate the camping and walking skills that they had practised in the previous fortnight. This took place around Ivinghoe Beacon and the Ashridge Estate. Once back at school, the girls gave a presentation in groups of about seven to Year 9 to encourage them to enrol for the following year.

On 25 February, Dr Jonathan Norton and Dr Sean Ryan of Heythrop College, University of London, spoke on “Can we Take the Bible Seriously?”

On 3 March, four Year 12 girls performed Huis Clos or No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre, to a packed audience. This play explored existential themes about the meaning of life, and death, as defined by our relationships with fellow human beings.

On 14 March ONL Rachel Shon gave a talk entitled, “Working with Survivors of Atrocity Today” on her work for the Helen Bamber Foundation, helping vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers.

We held an exciting debate, which involved Year 13 students debating the motion, “This House Believes That Belief in God is Unscientific.”. The level of debate was ferociously high, and it featured a mixture of those who study Pre-U Philosophy and Theology and those who study the sciences. Members of staff present were impressed with the level of research and understanding from all the speakers and some excellent questions from the floor.

After the Easter break, the new committee welcomed Dr Tamsin de Waal who spoke about the importance of Mathematics in Plato. This was the first of many excellent talks and initiatives which were planned for the academic year and proved that Philosophy Society will continue to grow and flourish.

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Training for the next cohort of Year 10 girls took place as part of the Tuesday Afternoon Activities programme.

This included pitching tents, cooking on a stove, first aid and map skills. The girls planned routes for both of their expeditions, which took place at the end of the Summer Term in the Chilterns and were a great success. The weather was perfect and the girls are now much better at navigating and pitching their tents.

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ENRICHMENT & SOCIETIES

SILVER In the first week of the Autumn Term twenty-two Year 12 girls completed their Silver award at the annual presentation evening. Each of the six groups gave a talk about their experiences and aims to family and friends. The talks were accompanied by photographs and information and most groups spoke vividly about their encounters with cows! They were then presented with their badge.

In Year 11 we had a record number of forty-two girls signed up for the Silver award. The practice expedition was in October Half Term in the South Downs. We started at Arundel, ended at Pulbrough and spent both nights at Gumber Bothy, a National Trust location a few kilometres walk from the nearest road. The girls camped but had use of a barn in the evening. This was fortunate as it was dark by 5pm and we had heavy rain on the second day.

The girls revised and improved their navigation skills, the ten members of staff and accompanying adults enjoyed their time together in the bunk-house, and the girls came straight back to school ready to plan their next expedition.

Thirty-eight girls completed their Silver award on 21 April at the presentation evening. Seven groups gave very amusing accounts of their expeditions and experiences and were given their badges by the D of E London Representative. This year we changed the dates of the expeditions. The Practice expedition was held in October Half-Term and the Qualifying in the Easter holidays.

This enabled the girls to complete their award before the GCSE season started and to have the satisfaction of achieving something before their examinations. It also enabled some of the girls to start Gold before the Summer holidays so that there is a possibility of gaining

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the award before their UCAS application. Some parents commented that it was good for their daughters to leave the revision for three days and get out into the fresh air to do something physical and social. The Qualifying expedition was on the Isle of Wight and everyone enjoyed the sea crossing and the constant views of the coast. This is a new venue for us and we shall definitely return next year. A group of four who were unable to come to the South Downs completed their award in the Peak District in June.

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ENRICHMENT & SOCIETIES GOLD The practice expedition from 3 to 7 July was in the Black Mountains, Wales, starting and finishing in Abergavenny and ascending Sugarloaf Mountain. Three of the days went very well with groups navigating accurately and keeping good time, but on the third day a very overgrown footpath meant that two of the groups got lost for several hours and were out in a heavy thunderstorm. Their training stood them in good stead and all made it back to camp eventually, and it was a good opportunity to stress the need for good waterproof clothing for the qualifying expedition.

Our Year 12 students voted to do their qualifying expedition in Dartmoor from 6to 10August, under the false impression that the lack of steep mountains

would make it easier. The expedition was satisfying and challenging, starting at Okehampton and walking across all of Dartmoor to Ivybridge over four days. The remoteness meant that they wild camped for two nights and sterilised their drinking water from streams. The first day saw perfect walking conditions, the second day was too hot, the third thick fog and the last continuous heavy rain which seeped out of the bog and ran along the path which became a river. All completed the expedition safely.

We had twelve students undertaking the Gold award in the new academic year. In March we took them to Kings Langley for the intensive training weekend, including advanced compass-work, night navigation and emergency procedures. Further training and planning sessions happened after school, in preparation for the Summer holiday expeditions to the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales.

US UNIVERSITIES This year we once again saw a growing interest in applying to American universities. In the Autumn and Spring Terms, the School welcomed admissions officers from Ivy League

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and other top universities including Janet Irons from Harvard; Janet Rapelye from Princeton; and Mikael Perreau from New York University. In the Spring Term, the School held what has now become an annual ‘Parents Information Evening on Applying to the US’, which saw more than 100 students and parents from years 7 to13 attend a talk by London’s leading educational consultant and US universities adviser, Lisa Montgomery. In the Summer Term, Dr Van Reyk, Deputy Director of University Admissions and teacher-in-charge of the US, led a specialist session for students in Years 11 and 12 and their parents on the details of the application process. He was joined by Mary Hetlage from the University of Chicago who gave a talk about ‘How to succeed in highly competitive admissions’.

Students had some great success in achieving places at the top universities ion the US; indeed, one student had the dilemma of deciding whether to take up a place at Cambridge or Stanford – she decided on the latter.

North London Collegiate School

ENRICHMENT & SOCIETIES YOUNG ENTERPRISE 2015-16

PENTURA

This year three companies comprising of 38 girls entered the Young Enterprise competition. They worked effectively as a team to raise capital, design products, and conduct market research. All three companies successfully promoted and sold their products at a variety of trade fairs, as well as partaking in the competitions. ‘Just N Case’ created an innovative phone case, ‘Ambrosial’ created a range of scented reed diffusers, and ‘Pentura’ created paint pens aimed at reducing mess and promoting creativity in children. All the teams performed exceptionally well throughout the programme, gaining a range of invaluable and transferrable skills.

‘Pentura’ decided to manufacture and sell paint pens. They found that manufacturing the pen itself was difficult as they encountered problems such as paint clogging, leaking and diluted colour. Therefore, the team decided to use washable inks instead of powdered paint. The team found the trade fairs to be the most enjoyable part of the process as persuading people to feel passionate about their product was uniquely satisfying. The team found the competition tough and interesting as there were a lot of other companies who had their own stories and innovative products. The team was thrilled to reach the West London Finals and won the awards for ‘Achievers of the Year’, ‘Best Trade Stand’ and came runner up for ‘Best Overall Company’.

JUST N CASE

By Mallaika Viswanath (Year 13)

From the outset their company knew that their product had to be innovative, look good and solve a common problem. Therefore, they designed a phone case with a small compartment for storing credit cards, bank notes or oyster cards. Over an exchange of e-mails with a plastics factory owner in China, they decided as a team on the case they wanted. Throughout a series of Krispy Kreme sales in school and £500 of share money, they were able to purchase the first hundred cases.

AMBROSIAL After deciding on the overall aesthetic of their product, the team had to research raw materials to produce their product. The team decided to order simple glass bottles that could be turned into reed diffusers with the addition of reeds and scents. They then refined their recipe for the reed diffuser formula.

The team quickly learnt key business techniques and concerns, keeping track of expenditure and profit. Working collaboratively, they managed to come up with a saleable product with an ethical consideration. Young Enterprise was an exceptionally valuable and fun experience for the entire team.

Over the next few months, they sold their cases at many trade fairs, including London Designer Outlet and Spitalfields Market. Due to popular demand, they ordered another 200 cases in a larger variety of colours. They also had the opportunity to present their company’s journey in competitions. After being awarded ‘Best Company’ in the Harrow and Brent Area Final, where they were proud to win ‘Most Innovative Product’ at the Women’s Start-Up Competition and West London Final.

By Sarina Chandaria (Year 13)

By Aditi Shringarpure (Year 13) School Magazine 2015/16

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SENIOR SOCIETIES

Vermeer and why she decided to write her most famous novel about the amazing painter.

This Academic year saw another packed programme of Senior Societies lectures each Thursday.

History Society organised a visit from prominent journalist and social historian, Virginia Nicholson. Who spoke about her new book, Perfect Wives in Ideal Homes – The Story of Women in the 1950s.

The programme was launched in September with a keynote address given by art historian and BBC television presenter, Dan Cruickshank who spoke about the deconstruction of historical monuments and buildings through world wards, as well as the ethics around rebuilding those architectural structures.

Girls were also privileged to be able to hear a talk from Tracy Chevalier, the world renowned author of a Girl with a Pearl Earring. She spoke of her obsession with Johannes

The weekly events have also included visits from, amongst others, Dr Jim Platts from University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering; Professor of Bioinformatics, David Jones and Professor of Clinical Psychology, Chris Barker both from University College London (UCL) and Médecins Sans Frontières charity representative Harry Ingram.

Senior Societies - Virginia Nicholson Talk

Tracy Chevalier and members of the Literary Society

Dan Cruickshank - Senior Societies

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LIBRARY & ARCHIVES

School Magazine 2014/15

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A wide range of resources and activities is available in the Library and the Archive, all of which support and complement the curricular and extra-curricular aspects of life at school. In the Library, there is the opportunity to initiate and to participate in regular events including book groups, visiting authors and competitions.

In addition to this, pupils are encouraged to take full advantage of accessing electronic and non-electronic sources of information. The primary material in the Archive offers students the wonderful opportunity to appreciate North London Collegiate School’s unique traditions and heritage.

AUTHOR VISITS Sarah Crossan At the beginning of the Autumn Term, iconic teenagefiction author Sarah Crossan delivered a stimulating talk to budding writers in the Middle School. Her most renowned works include Apple and Rain, which was shortlisted for the 2015 Carnegie Medal, and her debut-novel The Weight of Water. She has returned with One this summer: a novel written in verse about the lives of conjoined twins, Grace and Tippi. Crossan spoke about the extensive research process behind the making of her novel and inspired those who wanted to pursue a career in creative writing. She talked about the realistic obstacles she faced while trying to interview leading separation doctors in Europe as well as sharing the stories of real conjoined twins living in the world today.

In addition to this, Sarah Crossan focused on the ambivalent reception of poetry in contemporary literature, particularly among young adults. Having had experience of teaching English in New York before becoming a full-time author, she was aware of an intuitive fear of poetry in students. She believes diving into poetic analysis can shroud

one’s capability to emotionally connect with the words. She addressed her concerns over the increasing discrepancy between intellect and empathy in the understanding of poetry. This resulted in a lively discussion of personal reactions to the language used in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Despite the limited time that was allocated for the talk, the girls were eager to ask questions about Crossan’s journey as an author. A special book-signing event followed, and the girls departed with greater literary aspirations.

By Jungmin Seo (Year 12)

Tanya Landman Tanya Landman, winner of the Carnegie Book Award 2015 for her novel Buffalo Soldier, visited the Library to talk about her successful career as an author and gave an invaluable insight into the extent of her research and how she uses historical facts to form characters and plots. The event was very well attended with both Sacred Heart and East Barnet School joining us for the talk, and pupils from all schools did a short presentation introducing and thanking Tanya. There was an opportunity after the session to ask questions about her successful career and to purchase signed copies of her books.

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Marcus Alexander At the end of the Summer Term, we were delighted to welcome author of the Keeper of the Realms series of books, Marcus Alexander. Marcus appeared full of energy and talked about his love of sci-fi and fantasy books, a genre that inspired him to write his very own novels. He gave us an insight into his travels throughout South East Asia, where he picked up his ideas from meeting people of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. It was from his travels that he discovered his love of martial arts and for extreme sports, and this is reflected in the books he writes.

Marcus is the author of three books – Crow’s Revenge, The Dark Army and Blood and Fire. He focused his talk around the character Charlie Keeper, a girl with determination and inner strength. He talked about how she overcame challenges by not giving up. The talk was very motivational and inspiring. After his talk, we were led outside on the lawn where Marcus gave us a demonstration of the martial art moves used in his novels.

By Sophie Ma (Year 8)

WORLD BOOK DAY 2016 World Book Day was celebrated in style this year, with several activities throughout the day.

All pupils were given the opportunity to write a ‘BookiEmoji’ postcard, re- creating a story or book review purely from Emoji icons. Ranging from Shakespeare and the Classics to contemporary Young Adult fiction, a collection was gathered for display in the library. NLCS Jeju also took part, and their contributions were added to the display. As well as promoting certain book titles, this exercise enabled pupils to think critically around the main themes and expressions of their chosen books.

A ‘Book Surgery’ was held at lunch time, whereby a doctor’s surgery was installed near the dining hall, with library monitors wearing white coats and carrying stethoscopes.

Passers-by could drop in with their reading woes, and be offered a ‘prescription’ in the form of a great book recommendation. This School Magazine 2015/16

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event was extremely popular and made a real buzz at lunch time. Girls especially enjoyed recommending book titles to their teachers, and library helpers from years 7 to 13 took part.

A book-themed cake sale was also organised, including fairy cakes with book cover toppers as well as larger cakes inspired by book titles. Along with our book sale throughout the week, where girls could use their WBD vouchers, pupils and staff all enjoyed the various events and opportunities, highlighting the importance of books and reading.

By Mrs Jenny Bartlett, Librarian

STRIKE A PROSE 2015 Strike a Prose is a competition organised by the Library to complement Fantasy Fashion, this year on the theme of ‘Contrast’. During lessons in the Library, Middle School pupils discussed various ideas such as rags to riches, good and evil, or simply black and white, and girls of all ages were invited to write a short piece of prose.

For the first time, the competition was suggested to other departments and entries were submitted by Modern Foreign Languages, by the Classics department with entries in Latin, and by the Art Department where girls entering the Fantasy Fashion competition could write supporting prose to further enhance their dress entry. Their pieces of prose were judged on their creativity, language, style and presentation.

WINNING ENTRIES Birth and Death A burst of light. A last breath. A door opening and a window closing. She feels a sinking in her heart. Where was she? Where was her family? She already missed them; her wonderful husband and her naughty little kids. Their antics and pranks were already filling her mind. She starts to choke on her tears, a veil of mist appearing in front of her eyes. Before a river could start its course however, she notices a train. Seeing she had already lost everything that mattered to her, she gets on. As she jumps in and continues the journey till the next station, her memories flash in front of her. Her birth into the world, her giggles and pranks of her childhood, her marriage with the wonderful satin dress adorning her figure and finally, a

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strange one she did not recall, her death.

She feels the train come to a halt and steps out. It is a whole new world. The bright haze rises into the soft blue sky and throws out spears of pure, divine light and banners of orange, golden and pink. She looks down at her hands and finds they are grey to her horror. Frightened, she quickly hurries over to a nearby mirror and to her shock finds her face has been replaced by an empty oval almost like a painting still to be drawn. How could this be?

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LIBRARY & ARCHIVES

All of a sudden she knows what she has to do as though the instruction had been planted in her brain. She rushes over to a machine. It was gigantic with a metallic door embellishing its façade and only thin windows high up near the ceiling. It was the elephant in the room though. How could she not have noticed it? As she comes inside, she feels a cold stroke against her skin. When she looks down, she can see a peach line on her arm. What was happening?

She tries to escape however finds she cannot move. She was rooted to the spot like a powerless tree in the middle of nowhere. She succumbs to her misery and vulnerability and lets the ‘paint’ coat her in a shell of colour. A crazy idea comes to her mind as she feels the cold against her skin again. What if she really was … dead?

The next few hours were quite boring yet eerily interesting. Finally, after a long process, she steps out to admire herself but sees she is not a she anymore! She was a boy! Her beautiful nightingale-black locks had been exchanged for a rough shabby piece of brown hair, and her skin had been transformed from brown to a pale white. Before she could register what exactly was going on, another flash of white appears, and soon her memories are gone.

Helplessness, yet a sense of oblivious joy. That is all that could describe his emotions at the time. He felt cold, lonely, and unsure why the world looked so eccentric and distorted. Suddenly without warning, he began to cry. He didn’t know what he was doing or why but it certainly worked and captured the attention of the mysterious woman in white apparels. She picked him up, and he did not object as she caressed him and carefully rocked him.

He found himself soon in the arms of someone whom he could see was in pain. He again started to cry as he noticed this but was soon silenced by the soft touch of this wonderful lady. A touch that not even the woman in white could compete with. He looked up into those forgiving, emerald eyes and out of the blue came up with the perfect name for her although he could not say it. ‘Mama.’

By Saanya Verma (Year 7)

‘L’Attente’ Elle est un reflet d’espoir, amour et détresse, si je puis me permettre. Elle est avachie sur une chaise… la chaise… et elle a ajusté les cheveux. Mais le laisse tomber… elle est distraite. Elle attend, assise sur la chasie marron dans la chambre brillante et chaude. Elle attend, si je puis me

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permettre, son amant. C’est visible, non, l’obscurité de la chambre? Oui, je sais que c’est un tableau… mais comme brillante est la damoiselle? Ses yeux, grands écrus et les cheveux longs, sombre comme le velours…elle est toute seule, elle l’attend…le soldat, qui ne retournera pas. Quelle ombre était le tapis il y a deux jours? Tu dis beige? Et maintenant? C’est le couleur du sang de son amant. Fais attention! Non, je ne suis pas fou, tu as vu le changement de couleur de beige à bordeaux. Oh! Regarde elle soupire et la chambre inhale avec elle, le parfum délicat que la bouquet produit. L’exquis bouquet sur le bureau. Elle s’est endormie et tous est silencieux. Tout est silencieux et elle s’est endormie… le pétale tombre.

Inspired by Henri Matisse’s ‘Siesta Interior at Nice,’ ‘L’Attente’ is a short piece of prose about a woman waiting in the silence of an aberrant room for her lover. The narrator is a man looking at the magical painting, admiring the woman and imploring the reader to notice the details of the room as they alter with the emotions of the woman.

The contrast lies in the changes of colour, the actions of the woman and the subtle use of words.

By Maria Sigrid (Year 10)

Contrast There are many people in the world that like a particular season but if you think about it, imagine how it would be.

If it was summer all the time: The sun will beam down heavily on the parched land. Not a drip of water can be seen for miles. The sun will burn your body into complete dust, only leaving hot shreds to lie on the scorching land.

If it was winter all the time: The biting cold will chill your fingers into clumsy numbness; the cold will seep into your toes and spread painfully. Your lips will turn blue and your teeth will chatter constantly. The wind will cut through your skin and turn happiness into complete misery. Every bit of land will be covered by a thick white blanket.

Now think about. Summer will make you want to wish it was cold and winter will make you want to wish it was hot.

Every season is unique, but it doesn’t mean to choose just one they should all be thought about in the same way.

By Gaya Giritharan (Year 7)

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A perfect contradiction

Untitiled

Two kingdoms. Very contradictory. So when they are forced to work together; controversy erupts. The typical fire tribe face is erected with annoyance: we are generally annoyed. However, it melts, occasionally, into a torrent of happiness- a smile. The ice stereotypical fashion is an expression of malice with a hint of wit near the dimples.

Evidently we are not perfect (no one is) but when we work together it creates a fusion because fire and ice; it’s “the perfect contradiction.” Our qualities shimmer through our flaws. When we fight against our common enemy, rainbow, we just fight for we will never fail to detest him.

Ice’s melancholy features contracting into a smile I realise that: we are both so obstinate about not liking each other that we don’t acknowledge our contrasting-but greatqualities. “Quick!” she says as it ominously dawns on us that the rainbow army are winning. But I don’t really care, I have achieved so much more than winning could give. Ice has spontaneously embraced my warmth, not even with constraint; it is all meaningful, and I can subconsciously feel that we both feel that way.

Ce Nöel était le pire nöel de ma vie

By Karel Ohana (Year 7)

By Chloë Chiew (Year 10)

Je ne pourrais pas die que Je me suis beaucoup amusée Car J’ai bu trop de vin chaud.

De temps en temps la période de nöel est difficile Méme si Les festivités devraient être amusantes.

Les gens achètent trop de cadeaux Et je ne dirais jamais que Ce nöel était le meilleur nöel de ma vie

by Chloë Chiew (Year 10) My entry is a short poem in French which can be read both linearly and back to front to convey the opposite message. Not only would this provide a contrast linguistically, but through the difference in the meaning of the poem itself depending on which way you read it.

LIBRARY MONITORS TEA PARTY The Tea Party was a great way to meet fellow Library Monitors, especially pupils new to the Library this year. We had the opportunity to discuss what we enjoyed doing and how we could be more involved in Library events and activities. It was nice to see other Library monitors, to discuss our love for books and the Library.

We had two key speakers (whilst still nibbling on cake and doughnuts) - Honorary Library Monitors, Margaret and Hannah, who spoke about their experience and involvement since Year 7. Margaret, who is in Year 13, spoke about the activities she organised for World Book Day last year, and about her interest in the school Archive.

Hannah, who is in Year 10, spoke of the various events in the Library during her time at the school. There was also a welcome from Mr Chan, who organises the Library Monitor programme. We are all looking forward to inviting the new monitors into our team, and we hope we can share ideas and promote books, events and activities.

By Elilee Arulkumar, Senior Library Monitor (Year 8)

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LIBRARY & ARCHIVES

POET TREE An artificial tree ‘Poetree’ featured in the Library to mark National Poetry Day, and girls were invited to write a short poem on ‘Light’. All entries were displayed on the tree, which formed a visual focal point for all girls to enjoy and share, and a selection of complementary

books of both contemporary and classic poetry was on display. Girls conveyed various interpretations of ‘Light’ from an emotional and physical perspective, and poems included titles such as ‘Shades of Week One’, ‘Sunlight’ and ‘Spectrum’. Library staff chose three finalists, who were awarded prizes at assembly.

WINNING ENTRY ‘Shades of Week One’ First day at NLCS: dim fear, Butterflies in my tummy, oh dear!

Dark clouds obscuring sunlight, I wish they would take flight.

Still lost, wandering in the dark, What’s that I see? A friendly spark?

Reaching out to classmates old and new, Glimmers of light, helping me through.

A welcome radiant beam, lit up lunch, Thankfully I met a bright and smiling bunch, Getting to know my way around school, Down to the shimmering waves of the swimming pool, So many options; Dance Display or Canons Choir?

I am about to choose but here comes another flyer Kind teachers and helpful tutors help my choices funnel At last, Friday! Light at the end of the tunnel.

My love of poems, together with my tendency to have a go at things, drove me to enter the Library poetry competition.

Joining NLCS was a significant event in my life. This experience alone deserved a poem!

However, it was also a rather overwhelming start as I came from a smaller school. In the past, if I ever felt anxious about something, I would write about my feelings to help me overcome any nervousness. So I chose to write about my first week at NLCS. My other inspiration for writing this poem was the suspicion that other newcomers to Year 7 might be feeling the same way, and would identify with the poem. By sharing my experience I was reaching out to any new girl who might have felt as I did.

A word of wisdom, having not only survived but actually thoroughly enjoyed my first month at NLCS: if anyone is still uncertain whether or not they should try something new, just go for it. Believe in yourself and others will believe in you.

by Alina Halstenberg 7S

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SECOND PLACE

THIRD PLACE

‘Sunlight’

Soft, slippery rays of dawn,

Like a snake, Slithering in and out of the clouds, Showing one side to our world, the Earth, And we’re following it like a herd Of sheep, and it’s hiding so much more.

Gently tip-toe through my lawn.

Warming my sleepy face, I feel I’m in a happy place.

The orange and pink streaked sky, And the clouds gentle cry.

Sliding through the heavens, Crawling through our population, Finding those, Who need it the most, And helping them walk again, step after step.

It is a special day,

It is always there when we need it, But not always when we ask for it, When the angry, grey clouds come, The rain pours, we turn and run, Leaving those too weak, all alone in the dark.

Drawing me in with its persistence.

But once the skies have wept, The storm clouds become embarrassed, For scaring us, After picking up such a fuss, And they turn and they flee.

Then the light once again shines through Our saviour, our hope, reminding us, That without the rain, without our pain, The sun wouldn’t shine as brightly As it does the next day.

My poem is all about how we sometimes take the light for granted, not thinking about it; but when the rain clouds come and we are left in darkness, we notice the sun so much more. It shows that when something we have grown accustomed to in our daily lives leaves, it can have such an impact on us. I also feel this reflects on me leaving my old school and all the friends I’ve made over my years there.

At the end of my poem, the sun comes out again, showing that in the end a solution is always found. In my case, I have found new friends and a new life I am so happy to be living. I love writing poems, and have been writing them for 2-3 years in whatever spare time I have. Usually my poems rhyme, but this time I decided to have a more unusual rhythm, especially after hearing the wonderful talk recently in the Library by the novelist Sarah Crossan.

Free for all light to play.

Mellow, golden fingers of light, Kiss my skin at twilight.

A piece of hope in the distance, Poetry is a way of expressing my different emotions and moods, capturing things that provoke intrigue or inspire me. It could be a beautiful blue sky or a sad experience.

I love the versatility of playing with the shape, the length and the words. It makes me think, and shows me things in a different way. I was inspired from a young age by the fun, joy and rhythm of what I thought of as poetry. The classic nursery rhymes, silly limericks and my favourite Dr Seuss books. Another poet, Shel Silverstein, inspired me to start writing and reading poetry, because I enjoyed his language and humour so much that I wanted to do the same for others. I am sometimes so moved by what is around me.

I want to recreate the images and feelings by playing with words.

I wrote my poem on light during three stages of the day, from a literal and personal angle, because I wanted it to create vivid, beautiful images of the light and to reach deep into the mind.

By Mia Randhawa (Year 7)

By Sophie Bloom (Year 7)

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YEAR 7 TRIP TO ST. LAWRENCE CHURCH At the end of the Summer Term, all of Year 7 took a trip to St. Lawrence Church. We walked a short distance through Canons Park, and when we arrived, we listened to a talk about the church and its design. The walls were painted in a style called Trompe L’Oeil, which means trick of the eye. All the painted statues looked so real and threedimensional we had to look twice to see they were not made of stone.

We then went into the mausoleum in small groups. This is where the 1st Duke of Chandos is buried with his wives.

There were more paintings and a marble statue of the Duke in a Roman outfit. We sketched the Trompe L’Oeil and the statues. In the Duke’s Gallery, we listened to the final movement of George Frideric Handel’s Suite No. 5 in E major, popularly known as the Harmonious Blacksmith.

We discussed and analysed the theme and its variations.

In the graveyard, we looked at the different styles and time periods of the gravestones. Here we looked at the relationship between the church and the local community, and we saw the grave of William Powell, the so called Harmonious Blacksmith. The legend tells that Handel took shelter from the rain in a smithy, and was inspired to write his tune upon hearing the hammer and the anvil. It was really interesting to see the wonderful paintings and to learn about the history of the church.

By Amelie Woodhouse (Year 7)

NLCS POETRY SLAM As part of the new NLCS Arts Festival, the Library with Mad Hatters decided to run our very first poetry slam called Outspoken. In a poetry slam poets recite original material aloud and uses the skills of public speaking, presentation and drama. We advertised this competition well in advance in order to give students time to produce their own well thought-out creative work. Mad Hatters held special creative writing sessions generate more excitement and thought about it. These were extremely well received, as we helped the girls with their choice of topics, presentation and style of communication.

book and is set to release his second later. Moreover, he has performed extensively around the world, in places such as Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Ronnie Scott’s, Winnipeg Fringe Festival, Australia, Germany and New Zealand.

In his inspirational talk, Ash Dickson underlined the

In order to inspire more people to take part and to give tips to those already writing slam poetry, we invited eminent slam poet Ash Dickinson to give a talk in assembly and to hold a series of workshops for the Middle School.

Ash Dickinson has written an exceptionally well-received

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importance of public speaking and discussed the way in which competitions such as these can really help with the communication skills of students. Furthermore, slam poetry can be an effective method of discussing controversial and emotional topics. In his workshop, he advised prospective competitors on how to structure their poems as well as how to choose either the comedic or the serious route.

He also emphasised confidence and the importance of creating a welcoming atmosphere for poems to be appreciated, although this was not hard to create at NLCS! The event was extremely successful with over 30 applicants. Many people came to support their friends as well as to enter at the last minute. Some of my personal favourites were the poems about books and fictional worlds, one about Disney and a poem performed by a duo that utilised not only their voices but also costumes and props. The creativity, originality and verve displayed by the girls were heartening, and we look forward to holding this event again in the future.

By Chandaria Sarina (Year 12)

Entries Disney Lied I was taught manners by Mickey Taught to laugh by goofy.

Taught to clean by ‘cinderellie’.

I was raised by Disney.

So at night when I wept and cried till about age ten, I’d indulge in these movies again and again But I learned this happiness was temporary Like every addiction, there were downsides that I just

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couldn’t see.

So like Mickey, Donald and the toothfairy, I learned that happily ever after isn’t reality.

It was the construct of a Disney society Which preyed on my innocence And of it made pure ignorance.

Which told me that every time I lost my way There would be a mystery mouseketool and everything would be okay.

Then I was opened to this whole new world where A mermaid can’t become a girl

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and Pinocchio can’t become a boy‘cuz mummy said he just a toy And my heart shattered like the CDS I stomped to pieces And left lying on the floor with the worn out remains of my hope.

I was taught manners by Mickey.

Taught to laugh by goofy.

Taught to clean by ‘cinderellie’.

I was lied to by Disney.

And I will not let it go.

By Zusi Inegbeniki (Year 12)

Untitiled It’s deceiving, Menacing eyes, Look upon me relentlessly, As I despise, The fact that I have to go to sleep.

The darkness eyes me suspiciously, Whilst I pray for invisibility, From these ghosts; flooding me with worry.

Condescendingly, Putting me down, I acknowledge with a frown, That it’s a necessity, Yes, I was told to do it by my mummy, But in natural human inclination, I vehemently refused, Eventually I was abused, And dreamless slumber carried me, To those bad, bad hair days, I just want to get out of this phase!

I cringe recklessly at the images brought to my mind , But no it pulls me and I am reluctantly dragged to find my nightmare.

Where you may ponder abundantly, On your thoughts that are wickedly adorned with gems of deceit, Lies, Memories, All a confetti of my should’ve, And shouldn’t have dones, Whilst you twist and turn your stomach starts to churn , And your thoughts mingle with, Horror, School Magazine 2015/16

Pools of it erode your brain , Until your mouth drools with shame, Only pain remains, And you are just left with remorse and regret, At those hours you didn’t get, Trying to sleep .

Kind regards

By Karel Ohana

Fate Salute Down on one knee 3 2 1 BANG Already the numbers had fallen down each fellow lying on the ground, his face contorted with a frown the beginning of a new day where the dewdrops on the grass look like blood as the men flop on the ground, screaming their last goodbyes to the world The triggers been pulled gone, in the blink of an eye taking with it one’s life but who could care but I Letter, after letter ‘went down fighting’, or ‘gone missing’ when women remember their last kissing-of goodbye and the broken promises of a safe return and the saying it will be over by Christmas Father, son, husband – none are spared not that there were many who cared-if they had fallen sirens, missiles, not only on the battlefield closing your curtains a few minutes too late and you meet your destined fate say goodbye to your husband-in the field say goodbye to your children-on the train last of all-say goodbye to the world you thought you lived in

By Caroline Utermann & Kate Walters (Year 7) The Carnegie Award is a literary book award, organised

by CILIP, the library and information association, and

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THE CARNEGIE AWARD – SHADOWING PROJECT shadowed every year by school children across the country. This year the shortlisted titles were predominantly aimed at teenagers, so our library ran a shadowing group in the Senior School for the first time. Year 8 and 9 pupils, building links between these two year groups, were invited to apply to take part in the shadowing exercise.

Twelve girls were chosen, and within the group, girls discussed the books and carried out a variety of activities within the library and online. Discussion often triggered extended reading beyond the shortlisted titles, with girls

recommending associated titles to each other and debating the core themes.

The eight titles were challenging in scope and style, encompassing a book in verse, a harrowing yet lifeaffirming tale of segregation and integration in the Deep South of 1959, fantasy/science fiction, a ’fan fiction’ style sequel of a well-known children’s title, and a feminist interpretation of the historical impact of evolution.

VISIT TO THE WESTERN FRONT The NLCS Archives contain a considerable amount of material showing the work of ONLs and pupils towards the war effort during the First World War. Many ONLs went to France as nurses and ambulance drivers. Each form adopted a prisoner of war and sent him parcels and letters. Girls sent games and playing cards to hospitals and sewed kit bags. Pupils were very affected by the death of their fathers and brothers who were serving in the war.

Each issue of the school magazine for this period records the death of numerous pupils’ relatives, for example: Killed in action at Thiepval, on September 26th, 1916, Lieutenant RALPH ARNOLD MIALL SMITH, 11th Royal Fusiliers, younger son of Mr. and Mrs. Miall Smith (Hilda C. Miall), and brother of Gladys and Dorothy Miall Smith.

Killed in action near Pozieres, at the battle of the Somme, on July 15th, 1916, KENNETH JAMES POUND. Private, 10th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), elder brother of Joan Pound, aged 23.

In the Autumn Term of 2015, Year 9 pupils went to the Western Front Battlefields to learn about the history and

literature of WW1 and to see where the action actually took place. As one of the staff accompanying the visit the most memorable moments for me were the visit to Sheffield Park where monuments to PALS regiments mark the spot where the troops marched out of the trenches on the first day of the battle of the Somme and were mown down, the Thiepval memorial commemorating 75,000 men with no known grave and the poems and letters of WW1 being read whilst we looked at the sites described.

Mrs Angela Kenny, Archivist

STAINED GLASS WINDOWS Since the 1920s, North London Collegiate School has occupied the site of the palace of Cannons, built in the early 18th century by James Brydges, Duke of Chandos, with his second wife Cassandra. Handel was composer in residence at Cannons from approximately 1717–1719, and played the organ for the Duke during Sunday services at St Lawrence Whitchurch, Little Stanmore. This church formed part of the Duke’s estate, and he and his family are buried in its mausoleum.

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Duke of Chandos James Brydges

In the 20th century, a number of stained glass windows were removed from St Lawrence Church so that the Church could be restored to its authentic 18th century Continental Baroque appearance.

These windows had been originally installed in the 1860s, and some paid homage to Handel, part of whose organ is still to be found in the Church.

The windows were probably funded by the family of Sir Thomas Plumer, Master of the Rolls, who owned Cannons 1805–1824.

After a number of years in storage at the Church, the windows were transported in fragments to specialist stained glass studios, who produced a Handel report on their condition. The school undertook to be responsible for the restoration of two of the three windows designed by the famous Victorian artist William De Morgan.

William De Morgan (1839–1917) studied at the Royal Academy Schools from 1856, and “was the foremost ceramic artist of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the latter half of the nineteenth century”1. In 1863 he met William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones and began to design both tiles and stained glass, eventually taking over the production of tile designs from Morris, who was less than successful with ceramics.

De Morgan’s significant technical contribution to ceramics was the rediscovery of lustre glazes, which occurred accidentally. This was inspired by the iridescence he observed whilst working on stained glass, which he did until approximately 1872 when he set up his own studio to concentrate on ceramics.

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The appeal of De Morgan‘s pottery lies in its rich, soft glazes, in his skill with colour, and his reinterpretation of 15th and 16th century designs and decorative use of birds, animals and fish. His windows, designed in the tradition of the Arts and Crafts Movement, share features of his ceramics designs. The decorative elements of his tiles are obvious also in the windows’ backgrounds and borders.

The two De Morgan windows at North London Collegiate School depict female figures. When originally commissioned from De Morgan, and in situ in the Church, they were accompanied by another window depicting The Messiah and a fourth portraying King David as a musician.

A section of the latter is currently exhibited at the Stained Glass Museum in Ely.

St Cecilia St Cecilia is the patron saint of music, and was a 2nd century Roman martyr whose feast day has been celebrated since the 4th century. In the window, she is shown surrounded by the titles of various hymns and tunes, one of which is As Pants the Hart, one of the Chandos Anthems.

Written by Handel in 1717-1718 for the Duke whilst under his patronage at Cannons, these anthems were based on religious texts and were performed at St Lawrence Church. Later, in 1739, Handel also composed a cantata called Ode for St Cecilia’s Day.

Esther Esther was a queen of the Persian King Ahasuerus, and her story is the basis for the Jewish festival of Purim.

Handel’s Esther began in 1718 as a masque, or chamber

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drama. Written early in Handel’s career, it was the first oratorio to be written in the English language, and borrows heavily from his Brockes Passion (1716).

It was probably first composed and performed at Cannons, and was a significant feature in the composer’s career.

Expertly restored to their original splendour, the De Morgan windows have been kindly loaned to the school by the

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Parochial Church Council. They represent an appreciation of tradition, and celebrate the important historical links between North London Collegiate School, St Lawrence Church, Handel and the Duke of Chandos.

By Mrs Karen Morgan, Senior Librarian

North London Collegiate School

PERFORMING DRAMA ARTS

MUSIC

All the choirs, orchestras and ensembles began practising early in the term and we were delighted to form a new Concert Band which now rehearses regularly on a Friday lunchtime.

We were also delighted to welcomed Mr Quintin Beer as our new Graduate Musician in Residence.

The first major event which took place was the annual Year 11 composition concert. All eleven GCSE students heard their first compositions performed and recorded as part of their examination submission. There were some excellent works and the atmosphere was relaxed and supportive.

Later in October, the very first Year 7 Arts Celebration was held in conjunction with the Drama Department. The evening displayed some very talented musicians playing solos and the entire year group rounded off the evening’s entertainment with a rousing and enthusiastic rendition of Handel’s Where’er you Walk.

The first major music concert of the year was held on 26th November. The Senior Concert took on a slightly different format this term and featured the larger orchestras and choirs only. Over one hundred girls took part in a thrilling evening of ambitious and enthusiastic music making. The String Orchestra played two movements of Holst’s St Paul’s Suite and two of our most experienced

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cellists excelled in a rendition of Vivaldi’s double cello concerto. The Concert Band performed extracts from John Williams with great panache and impeccable intonation and the first half rounded off with a stirring performance of Dvorak’s 9th symphony with over sixty players in the Senior Orchestra. The second half celebrated the Baroque with Bach and Lotti from the Chandos Singers and the complete performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria by the Senior Choir. The girls also provided the vocal solos orchestra and it rounded off a very successful night.

Not to be outdone, this was followed by the Middle School Festive concert. Once again, the standard of music making was high and the quality of singing throughout these years was outstanding.

Music also played an important part in the Middle School Play where Miss Miller arranged musical extracts to compliment Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. As ever the end of term combined the formal beauty of the carol service followed the next day by the final boisterous assembly with the whole Senior School bellowing out an alternative version of ‘Twelve Days of Christmas!

In January, North London Collegiate School welcomed Mr Ham to the department and the emphasis of the Department turned to Chamber music. The School entered twelve trios and quartets for the first round of the

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Chamber Music Competition. Due to the competition’s huge success the event took a slightly different format in that our Chamber Concert became a preliminary round where a maximum six groups were put forward to the first round. (This was done to enable more schools to enter). Of those six groups we were delighted that two groups were selected for the finals traditionally held at St John’s Smith Square. A junior category flute quartet and a senior piano trio played beautifully and the latter gained the runner’s up prize.

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Also in the Spring Term, a Senior Instrumental Concert was held in the Music School. The flute, clarinet, saxophone, guitar, bassoon and brass groups and the soul band all played a selection of musical items to a packed hall. The evening was a great success and having all the ensembles playing on one night gave more coherence to the overall programming of senior concerts.

The term ended with the Senior Concert and whilst there were no solo concertos this term, there were a number of individual solo passages within orchestras and choirs that

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were beautifully played. Mr Caley conducted the Chandos Singers, the Senior Choir sang a selection of Edwardian part songs by Elgar, the String Orchestra discovered the rustic idiom of Bartok’s Romanian dances and the Senior Orchestra rounded off the evening with a very promising

rendition of Bizet’s Carmen Suite No. 1 with notable solos from our senior wind players. The highlight of the evening was listening to our senior piano trio, who played the Shostakovich piano trio with real grit and maturity.

Beginnings

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There were four concerts in the Summer Term which included Miss Gomm’s clarinet concert, forty students playing solo at the Middle School Soloists’ Concert, the Lower School Concert and Middle School Concert which

featured orchestras, ensembles and choirs galore playing with great enthusiasm and commitment.

For the Senior School students, the Summer Term normally gives way to external examinations and Senior School music has to take a back seat. This year however saw the very first Summer Arts Festival which was held right at the end of term. It was encouraging to see so many senior students returning to put on concerts without having to worry about imminent examinations pressing on their time. Many highly interesting projects took place during the course of the Festival, with the Music Department putting on a Singing Concert, a Year 13 Leavers’ Concert, a Piano Recital, students providing background music for the Year 13 Valedictory and Summer Fete, as well as a Gala Concert featuring ‘Come and Sing Messiah’, where in the space of one day, the North London Collegiate School community got together and put on a concert of Messiah choruses, solos and a Handel Concerto Grosso. It is fitting that after all the many wonderful music events in the school year, the music students had the final say and put on a Music Talent Show as part of the Arts Showcase at the very end of the Festival.

And even when term had finished, a number of Middle School students boarded a bus and set off to sing at the prestigious Llangollen Festival conducted for the last time by the Lower school Director of Music, Miss White. We wish her all the best for the future.

By Mr Lawrence Haigh, Director of Music

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DRAMA

ARTS CELEBRATION On 15 October 2015, the annual Arts Celebration was staged. For the first time ever, the performance featured all students from Year 7. Combining drama, dance and music linked to the theme Beginnings, the packed auditorium enjoyed a selection of openings of plays,

songs exploring the theme, and premieres of new dance material. The drama material was rehearsed in a weekly club led by Year 12 students and all students performed the songs We Go Together and Where’er You Walk. It was wonderful to see the whole year group together so early in their Senior School careers on the Performing Arts Centre stage.

TWELFTH NIGHT The Middle School play Twelfth Night was performed by seventy girls from Years 8 and 9 on 18 and 19 November in the Performing Arts Centre. The well-known Shakespearian play was cleverly adapted by the director, Mr. Kenwright and the girls to add an element of humour.

The play, set in the magical and mysterious land of Illyria, was brought to life by the stunning set, which featured elements such as fountains, fairy lights, and delicately draped canopies. In this new adaptation, twenty goddesses led the audience to the land of Illyria, beautifully established through set, lights and live music. The acting was of an extremely high standard; the cast was faced with the challenge of performing with the original Shakespearian language and they conveyed the twists and turns of the plot clearly. The cast were supported by a large team of girls in technical, backstage and front of house areas, and they worked with outstanding commitment and

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enthusiasm to bring this innovative piece of theatre to life. It was wonderful seeing such a large cast enjoying the experience of performing on the Performing Arts Centre stage.

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ALONE On 10December over forty girls from Years 10 to 13 performed Alone. Monologues from a variety of plays were delivered and stimulated original dance work. Using a range of styles and physical theatre techniques students performed solos, duets, trios and large group pieces exploring the ideas from the different monologues. Pieces included an exploration of a harassed mother, a wedding proposal, cooking and maths. This was a highly original evening showcasing the talents of both actors and dancers.

THE REVENGERS’ COMEDIES Audiences who attended one or both parts of the Senior School Play The Revengers’ Comedies directed

by Miss Deborah Gibbs, Director of Drama, were treated to wonderfully entertaining and immensely funny performances. Alan Ayckbourn’s 1989 play combines his brilliant observation for detail, comic genius and social commentary. Two individuals collide at midnight on Albert Bridge - the girl crossed in love, and a man who has lost his job - and, instead of jumping into the water as intended, they conclude a pact to take revenge on each other’s enemies. Performed by two different casts from Years 10 to 12, the actors showed remarkable maturity in dealing with this fast-moving text. This is a challenging work for young people and the performers showed immense maturity and skill in staying true to Ayckbourn’s writing. The comic

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timing was superb and the challenges of performing two full-length plays were met with consummate ease and professionalism. A complex set created numerous locations including a drawing room, piggery, wine bar, office and a flying bridge.

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DRAMA

ARABIAN NIGHTS A cast of more than seventy students from Years 7 and 8 mesmerised audiences with their production of Arabian Nights. Staged in the Performing Arts Centre on 4 and 5 May, this was a visually thrilling show which showcased the wonderful talents of this huge cast. Arabian Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales collected over many centuries by various authors, translators and scholars across West, Central, and South Asia and North Africa. The tales themselves trace their roots back to ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Mesopotamian, Indian, and Egyptian folklore and literature.

This stage version was adapted by Dominic Cooke and was first performed at the Young Vic in 1998 and then

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again in 2000. This was a beautiful piece of story-telling with the actors drawing on inventive physical theatre techniques.

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MUSICAL THEATRE EVENING On 18 and 19 May, students treated audiences to wonderful, intimate performances of songs from the musicals in the newly introduced Musical Theatre Evening.

Performed in the Black Studio, audience members enjoyed a cabaret style environment, seated around candlelit tables as the cast performed around them. Solo and group performances were taken from a range of different musicals including Cabaret, A Chorus Line, Carousel and Copacabana. This was a highly pleasurable, atmospheric event and it was wonderful to see many new soloists in action.

BELINDA & HER INTENDED On Sunday 26 June at the start of the Arts Festival, mirroring the rehearsal routines of Shakespeare’s actors, students from Years 10 and 11 had only one full rehearsal to prepare and perform the play Belinda & Her Intended.

Written by Miss Deborah Gibbs, Director of Drama, the play explores what happens when family and friends are thrown together to celebrate Belinda’s engagement. This was a highly amusing and energetic performance and was a wonderful example of what the girls could achieve in just one rehearsal.

BLINK On 28 and 29 June, as part of the Arts Festival, Year 10 Students performed Phil Porter’s 2012 play Blink, the tale of Jonah, Sophie and a fox called Scruffilitis. Experimenting with style, and exploring the complexities of the characters, Jonah and Sophie, this was a thought-provoking and intriguing look at loneliness and love in the 21st Century.

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DRAMA

A PLAY IN A DAY On Monday 4 July students from a range of different year groups performed A Play in a Day. Actually in rehearsal

EVERYMAN – EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL At the end of the summer break, after many weeks of rehearsals, a group of Sixth Form students travelled to Scotland to take part in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Performing a piece entitled Everyman, the girls had the opportunity to participate in this world renowned event.

Everyman tells the story of its eponymous hero, as she is

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for just one afternoon, this was an exciting way of bringing year groups together, as the final performance in the Performing Arts Centre at the end of the Arts Festival.

told she is going to die as a punishment for a self-indulgent lifestyle. Through a mix of dialogue and physical dancing, this original tale perfectly captures feelings of despair in the face of death. Congratulations to all the cast and crew for delivering such a unique and imaginative production.

By Miss Deborah Gibbs, Director of Drama

North London Collegiate School

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GYMNASTICS The gymnasts spent the Autumn Term learning new skills and preparing for the end of term competition schedule. In October both the Under 13 and Over 13 teams competed at the 2-piece GISGA competition. The Under 13 team scored the highest they ever have - placing 4th and securing a place at the national 4-piece competition in January. The Over 13 team placed third, going forward to the National 5-piece competition in March.

In the Spring Term, the Under 13 gymnasts competed in the prestigious National Independent Schools Gymnastics Association 4-piece competition. The five girls performed two floor routines and two vaults each and did so with elegance and precision. They scored much higher than they have before and secured first place as a team. One of the girls also came away with 1st place individually.

The Under 19 Senior Gymnastics team took part in the London Schools Gymnastics competition at Lady Eleanor Holles School. The girls put in an excellent performance on both floor and vault which secured them fifth place overall in the team event. One team member put in an excellent performance individually and placed in the top ten.

In the Summer Term the girls worked hard on their choreography for the end of year Gym & Dance Display.

TRAMPOLINING Trampolinists were able to join competitive squad and training squad sessions this year. The squad trampolinists worked hard on perfecting their set and voluntary routines to compete in the London Schools competition at the end of November, and trained throughout the year in preparation for the annual display in June.

groups. Four other girls also placed in the top 10 in the junior section and one placed 4th in the senior category.

In the team competition the junior girls placed 2nd and the senior girls won overall. Congratulations for a fabulous achievement.

The Spring Season was a successful one for the trampoline team. After winning the London rounds of the British Schools Trampoline competition, the NLCS senior trampoline team attended the zonal round in Gillingham.

After performing the three girls placed 5th in their age category as a team. Individually our highest scorer placed 5th overall, narrowly missing the medals.

On 10 February, North London entered two junior teams and one senior team to the Harrow trampolining competition. Some girls competed for the very first time and were excellent. Overall our highest scoring and junior and senior representatives both won in their age

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LACROSSE Both the 1st and 2nd Senior lacrosse teams competed in the Greater London tournament at the start of the season.

The Senior 2nd team worked hard on their defensive unit, and qualified for the Championship group, coming 5th out of the county’s 1st and 2nd teams. The 1st team achieved 3rd place, and from their play and further trials all girls were selected to represent Greater London in the inter-counties tournament. In the Greater London indoor tournament the girls played excellent lacrosse and finished a closely fought 2nd, with the result only being decided in the last two minutes of play in the last game.

National Schools Lacrosse - Under 14s

The main focus for the Senior Squad in the Spring Term was the Nationals Schools Tournament, which takes place over two days. The team did extremely well on the Friday, qualifying for Division 1. On the Saturday, they progressed to the knockout rounds where they held their discipline under an aggressive onslaught from their opposition, narrowly losing to Cheltenham Ladies College by one goal in the quarter finals. Qualifying for Division 2, the 2nd team showed determination and focus on the Saturday, qualifying for the quarter-finals but ultimately losing out to Stowe. The Under 15 team started the season incredibly well with the A team finishing 3rd in the County tournament.

Six girls were selected to represent the Greater London County in the County Tournament. Four girls have been selected to be involved in the England Academy system and they have enjoyed focused sessions on fitness, stick work and game play. The Under 15 squad had a strong season culminating in a tough section at National Schools, coming 4th in their section overall. They are excited to train and play with the senior teams next year.

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Both Under 14 teams have worked hard this season, striving to improve their stick skills and learn game tactics.

The Under 14 B team came 3rd in the Greater London tournament while the A team finished in 4th place due to goal difference. The Under 14 A team highlight was the brilliant win against Writhlington Academy with a 5-0 victory at the National competition.

There has been a great turnout to Under 13 Lacrosse, with the squad showing an excellent level of fitness and enthusiasm. Both teams performed well at the County

National Schools Lacrosse - Senior Team

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ONL vs Student Lacrosse

Tournament with the A Squad finishing in 3rd place and the B Squad achieving 2nd place.

This season started well for the Under 12 lacrosse team.

The A team won their first game 15–0 against Claremont

WATERSPORTS Girls in the Senior School Swim Squad trained all year round, competing in a friendly competition against St Helen’s where there were some outstanding individual swims. The Summer season was fantastic for the NLCS Swim teams winning all of their galas against other schools.

The Water Polo Club held weekly sessions run by our two swimming captains. In the Autumn Term, they were busy introducing the basic skills of water polo and developing the players’ tactical knowledge and understanding of the game.

For most of the girls it was a completely new sport, and so has given them the opportunity to challenge themselves. In the Spring Term, the focus was building the Water Polo programme and encouraging more swimmers to take up the sport. Girls from Years 7 to 13

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School and the B team also won their first game 7–2 against St Helen’s School. At the county tournament the B team won overall – a very exciting day! The team shows huge potential for the future.

competed in a friendly match against Highgate School as well as the Under 13, Under 15 and Under 18 English Schools Southern tournaments. The Under 18 team built on their success from last year with wins against Notting Hill and Ealing High School and Old Palace of John Whitgift School. This great performance meant that they qualified for the National Championship Finals where they finished in joint 7th place. Overall, WaterPolo has made great progress this term and we look forward to continuing to improve next year.

Groups of girls from Year 11 and Year 10 have been working towards Lifeguarding Qualifications and Lifesaving awards. In Year 11, six girls successfully passed the Royal Lifesaving Society’s National Pool Lifeguard Qualification. The girls are now qualified Lifeguards and First Aiders. In Year 10 we have seen a high level of interest in achieving the R.L.S.S Survive and Save Lifesaving Award – Bronze Medallion. During the course the girls have learnt and mastered various first aid, water safety and rescue skills.

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CROSS COUNTRY The Cross Country season had a fantastic start with the Year 7, 8 and 9 students enjoying the new Inter-House Competition. In the Harrow Cross Country Challenge, the girls demonstrated excellent depth of talent, with the Year 9 team gaining 3rd place, the Year 7 team 2nd place and the Year 8 team 1st place. Individual 1st and 3rd places were deservedly awarded to two Year 8 girls. In the prestigious ESSA Schools’ Cross Country Cup both teams qualified for the Regional Round. A girl from Year 8 performed outstandingly to earn 1st place. Despite torrential rain and tough competition, the girls completed the Regional Round with incredible determination and positivity. The Junior team were placed 6th, seven places

NETBALL The Senior 1st Team made a strong start to the season qualifying for the finals of the County Tournament. They won their 1st round of the Independent Schools Netball Tournament and were unfortunate to have been beaten

by Brentwood School in the 2nd round. Bravely facing snow and wind at the National Qualifying rounds, they finished 2nd, making it to the 2nd round. This was the first time they have qualified for a number of years and is an outstanding achievement.

higher than last year, and the Inter team came 13th.

The Spring Term had a great start with over 30 runners from the minor, junior and intermediate age groups competing in the Harrow Cross Country. The minors and juniors did exceptionally well to be placed first. Two girls in Years 7 and 8 proudly achieved 1st place in their races and one year 9 girl achieved 3rd place, with many of the girls coming in closely behind. From this competition 12 girls went on to be selected for Harrow. All girls displayed an excellent level of grit and determination in a tough competitive field with one senior girl, who entered as an individual, gaining 5th place and going on to represent Middlesex at the English Schools – an outstanding achievement.

their matches to become overall winners. The Under 12 B team also played fantastically, scoring 70 goals and conceding none.

The Under 13 team had a fabulous Autumn Term.

Competing in the Independent Schools Cup for the first time they met tough opposition but played sterling netball.

An extremely close game in Round 1, and a fabulously convincing win in Round 2 against St George’s, Weybridge meant a third round draw against the most successful team in the competition.

All teams enjoyed a strong Spring Term. The Senior Netball Team enjoyed their most successful season of recent years, qualifying for the Regional round of the Nationals where they fought hard and played matches against some formidable opponents, they also qualified for the County finals. The Under 14 Team also qualified for the County Finals Tournament and played some excellent Netball. In the County Tournament, the Under 12 team faced strong opposition and managed to secure a number of draws and victories. The Under 13 Team played exceptionally well winning all but one of their matches, and unfortunately losing a closely fought match to Lady Eleanor Holles School in the semi-finals. In the Harrow Tournament, the Under 13 B team played outstandingly well, winning all

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FOOTBALL Football has been running throughout the year, with a large number of girls attending the training sessions from a variety of years. There has been a significant improvement in all girls’ ability, with the focus on some basic drills and putting girls in game situations to improve their first

HOCKEY Following on from the PE Week taster session and with support from a Sixth Form student, who is a egional

touches and movement on and off the ball. The girls are now confident on the ball and are able to construct effective play. There are a large number of regulars from Years 7 through to 10, a number of whom are doing football as their Physical Activity component of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze and Silver award.

Hockey player, we have been able to offer two Hockey clubs. The numbers have gone from strength to strength with girls eager to learn a new sport and use their understanding of Lacrosse and Netball in a different arena.

SKIING Seven girls participated in the British Schoolgirls’ Races in Flaine in the Spring Term. More than 50 schools entered this prestigious ski event which has been running for more than 50 years. North London Collegiate School were placed 1st in the Under 16 age group in both the giant slalom and the slalom. Overall in the combined events in the Under 16 age group also placed 1st. In the Under 14 age group North London placed 1st in both the giant slalom and slalom events and overall in the combined events North London placed 1st. In the team events the North London Collegiate School A team finished 1st making us champions of the British school girls ski races 2016, which is an exceptional achievement!

We also entered a B team for the first time this year with a very young team, competing against girls much older and more experienced, the girls skied phenomenally well and they placed second in the giant slalom event. A fantastic performance from all the girls involved and a great experience for those competing for the first time.

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CRICKET Cricket started in the Summer Term due to requests from girls from different ages. There has been great enthusiasm and attendance, with the girls playing fast games of quick cricket to ensure they all have a chance to bat, bowl and field. The girls have been focusing on overarm bowling, giving demonstrations and helping girls improve their speed and accuracy when bowling.

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ATHLETICS The Athletics season again kicked off with pace. Our afterschool training sessions and open lunchtime sessions have been thriving, with both track and field sessions on offer to all age groups. We have a fantastic representation at the upcoming Middlesex Championships and have qualified for the ‘A’ class regional round of the track and field cup, which is a first for the team. With more than 500 schools registering to take part in the initial rounds of this event the team did extremely well to go forward into the top stream.

BADMINTON Following on from a successful start to the season, the numbers continued to swell in the Development and Elite sessions. The opportunity for the girls to compete based on ability rather than age has ensured that a competitive and challenging atmosphere is fostered. The league continued in a positive vein with some closely competed matches. The girls also had a further opportunity to play in recreational, non-league matches, which were highly beneficial. The end of season Open Doubles Badminton

TENNIS The Tennis season has been an exciting one this year and we have continued to use the new set-up which started last year. The girls have not trained with their year groups but have instead been selected for an elite squad or a development squad, where training sessions are vigorous and varied. There are currently a number of exceptionally strong tennis players in the school who are inspiring the other players throughout all the year groups.

competition was fiercely competed again this year with the final being played in front of the Middle School. Two exciting semi-finals culminated in a closely played final consisting of a masterclass in play.

The Badminton Squad is going from strength to strength.

The Middle, Upper and Senior School squads took part in the Harrow League match against Royal Masonic School and all competed in an age level above their own. Two of our Year 13 students, including the 2015-2016 Badminton Captain worked superbly as a powerful force, winning all their games.

Year 9 and Year 10+ doubles competition. The Year 7 girls tried a new House doubles competition this year, which proved great fun.

At the end of the Summer Term, girls were selected across the School to compete in the Pamela Flower tournament. We also had a new open Year 8, School Magazine 2014/15

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YEAR 7 DANCE DISPLAY Involving all students in Year 7, the annual Dance Display was one of the highlights of the Middle School Calendar.

Girls took part in a variety of dances which were choreographed around this year’s theme of ‘Artists’. During their performance, the girls used their dance skills to “paint the stage”. Each class performed a dance, choreographed in the style of different paintings, using costumes and music to take the audience into the world of performing art. Also performing were separate, smaller dance groups, such as tap, modern and ballet dances, which were choreographed by some of the senior girls. All the seats of the auditorium were occupied, and all of the audience thoroughly enjoyed the display, making it a great night to attend.

Dance & Cheerleading Both the Dance squad and Cheerleading squad have been training exceptionally hard twice-weekly to develop their

skills and difficulty. They have worked towards creating routines for the Gym & Dance showcase at the end of the year.

The Dance squad continued this year with girls in Years 7 to13 enjoying weekly classes. They have been learning numerous dance styles in order to become a versatile squad that may be able to compete and perform in events later on in the year. The Dance squad also performed a 40-minute showcase in the finale of the Arts Festival.

SPORTS CELEBRATION EVENING 2016 On Thursday 14 April, North London Collegiate School hosted its second Sports Celebration Evening. The evening aims to celebrate the sporting achievements of girls in all years, excelling in sports both in school and out of school.

Every year, a highly-esteemed athlete is invited to speak to the girls. This year, Olympic Badminton Silver Medallist, Gail Emms, was invited to speak. She delivered a highly motivational speech, drawing on many of her own experiences and how they shaped her sporting career. Both girls and parents were intrigued and inspired, and were even invited in the break to try on her Olympic medal.

to recognise the achievements of Middle School girls. The climax of the evening is the ‘North London Collegiate School Sports Personality,’ which is voted for by the girls and parents. A huge number of girls take part in sports outside of school, from skiing to surfing, and this award aims to recognise their incredible achievements.

Throughout the first half of the evening a short speech was given on each of the nominees, outlining their successes, training regimes, and future goals. The award was given to Holly Fischer, a talented international tennis player.

The evening was a great success, and everyone left highly motivated for the forthcoming sports season.

Many awards were given on the evening, including larger awards such as the ‘Victrix Ludorum’ (Master of the Games) and the ‘Best New Comer’. This year the event had a slightly different structure, with additional awards

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This year, girls have taken part in a wide variety of exciting cultural exchanges and trips both in the UK and overseas. There have been more than 30 trips, including language visits to France, Spain and China, Classists to Sicily, Historians to Berlin, Art students

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to Amsterdam and cultural exchanges to Colombia, Germany, USA and Jeju. Also, there were numerous visits to see productions at the theatre and art exhibitions, science and geography field trips and outdoor adventure excursions closer to home.

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YEAR 7 TRIP TO PHASELS WOOD. Year 7 had a fantastic time on their first school trip to Phasels Wood Activity Centre, which took place in their fourth week of Year 7.

When we reached the Centre, they told us about all the activities on offer. The first one was Human Table Football, which involved a giant inflatable version of the classic game ‘table football’. Tied to a rope by a sturdy waistband and inside of an inflatable pitch with goals at each end, the players can only move a certain amount in each direction along their line. We had to work as a team to score the most goals possible in the allotted five minutes. Since many of us have played football before and are fans of the game, we were thrilled to try this unique cross-over!

After this, we started our next activity: orienteering.

Orienteering is a sport in which you are given a map of the area and have to find certain places, almost like a treasure hunt. We all found this extremely entertaining!

It was a great way to create meaningful friendships and compete at the same time.

To fuel us up for the day ahead we stopped to have lunch and soon were off again! Next up was archery. We were armed with bows and arrows and started shooting the targets, at first missing, but gradually getting better. By the

YEAR 7 TRIP TO STRATFORDUPON-AVON AND WARWICK CASTLE Our trip to Stratford-upon-Avon was amazing, from the stunning scenery to the dramatic performance of Don Quixote. We learnt an enormous amount about Shakespeare, his plays and his family.

When we got to Stratford-upon-Avon, we all clambered out of the coach and walked to Shakespeare’s Birthplace, where we explored his house in small groups. We were allowed to look inside the room where William Shakespeare was born.

end of this amazing session, we all felt like professional archers.

The final activity was team building. This was a thoughtprovoking exercise in which everyone relied on each other, which helped us realise that if people work together, sometimes things are easier and quicker than if only one person tries. It also strengthened the bonds amongst us and helped develop friendships further. It was an amazing trip that I’m sure none of us will ever forget!

By Ria Thakrar (Year 7) For lunch, we went into the quaint town, where we bought some food, sweets and several souvenirs. We then continued this tour with a trip to The Other Place where the Royal Shakespeare Company rehearse. We looked behind the scenes and learnt all about the stage rehearsals, costuming, and the famous voice coach working there.

The rehearsal tape they showed us was amazing, it was surprising the amount of work required to produce a play!

When we finished at the RSC the coach took us back to Mary Arden’s Farm where we spent a long time talking to the blacksmith. To end the day we watched the play Don

Next, we went on a relaxing walk to Anne Hathaway’s cottage. It was vast and the greenery surrounding it was beautiful. A lady spoke about Anne Hathaway, William Shakespeare and their relations. The cottage was a 12 room house with an intricate interior. Originally the cottage had two rooms and was part of a farm. We learnt a lot at the cottage about Shakespeare’s personal life.

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Quixote, which was about a man who believed that he was a knight. He went around believing he was helping people when he was actually making things worse; it was hilariously funny, and we all enjoyed it.

how much there was to explore. We walked round the garden, had a quick lunch stop, watched the owl show, saw beautiful peacocks, and watched a video showing us how Warwick Castle was built.

After a sleep at the hotel, we set off for Warwick Castle.

There were many activities to get involved with and we were each given a map to help us find our way around. We dashed straight to the maze where we had a competition to see who could get through first.

The weather was fantastic and only now did we realise

Overall the trip to Stratford-upon-Avon was an incredible experience: it was a chance to be astonished and have fun with our friends.

By Thaleesha, Hareni, Jodie, Marili, Dania, Tia, Francesca, Yuval, Elina and Aamani (Year 7)

SIXTH FORM TRIP TO GRANADA Over the October Half Term, fifteen girls from Year 12 and 13 travelled to the beautiful city of Granada in the south of Spain for six days. The girls enjoyed their intensive language lessons taught by natives at the DeLengua language school as well as being able to enjoy the beauty of Grenada by participating in activities such as a lovely stroll through the city centre and the Albaicín - the Moorish district of the city. The trip was a huge success, and the girls thoroughly enjoyed spending time immersed in Spanish culture and improving their fluency in the language, while exploring everything Granada has to offer.

YEAR 9 TRIP TO CHINA Twenty-seven girls from Year 9 ventured ‘east’ during the Easter break for a spectacular 10 day cultural tour of the People’s Republic of China. North London Collegiate School girls were greeted by their partner school ‘Chengdu No 7 High’ with a welcoming ceremony, followed by a whole school morning exercise session on the sports ground. For the next few days these girls would gain an invaluable insight into Chinese culture, language and history. Activities included a Panda volunteering day in Chengdu, a trip to an orphanage, a visit to the ancient city of Xi’an, trekking up Mount Emei in Leshan, There was ample opportunity for girls to practise their Chinese, and bargaining skills at the “Wide and Narrow alley’, an old town dating back to the Qing Dynasty. Girls were invited to take part in various interactive activities consisting of Tai Chi and Kung Fu, and traditional Chinese Calligraphy. No visit to Xi’an is ever complete without a visit to Emperor Qin’s Terracotta Army, considered to be over 2200 years old. The Terracotta Warriors is the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century discovered by local farmers in 1974. Girls spent the day exploring the

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relics in various pits, taking photos of the Bronze chariot, and discovering the various exhibitions relating to the life of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s reign.

By Mr Terence Chan, Senior School Librarian

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YEAR 10 TRIP TO MADRID During the first week of October Half Term, a group of Year 10 students and three teachers went to Madrid for a one-week exchange.

We arrived on Friday night and our first weekend was spent getting to know our exchange partners and their families and exploring the city they live in. We all tried to speak as much Spanish as we could. During this first weekend, I visited the ‘Oxford Street’ equivalent of Madrid and was particularly struck by the huge range of shops.

I went out for dinner in the heart of Madrid with my partner and other North London Collegiate School girls and their partners on the Saturday night. The cuisine was quite different, and I found myself trying new, delicious food throughout the week…’churros con chocolate’ being my favourite!

During the week, North London Collegiate School girls went on excursions while the Spaniards were in school; a large, mixed school with a vibrant atmosphere. We visited a huge variety of places throughout the week, all

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of which were interesting in different ways. In Madrid, we had a guided tour of the Museo del Prado where we saw exquisite art; we walked in El Parque Retiro, had churros in a vintage Chocolatería, visited a large food market, El Mercado de San Miguel, and had a guided tour of the Casa de Lopez de Vega, the home of a famous Spanish author. In our free time, we were able to explore Madrid’s shopping streets and visit the huge range of shops. My favourite place we visited was the Palacio Real in which we had a tour; it was a remarkable palace, each room was so impressively decorated - everyone was fascinated by its beauty. We also made an excursion to a charming nearby town called Toledo in which we went on a tour in an oldfashioned train from which we enjoyed remarkable views.

My week in Madrid was a wonderful experience; I feel I know Madrid so well now and have learnt so much about the incredible city. I have also become a lot more confident in speaking Spanish and enjoyed having an insight into a genuine Spanish way of life. I’m so fond of the city and cannot wait to visit it in the future.

By Georgina Fennessy (Year 10)

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CLASSICS TRIP TO SICILY During the October Half Term, twenty-five girls rolled out of bed at 3 a.m., bleary-eyed but excited to embark on our seven-day Classics trip to Sicily. Upon arrival, we were struck not only by the heat but the beauty of the island, before immediately setting off towards our first destination: the temples and theatre of Segesta.

Over the course of the week, we visited several more of these ancient ruins, such as the Temple of Hera at Agrigento, the Selinunte Akropolis and Temples and the Syracuse Archaeological Park. It was so different walking through these sites first-hand, to simply staring at a picture back home. Wandering the leftover rocks and remains of these ancient, once-great buildings was an experience I’m sure none of us will forget; it was all too easy to imagine them as they once stood, tall, majestic, the jewels of the ancient world.

As we made our way around the island coast, we also had free time in a few Sicilian towns such as Erice and Ortygia.

One of my favourite parts of the trip was seeing the town of Taormina. After taking a minibus up the mountain

and climbing many arduous steps, we finally reached the Taormina Theatre, where the views were breathtaking; in one direction you could see the layout of the theatre, while in another, there lay Mount Etna, the island’s volcano, and in another, the glistening sea. Afterwards, we had a few hours to explore the modern town.

By Jasmine Chen (Year 11)

SIXTH FORM ENGLISH TRIP TO DUBLIN The three days that the English trip to Dublin spanned over proved to be exciting and action-packed with fascinating doses of Ireland’s rich literary history. Despite an early start on the first day, the girls were ready for an incredible line-up of the Irish culture, visiting several museums and art galleries. We were particularly excited to learn more about the literary tradition, as many of us are currently studying the works of writers such as Joyce and Yeats for the English IB and Pre-U. Visits to the Dublin Writers Museum, the James Joyce Centre and a W.B. Yeats exhibition at the National Library were brilliant as they helped these literary figures come alive. I particularly enjoyed the visit to the W.B. Yeats exhibition, where a special display allowed visitors to sit down and listen to different voices recite Yeats poems.

Our visit to Dublin coincided with the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, so we were also surrounded with the historical implications of this. A highlight was the temporary exhibition at The Little Museum of Dublin where the events of the Easter Rising were told through minimalistic cartoon drawings. We thought this method

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of depiction was particularly effective as it was more accessible to a younger audience. Visits to cafes were, of course, a mandatory part of the trip, and evening theatre trips to see Sean O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars and Juno and the Paycock were wonderful as we further immersed ourselves in the Irish culture. Our time in Dublin proved to be an enriching and inspiring experience, and I’m sure we’ll all be rushing to get to the big pile of contemporary Irish novels!

By Iris Wang (Year 12)

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HISTORY TRIP TO BERLIN During the February Half Term, 27 girls and two members of staff went to Berlin, to learn about the city’s history. On the first day, everyone went on a walking tour of Berlin, where they saw sites including the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, and the memorial for the Roma and Sinti population that were killed during the Holocaust.

Girls then went to the Jewish Museum, which was one of the most amazing experiences of the trip. In particular, the Holocaust memorial in the museum. Holocaust Tower, as it is known, is a very tall, empty room, which is not heated and does not have electric lighting. The only light in the tower comes from a small slit at the top.

Another incredible experience was visiting the remains of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, a camp for political prisoners. Visiting the remains and the museum on the site was a very powerful experience. Students also

PHYSICS TRIP TO GENEVA The first week of the Easter holidays saw seventeen girls head off to Geneva on the Physics CERN trip. The trip spanned over three action-packed days during which the girls visited the Hadron Collider at CERN, walked around the Genevan neighbourhoods and went on a tour of the United Nations building.

visited the German Historical Museum, which had exhibits on German history from the Prussian Empire until present.

On the final day, girls visited the remaining section of the Berlin Wall and a museum about life in East Germany. This trip was an amazing experience and helped create a lot of unforgettable memories.

including a decommissioned accelerator and the collider invited plenty of curious questions from both the staff and the students. The girls especially enjoyed the guided tour of the UN building, as we even got to see a UN meeting in progress. Though the trip was relatively short, it was planned comprehensively, and the girls had a very enjoyable few days.

By Iris Wang (Year 12)

A comprehensive tour that took us to several sites

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ART TRIP TO AMSTERDAM During the Half-term, Sixth Form Art students travelled to Amsterdam to visit Museum Square which is home to many beautiful art galleries such as the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk. This trip was a brilliant chance to produce detailed first-hand studies and to see some of the world’s most famous paintings first hand. During the trip, all the girls were given small sketchbooks as part of a ‘sketchbook competition’ the aim of which was to fill the sketchbook in the three days. Studies included paintings, products and other students.

By Ms Fiori, Teacher of Art

STUDENT EXCHANGES LUDWIGSBURG EXCHANGE Eight girls participated in the Ludwigsburg exchange over the Easter holiday. The girls joined the Germans at school on Monday, where they observed the few long lessons which made up a short day, ending at 1:00pm.

After spending the first day in school, the girls visited the Mercedes Benz Museum and the TV tower in Stuttgart, with the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful view of Stuttgart at a height of 150 metres. In the evening, the girls and their exchange partners attended a ballet, Out of the Box V, performed by the internationally renowned Eric Gauthier Dance Company. This performance consisted of modern choreography incorporated with classical ballet.

On Wednesday, the girls visited the ancient university

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town of Tübingen. There, they were given a guided tour around the town as well as the opportunity to punt down the River Neckar, which also runs through Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg. After another day at school, the girls were guided around the Ludwigsburg Schloss, the largest Baroque castle outside of Versailles. Friday afternoon and Saturday allowed the girls to spend time with their host families and included visits to the Black Forest, Marbach, Heidelberg and the Ritter Sport factory. The girls observed many cultural differences, ranging from the preferred sparkling water to the infamous pretzels. All the exchanges thoroughly enjoyed themselves, improved their German, and had the privilege of experiencing German cuisine and tradition. It was definitely a great way to end the Easter holiday! Dankeschön, Ludwigsburg! Thank you to Mrs. Pampus and Mrs. Fiori for taking us.

By Biranavi Kirupakaran and Athena Ham (Year 10)

North London Collegiate School

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GERMANTOWN ACADEMY The Germantown Academy exchange took place over the Half Term. The girls were able to see how American families lived compared to us. The exchanges took the girls to activities they would have never have thought to have tried, for example a 5km walk, volleyball practice or apple picking followed by a trip to New Jersey for ice cream. The girls also went on trips with the school. School life was extremely different as the girls of Germantown were expected to do two hours of sport a day, their uniform code was extremely relaxed, they only had one period after lunch with their lunch break only being half an hour. The school also has their own ‘merchandise’, GA Swag, which many of the girls purchased. Overall, the girls would highly recommend the exchange and they can’t wait for their exchanges to come to London!

By Amira Osbourne (Year 10)

NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL JEJU EXCHANGE During the Summer Term, seven girls from Year 9 participated in the annual exchange with North London Collegiate School Jeju. Despite us being over 5000 miles from London, the students’ kind nature and warm welcome made us feel at home. During our visit, we were given the opportunity to explore the beautiful island, take part in the Schools Arts Festival, and meet some amazing people. It was also interesting to get an insider’s account of boarding school life. Attending a day school, we have never had the opportunity to experience the tight friendship created within a boarding house and the fluidity it created between the year groups. We saw many Year 11 girls assisting the Year 7 students in their daily routine, whether it be homework or just socialising at lunch. There was so much to take from this experience, including learning about the cultural differences between the UK and Korea

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which were fascinating. We recommend taking part in this exchange to other girls in Year 9; it is an experience that we will never forget.

By Hannah Shewan and Romy McCarthy (Year 9)

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