The North Londoner - 2020

The North Londoner NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL | SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2019

2020

The magazine of North London Collegiate School

WELCOME

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School 2020 magazine

WELCOME TO THE 2020 EDITION OF THE NORTH LONDONER MAGAZINE.

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he North Londoner magazine highlights the activities, events, drama productions, sporting events, speakers and trips of the Senior School year, and whilst the 2019-2020 Academic Year was dominated by the COVID-19 Pandemic, we had almost two terms of normality before the world changed.

During the Autumn and Spring terms students had the opportunity to visit Iceland, the Western Front, skiing in Italy and Russia, and a residential trip to Warwick for our new Year 7s. Sadly, trips in the Summer term were unable to take place, but this did not deter our English Department who created a vibrant and exciting ‘virtual’ journey guide of Dublin for Sixth Form students, and included visits to the National Library of Ireland and The James Joyce Culture Centre.

Our Old House Concert series went from strength to strength thanks to the acquisition of a Steinway Model ‘O’ Grand Piano, and we hosted our first Jazz Night, which celebrated the work of the Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Collective.

Undeterred by lockdown, the pupils love of music remained as strong as ever; the Music Society compiled student recordings and hosted lunchtime concerts, staff shared their ‘Desert Island Discs’ in weekly Music Appreciation sessions and we launched a fundraising project for the NHS based on Bill Withers’ ‘Lean on Me’, which enabled pupils, parents, staff and Old North Londoners to submit recordings which were collated as one mass performance.

Sport plays a significant role in the School, and every member of the NLCS Community is encouraged to participate in some form of regular physical activity. This year has been no exception with the School hosting and taking part in exciting matches and competitions, from Netball to Hockey, Cross Country to Lacrosse, Gymnastics to Dance. During lockdown, the PE Department offered remote HIIT and Pilates sessions to keep students active, and students were also actively engaged in Athletics and Tennis challenges and completing a Daily Fitness Log. Supporting the community and giving back is something which takes a priority in our termly activities. It was a busy year for Canonaid, the School’s Charity Committee, who voted

to support Centrepoint and Tree Aid. During lockdown the production of our PPE face shields were used by the Livability Care Homes, and students created a NLCS Acts of Kindness Group. In collaboration with Canonaid, the group created a video of well-wishing to send to care homes and NHS workers, and over 30 NLCS musicians and singers came together to create a virtual orchestra, performing The Beatles ‘Here Comes the Sun’ – an amazing achievement.

Minimising our impact on the environment is something that the School is passionate about and in early 2020 we completed our Environmental Strategy Plan with a commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030. Many of our environmental initiatives are led by our active Green Team and Environmental Awareness Society. NLCS is also a member of the London Schools Eco-network, a group of like-minded students tackling the issues of climate change and our environment.

This year, our innovative STEAM project has moved forward following the appointment of a Head of Engineering and Technology. STEAM offers students the opportunity to develop skills and solve problems in a creative, practical way, and we look forward to the development of new buildings to facilitate our ambitious plans.

years of Headship.

The School community gathered at St Paul’s Cathedral for a Memorial Service to celebrate the life of our former Headmistress, Bernice McCabe OBE. It was a moving and most appropriate way to commemorate Mrs McCabe’s extraordinary achievements during her 20

We were very proud of Years 11 and 13, who accepted lockdown, and the subsequent loss of the opportunity to sit their public examinations, with determination and maturity.

The results from the 2020 cohort were exceptional, and we celebrate them alongside the qualities of perseverance, flexibility, good humour and intellectual curiosity that characterises our students. Although we had to forego some of the School’s traditional events this year, we share with you in the magazine Mrs Clark’s Founder’s Day speech (delivered virtually!).

Thank you to the School community who worked tirelessly during this challenging year. We look forward to the year ahead with our characteristic determination, positive problem-solving attitude and innovative spirit.

Editorial Team 2020

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CONTENTS 4

HIGHLIGHTS

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ISI INSPECTION

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ENRICHMENT

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24

TRIPS

SPORT

DRAMA

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MUSIC

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CREATIVE WRITING

44

FOUNDER’S DAY

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28

36

42

SUSTAINABILITY

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CHARITY

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VALEDICTORY

IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC

PARTNERSHIPS

ART

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FANTASY FASHION

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MEMORIAL

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68

ALUMNAE RELATIONS & DEVELOPMENT

HIGHLIGHTS

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2020

HIGHLIGHTS

Sarah Clark in Dubai

European Youth Parliament

Spanish Debating competition

HEADMISTRESS VISITS INTERNATIONAL BRANCHES IN SINGAPORE & DUBAI Headmistress Sarah Clark officially opened a new wing at NLCS Dubai, which houses additional classrooms, Sixth Form areas and science laboratories.

At NLCS Singapore, Mrs Clark was delighted to meet prospective parents and governors, as well as Old North Londoners currently living in the area. Mrs Clark spoke about the ethos of North London, and the close partnerships between staff and students, which are so important for our international schools.

STUDENTS REPRESENT NLCS AT THE EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT Students had a great day at the regional rounds of the European Youth Parliament, held at St Paul’s School. The students presented themselves and the School fantastically. They engaged in high quality, collaborative debate with one another and made a range of excellent, insightful points. The students competed against three other schools and represented the Committee on Constitutional Affairs debating, amongst other things, the need for lowering the voting age and discussing how to improve voter turnout for under 25s. After a lively 50-minute round of debate, the motion was passed.

MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES Year 13 students participated in a Spanish Debating Competition alongside fourteen schools including Harrow, Eton, Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’, Westminster and Wycombe Abbey. The students were excellent ambassadors for the School, and their performance was highly commended by the adjudicators. Year 12 French students took part in the annual French Drama Festival at King Alfred School performing a revamped version of Francis Veber’s Le Dîner de Cons. The students received rave reviews and one student was awarded Best Performance in a Supporting Role.

HIGHLIGHTS

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TEAM TERRASHIFT WINNERS OF THE MOONSHOT BE A PIRATE CHALLENGE 2020 Team TerraShift won the first prize in the Moonshot Be a Pirate Challenge!

Mental Health Conference

PROMOTING POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Moonshot Pirates Challenge

Mental Health Day was celebrated across the School with students considering the concept of belonging. We also held our second Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference that was organised

by Sixth Form students. The theme was confidence. During the conference students heard from a number of key speakers, who provided helpful advice and lots of practical ideas and strategies.

We also welcomed back the SelfEsteem Team for a ‘Promoting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing’ talk to parents. The evening provided the opportunity for parents to discuss some of the current concerns surrounding mental health, as well as providing helpful tips and advice on how to navigate an ever-changing world with young people.

The Self Esteem Team delivered insightful and practical guidance on how to give young people the tools to empower themselves and to make the

Self Esteem Team

right decisions in life. They also deliver emotional and lifestyle education to students, parents and teachers throughout the UK and beyond.

The brief of the competition was to come up with an innovative and feasible solution to tackle a global issue and TerraShift, which consisted of four students - Charlotte, Diora, Lara and Sophie - from Year 11, chose to combat world hunger by inventing a mechanical device that is eco-friendly, sustainable and scalable to help the farmers in the developing world to grow more crops, feed their families and increase their income. Thanks to the many votes the team received, Team TerraShift was selected to take part in the final held on in July, where they were crowned winners of the competition. Their prize included a once in a lifetime trip to Silicon Valley in California. Well done, this is an outstanding achievement.

HIGHLIGHTS

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2020

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY In June, we enjoyed something new for our Whole School Assembly, a video made by our wonderful London Eco-Schools Network reps Alina, Caroline and Clara, introducing the theme of World Environment Day 2020, biodiversity, and highlighting the importance it plays in all our lives.

“The natural world can offer a sense of solace in these times of unprecedented turbulence,” said Clara in Year 12, as she told us about how she had enjoyed listening out for bird calls, and implored for everyone to improve their “nature literacy”. The assembly also launched an entirely student-led campaign, with our reps urging everyone to write to their local MP asking for the environment to be at the forefront of post-coronavirus economic recovery plans.

BLACK LIVES MATTER The impact of the Black Lives Matter movement on North London has been profound. We are a diverse and supportive community, founded with the pioneering belief that all religions and cultures should be treated equally.

More than 120 students in Years 10 to 13 joined in with the Culture and Anthropology Society to discuss the dismay and anger caused by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Year 12 students, Lara-Grace and Tiana, CoChairs of the Society, led a mature and sophisticated discussion having presented some of the facts of recent events and research on racism in the USA. The many contributors showed their keen political awareness and their determination to

make sure that their generation will create a more equal society which values diversity. Our students felt compelled to respond and show solidarity with the anti-racism movement and to raise awareness of racial inequalities in the UK. Ideas for positive action were discussed, including having the courage to call out racism.

STEAM We held our first ever Technology and Engineering Symposium, organised entirely by the students. Speakers presented their experiences in an interdisciplinary field, ranging from applications in biomedical sciences and the development of prosthetics to the development of cryptocurrencies.

Model United Nations

MODEL UNITED NATIONS Three student delegates were selected to take part in the Model United Nations event at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School. After months of training, the weekend was a great success for NLCS with all students demonstrating eloquence and confidence in debating some of the world’s most complex issues.

The NLCS Team representing Honduras were awarded Best Delegation of the overall event; an amazing achievement.

Eco Network

SCIENCE CAFE Science Café continued with speakers working in cross-curricular scientific fields, ranging from Biochemical Engineering to Computational Chemistry. Five teams of Upper School and Sixth Form students worked with the School to help us reach our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 by analysing our data, proposing solutions, and creatively suggesting achievable ways in which we could make improvements to our energy use.

HIGHLIGHTS

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‘F1 IN SCHOOLS’ Two teams entered the ‘F1 in Schools’ challenge and were selected to take part in the regional final, competing with a model car, which the teams had independently designed using computer aided design (CAD) and manufactured using CNC routers and 3D printers. Both teams thoroughly impressed the judges with team spirit, verbal presentations and their Engineering and Enterprise portfolios were highly commended. Team “IQ” won first place in the regional finals and entered the national finals remotely at the end of July, which they won a tremendous achievement!.

F1 in Schools

MATHEMATICS Our mathematicians from Years 8 and 9 competed in the regional final of the UK Maths Trust Team Challenge. The students worked brilliantly, securing an impressive 3rd place overall in the competition.

Students from Years 11 to 13 participated in the Mathematical Olympiad for Girls alongside more than 1800 others, and they performed impressively well; seven students were awarded distinction and one earned a prize (scoring full marks) and was invited to take part in the British Mathematical Olympiad.

UKMT Team Challenge 2020

ECONOMICS Under lockdown and with so much economics in the news, Year 13 economists delivered an outstanding and highly accomplished virtual COVID-19 conference to students and staff addressing questions designed to help

them to understand and process the economic (and wider) implications of the pandemic. Each student chose one question and prepared a 10-15 minute talk that was recorded and collated online in a TED-Style presentation

ISI INSPECTION

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2020

ISI INSPECTION

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t the end of the Autumn term, the School underwent a full inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate: inspectors observed lessons, examined samples of pupils’ work and talked with and surveyed pupils, parents, governors, teaching and non-teaching staff.

Pupils are kind, compassionate and thoughtful young people who understand the value of service to others both in their local community and across the world

Pupils display excellent attitudes towards learning, and wholeheartedly embrace the huge range of opportunities that the School provides for them, to discover new interests and skills

Pupils demonstrate excellent levels of knowledge, skills and understanding across all areas of the curriculum and consistently achieve exceptional results in external examinations

ISI INSPECTION

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success’, and younger students had their ‘self- belief raised, with personalised feedback and support at the heart of their success as learners’.

This is a huge achievement for NLCS and we are extremely proud of our wonderful community.

Overall, the school is highly successful in developing well-rounded, confident, highly skilled young people who are very well equipped for the next stage of their education We were delighted that following the visit the School was judged as excellent (the highest grade possible) for both the achievement of the pupils – including academic development – and personal development. Those aspects of a North London education which make us unique were so clearly identified and, in particular, the report referred to ‘highly motivated pupils’, whose ‘love of learning is stimulated by innovative approaches to teaching’.

It was noted that older girls were ‘keen to point to the quality of teaching, academic symposiums and support they receive from their teachers as key contributory factors to their academic

IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2020

IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC

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he Summer term was like no other at North London Collegiate School. From the beginning of lockdown, we were determined to continue providing the same quality of education to our students online with our distinctive focus on scholarship, and academic stretch and challenge beyond the restrictions of examination specifications.

As soon as we switched to online school, we introduced a daily pastoral form time, which enabled students to meet with their tutors and allowed for much needed social interaction and pastoral support to continue. Our counselling service was also moved online providing extra support for students.

resilience. In addition to online learning, we held screen-free days, where students took part in offline projects, ranging from illustrating a book to baking afternoon tea for the family. We also introduced a ‘Feel Good Week’ encouraging students to consider the five key steps to positive mental health.

We were very proud of how our students adapted to the challenges of the virtual school and in true NLCS style, they responded with great creativity and

Physical Education continued with students completing a Daily Fitness Log to track their progress, and a series of interactive resources were created

with a focus on students’ physical and mental wellbeing. Students also took part in sports challenges, such as the #twopointsixchallenge raising funds for the National Brain Appeal and The Epilepsy Society.

At the heart of NLCS’s ethos is academic enrichment. We pride ourselves on offering an ambitious academic education, and central to this is our Senior Societies Programme, where we have over 50 student-led societies

Sports Challenges

The core element of the Senior

club, all attended remotely!

Societies Programme is our weekly lecture slot, where we invite visiting speakers to talk on an issue of particular relevance to each Society. We continued with our ‘visits’ online and welcomed, amongst others, Amelia Gentleman (award-winning journalist) and Ketna Patel (Pop Artist), who encouraged students to question and formulate their own opinions on a range of issues.

All of this was complemented by a full range of online Extra-Curricular Activities, including Sports, Music and Drama. Staffled activities ranged, from public speaking and verbatim theatre to computer coding and CAD design. After just a couple of weeks, our students were keen to take the reins, and they added a spectacular array of over 40 student-run options, from Debating club to Magic Minds magic Online Fridays for Future Club

Online Fridays for Future Club

Our Sports Department led a superb virtual Sports Day, whilst the Music Department enabled students to perform in virtual concerts. Our students organised their own online concerts and an end of term ‘Showcase finale’ that demonstrated the talent existing throughout the year groups. We were dazzled with some superb monologues,

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

11 dance, musical performances, and even NLCS’s take on the loo roll challenge! While many might have thought lockdown would spell the end of a rich and diverse extracurricular programme, we were delighted that our students and staff came together so enthusiastically to continue to enrich their education in a manner that our founder, Frances Mary Buss, would have been most proud!

At the end of term, staff agreed that though this time had been incredibly challenging, and that we could not wait to be back in school with our students, we all learned an enormous amount from the experience and the value technology can add to the classroom.

IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC

covering a vast panorama of interests, from Film and Media to Pure Sciences.

Every Society continued to meet online and led thoughtful discussions on a whole host of issues, such as artistic creativity and freedom of expression.

ENRICHMENT

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2020

ENRICHMENT

SENIOR SOCIETIES Our Senior Societies lecture programme aims to enrich girls’ academic learning and develop their subject curiosity and passion. It also provides a unique opportunity for the girls organising the speakers to develop soft skills, represent the school and approach high profile speakers.

To start the year’s programme of lectures, we were delighted to welcome Keynote Speaker Conrad Wolfram, of Wolfram Research, who gave a fascinating talking about AI, computing and maths education, and challenged students to consider the importance of tech and machine learning in modern education to assist with deeper student learning of their subjects. We were particularly delighted to welcome Conrad to the School, as his mother Sybil was an ONL!

OTHER SPEAKERS THIS YEAR INCLUDED: AFRO-CARIBBEAN SOCIETY - Dr Abel Gwaindepi; a research fellow at Lund University in Sweden, and visiting researcher at Oxford University’s Centre for the study of African economies, Dr Gwaindepi discussed the continent’s production and technological advances since AD1000.

Conrad Wolfram Keynote

HISTORY SOCIETY – Professor Colin Jones; having held various prestigious research positions at Princeton, College de France and Columbia University, Prof Jones gave fascinating insights into the turbulent period of the French revolution, a time of far-reaching social and political upheaval in France and its colonies beginning in 1789.

MATHS SOCIETY – Maarten Speekenbrink; as Associate Professor of Mathematical Psychology at UCL, Maarten’s research specialises in human learning and decision making, and his lecture gave an introduction to the field of mathematical psychology and how humans learn to make better decisions.

JEWISH SOCIETY – Dr Noemi Lopian & Derek Niemann; to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2020, Dr Lopian and Mr Niemann shared the spotlight to talk from two contrasting perspectives on the importance of remembering the Holocaust and to encourage our students to consider the relevance of these events today.

HUMAN RIGHTS SOCIETY – Zehrah Hasan; a human rights campaigner based in London, Zehrah outlined the experiences of migrant and BAME women who are survivors of gender-based violence and the relevant legal frameworks that should protect them in the UK.

Ms Bernstein - The Galapag

PURE SCIENCES SOCIETY – Professor Gary Lye; Prof Lye is Head of the Department of Biochemical Engineering at UCL focused on the different uses of biotech, from the production of medicines (such as therapeutic antibodies and microalgae vaccines) to the use of agricultural feedstocks to manufacture biodegradable plastics

Jewish Society with Dr Noemi Lopian & Derek Niemann

gos Islands

Mr Forde - American Filibustering

NICHOLSON LECTURES Our weekly programme of Nicholson Lectures started exactly seven years ago and were named after former Physics teacher Dr Kay Nicholson. As a typical NLCS teacher, Kay had a real sense of academic curiosity and, when she died suddenly in December 2008, a lecture series inviting staff (and students) to share their own interests seemed the perfect way to celebrate Kay’s life. Over one hundred and fifty lectures later, the programme is still going strong and each week, the Library promotes upcoming

Senior Societies, Maarten Speekenbrink - Maths

Nicholson lectures by creating a selection of books and material relating to that topic.

Talks this year have included: • How am I to write a letter?

Conundrums and conflicts in the letters of Virginia Woolf • The use of performance-enhancing drugs in Sport • The Two Dostoevskys • Thalassa, Thalassa: the sea, the sea!

• Eleanor of Aquitaine • Sophie – A Tribute to Dr Sophie Bryant

Dr McLoughlin - How am I to write a letter?

ENRICHMENT

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ENRICHMENT

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2020

DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD Duke of Edinburgh’s Award continued to flourish despite Covid. Our students pursued their Volunteering, Physical and Skills sections of their awards, helped by the Award organisation allowing them to change activities more than once and have greater flexibility in their choice of assessors.

The School has received a certificate of recognition for the volunteering that our students participate in. A total of 2, 015 hours was chalked up by our students from April 2019 to March 2020 which has a social value equivalent to our local community of £8766 and an immeasurable direct impact on the disadvantaged people in our community that our students help, through volunteering in charity shops, old peoples homes, special schools and community organisations.

Our students in Years 10, 11 and 12 had completed all of their training for their expeditions by the end of the Spring term. Unfortunately, this aspect of the DofE was severely blighted by Covid.

Each year we usually run six expeditions, two at each award level (practice and qualifying), from the Easter holiday to the end of August.

Our Gold participants were able to

complete two days of intensive navigation training, including night navigation in the Chiltern Hills. We set out from Canons in the minibus at 8.00hrs for Tring station.

Heading north to the foot of Ivinghoe Beacon the students participated in advanced navigation exercises and first aid scenarios, cooking supper by the Bridgewater monument in the Ashridge Estate followed by a tricky night navigation through the woods of Sallow Copse and returning to the minibus by 20:30. Thanks must go to Mrs Ruth Betts for providing this essential training that our students will need when on their own in Wild Country.

Over the Summer term six Year 12 students completed their Gold Duke of Edinburgh qualifying expedition, with two going on to achieve the full Gold award, an outstanding achievement given the

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD.

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD.

Department for Education limit on school camping trips.

Forty-two pupils from Years 10-12 have completed their Certificate of Achievement (the volunteering, physical and skills sections without the expedition), the highest number from any school in the Harrow borough.

ENRICHMENT

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Hydro2go

YOUNG ENTERPRISE Despite the many challenges of the academic year, all three NLCS teams made it to the West London final winning four out of five of the awards on the day. Team Unify was selected to take part in the following round where they competed against 100 student teams to win the title of Best Company at the London and Essex Regional Final of the national competition securing their place at the UK Final. Unify, a social

Unify

Unify

enterprise raising awareness of mental health issues, created a range of hoodies highlighting this important movement.

Their commitment to promoting self-love and combating knife-crime, and their use of both technology and partnerships with like-minded organisations to achieve their goals really impressed the judges.

Etiko

PARTNERSHIPS

NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2020

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PARTNERSHIPS

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e have continued to nurture our range of partnerships with schools in both the independent and the maintained sectors. Our partnership work has included debating and public speaking events, academic symposia, subject specialist days, and student mentoring.

We celebrated our 19th year of partnership with the Whitgift School in Croydon and have also worked with Eton, The Ark Academy and The Michaela Community School amongst others.

These partnerships provide our students with knowledge, skills and experience well beyond the ambitious programme already offered at North London.

Working with students from other schools broadens their outlook on the world, provokes thought and discussion, and deepens academic and personal confidence.

Whitgift Symposium

LONDON ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE TOTTENHAM – PARTNERSHIP STUDY DAY

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e were delighted to welcome Year 12 Economics students from the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham (LAET).

This state Sixth Form opened in 2017 and is already providing an academically rich and ambitious education for local teenagers; this summer, the first cohort of Year 13s achieved outstanding A level results.

We are proud to be an official partner school for LAET and we currently enjoy many links with them, including helping with preparation for university interviews and inviting their students to many of our subject conferences and symposia.

Whitgift Symposium

LAET Partnership Day

NLCS AND WHITGIFT SCHOOL – CROSS CURRICULAR SYMPOSIUM

PARTNERSHIPS

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Whitgift Symposium

IB Workshop

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tudents worked together in subject areas such as Medicine and Natural Sciences; Economics and Business; Politics and Geography; and English and Psychology. NLCS and Whitgift have enjoyed this year 13 partnership for 19 years and judging by how much academic stretch and intellectual and social exchange was in evidence at the Symposium, the bond between our two schools proves to be as fruitful as ever.

CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE

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n March, we held our first ever partnership day on the environment, an area the School has been forging ahead with during the academic year. Year 7 students from NLCS were joined by boys from Queen Elizabeth’s School for a day of collaboration on their responses to the climate crisis.

Climate Conference

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE WORKSHOP

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ear 10 students were joined by pupils from Abbot’s Hill School and Palmer’s Green High School for a workshop introducing the principles and practices of the International Baccalaureate. Following an introductory lecture on aesthetics, the girls broke into groups to consider how we might evaluate questions of style and taste.

TRIPS

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TRIPS SKIING IN AUSTRIA

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uring February half-term, thirty students from Year 9,10 and 13 embarked on a ski trip to Wildkogel, Austria. Each day, they enjoyed 5 hours of ski lessons with instructors, and a range of après-ski activities in the evening. They indulged in a pizza evening in a local restaurant before partaking in a candle-lit walk through the town of Bramberg, after which they slid down the Austrian slopes as part of a tubing activity. On another evening, they braved a bumpy 14km toboggan run down the mountain and into the town. Apart from an impressive snowstorm with 170km/h winds on Monday, the snow and weather conditions were beautiful and girls enjoyed skiing a wide range of pistes throughout the week.

ICELAND

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n the October 2019 half-term, the Geography Department took a group of forty Year 10 and 11 students to Iceland.

The trip gave the girls an opportunity to explore the wonders of the ‘Land of Fire and Ice’. They went on top of and into one of Iceland’s largest glaciers, experienced the world’s only lava show, and battled the gale force winds on the east coast. The highlight of the trip was seeing the Northern Lights on the final night.

TRIPS

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WESTERN FRONT

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uring Remembrance week, Year 9 visited Ypres on their Western Front Trip. The joint History and English trip was an opportunity for the girls to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the events and experiences of war. The trip included a visit to the Passchendaele Memorial Museum, the memorial at Vancouver Corner and the preserved trench system at Sanctuary Wood, in addition to visits to both German and Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries. The trip also gave the students the opportunity to participate in the act of Remembrance at the Menin Gate. Expert guides from Anglia Tours toured the girls around each site, providing opportunities for the reading and discussion of war poetry and the use of diary entries, photographs and quotations to assist in deepening the girls’ understanding of the impact and effects of war. At the end of the visit, two girls were selected to lay a wreath at Tyne Cot Cemetery as an act of commemoration on behalf of the entire school.

TRIPS

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they saw the treasures of the Hermitage Collection (including masterpieces by Rembrandt and Canova) and explored the dark recesses of the Tsarist and Soviet prison system on a visit to the imposing Peter and Paul Fortress. An excursion to the village of Pushkin, named after Russia’s greatest poet, allowed the girls to learn about the looting of the Catherine Palace during the Nazi occupation and

RUSSIA

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n December 2019 students and staff enjoyed a visit to Russia’s capitals, Moscow and St Petersburg. The busy programme enabled them to deepen their understanding of Russian culture and history as they visited sights connected to the Romanov dynasty as well as the Soviet era. In Moscow, at a visit to the Museum of Cosmonautics, the girls learned about the first dogs in space, before having lunch in the famous Cafe Pushkin and ice-skating on Red Square, under the lights of the iconic St Basil’s Cathedral. An experienced guide gave a tour of the Moscow Metro and the Tretyakov gallery, home to thousands of pieces of eighteenth- and nineteenthcentury art. The girls then travelled on an overnight train to St Petersburg, where

see where the young Pushkin wrote and recited his first verse. One of the highlights of the trip was the “Feel Yourself Russian” performance at the Nikolaevsky Palace, watching gravity-defying acrobatics and traditional Russian dancers.

Throughout, girls were able to sample Russian delicacies and found time for a spot of shopping in the GUM department store and Eliseev Emporium.

TRIPS

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TRIPS

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2020

Year 8 St Lawrence Church

Chinese New Year

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n addition to overseas visits, students had the opportunity to take part in trips closer to home throughout the Autumn and Spring terms including an adventure day at Phasels Wood Activity Centre, West Midlands Safari Park,

Year 7 Phasels Wood

Warwick Art students visit Tate Modern

Classics Trip

Warwick Castle, Bath and Bristol. All trips provided excellent opportunities for students to get to know one another outside of the classroom, as well as providing lots of fun activities.

Warwick

Warwick

TRIPS

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GCSE ART

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2020

GCSE ART

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GCSE ART

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1. Sophie Orgler 2. Rose Johnson 3. Nandini Agrawal 4. Anushri Mene 5. Mina Sibay 6. Sophie Bloom 7. Saba Hashemian 8. Keira Cumming

SIXTH FORM ART

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2020

1. Georgia Sims 2. Ingrid Fung 3. Ella Odutoye 4. Jessica Peng 1

5 Mia Cuby 6. Candice Chen 7 Olivia Payne 8. Liberty Leonard Shaw

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SIXTH FORM ART

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SIXTH FORM ART

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SPORT

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2020

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port for All” continues to be the ethos at NLCS, and PE, sport and activities play a significant role in the School’s Mental Health and Wellbeing strategy. Every member of the NLCS community is encouraged to participate in some form of regular physical activity.

With a wide range of extra-curricular sessions on offer, this year we turned our attention to a more focused, curriculum approach by including wellbeing sessions in all age group lessons. Year 7 focused on the effective and long-term benefits of the bio-mechanics of movement, Year 8 sampled Pilates, and Years 9, 10 and 11 selected from a carousel of sport and wellbeing activities. The Sixth Form had a bespoke timetable to access the Fitness Suite as well as a range of wellbeing and sporting sessions.

Our continuing partnership with the

Lacross Nationals

Wray Foundation and Saracens enabled us to offer a high-quality programme of sport, advice and mentoring for our Elite Athlete Mentoring Programme (EAMP) and provided access to Saracens rugby and Saracens Mavericks netball players.

To enable students to develop with guidance from their PE subject specialists, baseline fitness tests were conducted throughout the year providing a valuable incentive to gain ownership over individual fitness and wellbeing and supported by our bespoke NLCS fitness app.

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE YEAR INCLUDED: • The PE Department supported the ‘Get Active’ 24-hour event for Years 10 and 11, raising over £2,000 pounds for the National Brain Appeal and provided the opportunity for students to try something new.

• In Cross Country, 13 students were selected to represent the borough at the London Youth Games, with a large number of students through to

Harrow Cross Country

the Middlesex finals and our Junior Girls’ team qualified for the regional final of the English Schoolgirls Cross Country Cup.

Harrow Cross Country Team

Harrow Cross Country Team

SPORT

SPORT

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SPORT

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2020

U15 Lacrosse vs Albans

U15 Lacrosse vs Albans

• Our Over 13 gymnasts secured a silver medal at the ISGA regional qualifier, with two students securing second and third places individually; this meant the squad progressed to the National Finals.

• Our Senior Lacrosse squad secured silver medals in the South-East regional tournament and reached the semi-final of Division II at the National Schools Lacrosse Championship (NSLC).

The Under 15 and Under 14 squads secured a place in the quarter-finals of the NSLC making them both one of the top 16 schools in the country, in their age category.

Lacrosse SE Plate

Senior Lacrosse Squad

U15 Lacrosse vs Albans

Nationals U14

Netball SNS Regional Final

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U15 Lacrosse Team

• Our Netball squads excelled with every age group entering Sisters n Sport (SnS) and Independent Schools Netball Cup National Championships, with our Under 15 squad securing a place in the semi-finals. Their qualification through to the National Finals was as a direct result of being the unbeaten National Schools Regional (Middlesex) Champions.

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Netball U15 and U16 Mavericks training

• PE Week provided a focus for our main winter sports with visits from Saracens Mavericks players and coaches, Kadeen Corbin and Kat Ainsworth, who shared their SuperLeague and international skills. Laura Warren, our strength and conditioning coach and Welsh and Great Britain lacrosse player, focused students’ talents on the latest tactics and principles of lacrosse competitive play. Derek Cole from Saracens provided tips and insights into advanced skills and contact for our rugby players.

NLCS Year 7 Borough Finalists

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SPORT

Schoolgirls’ Ski Races

• Despite lockdown impacting our annual Sports Celebration Evening, the PE department honoured the hard work the students put in throughout the year in all aspects of PE and sport in a video celebration.

During the lockdown, students rose to the challenges of remote PE by engaging with aspects of skills and fitness in various forums. Students completed weekly challenges, a Daily Fitness Log, and took part in the 2.6 Challenge on behalf of the National Brain Appeal and the Epilepsy Society.

Students also participated in the National Sports Week at Home, organised by The Youth Sport Trust, with students and their families taking part in athletics, team sports, adventure sports and artistic sports. This provided fantastic preparation for our Virtual Sports Week in which the students logged House points, there were individual House winners in each age group and Gibbons House were crowned the overall Virtual Sports Week winners.

Herts and Middx Netball Tournament

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MUSIC

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t North London, there is a wide range of musical opportunities to foster a love of playing for students, and we run a rich and varied musical programme of ensembles and choirs across all year groups.

O

Our Winter Concert featured a whole host of our larger ensembles and choirs featuring well over 200 pupils. NLCS Chorus has been an outstanding success, and the choir swelled to over 70 girls. A highlight was their performance of Faure’s Cantique de Jean Racine at St Paul’s Cathedral during Mrs McCabe’s Memorial Service. Our Sinfonia also performed superbly at this event; they have seen a real growth in numbers now, comprising a record number of pupils. The Autumn Term concluded with a Carol Service at St George’s Hanover Square and was an excellent way to celebrate the Festive Season at a beautiful and iconic London church.

strength to strength. In 2019 the School purchased a 1929 model “O” Steinway Grand Piano for our Drummond Room and pupils now have the chance to perform on an instrument with a rich history, produced by the legendary piano manufacturer, Steinway and Sons. To mark the acquisition of this beautiful instrument, NLCS held a day of events celebrating the piano, including a celebrity recital by BBC Young Musician of the Year 2018 Lauren Zhang. The day finished with a special Drummond Recital featuring some of our most talented pianists in the School and returning ONLs. We also enjoyed a Flute Concert, a Sunday afternoon Singing Concert, and an inaugural Saxophone Concert.

Since its founding in 2017, our Old House Concert Series has gone from

The Music Society students organised guest speaker, Bobby Pearce, to give a

NLCS Winter Concert

NLCS Winter Concert

Undeterred, we have been able to keep cultivating the pupils’ love of music Drummond Recital Year 13 Drummond Concert

Music Masterclass

Since its founding in 2017, our Old House Concert Series has gone from strength to strength

NLCS Winter Concert

NLCS Winter Concert

talk about his life as a singer and band member before entering the popular music recording business. A highlight for the students was hearing how he now works as a songwriter, producer, and vocal coach for artists including Sam Smith, Dua Lipa and Rita Ora. Our links with the musical profession continue to inspire our pupils further.

We welcomed Mr Roger Coull, leader of the acclaimed Coull Quartet, to lead a masterclass with our Music Scholars, professional composer Mr Darren Bloom worked with students on compositions,

NLCS Winter Concert

and Dr Joseph Fort, Lecturer in Music and our Visiting Academic Musician, worked with Year 11 and Year 13 students and our Chandos Singers.

We celebrated a wealth of student musical successes; several girls were successful in their auditions to join national orchestras, including two students selected for the highly competitive and prestigious National Youth Orchestra.

One of our students also progressed through the initial stages of the prestigious BBC Young Musician of the Year competition.

Young Musician of the Year

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DRAMA

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DRAMA Glimmers

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r Tosh directed the first performance of the academic year, ‘Glimmers’.

Students from all year groups had the opportunity to perform a variety of monologues, duologues and group pieces from published plays.

The audience moved from location to location around Canons to view

T

he first in a series of organised trips to the theatre saw students from Years 7-9 meet in the Black Studio in November to watch the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of Into the Woods.

This Stephen Sondheim musical weaves together the characters from various well-known fairy tales into one poignant, witty and touching performance.

The Open Air Theatre production, which was originally performed in 2010,

the different performances allowing for interesting staging opportunities and new perspectives on wellknown texts. With just one rehearsal per group, the girls truly rose to the occasion, working independently and building upon their work in Drama lessons to develop interesting characters.

received rave reviews both for the design and performances. Capitalising upon the department’s subscription to Digital Theatre Plus, students had access to an enormous catalogue of professional productions which had been professionally filmed and streamed directly into the classrooms at Canons.

Also in November, a talented group of performers in Years 8 and 9 presented a new version of Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children which was

adapted by the director Charlie Cox. The play was first performed in Zurich in 1941 and is usually seen as Brecht’s greatest work.

Remaining a powerful indictment of war and social injustice, it is an epic drama set in the seventeenth century during the Thirty Years’ War. The girls responded to the challenge of this epic tragedy with aplomb.

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Glimmers

Glimmers

The Performing Arts Society publication Upstaged reviewed a huge range of productions and interviewed different theatre makers, The team behind the magazine made connections with the Performing Arts departments in NLCS Dubai and NLCS Jeju to ensure that contributions and articles from each of our sister schools were included.

Glimmers

Mother Courage

Mother Courage

Early December saw the return of our ever-popular physical theatre evening. The production drew upon scenes and songs from the world of musical theatre as the stimulus. Directed by Miss Gibbs and

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short of outstanding. Audiences were astounded by their mature interpretation of the challenging text, moving between moments of tragedy and comedy with the confidence and ease of actors well beyond their years. Every single performer played their roles with focus and determination and created a truly superb production.

Mother Courage

using a range of dance styles and physical theatre techniques, our talented students performed solos, duets, trios and large group pieces in this highly unique, original and entertaining evening, which paid homage to musicals both old and new.

The term ended with the annual Liveability Christmas panto. Students from Years 12-13 worked with Miss Gibbs to stage an original and highly entertaining festive performance.

Additionally, many Year 7 students attended Drama club and trips were taken to see a range of productions for students in Years 10-13. Students in Years 11-13 viewed the political thriller

‘The King of Hell’s Palace’ by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig at Hampstead Theatre.

Year 10 students attended a performance of Mischief Theatre’s farce ‘The Comedy About a Bank Robbery’. The final trip of the term saw all Drama students in Years 10-13 watch a performance of the new musical ‘Come from Away’.

In the Spring term we were lucky enough to be the first school to be granted permission to perform Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s Emilia. The play follows the life of Emilia Bassano, muse of William Shakespeare and the first woman to become a published poet. Packed with comedy, drama and physical theatre, the performances of the girls were nothing

Extracurricular Drama continued apace in our new remote learning environment during the Summer term and the department worked hard to ensure that lessons remained challenging and exciting for students, even if they could not tread the boards of the PAC. Activities included a weekly Play Reading and Discussion group for Years 10 and 11 exploring a range of different texts and styles outside of the GCSE curriculum. Middle School students attended weekly meetings of the Play Watching Group, led by Miss Gibbs.

Taking advantage of the department’s subscription to Digital Theatre+, as well as other sources online, excerpts from a range of performances, including plays, musicals and dance pieces were shared and discussed each week. This was a fantastic opportunity offering students access to a wide range of theatre makers and styles of performance. Students relished the opportunity to continue watching professional theatre, as our

Mother Courage

Emilia

normal theatre trips were not possible due to the lockdown.

Mr Munday-Webb led a third new extracurricular option during the lockdown- the weekly Verbatim Theatre Troupe. Members from across all sections of the school explored this exciting new style of documentary theatre while considering how they could use the extraordinary events of 2020 to craft their own original piece of verbatim theatre.

Every single performer played their roles with focus and determination and created a truly superb production.

Emilia

Emilia

Emilia

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Emilia

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CREATIVE WRITING Dear mother, Do you remember the time when you took me to the war office to sign up for what you called ‘The Great Cause’? You said that war was glamorous, enjoyable even. You would not1 say the same if you came yourself. On that day, my friends came too, we joined the Pals Battalion, remember? Now where are these pals of mine? – nothing more than scraps of cloth in the mud2. You said it would be fun – a game, to prove that ‘you’re a man now!’ But it was not. If this is a game in any way, we are merely dispensable4 pawns in some oh so great and patriotic scheme. The generals, further back in the trench5 systems, just mindlessly6 send us off, happily to our deaths7. Here is your ‘unity’, here is your unity - in death, not8 life! This is the grand unification of classes you always talked of! The toffs well fed, happy and fat,9 and the ol’ Tommie boys stuck with the dogs’ scraps! Hardly10 the picnic you spoke of! Oh! And when you said we would be fighting in the nice warm fields of France – well let me tell you that is definitely not11 what the reality is. The ‘fields’ are glorified death traps, sucking you into the ground – eating you alive. Yes, we were told we had to battle the Germans, but the elements too! Is this to be our fate? Are we so doomed that even Mother Nature has turned her back on us???12 Mother, I took your advice and joined the war effort. You promised me safety there, but if13 it is so safe why is my sleep plagued with nightmares? Why do flinch at the sound of a mere cough, so traumatised by the pounding of shells? Mother I trusted you!14 You told me with your wise words that the gravest injury possible to sustain was a broken limb. And yes, there are plenty of those. But what of my friends, dropping like flies into the mud, the ground swallowing them whole until there is no trace of them left, apart from their empty bunk, and an uneaten portion of food.15. I miss those back home; however, I have a duty here. I have a duty to all those that have been lost, killed, captured or16 injured16, I owe them my blood, and17 my fight against the enemy. Mother if you love me, if you ever loved me, please don’t18 ask more boys to join the force. We do not19 need more corpses of fallen20 heroes.

Your son, Private Freddie Jones

Note from the War Office: Dear Recipient - This letter was censored as it contained language deemed to be offensive, and was discovered to contained war secrets. We hope you understand the sensitivity of the issue. Keep fighting the good fight! God bless you, and our brave soldiers!

Not1 nothing more than scraps of cloth in the mud2 not3 dispensable4 trench5 mindlessly6 to our deaths7 death, not8 and fat9 the dogs’ scraps! Hardly10 definitely not11 The ‘fields’ are glorified death traps, sucking you into the ground – eating you alive. Yes, we were told we had to battle the Germans, but the elements too! Is this to be our fate? Are we so

doomed that even Mother Nature has turned her back on us???12 but if13 why is my sleep plagued with nightmares? Why do flinch at the sound of a mere cough, so traumatised by the pounding of shells? Mother I trusted you!14 But what of my friends, dropping like flies into the mud, the ground swallowing them whole until there is no trace of them left, apart from their empty bunk, an uneaten portion of food15 lost, killed, captured or16 my blood, and17 don’t18 do not19 corpses of fallen20

T

wo wonderful examples of censored letters submitted

by Diora Ibragimova in Year 9 - one of the winners of the Year 9 Creative Writing Competition.

Dear Mother, I hope you are in good health. I certainly am not1. I miss you and father most dearly. I am writing to you to tell you that this may be the last time I am in contact with you, and2 that I love you. There is talk of a mass attack on the enemy trenches soon. I may not survive.3 War is not4 like what we were told of. It’s not5 a game. It’s not6 a patriotic and honourable deed. And it’s certainly not7 the way to prove you’re a man. I have seen men nearly twice my size, weeping, crouching over limp bodies. That does not prove, or disprove, your bravery. Thomas used to be the brightest and friendliest boy I knew – now he just shrivels up in a corner. He doesn’t eat, or drink. No one knows what happened.

He was a trooper. One day his regiment gets sent over the top of the trenches, and he was the only one to return. Covered in blood he was.8 Some people just can’t take it. There was a strange look in his eyes – empty, as if his soul had fled from sheer fright9, and only an empty husk was left. I miss him, I miss all of them.10 He wasn’t the only one this happened too. The generals say that this is rare.

That this only happens to the ones that are weak. To the ones who aren’t strong enough. Well if that were true, then no one is strong enough. Oh, and Harry! One day he didn’t join his regiment – he said that he had had enough. Shot for cowardice the next dawn, he was. But he wasn’t a coward.

At dawn he looked his executors dead in the eye, and they were men from his own regiment too.

He had suffered from shell shock prior to that. He was a good lad. He just couldn’t stand it all. You can’t expect tired men to go over the top, and still be mentally sound after. They have watched their friends being mowed down, or blown to bits. We cannot do this anymore. At least we do not want to. They cannot make us fight in these conditions11. I am sorry for telling you this.

Yours truly, your son, Wilf Farr

Note from the War Office: Dear Recipient - This letter was censored as it contained language deemed to be offensive, and was discovered to contained war secrets. We hope you understand the sensitivity of the issue. Keep fighting the good fight! God bless you, and our brave soldiers! not1

I miss him, I miss al of them10

that this may be the last time I am in contact with you, and2

Well if that were true, then no one is strong enough. Oh, and Harry! One day he didn’t join his regiment – he said that he had had enough.

Shot for cowardice the next dawn, he was. But he wasn’t a coward. At dawn he looked his executors dead in the eye, and they were men from his own regiment too. He had suffered from shell shock prior to that. He was a good lad. He just couldn’t stand it all. You can’t expect tired men to go over the top, and still be mentally sound after. They have watched their friends being mowed down, or blown to bits.

We cannot do this anymore. At least we do not want to. They cannot make us fight in these conditions. Watching someone being blown off the face of the earth is torment enough. I do not want to do this to others. So, what if I’m a conchie or a pacifist? It won’t matter when I am dead.11

There is talk of a mass attack on the enemy trenches soon. I may not survive.3 not4 not5 not6 not7 I have seen men nearly twice my size, weeping, crouching over limp bodies. That does not prove, or disprove, your bravery. Thomas used to be the brightest and friendliest boy I knew – now he just shrivels up in a corner. He doesn’t eat, or drink. No one knows what happened. He was a trooper. One day his regiment gets sent over the top of the trenches, and he was the only one to return. Covered in blood he was.8 from sheer fright9

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SUSTAINABILITY

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inimising our impact on the environment is something that we are very passionate about and in February 2020 we completed our Environmental Strategy Plan with a commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030. Our plan covers eight key areas of focus including education and engagement, on-site energy consumption, waste, food and water, travelling to school and biodiversity.

A great deal of our environmental initiatives are led by our students; we have an active Green Team in Year 11, a senior Environmental Awareness Society and NLCS is a member London Schools Econetwork, a collective group of like-minded students tackling the issues of climate change and our environment. Members of these groups also attend our Environment Committee, along with teaching and support staff. Our Fridays for Future club have encouraged students to use their voice by starting petitions, writing to MPs and raising environmental awareness both in and out of School.

Our Carbon footprint has been calculated and independently audited

by OneCarbonWorld, part of the UN Climate Neutral Now programme. This year, our students voted for Trees for Life as our offsetting organisation. We are also delighted that we are one of the first schools in the world to work with the UN Climate Neutral Now Initiative to become a carbon neutral organisation.

WE ARE WELL ON OUR WAY TO BECOMING A CERTIFIED ECO SCHOOL: • We have a full recycling program and our paper is FSC certified.

• Our Dining Room is committed to ensuring that all leftover food is collected and redistributed, our fish is MSC certified, we have removed beef and lamb from the lunch menu and our products do not contain palm oil.

• Solar panels have been installed and our electricity comes from a green supplier. Everyone in School is encouraged to save energy by switching off lights and electrical equipment when not in use and all

computers are shut down automatically in the evenings.

• Over 600 students continue to use our coach service every day, helping to reduce the number of cars on the roads and the Homerun App was successfully launched to parents and staff.

‘Stop idling’ signs are around the School site to remind drivers to turn off their engines and we have installed charging stations for electric cars.

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They used footprint tunnels to observe the small mammals and a camera trap to capture images of wildlife that live alongside us at Canons. We were very excited to see images of foxes as there are a number of setts around the grounds and there were also so many deer.

During the Spring and Summer our NLCS Mason Bees were industriously filling up their nesting tubes. We have a small number of red-tailed Mason Bees on-site, thanks to our collaboration with MasionBees.co.uk. Mason bees are not like honey or Bumblebees – they are gentle, non-aggressive solitary bees, and therefore do not live in hives with others.

Also, they do not make honey, but these wonderful creatures are so important and vital to our future it is important to safeguard their existence. B ​ y creating bee-friendly habitats we can begin to help mitigate some of the challenges facing them today. It has been fascinating for students and staff to see their development.

AT CANONS, WE HAVE LOTS OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES THAT CALL NLCS HOME

TOGETHER THE STUDENTS MADE A FILM TO CELEBRATE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2020

At Canons, we have lots of animal and plant species that call NLCS home.

Our gardens are full of pollinatorfriendly flowers and, with the help of our wonderful Grounds team, we are cultivating green-fingered students with Gardening Club. Middle School Natural History Club have investigated the mammals that live in the school grounds.

In the Summer term, the Environmental Committee hosted a week of online events including debates, environmentally friendly cooking tasters and lectures to involve the whole school community.

During the week, the committee joined together with Eco- Reps from St Paul’s School for Girls and South Hampstead High School. Together the students made a film to celebrate World Environment Day 2020 and highlight the importance of the theme for the year, biodiversity. The students also launched a campaign, urging everyone to write to their local MP asking for the environment to be at the forefront of post-coronavirus economic recovery plans.

We are extremely proud of our students for all their commitment and positive action this year and look forward to supporting them with the challenges ahead.

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FOUNDER’S DAY

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ach year the School community comes together to celebrate the founding of North London Collegiate School on 4th April 1850. Normally we celebrate at Canons, alongside Old North Londoners, Governors, former staff and friends of the School.

We sing ‘Where’er You Walk’, celebrating our School’s rich culture and history, reminding everyone why North London Collegiate School is so special and precious to us, and of course elevate the humble daffodil into an extraordinary display of unity, cheerfulness and joy in our daffodil procession.

Sadly, this year, it was not possible to

mark Founder’s Day as we have always known it. We all understood the reasons for this, and we sent all our love and best wishes to those in our community and beyond who were facing the challenge of these times with determination, grace and kindness.

Nonetheless, despite the fact that we could not all be together– the Big Six and

Mrs Clark sent a message to everybody via the internet to wish everyone a happy and joyous Founder’s Day. Together, Mrs Clark and our Senior Committee read our Founder’s Prayer, remembering our past… but also, our present friends, colleagues and families and our hope for the future.

wisdom and zealous care the work was carried to its full fruition.

And after her as partner and successor in her work Isabella Drummond, Headmistress of this School for 22 years, whose spirit of service enlarge our traditions and to whose wisdom and courage are chiefly due the beauty of our present home.

And after her, Eileen Harold, who by sound learning and courtesy enriched our common life during the stern years of the war.

And after her, Kitty Anderson, Headmistress for 21 years, who served the cause of education in the School and beyond it with warmth and tireless enthusiasm.

And after her, Madeleine McLauchlan, Headmistress for 20 years who fostered personal relationships in a family school, encouraged the development of Music and Drama, and whose courage and insight oversaw the transition from Direct Grant to Independent status.

And after her, Joan Clanchy, Headmistress for 12 years, whose vision, energy and determination enhanced the standing of the School and encouraged the growth of a community in which scholarship, the arts and care for each individual flourished together.

The Commemoration of the Founder and Benefactors Now, according to our bounden duty, let us thankfully commemorate before Almighty God our pious Founder and all our benefactors by whose noble liberality these schools have been endowed with manifold privileges.

In the forefront we commemorate Frances Mary Buss, who did, in the year 1850, found a School for girls in North London, and under whose fostering care for forty-four years virtue and studies prevailed in it; and it attained to its development in the five Schools now called by her name.

Let us also thankfully remember before Almighty God, Sophie Bryant, fellow worker with the Founder, and after the Founder’s death, for 23 years Headmistress of this School, by whose

And after her, Bernice McCabe, Headmistress for 20 years, who led this School with drive and ambition, creating a happy community and fostering academic independence and aspiration; whose belief in the transformational power of the performing arts enabled girls to grow in confidence, and whose vision underpinned the development of this school’s international profile.

And the members of the Founder’s family: Frances Buss, the mother of the Founder, who made the nurture of the younger children her special care; Robert William Buss, the father of the Founder, zealous in the teaching of Science and Art; Septimus Buss, brother of the Founder, for many years teacher of the Holy Scriptures; and other benefactors of the School, in particular The Worshipful Company of Brewers, the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, John and Doreen Done, Sir Harry and Lady

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Jephcott, all who gave us great gifts and wise counsel. They are ever to be remembered by the scholars, now and in time to come.

For these our Founder and benefactors, whose services we have thus publicly recited to the glory of God, to the perpetuating of their memory, and to the testifying of our own thankfulness, we bless and praise Almighty God. Almighty God, on this day of thanksgiving, we bless and praise Thee for all Thy mercies. We thank Thee for the Fatherly goodness which through 170 years has been our guide and stay; and chiefly we bless Thy Holy Name for Thy servant Frances Mary Buss, in that Thou didst put it in her heart to found these schools. We thank Thee for her faith and courage, her tender love, her wise counsels, her (humble) consecration of all her gifts to the work which Thou gavest her to do. We thank Thee that this work began in Thee and continued in Thee, has borne the fruit for which she prayed.

And that, through Thy blessing on her care, many lives have been trained within our walls for Thy glory and the service of humankind. Pour down on all who teach and on all who learn, the richest treasures of Thy grace, the spirit of hope, the spirit of joy, the spirit of reverence, and the spirit of prayer.

O Lord, who hast taught us that Thou dost require much from those to whom much is given: grant that we whom Thou hast called to so goodly a heritage, may know the glory of Thy service, and may give ourselves to work in Thy name for the good of our fellow-men and women.

Now unto Him that is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy: to the only Wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever.

AMEN

CHARITY

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CHARITY

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he NLCS family feels very strongly about supporting the community and giving back and our charity work takes priority in our termly extra-curricular activities.

Year 7 Charity Committee - Reverse Advent

Canonaid, the School’s Charity Committee, had a productive year with representatives appointed in each year group, providing an excellent opportunity for students across the School to get involved in fundraising.The two charities students voted to support this year were Centrepoint, a youth homelessness charity, and Tree Aid, a humanitarian and environmental charity that helps people in Africa lift themselves out of poverty and protect their environment.

As part of our annual Harvest celebration, this year we supported the Mary’s Meals Back Pack Appeal

More information about Centrepoint and Tree Aid was shared by Canonaid in a whole School assembly in September.

Weekly Canonaid collections for these charities have been quite successful, and we also ran a very successful Coin for Life drive, collecting used foreign currency.

As well as the weekly collections, each of the Charity Committees organised an event or sale. Year 7 Charity Committee organised a Reverse Advent where they asked each girl to bring in a food item per day for one week. All food items were collected and delivered to Harrow Foodbank. The Dining Hall Lobby was a busy hub of activity in the run up to Christmas; Year 8 Charity Committee organised a tombola and Year 11 TIMEOUT Charity Committee sold Secret Santa gifts and goodie bags. Year 9 Charity Committee organised a very successful teacher karaoke event in the Main Hall which was lots of fun and very

Mary’s Meals Collection - Harvest festival

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well attended. Furthermore, there were two mufti days, one in aid of the Tree Aid and the other in aid of Centrepoint.

In addition to these activities, Year 10 Charity Committee decided to show their appreciation to all the support staff in School; through a very successful bake sale they raised the funds to purchase a small gift for each of these staff. They then organised for volunteers to make cards (hand painted in the Art Block) all of which were hand-written to accompany the gifts. This was a very thoughtful idea and one which the Committee carried out with great care and effort.

As part of our annual Harvest celebration, this year we supported the Mary’s Meals Back Pack Appeal.

The charity works to support children in countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe, providing food and basic learning tools. Each form generously donated two backpacks full of items such as pencils and notepads and we were delighted to provide more than 40 filled backbacks, for this very deserving charity.

In December, we hosted the Community Christmas Party to which residents of local care homes and our students were invited. Guests and students ate together and watched the entertainment, including our annual pantomime organised by the drama department and a quiz organised by Canonaid. Each form had prepared a gift for a resident and we were able to give a gift to each of our guests.

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Community Christmas Panto Community Christmas Panto

Covid-19 and the national lockdown meant that we were no longer able to physically get out into the Community. However, that didn’t mean that our charitable work had to slow down. Production of our PPE face shields for local GP surgeries and care homes continued over the lockdown weeks and, with the help of Canonaid, we were also able to supply the face shields to the Livability Care Homes as well as ‘Happiness’ cards which the girls made to help bring little moments of joy to the residents there. Students also created a NLCS Acts of Kindness Group and in collaboration with Canonaid created a video of well-wishing to send to care homes and NHS workers.

Delivering PPE NLCS

The Dining Hall Lobby was a busy hub of activity in the run up to Christmas In addition to this, over 30 NLCS musicians and singers came together to create a virtual orchestra, performing ‘Here Comes the Sun’ – an amazing achievement.

Well done to all our students for their continued support and the kindness they have shown to others during this challenging year.

Distributing Masks

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FANTASY FASHION

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elebrating the theme of ‘Eden’, this year’s Fantasy Fashion event was a night to remember. Students created wonderful outfits exploring issues relating to the environment and

sustainability, the garden of Eden, wildlife and nature.

Some spectacular highlights of the show included a dress made entirely from paper, expertly crafted into the shape of a snake using origami, a beautifully

embroidered cape featuring images of flowers and wildlife, that once opened revealed a dramatically contrasting dress created using waste products to highlight the damaging effects of pollution on the environment.

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This annual event brought together over 120 students working both on and off stage, and front of house, to raise money for Karenni Student Development Project (KSDP), a charity founded over 20 years ago by ONL Stephanie Lee, who tragically lost her life in a motorcycle accident while working with the Karenni refugees in Northern Thailand.

Our fabulous judging panel, which included the fashion designers, Stella McCartney and Helen Hutton, and photographer, Niaz McCarthy, had the unenviable task of selecting the winning designs from over 60 entries. A special thank you to Stella for generously donating prizes for all our winners.

The show ended with a fabulous

charity auction, with members of the audience bidding for items including a photography workshop, a Stella McCartney handbag, and experiences that included a continental breakfast for an entire NLCS class, a two night stay in a luxury hotel, and tea and a walk with Sarah Clark and her dog, Penda.

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Thank you so much to everyone who took part, parents, students and our wonderful judges, and for your generosity towards the Karenni refugees, which raised over £5000.

BIG SIX & VALEDICTORY

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BIG SIX

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ach Spring Term the School appoints a Senior Committee: a team of six Year 12 students who are elected by staff and students.

Our ‘Big Six’ have wide ranging responsibilities across the School that includes supporting other Sixth Form students, leading activities and events,

one of which is the annual Canons Follies variety show, which involves all girls in Year 12. We would like to say a bit thank you to our fabulous outgoing

Big Six (Class of 2020) Mia Lane (Senior Student) Mia Borghese, Ella Odutoye, Jessica Pretorius, Faye Zhao and Jenna Jacobs (Sports Captain).

VALEDICTORY

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Address from Headmistress, Mrs Sarah Clark 2020 will long be remembered as ‘The Year of the Pandemic’, ‘The Year of Covid-19, ‘The Year of Coronavirus’ or, much more particular to us, ‘The Summer of Canons at Home.’ But in this strange new virtual world, it is important that we don’t lose sight of the fact that July 2020 is also the point at which we say goodbye to our distinguished and much-loved cohort of Year 13s as they leave us and prepare to go out into the world. Throughout your time at North London, you have inspired and amazed us, amused and entertained us, delighted and - occasionally - tested us, but, best of all, you have always risen to challenges and constantly sought to make a difference; such qualities have shaped your school days among us and will, we hope, ensure that you will all go on to do wonderful things in the future.

Your final reports offer a dazzling kaleidoscope of the sheer array of talents and gifts which you have all demonstrated so clearly. But you have never allowed yourselves to be self-centred or grasping in your pursuit of academic excellence; I loved one teacher’s comment which described a student as ‘endlessly interested and generous in shaping her responses’, another which praised one of you with the phrase, ‘ She is as selfless as she is charismatic’ and a third teacher summed up one star student briefly as ‘an eternal ray of sunshine.’

Class of 2020, where did your North London journey begin? In September 2006, twenty-four of our current Year 13s eagerly joined Reception to be followed by nine more pupils in Year 3 and two more little girls later on in the Junior School. As always, the teachers from

your earliest days at Canons have such vivid memories of you all; they fondly recall some budding actors happily and skillfully taking on many and various roles in school plays; they describe how you were already developing a huge range of interests - a love of debating, chess, music, netball, swimming or cross-country which would stand you in good stead for the rest of your time at North London.

As this cohort of talented and highly individual students came through to the Senior School, they were joined by fifty-one equally gifted and ambitious girls in Year 7, three more in Years 8 and 9 and another in Year 10. The addition of twenty more students in Year 12 after their GCSEs, made what was to be North London’s wonderful ‘Class of 2020’ complete. At whatever point a student joined the school, she was

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immediately swept up into the breath-taking pace of life at Canons, new interests were established and explored, and new friendships were forged and nurtured. Each one of you has played a unique and invaluable part in our community.

As those early days in the Junior School would suggest, you were always going to be part of a year group which excelled in any kind of dramatic performance. The Year 8 production of ‘Red Shoes’ was your first time to shine on the stage . More was, of course, to follow and you really established yourselves as stars of the stage in Year 10, leading the way in the first of many exciting Physical Theatre productions and taking on several of the main roles in ‘West Side Story’, stunning admiring audiences with so many truly brilliant and confident performances. The following year, you clearly demonstrated that you were undaunted by tackling a completely original play, ‘Community’, which delighted everyone who saw it, both at School and also at the Edinburgh Fringe. You proved yourselves to be fine actors, but you also enthusiastically embraced all the complex technical demands of the play - a drone, live and recorded footage and the use of an app so that the audience could vote to

Canons Follies

choose the ending each time the drama was performed. But, if we had to pick out the project which really confirmed your status as an outstanding year group for theatrical magic, it would have to be last year’s ‘Sister Act’ where the Class of 2020 really was at the very heart of this joyous, wonderful and heart-warming production.

Sister Act

It is a production which has gone down in the annals of the School as a most special and precious memory and we are so grateful to each and everyone one of you for giving us those spine-tingling evenings – when, as so many people have said, we felt that the West End truly had come to Canons.

As a year group, you have truly excelled in every aspect of music. You have embraced every opportunity offered to you, ranging from the long-established traditional events to newer initiatives, the large-scale concert in a huge auditorium or a more intimate gathering in the Drummond, a jazz night, an ‘open mic’ event, or a Christmas assembly. You have shone as soloists, as leading lights of the National Youth Orchestra, as vital parts of smaller ensembles or as members of choirs, bands and full orchestras, but you have also appreciated the sheer commitment and hard work that lie behind every final performance and you have never shied away from humbly and rigorously honing your skills. Above all, you have brought immense joy to every audience fortunate enough to be present

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School, included in numerous School magazines and journals and generously shared online. You have shown off your skills as they have blossomed and developed, and you have most definitely demonstrated your more creative - and even quirky – side. Even the current lockdown could not cramp your strong sense of style... one of you has built exciting willow sculptures in your front room at home, you have created sculptures of dancing children from bits of your granny’s shed – you have - believe it or not - painted feet onto the inside of a dishwasher, set up a t-shirt design business at home, used drift wood as a canvas for your work and turned one corner of the Art department into an atelier’s studio.

to witness your prowess.

Truly memorable moments include a wonderful solo rendition of Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ with the Ealing Youth Orchestra, a glorious music festival at Birmingham Town Hall, sensitive and poignant contributions in November 2018 as we marked the one-hundredth anniversary of the Armistice with an array of music and words from the First World War and a sun-soaked Tuscany tour with brilliant performances in several glorious locations which touched the hearts of all the Italians who came to see you. Again and again, you have proved that you can hold your own among renowned experts with a wealth of expertise and experience behind them; you have, alongside their choir, participated in two beautiful Evensong services in the chapel at King’s College, London and the wind and brass players among you willingly took up the challenge of joining forces with the professional bandsmen at RAF Northolt. And last, but by no means least, so many of you played and sang your hearts out at the funeral of Mrs McCabe and then, again, at her Memorial

Service in the daunting setting of St Paul’s Cathedral when the esteemed Director of Music there said that your professionalism, skill and sincerity had moved him to tears.

Art, too, has been an area in which you have excelled, and the rich results of your creativity have been displayed around the Canons Follies

But, as the Class of 2020, you haven’t been content to sit in one place for too long – as a year group you have excelled in sport at the highest level, with three of your number representing England, Scotland or Ireland at the International Lacrosse Festival, individuals competing on the world stage in diving, gymnastics and lacrosse, the netball team winning the Greater London Youth Games for the very first time and brilliant speed and grit shown even in the sleet and mud of a hilly cross-country run.

You have demonstrated your steely

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Sister At

determination to excel and become champions as individuals, but, just as importantly, you have always been willing to work alongside others to create, and then nurture, a team where everyone pools their talents and builds on shared strengths to produce some wonderful results in matches, tournaments and county championships. Whenever there has been a sports-club for younger students, you have rushed to volunteer as expert helpers, consistently encouraging and offering tips and friendly advice.

And finally, whatever the sport, you have always been great ambassadors for North London, even when you have ventured far from Canons; your dance-routines on the side-lines during key matches have often more physically demanding than the efforts of your friends who were actually on the pitches; you created - and then energetically – performed - a rousing prematch team-talk based on the legendary NLCS exhortation ‘Push, Check, Hold’.

On your watch, long-established Senior Societies have been nurtured and developed in exciting directions and new initiatives embraced and taken out into the wider School community. It is a unique feature of NLCS that we have so many Societies led by the students themselves whose almost bewildering array of interests represented include Film and Media, Engineering, Anthropology, Afro-Caribbean culture, Economics, Classics, Human Rights, all areas of the

Sciences and, of course, LGBT +. Fantasy Fashion is always a real highlight of the School year and, as a result of the expert and energetic leadership of Art Society, the event in January around the topic of ‘Eden’ was a true show-stopper, drawing in a huge audience and raising record sums of money for KSDP. Jewish Society introduced the very popular ‘challah bake’ when they magically transformed 003 into a kitchen. Canonaid has also continued to flourish with a host of projects to raise awareness of good causes, ranging from helping communities

Silver DofE

in Africa with TreeAid to CentrePoint’s crucial work with the homeless here in London. To mark the advent of the year 2020, and its echoes of the ideal of 20/20 vision, they organised a competition across the School for classes to compete to see which one could collect as many 20p coins as possible; purses were turned inside out, the cushions at the back of many a sofa were dislodged and piggy banks were mercilessly raided. Hundreds of pounds were raised for Sightsavers, as the Canonaid Committee triumphantly carried to the Bursary bag after bag laden with 20p coins.

The assemblies carefully prepared and brilliantly led by the various Societies have invariably been one of the highlights of the School week. You have never shied away from difficult - or even painful - topics and we shall long remember the powerful assembly meticulously prepared and beautifully presented by Jewish Society to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary last January of the liberation of Auschwitz. You have made us think with Philosophy Society’s memorable presentation on the life, work and influence of Descartes – an ambitiously tough topic on a Friday morning - Literary Society’s celebration of World Book Day with extracts from Alan Bennett’s ‘The History Boys’ to throw light on the value of education or Geography and Economics Societies joining forces to

And, perhaps most powerfully of all, many of these assemblies have educated us and helped us to appreciate and celebrate the rich diversity of the School community. Last autumn our Harvest celebrations, led by different faith groups, encouraged us to reflect on the importance of giving something back to society and you urged us all to translate this into action by making donations to the wonderful Mary’s Meals project to feed hungry children in schools across the globe. We shall also long remember the light-filled and colourful assembly to mark the glorious festival of Diwali which certainly brightened up a grey and gloomy autumn morning.

As a year group, you have worked unstintingly to make the school, the

57 Sister Act

community and the wider world a fairer, a more tolerant and a more compassionate place. You have willingly and imaginatively contributed to our annual Kindness Week, you have hosted regular ‘Tea and Chat’ sessions to support younger students, you have helped to make our traditional Community parties a real highlight for our guests, you have kept up those vital visits to local care homes offering the residents the all-important gift of friendship and understanding, you have worked happily and supportively alongside students from our partner

Year 12 Latin trip

BIG SIX & VALEDICTORY

show us how these academic disciplines can help us find solutions to some of the most complex problems in the world.

You have most definitely entertained us with the Big Six’s launch of their ‘NLCS Boot Camp’, Polyglot Society telling us all about the linguistic adventures of Little Red Riding Hoodie or Classics Society marking Valentine’s Day with an amusing and, it has to be said, rigorously censored, account of Odysseus’ amorous encounters on his way home from the Trojan War. Canonaid has always come up trumps with their fabulous sketches to amuse us and, more importantly, to cajole us into giving money to charity.

schools and you have raised thousands of pounds for charities both at home and abroad. You have been loyal form assistants and peer mentors; you have run numerous clubs for the Middle School, in classrooms or out on the sports fields, using your energy, imagination and more often than not, your baking skills, to inspire the next generation of students to share your passions and interests.

You care deeply about the environment and, in that capacity, you have led the School’s important vision to be a more eco-friendly and sustainable environment, and you have used the skill of academic debate to try and get to grips with some of the most important questions of this and, indeed, any age. Your quiet kindness and care for everyone in the community have acted as the oil which unobtrusively keeps the machinery of the school running smoothly.

You have as a year group, shown a rare talent for words – you have shone on the page as much as the stage, planning and creating a fine array of journals and magazines. A number of you worked tirelessly to collaborate with our sister schools in Jeju and Dubai to produce ‘Global’ just before the lockdown started and it was poignant to have such a combination of talents working together as people across the globe felt isolated and alone. ‘The North London Review of Books’ has been an exciting new venture this year and has contained some

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Year 12 Biology Field trip

astute and polished literary criticism; ‘The Linguist’ was in such capable hands that Ms Santos is convinced that the editors will soon be effortlessly running the world.

But, of course, you have also enjoyed time away from the familiar world of Canons and you have always been eager to explore what else there is to see and do in new places. A very cold and wet few days at Condover Hall in Year 7 almost certainly toughened you up for the ‘fresh’ climate of winter days in the Old House and prepared you for an equally rainy USA lacrosse tour when you were in Year 10 - I gather that the weather was so dreadful that some of you spent more time valiantly exploring the delights of the local shopping malls than actually playing sport. There were exciting Geography trips to Croatia, Iceland and Costa Rica, an expedition to Kerala to explore the many charitable projects there and exchange visits to Australia as well as to our sister schools in Jeju and Dubai. Memories of Classics trips are still vivid in the minds of both students and staff – those of you who went to Rome displayed positively heroic pizza-eating prowess and excelled at charmingly persuading the staff at the

Canons Follies

Capitoline Museum in Rome to allow you to re-enter its hallowed portals after you had accidentally and mysteriously found yourselves outside, rather than inside, the doors. You have thrown yourselves into activities on Biology field trips, loved every moment of your expedition to Dublin and refrained from grumbling too much when you had to spend the night on a Silver D of E expedition in a handy shed - because your tents were under inches of rain water.

And what have your tutors who know you best said about you? What will they remember? What will they miss? The deep discussions and academic debates?

The insightful comments on current affairs? Well, yes – but so much more as well - form breakfasts have played a prominent role over the past two years with one member of the current Year 13 proudly bringing in an actual toaster so that everyone could enjoy real toast; it only came to light much later that it was the family toaster - and that her father went without breakfast that day. In tutor time, you have blithely ignored many of the official activities on offer, but enthusiastically engaged in a ferocious pumpkin-carving competition, cheated like mad in the BBC’s weekly

news quiz, held a ‘Dobble to the Death’ tournament, laughed hysterically through games of Pictionary, fought over jigsaw puzzle pieces, made gingerbread houses, painstakingly filled in colouring books and painting by numbers sheets, made an entire zoo of felt animals, claimed that period 1 on a Monday is ‘just too early for me,’ and generously offered to teach each other how to knit...only to confess that you didn’t actually know yourself.

You have also helped and supported each other in a thousand different ways, making a surprise birthday cake for a tutor and giving an impromptu piano concert . You can be so astute and observant – your brilliant Canons Follies performance proved beyond doubt that you all know far more about what goes on at School than any member of staff .

Every year group is, of course, different and special, but we shall remember you not least for the way in which the Class of 2020 has had to face unique challenges.

None of us could have foreseen back in September that we would be ending the academic year in this strange, virtual word, that you would not have the Founder’s Day celebrations that we had planned for you, that you would not have

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Young Enterprise

this Valedictory Assembly at Canons, that you would not have the satisfaction of actually sitting the examinations that you had worked towards with such impressive spirit, ambition and steely determination.

All of this must have come as a very bitter disappointment to you, but you have all tried hard to see the bigger picture, to put your own concerns into a far wider context and to adapt swiftly to new ways of working - and even living. You have risen to the challenges of having lessons on Teams, patiently giving expert advice when staff were baffled by the technology, you have found creative and ingenious ways of keeping the rich extra-curricular life of the School going, tapping into debating, Science Café and Senior Societies, creating virtual book clubs, journals and art exhibitions, choirs and string quartets - and you have supported each other and your teachers - in unsettling times. And, in spite of your own worries and concerns, so many of you have found the time and energy to help others in this pandemic, shopping for vulnerable neighbours, knitting blankets for the homeless, collecting and delivering much-needed prescriptions for people shielding from COVID-19, supporting local charities and community projects,

writing cards to the residents of a nearby care home or bringing boxes of treats to their doors. Your compassion, your courage and your ability to see beyond your own horizons are a tribute to you all.

Class of 2020, the future is in your hands. Throughout your time at North London you have shown that you are committed to making a difference and that you will never shy away from a challenge, however daunting it may at first appear. I want to end with a reading, part of a poem by Maya Angelou, poet, novelist, playwright, actor, dancer and civil rights activist, who demonstrated at every stage of her long and illustrious life that she would never stand back and allow what she saw to be unjust to go unexamined and unquestioned, that she would face up with calm resolve to every challenge which she encountered and that that she would use her fierce spirit and intelligence to make the world a better place. As we say farewell at the end of this stage of your lives, we dedicate to each and every one of you this extract from Maya Angelou’s poem, ‘A Brave and Startling Truth’:

‘We, this people, on a small and lonely planet Travelling through casual space Past aloof stars, across the way of indifferent suns To a destination where all signs tell us It is possible and imperative that we learn A brave and startling truth ….... …..When we come to it We, this people on this wayward, floating body Created on this earth, of this earth Have the power to fashion for this earth A climate where every man and every woman Can live freely without sanctimonious piety Without crippling fear When we come to it We must confess that we are the possible We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world That is when, and only when We come to it.

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STUDENT PUBLICATIONS

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he School offers a wealth of extracurricular activities satisfying all interests and curiosities, enabling students to take risks and try out new things. More than 90 clubs

Our students also create their own magazines and publications on topics of their choice, including Law, Languages, Science, Economics and Maths, to name but a few. Each term, we are delighted at the variety and creativity of the magazines and journals published. Although the pandemic prevented our students from being together in the classroom, this did not deter their commitment

and societies, run by the students themselves, take place each week and include subjects from philosophy to climate change, human rights to chess, and dance to literature.

and enthusiasm for creating their termly publications. We continue to be astonished by the number of enrichment activities that our students eagerly throw themselves into, and the magazines that are regularly published are a delight to

read. All publications can be read online through the school website.

Global

Footprint

Archipelago

A LITERARY MAGAZINE FEATURING ART, POETRY AND CREATIVE WRITING.

CREATED BY OUR ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS SOCIETY AND FEATURES ARTICLES ON THE ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE.

A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT BETWEEN OUR FAMILY OF SCHOOLS ENABLING STUDENTS FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS TO PROMOTE THEIR DIVERSE CULTURES AND LOCAL ISSUES TO ONE ANOTHER IN A SERIES OF MAGAZINE ARTICLES

Plato & Co

The Linguist

PUBLISHED BY PHILOSOPHY SOCIETY AND AIMS TO PROMOTE INTEREST IN PHILOSOPHICAL IDEAS

SHOWCASES THE BREADTH AND VARIETY OF STUDENTS’ INTERESTS IN LANGUAGES

Oyster

Capital

Spatial

A JOURNAL THAT EXPLORES HISTORY AND THE CULTURE WHICH THIS HISTORY FORMS, ART, AND PHILOSOPHY, OUTSIDE OF WESTERN CULTURE

A JOURNAL WRITTEN

BY MEMBERS OF OUR ECONOMICS SOCIETY DELVING INTO THE WORLD OF FINANCE AND BUSINESS

THE MAGAZINE FROM OUR GEOGRAPHY SOCIETY COVERS BOTH CURRENT ISSUES AND HISTORICAL SUBJECTS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE

IN MEMORY

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2019

Bernice McCabe OBE

North London Collegiate School remembers former Headmistress, Bernice McCabe OBE (1952 - 2019)

O

n Friday 8th November 2019 over 2000 guests gathered at St Paul’s Cathedral for a Memorial Service to celebrate the life of our former Headmistress, Bernice McCabe OBE. The service was attended by Mrs McCabe’s close friends and family, all NLCS students and staff – both past and present – along with Governors, representatives from NLCS Schools in South Korea and Dubai, The Prince’s Teaching Institute, and HRH The Prince of Wales.

During the service, Headmistress, Sarah Clark, gave a very moving tribute, which began with the fitting quote “The best evidence for her work for the world is that it will go on, even though the active brain and the busy hand are still”, which was written after the passing of our

founder Frances Mary Buss nearly 125 years ago. The service was an extremely moving and a most appropriate way to commemorate Mrs McCabe’s extraordinary achievements and the inspirational leadership that she gave to NLCS during her 20 years of Headship.

A short time after the service at St Paul’s Cathedral took place, students and staff gathered in the grounds at Canons to watch the unveiling of a permanent memorial to Mrs McCabe. It is an armillary sundial, which overlooks the Chandos Beauty roses that Mrs McCabe always enjoyed seeing from her study window. Soon after she arrived at Canons in September 1997, Mrs McCabe revealed that she had always loved sundials, objects of beauty which silently

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remeasure time through the passing of the seasons. Inscribed on the sphere are the final lines from a short poem, ‘For Katrina’s Sundial’ by Henry van Dyke: ‘…for those who love, time is Eternity.’ This poem, which Mrs McCabe had always found moving and uplifting, was read at the ceremony. In the years to come, we shall watch the sunlight falling on the sundial in this garden at Canons and remember Mrs McCabe with immense gratitude and love.

In a final tribute, NLCS launched The Bernice McCabe Bursary Fund. NLCS is extremely proud of the fundraising that we do in order to facilitate so many Bursary places, and to see first-hand how transformational a gift towards a Bursary can be. We feel certain that Mrs McCabe would be delighted to know that this Fund is in place and will hopefully be supported by many; her fundamental belief was that every girl should be given the opportunity of an outstanding education, irrespective of financial background and we will work hard to ensure that her belief will be upheld for many generations of North Londoner’s to come.

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VALETE

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t the end of the Summer term we said a fond farewell to staff leaving NLCS for pastures new.

Paul Dwyer, Deputy Head - Academic (History and Politics)

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robust and skillful historian – never daunted by any aspect of teaching, and always prepared to go the extra mile for his students, Paul is a dedicated, expressive and inspiring teacher. His sixth form students have commented on his kindness and desire to help them to understand even the most obscure elements of American constitutional history and politics. Paul’s sense of

community is very strong – he is not only a sensitive line manager, but he will cheerfully throw himself into staff events with aplomb and gusto. Above all Paul has shown great kindness and support for his colleagues and the students in his care.

He is a thoughtful and responsive leader and has brought drive and determination to the academic departments in the School and his humanity and balanced sense of proportion, coupled with his commitment to equality, diversity and scholarship has made him an excellent all-round fit for North London.

Chris Cockerill, Head of Sixth Form (Maths)

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n exceptionally able mathematician himself, he quickly and imaginatively seized upon a dozen different ways of explaining the steps through a question, reassuring, encouraging and praising the students in equal measure. It was no

surprise to anyone that Chris quickly found a new role at North London as Head of Sixth Form where he has continued to follow Dame Kitty’s maxim that ‘everyone matters.’ We wish him every success and happiness.

subject through to the Sixth Form, to degree level and even beyond that. Eva has given so generously of her time and talents, especially as an immensely calm and supportive form tutor; the girls knew that in Eva they would always have a warm, kind and fair advocate.

Eva Dodwell (RS & Philosophy)

E

va has been a wonderful teacher at every level of the Senior School, devising challenging, but entertaining, lessons, responding with enthusiasm to the changing demands of the curriculum and inspiring many students to take her

Georgia Sams (Classics)

G

eorgia arrived in the Classics Office six years ago and instantly established herself as a star of the NLCS world. Her profound love of everything about the ancient world is heartfelt and wide-ranging and her mission to share that love with her students is what makes

her such a gifted and influential teacher.

She is also a tremendously gifted linguist who has willingly taken on the most challenging aspects of both Latin and Green prose composition, a superbly perceptive literary critic and a highly skilled historian.

Ali Murray (Geography)

A

li has become such an integral and much-loved part of North London that it is hard to believe that he has only been here for five years; in that comparatively short time, he has risen through the ranks to become Head of Geography. Ali is an exceptional Geographer and an outstandingly innovative and creative teacher; his subject knowledge and passion are legendary, and they lie at the heart of

Tess Sittner (Geography)

T

ess is one of those very special teachers who has come back to her old school to see the world of education from ‘the other side. Tess established herself as a teacher of the very highest calibre; she was always impeccably organised for every lesson with an array

T

imea has been at North London for the past five years and we feel so very fortunate to have been able to keep her for that long. One colleague described Timea’s love of Chemistry as ‘infinite’ and she certainly has the gift of conveying her quiet passion for science in

N

aomi is formidably clever herself but manages to convey even the most complex philosophical concepts in a way

which students find clear, engaging and exciting; she has consistently encouraged them to think for themselves, to question what is in front of them and not to shy away from trying to confront every

Janet Ball (PE)

J

anet has been a brilliant teacher and has never been seen without a beaming smile; her beautifully-judged sense of fun has lifted students and colleagues even at the most exhausting moments and,

every single lesson. His love of all things geographical extends far beyond the classroom – he has organised numerous expeditions to different parts of the globe and led field trips where he has tirelessly taught students the importance of practical work. Ali is an extraordinarily kind colleague and friend, a ferociously dedicated tutor, a master of technology and hugely talented sportsman who has nurtured football at North London and excelled in every single Staff versus Students match.

of imaginative and immaculately-prepared resources ready for use by her students in the classroom. The girls loved her crisp, clear and ambitious teaching and her unwavering belief in their abilities to achieve great things; they have seen her as a role model and valued the time and trouble devoted by her to them.

Timea Thorpe (Chemistry)

Naomi Richman (RS & Philosophy)

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when asked to sum up Janet in simple phrase, Gill Aldcroft (Director of Sport) immediately responded with ‘The best shimmyer in town.’

general and Chemistry in particular to her students across all the year groups and, for the past two terms, she has, alongside Chris Browing, led the department with calm efficiency. Timea’s talents and interests extend far beyond the lab or classroom and she has embraced every opportunity that has come her way; she has been an outstanding tutor and pastoral leader.

challenge fearlessly. We shall miss Naomi but congratulate her on her new teaching post.

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Elaine Pun (Maths)

students at the heart of everything that she does and the girls responded to her air of quiet competence and genuine kindness. She worked so collaboratively and generously with the rest of the department, sharing her beautifully prepared and presented resources and supporting everyone around her.

E

laine from her very first day, has been such a wonderfully calm and capable presence both in the classroom and in the departmental office. As anyone who has seen her teach or been present in one of her form times, she puts the

Philip Chadwick (MFL)

P

hilip joined NLCS to run our Russian Department. He is, as one colleague succinctly, put it, ‘one of our intellectual powerhouses’ and his Nicholson Lectures became the stuff of legend. Yet, Philip

W

wears his learning lightly and humbly and the students have been so grateful to him not only for shedding light on the intricacies of Russian and German grammar and literature, but also for making them completely accessible and exciting. He has been a calm, loyal and infinitely kind colleague and friend.

e also said a very fond farewell to colleagues looking forward to retirement; Jean Fiori-McPhee and Eleanor Engle from the Art Department had exceptionally long and illustrious careers at North London Jean after thirty-two years of service and Eleanor after thirty-four years. Trevor Griffiths, our fabulous art & design technician also left NLCS after twenty-five years of looking after so many practical aspects of Art and Design.

THE DESTINATION DESTINATION OF LEAVERS 2020 2020

TOP TOP

UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS

16

12 12 CAMBRIDGE

11 11

CAMBRIDGE

21 21

UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON COLLEGE LONDON

ECONOMICS ECONOMICS

HISTORY HISTORY

GEOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHY

5

A A R R EE A A SS

LIBERALARTS ARTS LIBERAL

SUBJECT

ENGLISH ENGLISH

SIX

MEDICINE MEDICINE

TOP

22 22 13 13 11 11 10 10 66 55

OXFORD OXFORD

66

99

DURHAM DURHAM

WARWICK WARWICK

DESTINATIONS

STUDENTS STUDENTSSTUDYING STUDYING AT UK UNIVERSITIES AT UK UNIVERSITIES

105 Aberdeen Aberdeen(1), (1),Birmingham Birmingham(1)(1) Bristol Bristol(5), (5),Cambridge Cambridge(12), (12), Cardiff (1), City Art Cardiff (1), City&&Guilds GuildsLondon London Art School (1), Durham (9), School (1), Durham (9), Edinburgh Edinburgh(4), (4),Exeter Exeter(1), (1),Imperial Imperial(5), (5), King’s (5), Lancaster (1), Leeds (2), King’s (5), Lancaster (1), Leeds (2), LSE (5), Manchester (5), LSE (5), Manchester (5), Nottingham (2), Oxford (11), Queen Nottingham (2), Oxford (11), Queen Mary (4), Sheffield (1), Mary (4), Sheffield (1), St Andrews (1), UCL (21) St Andrews (1), UCL (21) University of the Arts London (1) University of the Arts London (1) Warwick (6) Warwick (6)

STUDENTS STUDYING AT STUDENTS STUDYING AT INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITIES INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITIES

11 11 2 2 3 3

Founded 1850 Founded 1850

Brown (1), Columbia (2), Harvard (1), Brown (1), Columbia (2), (1), Harvard (1), Northwestern University Northwestern University (1),Princeton (1), Notre Dame (1), Pomona (1), Notre Dame (1), Pomona (1), Princeton (1), (1) Stanford (1), UCLA (1), University of Chicago Stanford (1), UCLA (1), University of Chicago (1) Scaarland University - Germany (1), Scaarland University (1), Trinity Dublin - Ireland- Germany (1) Trinity Dublin - Ireland (1) McGill University (1), McGill University (1), University of British Columbia,Vancouver (2) University of British Columbia,Vancouver (2)

students are students takingare a taking gap year and will a gap year will apply forand entry apply for entry to university to university in 2021. in 2021.

The impressively wide range of disciplines taken up at Higher Education by the Class of 2020 include; The impressively wide rangeArabic, of disciplines takenArtupFoundation, at HigherArts Education by the Class Sciences, of 2020 Biology, include; Ancient History, Anthropology, Architecture, & Sciences, Biological Ancient History, Anthropology, Architecture, Art Foundation, Arts & Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Classics, Arabic, Computer Science, Data Science & AI, Dental Surgery,Biological Drama &Sciences, Theatre Biology, Arts, Biomedical Economic Engineering, Classics, Computer Science,Organisation, Data ScienceElectronic & AI, Dental Surgery,Engineering, Drama & Theatre Arts, Economics, History, Economics & Industrial & Information Engineering, Economics, Economic History, Economics & Industrial Organisation, Electronic & Information English, Fashion Design & Development, French with Management, Geography, GermanEngineering, & Russian,Engineering, History, English, Fashion Design Development, French with Management, Geography, German Russian, History, International Business with&Spanish, International Relations, Law with International Study, Liberal & Arts, Management, International Science, BusinessMathematics, with Spanish,Medicine, International Relations, with Neuroscience, International Study, Liberal Arts, Management, Management Music, Natural Law Sciences, Pharmacy, Psychology, Spanish, Management Science, Mathematics, Medicine, Music, Natural Sciences, Neuroscience, Pharmacy, Psychology, Spanish, Veterinary Science Veterinary Science

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2020

ALUMNAE RELATIONS & DEVELOPMENT

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t the beginning of the academic year, we could not have envisaged the global events that were to unfold during 2020. Although many of the plans we had in place had to be curtailed during this time, we are extremely grateful for the continued support we have received from the NLCS community.

Singpore Reunion

NLCS is dependent on philanthropic support to raise money for important capital projects and bursaries. Our provision of bursary places is central to the ethos of the School, and the Bernice McCabe Bursary Fund continues to flourish, providing opportunities to transform lives. Funded by donations, franchising and investment income,

One Year Reunion

during 2019/20 the School awarded 74 bursaries, with a total value of £1,337,525.

We are committed to increasing our level of donations to the bursary fund during the next academic year.

were able to take place, providing an opportunity for local parent communities to come together. We are very grateful to the parents who so kindly hosted these evenings.

Although the pandemic hampered many of our planned events, we were delighted that two Neighbourhood Drinks in St John’s Wood and Hampstead

Our global alumnae community continues to grow, and we are in contact with over 9,000 ONLs (Old North Londoners). Even though Covid-19 has

ONL (2017) Reunion

impacted on our alumnae relations work this year, and we could not hold all the events we had planned, we are so grateful for the resilience of the ONL community, as well as its patience, grace, and kindness during these challenging times.

Before lockdown we had several opportunities to meet. In September, we were delighted to welcome back

50 Year reunion

the Class of 1969 for their 50-year reunion – it was wonderful seeing ONLs reconnecting and sharing memories of their time at school. An informal reunion of our 1986 alumnae was held at Canons in the early Autumn and, as Christmas approached, ONLs were invited to enjoy an evening of carols performed by our music students at The Parish Church of

St George’s in Hanover Square. In the new year we welcomed back the Class of 2019 to North London for their one-year reunion and, in March before lockdown restrictions were imposed, we had a very successful Women in the Workplace event kindly hosted by ONL Sarah Anticoni, and featuring a fabulous panel, including ONLs Rosa Jung and

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St George’s Church-Carol Service NLCS

ALUMNAE & DEVELOPMENT NEWS

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NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2020

Bank of America

Judith Breuer, as well as keynote speaker Lucy Frazer QC, MP for South East Cambridgeshire.

During lockdown, we put in place plans to strengthen our mentoring and career services programme, reaching out to ONLs to mentor our Sixth formers, and we have received a fabulous response. We are planning a schedule of events including virtual reunions, networking events, as well as reaching out to our global community. The upcoming digital issue of ONLine promises to be an inspirational read!

We are grateful to Bank of America who continue to support our bursary fund and provide wonderful speakers for our Senior Societies. The Bank also ran a fantastic trading game for students in Years 11 to 13 interested in finding out more about careers in finance; through a simulation involving the trading of chocolate, students experienced the dynamic and fast-paced world of financial markets. Students also had the opportunity to hear from representatives of the Bank about the wide ranging career options available at Bank of America.

A big thank you to everyone within the NLCS community who has supported, donated and given their time to our School during this challenging year. We were particularly delighted to raise an unprecedented amount of money for the Bernice McCabe Bursary Fund and Hardship Fund, largely due to the generosity of many outgoing Year 13 parents who donated their school deposits. We value all that you do.

Neighbourhood drinks

Women in the Workplace (ONL)

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omy McCarthy, Class of 2020, shares her experience of the pandemic and her last days at NLCS

I think it’s safe to say that the past few months have been nothing like I imagined them to be. Prior to the arrival of Covid-19, I had 2020 planned out. My A-Level revision timetable was ready, and I was eager to take up my place at Stanford University in September, following on from what I had hoped would be an action-packed summer.

Like most NLCS girls, I spent the last few years cringing at the thought of falling down the stairs in my high-heels on Founder’s Day and envisaging the moment my name would be read out at valedictory.

Little did I know that these much-loved rituals would be slightly different for me.

The 18th March was a shocking day for everyone in my year group. With the prospect of school closures looming over us, one would struggle to find a free computer at NLCS as all of us preparing for upcoming examinations rushed to print-off wads of past-papers and revision resources. I even remember feeling strangely productive as I clutched onto my work for the next few months, thinking of all the revision I could get done in the unprecedented amount of free-time which lay ahead of me. At 5 o’clock that afternoon, I was sat at my desk grappling with a History essay when our year group chat erupted into a stream of messages.

My classmates wrote, ‘A LEVELS ARE CANCELLED!!!’, ‘What?!!’ and ‘Is this a prank?’. I pushed my essay to the side and sat there in disbelief.

For the rest of the evening I did feel a slight sense of relief that I wouldn’t

have to learn multiple quotes from Middlemarch or spend hours drawing Economics diagrams. However, the novelty quickly wore off.

I have many fond memories of my last few days at NLCS. Our teachers put so much time and effort into comforting us and pulled together a farewell lunch and assembly for us on our final day of school.

however, due to Covid-19 we continued to have lessons until the end of June.

Throughout these lessons my teachers passionately shared their special subject areas with us, from the Crusades, to Irish Literature. Both teachers and students felt privileged to have the opportunity to get to know each other better through debates and discussions, without the pressure of exams.

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CLASS LEAVER OF 2020

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Despite the lack of physical connection, my friendships have grown stronger, and some have even been rekindled. At the beginning of lockdown, online Quiz Nights were a regular occurrence and I spent many hours of the day on Facetime or Zoom to my friends. Admittedly, sometimes we did exhaust all topics of conversation because, so little was happening in our days, but spontaneous karaoke sessions and solo dance parties across the call never failed to fill the silence.

The memories of dancing in the school carpark to our favourite songs and playing board-games around the Old House to distract from the uncertainty, are ones which I will cherish forever.

Covid-19 has devastated so many, and we have all witnessed the tragic consequences. However, I have never been prouder to be part of the NLCS community.

As a Year 13 student, I was due to finish lessons in April to go on study leave,

For me, the last few months have forced me to adapt to circumstances and deal with uncertainty. I spent days ruminating over what to do for my unplanned COVID-induced gap year. By the time we reached July, I honestly think my friends had heard enough about my struggles of finding jobs and internships. However, I did persevere, and secured an internship with my local MP, which is something I have always wanted to do. I would be lying if I say I am not partially nervous for the year ahead, but I look forward to seeing where the year takes me.

So, although the end of my schoolcareer was nothing like I thought it would be, I don’t think anyone will ever forget the Class of 2020.

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