Canons Life - Autumn 2014

Canons Life The Autumn Term 2014 at North London Collegiate School

FOCUS ON the

House Activities Programme

nlcs1850

@nlcs1850

You can download Canons Life at

www.nlcs.org.uk

1

|

canons l i f e

Message from THE HEADMISTRESS The Autumn Term is always a very full one at NLCS, and this new academic year has already been packed with activities and excitement. The Senior School students seem particularly enthusiastic about the introduction of the new House Activities Programme this term, which will increase the opportunities they have for interacting with girls from other year groups in a number of extra-curricular activities, and will run alongside the current pastoral year system.

It was very important to us all that the names of the Houses conveyed the sense of tradition and pioneering spirit that epitomise North London, and the whole school community was in agreement that the best way to do this would be by naming them after inspirational Old North Londoners who have distinguished themselves in a variety of fields. The final selection was (Edith) Aitken, (Peggy) Angus, (Clara) Collet, (Stella) Gibbons and (Lilian) Lindsay, all of whom you will be able to read more about in this latest edition of Canons Life.

With such a rich past, it is no surprise that history is so important at North London. The School has marked the centenary of the Great War in numerous ways this year, including on Founder’s Day which focused on the many contributions that North London girls and Old North Londoners made to the War effort. This term, the

First World War has also been the focus of History and Politics Week, which included assemblies led by staff and students, the inaugural International Affairs Symposium, focusing on the challenges of international diplomacy and the importance of cultural sensitivity, as well as fascinating talks from the historians Nigel Jones, Heather Jones and Hew Strachan.

The annual Arts Celebration Evening also commemorated the centenary of the War, featuring some excellent performances of music and drama from that period.

We have also enjoyed the display of creative talents in many other performances this term, with the return of regular Autumn Term highlights such as the Year 7 Dance Display, the Senior Concert, the Middle School Play, The Red Shoes, and the Fantasy Fashion show, in aid of ONL Stephanie Lee’s charity, KSDP. North London has hosted many engaging and interesting visitors this term. Five Sixth Formers took part in filming for a BBC Arts documentary with celebrated fashion photographer, Rankin, and girls in Year 10 upwards gained valuable insight into the workings of parliament from the Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons. A group of Year 12 girls also had the opportunity to attend lectures by eminent academics Dr Martin Ruehl, Professor Nicholas Harrison and Dr Michelle Sheehan at the Prince’s Teaching Institute’s Modern Foreign Languages Residential Weekend in November.

Girls have also enjoyed working collaboratively with students from other schools this past term. The T.S. Eliot

Symposium, with Queen Elizabeth’s School, gave girls the opportunity to discuss and analyse the poems shortlisted for this year’s T.S. Eliot Prize. Now in its second year, the Hispanic Theatre Festival, saw students from schools including Harrow and Eton join girls from NLCS to perform extracts of plays in Spanish.

The Hispanic Theatre Festival was just one example of how a strong spirit of internationalism flourishes at North London. From the School’s beautiful parkland setting in London we continue to find new ways to look outward and offer our students connections with the wider world, where they will work and make their lives in the future.

Girls have visited numerous exciting destinations this term including Russia, Zambia and Morocco.

We are developing more opportunities for girls to interact with NLCS Jeju and recently students from both schools got together for a ‘video chat’ to contrast and compare the different publications put together at each school. And students from North London have been working with their peers at Jeju to launch Global, a ‘cross-cultural’ magazine containing content from both schools, which we have enjoyed reading immensely.

As we approach the end of another busy term, I wish you all a restful and joyous festive season.

Bernice McCabe, Headmistress

Introduction to the Houses This year marks the first time a House Activities Programme has been put in place to encourage girls to interact with pupils in other year groups. All students in the Senior School were assigned to one of five Houses, each initially known simply by its colour – blue, red, yellow, purple and green, and by the Spring Term staff will also be assigned.

other girls in their House and get chatting to them. It was exciting to see the School filled with colour for the first few days after the launch of the Houses.

Every girl was given a piece of ribbon in their House colour, to wear on their wrist or in their hair, to enable them to identify

The overall theme for the first year of the programme is ‘Who We Are’, allowing girls to play a large role in establishing a sense of identity

Interview with Mrs Wilson, Deputy Head (ONL)

What do you hope it will add to the School?

Why was the House Activities Programme introduced?

It was introduced as a way to promote links between the different year groups so all girls from different ages could interact socially and in a fun way together.

It will also make the transition into new classes easier as girls will continue to socialise with their House friends whilst making new friends in their classes.

AUTUMN 2014

|

During the first of the House ‘meet ups’, the names of the Houses were announced. Each is named after a pioneering or noteworthy ONL – Aitken, Angus, Collet, Gibbons, and Lindsay.

I think it will bring a real element of fun as it is designed to complement and enhance the current extra-curricular activities.

We plan to have termly events, some of which will be competitive, others in support of creative ideas and charity work, these will all encourage a sense of team spirit amongst the girls and staff, building and nurturing strong friendships.

How were the five names decided?

N o r t h L ondon C oll e g i at e S c h ool

for their House. Two ‘meet-ups’ were held over the Autumn Term, and these enabled girls to discuss possible mascots, mottos and key House qualities. By the end of the Spring Term, each House will have made important decisions about its identity, and representatives from each will present the results to the rest of the School community at a celebratory ‘House Branding’ event.

The first big House event was also held just before the half-term – a It took a lot of time to choose the names of the Houses. We considered many things, for example features of the school, such as ‘Lime’ for Lime Avenue or ‘Budge’ for Budge Square, we also discussed historical figures associated with Canons such as the Duke of Chandos and Handel amongst many others. After consultation with the girls, staff, ONLs, and lots of different constituent members of the School community, the overwhelming suggestion was that the Houses should be named after inspirational women. And where better to find inspirational women

quiz, hosted in the Main Hall by Mr Shoults. A team from each House was tested on its general knowledge in front of the whole Senior School.

There was a fantastic atmosphere and real sense of excitement, as girls throughout the School cheered on their team. It was a keenly fought battle, and in the end Angus and Collet emerged victorious as joint winners.

At the end of this term, the annual Fantasy Fashion event will involve a House competition category and all girls taking part will be awarded points for their House. Sports Day in 2015 will be centred around the Houses and in the lead up to Founder’s Day there will be several charity events held within the Houses. than amongst our ONLs! The five ONLs chosen were pioneering women, who were firsts in their particular areas which include science, the arts and literature.

What has been the response to the Houses by girls so far?

There is a really positive feeling about the Houses – when we had our first activity – a House quiz - there was a real sense of excitement and enthusiasm. The girls have embraced the new opportunities and are creatively working together on plans for future events.

CANONS LIFE

|

2

House Captains Angus

Collet

Angus Emily & Shreya

Collet Rebecca & Aanya

Gibbons Megan & Hannah

Lindsay Clare & Sofia

Aitken Riyana & Tamilore

What plans are being put in place by the House Captains?

How are the girls involved in creating their Houses?

What do you like most about the Houses?

What do you want your House qualities to be?

What would you like to achieve as House Captains?

We are listening to the ideas of everyone in the House about what they would like to do. We would like to set up some sort of support system for the younger years run by the older girls.

The girls are really involved and throughout our House “meet-ups” they all hand in their own ideas, which we then incorporate into the unique structure of our House.

They enable people to get to know each other.

They help to develop friendships and older girls can set an example for the younger ones.

It depends on what is important to the members of the House, which is why we encourage them to give ideas. We would like a sense of community, integrity and healthy competition.

Lindsay

Gibbons

We would like to make interaction between the years easier, we like the idea of the Houses bringing everyone together. It would be nice for girls in different years to be able to stop each other in the corridor or have lunch together, just from knowing each other within their House.

Aitken

House Names & their ONLs Clara Collet (1860-1948)

Clara Collet's time at NLCS allowed her to meet some of the most liberated girls of her time. She worked to improve the working conditions and pay for women (and some men). She worked on the Board of Trade and helped introduce many reforms including the Old Age Pension and Labour Exchange.

Lilian Lindsay (1871-1960)

Clara Collet

Lilian Lindsay worked as an apprentice to a dental surgeon and became a registered dental student. Lindsay qualified with honours from the Edinburgh Dental Hospital and School in 1895. She qualified successfully as a dentist and was eventually elected president of the BDA in 1946, and was awarded an OBE in the same year. On 17th April 2013, English Heritage honoured her with a blue plaque at her childhood home.

Peggy Angus (1904-1993)

Peggy Angus was born in Chile and was the 11th child of 13. She spent the first five years of her life in Chile before moving to Muswell Hill in London where she remained for her career. She attended NLCS before winning a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London. She returned to the School as Head of Art after many successful exhibitions and projects, two of her paintings now hang in the National Portrait Gallery.

Stella Gibbons

Stella Gibbons (1902-1989)

Lilian Lindsay

Stella Gibbons was an English poet, writer and journalist. She wrote 23 novels, but by far her most famous was her first, Cold Comfort Farm (1932).

She accessed her creative outlet by writing stories for her fellow-pupils, becoming Vice President of the Senior Dramatic Club, and became Secretary of the School’s Debating Club.

Edith Aitken (1861-1940)

Peggy Angus

Like Frances Mary Buss, Edith Aitken was a pioneer of higher education for women. Edith went on to become the first Headmistress for Pretoria High School for Girls in South Africa, which was founded in 1902. The school shares NLCS’s school motto ‘We work in hope’. Edith Aitken modelled the school on NLCS, and said “The school was opened and conducted with the earnest hope that here girls of different races and different denominations might meet in the commonwealth”.

Edith Aitken

N o r t h L ondon C oll e g i at e S c h ool

|

AUTUMN 2014

3

|

canons l i f e

Extra-curricular News Senior Societies this term has welcomed many eminent speakers and guests as part of its series of talks. Opened with a keynote address from Andrea Nixon of the Tate Gallery Liverpool, the weekly events have included visits from, amongst others, author and scientist Simon Singh, Juggling Mathematician, Dr Colin Wright and the celebrated baritone Stephen Varcoe who performed a wonderful programme of British songs.

A highlight of the term was a visit from Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons.

He talked to girls about parliament, politics and his role as Speaker.

The girls had the opportunity to ask

the opportunity to visit what was a ‘wonderful school’ back then, and still is now.

During this term many different themed events have taken place focusing on different subject areas.

These have included a Languages Week where highlights included arts and crafts, a treasure hunt and food-tasting, and the annual History and Politics Week, this year commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. To coincide with History & Politics week the School held its inaugural International Affairs Symposium. The event focused

Rt Hon John Bercow MP

him questions covering subjects including e-voting, lowering the voting age to 16, and political impartiality. NLCS’s local MP, Bob Blackman, was also present and joined in with the Q&A session. Mr Speaker said he first became aware of NLCS forty years ago when he was at primary school in North London and was ‘delighted’ to have

on the challenges of international diplomacy and understanding, and the importance of cultural sensitivity and tolerance in today’s world. Speaking at the event were Dr Christopher Phillips, senior lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary (London), Mr Andrew Stevens, a commercial barrister

Rankin Shoots Rembrandt

and Dr Richard Mole, senior lecturer in Political Sociology at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, UCL.

Rankin Shoots Rembrandt NLCS was delighted to be asked by the BBC to feature in a Culture Show programme about Rembrandt, hosted by the world renowned fashion photographer, Rankin. In the show, Rankin took on the challenge of interpreting Rembrandt’s portraits of old age, recreating the master’s techniques with his camera.

During the filming at NLCS Rankin observed a life drawing lesson where girls were being taught to paint in the style of Rembrandt, followed by a photoshoot with comedian, animator and film director Terry Gilliam. In addition to the filming, the girls were treated to an impromptu photoshoot themselves where they each had their portrait taken by Rankin.

Even Mr Hardy was included!

TEDx Conference A team of Sixth Form girls led by Maria Epishkina organised the inaugural TEDx NLCS conference this term. Through a combination of visiting speakers, members of staff and Sixth Formers, a variety of amazing presentations successfully inspired, challenged and educated a wide audience.

This was the first time such an event has been undertaken and the organisers would like to express their thanks to all those who made it such a memorable event. It was a really impressive feat of organisation and is contributing to the CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) programmes of many of the IB Sixth Formers who were integral to its success.

TEDx NLCS Conference

Trips

Spain Morocco

Zambia Russia

Year 8 Bath and Bristol

Year 7 Condover Hall Greece

AUTUMN 2014

|

N o r t h L ondon C oll e g i at e S c h ool

CANONS LIFE

|

4

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Junior School Oscars

Alice in Wonderland

Junior School News This term has been extremely busy for the Junior School. Girls have enjoyed a wonderful variety of trips and activities. In addition to this they have worked very hard learning lines and perfecting their acting skills for their colourful and entertaining productions.

Year 3 welcomed their families and friends for a magical performance of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale Alice in Wonderland. The girls all looked fantastic in their costumes and the Lower School Hall was transformed with balloons, playing cards, giant mushrooms and flamingos.

First School girls took centre stage with their truly scrumptious Christmas production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Parents and pupils enjoyed meeting the enchanting mermaids, swimming with the parrot fish, overhearing villainous robbers and of course tasting yummy scrummy Toot Sweets. The girls dazzled the parents with their dancing and singing and looked fantastic in their costumes.

The whole of the Junior School enjoyed a variety of activities and events during National Book Week. The girls took part in sessions with the authors Linda Newbery, Brian Moses and Lauren St John in which they explored different ways of engaging with stories and expressing their own creative ideas. The week culminated in the glamorous Book Oscars. Having voted for their favourite villains, heroes and books, the

The Chamber Choir

and 7 Chamber Choir were invited by BBC Radio 3 to take part in the international choir competition, ‘Let the Peoples Sing’, organised by the European Broadcasting Union. Twenty five dedicated and excited girls travelled to the iconic BBC studios in Maida Vale to record an 11 minute ‘a cappella’ programme. A panel of international judges will listen to the recordings of choirs from across Europe and North America

After their success at the regional heats and with many hours of rehearsals The Chamber Choir took to the stage performing with passion, precision and poise at the Choir of the Year 2014 Category Finals. The choir were one of only four choirs selected nationally to take part in the finals held on Sunday 19th October at The Royal Festival Hall. Their performance of Chilcott’s Irish Blessing was incredibly moving and created a very special atmosphere in the hall. It was a huge privilege to be a part of this wonderful event. The standard was exceptionally high and the girls did themselves proud!

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

girls gathered in the Lower School Hall dressed to impress. Unfortunately, the winners were unable to attend, however members of staff were on hand to accept awards on behalf of Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort, David Walliams and R J Palacio.

and select those going forward to the live Finals which will be hosted by Bavarian Radio in Germany. The choir is one of only 4 contestants in the UK and in January we will find out if the girls have been selected for the live finals in Munich. Their performance at the Choir of the Year 2014 Category Finals was also broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s weekly programme, ‘The Choir’.

Following their performance at the Choir of the Year 2014 Category Finals, the Year 6

N o r t h L ondon C oll e g i at e S c h ool

|

AUTUMN 2014

5

|

canons l i f e

Arts Celebration Evening

Arts Celebration

The theme of this year’s annual celebration was the First World War, to commemorate the centenary of the start of the conflict. The evening was filled with dancing, singing, acting and music, bringing together the many talents across the school. Girls from the Senior School

music Musical highlights of the term have included both the Senior Instrumental Concert and the Middle School Festive Concert.

The Senior Orchestra were treated to an exemplary

performed monologues and extracts from plays, sang famous war songs, and played music from that time. Organised and directed by Miss Gibbs and Mr Haigh, they successfully produced an evening that beautifully and sensitively remembered those who had fought in the War.

workshop with the conductor Howard Williams.

He worked with the strings section, supported by Elizabeth Trigg, Bassoon teacher at NLCS, who led the wind and brass. The whole orchestra came together for the final part

of the workshop working with Howard on the first movement of Beethoven’s 4th Symphony. The sound and dynamic detail really brought the music to life and delighted audience when played at the Senior Instrumental Concert.

Senior Instrumental Concert

Senior Instrumental Concert

The Red Shoes Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of a girl who fell in love with a pair of red shoes and couldn’t stop dancing, this innovative production, directed

by Mr Kenwright, combined text, dance, magic and song.

The Red Shoes

Performed in the style of a cabaret, it showcased the girls’ many talents, including acting, singing

and dancing. The production was vibrant and quirky, featuring audience interaction and magic tricks.

A huge cast of seventy students from Year 8 and 9, supported by girls from Year 11 to 13 in technical and backstage roles, created a wonderfully stylish and imaginative piece of theatre.

Artist in residence This term the School has been delighted to welcome Rachel Mercer as artist-in-residence. Rachel is a painter and draughtsman and has spent time studying the grounds of Canons. Rachel’s work sensitively observes the forms and patterns created in nature and during her residency has produced a series of works that highlight the beauty of Canons and its community.

Interview with Mr Kenwright, Teacher of Drama How are you enjoying your first term at NLCS? I’ve really enjoyed the atmosphere.

The girls that I’ve met are extremely hard working. As well as the attention to their academic work, they manage to cram in a lot of extra-curricular activities, which is outstanding.

What inspired you to teach drama?

AUTUMN 2014

|

Drama for me is as much about life skills - learning about how to interact in our modern society - as it is about the core subjects of theatre creation and performance.

What did you expect when you directed your first play at NLCS, The Red Shoes?

I knew it would be a lot of work! It was exciting to see the culmination

N o r t h L ondon C oll e g i at e S c h ool

of my creative ideas in this show.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the process – we changed a well-known story and wrote a brand new script. All our hard work really paid off, and the girls and I found it an incredibly rewarding challenge and experience.

Which production are you looking forward to most?

Anything Goes. I’ve peeped into a few rehearsals and what I have seen looks fantastic – it will definitely be a show full of splendour. I’m also looking forward to the Year 7 production of The Witches in the summer.

There will be lots of magic and mischief going on there!

CANONS LIFE

ONL News This term saw the return of the Class of 2013, one year after they left Canons.

It was lovely to see them all and hear their news.

We also welcomed back the Classes of 1974 and 1964, 40 and 50 years after they left. There were tears and laughter as memories were shared, along with a life-time of news.

October saw ONL lawyers meeting up for the second ONLA Law Society drinks in London, and the inaugural

ONLs working in STEM industries (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) met in December.

ONL Careers Network Poorvi Smith (ONL 1991) runs the Careers Networking Service for ONLs. This popular and ever-growing network should be the first port of call for any ONL looking for career assistance.

By working with the broader NLCS community, including ONLs, parents and other contacts, we can provide specific career advice to any ONL, regardless of where they are in their career. We also run an ONL Career Network group on LinkedIn. Please contact Poorvi Smith at psmith@nlcs.org.uk for more details.

Facebook To become part of the ONL Facebook community, please befriend Frances Mary Buss. In addition to

|

6

year groups, we have local area groups where you can connect with ONLs living near you. We also have specific closed groups for the new ONLA Societies: Media, Law, STEM and Arts. Please ask to be added to these.

endeavours, whatever stage of life they are at.

ONLA Awards

ONLs are always welcome to visit the School.

Please contact Emma Maltz, Alumnae & Development Officer, at emaltz@nlcs.org.uk or on 020 8951 6475 for further information or if you would like to join any of the upcoming events.

NLCS is a community for life and we want to maintain a relationship with our students far beyond their time at the School. Where possible, we would like to support them in their future

We therefore offer an Academic and Travel Award which are open to ALL ONLs regardless of their age. Please visit the ONL section of the website for more details.

Development Update 50 year reunion 1964 leavers

1 year reunion 2013 leavers

Forthcoming ONL Events Event ONLA Media Society Oxford University Drinks Cambridge University Drinks Women in STEM Symposium ONLA Committee Meeting London University Drinks ONLA Law Society 10, 20, 30 and 40 Year Reunions

Attendees ONLs working in Media ONL undergraduates at Oxford ONL undergraduates at Oxford ONLs considering a career in STEM industries ONLA Committee Members All ONL undergraduates ONLs working in Law 1975, 1985, 1995 and 2005 leavers

Jeju Update We are pleased to welcome to the NLCS family of schools, the new Principal of NLCS Jeju - Mr Paul Friend, who joined the School this term from his previous role as Headmaster of Dulwich College Shanghai.

Also, many congratulations to the staff and students of NLCS Jeju on an impressive first set of IB Diploma results and university destinations. After just three years of operation, the first cohort of Year 13s from NLCS Jeju scored an average of 36 points, placing them on a par with the world’s top performing international schools in China and Singapore. Students were successful in gaining places to highly competitive universities around the world including Oxbridge, Ivy League and the Russell Group as well as top Korean universities.

And not to forget, that this year another four Year 7 students here at NLCS (UK) will have their entire Secondary education paid for through bursaries provided by just one year’s income from NLCS Jeju.

Date Thur 15 January 2015 Thur 5 February 2015 Thur 26 February 2015 Tues 17 March 2015

Time 7-9pm 6-8pm 6-8pm 5-8pm

Mon 9 March 2015 Thur 23rd April 2015 Tues 28 April 2015 Sat 9th May 2015

6.30pm 6-8pm 7-9pm

As result of the exchange Sophia and Chelsea, who also took part, will be producing the first crosscultural magazine between the two schools.

Over the summer seven NLCS girls spent three weeks in Jeju, as part of the Year 9 NLCS Jeju exchange. Sophia Ratnam shares her experiences with Canons Life.

In August and September we held our first telephone campaign to support Bursaries. This was aimed at ONLs and Parents, and nine recent leavers made the telephone calls on behalf of the School. The campaign raised over £100,000 and we are very grateful to all of those who supported the campaign. The Bursary Fund exists to maintain the academic strength and social mix of the school and at present approximately 10% of girls at the school receive some form of bursary assistance. If you would like to support bursaries please contact the Development Office on 020 8951 6479 or email jwilson@nlcs.org.uk

at NLCS Jeju and were then lucky enough to spend two days exploring Jeju Island before we left to spend the rest of our week with our respective families in Seoul. I absolutely loved my time in Jeju. Culturally Korea and the Korean population are so different to Britain and its population. It’s because of this that my trip was so fascinating. I experienced so many new things and was lucky enough to see some things that I never even thought existed! As well as this I got to know some amazing people who I am still in touch with today.”

“NLCS Jeju was a completely new and different experience to attending school at NLCS (UK) for many reasons, one being our involvement in boarding life. I’ve never been to a boarding school before and boarding for the first time, half way across the world, was quite a daunting but extremely exciting experience! We were fortunate enough that our visit coincided with “Arts Week” in NLCS Jeju. It is a whole week of concerts, performances and shows and was wonderful showcase of the talent of NLCS Jeju students. It was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. We spent two weeks going to school

N o r t h L ondon C oll e g i at e S c h ool

|

AUTUMN 2014

Sports News Cross Country Cross country had a fantastic start this term with girls participating in two competitions. In the ESSA Cup both the Inter and Junior teams qualified for the Regional Round.

During the Regionals the standard was very high and the girls selected ran with incredible determination and produced good individual performances.

In the second competition, the Harrow Athletics Club Schools Cross Country Challenge, there were outstanding performances.

The U12 A, U13 A and U16 A teams came first. The U14 A team

came second with the U16 B team gaining 3rd place.

Further congratulations go to Georgie Marlborough and Anusha Bulman who achieved third place, Emily Godwin who gained second place and Megan Wilson and Larissa Giles who both placed first.

Nanami Yamaguchi & Kaye Song and to all the girls who took part.

Lacrosse

Badminton Eight girls recently took part in the RMS Senior and U16 badminton Tournament. Our U16 pair only lost one of their matches, by a frustrating one point and finished in silver medal position. Our senior pair played some challenging games and on points average were the stronger team, securing a victorious win. Congratulations to medal winners Wendi Fan, Clare Brown,

The NLCS 1st team were triumphant in the Abbots Hill Invitational Tournament. In seventy minutes of play the team only conceded one goal contributing to a comprehensive victory.

The inspiration for this year’s show was ‘Around the World’. Girls performed a variety of wonderfully choreographed routines that reflected the music and dance styles of different countries.

charity News

On Friday 19th September, the school joined many others around the country to take part in Jeans for

Genes day. Both staff and students came to school wearing jeans and gave generously, raising over £500 for the care and support of children with genetic disorders.

The new Year 11 charity committee Time Out were also appointed this term and have started a wonderful series of fundraising events. These have a cake sale which raised almost £200 and a teacher karaoke event. They have chosen to support

Three teams represented NLCS at the Independent Schools Gymnastics Competition in Birmingham. Each team were competing to gain a place at the National Finals. This was one of the strongest years for NLCS at this prestigious and highly contested competition. Congratulations to all girls who competed, the fantastic results and medals achieved from this event show great promise for the Finals in March.

The second team also played, coming a commendable sixth. With very close games against schools 1st teams, their performance was impressive.

Year 7 Dance Display

This term the school voted to support the charity The African Trust which works to bring sustainable solutions to poverty in Africa. Members of the Sixth Form Charity Committee, Canonaid, have been raising funds during the term by organising a variety of events including a Mufti Day, raising £370.

Gymnastics

Livability Panto

the Green Gecko Charity, which supports former street children in Cambodia.

This term also saw the annual Fantasy Fashion Show, held to

support the KSDP Charity set up by ONL Stephanie Lee. The theme for this year's event was ‘Dreams’ and students created dramatic and imaginative outfits which were unveiled to audiences on the catwalk.

As a wonderful finale to the term the students in Years 7 to 9 entertained guests from three local care homes with the annual Livability Christmas Panto.

The Canons Life Team

www.nlcs.org.uk

Student Editor: Leila Hussein (Yr11) Journalists: Lizzie Quinn (Yr11) & Lucia Rimini (Yr11) Photographers: Parnaz Sharifi (Yr11) & Jemima Narrandes (Yr11) Staff Editor and Production: Larraine Bristow, Marketing & Communications Officer