Canons Life - Spring 2019

CANONSLife The Spring Term 2019 at North London Collegiate School

FEATURING Sister Act Founder’s Day Science Week Then & Now Trips and Exchanges

Canons Life / Spring 2019

Contents 4-6

NEWS AND EVENTS Kindness Week DSM Foundation Science Week Young Enterprise

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FEATURE - IN MEMORY Bernice McCabe OBE

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JUNIOR SCHOOL History Workshops Exhibition Saturday Mixer Day Butterfly Fashion

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THEN & NOW

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FOUNDER’S DAY

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PERFORMING ARTS Sister Act

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

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ONL NEWS

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TRIPS & EXCHANGES

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CHARITY NEWS Fantasy Fashion

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MUSIC South East School Festival Conductor Visit Drummond Recitals

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page 7

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page 11

page 15

18-19 SPORTS

Celebration Evening Netball Skiing Lacrosse

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18 page 13 FRONT COVER: Sister Act - photograph by Bob Workman

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Welcome

from the Headmistress T

his has been an exceptionally busy Spring Term, full of academic ambition, creativity, passion, enterprise and joy.

We have enjoyed some stunning musical and dramatic entertainment this term, from the French Soirée and the Old House Concert Series, to the Spring Concert and a West End standard performance of Sister Act. In sport, our teams have been successful on the court, field and piste – and many of our students have also experienced their own personal sporting successes too. Sport, music and drama form an integral part of life at North London, both in the pursuit of excellence and also in promoting an overall culture of participation and inclusivity.

We were delighted to host a pastoral excellence conference in association with the Girls’ School Association this term, as well as to launch our first annual NLCS Kindness Week to emphasise the centrality of positive mental health and wellbeing in our School community.

We have recently celebrated Founder’s Day, and my theme this year was internationalism. Since our School’s foundation, NLCS has been conscious of

its position in the world. Miss Buss herself was an avid traveller, giving frequent and informative magic lantern shows about her expeditions to the students and staff at the School. Later Headmistresses travelled the world seeking fresh educational ideas and making lasting alliances with schools across the globe. Most recently, of course, my predecessor, Bernice McCabe, oversaw the opening of NLCS Jeju and NLCS Dubai, taking our international ethos onto a truly global stage!

Thank you to everyone who has sent in such wonderful tributes for Mrs McCabe, and also to those who have donated to either the National Brain Appeal or the Bernice McCabe Bursary Fund. It has been a very sad time for our community as we mourned her passing in such difficult circumstances. Her spirit is still with us and I know that she would be proud of everything that has been achieved this term, as am I. I wish you all a happy and restful Easter break.

Sarah Clark, Headmistress

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We have enjoyed some stunning musical and dramatic entertainment this term.

Canons Life / Spring 2019

News & Events KINDNESS WEEK This term, we launched the first annual NLCS Kindness Week, encouraging everyone at School to focus on the impact of their own words and actions on those around them and to participate in acts of kindness.

The School has been flooded with different ideas and activities on this theme. Highlights included special form times and PSHE lessons with a kindness focus, debates on kindness motions and

displays of kindness mobiles, books and messages between staff and students.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Society coordinated talks and handed out helpful tips about how to be kind to yourself, the Middle School Science Club investigated the hormones of being happy, and students discussed kindness quotations in classic literature. It was a wonderful week, and we will continue to encourage kindness in daily life at North London.

I LOVE YOU, MUM - DSM FOUNDATION

DSM FOUNDATION

‘I love you, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’, written by award-winning playwright Mark Wheeler and performed by the StopWatch Theatre Company was performed at Canons this week for students and their families. This emotional and powerful story gave students and parents the opportunity to encounter Dan, his friends and family, through their own words and the creative staging of the story.

This performance was followed by a question and answer session with Daniel’s parents Tim and Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, founders of the charity, who offered advice about making better and informed choices, how to talk with young people about the issues surrounding drugs, and gave strategies to help when things go wrong.

This term, we were delighted to welcomed back the drugs awareness charity, Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation for a day of workshops with Year 10 and a special performance of their play ‘I Love You, Mum’, which revisits some of the key messages from the workshop and provides important information to enable them to make safe choices themselves.

The School has been working closely with them over the past couple of years, educating and guiding our Year 9-13 students about drug awareness in a supportive and engaging way. The Foundation has also worked with our parents to help them to understand how teenage brains work, and how adolescents are influenced by peers and friends.

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Canons Life / Spring 2019

SCIENCE WEEK

This term, at our dedicated NLCS Science Week, we celebrated the collaboration between humans across the globe for scientific advancements at our dedicated NLCS Science Week.

The possibilities for partnerships since the invention of the internet has led to some major breakthroughs in all scientific fields, highlighting the importance of humans working together.

During the week, student societies

adopted a scientific theme including the impact of Classics on the scientific language and the importance of Philosophy in the evolution of scientific ideas. During Senior Societies, Year 12 students aimed to answer questions based on “What if..” scenarios, such as “What if Entropy tended towards order rather than disorder?” and “What if the moon was made of cheese?”. Entertaining, thought-provoking and well-researched

answers were presented skilfully and wellreceived by a large audience. The week culminated in a fully interactive Science Fair. A large variety of stalls provided the students with opportunities to explore the impact of science on real life. Through collaborations with other societies, students were able to build Ferris wheels and rockets, tune a glass using only water and a tuning fork and 3D print their own memorabilia.

Following a very successful week, Science Café was delighted to welcome to Canons Sir Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England. He spoke to many interested students about the impact that an ageing population, the development of artificial intelligence and individualised treatments might have on the NHS in the future, and the opportunities available to tackle these.

Following his talk, our girls asked a vast array of well-researched, probing questions, which Sir Stevens answered and discussed with them, covering a wide range of poignant topics.

SIR SIMON STEVENS

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Canons Life / Spring 2019

, and

BANK OF AMERICA MERRIL LYNCH At Senior Societies, the Economics Society welcomed Rob Wood from our corporate partner, Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Rob is Director and Chief UK Economist, having previously been Chief UK Economist at Berenberg and Senior Economist at the Bank of England. Mr Wood ran the Bank of England’s UK team of economists charged with forecasting near-term GDP growth, and before that, worked on the Inflation Report forecasting team, advising the Monetary Policy Committee. With previous specialisms including housing market specialist and Asian economics, he spoke to students with great authority about the economics of Brexit and how leaving the EU might affect the UK economy in the future. We would like to thank Bank of America Merrill Lynch, our first coporate sponsor of the School’s Bursary Fund, and we look forward to welcoming them back in June, when they will be running a Trading Game for students.

YOUNG ENTERPRISE It has been a very busy term for our three Young Enterprise teams. In February, they attended the annual Pan-London Trade Fair at Old Spitalfields Market, hosted

by Delta Airlines. More than 50 student companies from across London were at the trade fair to pitch, promote and sell their products to the public. 1Cup did a tremendous job of advertising their reusable cup and had an effective sales strategy that saw them selling out of their cups by the mid-afternoon. Ingenuity Books took over a dozen pre-orders for their animated children’s book, and Global Palate were runners’ up for the Judges prize for Best Product of the day for their London-themed cookbook.

At the end of term, the three teams took part in their first round of the Europe-wide Young Enterprise Company Programme competition. The event, hosted by the Bechtel Corporation, saw seven school companies compete for their place in the West London final.

All three teams go through to the West London final an historic result!

This first round of the competition was the chance for the NLCS teams to show the judges what they have achieved so far this year. At the event, each team was required to create and display their trade stand, undertake an interview with the judging panel, and deliver a professional presentation.

Each team received a Harrow and Brent finalist trophy for making it this far in the competition – many teams do not.

In addition, Ingenuity Books won the standalone award for ‘Best Marketing’ which was a great achievement. The main

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event of the night was for ‘Best Company’ award: Ingenuity Books secured fourth place with their children’s book focusing on literacy and diversity, 1Cup achieved second place with their eco-friendly, reusable cup, and Global Palate won first place with their professional chef recipe book celebrating the diversity of London.

A tremendous achievement for the girls, and it means that all three teams go through to the West London final – an historic result! Huge congratulations to all three teams.

Canons Life / Spring 2019

In Memory BERNICE McCABE OBE (HEADMISTRESS, 1997 – 2017)

Mrs Fotheringham, Assistant Head, shares some of her fond memories of Mrs McCabe:

I

t was on Founder’s Day, in 1997, that Mrs McCabe made her first official appearance at NLCS, some five months before she was due to take up her post at Headmistress.

Staff, students, governors and guests watched with scarcely concealed curiosity as she walked onto the stage to give a short address to the audience. We were all instantly aware of her poise, her confidence, her presence and, of course, her footwear; stylish russet, knee-length, suede boots. A new era had begun at Canons.

When I look back on Mrs McCabe’s twenty years at North London, the single word which I think best sums her up is ‘elegance’. We all enjoyed and, more often than not, coveted, what she wore how we sighed over all those wonderful shoes - but this is to overlook so many other areas of her professional life in which elegance played such a vital role.

Her apparently effortless prowess as a leader is the stuff of legends; I don’t think that I ever saw her flustered or hesitant, even when faced with major challenges.

Her way of thinking was crisp, balanced and always well-judged.; even the smallest detail was significant to her, and she

never failed to consider how something – however good - could be made even better next time around.

Her love of the English language shone through everything that she said. Mr James-Williams caught a flavour of her most significant speeches at North London in his recent book, ‘The Sunlight on the Garden,’ where he records how she would frequently turn to her favourite poets and authors to express what she wanted to say, especially in her Valedictory addresses to the Year 13 students as they marked their final day in School.

The strong sense of community was

something which she often spoke about and which she relished and nurtured, taking to heart and putting into practice Dame Kitty’s celebrated mantra: ‘Everyone matters.’

Mrs McCabe’s abiding passion for education lay at the very heart of whatever she did; it influenced and shaped every aspect of her life, and that will surely be her lasting legacy, here at North London, in our sister schools, through the work of the Prince’s Teaching Institute and in every school in which she played a part. Her guiding principle was quite simple – that the best education has the power to change and even transform lives, drawing out the very best in every student, encouraging academic ambition and enabling individuals to achieve more than they ever thought possible. Her beliefs will continue to live on, in the generations of students, colleagues and friends who were fortunate to have studied, worked and enjoyed spending time with her. She will be deeply missed.

THE BERNICE McCABE BURSARY FUND Bursaries hold a very special place at North London. The School was built on generosity and the belief that education has the power to transform lives. Unlike many schools that benefit from an endowment, North London is dependent on philanthropic support to help us deliver a dynamic and inspirational educational environment. To mark the extraordinary contribution of Bernice McCabe OBE to North London over her twenty years of Headship, the School named the Bursary Fund in her honour. We would like to increase our current provision so that 10% of girls are in receipt of a full bursary. As part of our fundraising campaign, we are looking to raise £1,000,000 towards the Bernice McCabe Bursary Fund, for which we have raised £450k to date. If you are interested in finding out more, please do get in touch at development@nlcs.org.uk, or if you wish to donate, please visit our website: https://www.nlcs.org.uk/support-us/bursaries.

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Canons Life / Spring 2019

Junior School News

WORLD WAR TWO - YEAR 6

T

BUILDING STONEHENGE

STONE AGE JEWELLERY MAKING

he term began with a ‘Kindness in the Community’ event for the Lower School in which members of different religious communities spoke to the girls about how kindness is part of their religion. Each class worked on a project of doing something kind for an outside community. Year 6 made flapjacks for street pastors to take to the homeless, and Year 4 are growing plants for a nursing home. Initiatives were also set up in each year group including a kindness calendar and kindness cards. The First School have been writing about acts of kind behaviour which are displayed on the pillars in the First School Hall.

Girls have enjoyed a range of History workshops that included building a scaled down version of Stonehenge that have enabled them to broaden their understanding of life in Iron Age Britain. Year 1 explored what life might have been like in a medieval castle including participating in a banquet with entertainment. Year 6 discovered what life was like during World War Two, hiding in a bomb raid shelter and learning how to put out fires, and Year 4 learnt how to play Tudor games and what Henry VIII was really like as King.

EUREKA MATHS CHALLENGE

FIRST SCHOOL BOOK DAY

EXHIBITION SATURDAY

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Canons Life / Spring 2019

‘WIND IN THE WILLOWS’ PUPPETS

BUTTERFLY FASHION

KINDNESS WEEK - MAKING FLAPJACKS

Excitement was high in the First School when girls were invited to train to become members of NASA: North London Academy of Sensational Astronauts. During this term’s mixer day, all girls participated in Space challenges using the Learning Friends and collaborating as teams to solve the problems facing them to prove themselves worthy of membership.

A variety of events and competitions such as the Maths DC Beagle competition and a new inter-school Eureka Maths Challenge, the 500-word story competition, and a Chemical Reactions Science Competition have fostered curiosity, depth of understanding and enthusiasm for learning. Butterfly Conservation, our Canonaid charity has sparked inquiry and interest in conservation, and many girls are taking part in a recycled Butterfly Fashion parade which will be part of the Exhibition Saturday performances.

This term has also seen a thematic approach to DT days in which each year group has designed and created different kinds of puppets. Year 6 have made large papier-mâché hand puppets based on characters of Wind in the Willows, ahead of their production next term. Year 4 have created exotic, moving rainforest birds and Year 5 enjoyed making Victorian circus characters into string puppets.

There have been many musical achievements to celebrate. Eighty-three girls performed in eleven different ensemble groups for our first Ensemble Concert and the Year 6 girls amazed the crowd with their solo performances in February. Canons Choir were winners at this year’s Watford Festival and received wonderful feedback following a performance at the Music for Youth Festival at Harrow Arts Centre.

The Saxophone group and Piano Trio were invited to share their talents at Watling Park Primary School, where the girls delighted the staff and pupils with their performances.

NASA - MIXER DAY

ENSEMBLE CONCERT

The results of their missions will be on display in the First School Hall.

Reception girls extended their own International relations earlier this term with a live Skype conversation with Reception in NLCS Dubai. Introductions were made, and the foundations have been laid for further conversations next term.

CANONS CHOIR

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The term ended with a celebration of our international links for our Founder’s Day service. Daffodils lined the halls of the Junior School as the girls watched the NLCS spirit of adventure and curiosity of other cultures unfold throughout our history. Leaving us with the final message; ‘we are all links in a golden chain of North Londoners that spreads around the world.’

Canons Life / Spring 2019

Then & Now At North London Collegiate School we are fortunate to have access to an extensive archive documenting the School’s environment and pupil experience throughout the decades.

FOUNDER’S DAY As we celebrate Founder’s Day in 2019, the photograph at the top, from the 1950s, shows students enjoying the same tradition of processing with daffodils in the Main Hall.

NETBALL These photographs depict North London Collegiate students participating in a lively game of netball in 1922 on the playground, and now, in the present day, on Astroturf courts!

STAFF & STUDENTS Pictured on the left is Frances Mary Buss, the School’s founder, accompanied by members of staff and Sixth Form students in 1877.

Today, in 2019, Mrs Clark stands with members of the Sixth Form Committee, known as the Big Six, on Founders’ Day 2019

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Canons Life / Spring 2019

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n the last day of the Spring Term, with the daffodils in bloom, students and staff celebrating Founder’s Day were joined by Old North Londoners (ONLs), Governors and friends of the School, as well as linking up with our sister schools in Jeju and Dubai via Skype.

Students in both the Junior and Senior Schools celebrated this special and historic day, and the atmosphere was charged with excitement and energy. A formal service began the day with readings, psalms, hymns and the Headmistress’ address, titled “NLCS on the World Stage” in celebration of the ways North London Collegiate School has made an impact on people, societies and institutions around and across the globe.

Founder’s Day

The daffodil was Frances Mary Buss’s favourite flower, and since the 1880s the entire School has participated in a daffodil parade to conclude the service, and the flowers are donated to a local nursing home.

Following the formal Founder’s Day Service, we watched video messages from students and staff at our NLCS Jeju and NLCS Dubai, who had also been celebrating this historic day alongside us. In true NLCS style, guests were also treated to some fabulous entertainment provided by our students. The theme of this year’s Founder’s Day play was internationalism, and the annual Founder’s Day play showcased the musical and theatrical talents of our oldest students, who consider their last Founder’s Day to be one of the most important events in the School year and a particularly emotional one.

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Canons Life / Spring 2019

Performing Arts T

A truly engaging musical comedy, with a terrific score

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his term, packed houses in our Bernice McCabe Performing Arts Centre were treated to a wonderfully life-affirming and joyous production of Sister Act. Described by critic Charles Spencer as “a truly engaging musical comedy, with a terrific score by Alan Menken, strongly influenced by disco and gospel movie soundtracks” Sister Act traces the story of aspiring singer Deloris Van Cartier when she is forced to take refuge in a nunnery after witnessing a murder.

Our cast and crew of almost 70 students from Years 10-13 worked tirelessly from last November to create an outstandingly professional production which has delighted and astonished audiences this term. The combination of acting, singing, dancing, lights, costume, set and sound has been of the highest order and many audience members commented that they felt like they were in the West End. Congratulations to everyone involved both front of house and backstage, students and staff for creating another fabulous production!

Canons Life / Spring 2019

In this edition of Canons Life, we celebrate the wide diversity of interests and hobbies that students have outside the classroom.

Student Spotlight

GAYA, YEAR 10 Last year, I was chosen to deliver a twenty-minute Veena (an Indian stringed instrument) performance, alongside my brother, at the High Commission of Sri Lanka in London. It was a great honour also to be accompanied by a professional international artist, Sir M. Balachandar, on the Mridangam (an Indian hand drum). The Deputy High Commissioner came to my Arangetram (a graduation solo performance of an Indian art form after 10 to 12 years of training) in 2017, and following this invited me to perform at the High Commission premises to showcase and celebrate the range of art forms available in Eastern culture.

The celebration was attended by various esteemed individuals including the Mayor of Harrow, Kareema Marikkar, the High Commissioner, Manisha Gunasekera, the Deputy High Commissioner, Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, numerous ambassadors, and many more inspiring people. At the end of the evening, we were treated to a dinner of traditional Indian cuisine, and both my brother and I were presented with special tokens of appreciation. I am extremely grateful to have received this opportunity to perform at this prestigious event.

CAMILLA, YEAR 12 I have been diving for almost three years now, after eight years of gymnastics. I train for up to 21 hours per week in the Olympic Pool, alongside Tom Daley. With each session, my passion for the sport grows more and more. Unfortunately, in the past year, I have managed to dislocate both of my shoulders, which has been incredibly challenging, but has taught me invaluable lessons of patience and perseverance. Whilst battling these injuries, I became the British National silver medallist on the 3-metre springboard and National Champion in Ireland for the 1 and 3-metre springboards in 2018.

This April, I am really looking forward to competing in the British team trials and Junior British nationals. Like many athletes, my dream is to compete in the 2020 Olympics, as well as in the European Championships later this year. Although it is tough to balance my diving with five A-levels and adequate sleep, with the support of my friends, family and School, I am more set on achieving my goals than ever.

NIKHITA, YEAR 12 Entering the HSBC Mandarin speaking competition was one of the most valuable experiences of my life. My Mandarin ability has improved exponentially as a result, and I have developed many important skills throughout the journey, including both preparation and participation in the competition; that have proven invaluable to me since.

For the competition, I had to prepare a short presentation and, having bingewatched a Chinese TV series called ‘Empress of China’ during the summer holidays, I decided to do mine on Wu Zetian, China’s only female Empress.

Researching her was an extremely eye-opening experience, and I think having such an inspiring historical figure as the subject of my presentation motivated me to make it the best I could to do her justice. I even grew a little obsessed with the subject - I recited my speech around the house so many times that even my parents became word-perfect! The competition itself was exhilarating and winning it meant so much to me because of all the time and effort I’d spent preparing for it. It showed me how much can be achieved by putting my heart and soul into the things that I’m passionate about.

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Canons Life / Spring 2019

1987 GROUP

ONL & Development News W

e have recently launched ONL Connect, a new online platform to enable ONLs to connect easily with each other socially and for careers advice and guidance.

ONL Connect provides School news and details of events and reunions; and from a careers perspective, provides support to ONLs at all stages of their career, ranging from those simply considering a career in a specific industry, to those well-established within their sector. Through ONL Connect, ONLs can offer advice to more recent leavers about their career choices, and help to promote different industry sectors, identify the challenges that women may face within them and very importantly, how to overcome them. The advice from an ONL is invaluable, and we believe that ONL Connect provides the best forum to tap into this incredible resource.

2017 REUNION

If you are an ONL and would like to join ONL Connect, please visit www.onlconnect.org.uk

WELCOME KAREN DOYLE In January, we were delighted to welcome Karen Doyle to Canons as Director of Development and Communications.

Karen joins us from Epsom College, where she was Education Trust Director.

Karen has worked for thirteen years in education, including the University of Arts London, where she was Director of Development and Alumni Relations, and before that the University of Kent as the Director of Communications and Development. She has held a number of senior marketing positions in the

commercial world. These include roles at Barclaycard and also The FA, where she was Head of Women’s Football and pioneered major change, which has helped to transform the game.

Karen has strategic oversight on the NLCS Senior Team for: development,

alumnae relations, fundraising, marketing and communications. She is excited about joining NLCS and looks forward to meeting the parents and members of the School community over the coming weeks.

“We are so pleased that Karen has joined NLCS. This is an important appointment for us as we have ambitious plans for the future’’.

Sarah Clark.

Contact Us

FORTHCOMING ONL EVENTS 2019 EVENT

ATTENDEES & VENUE

DATE

ONLA 10,20,30 and 40 Year Reunion

Classes of 1979, 1989, 1999 and 2009

11 May

Question Time at NLCS

ONLs and Parents

23 May

Thank You Drinks

Donors and Volunteers

TBC

ONLA Summer Picnic

All ONLs friends and families

23 June

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For more information on any ONL Events, please contact onla@nlcs.org.uk or call 020 8951 6377 ONL Connect is our online new platform enabling ONLs to connect with each other for social and networking purposes. Please visit https://onlconnect.org.uk

Frances Mary Buss

@NLCSAlumnae

Canons Life / Spring 2019

SKIING TRIP TO ITALY

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his term students have taken part in many trips, both in the UK and overseas. Year 7 went to Warwick on their first residential trip, and Year 8 enjoyed a wintery trip to Bath. At the end of the Autumn term, students travelled to Fontainebleau for their leg of the French Exchange, and over the February halfterm, girls took to the slopes on a skiing trip to Italy.

FONTAINEBLEAU EXCHANGE

LATIN TRIP TO THE BRITISH MUSEUM

Trips & Exchanges

YEAR 7 TRIP TO WARWICK

We have also welcomed exchange students from schools all over the globe, including our sister schools NLCS Jeju and NLCS Dubai, SCEGGS in Australia, plus language students from Madrid and Chambery.

There have also been a wide variety of enrichment trips supporting the subject curriculum, including a Chinese cultural trip to Chinatown, and a Latin visit to the British Museum.

LUNCH WITH EXCHANGE STUDENTS FROM DUBAI, JEJU & SCEGGS

YEAR 9 CHINESE CULTURAL TRIP

NLCS JEJU EXCHANGE VISIT WESTMINSTER

YEAR 8 TRIP TO BATH & BRISTOL

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Canons Life / Spring 2019

Charity News FANTASY FASHION

O

ur annual Fantasy Fashion Show brought together over 120 students to raise money for the Karenni Student Development Project (KSDP) a charity founded over 20 years ago by ONL Stephanie Lee. Designs at this year’s event, were based on the theme of ‘Identity’ and included a wide range of creative and inventive responses. These included masks, saris, Chinese and Korean traditional dress, finger-prints motifs, flowers - including a ‘poppy dress’ to mark last November’s centenary of Armistice, and flags celebrating and bringing together the wonderful cultural diversity of our School community. Some spectacular highlights of the show included a robe that dramatically turned inside out to show beautiful Chinese embroidery and a terror-inducing chain dress that extended the horror imagery by clever placement of masks and hair to suggest a grotesquely twisted head.

Our judges this year included two noteworthy and talented designers, Stella McCartney and Helen Hutton, and ONL and previous artist-in-residence, Linda Jenkins.

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After the first part of the show, Beryl Lee, Stephanie’s mother gave a moving and informative account of the work of the charity and after the interval, guests enjoyed a brief but fascinating account

by Stella McCartney of the inspirations that take a talented designer into the world of fashion. Ms McCartney also very generously donated prizes for the winners.

The show ended with a charity auction, which on its own raised over £1,700, as members of the audience bid for artwork generously donated by artists Ketna Patel and Michael Chance, and experiences that included a luxury continental breakfast for one entire very lucky NLCS class, a sequence of sessions with a personal trainer and tea and a walk with Sarah Clark and her dog, Penda.

It was without a doubt a wonderful evening. Many thanks to all parents, teachers, support staff and students, who worked together for this important cause, which raised a superb figure that currently stands at £6,384.50.

Canons Life / Spring 2019

SPRING CONCERT

Performing with the RAF Band

Music News

An inspiring trip to RAF Northolt for the Wind Orchestra and Brass Ensemble took place earlier this term, where students had the opportunity to spend a day playing alongside the RAF Central Band. Led by Warrant Officer Terry Gardner, who teaches trombone at NLCS, the groups performed music by Holst and Mancini in a studio side-by-side recording, and received specialist coaching from members of the Band. It was a unique experience and was an event that was very special for all.

SOUTH EAST SCHOOL MUSIC FESTIVAL

South East Schools Music Festival Early in February, the South-East Schools Chamber Music Festival was held at NLCS. In total over 62 chamber groups entered from 17 schools and further 16 ensembles played at St John’s Smith Square in London. The standard, as ever, was extremely high and we were proud to support two NLCS groups at the event. Congratulations to the Beethoven String Quartet and the Flute Quartet from NLCS who played with such flair and professionalism. A second concert took place at Canons and featured five schools with two NLCS groups playing (Brahms Piano Quintet and Schubert Quartet). Congratulations to all musicians who represented the School and who performed so beautifully.

Conductor Visit This term, the Symphony Orchestra had the chance to work with Mr Peter Stark, a professional conductor. He is currently a Series Mentor for the BBC TV series ‘Maestro’ and a rehearsal director for the European Union Youth Orchestra. During the day, members of staff in the music department, as well as pre- U students, demonstrated their

conducting skills in front of his watchful eye. They all learnt a huge amount about the art of conducting; its importance, the technique of beating time as well as how to communicate musical interpretation to ensembles. He then rehearsed with the senior orchestra and many students described his rehearsal as being both inspirational and fun.

Lunchtime Concert in Hanover Square

Spring Concert

Our talented music scholars travelled to Hanover Square for a public lunchtime performance at St George’s Church. The church has an important place in the history of North London, as Handel, who was the composer in residence at Canons, frequently performed there. The girls relished the opportunity to perform in such a beautiful venue, and audience members enjoyed music from a myriad of composers, including Brahms, Schubert and Tchaikovsky, to name but a few.

On Thursday 28th March, girls across the Senior School took part in the annual Spring Concert which was a wonderful closure to this term’s musical events. It was a very special evening for some as it was some of the student’s last concert in NLCS. Music was heard across a wide range of styles and ranged from many ensembles such as Jazz ensemble to the String Orchestra. To conclude the concert, both the Chamber Orchestra and NLCS Chorus came together to give a rousing performance of Hubert Parry’s I was Glad, in front of a packed audience in the PAC. A big thank you goes to all the girls for their hard work and the Music Department who prepared the girls for this spectacular event.

Drummond Recitals Girls have continued to perform to staff, students and parents during both lunchtimes and evenings all held in the heart of North London Collegiate. The performances have ranged from ensembles such as Cello Quartets, String Quartets to Piano Duets and Solos in Saxophone, Viola and many more. The recitals are a wonderful chance to showcase the girls’ many talents and is an opportunity for them to perform to a continual supportive audience.

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Canons Life / Spring 2019

NETBALL

Sports News

Congratulations to the U16 Netball team who came third in the Middlesex Finals, and to the U14s who won, and are now Middlesex Champions. In the Harrow Borough Netball tournament, the U14s were once again crowned Champions, and not to be outdone, the U13 team came out on top in their age group too! Well done to all girls involved, your hard work paid off, and we are incredibly proud.

SPORTS CELEBRATION EVENING

U16 NETBALL TEAM

During the last week of term, we held our highly anticipated Sports Celebration Evening. After a hugely successful season of both individual and team performances, there were many prizes to be won, with trophies being awarded for outstanding sporting achievement, dedication and teamwork. ‘The Players’ Player’ award was presented to a girl in each year voted by her peers to acknowledge her positivity and team spirit.

This year’s guest speaker was Netball player, Kadeen Corbin, who was part of the England squad that won the 2018 Commonwealth Games. In her inspiring talk, she discussed the importance of resilience in the face of physical and emotional setbacks and stressed the value in accepting criticism.

After an incredible season, showcasing their talent and commitment, the U14 Netball and Lacrosse teams were jointly awarded the trophy for Team of the Year.

Finally, the most prestigious award of the evening, Sports Personality of the Year, was deservedly given to our Sports Captain, Sofia Johanson, for her extensive achievements and dedication to sport inside and outside of school.

Congratulations Sofia!

We would like to thank Ms Aldcroft and the Sports Department for organising such an enjoyable event and giving the girls ample opportunity for sporting success.

U14 NETBALL TEAM

U13 NETBALL TEAM

INDOOR ATHLETICS There were fabulous performances by the Year 7 & 8 Indoor Athletics teams representing Harrow at the London Youth Games. The Year 7 team came 3rd and the Year 8 team won! As champions, they have now qualified for the National Final at Crystal Palace.

YEAR 8 TEAM

YEAR 7 TEAM

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Canons Life / Spring 2019

SKIING

As current National Champions, seven NLCS girls returned to France to defend their title at the 60th anniversary of the British Schoolgirls’ Ski Races. The teams performed outstandingly, with some fabulous wins. Giselle Gorringe won the Slalom for her age group and was awarded best overall skier in the U16 category, as well as the entire Championships. Cerys Gorringe placed 2nd and 3rd in her age group in both the Giant Slalom and Slalom disciplines, and Cordelia Stevens placed 3rd in the Giant Slalom in her age category.

LACROSSE

This year, NLCS were very successful at the National Schools Lacrosse Championships, making it one of the best years for North London.

The U13, U14 and U15 teams had some great performances and convincing wins.

The overall team competition was again won by the NLCS A team consisting of Giselle and Cerys Gorringe, and Anastasia Malugin. The B team also had success winning the B team competition.

The team consisted of Lilyella and Cordelia Stevens, and Caroline Utermann with Schuyler Daffey as the reserve. A fantastic performance by all the girls.

Following this success, our skiers also participating in the Artemis Inter-School Ski Challenge in Pila, Italy, where they also recorded some fantastic results individually and overall. Congratulations!

The 2nds had a tough time battling injury and horrendous weather, and they did this in true NLCS fashion through dance and laughs! The team, formed of players from Year 10 to Year 13, played very well together, and we are excited to see what these players, and the U13, U14 and U15 squads, produce next year.

The 1sts battled their way to the knockout rounds in first place. The first round saw NLCS beat Uppingham 9-0, but the subsequent quarter and semi-finals were far harder. The team, under the brilliant leadership of Hannah, deservedly beat Birkenhead High School and then continued to be victorious

STUDENT SUCCESS It has been a successful year for some of our Lacrosse players outside of their school commitments. We would like to congratulate, Sofia Johanson who has been selected for the England U19 A Squad and Izzy Brand for the England U19 B Squad. Both represented England in the Home Internationals held at the start of April at Aldershot Garrison in Guildford. Several girls have also been selected to represent the South East London North Region at the Inter-Regional Lacrosse Tournament. Congratulations to Isobel Williamson and Sienna Parekh for the U15A team, Sadie Zenios and Saba Hashemian for the U15B team and Zara Dodhia for the U17B team. Congratulations on these outstanding achievements.

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over Mrs Clark’s old school Queen’s School, Chester in a nail-biting semi to progress to the final against Marlborough School. They conducted themselves with composure and flair, which led to another 9-0 victory, making the NLCS first team the Division 2 champions of 2019.

Special mentions go to Hannah and Sana, Lacrosse Captain and ViceCaptain, and to Sports Captain, Sofia for inspiring the squad. We would like to congratulate every player who competed for NLCS throughout the competition this year and reached new highs. Bring on next year!

Canons Life / Summer 2018

CANONS LIFE TEAM: News Team: Mia Lane – Editor in Chief, Inma Emberton - Canons Life Editor, Jessica Pretorious, Olivia Payne, Shalini Shah, Faye Song (Y12), Aarya Janjale, Chaitali Virani, Soraya Odubeko, Yana Szerkowski, Loewe Lim, Charvi Jain, Vita Rottenberg, Aimee Shah, Lara-Grace Banjo, Chloe Bloom, Coco Cresswell, Ella Davey (Y11), Gaya Giritharan (Y10), Gabriella Zheng, Madeleine Matthews (Y9), Daksha Demba (Y8) Staff Editor: Larraine Bristow With thanks to Mrs Fotheringham for her contribution to the magazine this term.

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