Betty Won RIBA’s National Photography Competition

Betty (Yr13) is one of twelve winners nationally of the Royal Institute of British Architects schools’ photography competition. She completed her A Level Art in one year in Year 12, achieving an A*, and she is currently studying for her Foundation Diploma in Art and Design at Roedean. She intends to study Architecture at university, and entered this competition last term to broaden her repertoire.

The RIBA exhibition showcases photos in response to the theme, Long Life, Low Energy: Designing for a Circular Economy, and the judges were impressed by the excellent submissions, and the interpretations of the brief were fantastic. The exhibition explores, explains, and celebrates sustainability, recycling, the reuse of materials, and the retrofitting of buildings, and students were challenged to explore their own schools and find good examples of recycling, reusing, retrofitting, and environmentally friendly design features.

Betty’s photo, entitled Restart, features part of Keswick Hall – she wrote: ‘This photograph displays a section of Keswick Hall, the Sixth Form Centre, at Roedean School. The main element in this picture is the timber structure, that was installed in the hall in 2017. It is made of laminated plywood, an environmentally friendly material. This was a successful transformation of the use of space, because it effectively utilises the room’s height. For hundreds of years Keswick Hall was an empty hall, with a narrow balcony on the second floor. The installation of the timber structure extended the balcony, and additional storage and study areas were built beneath the balcony.

Additionally, the new staircases are not only a connection between two floors, but also serve as a relaxing area for social events to take place. I would describe the transformation as a sustainable, smart and sophisticated method to reuse the hall – it exemplifies how new structures can be blended in with the existing building, as well as how old buildings can be re-energised by new structures.’

Congratulations, Betty – another accolade to add to your impressive portfolio!

Ms Strachan

Cuckmere Haven

It was a random Sunday. Which is quite a formal way to start this off, as I am about to summarise a ver lovely trip with the art department to Cuckmere Haven. Due to our early leave time at 9:30 I was exhausted yet a part of me couldn’t wait to see what was ahead. We arrived and met up with another student, Miss Strachan and her lovely and energetic (as I’d come to find out) dog Fred. We went along the path heading for our final destination ,the beach. We were all taking pictures and I was in awe of my surroundings as I never really get to embrace nature often. As beautiful as my surroundings were it was juxtaposed with a crippling fear of slipping as the area was extremely muddy. This is when our new addition to the class Fred decided to warm up to me and stain my trousers with his distinguished paws. We then arrived at the beach just in time for the fresh sea breeze and to capture nature’s beauty in a frame. Despite the various challenges we faced along the way, it was an experience I will never forget as each photo tells the story. – Fola (Yr11)

Sport Stars of the Week

Congratulations to this week's Sports Stars! [Miss Kirby-Jones]

Year 7

Paloma and Ying, for great commitment to Netball

Year 8

Khadija, for brilliant enthusiasm in games lessons

Year 9

Elisabeth, for helping out and being a great team player in Netball on Wednesday

Year 10

Chaya, for great effort in Netball

Year 11

Lizzie, for working hard in all areas of sport

Year 12

Queena, for working really hard at spin this week

Year 13

Emma, for great enthusiasm and engagement in Netball