Clarion - Winter Edition 2018

Barton Court Grammar School

CLARION!

WINTER EDITION — 2018

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Contents 3.

Notes from the Editors

28. Barton Court Alumni

4.

Head-teacher’s Report

30. The Centenary

6.

Student Drive Team

31. Reading Around

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Renaissance Project

32. Colonial And Post-Colonial Theory

9.

Bluewater Trip

33. Feminism Lecture

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Italy Trip

34. European Day of Languages

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French Trip

35. MFL Club

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Spanish Exchange

36. Microbiology Enrichment Day

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Discussion and Debate Club

15.

The Scottish Play

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Field-Based Testing

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Nutrition Trip

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Rugby

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Football

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Boys’ Football

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Girls’ Football

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Girls’ Sport

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District Cross Country

26.

The Grinch and the Beanstalk

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Creative Writing Competition

37. Antibiotics Unearthed

38. Cologne Trip 40. Nobel Prize Winners 41. Political Events 42. Brexit 44. Poems 46. Globe Theatre Trip 47. The New Build 48.

Frida Kahlo

50. Year 9 Newsletter 51. Puzzles -

Forthcoming Events

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Note from the Editors Hello `Clarion!` Readers!

Now that winter`s here in 2018, it is right to turn our thoughts for a moment to where our endeavours have led us this year: Barton Court students and staff pursuing their goals, hopes and dreams within and without the school`s communal life.

This Winter Edition draws inspiration from a vast array of public and personal interests, the national and international concerns of the day transect groups` and individuals` own strivings after success and achievement.

As you read this winter edition of the school magazine, take pleasure in discovering just how many fine days out there were on the sporting pitches, how far afield the school`s wanderers journeyed for cultural understanding, how painstakingly crafted were the artworks newly created. The energies and enthusiasms for diverse subjects and independent interests confirm that Barton Court remains an inspiring community of active individuals.

Special thanks to Sinclair Perry and Jiya Jacob , our chief editors for this edition, for their diligence and dependability; also to Lowenna Hayter, Alexandra Barrett, Henry Leutner and Sapphire Mod’el Tarjomani for their able insights and support.

Remember, all potential and active writers out there, `Clarion!` is looking for new writers with each and every edition. Step up and have your say.

Enjoy!

Mr. Nelson

This year I have had the wonderful opportunity of being co-editor of the Clarion! And working alongside the brilliant team of writers that make up the Clarion. My role, as editor, entailed of formatting the articles mostly, as well as writing a few, and at times I have done some grammar edits. It has been lovely to read about the pupils’ successes across the curriculum and their experiences this winter. I have attended the school since year 7 and last year I decided to continue my educational future at Barton Court’s sixth form. I take Chemistry, Biology, Maths and History and am also currently doing an EPQ. I hope you enjoy this winter edition of the Clarion! magazine as much as I have enjoyed being part of its production. I look forward to repeating the process in next year’s summer edition.

Jiya Jacob 12B

I’m delighted to be one of the Clarion’s new editors and have loved working with the central team of creative year 12s that Mr Nelson has gathered so much so that I already look forward to compiling the summer edition. I have been a student at Barton Court since year 7 and definitely made the right choice in coming back here for sixth form. I study Maths, Further Maths, French and Biology, alongside the EPQ and various extracurricular activities which the school facilitates. In terms of workload, I take on most of the grammar editing and the later finicky formatting, as well as writing a fair few articles and liaising with teachers and student to collect in their quotes and articles. In short, good fun.

Sinclair Perry 12G

Team: Mr Nelson, Jiya Jacob, Sinclair Perry, Lowenna Hayter, Henry Leutner, Alex Barrett, Sapphire Mod’elTarjomani

Cover Photograph taken by Lowenna Hayter 12G, of the school’s new build, opened early 2018

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Head-teacher’s Report

By Mr Macaulay Welcome to the Christmas edition of our School magazine, the Clarion! which contains a small selection of the fun and educational activities that everyone has been involved with since the summer term, plus some very interesting articles written by our students. A huge thank you goes to Mr Nelson, Jiya Jacob and Sinclair Perry for all their hard work, time and commitment producing it this term.

A huge amount of money was raised last year, over £10, 000, by our fantastic students and staff, for the students’ chosen charities: Cancer Research, Demelza House, Pilgrim’s Hospice and The Salvation Army, as well as other charities supported during the year such as MacMillan Cancer Support, Jeans for Genes and Children in Need.

This year fundraising has reached new heights and we have already raised over £4,000 - a whopping £700 was raised from the Christmas Fayre earlier this term alone. Students and staff had a super time with festivities all abound. Students are constantly giving their time and energy to worthy causes, such as providing contributions to the Canterbury Food Bank, making cakes for the Macmillan Coffee Morning and entertaining patients and staff at The Pilgrim’s Hospice.

Our Head Girl, Lucy Grove, and our Head Boy, Cole Gibbens have been fantastic this year and are not only excellent ambassadors for the School, but are also fantastic role models for younger students. They have worked tirelessly for the benefit of the School, and shown a huge level of commitment and professionalism when carrying out their duties and representing us. The Senior Prefect Team’s contributions to the School have been well received and welcomed by both staff and students and we thank them all for their efforts.

Please do take your time to read the whole magazine, in particular the fantastic articles written by the students and some of the excellent enrichment opportunities available at the School, with details of some of the day trips and residential trips that have been offered to our students. My personal favourites include the report on the annual trip to Cologne.

Barton Court and our students have had an extremely successful year. Students achieved excellent grades at A Level again. The overwhelming majority of students who wanted to go to university won a place at their first choice. The results from the summer make us the only Grammar school in the local area with an almost 100% pass rate at A Level – something we are very proud of.

At GCSE our students excelled. As you may be aware students now sit new tougher GCSEs graded on the 1-9 scale. Despite this 42% of students achieved grade 7+ and our progress 8 score was the second highest in the Canterbury and East Kent area. We are very proud of all of them, and pleased to say an overwhelming majority of them are continuing this success story in our Sixth form.

We are extremely delighted and proud of our students’ achievements at both KS4 and KS5 and we celebrate these with them and their families at the annual Awards Evening on Tuesday 18 December at the University of Kent.

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In the last 12 months we have opened our new state-of-the-art building which houses our Refectory, Mathematics and Biology Departments. This building has opened up new and exciting possibilities for the students at the School and we are all very lucky to be able to access such a facility. This comes alongside our five year rolling programme of classroom renovation of over 40 classrooms as part of our rolling programme of school improvement. The School truly does have a 21st Century learning environment with the latest technology, allowing us to deliver outstanding teaching and learning. We have Interactive Whiteboards in every classroom and over 185 new computers across the site for student use. Our Sixth Form Learning Resource Centre and biometric registration for Sixth Form study periods is proving very popular with students, as they appreciate the best resources we can offer them. Also over the last 12 months we have successfully developed and installed SIMS and the SIMS Learning Gateway.

The School continues to evolve and is now a truly outstanding grammar school delivering high quality education to our young people. This is the absolute minimum they deserve and Barton Court is a lovely, caring and supportive community within which we all aim to learn and improve every day. The wide range of activities offered and the fundraising events organised by the students is testament to the hard work and commitment of all staff and students in making our School such a special place to learn and develop.

I have no doubt that you will enjoy reading our Christmas edition of this magazine and I would like to take this opportunity to wish our readers a Merry Christmas with best wishes for the New Year from everyone at Barton Court Grammar School.

Merry Christmas!

Mr Macaulay

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Student Drive Team

by George Lynch

BCGS Learner Profile As predicted by the article in the last issue of Clarion, the new BCGS Learner Profile is here!

What is it?

The BCGS Learner profile was designed to reflect the key attributes for a flexible learner within the Barton Court community. Despite implementation only in this local school environment, once students have surpassed secondary level education and move onto higher level schooling or employment, the skills and attributes present in the profile are highly transferable. Students who learnt and took an attitude to learning as depicted by the profile will be more open to handling and solving difficult problems and situations, using the tools they’ve collected as they have progressed through Barton Court, even if they do not succeed at first.

Looking to the Future The Student Drive Team is a group of highly-achieving, proactive students from throughout the school, who frequently meet and work together (in collaboration with Mr Harvey and the Staff Drive Team) to improve the school environment with a particular focus upon the thinking schools and how we can best use these to improve teaching and learning.

With the learner profile complete, as a Student Drive Team we are focusing our efforts into the development of our Primary School taster sessions for potential students, with dates pencilled in for early 2019. Also, sustained effort with the operation of our year 5 Enriching Workshops is allowing more year 5 students to get a taste of their favourite subjects at a secondary level along with “Introduction to Thinking School” sessions for parents who are intrigued by Thinking Schools and want to learn more.

LEARNER PROFILE This is to replace our old learning tree to represent the archetype of an ideal/standard Barton Court student. The words written are the attributes needed to reach success, the door your will recognise from our logo, the front door of the Old House.

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Renaissance Project

by Sinclair Perry

The Renaissance project is a scheme set up a few years ago by Ms Harding, the gifted and talented coordinator, of which I am a 2 time participant. It is designed to give students that further push to going above and beyond. All G&T students are signed up, as a recommendation and from this, anyone who has a particular passion for something may join in.

The founder, Ms Harding’s says: “I think this is what learning is really about!”

There have been a whole range of projects over the 3 years (this being the fourth), as we can see above. It is really shaped by us the students, who are given free reign of the project. This goes right from choosing the idea to designing the board to speaking to guests, SLT and teachers on the evening. This is also a great way to link the year groups, because the older students (as well as teachers) assist the lower school to give them the nudge they often need to get started.

In 2 past years I’ve explored creative writing, in literature and delivered form, directed a monologue and explored global counting systems. This year I plan to explore the effect of enzymes on DNA and the mathematical properties shown here. Some of my favourite projects from the past include a model of someone’s house, and links between classism in Literature, Art and Music.

This is a great example how a student can love different students and many projects are formed from cross curricular links. To see many project boards and receive a talk from Ms Harding, come to the G&T evening on the 18th of June!

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Bluewater Trip

by Alexandra Barrett

The Sixth Form trip to Bluewater ran successfully for another year on Friday 30th of November. The trip looked to help build social relationships through shopping with friends, and taking students away from the desks for an evening to enjoy a trip and have some fun! It was a great way to end the week.

‘Social connections in Sixth Form are really important in helping balance study and your social life. The school trip really helped me do something different and strengthen my friendships.’

The trip offered students a chance to go around the shops and have a meal in groups where teachers were there to supervise. This gave the students independence and showed the level of trust given to the Sixth Form in using the time to enjoy themselves while doing the school proud behaviourally.

One student on the trip commented: ‘I felt all warm and Christmassy inside.

Had a lovely time buying presents. For myself.’

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Italy Trip

By Mr Luret

During the 2018 Enrichment Week 40 of our Year 8 students and 4 members of staff travelled to Italy for a week to experience the sights and culture of the region.

All students had an excellent trip with highlights being a day trip to Venice, coach and boat trips around Lake Garda, a day trip to Verona (including a visit to Juliette’s balcony) and a day in the glorious scenes of the Dolomites playing mini-golf.

As well as these amazing day trips, students got to enjoy the luxuries of the pool in the hotel, ample helpings of ice cream and a fantastic evening in an open-air fort for the final night’s meal.

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French Trip

By Mr Luret

Sixty Year 7 students enjoyed a trip to Chateau du Warsy in July as part of the School's Enrichment Week activities. Experiencing French culture as well as participating in team building activities were the order of the day and for some students, this was their first time away from home and staff were impressed by their maturity!

Students took part in raft building, canoeing, archery, kayaking, orienteering, crate stacking and team games on site, and undertook trips to a chocolate factory, Disneyland Paris and the Somme.

Students were incredibly respectful when visiting the war graves and had some interesting discussions about the conflict, both among themselves and with staff.

An amazing trip once again this year!

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Spanish Exchange

by Mr Garcia

The ever-popular Spanish Exchange took place this year in September with 30 students, ranging from Year 8 to Year 13, making the exciting journey from Canterbury to Madrid.

Once there, the students took full advantage of the amazing experience of living with a Spanish family; learning first-hand all about Spanish lifestyle and culture, whilst immersing themselves in the Spanish language.

This was the eighth time this successful partnership between Barton Court Grammar School and Institute Las Rozas took place.

Let’s have a look at all the interesting things that we experienced on the Spanish Exchange: The 30 excited students, Mrs Richardson and I travelled together from Canterbury all the way to Madrid. From Madrid airport, we were taken by coach straight to the town of Las Rozas and to the Institute Las Rozas. Waiting to welcome the students at the school gate were the equally excited Spanish students, who were eager to introduce them to their families and show them their homes.

After a night with their host families, we spent the next day travelling with the Spanish students to visit the beautiful city of Madrid. During the day we visited El Palacio Real (palace), Museo del Prado (museum), Parque del Retiro (park) and the Centro histĂłrico (historical centre). After a fun-filled day, the students spent the evening back with their host families.

The following day was spent visiting the beautiful Monasterio de El Escorial. The students had a wonderful time learning all about the history and culture of the monastery and the surrounding area. After another interesting day, the students went back to the homes of their host families.

The next day, we were lucky enough to experience a day in the Spanish School itself.

The Spanish students had prepared an amazing presentation in both Spanish and English telling the students everything about Spain including the different regions, famous beaches and mountains as well as historical sites to visit. They also did a general knowledge quiz based not only on Spain but around the world. Our students were also fortunate to have a music lesson in Spanish where they learnt to play instruments and sing to a well-known tune. The students had a great day and we really appreciated the great effort the Spanish Students had gone to in order for us to have such an interesting day.

The following day, Saturday, was spent in Toledo; eating delicious food, enjoying the wonderful weather and visiting interesting monuments. The students were also given a

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good amount of free time so they could really explore and get to know the city.

On Sunday, the student had the great opportunity to spend the whole day with their host families. They did a range of different activities from bowling to Visiting the city of Toledo and were able to practise their Spanish on a much more intense level.

On Monday, the student travelled back to the UK after emotional goodbyes with their amigos nuevos!

Overall students had a great time. The majority of them were nervous to meet their families for the first time, but after the first day they all settled down and embraced the challenge of speaking Spanish with their exchange families. The weather was also amazing and reached an average temperature of 27 degrees so it was quite a shock to come back the cold of the UK!!

Many of the students have already arranged to keep in contact with their exchanges and some will be returning next summer once the Spanish pupils have visited Barton Court.

All in all a successful trip!

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Discussion and Debate Club

By Alexandra Barrett ‘The importance of discussion and debate in the modern world.’

The discussion and debating groupBarton Court’s discussion and debating club have recently debated the topic of gender. They have investigated many different topics and create an environment where they can learn together and develop how to make an effective argument.

What are the positives of discussion and debate?

It is a positive way for you to improve your own understanding and develop ideas! The school discussion and debating group work to effectively debate current topics and respectfully articulate their viewpoints. The group work to create a comfortable place to talk about their views which has social benefits as well as all the benefits of learning about current issues.

Why debate?

You can hear other’s views and learn to counter them in a way that makes your point effective and convincing to others. This makes you able to evaluate deeper and form your own opinion of certain topics of interest.

Skills you can develop by debating:

Listening.

Learning key terms.

Respect for others.

Confidence.

How do I get involved?

Miss Breeds, Room 10, Wednesday Lunchtime.

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The Scottish Play

By Sinclair Perry This year the school participated in the Shakespeare Schools Festival, performing an abridged version of Macbeth. This festival has been running for the last 16 years, where schools are invited to perform an shorter version of a Shakespeare play at a local theatre with other schools, celebrating both the works of Shakespeare and young thespians, with this being the world’s largest youth theatre festival.

This year, led by Miss Wild, lead teacher of drama and Alex Chapman, Senior Drama Prefect, the school produced a rendition of Macbeth. We performed it on Monday 19th of November at the Gulbenkian. We were on following hilarious renditions of both Romeo and Juliet and The Twelfth Night. It was a sterling success, that much can be gleaned from the enthusiastic audience and the responses from the members of staff who attended the performance. We also received very kind words from representatives of the charity, who accounted our success to our sense of ensemble and togetherness.

This was true as we had a strong cast of around 20 members aged between years 8 to 13, but only accrediting that would be to neglect the heaps of work everybody put in, attending over 90 minutes of rehearsal each week as well as a whole day workshopping and 2 trips to the Gulbenkian. Finally, our directors, who gave everyone their fair share of time on the stage, and used a variety of styles leading to a large presence on the stage.

The next steps? We hope we will be able to perform it again in school to help the year 11s who study the play as part of their English Literature GCSE.

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Field-based Testing

By Mrs Nuttall

On Thursday 27th September, sixth form Sport Studies students visited CCCU Sports Labs for the first of four enrichment visits. We are delighted to announce a new partnership with the Sports Labs at Christchurch which will enable our students to access four enrichment activities in the field of Sport Science. This first session was field-based testing, and this will be followed with sessions in sports nutrition, sports psychology and biomechanics.

In the first session, students took part in a field-testing circuit in the university’s movement analysis studio. The students were able to experience being an elite athlete, being tested as well as acting as a sports scientist administering the test. Students were able to use a range of ‘gold standard’ equipment and compare their performance to normative data to identify their strengths and weaknesses. The students were also able to familiarise themselves with the correct protocol for administering the tests.

The students had a fantastic morning working with the CCCU staff. There was a lot of competition on each fitness station as students sought out being the most powerful or most agile. Students administered the tests effectively and hopefully some were inspired to consider sports fitness testing as a future career or education pathway.

The students are already looking forward to their next visit.

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Nutrition Trip

By Mrs Nuttall On Thursday 8th November, some sixth form students visited Canterbury Christchurch Sports Labs for their second session in their university centred learning programme. The students are taking part in a number of sessions across the course of the year to experience the life of a sport science student at University and to explore topic areas beyond the A-level curriculum.

This second session had a sports nutrition focus, with students taking part in two activities. Session one was a seminar on sports nutrition with a focus on basal metabolic rate and carbohydrate loading.

Students were able to calculate their own BMR, and then considered how their energy requirements would need adapting to take into account their training levels. Students were able to have their curious questions answered and were also given an insight into the work of a sports nutritionist with professional athletes.

The second activity was a practical session where students made their own energy bars. Students made oat and date bars, with some choosing to add additional fruit or chia seeds. The students can now make their own energy bars to support their own nutrition before training or performance. The students’ final products were sampled ‘Bake Off’ style at the end by a delighted Mr White. The prize for best bars was awarded to Deborah, George and Molly.

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Rugby

By Mr White Rugby September of 2018 saw Barton Court launch their new rugby programme which included a more comprehensive fixture calendar and a more consistent training schedule, supported by coaches from Canterbury Rugby Club.

After two unbeaten seasons, the under 14s have had some challenging but enjoyable fixtures which has allowed them to test themselves against some of the top schools whilst continuing to develop as a team. Their season began with a competitive training match against Norton Knatchbull School which allowed both schools to prepare for the upcoming Kent Cup and fixture schedule. After making it through to the second round of the Kent Cup, Barton Court then came up against a physical and well-drilled Oakwood Park Grammar School (Maidstone).

This was a very competitive game with the score at 22-14 for a long period of time, however two late tries by Oakwood Park saw them come out as eventual winners. Oakwood Park would eventually go on to win the tournament, beating Norton Knatchbull 34-10 in the final.

Following the half term break Barton Court had their next fixture against Kings Canterbury ‘A’ team. Barton Court put on an excellent defensive display against a very strong team which saw them trailing 12-0 at half time. A strong second half performance and a tiring Barton Court team saw Kings run away with the game in the second half, however Barton Court can be extremely proud with how they performed against one of the top schools in the county. The team have two more fixtures in term 2 with a triangle fixture with Canterbury Academy and Simon Langton Boys at Canterbury Rugby Club before hosting Sir Roger Manwood for the last fixture of the term.

The development squad (under 12/13) have had fewer fixtures and instead, have spent the first two terms developing their skills and structure as they prepare for the league fixtures after half term as well as the Kent Cup fixtures when in Year 9. In both fixtures so far the team have shown excellent progress in their development, beating Canterbury High and falling just short against a strong (and big) Norton Knatchbull team. A special mention must go to Jude, James, Kenny and Dara who have stepped up to play for the under 14s team this season, with Jude, James, Dara and Tye also receiving county nominations.

The rugby season will continue into term 3 and term 4 where there will be fixtures in the East Kent Grammar School League and also the district league. All teams will also have the opportunity to represent the school at the Kent Sevens tournaments where we have had plenty of success in the past.

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Football

By Mr White Football The year 8 football team had a fairly successful season as they stepped up to 11 aside for the first time. Their first fixture saw them play against a good Whitstable side which resulted in a tightly contested game. Some excellent saves from Alfie kept Barton Court in the game before two second half goals saw them come out as 4-2 winners.

The second match was against a very strong St Anselm’s team who had a striker who seemed to score at every opportunity. In a very entertaining and high scoring match, St Anselm’s won 13-9 but the commitment and energy of the students couldn’t be faulted as they persisted right until the end.

After the match against Spires was postponed, Barton Court finished the campaign against Simon Langton and, although Barton Court dominated for large periods of the match, they ended up being on the wrong side of a 4-0 score line.

Match report from Dylan Millar-Carrol (8B) – Simon Langton A heart-breaking 4-0 away defeat at Simon Langton Boys School saw Josh’s side go through many tough challenges. Here’s what happened: In the early few minutes of the game TJ used his skills on the ball to weave round 3 of the Langton defenders and set Callum up with a great chance to put the away side into the lead but unfortunately his shot was directed straight at the Langton goalkeeper. Mere seconds later, from some silly miscommunication in the Langton defence, Jack carefully dispossessed the Langton player to gain the opportunity to shoot but the keeper saw it coming as he palmed it away for a BCGS corner. The corner kick was beautifully lifted into the box by Jack but the opposition keeper rose like a salmon and caught the ball mid-flight. With just over 115 minutes played Callum had one of the best chances of the game to score but his rockets against the crossbar followed (after a 2 minute mad scramble to get the ball) by a long ball clearance to Simon Langton’s left winger who carefully placed his shot from the edge of the six yard box into the bottom corner, past the BCGS goalkeeper Tilly to put Simon Langton 1-0 up with just under 20 minutes played. With half-time nearly in sight, a Simon Langton corner was chipped in to the box with the BCGS defence left in ruin as the Langton attackers headed the past the keeper to make it 2-0 (whilst also leaving Callum and Mr. White in states of shock and leaving Alex complaining to the ref about a push in the penalty area that wasn't deemed a free-kick). Luckily the whistle then blew for half-time gifting everybody on the team the chance to refresh for the second half.

Only a few minutes into the second half and the Langton collected the ball from a pass through the middle by his teammate and shot across the goal, past Tilly and into the back of the net making the score 3-0 to Simon Langton. With 15 minutes left to play a Langton attacker struck the ball with a lot of power and ferocity outside the box which unfortunately rebound off Adam’s thigh and into his own net to wrap up the game with the final core of Simon Langton Boys 4, BCGS 0.

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Boys’ Football

By Mr Lintott

Football - Year 7 Boys The year 7 boys played 4 fixtures against local schools in the first term. The team were in the top league (A League). Each game played was highly competitive with some great skills show and a good team ethic. The boys played games against the Herne Bay High, Canterbury Academy, Langton boys and finally Queen Elizabeth Grammar School. The boys had a record of two wins and one draw and only one defeat. The games were very closely contested on the whole and there was not much between the teams. The two stand out games were against Herne Bay High and Simon Langton Grammar School, where we gave an excellent team performance in both games. In the game against Simon Langton we won 3-2 with a last minute screamer from distance. In the game against Herne Bay, we also managed to show great resilience and effort by winning a close game by 2-1. It was also nice to see that the team were really strting to gel together and this bodes well for the future cup games. Year 7 have some further games coming up in January in the District Cup and I am confident that we can do well in this competition and make some progress in this knock out competition.

Football - District Players Players from Barton Court continue to represent the Canterbury District Teams across several age groups. Two players from Year 7 were selected to represent the Under 12 District team this year, Leo Cornhill and Archie Rumball. In Year 8, Alex Wilkinson continues to play for the District and in Year 9, Jamie Finnis also represents the U14s District team. This is a fabulous achievement from the boys and it shows how many talented footballers we have at our school, which is something we can all be very proud of.

Kent County Player-Football Will Moses in Year 11, continues to represent the Kent Schools County Team. Will has continued to represent Kent since being selected in Year 7 for the Under 11 representative team. This is an amazing achievement considering the competition for places that county football has. Will also represents Maidstone United (a National League club) where he plays in the top Kent League for Football. He has also represent Under18s for Maidstone this year.

Gillingham FC Academy Scholarship Harvey Lintott has been offered a two year contract to represent Gillingham FC U18s from next season. Harvey has been with Gillingham since Year 7 and has continued to make excellent progress playing for this professional team. He will become a first year scholar from July and will be working fulltime with the club from this time onwards. He will be working towards a professional contract with the first team during his scholarship. This is a fantastic achievement and this is the first time that a student from Barton Court has reached such a high level. We wish him all the best in his career.

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Girls’ Football

By Mrs Nuttall Under 14s Girls Football The Under 14s girls had a fantastic run in the Kent Cup Football competition by reaching round three of this competition.

The girls played their first game against Canterbury Academy and made a great start to the competition by beating Canterbury Academy 2-0 away from home. The girls dominated the game from start to finish and the result was fully deserved. It was even more pleasing that we played some very good football and did not concede. In the 2nd round, we were drawn away from home and travelled to the John Wallis academy (Ashford) , in very difficult windy conditions, it was very difficult to play our normal game, but the girls managed to adapt their game very well. The game was a very tight contest and at full time the score was 1-1, which was probably a fair reflection of an even contest. In extra time, the girls decided to really push on and created several chances to score, forcing several saves from the opposition keeper and winning several corners. From one such resulting corner, Holly Duggan latched onto a clearance and scored a fantastic goal to send the girls wild with celebrations and avoided the dreaded penalty shootout!

In round three, we were visited by Chatham and Clarenden House School, who reached the semifinal of the competition last year. Again, this was a very evenly matched game throughout.

Clarenden managed to take their chance in the first half with a well taken goal to go 1-0 up. In the second half the girls showed an excellent attitude and won a penalty as a reward for their attacking play, unfortunately for us, the Clarenden keeper pulled off an amazing penalty save and this was the big turning point in the game. Inevitably, after so much attacking play, we left ourselves a little vulnerable in defence and we conceded against the run of play, from a swift counter by Clarenden. Although we lost 2-0 and were knocked out of the competition, the girls can be very proud of their achievements this year and can use this as motivation to reach the next stages of the cup competition next year. Well done to all.

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Girls’ Sports

By Mrs Nuttall Netball Term 1 saw a busy schedule of girls’ netball fixtures for teams in year 7 up to year 10.

Year 10 have produced dominant displays in an excellent season, with wins against Archbishops, The Abbey, Simon Langton and Herne Bay. The team’s only loss came with a 7-6 defeat by QE. The year 10 team has been excellent role models for the younger year groups, with a strong team spirit shown and fantastic dedication to training. Perhaps the most memorable game to date was an Ella Rose-inspired fightback against the Langton which had Miss Wild in raptures on the side lines. The team are now targeting victory in the district tournament in term 4.

Year 9’s team has also had a good season, winning 3 games and losing just 1 so far. Victories have come against Canterbury Academy, St Anselms and Archbishops, whilst Herne Bay narrowly defeated us in a close game.

The Year 8s have also made good progress this year with an increased maturity in their performances which has enabled wins against St Anselms, Spires and the Abbey.

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Year 7 have showed good promise and look to have a team capable of challenging at the district tournament. They are so far unbeaten, with impressive wins against Canterbury Academy and The Whitstable school.

Girls Football Enthusiasm for girl’s football has continued to be high in term 1, with competition for places in the year 7 team as well as the under 14 and 16 teams.

There have been some strong players joining in year 7, with the team showing great team work and competitive spirit in finishing 2nd in the year 7 district tournament. The team are hopeful that with the addition of a few more players in term 4 they can win the next tournament.

The under 14 team The under 16 team got a bye in the first round of the Kent Cup meaning they had a second round tie vs Walderslade girls. The team showed strong drive and some excellent finishing earned them their place in round 3 with a resounding 5-0 victory with the goals coming largely from Madi Upton. Round 3 saw the girls travel away to face Rochester Grammar school. The game was a tight affair, with very little to pick between the two teams.

Unfortunately, a goal late in the first half for Rochester, was enough to put the girls out of the competition. Well done to all the girls for some strong performances. We look forward to continuing our district fixtures in term 4.

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District Cross Country

By Mr White and Mrs Nuttall On Wednesday 28th November we took a team of cross country runners to compete in the annual district cross country championships. Runners were faced with a very wild, wet and windy day, which made the conditions very tricky. However, our runners were up to the challenge and produced some fantastic runs.

Runners were motivated by the promise of a place at the county championships - if they finished in the top 16 of their race. The year 7 teams led the way, with an impressive 6 runners qualifying to go on to the Kent championships in January. Well done to Sam Hurst (4th), Cameron Grieve (9th), Archie Rumball (10th) Margot Bostock (11th), Dana Kuhn (15th) and Erica du Rietz (16th) for qualification – as well as all other runners who represented the school well.

In the junior competition, there was an outstanding 3rd place for Felix Sturtz as well as 13th and 14th place for the Hiney twins, who had jumped almost 20 positions from their efforts last year. Well done to all 3 boys who will compete in Dover in January.

There were also good runs from the year 8 members of the team and the year 9 girls who fought the elements to complete their races well.

We also had qualification in the intermediate and senior races with Lee-James Campbell finishing well to gain a 5th place. He will be joined at the championships by Roseanna Temple and Eliot Wraight who qualified from the senior category. Head boy Cole Gibbens was very unfortunate that his hopes of a top 3 finish on the day were ended by a nasty slip and twisted ankle in the woods. We are hopeful Cole can still be picked for the district team in January.

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The Grinch And The Beanstalk

By Sinclair Perry Miss Wild joined the staff earlier in 2018 as our new head teacher of drama. Other than lessons, of course, her first project was assisting in the school’s summer musical, Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat. It was her novel idea to start and direct a school pantomime. So this year, for the first time (at least in my Barton Court career), panto’s coming to town!

As you may have guessed from the article’s title, we’ve put together a special new fusion of two Christmas favourites, The Grinch and Jack and the Beanstalk. In spite of these old tales, we’ve got an entirely new script written by Miss Wild herself, and it’s chock full of jokes, puns and everything else you love to hate about panto (‘Oh no it isn’t!’).

Rehearsals commenced before the summer holidays with casting and some preliminary rehearsals commandeering the Barton Court Youth Theatre on Friday Lunchtimes. Now we’re meeting one to two evenings a week to make this all-singing, all-dancing production as good it can be! It’s got everything you want out of a panto: larger than life characters, including a talented dame, hero and villain, and a host of other hilarious personages popping up, as well as songs, catchphrases and more!

Things are progressing phenomenally well, and this looks to be a spectacular production, and maybe this will set the precedent for years to come?

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Creative Writing Competition

By Alexandra Barrett Lola King I was alone at home. I was excited at first but that feeling of delight slowly churned inside me and gave my stomach butterflies. That one hour mum and dad said they would be out changed to 3 hours and I felt very sick. After three hours there came a knock at our mahogany door, I was so excited because I thought that it was mum and dad I forgot. I forgot that one rule that mum and dad said would save my life.

This story was great! The plot leaves the reader wanting more and keeps us all in suspense. It really demonstrates creativity and the ability to use description and action really well.

Sinclair Perry I felt the elation coursing through my veins the very second I saw the sign, like a deity intercepting my path in order to reward me. But what good had I done? What act of selflessness could warrant such a magnificent prize? I still do not feel worthy of that splendour, which some eternal spirit bestowed upon me and sought me out to do so. “Jaffa Cakes ½ price!”

This story displays brilliant rhetorical questioning and extensive vocabulary leaving the reader questioning the situation. This made the story stand out and the twist at the end leaves a positive and light hearted tone which I love!

Russell Gomes Oldridge.

I saw glowing red eyes in the shadows of the basement. As I cautiously tiptoed upstairs, I heard the floorboard creak and snap. I wanted to go back upstairs but the door suddenly slammed behind me and I couldn’t get out. I heard a muffling and a disturbing voice behind me, I frantically punched the door to try to break through. The something grabbed my leg…

This entry was brilliant! The high levels of suspense and use of description made it stand out and kept the reader on their toes. Well done!

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Barton Court Alumni

By Sinclair Perry Here are some quotes from the success stories of the past two A-level classes. It may be helpful to see how far Barton Court’s Students have gone in the past and how they’re still rising to new heights.

Where are they now?

Class of 2010:

Jess Grynfeld – Studied English Literature, Religious Studies, Geography, Politics- Now reading English at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge I’m in my second year at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, studying English. Since leaving Barton Court I’ve been working on poetry and am getting four poems published by a little, independent publishing house in London, which is exciting. Being a Barton Court alumnus is really nice because the school gives you a more normal grounding for certain things than other schools would, and you make a lot of strong friendships there that are great to revisit. I also feel a lot of gratitude towards the teachers that helped get me where I am, and Barton Court definitely has people that go above and beyond that we should be so grateful for. I think a big part of being an alumnus is a feeling of nostalgia for the place you spent seven years in, but it’s also really empowering to know your teenage years are behind you and you can make your direction in life completely your own. To students still at Barton, your time there is absolutely worth it!

Class of 2011: Ishbel Russell – Studied Biology, Maths, History, AS Chemistry - Now reading Archaeology at Trinity College, Cambridge Hi, I’m Ishbel and I’ve just finished my first term studying Archaeology at Trinity College, Cambridge. I studied Biology, History, Maths and a year of Chemistry at A level, although there were no requirements for my subject. Starting university has obviously been a big step but I’ve really enjoyed this term; the workload has been pretty intense but it’s all incredibly interesting, and the intensity means that I’ve made wonderful friends as you spend so much time together and go to such interesting events. The big change has been how much less structure my course has, as because I am a humanities student, I have relatively low contact time, especially in comparison to the scientists.

Getting to interact regularly with internationally renounced experts is still very strange, but once you get to know them through weekly supervisions and department events you understand that they are just people too, and that they are so excited by your interest in their subject!

Tom Oliviera – Studied History, Politics, Film - Now reading Law at Bristol Having left Barton court to study law at the University of Bristol last year, I can’t thank the school enough for the support and assistance they gave me, in order to help me earn a place at one of the world’s leading law schools. Since leaving I have come to realise how the style of teaching the sixth form at Barton Court gave us has prepared me for the change to studying at a top university. Barton Court’s reputation and Mr Wood’s help in preparing me for the LNAT (The Law National Aptitude Test) I had to take before applying to Bristol are effectively the reasons I made it into this university gggg

despite not quite achieving the required grades and I cannot thank the school and its staff enough. I have missed the atmosphere of studying at Barton Court far more than I had anticipated and I can proudly say that my years at BCGS were some of the best times of my life.

Ella Williams – Studied French, Spanish, English Literature– Now reading Modern Foreign Languages at Trinity Hall, Cambridge I’m Ella and I am currently studying French and Spanish at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. For my A-Levels I chose French, Spanish and English Literature, and I always knew that I wanted to further my studies of French and Spanish to undergraduate level. As I am writing this, I have just finished my first term of studies here, and it has definitely taken a lot of getting used to, with the increased work load and different structure. Having said that, these past nine weeks have been some of the best of my life, from attending balls to seeing world-renowned speakers give talks - there is always something to be doing here, which is the amazing thing about Cambridge. Hopefully my language abilities have improved since being here, as alongside lectures we have weekly oral supervisions and literature supervisions, meaning that there is nowhere to hide if you have not completed the work!

You are always surrounded by people that truly love their subject, and so even when you are in the midst of an essay crisis you can’t help but remain enthusiastic!

Ruby Wood – Studied English Literature, History, Psychology – Now reading English at Southampton I’m in my first year at the University of Southampton studying English Literature. Since leaving Barton Court, I have fallen even more in love with my subject, due to being able to read more and every day I am becoming a much more confident writer. I have even had more time to write outside of my subject! I have so much appreciation for Barton Court, as when I joined the school I had no confidence, but the school gave me opportunities such as editing the ‘Clarion’ which pushed me out of my comfort zone and now at university I’m much more self-assured and outgoing. The teachers at Barton Court have a genuine interest in their subjects and the students’ well-being and go above and beyond what they have to do! In my 7 years at BCGS I have made so many memories which I will always treasure alongside friendships which despite our distance have continued to grow. I’ll forever have nostalgia for the Barton Court family which inspired my academic and personal journey!

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The Centenary

By Sinclair Perry It has now been 100 years since the end of the first world war, with the Germans signing an Armistice, prepared by England and France, promising peace and no more fighting, on the 11th of November 1918 at 11am, hence the 1/2 minutes of silence we hold every year on the 11th, and on Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday in November).

Like every year, there were memorials and parades held around the country, but it being a century since the war’s end, there was a larger sense of occasion. One of the most exciting events to happen was Pages of the Sea. The website describes the event: “On 11 November 2018, tens of thousands gathered on beaches to say goodbye and thank you, to the millions of men and women who left their shores during the war, many never to return.

On selected beaches around the UK, over the course of several hours, a portrait of an individual from the First World War emerged from the sand. And then, as the tide rose, it was washed away as we took a moment to say a collective goodbye.”

This event took places on beaches all across the country, our nearest being Folkestone, where a portrait of Wilfred Owen was drawn on the sand, to represent the many thousands of men, him being only one, dispatched from that port. Having gone, I can say it was a truly magical event; along with the portrait and Danny Boyle speaking, many simple but moving silhouettes, of soldiers, nurses, men, women, children were raked by the public onto the beach many with names and poppies, so they don’t disappear into time as the faces were allowed to disappear into the sea. Finally, event volunteers were handing out individual cards with the poem Carol Ann Duffy wrote especially for the event on and each card had someone’s name, photo, rank, and dates on them. Not a single card was alike. Truly astounding.

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Reading Around

By Sinclair Perry It’s very important to read around your subject at any level. If you have a particular interest in a subject and you wish to pursue it, it’s important to have wider knowledge. At as low a level as year 7, further reading can contextualise your learning and this only becomes more relevant over time. In your GCSE exams you are asked to apply your learning inside the syllabus to new contexts, and your wider research helps this. Finally, at the top of the secondary-school-spectrum at A-level, reading around is expected of you, for example, to access the top marks in Biology you must reference non-taught content, and, this love for your subject really cements you as a strong candidate in your application to your university of choice.

Now, this information as to why is all well and good, but how to go about it? I have tried to simplify it down. 

Subscribe to a magazine in the relevant field. You don’t necessarily have to read from cover to cover, you can select the articles which interest you and just read them, maybe follow on from this. Good examples of reputable magazines include National Geographic, or to continue with the example of Biology, Biological Sciences Review is also very interesting.

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Identify your favourite topics in your subjects. Whilst everything falls under one umbrella, most people have a favourite part of their subject. Follow this, maybe use the internet, and scholarly articles, steering clear of sites that can be edited by anybody (i.e. Wikipedia). You can even follow up on what you found from the first stage of your research.

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Many education providers give additional support. You can read ahead on the course, like trying some future topics in the textbook which you aren’t due to study for a while. Or you might look for some extra information on the course’s website. Large education companies also tend to give their own advice for reading around.

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We are the technology generation, so we can use it. YouTube is an extremely useful resource when used correctly; if you’re looking in the right ways, in the right places, you can find a plethora of little gems from educational channels. But check they’re legitimate (online reviews are useful for this). A personal favourite is Crash Course, teaching Biology, English, Psychology and a whole lot more, so it’s worth checking for your subjects.

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Finally, don’t sweat it! Once you study something you love or want to explore, chances are you’ll realise your passion for it. Then you can read around. Don’t worry too much about finding a topic, because you will very likely stumble upon something you love as part of studying something you love.

It’s a very personal task, so these methods may not suit you, so don’t follow them to the character, this is just what happens to work for me.

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Colonial And Post-Colonial Theory

By Jess Webber A University of Kent lecturer came to the school and introduced to us, the English students, to the Colonial and Post-Colonial theories, devised in the 1960s, in three sections, each pioneered by historical philosophers and writers.

She began by exploring literature by Edward Said’s Empire and Colonisation theory. For example, the writings of Thomas Babington Macaulay which included imperialistic narratives of how The West viewed The East, much of which was culturally inaccurate. The second section was based upon Frantz Fanon’s theories on ‘Liberation Movements and Decolonisation Discourse’ where we were shown a snippet of the ‘Gillo Pontecorvo, Battle of Algiers’ in which an Algerian boy stands against the French soldier. The lecturer then raised questions on power, impact and identity in the path towards liberalisation.

The final section was centred around the theories of Homi Bhabha on ‘Migration and Diaspora’. We were then introduced to post-colonial texts by Chinua Achebe in which hybridity and cultural identity was promoted- “I feel that the English language will be able to carry the weight of my African experience”. This theory, being the most recent, was more relevant to how we live today yet still alluded to issues raised in colonisation and liberalisation theories. These theories revealed how literature and views are influenced by political events of the era but also how collective opinions can drastically alter over time.

I would say that this lecture was mostly subjective and relied upon varying interpretations of the text, which were then encouraged to be voiced. It was a more independent exploration of the theories similar to what can be expected in university but was very enlightening.

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Feminism Lecture

By Lucy Hands On Wednesday 14th November, a lecturer from the University of Kent came to visit our school and presented a lecture on the feminist theory of analysing literature. She began by looking at the presentation of women in modern media, focusing on a term known as ‘the male gaze’. This is ‘the act of depicting women and the world, in the visual arts and literature, from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the male viewer’. She further explored the topic by using an article by Laura Mulvey (a feminist film theorist and film and media studies professor).

I think the lecturer raised some interesting points about the male gaze and how it is still present today, even in films that appear equal and empowering for women such as Wonder Woman and Tomb Raider. Unfortunately, this element lecture was focused more around women in film rather than women in literature so wasn’t particularly relevant to the English course but still provided interesting background information.

The next point of focus was a piece of writing by Edgar Allan Poe, or rather exploring whether it romanticised or sexualised the female focus which, we discussed as a group. We then did the same thing with The Applicant by Sylvia Plath, discussing how it objectifies both men and women.

Having university professors visit our school to provide these lectures gives useful information to help us along on our A-level course, however it didn’t necessarily prepare us for university, as the event was more like a workshop, than a classical lecture. I As the lecture was more of a ‘whistle-stop tour’ of feminist theory, rather than focusing on aspects of it in detail, it wasn’t strictly the best representation of studying English at university, however, I really appreciated the opportunity, and found it useful and informative with our current studies.

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European Day of Languages

By Mr Luret On 26th September, students in years 7 and 8 took part in our European Day of Languages. Being in the midst of Brexit, this is very relevant. They learnt about Europe and the importance of learning languages in life. One of the highlights of the day was the video of Frozen sung in various languages. https://youtu.be/OC83NA5tAGE?t=13s We had several great resources which are worth a watch if you fancy knowing more about the EU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOti8U_-BNM&feature=youtu.be&t=4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27YMbX8fH6Y Here is the quiz our students have answered, let’s see how many you know: 1. How many languages are spoken in the EU? 2. What percentage of the population speaks two or more languages?

3. What has learning languages proven to enhance?

4. How many people in the EU regularly speak regional or minority languages?

5. What percentage of the world’s population does not speak a word of English?

6. How much more people using languages in their job can earn?

7. How many aims has the EU got?

8. How many stars are there on the European flag?

They got their own resources out of this great day too, with year 7s creating informative fact-covered photos and the year 8s made EU themed acrostic poems. Here are some examples of the creative work:

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MFL Club

By Mr Wilcock Modern Foreign Languages club gives students the opportunity to learn more about the culture and society of different countries around the world. Come along to Room 34 every Thursday lunchtime if you want to find out more! This year students have taken part in a wide variety of exciting activities. Students began the year by helping to plan their own schedule of activities. Since then, they have met on a weekly basis and have taken part in quizzes, song-writing in a foreign language, and have just started to create their own fantasy town in a foreign country of their choice! We have also discussed fascinating cultural differences in other countries, and the meaning behind festivals such as the Mexican celebration DĂ­a de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). We will soon start student presentations on famous capital cities around the world, as well as understanding different Christmas traditions around the world. We always welcome new members, and any student in years 7 to 10 can join.

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Microbiology Enrichment Day

By Lowenna Hayter

Instead of taking part in the normal enrichment day activities on 08/11/18, including a trip to Canterbury Christ Church University, some sixth form students signed up for the Microbiology day.

As part of the ‘Antibiotics Unearthed’ project, the Microbiology club has been working to discover a novel antibiotic. Joined by other interested students, they took samples of soil from by the pond and performed a serial dilution (reducing the concentration by one order of magnitude – or 10 times weaker – several times). Then, using the proper aseptic technique, they transferred several samples into agar plates, for further examination a week later.

Later in the day, they performed an experiment to look at the antimicrobial properties of Streptomyces, before researching the current antibiotic resistance pandemic in time for the WHO Antibiotic Awareness week. Some students even paired up to develop resources to present to their classmates.

Dr. Simon Moore from the University of Kent also joined the students to give a talk about his work in developing endogenous antibiotic-secreting organisms, and to discuss the micro-microbiologists findings with them.

The Microbiology club is continuing to develop their bacterial cultures up at the University of Kent on Wednesday afternoons and will have discovered whether they have been successful in their search for a novel antibiotic on the 5th December.

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Antibiotics Unearthed

By Jiya Jacob

Following Barton Court’s great success with the Antibiotics Unearthed project last year, this year Barton Court once again returned to the University of Kent to work alongside staff and students to carry on with their quest to find antibioticsecreting microorganisms. The club had gained in popularity and membership, so more people were able to experience working in a professional environment and develop new skills including performing a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to make copies of a specific DNA segment. This trip was done after weeks of cultivating microorganisms on petri dishes and performing an overlay to see if any of those organisms were secreting antibiotics.

The trip took place over three weeks, on Wednesday afternoons, where students went to the University to carry out their work. They began by isolating the colonies that seemed to be producing the antibiotics. This was then followed by the PCR. The PCR enables the DNA sequence to be amplified, producing enough DNA copies to be analysed by other techniques. The steps involved three main stages: Denaturation – to separate the two DNA strands Annealing – cooling the reaction so that the primers could bind to the complementary sequences on the single DNA strand Extension – Raising the temperatures so the Taq Polymerase enzyme extends the primers to synthesize new DNA strands

On the final week, students had the chance to use gel electrophoresis to visualise their PCR products. This is a technique in which fragments of DNA are pulled through a gel matrix by an electric current, separating the DNA fragments according to size. They compared the size of the fragments produced using a DNA ladder.

On the whole, it was another successful trip. Students learnt a lot of useful techniques from micro-pipetting successfully, to performing a PCR and gel electrophoresis. These valuable skills can be taken into their further studies and will have been a great experience for providing students an idea of working safely and scientifically in a professional environment.

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Cologne Trip 2018

By Anna Killen What a start to December! On Friday the 30th November, we left for our trip to Cologne, and it was, to say the least, absolutely fantastic.

Despite the early arrival, it was thrilling to be waking up in Cologne – right next to its renowned Cathedral. A beautiful feat of gothic architecture is the second tallest cathedral in Europe.

Construction began in 1248, and to this day, it has never been fully completed, since the fragile decorations are constantly being eroded by rain.

Throughout the day, we visited the ‘Markt der Engel’ and the ‘Kölner Dom’ market, as well as spending time shopping in the city centre and visiting the Lindt chocolate museum. This was my favourite part of the day, mainly because of the free chocolate samples, though the history was fascinating as well. Did you know that chocolate has its origins in the Mayan and Aztec empires?

They used cacao beans in making fermented beverages over 2000 years ago!

However, it would be an understatement to say that the chocolate museum was the best part of the day. That title would go to Cologne’s Christmas markets, which are very well known for their beautiful decorations and traditional German meals. Having now experienced a piece of such wonderful German culture, it is clear to see why. Markt der Engel offered a variety of delicious dishes, such as the classic Bratwurst and Schnitzel, to honey roasted nuts and fresh churros, as well as plenty of festive huts selling all kinds of stunning Christmas decorations.

If you hadn’t found the food to be enough, then the atmosphere and decorations would certainly have made you think otherwise. Unfortunately, we were in the Markt der Engel during the day, meaning that we didn’t get a chance to see the gorgeous star shaped lights in the trees whilst it was dark. They’re decorated to look like the stars in the night sky, creating a rather unique yet stunning, effect. It was the Old Town of Cologne that hosted the original Christmas market back in 1820 and, almost two hundred years later, the tradition continues.

Busy and atmospheric, we spent the afternoon shopping among natives and other tourists, even practising our German phrases ourselves! One student found this part of the day ‘awesome, having so much opportunity to buy so many lovely things’, which I can definitely agree with.

Here’s what some other students thought.

Asia Jones: “The highlight was probably the Lindt Chocolate Museum, though I thought every part of the trip was amazing!”

Nathan Cook: “It was great! I loved speaking German and being able to try the delicious German foods.”

Charlotte Busset: “What a great experience. Kind and attentive teachers, and wonderful discoveries!”

Jaden Dodds: “I found being surrounded by German speakers made me feel more confident speaking the language.”

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Nobel Prize Winners

By Jiya Jacob 2018 saw Frances Arnold, a professor of chemical engineering at Caltech being awarded a Nobel Prize in chemistry (shared with two other people), making her the fifth female chemistry laureate since the establishment of the prizes in 1901. She received her prize for her work on the ‘directed evolution of enzymes.’ The aim of her research was to create new and better biological material in the form of enzymes, and to use these molecules and have a greener biological manufacturing process to make fuels, chemicals and materials we rely on every day.

James P Allison and Tasuku Honjo were awarded a Nobel Prize for their work in medicine. Their work on the immune system has opened up potential routes for a new class of cancer drugs and is the first time development in cancer therapy has been recognised with a Nobel Prize. They worked on an idea that already existed: mobilising the immune system to tackle cancer. They each had discoveries regarding checkpoints on cells and established the possibility of turning this into a clinical treatment. The drugs that are based on this research have significant side effects, however, also have promising results in treating lung cancer, renal cancer, lymphoma and melanoma.

Dona Strickland and Gérard Mourou were also joint winners of a Nobel Prize in physics. Their technique known as chirped pulse amplification led to the creation of small, incredibly powerful lasers, now used in corrective eye surgery, industrial machining and medical imaging. While their research and work are ground-breaking and revolutionary, it’s also important to acknowledge Strickland’s achievement, of being only the third woman to win a Nobel Prize in physics.

William Nordhaus was awarded a Nobel Prize for his work on the damage caused by climate change. Paul Romer also won this prize for his investigation into how economists can achieve a healthy rate of economic growth. They have created models to help with the development of economic growth and tackling climate change. Nordhaus is seen as one of the pioneers of environmental economics.

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Political Events

By Jiya Jacob and Lowenna Hayter

Climate Change - Jiya Jacob The US National Climate Change Assessment, which was the work of 300 scientists and 13 federal agencies, found that wildfire, storms and heatwaves were majorly influencing Americans’ wellbeing.

They announced that climate change was set to “disrupt many areas of life” for future generations.

The report that Trump commissioned warns of billions of dollars lost as a result of crop failures, expanding wildfires, altered coastlines and multiplying health problems; these highlight the implications climate change might lead to for future generations. The report also found that climate change could reduce US GDP by a tenth by the end of the century. The rising sea levels threaten coastal real estate and heatwaves are set to cause numerous deaths and worsen conditions like pulmonary disease and asthma, through increased levels of air pollution. The White House spokesperson argued that this only considered the most extreme scenarios, whereas, Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University and a co-author of a report, took to social media to rebuttal this statement, saying “I wrote the climate scenarios chapter myself so I can confirm it considers ALL scenarios, from those where we go carbon negative before the end of century to those where carbon emissions continue to rise” essentially falsifying the White House’s statement. The report performed its function of educating, while at the same time galvanising those in power to make a change.

While this report was aimed at investigating the risks for the US and focuses primarily on the effect of climate change on US economy, this report poses the same implications for the UK and worldwide.

Climate change affects and will continue to affect all of us, which is why it is urgent for us to do something. Visit the Greenpeace website to find out what you can do!

Brexit - Lowenna Hayter Even two years post-introduction, Brexit remains a topical subject of discussion for most people in the country. However, despite this, it can be difficult to visualise the effects of Article 50 so far. Here are some of the facts:

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Immediately after the trigger of Article 50 in March 2017, the total UK net migration fell to its lowest in three years.

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From July 2016 – April 2017, the number of EU nurses registering with the NHS fell by 96% (from 1,304 to 46).

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In November 2017, it was reported that European banks had reduced their UK-related assets by €350 billion within the year following the Brexit vote. This trend is also expected to increase ahead of the 2019 Brexit deadline.

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By December 2017, national British income had been reduced by between 0.6% and 1.3% (accounting for almost £350 million per week).

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By September 2018, economic costs of the vote were already equivalent to 2% of GDP.

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Brexit

By Sapphire Mode’l Tarjomani Brexit is a huge decision that will change the United Kingdom for a long time if it goes through but what really is it? The word Brexit means that Britain is leaving, or exiting, the European Union. The British people voted in favour of leaving the EU in June 2016 and the date we are set to essentially leave the EU is March 2019. Both the British and the EU are now trying to agree on what kind of relationship they will have after Brexit, which details aspects as such as the single market, border control, the Northern Irish border and travel, for example.

The argument to leave the European Union was advocated mostly by the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and was not supported by the Prime Minister at the time, David Cameron. Members of UKIP argued that Britain’s participation in the EU was a restrictive element for the country. As one of the EU’s primary initiatives is free movement within the region, the party’s main arguments centred around regaining border control and reclaiming business rights. In addition, supporters of Brexit cited the high EU membership fees as a negative aspect of participation in the EU. It was argued that if the UK separates itself from the EU, these fees can be used to benefit the UK for things such as lower university fees, national health care service and welfare.

The argument to stay in the European Union was led by The Conservative Party and the Prime Minister, David Cameron who were strongly in favour of remaining with the EU. As a result of the decision to discontinue its participation in the EU, the Prime Minister made a public statement that he would be resigning from his position as he believed that the country needed a leader with the same goals as the majority of the country, and he was replaced by Theresa May. The argument against Brexit pertains mostly to the business benefits. The argument is that the UK receives business benefits by being able to participate in the single market system established by the EU. In response to the criticism against the open borders, proponents believe that the influx of immigrants helps develop an eager workforce and fuels public service gggg

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projects. Leaders in favour of staying also worry about the political backlash that could possibly result from other countries who favoured staying with the EU. In addition, supporters of remaining within the EU believe that being part of a wider community of nations provides economic and cultural strength, as well as an additional element of security.

Since then we have had a snap election, a vote of no-confidence, and parliament saying it will vote down deals. The main elements in the deal are to do with the single market, The EU has a Single Market this means items made can be exported without any checks or regulations, and Britain would still like to be part of that post-Brexit. There are other countries not in the EU who are part of the single market such as Norway and Canada, if Britain was to choose a deal similar to Norway’s then it still be able to use the single market while not being in the EU, however that also means people would be able to travel freely into Britain, which is not something the country wants, generally. But if we had a deal similar to Canada’s then we would only have limited use of the single market. Theresa May’s proposed deal is called ‘chequers’; it’s a deal similar to Canada with fewer rules and restrictions, however the EU told her this plan would not work, so where do we really stand on this subject? It is still unknown and with us drawing closer into 2019, people are worried on if we will reach a beneficial deal for everyone on this topic.

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Poems

By Henry Leutner “Notes” – Henry Leutner The shallowest form of currency; they make it out like it’s sink or swim, Some of the richest people are drowning with their bank balance nothing but a pseudonym, A stage-name, a mask, someone hiding behind the same problems as you, me or him.

I know a girl aspiring for eternal wealth, Well what about progress, love and health?

Maybe you can have all these 4 ways, But now you’ve picked all the notes from your garden’s money trees, How does your garden look now? It’s closed to the butterflies, birds and bees.

How does summitting the mountain feel, When you got to the top on 4 wheels, Life’s not about the destination, We need a re-evaluation.

We’re too busy worshipping labels and stars from reality shows, Perfection doesn’t exist, it’s just a figment of our exaggerations, Watch where this path goes, Straight into a dark forest of superficial sensations, Don’t get bitten by the Nike tick.

Although we need notes in our pockets, Are we really aspiring for billions and life on a plate, Whilst the hungry cook who made your salad needed a bite of your rocket?

Only after you lift off will you realise, “Houston, we’ve…” but maybe by then it’s too late.

The more we get, The more we want, The harder it is for the next thing to suffice, When nothing has a price.

I’ve got some advice.

Once you’ve got the notes in your pocket, Invest in deeper values of currency, Leave the stocks and start to share, Life is a goldmine, You don’t need a dime for a good time.

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“Where is the Start of the Ocean?” - anonymous I never dwell on where I am going because I have too many shorelines to find but too many places I’ve already been, Does it matter if I missed a checkpoint if I sailed through a place I wouldn’t have otherwise seen?

The waves still taste salty in fairy tales.

So I won’t ever make a plan because, even without a wind, a boat in the sea will end up somewhere, because even ‘The Road Not Taken’ will just deliver you from A to B. We’re taught we must have a purpose, a cause, an end goal, ultimatum, and reasons. Of course, It’s not acceptable to just be happy adrift even though, no matter how many mountains are behind you, you still may be encircled by a fret.

You can’t predict the number of times a stone will bounce when skimmed and yet I know time can flow like water or honey, but there are no restrictive hands or faces in the spaces between the lands.

Spaces where time can grow or shrink or change or bend.

I may not know where the ocean starts but neither do I know where it ends.

Perhaps it doesn’t…

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Globe Theatre Trip

By Lucy Grove and Niamh Webb Our time at the Globe allowed us to truly enrich our study of and connection with the play Othello, in a way perhaps only the theatre environment is able to do.

We left the Globe with a new, useful perspective on our study of the play. This was to always remember to consider and explore what the characters truly want at each moment in the play.

Although this may seem an obvious question to ask, it is often so easy to become wrapped up in Shakespeare’s rich use of language and dramatic methods that we forget to see the play as a play and the characters as humans with complex emotions, vulnerabilities and desires. Asking this question provided a whole new insight and clarity into the play we all found highly valuable.

It was also enjoyable for us all to explore this question through engaging group activities and performance; it breathed life into the characters and play, renewing our love for Shakespeare’s work and reminding us why we chose English A-level.

It was wonderful to consider the play we have been studying as a literary text as a performance instead. Speaking to our guide - an actor - we got insights on what it is like to perform at the globe, both in the present and the past. Actually being in the theatre allowed me to appreciate how difficult it is for the actor, entirely surrounded by the audience. Walking out on the stage and having the actor’s perspective really made the play jump off the page and has entirely shifted the way I think about the Othello.

I think one of the most useful parts of the play was when our guide discussed the character of Othello, who many of us have taken issue with and are often frustrated with. He validated our views, admitting to sharing them himself, and presented an alternative method of thinking about Othello founded in the study of performance; as a love story primarily. I know for myself it is easy to get caught up in learning the play for the exam, and we got so preoccupied trying to shoehorn Othello’s character into a mould I know I overlooked his position as a romantic lead. Considering Othello as a tragedy of romance not only makes much more sense but has lifted the play out of the curriculum into something to relish studying. This trip to the globe made me consider Shakespeare in an entirely new and much more three dimensional light.

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New Build

By Lowenna Hayter

In January, students were pleased to see the long-awaited new building open for use. In particular, the open space provided a calm and quiet area for Year 11 to revise for their mock exams.

Seven new classrooms and three new labs, along with a large refectory also tackled the school's stretch for space (especially upon the permanent introduction of the 'A' form).

Students agree that the Maths and Biology Atria helped combat corridor congestion, and the Refectory is a much less crowded area to eat lunch than the assembly hall. They also felt that the floor-to-ceiling windows helped to open the space, several remarking they were excited to see the view when the newly-planted trees were mature.

There are seven new classrooms, used for maths, meaning rooms 7-11 in the old corridor have been split between English, Psychology and RPE. The three new labs (and prep room) means that Chemistry and Physics each get a bit more of the science corridor.

Additionally, the new build has been praised by parents on the school's open evenings: “It's a good use of space, with considerable flexibility. The atrium area is particularly effective, providing both an open space for displays as well as a calm waiting area for students before class”.

Comments from students: “The lighting is beautiful: there is so much natural light in contrast to the dark artificial lights in the old corridors.”

“I like to look down into the Refectory from the Biology Atrium at breaktimes. The perspective is really funny!”

“The new classrooms are all so spacious and efficient. The retractable walls between maths rooms are really cool too.”

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Frida Kahlo

By Sapphire Mode’l Tarjomani Frida Kahlo was an artist who is reminisced for her intense self-portraits, being renowned on the catwalk and setting the cultural agenda. In high fashion, Kahlo’s influence can be seen with Alessandro Michele. For autumn/winter 2017, that meant florals and bold bows, ruffles and clashing, all in keeping with Kahlo’s love of excess; rings, flowers and embroidery. But who really was Frida Kahlo? Her attitudes towards gender was progressive – her relationships with women and men, and her penchant for suits, mean that she has been hailed as a modern queer icon. Her modern attitudes towards sexuality and her ability to openly explore them within her life and work have solidified her status as an icon among artists in the LGBTQ community; it wasn't until her death that others began to recognize her as a queer icon.

Kahlo, and her art, defy easy definition. Somewhat, they offer themselves to uncertain portrayal. Often unstable and compulsive, Frida was interchangeably optimistic and hopeless. She loved dancing, romance but was often desolately isolated, begging friends to visit, not to "forget" her. She had a vicious and often dark sense of comedy, as well as a sharp knowledge of wit and representation.

Frida Kahlo both reflects and surpasses the principal event of twentieth-century Frida Kahlo art is radical and “a true realisation of herself”; she only painted what she saw of herself on the inside and out, for example the bleak ruptures of 'The Broken Column' oddly conceal and endorse the ambiguous ideal of contingent difference that Kahlo extolled. Her flayed and open skin tenaciously holds her splintered self together, connecting disparate and convergent 'selves', which are in no way isolated from the worlds she is inhabited by and inhabits. Representing the personal and political as inexorably linked, she paints the largest pins pierced into her heart and womb, her two great vulnerabilities, which, alongside her staunch political beliefs, caused her so much sorrow and drove her unusual creativity.

Frida Kahlo is an icon for a lot of people due to her self-love and self-discovery.

Her work is shown at the Tate Modern in London, with 11 rooms dedicated to her work on Genealogy, National Identities, Self-Portraits and Equilibrium. The choices of her work resemble a drastic change in life and circumstance for her.

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Year 9 Newsletter

By Alfred Kirchin Hello from the Y9 newsletter. Again this year I would like to thank my dedicated staff for writing out excellent articles to ensure that we keep up our standards for informing the year.

We have achieved our goals from last time and hope to make our next issue the best, with interesting articles and give it an informative feeling. Our entertainment page has been taken over by Daniel Botes who produced an excellent page which many readers loved.

Film to see Film: Avengers: Infinity War Avengers: Infinity War is an action-adventure film produced by Marvel Studios. The film revolves around the heroes of the Marvel Universe fighting against the intergalactic war-lord Thanos. While named Avengers, the film features characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise as well as those who left the Avengers in previous films.

With fast paced action and stunning visual effects, Avengers: Infinity war is a must-see for all Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Guess the teachers, win a chocolate bar

Contact the head of the Year 9 newsletter, Alfred Kirchin for the full newsletter

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Puzzles

By Sinclair Perry Here’s our selection of puzzles for you to try.

Rules : Sudoku Fill in every cell in the grid with every number between 1 and 9 appearing once in every 3x3 box, 1x9 row and 1x9 column. Good luck!

Rules : Crossnumber Fill in every box with the answer corresponding to the problems answer from the clue’s section.

Forthcoming Events

December 13th 2018 - Carol Service December 18th 2018 - Year 12 Awards Evening January 30th 2019 - 16+ Open Evening February 6th 2019 - Year 11 Parents’ Evening February 14th 2019 - Year 8 Parents’ Evening February 15th 2019 - Non-Uniform Day February 28th 2019 - Year 8 Options Evening March 29th 2019 - Non-Uniform Day