Issuu

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? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Who, what, where, how & which?

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Which ? ? ? teacher ? ? ? ? might ? ? ? have ? ? ?said ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ‘So ? ?fair ? ?and ? ?foul ? ?a?day ? ?I have ? ? ?not ? ?seen’ ? ? ? ? on ? ?World ? ? ?Book ? ? Day? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Where ? ? ?did?our ? sailors ? ? ?meet ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?the? Duke ? ? of?Edinburgh? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?How ? ?can ? you ? ? win ? ?a ?coding ? ? ?badge? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Who won the Achievement in ? ? ? ? ? ?Sport ? ? Award ? ? ?at ?Haringey ? ? ? Council’s ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Outstanding ? ? ? ? ?for?All? Awards? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? What is CERN? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Who ? ?talked ? ? to ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Lord ? ? Justice ? ? ?Jackson? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Who ? ? plays ? ? keyboards ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?in?the? sixth ? ? form ? ? band? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Which ? ? ? ? sports ? ? ? ?coach ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? is ? also ? ? ? a? magician? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Read ? ?on?to ?find?all?the? answers… ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

GCA

Issue 12

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Achievem e

A letter from our Principal

Christi an munity om C

na ti n

C i t y A cad

Dear students, parents, carers and friends of Greig City Academy, Welcome again to our school magazine. As always writing this letter gives me an opportunity to reflect on all that has happened in the past year. Our Year 11 and Sixth Form students have just finished sitting their GCSE and GCE examinations and are now awaiting the results before going on to meet the challenges of the next step in their education. Whatever results day brings, their qualifications will be the outcome of sustained and high-quality effort by students and staff working together with commitment and common purpose in an atmosphere of trust and respect. I am sure we are all proud of their achievements and we wish them the best of luck for that August day when their results arrive. Our technology students have had another exciting year. This year two teams of Roboteers travelled to Kentucky where they represented the UK in an international robotics competition. Other year groups have been involved in building our own flight simulator as part of a national competition. This entailed obtaining the cockpit and fuselage of a light aircraft to work on. They have had a unique experience. In so many fields, from business and enterprise challenges to maths competitions and debates, students have successfully tested themselves against the best that other schools have to offer, opportunities that have been supported by staff but also by external partners, in particular the Greig Trust and the Tallow Chandlers Company. We thank them for their continued involvement, interest and financial support. An impressive number of students have taken part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme at silver and bronze levels and we look forward to seeing our first gold award winners very soon. Our basketball teams took gold medals yet again in the National Schools Finals, demonstrating their disciplined approach to their sport under the superb coaching of Mr Bowmaker and Mr Bailey. Our sailing programme goes from strength to strength and we have students just about to embark on competitions racing around the Isle of Wight and later in the year across the English Channel to St Malo. Outdoor education trips form one of the most important features of Academy life; most students will take part in at least one activity every year and will face and overcome challenges ranging from dealing with physical hardship to working collaboratively with new people. Our thanks go to all the staff involved whose commitment, dedication and organisational skills ensure these activities continue to be challenging, successful, safe and of course fun! Most of you are aware that we will be changing our school uniform for next September. With a blazer, the new badge and jumper our students will look extremely smart and well-presented in keeping with the high expectations of the Academy. I am very pleased that standards of behaviour and school uniform remain excellent and that high levels of attendance and punctuality are maintained. As a result visitors continue to be impressed when they visit the Academy. I thank parents and carers for their continued commitment and support in maintaining these high standards. I know we are all proud of the Academy and look forward to another successful year with genuine anticipation and confidence. I wish you all a splendid summer break.

Yours faithfully, Mr P.V. Sutton OBE

GCA

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Well done

Congratulations to all the students and staff featured on the next five pages, who have excelled in so many different ways.

All-round achievement – Pupil Profile Award winners The Pupil Profile Awards recognise students who have consistently met the high expectations the school has of them in terms of academic progress, attendance, punctuality and being prepared for learning. There are four levels – bronze, silver, gold and, the highest award, platinum. Congratulations to the 62 students who won a platinum award in both the autumn and spring terms. (Summer term results were not available at the time of writing.) Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11

Rhema Blanchard

Nelson Lopes Carvalho

Melissa Andrade

Aila Asan

Precious Adediran

Alexandra Fitzekova

Yu Qing Dai

Cheriece Bailey-Adair

Haniyya-Islam BintHosen

Priya Kaur

Natalie Ocansey

Jackie Le

Kyran Hamilton

Georlaine Reid

Glanyell White

Paul Cretu

Lee Saiona

Karlisa Rees

Christabelle Boamyah-Marfo

Anitha Kaddu

Sherisa Watson

Dilpreet Lohia

Gabriel Durojaiye

Gloria Ocran

Victor Okoro

Ayse Pirbudak

Zeynep Kupeli

Tasnimah Begum

Huang Rou Chen

Aisha Farrance-Grier

Adrian Grosu

Sandyele Cardoso Sesil Akcicek Natalia AnuszkiewiczGaniuch

Oliwia Dziatkowicz

Samiratu Kargbo

Sadie Hunt

Aleksandra Krasnicka

Rozelin Akkaya

Asa Menderson-Hall

Kaspars Davidons

Daniela Musabi

Amani Kerr

Ajivewin Mugiundharajah

Eddy Perez garzon

Kevin Rayo

Valentin Kehayov

Arnas Buivydas

Shreeya Suneechur

Victor Emovon

Preslava Ivanova

Daniella Tewogbade

Mazlum Sonzamanci

Lara Koc

Ryan Gordon

Vasil Boyanov Idris Bouattoura

Shantay Whyte

Giovanna Oliveira Hannan Chaudary

7CT is the tutor group with the most Platinum winners so far this year. Ms Taylor is extremely proud of them:

Arrwin Mugundharajah

‘I am immensely proud of my form. They have continued to make great strides during their two terms here at GCA. We continue to set high standards in terms of behaviour, attainment and achievement, which has seen them continually recognised as the top form in Year 7. Hearing that we have the most Platinum awards in the whole school is a massive commendation for the students’ hard work and I hope my form continues to be a positive example to other students across the school.’

History Bee and Bowl Congratulations to Aberaham, Year 7, and Sahin, Year 11, who did so well in the UK History Bee and Bowl competition – Aberaham did particularly well to beat a number of Year 9 students to win a place, along with Sahin, in the European Championships in Berlin in May.

In Berlin they fought their way through to the 3rd round but were then, sadly, eliminated. There’s always next year!

Preparing for the competition

GCA

Sahin at the Brandenburg Gate

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Well done

Outstanding for All Three GCA students covered themselves in glory at Haringey Council’s Outstanding for All Awards at Alexandra Palace in December. Victoria Somoye-Unsby won the Achievement in Sport award against stiff competition. Victoria has captained one of GCA’s girls’ basketball teams to three English Schools Championship gold medals over three years. A true all-rounder, and modest with it. This is what she said on the night:

‘I’m really surprised and very happy to have won. I love my girls, we’re in this together and I wouldn’t have won this without them.’ Michael Owusu and Angela Oteng were nominated by GCA for academic achievement awards for their excellent performance at GCSE. Victoria – Achievement in Sport winner

Andrea passes on her views to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Every year, GCA enters sixth form students into the Worshipful Company of International Bankers’ (WCIB) essay competition. This year, our entrants were: Andrea Arhagba, Michael Owusu, Daniel Onyeanusi, Abigail Agudelo, Veslie Smith and Joseph Gayle. Their task was to write a 1500 word ‘Open letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer justifying your views of the most important issues facing the new government.’ Andrea was the winner within the school, with Daniel a worthy runner-up. ‘I gathered relevant information regarding topics that George Osborne had addressed through his role in the Treasury. I did not want to approach a task like this without taking a partly controversial stance. I decided to use a rhyme scheme to inject some humour.’ Andrea

Veslie, Joseph, Daniel, Michael and Andrea at the awards ceremony

These lines from Andrea’s poem give you a flavour of the message she wanted to get across: “Unthinkable we should leave the European Convention on Human Rights” Clarke said. As it was from British lawyers born and British values bred, Surely we should be embracing our multicultural community instead. Our entrants were all invited to the WCIB awards evening in December where Andrea and Daniel received their prizes – £100 for Andrea and £50 for Daniel. Andrea was also delighted to discover that her essay was rated second best in the whole of London – 21 schools competed and 130 essays were written so that’s a fantastic result. As well as additional prize money, she won a summer work placement in a department of her choice at NatWest. Well done, Andrea, and many thanks to WCIB and NatWest. GCA

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Well done

The Jack Petchey Achievement Awards

Grace

The Award scheme is run by the Jack Petchey Foundation which was set up by a London businessman to recognise ‘extreme endeavour and to help young people help themselves’. Over the year, nine students are selected to receive an award celebrating their achievement in some area of school life. The Foundation also gives the school funds for each of the months that we give the award and winners get to choose how they want to allocate their funds to support a school or community activity.

Rebecca

Year 8 student, Rebecca, was our first Jack Petchey Achievement Award winner of the academic year. Mr Ullah described Rebecca as an outstanding student in all areas of school life who is well liked by all students and staff. She works incredibly hard and always applies herself. Rebecca was a very successful Year 7 Student Leader last year and Ms O’Brien was impressed by her outstanding leadership qualities. She is an excellent role model for the rest of her year group.

Reece

Ms Taylor nominated Grace, Year 9, for the award. Grace has made an outstanding contribution to our new Girls Active programme. In the first few weeks of the programme she took part in eleven out of twelve activities, more than any other girl in the school. This is an amazing achievement. Grace works hard in all her studies and her attendance is excellent.

Nader

Reece, Year 10, was nominated by Mr Knappert who says that he is a very dedicated, reliable and dependable member of the school’s Formula 24 racing team. As well as having strong technical expertise, Reece is a good team leader who gets everyone working well together. Other teachers all praise his excellent work ethic, his conscientiousness and his motivation.

Mr Knappert nominated Nader, Year 10, and says that Nader has made, and continues to make, a great contribution to the school’s Formula 24 racing team. Nader organises the logistics for the team, ensuring that all equipment and resources are available at the right time so that trials and races run smoothly. Nader can take credit for helping the team achieve the great success it has had to date.

Andrea, Year 12, was nominated by Ms Spalding who says that Andrea works in a mature and independent way to support students in work-related and enterprise activities. She passes on her skills and knowledge and many of the teams she has mentored have become regional and national award winners. Andrea always enables the WRL team to complete tasks quickly and efficiently and conducts herself appropriately in all settings. She has a very professional approach.

Andrea

GCA

g u o y e v Ha x e n n o e ey

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Well done

Leader’s Award

Andrei

Andrei, Year 8, was nominated by Mrs Lunt. She and his other teachers say that Andrei works at a very high level, is conscientious, organised and always make a valuable contribution to lessons. Teachers have noted that although he is focused and works very hard to challenge himself further, he maintains a cooperative approach and, whilst working on projects, finds time to help his classmates and work for the benefit of the group.

Kaspars

Ms Onoszko nominated Kaspars, Year 8, for the excellent progress he has made since joining GCA with very little English. Major factors in Kaspars’ success have been his focus in lessons and full engagement with his work. He is always well prepared for lessons and remains focused and attentive at all times. He behaves with kindness and respect towards teachers and peers and always contributes to a productive and calm learning environment. He deserves all the praise his teachers and fellow students heap on him.

Jackie

Mr Unwin and Mr Chorley nominated Year 11 student Jackie for his exceptional work in art. Both say that Jackie has worked relentlessly throughout the course of the year. Through a process of experimentation and reflective thinking he has developed and refined exciting and creative artistic processes and techniques. Jackie’s effort and dedication have been outstanding.

Nailaa

Ms Andrew and Mrs Hughes nominated Nailaa, Year 9, for her allround achievement and particularly for the way she has tackled her classics and Latin studies. Ms Andrew describes Nailaa as one of the hardest-working students she has ever met. The amount of work covered this year in the Latin course was daunting, but Nailaa has tackled the challenge head-on, refusing to let anything beat her. She has a supremely mature understanding of the importance of hard work to success, and this will stand her in good stead not just for her academic endeavours, but in all walks of life.

u got your award? s ’ r a e y t x ne

The Foundation recognises that lots of the great work, projects and schemes that young people take part in would not be possible without the support of their adult leaders so they created the Leader Award. This year, English teacher Ms Heywood-Lonsdale won GCA’s Leader Award. Ms Heywood-Lonsdale has been very active in the many outdoor education trips we put on each year, giving up weekends and holidays to support students on trips involving, for example, cycling, abseiling, kayaking, canoeing. She is organising a World Challenge volunteering trip to Nicaragua and has motivated students to raise the funds for the trip themselves. This year, she started the ‘Great Books’ programme – an extracurricular philosophy course. ‘Ms Heywood-Lonsdale’s extracurricular input is considerable and we’re very grateful to her for the time, thoughtfulness and effort she gives. But it’s not just for this work that students and staff value her – she is also an outstanding teacher. Her lessons are consistently brilliant and thoroughly well-planned.’ Mr Corrigan, Vice Principal

Ms Heywood-Lonsdale

Students say that Ms HeywoodLonsdale: ‘Is always encouraging and supportive especially when you’re not sure of yourself.’ ‘Is someone who makes you think deeply about what you are reading or writing.’ ‘Is ace!’

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Well done

Tallow Chandlers bursary winners In September, we were delighted to welcome members of the Tallow Chandlers Company for a presentation of academic bursaries to sixth formers. The Company is generously supporting STEM programmes at GCA, including academic bursaries for the highest achieving students at AS level. The awards are worth £500 and winners who take up a university place to study a STEM subject receive an additional £1000. Six high achieving students were presented with awards by Nicholas Bull, Master of the Tallow Chandlers: Biology ......................... Kevin Baksh Chemistry................... Joshua O’Connell ICT .................................... Joshua Selvaratnam Physics ......................... Leo Bouniol Maths ............................ Sharif Matovu

Joshua O’C

Joshua S

Leo

Kevin

D&T ................................. Michal Wensierski Sharif was also presented with the ‘Academic Excellence Award’ for his excellent achievement in all four subjects at AS level.

Sharif

In April, the winners attended an Awards Luncheon in the Tallow Chandlers Hall in the City, an impressive building that dates from 1672. ‘It was an incredible experience to be in a building so steeped in history with the only operating medieval court in the country being available to view. Combined with all the paintings and ceremonies we were introduced to, the entire event was wonderful.’ Joshua O’Connell

Michal

‘The school has been working with the Tallow Chandlers for three years now. They have been very supportive of the school and have strongly supported all our STEM successes. I am really pleased that the school’s relationship with the Tallow Chandlers has gone from strength to strength, so much so that they will be almost doubling the annual financial support they provide.

GCA

Spot our award winners

Speeches at the luncheon

They also donated £50,000 towards the new STEM and Robotics building that the school is hoping to build. I would like to thank the Tallow Chandlers not only for the excellent financial help they are giving us but for all the other advice and support that is really helping our students.’ Mr Hearn

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Books engage and inspire

Keen readers If you want any recommendations for books to read, talk to any of the Year 7/8 book club members who meet every other Thursday in the library. We called in to see five of the members with Ms Grant to find out why they enjoy book club so much. ‘I like being introduced to new books and hearing other people’s opinions because it helps me shape my own opinions. My favourite genre is sci fi.’ Aberaham ‘I have lots of books at home but the ones I read in the club stand out. I like anything humorous because I enjoy a good laugh.’ Teyhana

Five keen readers with Ms Grant

‘My favourite types of books are sci fi and action. I like the quiet atmosphere of the book club.’ Adrian ‘Here we get to talk to other students and then the story stays in your mind – it’s more memorable. Adventure and

spy stories are my favourite.’ Kehinde ‘We’re reading The Princess Bride at the moment and it’s a book I’d never have chosen myself but I’m glad we did.’ Taiwo

Here are just a few of the books book clubbers have enjoyed this year:

The Daydreamer by Ian McEwan HHHHH

Sun Thief by Jamie Buxton HHHH

Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones HHHHH

An Eagle in the Snow by Michael Morpurgo HHHH

We recommend this to…

Anyone who gets into trouble for daydreaming – this book says it’s OK!

People who like reading about magic and complicated relationships.

Our favourite part?

People who like reading about magic or those who like seeing timid characters come out of their shells and evil characters punished.

Those who loved Private Peaceful and those who love learning about WW1 and WW2.

It was interesting to see how adults judge children, even if they are thinking about important things

It was so cool to read about the power of mud. It also had some really horrible characters you wouldn’t want to meet on a dark night!

Our favourite part? It was SO difficult to tell if one of the main characters, Crestomanci, was good or bad – the author kept us guessing right until the end.

Our favourite part? The climactic meeting with Hitler when one man could have changed the course of history.

GCA

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Books engage and inspire

Ms Elliot recommends ‘This book is narrated from the perspective of an 11-year-old boy who has recently moved to a council estate in London from his home country of Ghana. The story opens with the main character Harri Opoku and his encounter with a murder crime scene. ‘You could see the blood, it was darker than you thought. It was all on the ground outside Chicken Joe’s. It just felt crazy.’ ‘This is a story of family life, friendship and loyalty, all though the eyes of an innocent, dedicated and motivated young boy Harri. This 11-year-old boy is very curious and takes it upon himself to carry out some detective work and investigate the murder. As well as being taken on Harri’s investigative journey, readers will climb aboard an emotional rollercoaster and may find themselves literally laughing out loud or even shedding a few tears whilst the innocence, and often ignorance, of the main character will endear him to them.

‘Pigeon English is a compelling read, Stephen Kelman has the ability to keep you interested, intrigued and wanting more, drawing you in to Harri’s world. The style of writing is simple and the flow of the text is almost musical, with a melodic classical rhythm allowing the reader to experience the emotions in the story, the excitement, the wonder, the anxiety and the humour.’

In character on World Book Day

Macbeth doesn’t look too troubled by Banquo’s ghost

On World Book Day, GCA staff and sixth formers celebrated by dressing as characters from books. Spot them in these photos.

Willy Wonka gets ready to hand out the chocs

GCA

William Beech – happy at last

The Red Queen is not amused

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Books engage and inspire

Would you rather be ignorant or enlightened? Where would you place Othello and Desdemona in Dante’s circles of hell? These are just two of the questions students in Years 8 and 9 have been grappling with in their Great Books group with Ms Heywood-Lonsdale. The first question arose from their reading of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and lots of different views were put forward. Masoom thought he might want to know the date of his death so he could plan out his life but Jaszmine wondered if he’d want to know if the date were imminent – like tomorrow! Dante’s Inferno prompted the second query – Rebecca placed Othello in the seventh circle ‘Violence’. Well he did murder his wife! Students have been set readings from the fields of philosophy, politics, literature, psychology, science, and

Philosophers debate the issues

religion. So far they have delved into Plato, Socrates, Dante and Homer. Issues addressed include: justice; moral choice; the joy of true love and the pain of betrayal; maintaining humanity in the midst of conflict and war – and much more. ‘The books we explore are comic, tragic, philosophical, perplexing, and unnerving. The goal is not for students to think like the authors we

read, but for students to build on the reading and think for themselves.’ Ms Heywood-Lonsdale Masoom, Rebecca, Andrei and Jaszmine all agree they’ve had a chance to think deeply about the topics under discussion and to voice their opinions freely: ‘The other students are very insightful and we’re all open to different opinions.’

K U y a D k o o B d @Worl Pinocchio tells a whopper

Professor Snape in dark mood

Dorothy is off to see the wizard

Richard the Lionheart ready for battle GCA

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Language and culture

Ms Garzón tells us all about Culture Club MFL teachers wanted to give Year 8s an insight into Spanish and German cultures so this year we created ‘Culture Club’. Language leaders from each form gathered once a week to play language games and do activities, which taught them about Spanish and German cultures. The aim was to show Year 8s that Spanish and German are not only languages but that there is also a whole different culture behind each language. Leaders visited The Goethe Institute and The Instituto Cervantes where they were shown the extensive libraries

in each institute and then a foreign language film (subtitled of course!). Culture Club members celebrated Christmas by cooking gingerbread (traditionally German) and chocolate turrones, a Spanish speciality. Our leaders had a taste of Spain and Germany and spread the word to the rest of their forms. The German classes decorated their gingerbread to celebrate German Christmas, and the Spanish classes enjoyed a sweet taste of Spain. In the photos here you can see Year 8s writing ‘Frohe Weihnachten’ (Merry Christmas) on their Lebkuchen and then getting ready to tuck in.

Why study Latin? At the end of summer term last year, GCA was asked to address the Classics for All Lawyers Group at the House of Lords. Nailaa and Lai’larni did an amazing job, and here’s an abridged version of what they had to say. Lai’larni: ‘Latin has given me a better understanding of the English language and other languages, for example, Spanish. I’m planning on being a doctor and Latin has quite a bit to do with medicine. I will be choosing Latin for GCSE because it’s quite a challenging subject.’

Talking to Lord Justice Jackson

Nailaa: ‘I’ve had the opportunity to study a subject that is intellectually demanding and incredibly interesting. Learning about root words has changed my way of thinking about etymology and has helped me deduce unfamiliar words. ‘We learned about human irrationality and how Plato stated that democracy is only one step up from anarchy. This really challenged my way of thinking about modern-day governments.

to study a GCSE in Latin. This will be really challenging, but it will be an incredible advantage to have on a CV.’ Is Nailaa still keen to take Latin GCSE after a year of Latin classes? ‘Definitely. It’s one of my options along with triple science, citizenship and history. I like the language itself and learning how it has influenced English. I also like learning about Roman culture so I think the subject will be a good link with my history studies.’

‘The most appealing thing for me is that we now have the opportunity Classics teacher Ms Andrew with Lai’larni and Nailaa at the House of Lords

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Language and culture

Getting to know a language and a country Have you ever been to a country where you did not know the language? How did you feel? Imagine what it must be like for students who come to GCA with very little English.

I talked to Achitophel and Shreeya, German language leaders:

We have some very talented students who speak lots of languages but when they come here they still need help to learn English. We asked how they felt when they first arrived in the UK.

Achitophel, what did you learn about German culture?

‘In a panic.’

Well, I didn’t know there was a German cultural organization and that they do so many things to promote the culture here in London. Also I found out that many Disney movies like Sleeping Beauty or Snow White are German fairy tales and many things we eat are typical dishes from Germany.

‘Shy – because I couldn’t answer anyone and they laughed.’

Shreeya, what did you like about the club? I loved that we could share ideas and get to know about Spanish culture in groups. We had so much fun together organizing activities and presentations for our form. The cooking workshop was great, I loved the chocolate turrón and now I know how to make it! How did it help you with Spanish classes? I am more motivated and I find it easier because now I know more things about Spanish culture. Also I could help my classmates by explaining what I learned in the club to motivate them. How did you find the trip to Instituto Cervantes? It was very good, we went to the library and the guide told us about the writer Cervantes. I didn’t know he died the same day as Shakespeare. We watched a movie in Spanish and I liked it very much. We learned many things about Spanish culture such as how Spanish people celebrate Christmas.

‘The best part for me was climbing the Monument. It was scary but the weather was good and the view from the top was great. There are 311 steps to the top.’ Marcin

‘Stressed.’

But they soon gain confidence and the things that help them most, apart from their lessons, are:

At the top of the Monument

‘Having a buddy to take you round the school and explain things to you.’ ‘English videos.’ ‘Improving your vocabulary.’ And students say that, as they find they can understand and answer people a little, they become more and more confident. This year Ms Onoszko took groups of students to central London to get a feel for the city. First stop, a climb up the Monument. A walk along the Thames took them past the Shard, the Globe Theatre and Tate Modern. Then across the Millennium Bridge and around St Paul’s Cathedral heading for the Museum of London. On the way they passed the Bank of England and decided, on the spur of the moment, to pop into the Bank’s museum, where they tried to lift one of the gold bars and control inflation!

Crossing the Millennium Bridge

With ceremonial horses in the Museum of London

Students now have a list of all the other London landmarks they would like to see – the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the IMAX cinema and as many museums as they can get to.

Can she control inflation? GCA

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Language and culture

Menander’s Dyskolos, Saturnalia, defixiones and a virtual tour of Aquae Sulis… …all on the agenda for this year’s Classics Club. A new and eager group of students has journeyed through the worlds and languages of ancient Rome and Greece, whilst also searching for the influence of classics all around us today. Each session has a focus on the Latin language alongside some aspect of classical history, warfare, culture, art or literature. Students speed-assembled Latin verbs, devised curses, acted out scenes from Roman history and literature and came over all crafty when they made Greek comic masks inspired by the characters in Menander’s Dyskolos.

Our annual Great Roman Bake Off gave them a chance to try their hand at making food served at Roman feasts. First, they had a taste of ingredients any Roman cook would know about: caroenum; date syrup; figs; and dark sourdough bread. Preparation time

Anyone for rye bread?

Yaren and Jagoda impressed with their focus and professionalism and created a delicious semolina pudding studded with crunchy almonds and chewy raisins. The presentation wouldn’t have been out of place in a five star restaurant and they carried off the victor’s crown in their group. The hypotrimma needed a great deal of elbow grease to get it to the right consistency – cooking with a workout! Hannah and Ketsia’s version was peppery, minty and delicious, and earned them their group’s title of Star Roman Baker. Other notable dishes included mushroom patina and a fantastic ham and fig pie. The melon in mint and the stewed apricots were delicious.

A tense moment as the judging begins

A winning dish

The groups couldn’t cook all this food and then not try it. It’s a testament to the skill of all the chefs that, after the judging, the food was devoured by classicists and teachers alike.

s a h n o i s each ses e h t n o s u a foc . . . e g a u g n Latin la 14

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Talented artists

Talented staff

La Tour Eiffel

In December Ms Hembury organised our second exhibition of staff artwork.

Art teachers and sixth formers enjoyed working with Rokesly Year 5 classes on a project linked to the latter’s topic for the term – France. They created mini Eiffel Towers out of paper art straws, masking tape and newspapers. Here’s some feedback from Canan Ahmet, Rokesly’s lead teacher for the arts, and from art-loving pupils Chanel and Arthur:

Ms Edwards’s owl

Ms Saini’s Manga character - Goku from Dragonball Z

‘I’d like to say a huge thank you to Greig City for providing an amazing art session for our three Year 5 classes. The children thoroughly enjoyed making Eiffel Towers. They were able to develop their skills working cooperatively in a small team. They analysed the structure and shapes on the tower itself and then created their own structure. The children had a chance to evaluate and improve their work. They also thoroughly enjoyed working with

Ms Guilford’s Turneresque seascape A scary Vegeta from Dragonball Z

Ms Oxley sketches on holiday

‘I used mixed media, and the works are about being reunited with my birth family in Romania. I travelled to Europe to reclaim my Romanian identity after being adopted when I was three in New Zealand. Each of the works represents different family members I was reunited with – birth brother, sister and baby, and my birth mother. Each of the works includes text describing their lives as revealed to me.’ Ms Brown Ms Brown’s family reunion

the older children at Greig City, who (together with the teachers) were truly an inspiring group of individuals. We hope that we can enjoy this experience again very soon!’ ‘I had a wonderful time at Greig City. I really enjoyed working in a small group and making our own designs, rather than using the exact patterns and shapes on the Eiffel Tower (which we analysed at the start of the session). The older children at Greig City were really kind and helpful. I very much hope we can go back again.’ Chanel ‘I had a fantastic time at Greig City. I really enjoyed making little people and placing them on our models to make them more fun. This gave them more of a unique touch.’ Arthur GCA

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Talented artists

Intent on a career in the art world

Junior Briggs

This year we have a record number of sixth formers applying to do art, design and architecture degrees. Let’s hear from three of them.

I have applied to study illustration at Northampton and at Leeds College of Art. I’m very keen to be involved in the creative industry, for example creating characters from movies, comics, anime etc. I have loved cartoons from a young age and want to be a part of this industry in the future.

Raphelle Reid I’ve applied for a foundation diploma in Art and Design because I want to gain skills in a range of styles, for example illustration and 3D design, as well as graphic design, which is my strength. I’ve been offered a place at the Art Academy but have also applied to the University of the Arts London – Camberwell, and the Royal Drawing School. As well as graphic design, my sketchbooks and portfolio Raphelle adding the finishing touches showcase my skills in lino printing, ink etchings and relief prints as well as my ability to translate ideas into an appropriate medium. The interviewer looked through my book as I talked about the artists I had researched, why I chose to respond to them in a particular manner, how they influenced me and how all that influenced my finished work.

When I went for interview at Northampton, I was told I was ‘a wellconsidered person, who has confidence in his skills’. The lecturer also said she was impressed with my drawing skills and thought I would be suitable for the course.

Junior’s work

My aim after uni is to join a big organisation that makes video games.

I love the double exposure/collage style of Rocia Montoya, Merve Ozaslan and Eugenia Loli. I like the way they completely change a scene by removing or adding just one image. I also admire some influential fashion houses, for example Maison Martin Margiela, Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen. They all influence the arts with their individual and extravagant styles.

Hinal Patel I have applied for Graphic Design because I am interested in typography and laying out information in an attractive manner. I have applied to Nottingham Trent, Southampton

(Winchester School of Arts), Arts University Bournemouth, Brighton and Portsmouth. Mr Chorley guided me when creating my portfolio. I incorporated graphic design projects that I worked on in my own time. I also had a range of photography, illustrations and mixed media work that I took with me. I was amazed by the facilities and studios at Southampton. I also really liked Winchester and would look forward to living there if I were offered a place. I hope that studying at university will give me a platform to excel in the world of graphic design and gain transferable skills that will be vital throughout my career. I see myself working in the creative industries or having my own studio and freelancing. I am fascinated by the work of James Dines, a graphic designer who works with silk. I like his work because of the consistent theme he uses as well as always keeping his work in a perfect hierarchy with amazing display fonts.

Hinal organising her portfolio

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Talented artists

And here’s some GCSE artwork for you to enjoy... Darren was inspired by vorticism ‘This piece was inspired by vorticism. I was studying the movement and decided to go to Westfield to take photos of modern buildings. I created a draft of the piece that I was going to do for my GCSE which you can see here. I used mainly blue acrylic paint with white and mixed different quantities to create a varied shade of blue in light and dark colours.’

Darren is pleased with his work

t n e r e f f i d o t s e i t i t n qua d e i r a v a e creat shade

Yu Hong’s wood cut reduction print

Jackie’s mixed media portrait

Emma’s Vogue cover with fabric

Sherisa’s dancers were influenced by Toulouse-Lautrec

Xhesika was influenced by Ian Fennelly GCA

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Fit and active

This year the PE department has seen the introduction of lots of new activities alongside some old favourites. Staying fit and active

Table tennis

Students and staff now have even more opportunities to stay fit and active. Our new fitness suite, opened and blessed by the Bishop of Edmonton, the Rt Revd Rob Wickham, is used by all year groups in curriculum time as well as students taking part in extra-curricular activities such as Girls Active. A dance/yoga studio, treadmills, cycling machines, elliptical trainers and weights are all extremely well used – full assessment, induction and supervision are in place, of course.

Our under 13 boys (reigning Haringey champions) took silver in the North London Table Tennis tournament. Well done to Kemar, Kacper, John and Emmanuel who did a fantastic job representing the school against fierce competition.

Silver medallists

‘I’m pleased students are responding well to the professional coaching we now offer. They come to sessions now to develop their skills rather than just play against one another.’ Mr Garcia

Joseph Willis – Man of the Match Joseph captains GCA’s sixth form football team where he has proved to be a natural leader. Mr Tyler was so impressed with Joseph’s technical skills and attitude that he recommended him to try out for the Amateur Football Alliance (AFA), which plays in county leagues. The AFA was equally impressed and Joseph has been playing centre mid for them throughout the last season. In April, he was crowned ‘Man of the Match’ in a game where he played spectacularly well. ‘Joseph conducts himself extremely well on the pitch and has earned the respect of the whole team. He’s always the first to arrive at training and demands a high level of performance from his fellow players. They do rely on him.’ Mr Tyler

Did you know our table tennis coach, Leon, is also a magician?

The Bishop tries the treadmill

Girls Active Girls Active is another new and successful initiative offering a range of activities not all of which can be delivered in curriculum time. Over 300 girls have enjoyed… dodgeball H bodytone H contemporary dance H aerobics H yoga H badminton H running H football H gym H boxercise H H

Active girls

…putting in hours of practice before and after school. ‘I’ve particularly enjoyed dance sessions as I’ve not been able to do anything like this out of school.’ Ella, Year 10, who has been one of the most active members of the group.

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Handball Handball was new this year but our boys were so keen that both the U13 and U15 teams were crowned Haringey Champions and then went on to represent Haringey in the London Youth Games. Well done to: U13s – Kaspars, Kevin R., Slavi, Hasan T., Hasan A., Yanko, Krum, Ian U15s – Abel, Justin, Rafal, Michal W., Bart, Alex, Sherif, Szymon, Nathan, Paulo Interested? Talk to Mr Malecki who will tell you about his plans to create a Haringey team to enter the Under 18 National League.

Joseph

Does Joseph plan to become a professional footballer? ‘No – I’m thinking of a career in coaching or physiotherapy. When I was younger I thought I might make it but I’m more realistic now. I enjoy playing and will be happy to play at any level in the future. I’ve applied to study Sports and Exercise Science at Northampton. I like the look of the facilities and think the overall experience will be good. I am keen to play in university teams.’ Which team does he support? Why, Arsenal of course!

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Fit and active

Girls triumph again in the Dynamik National Schools competition Captained by Victoria Odukoya, the U14s had a convincing 57-38 win over Rawlins Academy – a performance described by Basketball England as ‘a class act’. The MVP award went to Ashley Uzochukwu and that makes it a double for Ashley who was awarded MVP in last year’s U13 gold medal team.

Victoria accepts the U14 trophy

Odunayo accepts the U15 trophy

Ashley’s pleased with her MVP award

Daniella takes pride in her MVP award

Basketball England tweeted:

‘Amazing scenes in u15 Girls final - the most nail biting game this weekend! Fantastic display for girls basketball!’ Well done to all our girls but let’s not forget their coach, Mr Bowmaker. Basketball England tweeted:

‘He holds the best record in our Schools Comps, an outstanding coach!’

Basketball England declared the U15 final between GCA, captained by Odunayo Olokodana, and Aylesbury High to be ‘a real treat for the supporters’. At the end of a very close game GCA came out top 45-41. MVP honours went to Daniella Tewogabade.

Jacob Meaton of Basketball England went on to say:

‘I do not believe that this [his record] can be rivaled by any coach that we know of and we can only speak highly of the work that he does with the school and the basketball club.’

U14 champs

U15 champs

More basketball news Earlier this year some of our elite players inaugurated the new basketball courts in Finsbury Park. 18 primary schools joined us for a very competitive basketball tournament in the spring term. Congratulations to the winning Tetherdown team. Mr Hayfield runs after-school basketball training for Years 4, 5 and 6 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5.30-7pm and expects to run Saturday sessions from September. At Finsbury Park

Interested? Contact: phayfield@greigcityacademy.co.uk GCA

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GCA performs

GCA’s sixth form band goes from strength to strength The eight-strong ensemble – all studying music – are… vocalists Christelle & Ana

keyboardist Jonathan

rhythm guitarist Paul

bassist Espoir

trumpeter Tesfa

drummer V.J.

lead guitarist and band leader Japhet

Our eight were set the task of running four workshops to get Rokesly pupils excited about singing and encourage them to perform. The band came up with the idea of getting pupils to make sounds that mimicked instruments – bass guitar, the drums and the piano. They learned to dissect the different layers of a song: rhythm, bass line, chords and melody. They learned each section in groups and brought all the layers together at the end, developing their understanding of how songs are arranged for vocals in the exact same way that instruments are arranged in a band. The song they worked on was ‘Best Day of my Life’ and the final performance was sensational. Did the band succeed in their task in instilling enthusiasm? You bet they did. As our Rokesly friends were on their way back to school they were

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heard to declare the session ‘the best ever’ and had to be stopped singing as they neared Hillfield Avenue. Not that we think our neighbours would have objected, so tuneful were they. ‘I wasn’t too sure we could do it at the start but part way through it all started to come together.’ Jonathan ‘I didn’t realise how stressful it would be to teach. BTEC Music is the only level 3 course that gives you a chance to teach and by having a go you learn something about your own technique and skills.’ V.J.

‘The experience has given me a different perspective – it’s made me realise what teachers have to do and given me a new respect for them.’ Tesfa

‘This is the sixth formers’ first ever experience of teaching so I was very pleased with the workshop they delivered. It was lovely to see some of the more reserved students displaying confidence and charisma whilst leading the younger children.’ Ms Cameron

e c n e d i f n o c and charisma

‘Some of the children really didn’t want to sing so needed lots of encouragement.’ Paul

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The Battle of the Bands

If you ever pop in to hear GCA’s Year 7 vocal group any Monday or Wednesday lunch time be prepared to be bowled over. Why? Well partly because they all talk at once. That’s because they’re desperate to get over the message that their group is passionate and energetic – amazing is another word these singers use to describe themselves.

Jeremy-Yaw, Ian, Sabir, Mertcan, Omar and Emmanuel are the Year 8 band that got the loudest cheers and elicited much waving of glow sticks from the audience at the music department’s recent Battle of the Bands. Could this be because they practise, practise, practise – after school one day a week, several lunch hours and round at one another’s houses. They are clearly keen so it is no surprise that they are all intending to take music as one of their GCSE options.

When we called in to hear them rehearse a mash up they told us why they enjoy the group so much: ‘We’re in a place with people who have the same talent – it’s our comfort zone.’ Tiffany, 7AM ‘We listen to the sounds of our hearts.’ Tuana, 7SP

GCA performs

Passionate energy and energetic passion

‘We can show our talents.’ Jennifer, 7SP

Passionate and energetic

‘We can express our talent and feelings in music.’ Sedanur, 7SP

And they all agree with Shayla, 7SP, that Ms Cameron is ‘really kind and professional’. The group will be competing in the Act 10 competition, part of the Rock Assembly national event, so they need to put in lots of practice but we’re sure they’ll do well. Good luck girls.

Ruben is Gollum

How did he get into character?

Remember Gollum? Also known as Sméagol, he was the creature who bore the One Ring in Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings.

‘I focused on exaggerated facial expressions and aimed to interact with the audience, reaching out to scare them.’

This year Ruben, Year 13 drama student, was Gollum. But don’t expect to find him crawling around school whispering ‘my precious’. Ruben took on the character of this sweet or creepy (depends on your point of view!) creature at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts where he performed in two auditions – one an improvisation and one from a script. The script he chose was a three-minute piece from the Two Towers, the second film in the trilogy.

How did he prepare for the auditions? ‘The BTEC Performing Arts includes an Audition Unit. We had workshops with Mountview tutors who helped us understand what to expect from an audition. The feedback I got from the audience – GCA and Hornsey students – and from the judges was positive and has reinforced my commitment to becoming an actor.’

Year 8 band performing ‘Classic’ by MKTO

Ruben has an offer to study drama from Kent University. He’s also had an audition with LAMDA and these are nail-biting times as he awaits the outcome.

Mountview auditionees with proud teachers

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We are still sailing

‘I have never learned so much so quickly.’ Shabazz Patterson, sail trimmer Last year, we told you about the start of our sailing journey and this year, we’ve lots more to tell. It all started in Poole Harbour when Mr Holt and his team began taking groups of 24 students at a time to work towards getting their Level 1 RYA Dinghy Sailing certificates. Eight Year 11 students wanted to crew yachts so they went on to get their RYA Adult Levels 1&2 and, at the same time, salvaged and restored a MacGregor 26. This was fine for sailing in calm waters but the boys wanted to get out into choppier seas. Mr Holt spearheaded a fundraising effort to buy Scaramouche, a 45ft German Frers yacht. Teachers and students restored and sailed her throughout the summer of 2015 whilst searching for races to enter. One barrier they faced was that many races for young people were restricted to public school crews. Finally they found they could enter the ASTO Small Ships Race, a national training regatta. Not only did they cross the finish line ahead of everyone else, they also came first in their class.

Scaramouche - first in class (Asto Race)

Very well done Montel, Shabazz, Karim, Junior, Nicholas, Michael, Jordane and Derek.

At the helm

GCA sailors at Buckingham Palace with the Duke of Edinburgh

The crew carried on training, intent on competing in more races, but they also spent weekends and holidays giving presentations to professional yachtspeople and associations such as the Royal Yacht Squadron in a

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bid to raise funds to continue the programme. They garnered praise from every quarter and soon word about their efforts and ambitions got to the Duke of Edinburgh who invited the crew to Buckingham Palace for a

private audience along with two sixth form members of the second crew, Joseph and Terrell, Mr Holt and Mr Letford. Prince Philip is a keen sailor and he’s asked to be kept informed of our future plans and achievements.

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‘The boys have developed resilience and learned a lot about taking responsibility and teamwork. They had very long days training and crewing but, after a full day on the yacht, they still had all their coursework and revision for GCSE to do and you can rest assured they got stuck in.’

Eight girls set sail in Scaramouche in September to become the first women to sail the boat for at least 20 years. Veslie, Daria, Alliyya, Martyna, Vyara, Brittany, Natyshia and Andrea sailed from Poole to Cowes and on to Southampton under the expert guidance of skipper Simon and Mr Holt and with the slightly less expert guidance of Mrs Arhagba. ‘I hadn’t been on any outdoor ed. trips since East Mersea in Year 7 but I really thought sailing could be my thing and was completely up for the experience. I particularly enjoyed being the helmswoman and think I made a good job of it. It was an incredible bonding exercise – no friction at all. On a boat you just have to get along with everyone.’ Veslie

We are still sailing

Perhaps even more nerve-wracking than talking to Prince Philip was a presentation back at school to mums, dads and siblings who heard Mr Holt praise our sailors:

Navigation planning

Last day with skipper Simon

So, what’s the next challenge on the horizon? Our crew members have gained RYA First Aid, Sea Survival and Ocean Safety qualifications and two are studying for their RYA Day Skipper but they are not the only sailors on the good ship GCA – another 140 students have gained their RYA Youth Stage 2 qualification.

One of the proud parents was Debbie, Karim’s mum, who said:

‘Karim got such a lot out of the experience. There was an emphasis on life skills and he realised what it means to play a part in a team. He knew that if he was to be allowed to do the sailing he really had to focus on his GCSE work – it was a great incentive.’

Mr Holt and his team aim to create a second boys’ crew and a girls’ crew within the next few months. They’ll be training twice a week and both Sea Survival and Competent Crew courses are on the agenda for those who can keep up with the pace! The first crew plan to enter the 2016 Round the Island Race (Isle of Wight) and next year’s Rolex Fastnet whilst continuing with their efforts to raise funds to keep the programme going.

Heartfelt thanks to all our supporters and sponsors… H World record-breaking yachtsman Lawrie Smith who is helping coach our crews. As Mr Holt says: ‘This is like having Thierry Henry coaching our football teams.’ H North Sails for donating a mainsail and genoa H Hamble Yacht Services for discounts on equipment H Ocean Yacht Systems for replacement rigging H BoxPR for coordinating our PR efforts H The David and Gail Sinclair Trust H The Seven Seas Baxter and Grimshaw Trust H Private donors who wish to remain anonymous

No rest for the crew as they settle down to coursework

H … and to all the staff who help out, particularly Mr Letford, Mr Reynolds and Mr Scott who have battled the seas as well as Mrs Arhagba who prints the crew’s t-shirts. GCA

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Brains and feet

‘You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.’ Dr Seuss GCA students are using their brains and their feet to shape their direction in life – let’s hear about some of their efforts. Option Time

Experiencing work

By the time the first daffodils have sprung up in the GCA grounds, Year 9 students are well on their way to deciding their GCSE options. Taster lessons and discussions with teachers and parents are followed by an interview with a senior teacher who quizzes students on their provisional choices. The aim? To get students to the point where they are confident they are making the best possible choices. It can be gruelling especially when teachers play devil’s advocate!

Year 10 students enjoy a week’s work placement in March. Let’s hear about two students who shone on their week out. Victoria worked at Queen Mary University of London Students’ Union where she was rated ‘excellent’ and ‘an absolute pleasure’ to work with. Victoria wrote an article for the Union newsletter explaining that:

One student who impressed Mr Corrigan tremendously was Gizem:

‘Gizem had certainly done her research. She was incredibly knowledgeable and had weighed up all the pros and cons of the different options.’ Gizem’s long term plan is to run her own business and she intends to study business at university. She explained her choices: ‘Business studies fits in with my HE and career plans. I’ve always enjoyed German and history and I like learning about society and politics so sociology seemed another good choice. I was a bit worried about exams but Mr Corrigan has promised to advise me on revision techniques. As well as seeking advice from teachers I did a lot of research online and my dad, who runs a business, was very helpful.’ Enjoy the next two years, Gizem.

Victoria

‘I have escaped my comfort zone and am grateful for being given the chance to try something new. The experience has definitely made me more willing to try new things and take risks more often.’

Victoria impressed her manager so much that she has been invited to take up another week’s placement over summer.

Police cadet Diyar was happy to be offered work experience with the Met Police. It was impossible for him to decide on what he liked best about his placement: ‘Everything – learning about the law, the powers of the police, cautions and codes, writing reports and statements. It was all enjoyable.’ Yes, that’s right – he really likes writing reports! ‘Diyar worked really hard, whatever task he was given. He has an excellent eye for detail and will make a good investigative officer if he decides to go into policing.’ PC Ahmed, Schools Liaison Officer

Gizem Diyar with the Local Neighbourhood Policing Team

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Brains and feet

During the year, Mrs Arhagba’s team seek opportunities for sixth formers to get some experience of the professions they are keen to get into. Berfin, Year 13, went one step further adding nine months volunteering to her placements in the Whittington and North Middlesex Hospitals. GCA:

What motivated you to consider a career in the medical field?

When my sister was born her heart stopped for ten minutes. The delivery staff resuscitated her and she spent time in neonatal intensive care. The staff were amazing – really professional in their approach. They made me want to work in the same field.

GCA:

What qualifications are you aiming to get?

I’ve applied for a BSc in Adult Nursing. After that, I’d like to spend a year or so as a staff nurse in a hospital before taking an 18-month midwifery course. I’m pretty intent on being a midwife but the general degree will allow me to keep my options open.

GCA:

Tell us about your voluntary work.

Mrs Arhagba organised work experience for me at the Whittington and North Middlesex hospitals, where I was able to experience gynaecology, theatres, paediatrics, the labour ward and A&E. I asked about voluntary opportunities and, after all the checks, I was offered placements in both hospitals.

GCA:

How often do you volunteer?

At the Whittington after school from Tuesday to Friday and, at the North Middlesex on Saturdays and Sundays. I work mainly in ante- and postnatal wards and I’ve been able to use my language skills because I interpret for Turkish and Kurdish speaking women if needed.

GCA:

It sounds as if the experience has been valuable.

Definitely. It’s made me even more sure that this is the career for me. I’ve seen how midwives empower women and I want to do the same.

GCA:

Good luck for the future, Berfin.

Berfin’s mum told us: ‘I’m pleased Berfin is taking advantages of the opportunities I wish I’d had when I was young. I’m very proud of her.’

Berfin at the Whittington

A study trip to Bognor Regis The town in West Sussex was plain old Bognor until King George V and his family started visiting and he approved the addition of ‘Regis’ (no prizes for guessing the derivation). Our Travel and Tourism students spent a week at the Butlins Holiday Camp in the town. Let’s hear from Nikol: ‘In April 20 BTEC students visited Butlins to gain an understanding of one of the world’s top companies in terms of customer service.

‘We were counted as “conference delegates” throughout the stay at and took part in workshops which focused on aspects of the company, for example a presentation from the head of marketing all about their strategies and competitive advantage, and a workshop by the head customer service trainer about employee training.

‘We studied hard but had some free time as well when we tried out wall climbing, high ropes, zip line, archery, go karting and mini-golf. We found the visit extremely beneficial as it gave us a chance to see how a business in this field really operates.’

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Brains and feet

Shania shines The Starpack Awards gave a team of six Year 10 graphics students a chance to develop their design and production skills whilst finding out about the packaging industry and what a designer needs to do to meet a specification. Ya-Jing, Yu-Qing, Shania, Gloria, Aliyah and Juan were give a brief to design and produce packaging for a flavoured milk drink produced by Arla Foods. The target audience was young children and their parents.

Best Display Award for Simply Gifts GCA’s enterprise company – Simply Gifts – won the ‘Best Display Stand’ award at the north London finals of the Young Enterprise competition in May. To win a place in the finals the company had to develop products, manage a business and write a business report. Congratulations to Monisha, Ya-Jing, Yu Qing, Natalie, Gloria, Hanna, Christabelle, Bruno, Juan and Rikma who were commended by the judges on how engaging they were as a team.

Milk drinks – full of nutrients of course!

Chris Garcin, a local product designer, helped the girls through the process: ‘An important lesson they learned is that you need to move quickly from designing in 2D to producing models. When you’re working in 2D it’s hard to visualise the steps you need to take to produce the packaging. Once they started working in 3D, carving the foam, they got a far better feel for what they needed to do.’ Shania won a gold award as well as praise from the judges who said: ‘This pack stands out. The brief has been fully met.’ Juan took silver for a pack that judges said looked good and was easily manufactured. Ya-Jing’s pack gained a commendation and the judges declared that the design worked – who could ask for more? ‘When I was working on the design I thought about what would attract my three-year-old sister and decided pattern and colour were the things to focus on. The pack also had to appeal to parents so it needed to include some nutritional information.’ Shania GCA won the Logoplaste sponsored award for the school that provided the best overall entries – £400 plus an all-expenses paid visit to a Logoplaste manufacturing site. This will give more students a chance to see how design and production processes interact.

Answering a judge’s questions

Bruno was pleased with the way the team worked together: ‘I was one of the four who had to give a presentation and was worried about it. The four of us practised our speeches together and gave one another feedback. This made me much more confident.’

The team with their trophy

Shania working on a new design

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Brains and feet

Tallow Chandlers Mentoring Café Our annual Tallow Chandlers mentoring café, organised along speed dating lines, gave Year 12s a fantastic opportunity to get some valuable advice on degree choices and careers paths and put questions to them - both about the mentors’ experience and their own plans for the future. They heard from graduates in chemistry, history, process automation, Eng. Lit. and art history, religious studies, banking, finance and management, natural sciences, and chemical engineering - quite an array! And mentors’ career paths were just as varied as their degrees –

PR, journalism, trading, as well as engineering specialisms such as materials and welding, corrosion, electrical, production chemistry. Some mentors had stayed in one job or with one company since graduating whilst others had had more of a ‘portfolio’ or ‘plural’ career. Some of the key ‘brain and feet’ messages that resonated with students were: ‘Get out there and do as much networking as you can.’ ‘Take every opportunity to gain work experience to get a feel for the career you’re thinking about.’

‘If you want it hard enough you can do it.’ ‘Don’t feel pressured to go down a particular route. Keep options open.’ ‘Your degree choice doesn’t have to determine your career choice.’ ‘You can change your degree choice once at university - just make sure you do something you’ll enjoy.’ Thanks so much to all the mentors who’ve given up valuable time to be with us. And thanks to the Tallow Chandlers for once again sponsoring and organising the event.

Girl power The gender pay gap exists and stereotypes abound about women’s role in the workplace. How can girls build the confidence to take a lead in advancing women’s equality, not just in the workplace but in society as a whole? Mrs Hughes and Mr Baxter knew that peer learning could play an important role so organised a workshop where sixth formers could talk to Year 10 girls about their experiences. Lateefah is planning a career in a strongly male-dominated field – computing – and it doesn’t daunt her. She says ‘Girls need to make their voice heard at an early stage – speak up in class, answer questions, hear their own voice.’ Quite a few Year 10 girls are following her into IT. Mr Porter says the best coders in that year are girls – great work Victoria, Tasnimah and Samiihah.

Lateefah

Fatmata is studying sciences and hopes to take a medical degree. Her career choice isn’t male-dominated but she still wanted to pass on some wisdom as to how to succeed. Her tips:

‘Be proactive and get as much work experience as you can. Seek out university summer schools. Don’t be afraid to be competitive. Try something different.’

Fatmata

In the summer term a group of Year 10 girls took part in a leadership programme with Fearless Futures, an organisation providing support, encouragement and peer mentoring to empower young women. Just before we went to print the group had organised a workshop with Year 7 girls (start them early!) to pass on their learning. More sessions are being planned including one on women in STEM so check www.greigcityacademy. co.uk for updates.

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Brains and feet

Shooting Stars It’s never too early to test your enterprise skills. St Gildas’ Year 5 pupils starred in our annual primary enterprise challenge, carrying off the winners’ trophy with their ‘Shooting Stars’ city. 10 schools took part: Trinity Academy, Welbourne, North Harringay, St Paul’s and All Hallows, St Gildas’, Rokesly Juniors, Weston Park, Campsbourne, St Aidan’s and St Mary’s CofE, all ably supported by GCA enterprise ambassadors – Victor, Rikma, Rozelin, Ya-Jing, Yu Qing, Bruno, Juan, Silva, Christabelle, Angel, Natalie, Hannah, Daniella and Monisha. Girls and boys worked in teams to establish a new society on a distant moon. They explored leadership skills by becoming managers and selecting a crew for their mission. Then they took on the role of architects and builders to make their ideal moonbase come to life. After all this they had still more to do – prepare a short but persuasive presentation in a bid to win the judges’ votes. Well done to St Gildas’, to St Aidan’s who took second place and Campsbourne for their third place. All the teams tried their hardest and were exceptionally articulate when giving their presentations – they all deserve praise.

Brains and feet are a winning combination There are lots of opportunities to learn from professionals, gain work experience and develop their academic skills – competitions, placements, mentoring schemes, university residentials. Many are offered through GCA but some determined students just use their brains to research opportunities and their feet to get out there and make an impression. Here is just a tiny sample: Beatrice Acquah – UCL summer school ‘Engineering Solutions from Nature’. Michael Owusu and Nana OseiAntwi – work experience with the Civil Service gained through participation in the Civil Service mentoring scheme. Andrea Arhagba – an internship with L’Occitane en Provence as a result of success on the company’s assessment day (as well as her NatWest placement and Durham University summer school).

The winning team

‘Thank you so much for organising the enterprise day – the children loved it and came back buzzing!’ Alana Wilson, St Aidan’s ‘Just to say a big thank you to Greig City and the staff for hosting this event. Our children and staff had a wonderful time.’ David Atter, Principal, Trinity Primary Academy

‘A fantastic opportunity to combine the Enabling Enterprise skills with a fun engaging activity. We’re over the moon to have been invited.’ Teacher, Weston Park

Joseph Simeon organised his own work experience, during half terms, with Latham & Watkins, an American law firm and with Nomura, an investment bank in central London. This summer he will be with HSBC and Credit Suisse investment banks at Canary Wharf as well as tutoring on the Chrysalis summer school at Highgate School. Senanur Duven is taking part in UCL’s Target Medicine programme which means she gets a medical student to mentor her until the end of her school career – a big help in progressing her medical degree plans. The opportunities are out there – go get them!

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Catch-up time

We’re always looking for ex-students to feature on our website because their stories inspire our younger students, particularly those getting ready to apply to university. If you are in contact with any of our alumni, please pass the message on.

Jay-Ann achieves a perfect score Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott is a sophomore at the University of Toledo, USA where she is a pre-psychology major and a key player in the university basketball team. She has recently been ‘named to the 2015-16 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District™ 5 Team’. This isn’t actually a team – it’s an award for players who are achieving at a very high level both in their sport and academically. Her perfect 4.0 GPA score (grade points average where 4 is the maximum achievable) and her record of sporting excellence together make her one of the highest achieving students in her district, which includes all schools within the states of Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

First class honours for Khushbu ‘I started at GCA in the sixth form, taking A levels in maths, biology, chemistry and ICT. I also took five GCSEs – English, maths, biology, chemistry and physics – as I was new to the country. My A level grades were A*AAB and I gained A*s in all my GCSEs. I wanted to study medicine but was so nervous in my interview at the University of East Anglia that I flopped. I went through clearing and got into Queen Mary College, University of London for a BSc Biochemistry Honours degree, hoping to switch to a medical degree at a later date. My first year performance was judged outstanding so I transferred to medicine and was located at Barts and London. I really enjoyed studying theory but was very bad in practicals. I had no problem with patient communication but when it came to blood and injections I started trembling and passing out. The university helped me a lot but I just couldn’t do it. So after two months they transferred me back to biochemistry. I was a happy bird again. In my third year, I completed a research project in neurodegenerative disease and was able to publish my first research paper in the Journal of Biochemistry. I was recognised internationally and scientists started referencing my paper. I gained a first class honours degree and secured a place at Leeds University to do a PhD in Tissue Engineering in Neurodegenerative Disease. After attending several open days and meeting people, I realised that life after a doctorate is massively competitive. So I declined my offer and got a job as a chemistry technician in a sixth form college. I came across patent law and found the links between science and law very interesting. I have started a postgraduate certificate course in intellectual property law. When I complete, I’ll be able to get a trainee patent attorney job and will work my way up to become a fully qualified patent attorney in life sciences.’

Jay-Ann

‘I didn’t even realize, people congratulated before I even knew about [winning the award],’ Jay-Ann said when interviewed for her university newspaper. ‘Then once I looked on Twitter I was like “woah, yay”.’ Her teammate Inma says Jay-Ann definitely deserves the honour: ‘She’s really, really talented and I think she’s been doing a great job ever since she got here. I’m super happy. She’s a perfectionist and she wants to always do well. She never wants to let the team down.’

Khushbu at her graduation

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Catch-up time

Mirela impresses Oxbridge Mirela Ivanova graduated from the University of Oxford with a first in History last summer then moved from Wadham College to Balliol for her Masters in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, for which she was awarded a prestigious Clarendon Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to ‘the best students worldwide, as decided by experts in each student’s field.’ Mirela has clearly enjoyed her masters: ‘The masters is going great, thanks! Absolutely hectic, but really good fun – I’ve spent a significant time of my life learning ancient Greek from a textbook patronizingly called ‘Greek to GCSE’. I am very glad to confirm that after six months of a masters at Oxford, I have finally collected another GCSE to add to those gathered at Greig.’

Pochettino selects Kyle Kyle Walker-Peters, a product of the Tottenham Hotspur youth academy (and GCA of course!), was on the Spurs’ bench in March for the match against Bournemouth. Kyle plays right-back and captained Spurs’ Under-21 team two days before the Bournemouth match. He told Alexander Balano, author of Hotspur HQ, how he felt to be getting a call-up to the senior team at a crucial point in the year: ‘My reaction was obviously excitement and I guess a bit of nerves too, but I was very pleased to be involved for the first time. ‘The players were outstanding in the game – it was a great experience for me to see them from a different angle.’ Kyle was recognised for his impressive form for Tottenham Hotspur in December with the Barclays Under-21 Premier League Player of the Month. Kyle will be a member of England’s Under-19s team for the European Championship finals in Germany in July. Good luck, Kyle!

Mirela impressed Oxford and Cambridge so much that she was offered fully-funded places at both universities to start her PhD in autumn 2016. ‘I’ll be looking at cultures of writing in the early medieval Balkans, in particular focusing on changes in writing patterns, habits and texts during the transition from Greeklanguage writing on stone (c.800s) to the adoption of the Slavonic alphabet, manuscript traditions and conversion to Christianity (by c.900s).’ She has decided to stay at Oxford and we’re sure Oxford appreciates having her.

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Kyle Walker-Peters

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Abdul-Lateef Alimi is in his 2nd year reading Biomedical Sciences at Roehampton. He’s always been interested in the functions of different parts of the body and the effects of medication and drugs so this degree course is ideal for him. ‘I’ve learned the importance of deadlines. I take pride in my work and am happy to work late into the night on assignments to ensure a good grade. My fellow students are just as competitive as me but it’s a healthy competitiveness. I always feel I can ask them for help if needed.’

Catch-up time

Abdul-Lateef and Chibuzor are intent on medical careers

Romell had an amazing time in Australia Romell Reddock is studying for a BSc in Sports Studies at Bath. This year, he’s been on a placement year in Australia, working as a residential gap tutor in a boarding house for children aged 12-18. He has been teaching PE lessons, tutoring students on a one-to-one basis in maths, biology, art and geography, and helping out on camps and trips where Romell says GCA’s outdoor ed. experiences stood him in good stead. ‘Travelling down the east coast of Australia living out of a backpack for 6 weeks was an unforgettable experience. Seeing new places and meeting new people gives you a new perspective. I also got out to New Zealand and I am currently travelling around Bali.

Chibuzor and Abdul-Lateef visit GCA

Abdul-Lateef says he was a bit of an introvert whilst at school, so going to university and being exposed to so many new people took him out of his comfort zone. However, he’s found it enlightening meeting so many different people from varied walks of life. His next step? ‘To get a good degree and then to take a medical degree. I definitely want to work in the medical field.’

‘Over the course of the trip I was able to do activities such as skydiving, a canyon swing, scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, bungee jumping, white water rafting, climbing volcanoes, trekking mountains, cliff diving - the experience I’ve gained is more than I could’ve asked for.’ Exciting times! Now, back to Bath.

Chibuzor Nwimo-Ogu is in his final year studying cardiac physiology at De Montfort University as part of a Healthcare Science degree. ‘In my first year I covered cardio-vascular, respiratory and sleep sciences and decided to focus on cardiac work. I had a ten-week hospital placement in my first year and then a nine-month placement from the end of my second year into my third – both offered valuable clinical experience.’ Asked what motivated him towards this degree, Chibuzor said: ‘When I was in Year 10 I was thinking of becoming a civil engineer but maths isn’t my forte. I got really interested in anatomy, whilst studying for my biology A level with Mr Corrigan. He had a particular way of getting us to remember facts by making a story out of biological processes so that they became firmly lodged in our long term memories. I made the right decision in my choice of degree even though in my first year I felt I was in a bit over my head. My supervisors always had a lot of time for me and were helpful in providing resources.’ At the time of writing, Chibuzor was focusing on his dissertation – A survey of reporting and outcomes after cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). His next step is to get more clinical practice over the summer before applying for jobs. Romell on his backpacking trip GCA

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It’s all happening in STEM

International finalists yet again The success of GCA Roboteers in last year’s VEX IQ national and international robotics finals inspired lots more students to get involved in robotics. This year we fielded five teams and all five qualified for the national finals. GCA Roboteers qualified for the world finals in Kentucky, USA, even before taking part in the nationals as they had become the highest ranked team in the UK. The other four teams knew they had to perform exceptionally well to qualify and two teams did just that – Something Simple and Oreos.

Oreos team at the national finals

Here’s who went to Kentucky: GCA Roboteers – Mitchell, Benedict, Tanvir, Max and Umar Oreos – Hannah, Lidya, Alyssa, Ervans and Erik (a mix of Oreos and Something Simple – but Oreos won out with the name!) The competition from really experienced and well-established teams was truly fierce so it’s very much to the credit of the Oreos team that they achieved 32nd place for programming skills. This is the best ever result for any UK school at the world finals. ‘The world finals are a whole different game. You’re competing against people with the best ideas. The energy in the hall is amazing.’ Mitchell Ervans explained how his team improved their performance throughout the competitions. ‘The first robot we built didn’t work at all well. It was also too heavy. We realized we could make a lighter version that would function better and were proved right but there was still a problem because some of the pieces broke off. I think we managed to learn a lot from our mistakes because our third robot worked so much better. We organized the components and the way they fitted together so as not to put stress on any one of them.’ Ervans also attributes the team’s success to the way they worked together, with two focusing on programming and the other three on building the robot.

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Making a final adjustment

Alyssa, an Oreos team member, got involved with the robotics club this year but already had plenty of experience from her primary school days. ‘I went to Trinity and learned to design and build robots there so was keen to get involved as soon as I could at GCA. I intend to keep going. Next year I’ll be competing in VEX IQ again and then, in Year 10, I’ll be moving on to VEX EDR, which involves working in metal. The challenges get harder each year which is good for our learning.’

Time out by a lake in Kentucky

Well, Mr Garcia, are you proud of your teams’ successes?

‘Inordinately so but, more than that, I’m extremely impressed by their attitude – and that goes for all GCA robotics students. They are constantly learning and trying to improve on what they’ve already achieved. They never rest on their laurels and that’s what counts for me.’

A chance to see Kentucky’s famous horses

The teams spent many hours in the competition hall, which you can see here, but they did get out to see a little bit of the state of Kentucky.

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Three Year 7 boys, Mario, Daniel and Emmanuel, asked if they could start robotics enrichment at the beginning of the autumn term. When Mr Garcia told them that he was planning to start Year 7 robotics after the spring half term, they asked if they could have a go themselves. Mr Garcia showed them the Lego Mindstorms equipment and left them to it. Within three weeks they had taught themselves how to build and programme a variety of robots and were enthusiastically discussing their new ideas using sophisticated mechanical engineering and programming terminology. When they found out that Mr Garcia was going to be running some classes for St Mary’s pupils, they asked if they could be involved. The three boys set about designing a scheme of work themselves and then mentored the primary pupils who came in every Monday for their sessions. ‘The young children didn’t need me to explain very much. They understood things quickly and kept on improving.’ Emmanuel

Our Year 7 mentors explain the task to St Mary’s pupils

Fixing the components

Where does this wheel go?

On your marks!

Robotics @ Greig City Academy We went to GCA to learn to program the Lego Mindstorm robots. First we had to build the robots with pieces provided and connect all the wires to the computers so we could program it to follow a black line. We saw videos of actual programmed robots that the children from GCA had made and programmed themselves. They were AMAZING! On the last day we put our finished robots on a track and had a big race to see whose robot had been programmed the best. It was very close but there could only be one winner. None of us won but we were all very proud of what we had achieved. GCA rocks!! By Elsie, Luka, Bethan, Bea and Jemima

It’s all happening in STEM

We have so many students clamouring to do robotics that we’re set to see a big expansion of this work.

GCA at CERN Thanks to a grant from the Tottenham Grammar School Foundation, sixth form scientists were able to go on a mind-expanding visit to Geneva where they visited CERN, The United Nations, and the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. ‘Our visit to CERN was incredible. We went to all the main sites of the particle laboratory and heard from physicists working on different projects. The sheer size and scale of the site and the apparatus left us in awe. We visited an interactive museum, which allowed us to see how the experiments at CERN have advanced over the years to further our understanding of physics. We also visited the Microcosm at CERN which displayed some of the experimental results from the Large Hadron Collider. ‘At the United Nations we learned about the importance of the UN and its partner agencies across the world. At the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent we learned about their different aid and relief programs. An unforgettable trip.’ Joseph Simeon

GCA at CERN

‘CERN is a scientific and engineering marvel, showcasing the best of modern advancements in science. The research has increased our understanding of a wide range of physics principles, from the origins of the Universe to the use of nuclear power here on Earth. Our visit enabled students to see for themselves what hard work, determination and perseverance are capable of achieving.’ Mr Koyani GCA

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It’s all happening in STEM

We’re racing again and Michal’s in pole position Last year, a team of Year 9 students took part in the Formula E School Series during the 2014/2015 FIA Formula E Championship. They were given a kit to build the mini electric race car you see pictured below, which they raced at Battersea Park. After Battersea they moved on to the Formula 24 competition. For the School Series they were not allowed to make any adjustments to the car but once in Formula 24 they could do whatever it took to improve performance. It was sixth former Michal Wensierski who worked out that the Formula E car could be developed to race in both the Formula 24 (11-16 year olds) and Formula 24+ (16-25 year olds) competitions. He got a feel for the car when he raced it at Bedford in Formula 24+. Realising the weight of the car needed to be reduced, he and the team did just that. Our younger team raced the lighter car at several tracks including Goodwood before competing in the international finals at Rockingham last October, finishing a creditable 7th against far more experienced teams.

Trying out the winners’ podium at Battersea Park

That wasn’t enough for Michal. He decided to design, develop and build a car to race in the 2016 Formula 24+ championships, competing against corporate, university and private teams. This was to be his A level Product Design project.

At Dunsfold Park, Michal raced against the best cars in the UK and sustained a 3rd place for most of the race – an incredible feat as the two leaders were both national champions.

Michael getting ready to race at Dunsfold Park

Early stages

Through a process of experimentation, testing and refinement of design, Michal manufactured his most successful design and the end result is a car that is both competitive and energy efficient. The car performed flawlesly on its first run – could this partly be thanks to the fact he designed and built a wind tunnel to test each prototype?

Getting strapped in - safety first

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It’s all happening in STEM

‘It is a testament to Michal’s engineering vision, his unfailing energy and drive and his working to exacting standards that he has produced a fully functional racing car, a project that many second year university engineering students would find extremely challenging.’ Mr Knappert Michal and a team of 16+ students will race his car when their exams are over in July and hopefully, before Michal starts at university, they will race in both the corporate and Formula 24+ races. Michal will continue to advise and mentor the new Year 9 racing team and the very successful Year 10 team as they start their racing season at Goodwood in June. Year 10 team members will also mentor Year 9s. ‘I’ll be telling the new team they just have to have confidence in their ability. They also need to check out the course in advance, work out where the sharp turns are so there are no surprises.’ Aisha, Year 10 team ‘I’m confident I’ll be an effective mentor. I’m sure the new team will enjoy racing but I’ll focus on giving them technical advice on how to deal with the pressure that builds up when you need to overtake cars in front. I need to advise them how to manoeuvre their way around.’ Reece, Year 10 team Ready to race

The Faraday Challenge We hosted the Faraday Challenge again this year and, this time, it was the turn of Year 7s. The challenge, which is run by the Institute of Engineering and Technology, aims to switch students on to technology. The task involved designing a health-related product, planning production, budgeting and then presenting to the judges.

‘The task challenged us to look at real life problems and work out how to solve them.’ Lara But we can’t give you any more details as the challenge season is not yet over and we can’t give an unfair advantage to other schools yet to take part. Our lips are sealed.

Yu Huang, Fatlum and Jason

Chanel, Christal and Lara GCA

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It’s all happening in STEM

Taking flight This year, GCA was selected as one of only ten schools in the country to run the Royal Aeronautical Society’s (RAS) Falcon flight simulator project and the STEM team decided this was an opportunity not to be missed. The challenge was to design and build a prototype flight simulator. The winning two designs will be manufactured by RAS and Boeing engineers. We’re grateful for the support in setting up the project from the Hatfield branch of the RAS who sourced an aircraft cockpit for us to use as the base of our simulator. You can see photos here of the state of the plane when it was collected. After bringing it to school, the tail was stripped off and all that remained was the cockpit.

On the way to school

Three teams have been working hard on the project all year and they are… The product design team: Gloria, Oluwaseun, Adrian, Aliyah, Nader and Ioannis

A bit of work needed here

and a chance to see actual simulators. Judging day was May 11 and we hear the judges were very impressed not

Cutting an inspection panel

At the time of going to print we do not know if we will get to see our simulator built by RAS and Boeing. Whatever the outcome of the competition, Mr Garcia is determined we’ll find some way to get it built.

The system design/build team: Achitophel, Masoom, Malik, Rebecca, Jaszmine, Andrei and Taj The programmers: Aila, Chideraa, Bilal, Amand, Benjamin and Mohammed …all ably led by Beatrice Acquah, project manager, with the support of Christine Ocran, designer of the motion base.

At RAF Brize Norton

Beatrice and Christine with an almost finished prototype.

Beatrice, what have been the challenges so far? ‘Making sure each team is on track. At the beginning everyone was keen and motivated but, as time went on, they realized how difficult the project was and it was hard impressing teams with a sense of urgency.’ Christine added that another challenge was the amount of research that needed to be done on the motion base. She also needed to be trained in welding and found that: ‘The need for accuracy has been very important.’ Highlights of the project for Beatrice and Christine were their trips to RAF Brize Norton and Herts University where they were inspired by pilots

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Big thanks to John Davies for his advice. John worked with us last year on the rocket club projects and is, amongst other things, an electronics engineer and satellite designer. Flying over Anglesey

only by our teams’ work but also by the support Mr Sutton and his senior staff have given the project. They also praised the level of welding skill – ‘an amazing level for a school’ – so all that training was worthwhile, Christine!

Thanks also to RAF Benson engineers for donating an air-speed indicator, an altimeter, an artificial horizon and a compass to the team when they visited the base.

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Big Bang Fair

What encourages students to do well in school? Recognition and rewards go a long way so, this year, Mr Porter has introduced a new reward system to celebrate students’ competency; badges are being awarded for mastery in various different aspects of computing.

GCA was invited to exhibit again at the Big Bang Fair in the NEC, Birmingham during British Science Week. Our roboteers and rocketeers drew crowds of enthusiastic students to their stands.

The badges are designed to reward achievement of competency and celebrate new skills learnt. 45 badges have been given out so far and they have become a source of pride, making students try harder, do things differently and think outside the box. To earn a badge you need to: • Complete the tasks displayed in the computing corridor.

Helping primary pupils make their rockets

Countdown

There’s a rocket up there somewhere

Posing

It’s all happening in STEM

Mastery and Badges – in GCA Computing

• Achieve within the top 3% score in your year in a test. As Mr Porter says:

‘Doesn’t everyone want something to show for the work they did? Get thinking about how you can earn a badge and be able to say “I’m a GCA computer scientist.”’

A computer scientist in the making

Masoom, Year 8, is definitely on track to be a GCA computer scientist as you can see from the array of badges in the photos here. ‘I enjoy coding very much and particularly like working with Scratch, creating games. You can let your imagination flow free and come up with all sorts of crazy ideas but the program is very logical so it’s easy to organize your ideas into some kind of structure that works on screen.’

Demonstrating robotics skills

Haringey Council – STEM commission Haringey STEM Commission was set up to explore ways to improve education in STEM subjects and increase access to STEM employment opportunities. Sixth formers Beatrice and Michal joined students from other Haringey schools at the House of Commons to present their ideas to the Commission.

Coming soon: 3D designer Flash animator

‘We suggested the Commission establish a central portal and/ or network for STEM where all opportunities could be listed and easily accessed by students, teachers and employers. At the moment you have to go to lots of online sites to gather information.’ Michal GCA

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Design and make

Here are just a few of the products GCA design and technology students have designed and made this year. Waterside dwellings You may remember Sara Fulton’s commercial building which featured in last year’s magazine. Here you can see her design for flood resistant housing. Lots of people want to live by the water but weather and tides are unpredictable so there’s constant fear of flooding – and high insurance premiums. ‘The houses rest on pontoons with dolphins (mooring posts) that enable the pontoons to rise and fall with the movement of the water. People get to live on the water without fear of losing their homes.’ Sara has offers from universities to study architecture and is hoping to get the grades she needs for a place at Kent. Not long to wait for those results!

Sara

Sara’s waterside houses

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d o o l f r o f design g n i s u o h resistant

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Design and make

Jie Wang

Hinal Patel

Daniel McIntosh

Ozan Ciftci

Waldyn Cordoba

Mohammed Raja

Natyshia Barned

Baris Mutlu

Kieron Farrance-Felisberto

Adrian Grosu GCA

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You can make a difference

‘Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.’ Dr Seuss Helping out at our local night shelter Student leaders helped out on a rota basis at Holy Innocents night shelter during February and March. Their help was appreciated but, in turn, our students welcomed a chance to learn more about the difficulties faced by people who are homeless and how they get support from the shelter. Here’s what Stephen Jullien, shelter coordinator at Holy Innocents, told them: ‘All People All Places is a small charity chaired by Fr Tim Pike. We run shelters in 7 Haringey and 7 Enfield churches. Each church runs the shelter one night a week, providing a bed, an evening meal and breakfast and, in some cases, a packed lunch. ‘Not all churches are C of E - we have

RC and Baptist churches in the team and our volunteers come from all faiths and none. They work in three teams on the shifts – evening, overnight and morning. We also support our guests to get housed and to find jobs.’ Holy Innocents usually offers 12 beds but on the first day we visited they provided 13 as demand was high.

Patricia Brown Dankwah, who coordinates delivery across the two boroughs, explained that volunteers and guests get on incredibly well together and create a real family environment - so vital for people who are either temporarily or permanently without family.

Have you ever thought of becoming an organ donor? Here’s what Jamellia and her fellow students learned: The statistics About 6500 people in the UK are waiting for a transplant as at May 2016. Between April 1 and May 15, 352 people received a transplant. You don’t have to be a maths genius to work out that demand far outweighs donations. The size, position and functions of the main body organs A short quiz: Jamellia

1. Which organ helps regulate blood sugar levels? 2. Where are your corneas?

Jamellia, Year 9, gave serious thought to the question after learning about the scheme and its benefits. First year medical students from University College London ran a series of four seminars on the topic for students from Years 7 to 10 and Years 7 and 8 also heard directly from people whose lives had been transformed by transplants.

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3. Why is your right lung slightly larger than your left? 4. Which organs can you donate whilst still alive? 5. What shape are the kidneys? Check your answers with your teachers to see if you’re right – or to see if they know!

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Heart, lungs (2), liver, kidneys (2), pancreas, small intestine, bone marrow, skin tissue, corneas (2). 12 in all but could you – at least theoretically – help more than 12 people by donating your body?

You can make a difference

The organs you can donate

A thought-provoking talk by Judy Hackney of Oxfam helped sixth formers get a better understanding of the scope of the charity’s work, the challenges so many people in the world face and how we can make a difference. Judy gave her talk in April soon after a major earthquake off the coast of Ecuador to which Oxfam was responding – in fact, at any given time, the charity is responding to an average of 25 emergencies worldwide. Most of us know Oxfam from emergency appeals and their shops on every high street but Judy’s talk gave us a sense of the extensive development work Oxfam does in health and education promotion, improving sanitation to reduce disease, helping people to fight discrimination, and campaigning for women’s rights.

Who can give consent? You, of course, but your family will have a say after your death. What issues do people have to overcome before signing up to donate?

After Judy’s talk, sixth formers worked in teams to tackle exercises designed to make them think through the logistics either of providing aid to communities affected by a natural disaster or developing a health programme for a small town. So how can we make a difference to the people Oxfam works with? We can volunteer for Oxfam, fundraise or become an ambassador. More indirectly, we can make a difference through cutting down on food waste, recycling and buying fair trade products. Why delay? Start now!

This got GCA students thinking because the problem is that most organs are donated after death. It’s not pleasant to start thinking of your own death whatever age you are. Some just didn’t like the idea of being cut up. Others brought up the objections people with a religious faith might have. So, what does Jamellia think? ‘I would never have thought about being a donor but the seminar taught me about the great things done for people and now I’m sure I’ll be a volunteer donor when I’m old enough. I really liked that it was medical students who ran the seminar, they are not much older than us and they got through to us really well.’ ‘I was particularly impressed with the appropriateness of information delivered to the different year groups while the ethical issues discussion with the older groups was really impressive.’ Mr Baxter Thanks to all the UCL undergrads whose presentation and questioning made for some deep discussions during and after the seminars.

Planning how to provide water for a community of 5000

Oxfam Representatives – @OxReps tweeted: Thank you for having us @Greig_City yesterday, Judy really enjoyed meeting you all and said how lovely everyone was :-) ‘The presentation made me appreciate what we have in this country – compulsory clean water and a healthcare system, something countries in subSaharan Africa do not have. It gave me a chance to consider different ways of helping people in need and encouraged me to donate to people that are worse off than us. ‘An added bonus was that the presentation assisted me with my geography course where we study less economically developed countries.’ Velislava Gateva

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Issue 12

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Farewell and hello

Mr Sutton thanks the retiring Chair of the GCA Governing Body, Sheila Taylor, and welcomes Helen Williams who has taken on this important role.

Farewell and thank you to Sheila ‘Governors are one of the backroom support teams vital in any good school. Volunteers one and all. Freely giving their time, expertise, enthusiasm and support to a school with only the reward of knowing that the role is worthwhile and important as a return on their personal investment. ‘Sheila has been our Chair of Governors for the vast majority of her time on the Governing Body. I want to thank her on behalf of the school community for over a decade of hard and challenging work. ‘It is a measure of Sheila’s determination, organisation and genuine commitment that she has been so successful, upbeat and cheerful in the role, for so long. Personally I have valued our conversations, the genuine support and the genuine challenge she has provided, and above all her boundless enthusiasm. ‘We thank her for everything that she has contributed to our school, I thank her for her personal support. We wish her the very best in whatever comes next and we wish her good health and happiness to embrace and enjoy it with her usual enthusiasm.’

Sheila, front left, celebrated with last year’s Tallow Chandlers’ bursary winners

A warm welcome to Helen ‘I am very pleased that Helen has taken on the role of GCA’s Chair. Helen is a highly experienced governor who has chaired two Governing Body committees in her time with the school. She also draws on a wealth of experience and expertise gained in successful directorships held with the Department for Education. I know that Helen and I share the same aspirations for our students and I value her support as we continue to offer the best possible learning environment for them.’

Helen follows the GCA outdoor tradition

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And finally…

There’s more than sailing in our outdoor ed. programme…

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Achievem e

Christi an

munity om C

na ti n

C i t y A cad

Greig City Academy is a Church of England co-educational comprehensive school for students aged 11 to 19. GCAâ€™s Principal Paul Sutton OBE, BSc (Hons), MA

GCAâ€™s Chair of Governors Helen Williams CB, MA Oxon

The Greig Trust and the Church of England sponsor Greig City Academy. David Greig, a successful local businessman, founded the Greig Trust in memory of his parents in 1949. The Trust was established to provide funds to assist in the education of Hornsey children in accordance with the Christian faith.

Greig City Academy, High Street, Hornsey, London N8 7NU T: 020 8609 0100 E: enquiries@greigcityacademy.co.uk W: www.greigcityacademy.co.uk

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Sponsorship

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