GCA 2023 Magazine - issue 19

7KT students enjoyed their autumn term residential trip...

‘My favourite memory of Bradwell was the high ropes because when you got to the top it was hard to stand because the wind pushed you off.’ Ruben

‘We did high ropes, archery, problem solving and kite flying. My favourite was cycling.’ Noah

‘I enjoyed making new friends and getting closer to my old friends. It was fun being outdoors in nature and the scenery was beautiful.’ Alannah

‘My favourite activity was kite flight; the kites went so fast!’ Spencer

This annual 3-day residential for Year 7s, generously funded by the Greig Trust, give students a chance to try out challenging activities, learn new skills and enjoy getting to know their peers and their teachers over a few days, often developing friendships that last throughout and beyond school – many alumni tell us they made friends for life thanks to this opportunity.

‘It was a fun trip because it taught us how to be independent and how to face some of our fears by trying.’ Olivia

Dear students, parents, carers and friends of Greig City Academy, Welcome to our school magazine. As I write, our Year 11 and 6th Form students are about to finish their GCSE and GCE examinations. Whatever results day brings, their qualifications will be the outcome of sustained hard work by students and staff working together with common purpose in an atmosphere of trust and respect. We are proud of their achievements and wish them the best of luck for that fateful day in August when they receive their results.

In these pages, you will read about the achievements of our three robotics teams who performed so well in both the UK Championships and the World Championships in Dallas, USA. The two lower school teams were ranked in the top 8% in the world and the senior team was ranked in the top 4%. Their achievements are the result of months of practice, hard work and a determination to maintain high standards.

Our extensive sports programme goes from strength to strength. Teams have achieved notable successes, winning trophies for netball, athletics, dodgeball, trampolining and dance at regional and national levels. The performance levels of our athletics track and field stars have been outstanding, and one student has been selected to represent Middlesex in the English Schools’ National Championships.

Our sailing programme teaches teamwork, resilience and commitment in a new and challenging environment. From Year 7 onwards, students enjoy many opportunities to take part in a variety of watersports and can gain nationally recognised qualifications. Both boys’ and girls’ teams continue to impress with their performance in national races, and our senior boys’ performance in the Etchells international competition in Miami earned them the Youth Cup.

I am pleased to say that our range of extracurricular activities increases year on year, as does the number of students taking part. From beekeeping to neuroscience, from chess to calligraphy, there is a club to suit all interests. My thanks go to the staff involved, whose dedication, enthusiasm and organisational skills ensure these activities are challenging, successful, safe and, of course, fun!

We again welcomed back many of the school’s alumni, some still at university whilst others are well established in their careers. I thank them for returning to contribute their experience, skills and time to our current sailing, careers and robotics activities. It has been moving to see these ex-students passing on the torch to the next generation.

Many of the opportunities the Academy offers are supported by external partners, in particular the Greig Trust, the Tallow Chandlers’ Company and the Tottenham Grammar School Foundation. We thank them for their continued involvement, interest and financial support.

I am pleased, as always, to say that standards of behaviour and school uniform remain excellent and that high levels of attendance have been maintained. I thank parents and carers for their continued commitment and support in maintaining these high standards throughout the year.

As we move further and further away from the trials of Covid, it is good to know that we have lost nothing and may indeed be better equipped for the future. 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!

Yours faithfully,

Mr P.V. Sutton OBE

The Jack Petchey Achievement Awards

This award scheme is run by the Jack Petchey Foundation. Eight students in Years 7-11 and three in the sixth form received an award celebrating their achievement in an area of school life. The Foundation gives the school funds for each of the months that we make the award and the winners help choose how to spend the money to support a school activity.

Let’s congratulate our deserving winners.

Ms Loosley nominated Jasmine, Y12, for this award: ‘Jasmine is an outstanding student. Her insights in A-level English classes show a strong engagement with the texts; the breadth of her independent research allows her to demonstrate a greater depth of understanding in her essays; and most remarkable is her role as a group leader, often working on group assignments designed to benefit the whole class. She is an incredible role model in class, and more widely in English by volunteering to work with the Y11 cohort.’

Ms Saunders nominated sixth former Ashly and says she has made incredible progress in science, gaining some of the highest grades in her year. Ashly has immersed herself in the wider school community, has formed strong friendships and is supportive of both her peers and staff. Ms Saunders is particularly impressed with the way Ashly helped the department on open evening, setting up and running activities for prospective students and talking with their parents about her positive experience at the Academy.

Mr Holt recommended Kai, Y12, for his ongoing commitment to the school’s sailing programme. Kai shows great focus, resilience and discipline in all his training activities. He impresses his fellow students and people in the wider sailing community with his strong team spirit. At the same time, his competition successes are testament to his ability to take on difficult challenges independently. His contribution to fund-raising activities for the programme in his free time is much appreciated.

Ms Bullock nominated Malica, Y10, saying that she takes her studies seriously, setting an excellent example to her peers. Malica was committed, professional and passionate throughout the Speak Out Challenge process, performing with confidence and drive at the regional final and was a wonderful student with whom to work. Ms Bicarregui adds that Malica is an independent worker, someone who does not need any attention or reassurance but who always makes interesting points in class discussions.

...celebrating their achievement in an area of school life...

Ms Mirza nominated Storm, Y8, whom she describes as a passionate, competitive, and committed sportswoman who contributes significantly to the success of many of the school’s sports activities and teams: netball, dance and trampolining, to name just a few. Storm is a natural leader who encourages others to take part on a regular basis. She is a highly effective ambassador for GCA when taking families on tours of the school.

Mrs Arhagba nominated Jason, Y10, and says he has the ability to stay focused and challenge himself, is dependable, trustworthy, resilient, and willing to step out of his comfort zone. Jason’s teammates say he is a vital member of the team, who moves the team towards their goal. They also say he gets along with everyone and is a wonderful personality with whom to work. Words his fellow students use to describe Jason include smart, hardworking, creative, mentally strong, and friendly.

Ms Elliott and Ms Onoszco nominated Ivan, Y8. Ivan is a consistent and enthusiastic member of the paired reading club who approaches his role with maturity and empathy, supporting other students with their reading. He has a calm, approachable manner, and the students he supports always feel valued. He is to be congratulated for choosing to help others in his free time. Ivan is also incredibly supportive when other activities take place in the library.

Mr Hilmi and Ms Henriques recommended Ashley, Y7. Mr Hilmi is impressed with the way he works conscientiously on all his D&T projects. Ms Henriques describes Ashley as a ‘superstar’, a credit to his tutor group and role model for other students. He meets all his targets and is one of the Bedrock top scorers. ‘Ashley is a dependable, independent mover and shaker, yet so very shy and humble. He has total respect from the rest of the tutor group and is the ultimate team player!’

Mr Coles and Mrs Arhagba recommended Samantha, Y11, who is a reliable, motivated student, wellorganised both in terms of her learning and in all her extra-curricular activities. She is keen to take advantage of all the opportunities offered to her and is commendably committed to the Young Enterprise Club. Samantha gets on well with students across all age groups. She clearly wants to do well, and this quality makes her a strong role model for her fellow students.

Ms Onoszko recommended Svetlin, Y10, who has worked extremely hard to improve his English since joining the Academy. His superpower is perseverance; he always works on his English steadily, systematically and unwaveringly. Svetlin takes up lots of opportunities to improve his language skills, including attending the EAL Paired Reading club regularly. Ms Karsan and Ms Ajoku also praise Svetlin’s positive attitude and pleasant demeanour.

Mr Knappert nominated Laura, Y8: ‘Laura has incredibly high standards for herself. She takes on a considerable amount of responsibility, organising robotics teams and mentoring younger students. She impresses me every day.’

Ms Colledge adds that ‘Laura’s attitude to everything she does is exceptional. She is kind, humble and supportive of her peers, and would never shout about her numerous achievements, despite working so hard to achieve them. She is a robotics superstar!’

The Foundation recognises that lots of the activities young people enjoy would not be possible without the support of their adult leaders, so they created the Leader Award. This year, two teachers won GCA’s Leader Award: Ms Osei and Ms Bullock.

‘Ms Bullock coaches, encourages and motivates students not only in class but also in the debating club, the annual Speak Out Challenge and drama productions such as last year’s From Page to Stage. She is extremely inclusive in her approach, never turning anyone away. Her infectious and uplifting enthusiasm and her commitment to these extra-curricular activities inspire students across the age groups, and we see the results in the way so many are gaining excellent public speaking skills, self-belief and a determined “can do” attitude.’ Mr Corrigan, Vice Principal

Sadly, Ms Osei moved to a different school in January to enjoy a promotion and new challenges. For over a year, the mouth-watering aromas wafting from the kitchen were proof of the popularity and impact of her food and nutrition classes, with their focus on healthy vegetarian and vegan cooking – stir fry was a big favourite.

Congratulations to Seth Cunningham, winner of the Barbara Simon Award for Excellent Achievement in the Arts

Sixth former Seth is the deserving winner of this award sponsored by Hornsey Parochial Charities in memory of Barbara Simon, a trustee of the charity for many years. It is presented annually to a student who has shown exceptional achievement and potential in an arts subject.

Seth received his certificate and a cheque for £500 from Jennifer Mann, chairperson of the charity, in September.

Well done, Seth, and a big thank you to Jennifer Mann and the Hornsey Parochial trustees.

Seth took part in the Art, History and Media study trip to Durham, Newcastle and Gateshead in summer 2022, which included visits to Durham University and Cathedral, the Oriental Museum, and the Baltic Centre – visits which influenced his project plans for A-level Art.

‘The Baltic shows 20th Century art and the artists exhibited are culturally diverse. I particularly liked the show by Mounira al Sohl, a Lebanese artist who creates works on the topics of trauma, loss and migration. I also enjoyed exploring different architectural styles such as the Romanesque of the cathedral and the Neo-Classical buildings in Newcastle. The trip helped me decide to plan my Y13 personal project around spatial design.’

Ms Osei shied away from the camera in class but here you can see a group of the eager and happy chefs she inspired.

Ms Bullock

Seth with Jennifer Mann

Barbara Simon worked selflessly and tirelessly in voluntary work and was an enthusiastic supporter of access to education for everyone, so it is fitting for an award to be given for educational purposes in her name.

Congratulations to our Tallow Chandlers’ bursary winners

Thanks to the continuing generosity of the Tallow Chandlers’ Company, a City of London livery company, we are able to offer bursaries to the top performing students in STEM subjects.

Bursaries worth £500 are given to the students who, at the end of Year 12, display the best combination of application and effort in six STEM subjects, have made excellent progress and have the potential to achieve the best grade in their teaching group at the end of the course. Provided the bursary winners take a STEM subject at university, they receive a further bursary worth £1000 during their first year.

On September 16, we were delighted to welcome Peter Cazalet, Master of the Tallow Chandlers, to present awards to these deserving students:

Alfio Selimaj for Biology

Hazal Iper for Chemistry

Patience Adediran for Computer Science

Aziz Koc for Design Technology and Engineering

Zhang Liu for Mathematics

Kacper Kedzierski for Physics

Maths whizzes

The Intermediate Mathematical Challenge is a national, 60-minute, multiple-choice challenge, which encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems.

Congratulations to these students on their achievements in the 2023 challenge:

Year 9 Bronze

Summer Stone (best in year)

Sharon Ngo

Daniel Mcgeachie

The Master also awarded cheques to four of the previous year’s winners, who started their university careers in the autumn:

Erlind Caushi, now at the University of Warwick studying Computer Science

Blessing Coxe, who is studying Product Design at Nottingham Trent University

Michael Mirkov, now studying Accounting and Finance at Royal Holloway

Mert Vatensever, now studying Biomedical Sciences at the University of Hull

In May, our 2022 winners were guests of honour at a lunch in the Tallow Chandlers’ Hall along with students from Manchester University and a few other London Schools.

Oliver Jackson

Year 10 Bronze

Malica Pokuah-Agyemang

Serxhio Selimaj

Year 10 Silver

Huda Abdi (best in school)

Matas Cereska

Theodore Mirkov

Abbie Fung

Harrison Wu

Alfio

Patience Hazal Aziz

Zhang

Peter Cazalet, Master of the Tallow Chandlers Kacper

We have our eighth Arkwright Scholar

Loqmane Ghezal stalwart of our robotics teams, is our latest Arkwright Engineering Scholar. These scholarships are highly regarded by university admission tutors and industry recruiters and are one of the most prestigious accolades that a talented sixth form student can receive. The scholarships consist of an annual financial award to the student and another to their school, as well as enrichment activities such as mentoring and industry visits that enhance a student’s experience of engineering in a real-world context.

Scholars are selected for their potential as future engineering leaders by assessing their academic, practical and leadership skills in STEM. These are gauged through a rigorous selection process comprising: an assessed application form including a teacher’s reference; a two-hour, problem-solving aptitude exam; and a universitybased interview. The scholarships support students through their sixth form studies and encourage them into top universities or higher apprenticeships.

‘I’m extremely grateful to the Tallow Chandlers’ Company for sponsoring me. As part of the programme, I’ve visited Cambridge and Nottingham Universities and had a day with British Airways, learning about aeronautical engineering. I’m considering a career in robotics but plan to keep my options open for the moment.’ Loqmane

As interest in STEM subjects and careers continues to grow at GCA, we expect to see lots more students gaining Arkwright Scholarships in the next few years. Could you be one of them?

World-class roboteers

The culmination of a year’s practice, experimentation and competition – the VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas, Texas.

All our teams were phenomenal this season winning 23 trophies in tournaments, including:

Judges’ award Excellence award

Innovate award

Robot Skills award

Tournament champions

Our lower school teams ended their world championship run in the top 8% in the world. The Y8 team of Noah, Laura and Jessica reached the worlds through sheer hard work and a commitment to excellence. They won the Judges’ award at the Nationals and two Excellence awards in their earlier tournaments.

The Y7 team of Nicholson and Lucas have been competing only since December. They came in 8th at the Nationals after winning a string of tournaments. Despite their lack of experience, the boys worked incredibly hard and practised every day, building an outstanding robot, programming, and learning real engineering skills as they went along.

‘This year, there were few regional events for us to get tournament practice, so I was a little apprehensive. We did better than expected though.’ Laura, 2nd year at the Worlds

‘It was fun but stressful. If you have a bad match, you go quickly down the rankings. Then it takes a long time to climb up again.’ Lucas, 1st timer

Let’s hear from Rayan, 10PM, about his work on our Formula 24 racing car:

‘I produce the power management and monitoring system. With my team, I program and set up the management of the electronics, test whether sensors are accurately monitoring the power the car is using and so allowing us to work out the perfect gear ration for the car on different race tracks.’

We have some expert programmers in our robotics teams but there are other ways to learn and practise the skill.

Three teams qualified for the world finals, and all achieved magnificent successes.

Rayan

A selection of trophies over the years

The Y11 team, Ubiquitous Gearers – Darius, Emmanuel, Vincent and Lekaiwon the Innovate award at the Nationals and ended their world championship run in the top 4%.

They were the second highest ranked team from the UK and the highest-ranking state school. The boys developed, tested, and built an outstanding robot, learning advanced engineering skills, computer modelling the robot and fabricating custom parts in Delrin (that’s a high-performance acetal resin).

‘All the teams worked professionally and overcame many hurdles. More importantly, I congratulate them on the fact that they always impress the other teams, all the teachers and especially the judges they meet at competitions. Loqmane Ghezal has carried out umpire duties during the season and did so again at the Nationals, receiving special thanks from the organisers. I was pleased to see four GCA alumni at the finals. Tanvir Uddin was one of the judges – you can see him in the photo with Laura and Noah. Mitchell Kingsland and Yi Ping Huang were volunteers, and Erik Palushi lent his support.

‘Congratulations to Alannah, Olivia and Emmelyn, Loqmane, Beatrice and Ade, who didn’t make it to Dallas but who showed fierce competitive spirit and determination throughout the season.’ Mr Knappert

When it comes to coding, it’s never too early to learn, says Mr Porter...

‘Learning to code at an early age not only teaches children valuable technical skills, but also fosters problem-solving abilities, logical thinking and creativity. In a world increasingly driven by technology, coding is a fundamental literacy that prepares children for the future and empowers them to create and innovate. In Y7, students use visual modules like Python Turtle to learn text-based coding. Students use their imagination to create projects and programs that express their unique interests and perspectives – the outcomes are rich and vibrant. Whether it’s building a code-based image, designing a website, or developing an app, coding provides a creative outlet that enables students to bring their ideas to life.’

Year 7 are working on improving their algorithm knowledge by writing text-based code that generates vector images. They have been using functions and parameters to generate their own original images based on coded circles.

Noah and Laura with judge Tanvir

Something needs fixing Lucas and Nicholson competing at the Worlds

Ubiquitous Gearers at the Worlds

Guess where we are Robot inspection Nicholson and Lucas at the Nationals

Jessica and Laura on the practice field

Bromeliads, fungi, orchids, cacao and banana trees, bonsai...

… just some of the plants Yrs 7 and 8 students learned about during their trip to Kew Botanic Gardens on a bitterly cold day in March.. Outside the Palm House, groups worked with Hannah, one of Kew’s educational practitioners, to take measurements of light, soil moisture and temperature, and air humidity and temperature. They made predictions as to how measurements inside the Palm House, with its tropical climate and shade, would differ from the temperate climate outside. Then it was time to check predictions – 100% correct!

Did you know? Rainforest plants cover only 2% of the world’s surface but make up 50% of all species – vital to sustaining life on earth. Tropical rain forest plants contribute to modern medicine – it is believed that approximately 25% of all Western medicines on the market come from plants found only in tropical rain forests.

We packed lots more into our whistlestop tour – the Japanese pagoda and tranquil garden (which Anayah loved), bonsai trees, the Temperate House, and a quick run across the treetop walkway – ‘scary and exciting’ was William’s comment.

Inside the Hive, we saw one thousand LED lights glowing according to the vibrations of bees that live in the gardens.

The only place the queues were long was the Orchid Festival – an amazing display, which showed how the plant has adapted to different climates over millions of years. Orchids are so old that they shared the planet with bipedal reptiles for a few dozen million years and successfully survived a number of mass extinctions.

‘Huge thanks to the Jack Petchey Foundation for funding this visit. We saw so much but didn’t have time to see everything! We hope students will be inspired to return with friends and family in the future.’ Mr Farrant

...25% of all Western medicines on the market come from...

‘I really liked the investigation where we used different pieces of equipment to measure the abiotic factors, such as soil moisture. These affect which plants can grow in different environments.’ Emilia 7HT ‘The Palm House was beautiful. I didn’t realise that coffee came from the berries of a tropical plant.’ Mehmet 8DE

British science week

Year 7s were treated to a non-stop demonstration of chemistry and physics experiments by Dr Szydlo.

CERN – Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire

Thanks to the Greig Trust, a group of sixth form scientists enjoyed a trip to CERN in Geneva, where they had a tour, a visit to the ‘Universe of Particles’ exhibition in the Globe of Science and Innovation, and visits to both the History of Science Museum and the Natural History Museum.

Liquid nitrogen (with a temperature of -196 °C) is poured over an inflated balloon. The decreasing temperature of the air inside causes its volume to decrease. Toss it, the air inside warms up and the balloon regains both shape and volume. No magic, just science, pure and simple!

Dry ice

Dry ice is frozen, compressed carbon dioxide gas. When you add it to warm water, it combines with the water to create the fog (carbon dioxide and water vapour) that you can see bubbling out of the cylinder. When the vapour is forced down a rubber tube, the tip of which has been dipped into some detergent, you get a foggy bubble.

VR

There was a long queue to try out the VR headsets, so time limits had to be set. Is this young man wandering around inside a brain or could he be trapped in a human cell?

Streamlining

The group pictured here tested the way objects move at different speeds through liquid. The more streamlined the pieces were the faster they moved – this is because streamlining reduces the resistance between a fluid and an object moving through that fluid.

‘For the physicists, the tour and exhibits may have seemed more like revision than new learning, but for the chemists and biologists like us, there was a lot to take in. It was interesting to learn about scientists and their theories through the ages. The exhibition in the Globe was interactive and the way information was presented in the globes made it much easier to take in facts about dark matter, anti-matter, dark energy, and how the Higgs boson was discovered – that’s the particle that lays the foundation for everything in the universe. Another thing we learned was that the projects at CERN are open source in the sense that the results of its experimental and theoretical work are made generally available.’ Janet

and Klaudia

‘One fact that’s now firmly fixed in my mind is that quarks are the building blocks of protons and neutrons and now I’m waiting for someone to ask me a question about them because I know the answer!’ Tafari

‘I was fascinated by the ancient scientific instruments in the museum, which showed the evolution of technical subjects, such as astronomy, electricity or meteorology –the first thermometers were huge!’ Akram

When there was a chance to look around Geneva, Akram was struck by the architectural styles, the cleanliness of streets and trams and the high price of sandwiches –everyone agreed on this point!

KS3 artists have the chance to win prizes if their work is selected to be exhibited on the acclaimed Wall of Cool. Here are some surreal pieces currently vying for a place on the wall...

Inspired

‘Excited, engaged, inquisitive,’ is how Mr Chorley described the Year 10 artists who explored themes of portraiture and self-identity during their visit to the Courtauld Gallery.

Art is for all

Wednesday after school is a time for GCA staff to nurture their creativity in their very own art club, with coffee and biscuits offering a different kind of nourishment.

‘I adored looking at paintings by artists I didn’t really know about. The different art styles intrigued me. I took many photos, which have inspired me to improve my ways of painting. It was fun drawing one another – it was a good way for all of us to communicate. I really enjoyed both the workshop and the gallery overall.’

‘For me this has always been a calming and relaxing exercise, as it does not need a lot of effort and takes my mind off what is happening around me.’ Mr Appollis

‘The club is not just a creative outlet, but a community where individuals can come together to share their passion for art, make work and connect with other staff, and nurture their creativity. It not only enhances GCA, but also enhances the art of those involved.’ Mr Porter

Let’s look at the ways in which students and staff have expressed their creativity and opinions, encouraged others to do the same, and learned from leading artists and performers.

Fajar, 10BH

Fajar

Wall of Cool

Thanks to Mr Chorley and seven of his talented Y10 artists, Belmont Infants’ pupils had an exciting time making prints inspired by the famous Japanese painter and printmaker Katsushika Hokusai.

Hokusai’s best-known works were done using the techniques of ukiyo-e, or Japanese wood block prints. Ukiyo-e are created by carving a relief image onto a woodblock, covering the surface of the block with ink or paint, and then pressing the block onto a piece of paper. One of his most famous works is Under The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

Talented textiles student Malica, 10PM, is one of our amazing Jack Petchey achievement award winners, so she had a chance to suggest how £300, which comes with the award, should be used.

Well done, Andrei, Jayden, Ada, NicoleLorena, Taibah, Celeste and Isabella!

‘It was a fantastic experience with the two classes! Even though some were quite shy it was fun, and we learned how to communicate better with little children! Overall, it was an amazing experience for me.’ Nicole-Lorena

‘We absolutely loved the printing and hope we can make this a permanent workshop in our diaries.’ Shauna, Belmont teacher

It was also good to hear from Belmont’s headteacher that ‘Ofsted were recently very impressed with our pupils’ studies of Caravaggio, where they had picked up skills from GCA students last year.’

Malica’s crochet materials are getting lots of use as this craft has become quite a craze.

We have become used to spotting Priscilla, 11VN, and Jerica, 10BH, intent on their crochet work.

Jerica can be found with her needles in just about every room in the school.

Priscilla took inspiration from GCA’s bees and now the bee club has a mascot – with an extended family as you see in the photo. Mr Appollis was full of admiration for her white cat and Sessil loves her hand warmers.

With Ms Cooper’s advice, Malica opted for a range of textiles resources, including felting fibres, crochet materials and mini mannequins.

Textiles students now have lots more interesting materials to help them express their creativity. Thank you, Malica!

Magnificent and munificent Malica

After researching the work of different artists, they prepare a personal response to one of the themes, with the freedom to express themselves using the techniques and materials they like and deem best.

A musical evening

Parents, staff and governors were treated to a superb musical evening in December when sixth formers Kishon Fenton and Johnson Asi performed a repertoire of jazz, R&B and Reggae songs as part of their final assessment. They were accompanied by Isaac Rubio on guitar and Joe Carlos on drums.

‘My favourite pieces were I’m Not the One by Snarky Puppy, which I led, and A Change is Gonna Come, written and performed originally by Sam Cooke. I love R&B style, the high notes, and the chance to express so much emotion.’

Johnson Kishon and Johnson

What are you scared of?

A group of Y8s were joined by students from Heartlands and Hornsey School for Girls for a creative writing workshop with Neil Zetter, an awardwinning comedy performance poet, author and entertainer.

‘I love to use poetry to help people develop their communication skills. I asked the students to write about things they might fear and there were many different takes on the topic – such as oceans, clowns, the dark, detention and rejection. They all tackled the topic with a great deal of maturity and were supportive of one another.’

‘I was chosen by my English teacher to be part of a creative writing event. We had to draft a poem about what we fear. He read us some of his poems from his new book: Scared? When we finished, he told us to edit it and explained why it is so important to do so. I really enjoyed meeting new people from the other schools. I also enjoyed writing my poem and I think Mr Zetter has made me like poetry now!’ Laiyna,

8SR

KS4 textiles students work to a theme and have a wide range from which to choose, for example, memories, travel, water, layers and landscapes.

Nomuunaa and Laiyna – aspiring poets

Expressing character

We asked Ms Ajoku how she helps drama students express the emotions and intentions of the characters they play:

‘As babies, our primary mode of communication is through physical and vocal expression. Every beaming smile, loud, exaggerated frown or distressed squint is met by the parent or care giver with an emotional and action-driven response, one that has read the baby’s varied facial expressions, movements and sounds.

‘I explain that the actor’s goal is like that of a baby. Actors must combine both physical and vocal expression to communicate meaning to their audience. In turn, the audience responds and engages emotionally.’

What might this look like in the drama classroom?

Ms Ajoku recommends three points as a brilliant foundation for teaching young dramatists how to express themselves and the characters they play:

H The teacher is a walking, talking advert for any practical task, modelling and setting the standard for students to explore their own interpretations.

H Improvisation and spontaneity – I give students the chance to expand their creative and imaginative responses in role.

H Taking a moment to improve – I like to give students 10 seconds to selfassess and decide either to add exaggeration, emphasis, or refine focus/ control to improve their ability to convey greater meaning to the audience.

Proud podcasters and super proud teacher

When Y10 media students took part in a workshop to learn about podcasting, they were delighted to get a chance to plan, record and edit their own 10-minute podcast, in which they expressed views on a wide range of issues affecting teenagers. They also designed the logo and uploaded their podcast to Spotify.

Here’s a flavour of the topics covered.: How bored is our generation?

Williams, Justine, Mariel and Lydia discussed the impact of social media and unravelled topics such as the illuminati and celebrity culture.

Football News: Arlis, Kemal and Aggelos talked about the importance of motivation and its relevance for football, the Euros and the UEFA Champions League 22/23.

Game Night: Bright, Nikita, Monlamin and Ardeson discussed games and game development companies, with a focus on the controversy surrounding certain games.

Teens and Society: Nyomie, Fajar and Nikol talked about struggles and challenges in our world, teenagers’ points of view, common teen interests, and mental health.

Quite a range, then. To listen on Spotify just search for Culture Bubble and scroll to find the titles listed above.

Here you see Ms Ajoku coaching sixth former Muhammad – he has an incredibly expressive face but is always glad of extra guidance.

‘Ms Ajoku has been my mentor whilst I have been on placement at GCA. She always teaches by doing, modelling language and behaviour, and her students learn by watching and doing. I am impressed by the way her approach builds positive relationships – student with student and teacher with students – as well as fostering creativity.’ Mr Oshikanlu, PGCE drama student

Ms Ajoku helps us express different aspects of ourselves in the characters so it becomes second nature to play the part.’ Sessil and Lisa Marie, Y11

‘The workshop was enjoyable and interesting. It gave me an excellent insight into the world of podcast, let me be creative and we got to make one for ourselves! It was engaging and fun.’ Bright, 10BHA

‘The students were really invested in the process and were proud of themselves at the end of the day. As for me, I am super proud!’ Ms Harrison

Our Year 8 netball team pulled out all the stops, scoring 276 goals and conceding only 12 in their 10 matches in the Haringey league. In six of the games, they conceded no goals, 42 to 0 being the highest score.

Very well done to these superstars, who prove that practice pays off:

Storm (Captain), Bronte, Samara, Keturah, Imani, Chanaya, Aitana, Francesca and Chaomel.

Dodgeball champs

Congratulations to our dodgeball teams on their success in the Haringey tournament: the boys took first place whilst the girls came third.

A challenging workout

GCSE Sport Studies students made clever use of the London Altitude Centre to have a go on the machines used by England football players and to learn about altitude training.

The seniors achieved a highly creditable 88 to 71 against tough opposition, so raise a cheer for:

Nicol, Zakia, Nyomie, Jerica, Helin, Nevaeh, Abishana, Heaven and Lisa Marie.

Darnell stars in Team Haringey’s London Youth Games triumph

Now, some exciting news that arrived too late for our 2022 magazine.

Darnell was one of the stars of Team Haringey – winners of the Jubilee Trophy at the London Youth Games.

Team Haringey is composed of students from schools across our borough, who compete in a variety of sports against all the other London boroughs. The Jubilee Trophy is awarded to the borough with the most points at the end of all the competitions and Haringey had waited 27 long years to take this trophy.

Team Haringey also won overall team in the athletics competition, where Darnell shone, winning gold in the long jump, gold in the 100 metres, gold in the boys’ relay and the award of overall boys’ champion. Very well done to Darnell, and to Storm, who was also a member of the team.

In March, at a full council meeting in Alexandra Palace, all the athletes were presented with Haringey Heroes certificates by Mayor Cllr Gina Adamou and Council Leader Peray Ahmet.

STOP PRESS! Darnell is now Middlesex 200m champion!

‘The machines replicate the feeling of exercising at altitude, for example climbing Mount Everest. They lower the oxygen levels in the air, making it much more challenging and working on the cardiovascular system.’

Ms Tansley

‘The girls were gracious in their victory, showing dignity, sportsmanship, compassion and greatness.’ Ms Bouchereau

Year 8 netball team

Darnell with his dedicated support team

A message from Ms Bouchereau

‘In January, we took 10 Olympic hopefuls to the Haringey Trampolining Championships. Each student had to demonstrate two compulsory routines, the second ridiculously harder than the first, consisting of high-level somersaults in every direction. Each scored mattered, each trampolinist mattered, GCA mattered!

‘One mistake could cost the whole team. Lots of pressure, lots of eyes watching. The demand was real! We always set the same objective – bring the gold trophy home – it is the GCA Way!

‘Let me present to you the Haringey Trampoline Champions 2023.’

A keen sense of responsibility

Thank you to the sports students who acted as officials at the London Youth Games badminton tournament for primary schools – leadership in action.

‘I felt a keen sense of responsibility as an official. I have worked with primary school children before and knew It was important to engage with them – to make sure they understood the rules but also to make sure they had an enjoyable time. The more they enjoyed themselves the more I enjoyed the day. It was a fantastic learning experience.’ Havin

Kye Malcolm captained our team and five of students were selected to represent Haringey at the London Youth Games for trampolining. Such a great achievement!

Congratulations to Kye (Captain), Storm (Co-Captain), Anelka, Harrison, Imani, Keturah, Zoi, Erik, Natan and Obinna.

Did you know that trampoline exercise has been used by NASA astronauts to build bone density and muscle mass, improve balance, coordination, motor skills and cardio fitness? So – couch potatoes – you know what to do!

Or, as Ms Bouchereau said more poetically: ‘It was a cold April morning, birds singing in time to wake up the world, ice particles melting on the leaves and a tingle of excitement sitting in the air. Everything seemed still, a moment of peace, a moment of hope. Months of preparation to lead us to this point.’

Those hard training months paid off when the KS3 team were crowned champions in both the All Styles and the Street Dance categories and the KS4 dancers carried off the Street Dance runners-up trophy.

We will leave you to picture the celebratory atmosphere in the coach home. There is no room in our display cabinets for more dance trophies, so Ms Bouchereau has to carry them around with her.

Many congratulations to Captain Storm, Co-Captains Chanaya and Sianna, and to:

Maya, Ella, Daniely, Alita, Keturah, Deniz, Mya, Emmanuella, Dzheylin, Stephen, Tequila, Keilani, Olivia, Nia G, Nyiah, Elischa, Natashia, Aminata, Kye, Iman, Imani, Nia S, Havin, Aitana, Gloria Nafi, Shekinah and, last but not least, Andrew!

Bring on the London Youth Games and the Great Big Dance Off Nationals Finals!

Our Y10 boys’ athletics team are Haringey indoor champions. Well done!

Trampolining champs

It was a 6am start to the day for GCA’s dance teams as they set off for the UDOIT National Championships in Milton Keynes.

Weighed down by medals

Ms Bouchereau

Responsible officials

Michael proudly takes the trophy

Sharing our language skills Sharing

The hall was packed for our celebration of International Languages Day, when multilingual students and staff engaged in activities to share one or more of the languages they speak.

At one table, we had a chance to work out which script matched which language. At another, we listened to recordings and guessed the language being spoken. In the ’speed dating’ activity we learned some useful phrases in a dozen languages. We tried distinguishing between Mandarin tones and pronouncing some fiendishly long German nouns. We practised writing an unfamiliar script with some very patient student teachers. We discovered lots about African languages and had a guess at the countries where they are spoken. Finally, we tackled a few English tongue twisters.

Can you pronounce these German words?

Orangenfruchtsaftgetränk

‘I felt proud teaching Spanish to other students and teachers, and I learned Ukrainian.’ Sofia, 7HT

‘It was the first time I have been asked to take part in such an event. I felt incredibly happy teaching my language Tagalog to my teachers. I would love to do it again.’ Shermaine, 7EO

‘It was enjoyable to be able to share common Burmese phrases and their pronunciations. I imagine that students would find learning Burmese to be quite difficult as it is a tonal language (making pronunciation quite tricky), with the order of nouns and descriptive terms being different from English.’ Mason, 10PM

Käsesalamipizzaabhängigkeit

Samantha, 11VN, brought along an abstract strategy game called Oware, which originated in Africa and has spread around the world. The object is to capture more seeds than one’s opponent. The game is addictive, but the rules are complex – do speak to Samantha to find out more.

Mr Chorley won his match against Samantha, so she demanded a rematch during a lunch hour – and it was hotly contested!

With thanks to Ms Irakleidou for organising this exciting event and to all the students and staff who volunteered to act as language teachers and learners. An event worth repeating!

‘Such an amazing event, everyone was having such meaningful interactions, even students who only joined a few weeks ago were getting involved! Brilliant job!’ Ms Colledge

Pulling together

In February, the awful news of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, which devastated whole regions leaving people without homes and basic services, touched many in our community, all the more so because the families of some of our students and staff were affected. We were determined to pull together to raise what we could to help alleviate the suffering of people in the wake of the earthquake. A fundraiser was set up, with various activities in the school contributing to the £3,000 raised for the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Earthquake Appeal.

The cakes and bakes sale, quickly organised by Ms Onoszko (cheesecake baker supremo), 7EO and Tommaso a keen member of 7PH, was just as quickly sold out – all over in the blink of an eye!

Protein-rich pinchos – potato, beef, mozzarella, olives, and chicken sausage – tempted those with a big appetite.

Tommaso’s tasty banana, yoghurt, chocolate, and black cherry muffins went down a treat.

Nisa gave us Kisir, a popular Turkish salad of bulgur wheat, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, spring onions, loads of fresh herbs, nuts and a hint of chili.

Shermaine’s brownies were melt-in-the mouth special.

Elanur made Pogaça, a traditional Turkish, yeast-based bun filled with a savoury cheese herb mixture and sprinkled with bountiful helpings of sesame seeds. Mr Hilmi was the first to take away a loaded plate. He is very generous, so we are sure he shared.

The equally generous Ms Ajoku rated Ivan’s banana cake so highly she bought extra slices for colleagues.

The goodies made by Hassan, Kidus and George sold out within minutes.

Pinchos for sale

Tommaso’s tasty treats

Elanur’s savoury buns

Highly rated

Hassan, Kidus and George, star bakers

Nisa’s simply delicious Kisir

Shermaine, the brownie queen

7EO and Tommaso

Celebrating Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. This year is the Year of the Rabbit, predicted to be the year of hope – starting from January 22, 2023 and ending on February 9, 2024.

The Y8 Mandarin class trip to China Town gave students a chance to practise their language skills and learn more about Chinese culture.

‘In China Town, we learned new Chinese characters and got help from native Chinese speakers. We had delicious food which made it a wonderful experience for me.’ Doga

‘We had a chance to talk to people to get answers to our questions then we had lunch where the majority used chopsticks. I went into an awesome bakery where the cakes were like clouds. I recommend you go there to get a custard bun.’ Chaomel

‘We did a treasure hunt where we asked people like shop assistants questions in Mandarin about the Year of the Rabbit and how they celebrate. We met so many kind people who gladly answered our questions and they were impressed with our Mandarin. We had

Back at school, the Yrs 7 and 9 Mandarin classes had a stomach-satisfying time, making and devouring delicious dumplings.

‘My favourite thing was the fact that when some of us needed help (especially with chopping the onions) we would slowly guide them, so they understood what to do. This helped us enjoy the activity even more. We all collaborated on one or more things, and Miss Jia was always making sure we were safe and protected during the process.’ Elanur, 7EO

‘Miss Jia gave us all the ingredients and we washed, chopped and mixed the ground beef, onions and lettuce. We then got the dumpling dough parcels, filled them, and folded them neatly. After that, we placed them neatly in a pan of boiling water and waited for a bit. Everyone made their own and people with special dietary requirements were provided with the ingredients. At the end we all ate them, they were very tasty!’ Ivan, 7EO

Thank you to Ivan for using his Petchey award grant to replenish our calligraphy resources.

an amazing experience.’ Makda

We all enjoyed the vibrant New Year decorations that our Mandarin students displayed around the school – they used their calligraphy skills to great effect.

A treasure of Chinese traditional art

Calligraphy club runs every Wednesday lunch time. You do not have to study Mandarin to take part. Here you can see Katie and Erin from our Y7 Mandarin group showing the characters they have learned to write – all are expressions related to nature, such as mountain, water, moon and river.

‘Chinese calligraphy is a treasure of Chinese traditional art. It should be practised many times according to certain strokes. In this process, people’s patience can also be cultivated. It is a unique and amazing art. These pictures are beautifully written. The girls used specialist pencils, rice paper and medium-sized brushes and ink, as well as brush copybooks.’ Ms Zhang

‘I have enjoyed learning to make the brushstrokes in the correct way. You have to add them in a certain order, and sometimes you need to leave a stroke to dry before adding another.’ Katie

‘Chinese characters have developed through the ages. For example, those written by people in the Qing dynasty looked more like the objects they represented than the modern ones we use today.’ Erin

Journey to the East – A Voyage of Discovery

Mandarin Chinese opens up a world of opportunity – it connects speakers with an exciting and dynamic culture as well as boosting career opportunities. We deliver the Mandarin Excellence Programme (MEP) with funding and support provided throughout by the UCL Institute of Education and the British Council.

Year 10 MEP students are one of the year groups most affected by the pandemic as they have been unable to go to China. ‘Journey to the East – A Voyage of Discovery’ was a large-scale event held in March that was designed to keep students motivated and thinking about the study of Mandarin beyond Year 11.

‘The event offered us many fascinating experiences – from gaining new knowledge to bonding with classmates. We were first presented with a mind-blowing performance of two traditional Chinese musical pieces. From professors at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and King’s College London we learnt about the history and politics of China –the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the

The year of hope

Opium War to modern day China and President Xi (including opinions about him), and how civilians in China are trying to make it a better place.

‘We learned about Chinese internet literature – over half the population spend their time reading and writing novels in unusual genres. We were introduced to China’s often overlooked animation sector and the treatment of nature and

animals in Chinese animation, which is what makes it special.

‘As a bonus, we tasted new Chinese dishes and learned about Chinese dinner etiquette at a popular Chinese restaurant in the centre of Birmingham.

‘The event has not only left us with more knowledge about Chinese culture but also given us memories to keep.’ Jerica, 10BH

Sailing is still going strong at GCA...

...with our younger students out on the West Reservoir every week getting to grips with dinghies. At the other end of the age range, trail blazing senior crew are seriously considering maritime careers. For all ages, there are exciting challenges, opportunities to gain qualifications – and lots of fun! Why wouldn’t you want to have a go?

‘I have learnt a lot already – how to set up sails, tie knots and put the boat in the water safely. I’ve also learnt about onshore and offshore winds. It’s easier sailing with another person because you can balance the weight, but, if you want to challenge yourself, you need to go solo. I’m 100% determined to carry on sailing.’ Kristof,

8AM

At Grafham Water Centre, sailors develop their skills on dinghies but there’s so much more to do – high ropes, archery, biking – to name just three of the challenging activities.

‘My time at Grafham was such a fun experience. There were so many exciting activities that we got to do such as sailing, bushcraft and high ropes. At first, some of the activities did seem intimidating but we still had fun doing them. I’d love to visit again.’ William, 7KT

Venturing further afield, there’s a chance to sail on GCA’s yacht Scaramouche, and with the UK Sailing Academy (UKSA) in the Solent. Lucas, 9JA, has sailed on Scaramouche three times and has been perfecting his skills with UKSA:

‘I most enjoy steering – the wheel is huge! I’ve learned all about winds and how to handle the spinnaker.

At UKSA I’ve learned more about what to do in different wind and tidal conditions.’

Early days – Y8s at the West Reservoir

Year 9s on Scaramouche

In March 10 Y8 girls and two teachers enjoyed a 5-day voyage on the training vessel Prolific with the Ocean Youth Trust, sailing 124 nautical miles and earning RYA Start Yachting certificates.

After a few hours’ sleep on the first night, they were up at 4am, the plus side being that they had a chance to helm in the dark. After a challenging passage to Chesil Beach, the watch leaders ran environmental sessions where the crew learned about pollution in the sea and designed blades for wind turbines – a terrific opportunity to further their STEM engagement.

Going strong

On Wednesday it was a more civilised start and a much easier downwind passage to Cowes – steering, going on the bowsprit and practising knots. Heading back to Southampton, the girls did an abandon ship drill and a few gybes, then took charge of the pilotage, making VHF calls for themselves.

The worse part of the trip? All but one were sick!

‘The girls were amazing – so resilient. Usually, Prolific doesn’t set sail in anything above a Force 5 wind but it was consistently Force 7. The team were amazed that there were no complaints about the early starts.’ Ms Stevenson

‘They were a lovely group, very well-behaved and co-operative … and there was lots of laughter on board.’ Diggory, Skipper

‘I enjoyed myself so much to the point where I didn’t want to come home and that says a lot. I would love to go sailing again, preferably on the same boat. The crew were all awesome and I just had a fantastic time.’ Chaomel

With Royal Yacht Association qualifications achieved, committed sailors get experience sailing a variety of boats, including e-boats, mini tonners, lasers and keelboats, as well as a chance to compete in races.

Congratulations to Keturah, Lizmer, Bronte, Chaomel, Sarah, Caitlin, Havin, Nicoleta, Daria and Sofia. The ever so positive feedback the school received about all of you fills us with pride.

Many thanks to Ms Stevenson and Ms Chamberlain, without whom the trip could not have happened.

Racing brings its thrills as well as testing challenges, especially when the weather does not work in your favour. So, congratulations to all the sailors, who have battled the elements to achieve these excellent results...

H Exceptional success for the boys’ senior team in the laser youth national championships. Kai Hockley won the Radial Silver Fleet and Christopher-Joel Frederick won the trophy for most improved.

H First place in class and first over the line for the girls on Scaramouche in the Nab Tower race.

H Second place for the girls on Scaramouche in the ASTO race.

H In the ‘Round the Island’ race around the Isle of Wight, a crew of five boys were rewarded with four trophies: overall winner, 1st young skipper boat, 1st school boat and 1/4 tonner class.

H Y11 boys won the Island Sailing Club Christchurch Bay Race.

Christchurch Bay winners Nab Tower winners

Laser team – Jessye, ChristopherJoel, Jaydon and Kai

Laser racing

Congratulations to Kai, Jaydon, Christopher-Joel and Jessye on winning the Next Generation Award at the AON Etchells World Championships.

The route to the championships in Miami in April was tough. In the qualifying races in the Solent, the crew battled against a fleet of 56 with current and former Olympians and world champions. Their performance and final rankings won them the Youth Cup and a place in the Worlds.

Four months of training followed, with the aim of refining speed and tactics. In their free time they focused on raising the funds needed to compete and were given a boost by the tremendous response to their radio and television interviews and an article in The Times, which praised their and Mr Holt’s commitment and attitude:

‘I spend a lot of time in Cowes and see Jon and the boys and girls of Greig CA getting out on the water before everyone else, whatever the weather and throughout the year. The kids love it and are so grateful for the opportunity to get to do this.’ Just one of many comments.

Other competitors went out of their way to support the GCA crew. Some of the best sailors in the world offered advice on rig tune, sail shape, tactics and other technical issues.

‘All the people in the class are really welcoming. If you have any problems or questions, they are more than happy to help. The Etchells is a complicated boat and there is so much you must do to get the speed. We try to gain as much knowledge as possible from the more experienced teams.’ Jaydon

With heartfelt thanks to David Franks and David McLean for all their support and encouragement and for their help with fund raising and organisational matters.

Sailing away from GCA

The contact senior crew have had with professionals has given them an insight into careers in the maritime sector and, at the time of writing, two students have just taken up job offers.

Christopher-Joel Frederick has a permanent job on a superyacht – Firebird – and is already making a good impression:

Christopher-Joel

‘He’s keen, eager and shows a great willingness to learn from his colleagues. It’s a big change stepping onto boats this size compared to what he is used to, but he has taken it in his stride and continues to grow, learn, and improve.’ Tristan, Second Officer

‘Despite extremely challenging competition, the boys battled hard and did incredibly well. They fully deserve their award.’ Mr Holt

Competing at the Worlds

The Next Generation

...the crew battled against a fleet of 56 with current and former Olympians and world champions...

Jaydon Owusu has been busy amassing maritime engineering qualifications in between qualifying events for the Etchells World Championships.

With the South West Maritime Academy, Jaydon passed his STCW course – a professional qualification in standards at sea for super yachts. In London Docklands, he took a RYA Diesel Engine Course, finished at 6.30pm, then headed to Euston to take the sleeper to Glasgow Maritime Academy where he took his PDSD (Proficiency in Designated Security Duties) course. Then it was on to his advanced engineering courses, the AEC1/2, which are designed to provide the skills and knowledge needed to become a certified engine mechanic.

A busy schedule, but did all that hard work pay off?

A resounding YES! Jaydon passed all his tests with flying colours and has since qualified as a powerboat and jet ski instructor.

All the senior girls – Patience, Klaudia, Hazal, Jasmine, Samiya and Lyonelle – have been doing first aid, powerboat, and dinghy instructor training.

Samiya will be in Y13 in September and fully intends to carry on sailing:

‘When I passed my dinghy instructor course, I got a job at the West Reservoir. I have a Powerboat Level 2 licence and am training on e-boats, getting ready for races. I got into sailing through my sister and have been really well supported by Ms Saunders and Mr Holt. I like being part of a group of girls, training and racing together – everyone enjoys themselves.’

Going strong

Another experienced sailor, Patience Adediran, will be leaving GCA in summer. Will she be pursuing a maritime career?

‘No, I am set on architecture and have offers from four universities. My initial preference was Loughborough because the course has a placement year, but I’m also considering The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, which is ranked 1st in the world.

‘On my first voyage on the Ocean Youth Trust training ship with other sixth formers, officers were so impressed that they arranged for us to do a course to become qualified staff. This was an exciting opportunity as it meant I would be capable of teaching younger sailors. We learned many new skills and I am sure that the teamwork and organisational skills I’ve developed through sailing will be of great benefit at university.’

Recently, three of the girls, with alumna Daniela, jumped at the chance to sail again on Prolific with younger students. Many thanks to the Ocean Youth Trust for giving the girls such valuable opportunities to develop their leadership skills. It has also been great to have Daniela Musabi back with us, carrying on the grand tradition of GCA alumni coming back year after year to support school activities.

Jaydon

Patience

Samiya (at back) with Jasmine on their instructor course

Three cheers for the clean-up squad

After a hard winter of snow, hail, sleet, rain and wind, our boat garden needed a lot of tender loving care before we could start planting again, so the clean-up squad got to work.

Thank you to Ms Bailey’s students – Stephany, Destiny, Dimitri, Lucas, Jack, Bartek, Baileigh and Hope – for all their hard (and heavy) work clearing the plot, weeding and re-filling the boats with soil ready for planting fruit, herbs and vegetables and for sowing wildflower seeds.

The next stage – see if you can unscramble these strings to work out some of the plants the team chose:

licrag

VIW – Very Important Worms

‘We want our plants to be well nourished, so we thought it would be good to learn more about the way worms produce a natural fertiliser. We bought a wormery and fed organic matter to the worms. The waste they expel from their gut is called a cast, which makes a valuable type of fertiliser.’ Hope and Jack

Hope and Jack have set you a test. Which of the items listed below can you add to the wormery and which are absolutely forbidden?

Banana skins

Citrus fruit

Tea leaves

Chilli

Garlic Crushed eggshells

Dairy foods Fish

Near the tomatoes, we planted marigolds. These flowers give off a distinctive smell that whitefly hate, so planting them under tomatoes helps keep this pest at bay. Feeding time

The clean-up squad

Marking out

Scattering soil on the wildflower seeds

Onion planting

Positioning strawberry supports

a hard winter of snow...

Experimenting with hydroponics

Hydroponics is the science of growing plants without using soil. There are plenty of advantages to growing hydroponically over soil-based gardening, including the ability to grow more plants in a smaller space, fewer pests to worry about, and no weeding.

Thanks to a grant from the Jack Petchey Foundation we are expanding our beekeeping activities.

Environmental Award Winners

Ms Ramirez bought a kit with her Leader Award grant and we’ve started experimentinglet’s just say it’s work in progress!

Ms Ramirez also bought a food dehydrator so we had a go at making fruit and vegetable crisps.

Zaid, 8EW, worked hard at the task, even though he was not able to try any of the snacks because he was fasting for Ramadan.

When the boxes of new equipment arrived, Mr Hilmi eagerly unwrapped the observational hive – a hive with glass on both sides. Our bees will not spend all their time in it. Whenever we want to learn more about the bees, we’ll take a frame out of one of the larger hives and insert it into the observational hive for a short time so that all the day-to-day activities of the bees may be observed without disrupting or irritating them. They will go back home after these working holidays!

The Jack Petchey Foundation introduced these awards this year and we are delighted that two of our students are deserving winners. Charles, 10CA, was nominated by Mr Hilmi for his work building hives, bird boxes and bug hotels. Charles used his grant to buy a smart 4g wildlife camera, which automatically detects movements and takes pictures in 0.5 seconds. We hope to capture pictures and videos of creatures in our wildlife garden, which can then be uploaded on screens around the school for all to see.

Here you can see Charles setting up, programming and positioning the camera.

Ms Wolsey’s group assessed the results for appearance, colour, aroma, texture and flavour – mixed views emerged. No one fruit came out top, but they were all enjoyed by some appreciative teachers.

‘Just had some Year 8s bring around dehydrated strawberries! How excellent �� well done!!’ Ms Ramirez

You can see four of the team introducing themselves to one of our colonies here. Apparently, one of the bees is called Timothy!

Zora won an award for her environmental activities outside school. With her grant, she generously bought Friends of the Earth bee saver kits, which included wildflower seeds for sowing in the school gardens.

Charles is responsible for recruiting new students to the beekeeping team, so Zora explained how the bee saver kits could help him in his task.

Varnishing the observational hive

Introduction to the observational hive

Y7 teams have been building a hive from stratch.

Mr Appollis and sixth form scientists are in charge and they are hoping to introduce sticklebacks soon. Check our website for news later this year.

The Big Garden Birdwatch – the world’s largest citizen science project

Let’s hear from our resident ornithophile, Dr Cholij...

During the final weekend of January every year more than half a million people in the UK spend an hour observing and recording the birds in their garden. The results are submitted to the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), who analyse the data to see which birds are faring well and which not so. Launched in 1979, the Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. It was joined by the Big Schools’ Watch in 2002, and pupils from GCA have participated in this survey for several years.

This year we decided to venture outside of the school grounds. In late April, a group of Year 10 students carried out a survey of the pond in Finsbury Park. My personal records of the pond from previous years suggested we should have seen lots of goslings. However, due to an unseasonably cool April, we saw just two Mallard ducklings. Nevertheless, we saw a plethora of adult birds in resplendent breeding beauty. These included Canada, Greylag and Egyptian Geese, Pochards, Red-Crested Pochards, Tufted Ducks, Gadwall, Mallard, Little Grebe, Coots, Moorhens, a Mute Swan, Heron and Pied Wagtail.

Here are some photographs of birds we saw. How many can you identify?

Work is ongoing to give our pond a clean over to improve its health and appearance.

...launched in 1979, the Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey...

What is important in nature?

‘Being close to water. It’s good for your body and health.’

‘Trees. We need them to breathe. I like climbing them too.’

‘The quietness and all the animals.’

‘Vegetation – bushes and trees. I like fog.’

Just some of the thoughts of 14 students from Years 7 to 12 who took part in a consultation workshop run by Georgia Prasad for the Alexandra Park and Palace Trust. Georgia, an experienced forest school leader, consulted the group as part of a feasibility study for a new wetland in the park and she was keen for students to feed in their ideas.

A little green island in the heart of London

On a chilly afternoon we visited Railway Fields Nature Reserve. It was a long walk from GCA to Haringey Green Lanes but fun and interesting to see a hidden, tiny, green space with lot of wild animals and shelters for them. It was good to learn about nature in an outdoor space, the amount of green space that is out there, all the species that are there, the little creatures that live there and their habitats and the many interesting ways in which local volunteers protect this little green island in the heart of London. We also saw a train close by on the old train track from the 19th century.

In touch with nature

After checking out the proposed site and discussing what they like to do outdoors, students were split into two groups to rank six statements about wetlands from most to least important:

A home (habitat) for plants and animals

A place to explore with my family

A place to play and be with my friends

A place to sit quietly and help me feel good

A place to watch and explore animals and plants

A place to learn about and care for nature.

Lots of interesting views were expressed in a lively discussion. Some focused on visiting to see nature and felt that animals and plants make the area interesting. Others wanted to visit with family and friends – they said the area was pleasant and a safe place to be, a good place to catch up.

Here’s how Georgia summed up their views:

‘Overall, the groups felt the wetland was highly valuable to species but they didn’t want it to be left entirely to nature. They saw themselves interacting with the space – actively through learning and with family and friends, but in a considerate and careful way.’

And here are some of the activities students said they already enjoyed in the outdoors: cycling (very popular this one), climbing trees, football, walking a dog, running, and from Daniela: ‘I like to crochet in the park. It’s quiet, I watch people as they go past.’

Thank you to Ms Ramirez for organising and to these students for contributing to this important study.

Y12 Daniela and Adrian

Y11 Arthur, Tianna, Alphie and Vitorio

Y9 Jessica

Y8 Aliya, Lizmer, Ali, Mohammed and Jeremiah

Y7 Elias and Yusuf

The nature reserve is ecologically important in the city as it protects biodiversity. It is amazing how communities can work together to provide living space for animals and keep protecting them. We also learnt that Railway Fields is run by TCV conservation volunteers who have been dedicated to reclaiming green spaces since 1959. It was a good day out with Ms Takacs and we hope to see more nature reserves in the future.

With thanks to Havin, Alisha, Elif, Klaudia, Olivia, Vangelitsa, Mariam, Natali and Jakub for this account.

There is so much to see, do and learn about in London

In a thought-provoking workshop at the British Library, A-Level English Literature students discovered the rich history of Black writing and literature through a range of Black British texts including novels, poetry and plays.

‘We were introduced to writers from the last 400 years, some more familiar than others. It was interesting to learn just how long Black British writers have been practising their art as well as getting an insight into the struggles they have faced, and still face, to get their writing published.’ Sheeba

A big selling point

Sixth former Lee tells us about a trip for business studies students to the London institute of Banking and Finance (LIBF):

A rewarding reward trip

GCA’s Maths Ambassadors programme is a leadership initiative designed to motivate, inspire and develop students’ leadership potential through opportunities to teach maths to younger pupils and reflect on their own learning. Yrs 9 and 10 mathematicians gave a warm welcome each week to Y5 pupils from Rokesly Junior School, garnering praise from pupils and teachers alike.

‘Banking is the career path I’m aiming for, so this visit helped me considerably in confirming this is the best HE institution for me. LIBF has a better employability rate than Russell group universities and its range of networking events makes it one of a kind. GCA alumni, now at LIBF, talked about their experiences and the chances they now have – ranging from an internship with the international investment bank Blackrock through to a chance to work with global leaders JP Morgan. Big names in the finance sector, such as the Governor of the Bank of England, are involved in the institution – for me, that’s a big selling point.’

As a reward, the ambassadors visited the Houses of Parliament, where they had a chance to listen to a debate in the House of Lords. Iman, 9JA, was impressed:

‘Even though I’m not that interested in politics, I felt privileged to be able to see how Parliament works and watch something that would be live on TV. They had fun tasks for us to complete that taught us about the events that have taken place in the House of Lords and the House of Commons – places I have never seen before.’ Iman, 9JA

A fun experience in Camden for business studies’ students

‘Our visit to Trap Kitchen, a restaurant in Camden, was an interesting experience. We tried recipes that Prince, the owner-chef, had created and we learnt how he was able to achieve everything he had done. He shared some tips with us, and advice on how to save money and build a business so that if we ever wanted to follow in his footsteps and own a restaurant or business, we could. We also learnt that Trap is an acronym for ‘To Rise Above Potential’. It was a fun experience.’ Igor, 10CV

Exploring Black British Literature

Lee

Off to the Tower

‘The EAL Paired Reading Club was formed with two main purposes in mind – to help students with English as an additional language (EAL) read more fluently and to bring EAL and non EAL students closer. As a reward, club members visited the Tower of London where they dazzled with their detailed knowledge of the Norman period.’ Ms Onoszko

In May, another group of EAL students explored the Tower with Ms Irakleidou and Ms Elliott.

A group of Year 10 girls enjoyed an International Women’s Day Event run by the Sun on Sunday at London Bridge in March.

TV Personality Vanessa Feltz led a panel discussion about female empowerment and women in the workplace, featuring a government minister with a remit to address violence against women, a Love Island competitor turned businesswoman, and Nicola Adams, Olympic boxer.

‘The panel members were open about themselves and the issues under discussion. Everyone gave very full answers to our questions. I also enjoyed the guided tour of the Sun newsrooms and Times Radio with the various departments such as fashion, sports, and news.’ Nevaeh, 10PM

Capital treats

The Samsung Digital Discovery Centre at the British Museum introduced a group of Year 7s to Greek gods and goddesses with the help of digital technologies. They visited the Ancient Greek galleries, where they took part in multi-sensory activities to learn about temples and investigate themes of worship, art and architecture.

Thinking about what they had learned, they developed their own artwork using a green screen and digital image editing to blend images of themselves with ancient Greek sculptures. ‘We learned about Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, and Hephaestus, the god of fire and patron of blacksmiths and metalworkers. We touched and smelled ancient objects like a vase, incense, and a piece of cloth. In the galleries we used iPads to take photos of the scenes on the Parthenon Sculptures. It was fun to use a green screen to take pictures of ourselves imitating the people on the sculptures.’

Sofia, 7HT

‘Hearing other women talk openly about how they have overcome their struggles and advising us how to believe in ourselves created an intimate atmosphere. I learnt that being able to share and communicate with other people is another way of helping one another and that there are always people out there who are willing to help and listen to you. I believe this event will help us express our thoughts and opinions openly and thoroughly.’

Lydia, 10IC

Shakespeare’s Othello, by Frantic Assembly at the Lyric Hammersmith, was a masterclass in physical theatre. Malica, Helin and Emmett shared their opinions on the production, staging and performances:

‘An extraordinary, riveting experience full of dimension and character. My favourite scenes at the end were full of suspense and physicality.’ Malica

‘I loved the portable and transformable set; from a mismatched pub to the dark city streets it made the show even more relevant and intriguing.’ Helin

‘There could not be a more physically thrilling scene than the opening number where we find Othello, Cassio, Rodrigo and Iago introducing themselves through techniques such as hugs, assisted lifts and fluid gestures.’ Emmett

Locally, drama students were inspired by two productions at the Park Theatre:

‘SUS was captivating because it centred around a topic that haunts our crumbling society and had a racially diverse cast. The actors had amazing voice control, characterisation and facial expression, all of which has helped me in my own performances.’

Daniela, Y12

Romeo and Juliet

Indomitable women

Sixth form history and drama students were lucky to get sought-after tickets for Sylvia at the Old Vic. This history of the women’s suffrage movement had sparkling choreography, with characters breaking out contemporary dance moves as the troubled relationship between Sylvia Pankhurst and her mother Emmeline, indomitable head of the Suffragette movement, was explored.

‘The show was a musical phenomenon, the quality of the acting, dancing and singing was top tier, and the inclusive casting elevated it above all others.’ Johnson ‘Brilliant! I loved the subject matter and the historical accuracy. My favourite part was the many genres of music and the dances.’ Muhammad

Even more locally – in our assembly hall – Y9 students enjoyed a performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet followed by a workshop and Q&A session with Box Clever Theatre Company.

‘Students were incredibly engaged with the performances and really enjoyed how interactive they were – full of atmospheric music, lighting, stage combat and impressive stagecraft from the super talented and energetic cast of three. There were lots of vocal responses, particularly to Juliet’s and Mercutio’s violent deaths and to the convincing onstage kissing, which led to students learning about the idea of an intimacy co-ordinator who carefully choreographs the romantic scenes during rehearsals to make sure they are all above board.’

Ms Bullock

Max and Emmanuella, 9JA, bravely agreed to take part in the workshop, where the audience was asked to consider whether Romeo and Juliet were truly in love. Max even got to speak a few lines as Tybalt during the performance.

Max

‘King Hamlin was a conflicting and emotional journey, which involved a lot of personal development for the characters as they faced tests of friendship, identity, love, manhood and personal choice.’ Nyomie, Y10

‘I’ve performed in a few productions to large audiences and was completely confident doing this.’ Max

With many thanks to the cast and production team – Koko, Kiara, Elliot and Pip.

Staying with London, let’s hear about the theatre visits that gave students inspiration for their own performances and enhanced their critical thinking skills.

and Emmanuella

Malica, Helin and Emmett

A trip to see King Hamlin

In May, Ms Bullock and Ms Stevenson took GCA debaters to the Bloomsbury School of Law to take part in the Debate Mate Cup. This was the culmination of their Debate Mate course, which started in September.

‘The two teams won half of the debates they took part in, and they were so enthused, motivated and excited by the day. There was some seriously stiff competition and they properly rose to the challenge. It really was about the taking part and not the winning. The day culminated in the Debate Mate Cup Final between two schools, performed in front of everyone. We got to see some more experienced debaters at work, and it was cool to see how confident, dexterous and quick thinking they were under pressure.’

In the three rounds our debaters have taken part in, they have put the case for and against motions on topics including strikes, plastic surgery, the monarchy, and compulsory maths – all very much regularly in the news.

It is no small task arguing for a proposal you do not agree with! So very well done to our debaters:

We must not forget one of the stars of the show...

‘There was also a “show-debate” with the illustrious Ms Stevenson bravely getting up to participate in front of a whole auditorium of pupils, teachers, and employees of Janice Henderson (the investment management company which sponsors Debate Mate) on the opposition side of the motion, The house believes that all children 12+ should have a credit card.

‘This was super inspiring and motivating for students, seeing their teacher get up and speak passionately and confidently in exactly the way they are being taught and encouraged to do. Go Miss!

‘Ivan was timekeeper for this debate, so it was a serious case of GCA representation.

‘It was one of the greatest experiences – I learned so much about tactics.’ Arman

You can see Ivan and Arman here in full flow, and the group making the official gesture you do when you put forward a ‘POI’ (Point of Information) to rebut another team’s point.

‘Overall, it was a brilliant day. Thank you to the Greig Trust for funding this valuable experience for students this last year. It has developed such useful transferable life skills and been brilliant for their confidence.’

Ms Bullock

Ms Bullock

Ivan Arman

Nicol, 9SD Erin, Ivan and Elanur, 7EO

Adedamilola, 8LC Arman, 9HJ Guilherme, 9SP Istarliin, 8EW

Point of Information

Ms Stevenson

News from the Black Lives Matter/Black History Club

‘Congratulations to Samantha, Y11, Shamari, Y10 and Adedamilola, Y8, on winning awards for their outstanding contributions to the BLMBH club. The prizes were awarded by documentary maker and director, Greg McKenzie, from the BBC. Greg was hugely impressed with the activities and the impact of the club on the school and local community.

‘To the delight of everyone present, our school governors, Andrea Henry and Jasmyn Ross, congratulated and awarded prizes to Mr Swaby and Ms Fraser (in abstentia) for their inspirational leadership and hard work and thanked all the teachers and others who have supported and contributed to the weekly sessions.

‘It was a beautiful event to celebrate each and every member of the club. We are grateful to the governors who attended and to Greg McKenzie whose life story and empathy is such an inspiration to everyone who meets him.’

Ms Sheridan

Your move!

‘Chess club has been running every Thursday lunchtime in DF04 since 2020. Everybody is welcome and it doesn’t matter if you have never played before. Chess is a game that takes five minutes to learn and a lifetime to master. Your move!’

Mr Horner

Here are just a few of the other clubs regularly running at GCA:

Art, drama, calligraphy, music, bees, reptiles, gardening, ecological, robotics, Arduino, enterprise, STEM, neuroscience, Amnesty, history, Black History, Rainbow, EAL paired reading, library activities, debating, Eucharist, Muslim Jummah Prayer, chess, sailing, dance, fitness, trampolining, badminton, rounders, netball, athletics, boxing and all the balls (foot, net, volley, dodge).

Let’s not forget all the homework clubs.

‘I have loved playing chess since a very young age.’ Eric, 9HJ

‘You can have a thoughtful game with your friends.’ Anthony, 9SP

‘It makes you think hard about what you are going to do.’ Yi Fu, 9HJ

On a more pessimistic note: ‘You always have a chance to lose.’ Pavel, 9HJ

Nicolas, 8ET, set up a puzzle club and has been teaching Rubik’s Cube strategies.

How many have you joined?

Do you have any great ideas for a new club?

Could you set one up yourself as Nicolas has done?

Samantha Shamari

Adedamilola

Mr Swaby with Andrea Henry

Time for a snack

Nicolas (left in picture)

Teamwork

Congratulations to six members of the Enterprise Club, Alexandra, Mason, David, Annie, Drishika and Jason, who carried off the Teamwork award at the Young Enterprise Company of the Year North London Final.

‘The competition was an ideal opportunity for students to showcase their products, talents, skills, and their journey in setting up a business. Hard work and commitment were the key to their success.’ Mrs Arhagba

Club members had a chance to perfect their baking, decorating and packaging skills as well as refining their organisational and teamwork skills in the Easter holiday school.

They were joined by eager pupils from Belmont, St Mary’s and Rokesly primaries:

‘Mathilda loved being at your school – and loved the school!’ Belmont Year 5 parent

‘Young Enterprise allowed me to experience the behind-the-scenes of what it takes to run and maintain a successful business.’ Mason

‘The experience encouraged me to reach out to try more things that will push me forward and learn things I never would without taking these kinds of opportunities.’ Jason

‘If I were to recommend young enterprise, I would say it takes a lot of work, but it will pay out. You must be willing to put in the effort.’ Annie

‘I developed a stronger connection with my team members as we spent a lot of time together.’ Drishika

‘I would definitely recommend Young Enterprise to people who are looking to develop their skills as well as having a good reference on their CV.’ Alexandra

‘YE allowed me to learn to take responsibilities for my actions. Whenever we lacked organisation and time management, there was always a consequence.’ David

On a less pressurised day, the team raised funds for Children in Need with their Easter bake sale.

Easter nests Pizza prep

Chocolate hearts –are they sending a message?

The icing on the cake

Shakara – chief quality controller Production line

Shaping Easter biscuits

...showcase their products, talents, skills...

Searching questions

Professionals from organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors fielded searching questions at our third annual Careers Networking Event.

‘Congratulations to the amazing Maureen Arhagba, Careers Leader, for another hugely successful event. Students from Years 9, 10 & 12 were able to gain valuable insight, and inspiration about their own next steps, with the opportunity to interact with many different people and learn about potential career pathway opportunities.’ Karen Pollard, Enterprise Coordinator, Central London Careers Hub

Comments from our visitors showed that students had taken Mrs Arhagba’s advice to heart:

‘I am impressed with the way your students are engaging with the activity. I’m keen to get them thinking about the wide variety of careers they will find in organisations such as ours – medical, obviously, and fund-raising because we are a charity. But there are all the “hidden” jobs such as human resources, logistics, finance, and social media management.’ Rhiannon Evans, London Air Ambulance

Mrs Arhagba reminded students that the visitors were ‘also here to meet you and find out about your interests, skills, and future ambitions. Networking is just as much speaking about yourself as listening to others.’

‘Every student that came to my table provided me with a conversation full of value and insight.’ Asif Ahmed, Barclays PLC

‘The young people were so engaged and asked some wonderful questions.’ Can O, Barclays PLC

GCA alumnus Joseph Simeon, who is now an investment banker, was impressed with one Y9 student: ‘He has already mapped out his route to

becoming a vet. He’ll be taking triple science next year and has researched university courses and job prospects in detail. He knows what he wants and I’m sure he’ll keep on track.’

Akilah, Fatmata and Annalee, 8SR, are three of the students who were tasked with supporting the event: ‘We had time to listen to some of the discussions and pick up snippets of information that are going to be useful when we start seriously thinking about our careers.’ Accountancy, finance, and paediatrics are current front runners for the girls, but they are keeping all options open.

New STEM career paths

Students from Years 8, 9 and 10 covered a lot of ground – intellectually and on foot – when they visited the Science Museum in February.

The interactive ‘Technicians: David Sainsbury Gallery’ introduced them to new STEM career paths, particularly those available through the apprenticeship route. The medical collections in the Wellcome Galleries showed how ideas about health and medicine have changed throughout history to the present day, and there was just enough time to check out the Space Galleries.

Let’s read some comments on the day...

‘A technical simulating engineer for the NHS enthusiastically presented his job, demonstrating an animatronic doll which could be controlled to train trainee doctors and nurses. We heard about the advantages of his job, such as not needing a medical degree, keeping in mind the average length of medical studies is a decade.’ Daniel A, 8SR

‘Because we could touch many of the objects you could work out how to do the things people do in their jobs, and what materials they use. I also learnt how to make a power circuit run, which was fun.’ Francesca, 8SR

‘My favourite was the exhibition on medicine because I felt freer to learn in my own way. It was also nice to listen to professionals about their experiences. In the bioengineering workshop, our presenter explained how scientists use cryocrate and microtome machines to manipulate items, for example putting DNA from cheese into a carrot.’

Mesgana, 9HJ

Step into the NHS

The Y8 STEM class have been researching just a few of the 350 careers available in the NHS, using resources designed to raise career aspirations and develop skills sets. They also designed a presentation or poster for the Step into the NHS competition.

‘I learned about the qualities required for working in the medical field. One of the most important things is how strong the mental state of a doctor must be calm in stressful situations – they need quick problem-solving, leadership and communication skills.’ Diya

‘I learned that research is important, and you can’t do something without getting to know about it beforehand. In every single career in the NHS, you must work hard and have a cool mindset.’ Laiyna

‘Options I considered were speech therapists and jobs like network manager or gardeners who play a huge part in the NHS, but I chose to look at the role of paediatrician in depth because I have an interest in this career.’ Annalee

‘I learnt that there are many jobs that are not directly associated with medicine, but still improve patients’ wellbeing. All the skills on my poster can be applied to daily life – not just any specific job.’ Nomuunaa

Career pathways

The value of virtual work experience

Location is not a limiting factor with virtual placements. They open possibilities to explore new jobs and sectors in areas that may not have been possible under face-to-face arrangements. Another advantage is that remote working is likely to be important to many businesses in the future, so learning how to conduct business and work online will develop extremely valuable skills for the modern workplace.

In March, Y10 Students took up opportunities to find about more about careers in areas such as the NHS, construction, hospitality, engineering, transport, housing, media, the law, utilities and much more. They all completed two compulsory courses on FutureLearn Schools, earning a certificate on completion of the course.

8SR

Taking a stand

GCA students and staff were appalled by the hateful and racist online abuse directed at top player Bukayo Saka of Arsenal after a match in April – abuse which quickly went viral.

‘We just wanted to tell Saka we’re with him.’ Arda

Mr Bird was keen to send him a clear message of support, positivity and solidarity in the face of racism and hatred and hundreds of pupils and staff were in total agreement. We signed an open letter, which was sent to Arsenal Football Club. AFC replied with a much-appreciated message from ‘one family to another’ and a signed shirt, dedicated ‘to the pupils and staff of Greig City Academy’.

With thanks to Nafi, Y10, Arda and Ilayda, Y11, for collecting the signatures so swiftly.

We are extremely proud

For many years, Mrs Arhagba, our Head of Work-Related Learning, has worked with the Stemettes, an award-winning social enterprise, to inspire and support GCA students as they learn about STEM and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) pathways and careers.

We are proud to announce that, in honour of the Stemettes’ 10th birthday celebration, Mrs Arhagba has been chosen as a Stemettes Hero in recognition of ‘her incredible dedication to empowering the next generation of STEM superstars.’

The Stemettes’ team praise the way Mrs Arhagba has nurtured a sense of curiosity and awareness amongst students, particularly about underrepresented people in the world of STEM and their global contributions: ‘She is a shining example of an exceptional teacher who goes above and beyond to support students’ STEM learning and engagement.’

GCA’s partnership with the Stemettes continues and we are looking forward to the big 10th birthday celebration in July.

Good news about our Young Enterprise Team

All six are now registered Young Enterprise Alumni, have gained 40 UCAS points, and can use their YE work and award towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award. Effort leads to rewards.

Yet another sailing achievement

When Jaydon and Christopher-Joel embarked on their maritime careers, Mr Holt had to decide who should take their place in the Etchells crew, joining Kai and Jessye.

Congratulations to Year 10 students, Corneille and Felipe, on gaining their places, and well done to this new crew on their well-deserved 3rd place in the Sir Kenneth Preston Trophy after nine races in three days in extremely challenging conditions. We look forward to lots more challenges and successes for the crew.

Ms Karsan and her specially-trained team extracted honey from the frames, strained it, and filled and labelled gold-top jars before packaging them. Now for the honey sale of the year!

In June, we were delighted to welcome pupils from Belmont Junior School for a workshop led by Dahlia, Charles and Mssrs Hilmi, Porter and Bird.

Dahlia, one of the founders of the bee club, explained why we started the activity, what we did, what we plan to do, and why bees are so vital for the health of the environment and the world’s populations.

Mr

‘Thanks to you, all the members of staff and children for the effort and organising of the fantastic experience during the visit to see the bees and beehives. The year 3 children gained so much knowledge and first-hand experience about bee and beehives, during the different activities.’

Charles is responsible for managing the teams that build and maintain the hives, so was the obvious choice to demonstrate the building skills needed.

Other comments which are (buzzing) music to our ears...

‘Kids absolutely loved it.’

‘Said it was the best thing they have ever done.’

‘They’ve been raving about it.’

‘Parents and teachers were worse than the kids in this respect.’

We shall pass these kind messages on to the bees!

Porter is, of course, our beekeeper extraordinaire! You can spot him in the huddle pictured here.

We have to squeeze in a little spoonful of news about our happily productive bees and equally productive GCA workers.

With thanks to Ms Karsan, Ms Ahmed, Mr Bird, Goda, Nadezdha, Nisanur, Martin, Rea and Yoana.

Huddle around the hive

Dahlia

Charles

Dawn Edwards, Belmont Junior School

Greig City Academy is a Church of England co-educational comprehensive school for students aged 11 to 19.

‘Show by a good life that your works are done by gentleness born of wisdom.’ James 3:13

Sponsorship

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.

GCA’s Principal Paul Sutton OBE, BSc (Hons), MA

GCA’s Chair of Governors Hugh Reynolds MA Oxon