Greig City Academy Magazine Issue 14

Title GCA

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Coming soon Building work will soon start on GCA’s new STEM centre.

The centre will host a wide range of innovative projects as well as enabling us to further develop our STEM programme for Haringey primary schools.

Keep an eye on GCA’s website www.greigcityacademy.co.uk and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

We will be reporting on progress throughout the summer.

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A letter from our Principal

Dear students, parents, carers and friends of Greig City Academy, Welcome to our school magazine. As I write, our Year 11 and Sixth Form students are about to finish their GCSE and GCE examinations. Whatever results day brings, their qualifications will be the outcome of sustained and high-quality effort 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 August day when they receive their results.

It has been another successful year for our robotics teams. Our Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 teams performed exceptionally well throughout the competition season and, in the National Finals, the Year 9 team achieved a well-deserved second place. In our capacity as the Haringey STEM Innovations Hub we hosted the borough’s first STEM Showcase in which 20 local schools demonstrated a range of exciting activities. We are now working with 12 primary schools, helping staff and pupils develop and deliver robotics programmes.

Our girls have had an amazing year! Our Years 7, 9 and senior netball teams and our Years 8 and 9 rounders teams are all Haringey League Champions. In their first year of dance, a mixed group of girls and boys saw success at borough and regional levels before going on to become UK Schools Dance Champions.

Additionally, an impressive number of students are taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, learning new skills and volunteering both in school and in the community.

Last year our senior sailing crew won praise for their outstanding performance in the Fastnet Race and in a series of keelboat races on the south coast and in Miami. The new Fastnet crew are already in training and recently enjoyed success in the Antigua Sailing Regatta. The programme continues with younger students coming through from Year 7 upwards. As most of you will know, outdoor education is an important feature of Academy life; most students will take part in at least one activity each year and will face and overcome challenges ranging from dealing with physical hardship to working collaboratively with new people. Our thanks go to all the staff involved whose commitment, dedication and organisational skills ensure these activities continue to be challenging, successful, safe and of course fun!

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

I am pleased that standards of behaviour and school uniform remain excellent and that high levels of attendance are maintained. As a result visitors continue to be impressed when they visit the Academy. I thank parents and carers for their continued commitment and support in maintaining these high standards.

Finally, I am pleased to report that we go into the next academic year with an increased intake at Year 7.

September will also see the introduction of two specialist curriculum pathways: STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths); and the Mandarin Excellence Programme.

We are all proud of the Academy and we look forward to another successful year with genuine anticipation and confidence.

I wish you all a splendid summer break.

Yours faithfully, Mr P.V. Sutton OBE

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Well done

Congratulations to the students and staff featured over the next seven pages who have excelled in so many different ways.

Outstanding for All Once again, GCA made it a double at Haringey Council’s Outstanding for All Awards.

Sixth former, Jackie Lee, took the Achievement in the Arts Award. The award recognises ‘a young person or group excelling in an art form, including visual arts, the performing arts or music.’

Jackie

Jackie incentivised his fellow students into putting a phenomenal amount of effort into a promenade production of The Great Gatsby. This was a one-off performance, co-directed by Jackie and Ms Ajoku, from which all our talented actors benefited in terms of developing technique, confidence – and staying power! A Q&A session at the end of the performance was a piece of theatre in itself.

Mr Holt, Head of Sixth Form and outdoor education, won the Councillor Egan Achievement Award.

This award recognises ‘exceptional work or achievement in the field of education, spanning primary and secondary schools.’

Mr Holt

The judges praised Mr Holt for his long-term commitment to outdoor education at GCA and, in particular, for the way he has inspired students with no sailing experience to take up the sport competitively and to compete against experienced professionals from all over the world.

Precious and Arnas, winners in the Oliver Tambo Centenary Competition To mark the centenary of the birth of Oliver Tambo, Haringey students were invited to produce work in the medium of their choice that would express the significance of his life and what he stood for.

Oliver Tambo was a South African anti-apartheid politician who served as President of the African National Congress from 1967 to 1991. He mobilised international opposition to apartheid in South Africa, much of this from the home he made in Haringey after leaving his country.

Sixth former Precious won first prize in the 14-18 category for her poem, which was described by the judges as: ‘A really impactful poem that conveys Tambo’s significance and speaks to hearts and minds in the way that Tambo did.’

Precious at the ceremony

At the award ceremony, Precious read her poem to an appreciative audience of students, parents and teachers, David Lammy MP, Lord Peter Hain and many active members of the antiapartheid movement who continue to stand up against racism.

Arnas, Year 9, received a commendation for his sculpture, which was described by the judges as: ‘A very high impact piece, which gives a good sense of what Tambo stood for.’

It took Arnas a week to create his sculpture as he had to leave time for it to dry at each stage. Definitely worth all that hard work.

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Arnas with his sculpture of Oliver Tambo

Well done

Tallow Chandlers’ bursary winners In September, we were delighted to welcome members of the Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers for a presentation of academic bursaries.

The Company is generously supporting STEMM (science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine) at GCA. This support includes academic bursaries for the highest achieving students in STEMM subjects at the end of Year 12. Provided winners take a STEMM subject at university, they will receive a further bursary during their first year.

The Master of the Tallow Chandlers, Mr James Long, presented certificates and cheques to these deserving students: The Tallow Chandlers’ bursary winners 2017 Physics

James Shatro

Chemistry

Gabriel Durojaiye

Product Design Mathematics Biology

Nebyou Alemayehu

Two students were awarded the first part of their bursary for AS results in 2015 or 2016. They have now collected the second part of their bursary, £1000, to help meet the costs of their degree course:

Arrwin Mugundharajah

2015 Award Winner Michal Wensierski Product Design Engineering University of Loughborough

Margarita Rossero-Arias

Computer Science

Glanyell White

2016 Award Winner Michael Owusu Mathematics and Accountancy University of Leeds ‘Surprise’ and ‘unexpected’ were the two words most used by our winners after the presentation – they weren’t told of their success in advance. They all wanted to thank their teachers for pushing them to the limit.

Bursary winners with Mr James and Mrs Kate Long

Margarita

Arrwin

James

Gabriel

Glanyell

Michael

Nebyou

Michal GCA

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Well done

The Jack Petchey Achievement Awards

This award scheme is run by the Jack Petchey Foundation, which was set up by a London businessman. Over the year, nine students are selected to receive an award celebrating their achievement in some area of school life. The Foundation also gives the school funds for each of the months that we make the award and winners get to choose how to spend their funds to support a school or community activity.

Sheeba, 7EO, shows strong leadership qualities, has good organisational skills and is very effective as a student leader. The work she does showing visitors around the school has been praised by parents and staff. Sheeba applies herself very well to her studies and achieves a high standard in all her lessons.

Serena, 10KC, shows strong leadership qualities in extra-curricular activities such as dance and netball. Her work in drama is excellent – both her theoretical and her practical work are of a very high standard. Her mature attitude and willingness to help teachers and fellow students are highly valued.

Abubakar, 10KA, has a thirst for learning and an ability to get on with everybody – he is well respected by his peers and teaching staff. He is ‘the glue that holds the school’s e-car racing team together.’ His enthusiasm gets students on board and he is active in mentoring younger members of the team.

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Aziz, 8MA, demonstrates a positive attitude and is tenacious, polite and helpful both in class and in the extracurricular and primary school activities he helps organise. He is an excellent artist and coder. His teachers agree it is a pleasure to have him in their classroom and describe him as ‘a star’.

Tanvir, 11DT, has been an active member of GCA’s robotics teams for a number of years. His enthusiasm has contributed a great deal to their successes. He is committed to mentoring younger students. He takes his studies seriously and is always diligent, committed and hard-working.

r a s t n e d u t s n a e v i e c e r e i h c a r i e h t

Well done

Rebecca speaks out Year 10 students, Rebecca, Masoom, Paradice and Abigail were worthy winners of the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge held in November.

After learning and rehearsing public speaking techniques, students presented a three-minute speech on a topic about which they were passionate.

Luciana, 8EW, has made excellent progress in science, steadily improving her scores so that she is now one of the highest achievers in the class. She has reached this point through hard work in lessons and at home and being very conscientious in her approach to all her studies.

Rhema, 9ME, is an all-rounder, a mature student who demonstrates integrity in everything he does. He has a very good grasp of challenging topics and concepts, and works independently on extension work.

In class he shares work and ideas with other students, always setting a good example.

Emilio, Y12, is an excellent mathematician and scientist. Since joining the school two years ago he has been proactive in seeking out opportunities for work experience and for subject-based skills development.

He shows leadership skills during group tasks and other students look to him if they need clarification on topics.

Gloria, Y12, is a talented artist who has also been active in many enterprise activities and work-related events. She is always focused, motivated and willing to help others.

Her standard of work is exemplary and a major factor in her success is her commitment to work in class, outside lessons and at home.

o t d e t c e l e re s g n i t a r b e l e award c . . . t n e m e v e

Abigail told us not to be afraid of making changes in our lives. Paradice argued that we should all make sure we thank our parents for what they give us and what they mean to us.

Masoom argued strongly for face-toface rather than face-to-screen contact.

Rebecca talked about her aspiration of getting into a Russell Group university and then working in the theatre and suggested a neat way of measuring her progress.

Rebecca received her certificate from the Mayor of Haringey

The winners faced the daunting task of delivering a speech in assembly to decide who should represent the school in the Haringey final. The winner was Rebecca who went on to deliver a rousing speech.

‘Rebecca’s speech in the finals was about western beauty standards and how they affect people’s attitudes towards natural black hair. She put together a well-considered and thoughtful argument which included entertaining anecdotes and persuasive facts. Her speech was engaging, passionate and intelligent. The audience and judges loved it!’

Ms Haughton

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Well done

Jack Petchey Leader Award The Jack Petchey Foundation recognises that the great work that young people do would not be possible without the support of the adults who work with them so they created the Leader Award. This year Ms Bouchereau is GCA’s Leader Award winner.

Ms Bouchereau coaches and leads four remarkable netball teams. All of them have extraordinarily successful match records and three of the teams ended the season as Haringey champions.

Ms Bouchereau works tirelessly to ensure team members develop their technique and do not just rely on natural talent and enthusiasm.

Ms Bouchereau also trains and directs GCA’s 40-strong dance troupe, winners of the National Schools Dance Championship. (Read more on page 12.)

Ms Bouchereau inspires by example – she has the superb coaching skills and attitude needed to enable students to achieve perfection, have fun and enjoy every minute of their sessions, games and performances.

‘Ms Bouchereau has opened up so many opportunities for us. She makes us feel that nothing can hold us back.’

Serena, Y10 netball player and dancer ‘Ms Bouchereau is passionate about dance and she makes us feel just as passionate. She pushes us because she wants everything to be perfect.’

Steisi, Y9 dancer ‘I wasn’t a dancer and never thought I could perform in front of people. Miss persuaded me to try and really helped me get more and more confident as well as improve my actual dancing skills. Now I enjoy dance very much.’

Michael Ellis, Y10 dancer Ms Bouchereau

Nader is our latest Arkwright Scholar Congratulations to sixth former, Nader Soltan, who is GCA’s fourth Arkwright Scholar.

Nader received his award in November from the Master of the Ironmongers’ Company.

Arkwright Engineering Scholarships consist of an annual financial award and enrichment activities such as mentoring and industry visits that enhance a Scholar’s experience of engineering in a real-world context. They 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.

Scholars are selected for their potential as future engineering leaders through assessment of their academic, practical and leadership skills in STEM. They go through a rigorous selection process: an assessed application form; a two-hour, problem-solving aptitude exam; and a universitystyle interview.

In addition to his considerable academic skills, Nader is a proficient sailor who puts his scientific and engineering skills to the test when competing in events such as Fastnet and Antigua Sailing Week.

Well done, Nader. Now, who will be our next Arkwright Scholar?

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Nader

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Well done

Young Sailor of the Year We received fantastic news early this year. Montel Fagan-Jordan, Scaramouche helmsman, who led our Fastnet team, was selected by the Yachting Journalists’ Association as ‘Young Sailor of the Year’.

Praise poured in: Dan Snow

@thehistoryguy . 1min

Amazing news. Another maritime hero in the footsteps of Drake, Nelson, MacArthur, Ainslie!!

1851 Trust

Pride

His recent highlights include sailing with Alex Thomson on his yacht Hugo Boss, which Montel describes as…

@1851Trust . 1min

Huge congratulations to Montel on his @YachtingYJA award win It has been fantastic to watch @GCASailingClub journey & it was a pleasure to host them at the @LandRoverBAR base.

Mr Holt explains why Montel deserves the award: ‘The award is a fitting tribute to the commitment and effort of a young man who has charmed sponsors, pitched to big sailing companies, sailed over 3000 miles and done masses behind the scenes at school for Project Scaramouche.’

Montel received his trophy at Trinity House in London, then, after a busy schedule of TV and radio interviews, he was presented with the trophy again at the Boat Show where he met Alex Thomson, round-the-world solo yachtsman and winner of the YJA ‘Yachtsman of the Year’ award.

‘The best sailing experience possible!’

Montel will be taking up a month’s work placement with Alex Thomson during the summer.

In the meantime, he’s coaching younger students eager to step into his shoes.

On Hugo Boss

Montel with Alex Thomson

Another award soon followed – ‘Sailor of the Month’ awarded by Seahorse magazine.

In the photos you can see Montel at Trinity House with his proud parents and at the Boat Show with Alex Thomson.

Follow Montel on Twitter @Montel85080989 to find out how he’s preparing for the next stage in his sailing career.

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Well done

Science Olympiad achievers The Royal Societies of Biology and Chemistry both administer Olympiad competitions for post-16 students as well as competitions for younger students.

Sixth formers Sahin and Gabriel excelled in the Biology Olympiad. Gabriel gained a bronze award and Sahin achieved gold putting him in the top 7% of the 780 students who took the papers.

In the Biology Challenge for younger students, three of our Year 10 girls, Shantay, Ketsia and Daniela, received commendations.

‘Sahin and Gabriel have a massive breadth and depth of biological knowledge, achieved through tireless out of class research and reading.

Their passion and talent for science make them a pleasure to teach.’

Ms Harper ‘The questions were more thoughtprovoking than I had seen in my course so far and I enjoyed the paper.

In hindsight, I wish I had been more persistent in encouraging the rest of my classmates to compete, as I believe they would have enjoyed the opportunity.’

Gabriel

Gabriel went on to win a gold award in the Chemistry Olympiad with a score that placed him in the top 30 out of 528 entrants.

‘I always thought that Gabriel was a gifted student. He has shown great enthusiasm for science from early on in his GCA career. With his positive attitude and effort, Gabriel has achieved his incredible success, and this has made him a positive role model for all students in our school.’

Ms Yepifanova

The British Physics Olympiad is hosted by the University of Oxford and supported by the Ogden Trust and the Institute of Physics.

Erik and Ervans, Year 11, entered the GCSE challenge, which tests students’ knowledge and understanding of physical principles. Ervans gained a Bronze award and Erik gained a Silver award - missing out by just one mark on a Gold!

Emilio, Year 12, gained a Bronze award in the AS challenge, which stretches lateral thinking skills and tests how students apply fundamental physical principles to novel situations.

‘The questions were REALLY difficult, so it is a great achievement.’

Mr Farrant

Well done GCA scientists

Sahin and Gabriel

Emilio

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Daniela, Ketsia and Shantay

Ervans and Erik

n o i s s a p Their r o f t n e l a t and e k a m e c n e i sc e r u s a e l p them a . . . h c a e t to

Welcome Bishop Sarah

GCA welcomes Bishop Sarah In May, we were delighted to receive a visit from Bishop Sarah Mullally, the new Bishop of London and third most senior cleric in the Church of England. This was a particularly busy time for her as it was just two days before her Installation at St Paul’s Cathedral. She was accompanied by the Bishop of Edmonton, The Rt Revd Rob Wickham, and the Archdeacon of Hampstead, The Ven John Hawkins.

Bishop Sarah met with Mr Sutton, the Senior Leadership Team, Chair of Governors Helen Williams, Vice Chair Rachel Ogufere and the School Chaplain, Fr Patrick Henderson, to hear about many of the developments at the Academy, such as students’ recent successes at the British Science Olympiads, the National Dance Championship and the National Basketball Championships.

Mr Sutton and Bishop Sarah also discussed current educational and social issues that have an impact on secondary schools in London.

Bishop Sarah attended lessons, taking a keen interest in the topics as she joined in class discussions.

In the library, she was quizzed by lower school students and university-bound Year 13s, and spoke of the challenges and opportunities of becoming the first female Bishop of London.

The visit closed with Bishop Sarah meeting key members of Greig City Academy’s sailing team, who competed in the Fastnet Race last summer.

In her blog later that day, Bishop Sarah wrote:

‘Today I visited Greig City Academy in Hornsey and met with some wonderful students.

They were confident and asked great questions. They also demonstrated some outstanding achievements – not least in sailing.

‘I had followed them last year as they competed in the Fastnet on the Greig City Academy’s vintage Frers yacht Scaramouche. They spoke today about what this had given them and how important team work had become for them.

It was outstanding that a school with all the pressures they were under had given permission to staff to follow up on their ideas and those things for which they had a passion, and the pupils were flourishing.’ sarahmullally.wordpress.com

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Get active!

On great form again Congratulations to our U19 men’s basketball team on their 112-45 win against the College of Richard Collyer in the National Schools Championship. This is the third time we have taken gold in this age category.

Basketball England’s report shows just how impressive the team was: Well done, Coach Bailey and team: Leslie, D’Jean, Jelani, Jordan, Mubarak, Vella, Jahvaughn, Nathan, Cameeron, Ezekiel, Richard, Derek, Jamani and Jahmal.

‘Greig City showed their class as they strolled to the Dynamik Under 19 Men’s Conference title. Jordan Johnson scored 25 points and was a worthy recipient of the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award.

‘In the early going, GCA were already looking strong and started to build a lead. Whilst their offensive efforts brought points on nearly every possession, it was Greig City’s high pressure defence that made life tough for their opponents. With Richard Collyer struggling to get good looks, the score line soon got out of hand.

‘Taking the 2nd period 27-4 effectively sealed an end to the contest. By the middle of the 4th quarter, Greig City’s offensive might helped push the

Top tips from Coach Bailey

‘It’s so good to finally win and lift a weight off our shoulders. We train hard, we work hard, we push each other to be the best. It paid off.’

Jordan Johnson, Captain

difference past 50. That allowed Coach Bailey to rotate his bench and give all his players some valuable minutes.

The game’s final buzzer provided an end to a game that had been decided much earlier in proceedings, but both teams deserved credit for the way they played despite the score line.’

MVP Jordan receives his award

‘We were here last year and lost to Myerscough. I’m delighted we could redeem ourselves this year. I’m really pleased for the guys. For some of these players it’s their last year with me here at Greig City so this is a really good send off for them.’

Mr Bailey

Victory is ours

Photographs kindly provided by Basketball England

A double first for Hornsey There was jubilation at the UK National Schools Dance Championship when GCA dancers took first place in the KS4/5 category and our friends at St Mary’s, coached by Ms Bouchereau, took first place in the primary category.

The route to the Nationals was tough. GCA competed against other highperforming schools to win the borough title, before going on to represent Haringey at the London Youth Games Championships.

Hours of practice paid off when our KS4 dancers wowed the judges and the audience at the Olympic Park where they merged different dance styles – contemporary, Afro House, Afro Contemporary, Acrobatics, Traditional West and East African Dance, Afro Beats and elements of street dance.

Our younger dancers came a close second in the KS3 category.

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‘These magical warriors smashed 32 boroughs to take this prestigious title and what a competition it was!

They fought and danced with passion, determination and true beauty to win.’ Ms Bouchereau It was an excited but confident troupe that travelled to Stoke-on-Trent to represent London in the Nationals.

The joy of performing was followed by some anxious moments as they waited for the results, and then the sheer elation as they took first place.

Get active!

Netball This has been a remarkable year for our netball teams and their coach Ms Bouchereau. Three teams were crowned Haringey champions – Ys 7 and 9, and the senior team. Our Y8 team took third place in their league.

Some of the scores on the way to the championships were amazing. The senior team scored 40-0 on a winter’s evening after they’d arrived at the venue with only minutes to spare. The Y9 team scored 39-1 in their final game of the season.

We won’t mention the schools against which they were playing – best to spare their blushes!

Year 7 team

Throughout the season, we enjoyed Ms Bouchereau’s entertaining match reports.

Here is an excerpt from just one of them for you to enjoy:

‘The final Year 9 netball match. Everything rested on this one game. Up until now the Year 9 team are undefeated, with glorious points in the league table. However, one slip, one trip would lead to being knocked off first position.

‘A quick pep talk minutes before the match began. I talked about pride, achievement, training, then I ended on some serious advice and wisdom: BRING IT HOME!

Year 8 team

‘In true GCA style, my warriors did not disappoint in battle!

‘The dashing speed, the lightning balls, the gracious agility turns, the passion, the thirst, the fire and the perseverance to succeed! What a magical team I coach!’

Senior Team

Year 9 Team

Year 8 Team

Year 7 Team

Serena

Jasmin

Laura

Shakara

Leshante

Chanel

Gloria

Tyann

Simona

Britney

Skye

Havin

Victoria

Marie

Janet

Riana

Daniella

Sedanur

Latifa

Rianna

Mya

Lyonelle

Patience

Angela

Keenya

Tishanie

Alexia

Jaqueline

Stephanie

Amelia

Bianca

Jasmin

Emmanuella

Keren

Amara

Teyhana

Abigail

Caprice

Year 9 team

Senior team

I’m making the audience happy too.

People don’t expect Afro Beats from me so it’s a surprise for them. I was filled with joy when I realised we had won.’ Havin, Y7 ‘It was an amazing experience and I’m delighted that I was able to learn so much in such a short time.’ Ian, Y10

We are the champions

‘I was so lucky to have this opportunity. I feel proud and happy and when I dance it makes me feel

Congratulations to all these students – they have been on an exceptional journey and it has only just begun!

Year 7 – Rianna, Riana, Havin, Tyann, Meron, Shakara, Angela

Year 8 – Gloria Year 9 – Marie, Britney, Erica, Steisi, Chanel Year 10 – Abigail, Mya, Daniella, Namira, Michael, Amani, Kayin, Jamal, Emmanuel Y, Emmanuel M, Keenya, Leshante, Jeremy, Ian, Serena, Emmanuella Year 11 – Jodi, Claudia, Alicia, Christabelle, Manase, Victoria, Simona Years 12 & 13 – Alex, Jazzmine, Reuben, Junior GCA

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Get active!

Exciting news from two of GCA’s sporting alumni Keon Richardson has been honoured with a United Nations Online Volunteering Award 2017 for his work with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The IPC organises the Paralympic Games for athletes with a range of disabilities.

As a trained athlete and football coach, Keon has significant experience in disability football. He has volunteered well over 500 hours for the IPC, advocating for blind football on social media. He also created a social media campaign to showcase the development of blind football in African countries.

‘Keon is extremely committed and has repeatedly gone above and beyond to deliver great results. He shows initiative and brings his own ideas to the table. He doesn’t just do what he’s asked, he does a whole lot more!’ Natalia Dannenberg-Spreier, IPC’s Digital Senior Manager ‘Online volunteering has greatly increased both my perseverance and self-esteem. I’ve learnt so much about myself as a person and explored new skills developed through my online work.’ Keon

An active volunteer

International; shadowed Premier Skills football coaching and refereeing courses in cities in China.

2016 – taught PE in Lusaka, working in the Kalingalinga compound, an impoverished community with low levels of education and employment; created the first girls football team there.

Coaching in Kalingalinga

Here are just a few of Keon’s achievements – read and admire!

BA honours in Sport and Social Sciences, 2017, University of Bath – received a first for his dissertation; half blues award (football and futsal).

Currently, disability officer at Palace for Life Foundation (Crystal Palace FC): leads football sessions for the Down’s Syndrome Eagles and for adults and young people with learning disabilities; organises sports events and festivals.

2018 – represented the Premier League at the ‘Welcome to the UK’ reception event for the Heads of State of the 53 Commonwealth Nations.

2017 – awarded the first China Football Coaching Scholarship by Team Archie and Youth Sport Trust

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Representing the Premier League

2016 – won London FA Young Volunteer Award and FA Regional Young Volunteer of The Year Award for his outstanding commitment to improving opportunities for young people in Greater London.

s l l i k s w e explored n rough my h t d e p o l e dev . . . k r o w e onlin

We are delighted to bring more news of Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott’s exceptional achievements at the University of Toledo, Ohio.

Jay-Ann graduated in December with a degree in communication and a minor in general business. She is currently studying for a master’s degree in business administration (MBA).

Get active!

Jay-Ann goes from strength to strength

GCA’s sports studies Level 3 course now includes a module in outdoor education.

Students complete practical units in two land-based and two water-based activities.

She finished the season (as she has finished all seasons!) with a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA (grade points average where 4 is the maximum achievable).

She was named to the 2017-18 Academic All Mid-American Conference Team for the third time – an honour awarded to a student-athlete who excels in both athletics and academic studies.

Jay Ann was also named to the 2017-18 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America First Team.

This gifted player and scholar picked up two prestigious awards at the end of the season – the Daniel and Mary Jo Hanson Scholar Award and the Ultimate Rocket Award (the Rockets are the athletic teams that represent the University of Toledo).

Jay-Ann has recently signed with an agency – 4 Players Sports – with a view to playing professionally.

Follow Jay-Ann on Twitter @JayAnnHarriott to learn more about her achievements.

This year activities have included dinghy sailing at West Green Reservoir, climbing at the Castle climbing centre in Stoke Newington, gorge scrambling and mountaineering in the Lake District and sailing/powerboating in the Solent.

Jay-Ann at her graduation with Coach Cullop and mum, Anne-Marie

U14s basketball team takes bronze in the Nationals ‘This was the U14s’ first experience of a showcase final and our nerves showed in the semi-final. The opposition’s full court defence was too much for us to handle, causing us to accumulate far too many turnovers. Despite Sheik’s MVP performance we went down 59-78.

We played Phillips High School in the play-off for 3rd and 4th placing. This proved to be tougher than expected with the lead changing several times before we could hold onto a 10 point lead going into the 4th quarter. Scoring 13 points in the final quarter enabled us to secure bronze with a narrow margin of 71-69. Sheik again top scored with 21pts closely assisted by Dervin’s 20 pts.’ Mr Bailey Well done team: Devantay, Bienvenue, Shimar, Kaziah, Crisbond, Sheik, Emre, Dervin, Ravell, Omari, Myles, Edward.

U14 basketball team

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We are still sailing

So much has happened since GCA’s magnificent performance in the 2017 Fastnet race.

Praise surged in like the rolling seas when GCA became the first state school ever to compete in Fastnet and the only school to compete and complete in 2017. Mr Holt and Montel did the rounds of press, radio and TV to explain how sailing grew at GCA and how students had trained and built up the miles needed to qualify for Fastnet.

Alex Thomson Racing

@ATRacing . 1min

HUGE congratulations @GCASailingClub for finishing @RORCRacing Fastnet Race! Amazing achievement! Inspirational young sailors!

Fastnet

The Royal Yachting Association’s Award for Endeavour This is another award of which we are proud, as it recognises the tremendous effort that has gone into sailing at GCA. ‘Everyone involved in Project Scaramouche and the successful completion of the RORC Rolex Fastnet Race 2017 are truly deserving of the RYA Award for Endeavour.’ RYA HRH the Princess Royal presented the RYA Award for Endeavour

Feeling the heat in Miami While the rest of the school shivered in an icy London in December, Montel, Camilo and Shabazz, sailed in sunny Miami.

But they were not there to bask in the sun. Their considerable success in the GB keelboat trials (Etchells class) had led to an invitation to race in the Louis Piana Cup Regatta.

‘The conditions were challenging with 20+ knots of wind making the racing very dangerous. They came through with flying colours and have been invited back for the series.’ Mr Holt

Talking tactics

Keeping the boat shipshape

Miami waters

The final results...

12th overall (out of 42 boats) 2nd British Boat (the highly experienced professional, Laurie Smith, was the first British boat) Highest placed Youth Team Thanks to David Carr who gave the crew brilliant practical tips ahead of their trip, to David Franks whose boat they raced, and to Matt Reid for racing with them.

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We are still sailing

Shivering in the Solent Our senior girls sailed Scaramouche on a chilly two days in the Solent. Ms Peters and Ms Corrigan joined Jazzmine, Aisha, Rikma, Shamika, Elif, Gulcin and Anetha on Scaramouche to learn the basics – tacking, hoisting sails, helming, understanding rights of way. This wasn’t a one-off – groups of girls have since been training to race in a variety of boats.

In May, five Year 8 girls – Patience, Sharon, Luciana, Gabriele and Reegan – developed their skills on Scaramouche and Squibs, supported by sixth formers, Sharon, Sylwia and Rikma, with Ms Peters and Ms Harper. Thanks to Nick Hopwood and Simon Weeks for their expert tuition on these trips.

Hot drinks essential

‘Young people should get out and do things like this rather than being on social media all the time.’ Gabriele Tracy Edwards

@TracyEdwardsMBE . May 14

My heroes!! #thisgirlcan #girlpower #anythingispossible

May – and warm clothes still needed

Back to the heat, this time in Antigua – Mr Letford tells all

‘We were delighted to be invited to take part in the Antigua Sailing Week Regatta in April, one of the most prestigious sailing events in the world with teams from over 40 countries.

‘Year 12 students Seun (Captain), Nader, Azat, Ioannis and Alex were joined by Jamal, Y10, coach Matt Reid and myself. Five days of intense racing in the wild waters of the Atlantic averaging 25 miles a day.

‘We sailed a Cork 1720, a much smaller, faster boat then we are used to and a handful to control downwind when surfing off 4 metre waves in 30mph of wind. The first few races saw us finish in the middle of the fleet but we had a setback when we had to take time out for some overnight repairs.

Experienced sailors move on but there are many eager sailors ready to take their place. We are starting them early; every week during the summer term, groups of Years 7, 8 and 9 students have been learning the basics on the West Reservoir.

Some of them will go on to race competitively but for most of them it’s a chance to try out something new, test themselves, develop stamina and have a lot of fun.

Surfing downwind – photograph by Paul Wyeth

The next generation

We did it! – photograph by Paul Wyeth

On the West Reservoir

On the podium – photograph by Ted Martin

‘Once back on board, we improved our performance so much that we achieved second place in our class on the last two days.’

Azat’s first thought when he arrived was: ‘Wow, I’m here racing against all these experienced sailors!’

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Inspiration

Inspired by Soutine This year, GCA embarked on a new partnership with the Learning Department at The Courtauld Institute of Art. Working with artist Matthew Krishanu, the aim of this special project was to introduce the group to the ‘Soutine’s Portraits: Cooks, Waiters and Bellboys’ exhibition as well as other portraits in the Courtauld collection. They looked at issues around the artist, the sitters, painting approaches and traditions in the history of art.

Soutine was fascinated by the cooks and waiting staff of French hotels and restaurants, dressed in boldly coloured uniforms. Many of them sat for him in Paris and the south of France.

Matthew helped GCA’s artists understand Soutine’s style and technique both at the Courtauld and in workshops back at school. Here you can see them at the Gallery and in the art studio working on portraits in oil and pastels. The sitter is very familiar – it’s Mr Unwin, GCA’s Head of Art. Jazzmine is studying art, history, biology, government and politics. She is not sure whether she wants to study art at university but is going to take part in a taster course at the University of the Arts London to help her make up her mind.

Chef on a break

‘I understand where Soutine was coming from, he wanted to portray working people and show them in a different light. However, I don’t particularly like his style – exaggerated facial features and skin tones. I prefer painters like Dégas, he was an impressionist but his figures are all in proportion unlike those of Soutine.

It was still interesting to have a chance to experiment with a different style. I am creating my portfolio on the theme of dance. Two of the artists who have influenced me are Eadweard Muybridge and Bragaglia, a futurist photographer who played with shutter speed.’ Jazzmine

At the Courtauld

Dawntay

Jazzmine

Dawntay is studying art, English and music and intends to apply for a degree course at the London College of Communications.

‘I enjoyed being able to paint a live model and experimenting with oils but I’m not keen on Soutine’s style. One artist who influences me is Sui Ishida, a Manga artist. His paintings are vibrant and one of his key motifs is the mask, which symbolises hiding emotions.’ Dawntay

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Advice from Matthew

Inspiration

Kashmir 2014, Oil on Canvas, Matthew Krishanu

We asked Matthew Krishanu to tell us more about himself and his work:

GCA: What is the medium you most enjoy working in?

GCA: How did you get involved in the Courtauld project?

I use oil paints the most in my practice, but also acrylics and watercolours (and I sometimes combine media). I like oils because when they dry they have a shiny, organic feel – they are particularly good for painting people and skin.

As a painter, I am particularly interested in shows that are primarily about painting, and of painters that I love. I was very happy to be invited by the Learning Department to run a number of projects with young people and school groups during the exhibition, including the three days I spent with GCA’s A level students.

GCA: What have you enjoyed most about the project?

Having a whole day to work on painting in an education setting is a real treat – to be able to develop works and give feedback throughout the day and watch paintings develop. Also, it’s rare to work with oil paints in school and sixth form. It was great for the students to use the same paints that Soutine used (as opposed to acrylics), and learn more about oil painting techniques and processes.

GCA: Have you been inspired by any particular artists?

I was very inspired by Soutine’s paintings during this project. Many of the artists in the Courtauld collection inspire me – Édouard Manet, Vincent van Gogh, Gabriele Münter. Also more recent painters such as the Turner Prize nominated artists Hurvin Anderson and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.

GCA: What advice would you give to GCA students wishing to study art and design?

It’s a long process to build up a strong portfolio. Good documentation (photographs/text/scans) of work is essential, and I would advise creating a website early. Your portfolio (online and physical) is your platform – make it as strong as possible.

GCA: Thank you very much Matthew for helping GCA students experiment in oils.

‘Your portfolio is your platform...’

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Inspiration

Designing for Sport Relief 12 talented Y9 designers took part in a series of workshops, delivered in collaboration with the University of the Arts, London. UAL is investigating ways to promote art and design learning within schools. The workshops, run by specialist art practitioners, (in this case, Mr Chorley) covered a range of exciting techniques and skills to promote – and engage students in – art and design.

The designers: Natalia, Nadir, Tuana, Sedanur, Huseyin, Nisha, Eddy, Dreydon, Jacques, Emy, Akeaba and Vasilka The focus: fashion The brief: to design sportswear for Adidas for use by people taking part in Sport Relief The design process: • Examine the Adidas and Sport Relief brands • Research fashion designers to get some inspiration • Create a concept design • Research new techniques • Refine designs • Present designs The sportswear had to be gender neutral, multifunctional, and had to encourage walking, dancing or generally getting active.

mind-blowing • experimental

• freedom • fun • expression • stories • being yourself • • in your zone • focus • mind-blowing • experimental • freedom • fun • expression • stories • being yourself • open • in your zone • focus • mind-blowing • experimental • freedom • fun • expression • stories • being yourself • open • in your zone • focus • mind-blowing • experimental • freedom • fun • expression • stories • being yourself • open • in your zone • focus

open

One of the workshops was held on a Saturday, and that was the day parents and other relatives were invited to see the students’ work.

‘Projects like this are an eye-opener.

Nadir has always drawn from being a young child. The sorts of opportunities my children have had at the school have opened doors

to careers and what they want to choose.’ Idris Kaaouachi, Nadir’s father ‘This is a brilliant art department. I think the project helps the students focus and they gain confidence through taking something through to the end. This project has allowed them to express themselves freely.’

Clare Groves, Jacques’ aunt Nicola Turner and Jennifer Sturrock were the two UAL practitioners who supported the workshops.

‘From mood boards to fashion illustration, the students created some brilliant outcomes that opened their eyes to career possibilities in the creative industries, as well as enhancing and supporting their current artistic work in school.’

Jennifer Nicola added that students had shown ‘impressive engagement’ with the

This is a brilliant art . t n e m t r a p de 20

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Inspiration

Moving on

Exam time

One talented artist hoping to move on to university to study art and design, specifically graphic design, is Chereice.

Chereice in the art studio

project and the brief they were given and she commended their ‘beautiful sketchbooks’.

Chereice’s other A level subjects are computing and Spanish and she is confident she will achieve the grades she needs to take up the place she’s been offered at UAL. Chereice enjoys using pencil and pro markers in her drawing. She has two favourite artists – Yoni Alter and Michael Craig-Martin:

What did our designers think about the workshops? Well, they all gave a definite thumbs up and they also had some ideas as to how the sessions could be improved in the future.

‘Both artists use bright colours. Alter lives in London and his designs of the city’s buildings combine the figurative and the abstract. Craig-Martin paints everyday objects in interesting arrangements.’

‘Art outside normal lessons gives you more freedom to explore different styles, materials and techniques.’

‘You get more time to explore your ideas.’

‘It feels more open, more personal out of class.’

‘We’d like to visit art colleges and also have art students and designers come to school to talk to us.’

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The play’s the thing

Every year, we are treated to amazing performances by our Level 4 and 5 performers.

‘Same’ – Year 11 The production: adapted scenes from ‘Same’ by Deborah Bruce The actors: Immanuel, Stefania, Victor, Oumarou, Able, Destiny J, Destiny M, Anna, Jodee, Tarah, Nikkala, Chyan, Merlin, Grace, Melisa and Laetitia The play addresses the divide between the youth of today and the elderly.

Its purpose is to make audiences understand, through the genre of comedy, that elderly people are not born old.

worked on the scripted performance over three months, considering staging, costume and props.

‘This play has brought us all closer together, drama has made us feel like one big family. The thought of this being our last performance made the play even more important to us.’

‘I am so proud of what my child has achieved in drama at this school, this is the best performance I have seen. I was so proud I cried.’ Proud parent

The actors devised their own extracts, developed clear characterisation and engaged with the audience. They

‘Blood Brothers’ – Year 11

Sensational

The production: a ‘Scene Showcase’ from Willy Russell’s ‘Blood Brothers’

It was a tour de force (masterpiece, triumph – check the thesaurus for more synonyms) from Y12 actors Aisha, Kadice and Achileas when they performed two scenes from Blood Brothers. Aisha took on the role of the excitable, friendly Mickey with relish and Kadice was the perfect foil as Eddie, his more reserved twin, brought up by a different family. Achileas was convincingly threatening as Mickey’s brother Sammy.

The actors: Erica, Isaiah, Jaden, Jashaun, Shantell, Sarah J, Latrell, Alex, Sarah S, Kerrijah, Geovanne and Gungor The group selected key scenes from the musical, which they performed in their own inimitable way. The performance was spirited, energetic and even acrobatic. The actors performed with confidence and verve.

‘Brilliant, especially for such young actors.’ Ms Luna

‘An outstanding comedy performance – riotous.’

Mr Graham ‘They all acted really well. My daughter has done so well in drama.’ Anne Swanzy, parent

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Blood Brothers

There was a change this year in the assessment process for Level 5 drama.

Students were given a stimulus to which they had to respond with an original devised performance. The stimulus for GCA students was a painting, ‘The Persistence of Memory’ by Salvador Dali, with its theme of time.

Students had to work under a number of constraints; the performance had to last no less than 10 and no more than 20 minutes and each group could number no more than seven.

‘PORT TAKERS’ presented by the Timeless Theatre Company The actors: Eviano, Trey, Godson, Junior and Taylor Jack, David, friends Danny and Kevin, and Manny are thieves who try to steal Dali’s painting from the Museum of Modern Art in New York, but are caught and incarcerated for 24 years. They each tell their story – the kind of person they are and the effect that prison has had on them.

Each actor took on a particular acting style: Naturalistic (the great Stanislavski) – Junior as Jack Brechtian (political/epic theatre) – Taylor as David Frantic Assembly (storytelling through physical movement) – Eviano and Trey as Danny and Kevin

The play’s the thing

As we say farewell to Year 13…

‘STUCK’ presented by DRMAZ Theatre Company The actors: Precious, Reuben, Jackie, Nicholas, Jamie, Shabazz and Nabiira Imagine your worst nightmare coming true and you will come some way to understanding the horror engendered by this surreal performance.

The audience receives an invitation… … Antonio Duvali, curator of the wellknown Galleria Museum, extends a special invitation to a private viewing of his ‘dream’ collection of paintings.

Duvali seems to be the epitome of charm as he escorts us around his gallery, pointing out his exhibits.

We feel privileged until it dawns on us just how he creates them. Suddenly, everything that has gone before is seen in a different light.

‘A university level performance.’

Ms Oxley

Artaudian (Theatre of Cruelty) – Godson as Manny The audience left the drama studio stunned by the sheer power and quality of the performances.

‘Spine chilling!’ Ms Graham

Port Takers

A big thank you from Ms Holding and Ms Ajoku to the sixth form drama students who filmed the performances, operated the lights and music and who were, as always, a great support.

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The power of language

Top tips for GCA’s football writers Club members quizzed two eminent sports commentators this year. Guardian sports writer, Gregg Bakowski, gave GCA’s bloggers tips on how to engage their audience: ‘You need to get straight to the point. Don’t waffle – tell them what they want to know and that’s usually the score.’

Osaetin

Mr Tosdevin tells us more about the club: ‘Once a week, 20 Year 9 football enthusiasts pair up and decide who will write about each game, they then watch highlights of one of the weekend’s matches and write their reports, making them as exciting as possible before posting on our website – gcafootballwriters. wordpress.com.’

Robbie gave his views on Arsenal

‘Don’t waffle,’ Gregg advised the club

‘Write about individual players and say who scored, who played well and so on. Say something about the next match the teams will be playing and give some statistics about previous encounters between the two teams. You need to get people excited about what they’ll see next time.’ Szyman In March it was the turn of Robbie Lyle, presenter and founder of Arsenal Fan TV, a YouTube channel directed at Arsenal supporters.

Robbie suggested ways to make football reports entertaining and factually correct. He was also bombarded with questions about the performance of the team, Arsène Wenger and the Arsenal Board.

‘It was pleasure to meet such an idol as Robbie. He is inspirational and he gave great advice and answers.’ Adam Thank you, Gregg and Robbie, for setting the club on the right path.

Robbie inspired club members

‘The best thing about football writers club is being able to write about something I enjoy. I cherish the friendly banter in the sessions! We all support a variety of teams and so there are fascinating things to talk about and interesting perspectives we have to consider when writing our match reports.’ Joshua

Quills United

Rafeala and Ria

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Quills United is a group of keen wordsmiths who meet once a week to develop their creative writing skills with the support of Ms Jack.

panther jealous. Now you might think this would be an animated film but, no, Ria wants to use real animals. We wish her luck.

At the time we met them they were busy producing film screenplays.

Ria’s screenplay is about a group of animals whose leader is a panther. A new animal arrives and all the animals gravitate towards him, making the

Rafeala is creating a horror story with ghosts, a kidnapping and a few deaths but she assures us that there will be a happy ending!

The power of language

Fake News

Highgate Cemetery – a door to a different era

To mark World Television Day in November, Alexandra Palace invited Haringey students to a workshop on the very topical subject of ‘fake news’.

Sixth form English Literature students studied Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula this year. What better way to soak up an atmosphere of gloom and romance than a tour around Highgate Cemetery.

Y8 students heard the views of Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland, the BBC’s social media editor Mark Frankel and Dr James Rodgers, professor of International Journalism Studies at City University.

Aimeravi, 8EW, enjoyed Mark’s talk: Nearing the top of the hill ‘The speaker I really liked was Mark

Frankel because he explained how sometimes even trusted news sources could get things wrong. He also told us the difference between deliberately getting facts wrong for publicity and just a mistake that you didn’t mean to happen.’

‘The trip really helped me understand the setting of the Gothic novels we are studying.’ Sherisa

The workshop that followed was their favourite part of the day. Here’s what Eden-Miah, 8DE, said about it: ‘We got into groups of five and discussed which sites were the most trustworthy and how to spot fake news. We had a session with two of the speakers where we had to point out the fake news. It was so much fun! Now I feel more confident when online and knowing who to trust.’

Admiring the view from Ally Pally

Marx’s grave is a ‘must-see’

‘The cemetery was overflowing with symbolism, for example, the cut pillars representing a life cut short.

For me it was a big contrast to a Romanian cemetery I visited recently; the Smiling Cemetery was much more light-hearted. This is ironic given that Vlad Tepes, the inspiration for Dracula, was Romanian.’ Adrian ‘I was surprised to see so many famous graves, for example, Faraday, Karl Marx and Rossetti, each of whom relate to the 3 A levels I’m studying – physics, psychology and English Literature. The preserved architecture was a door to a different era.’ Silvinho

Deciding what’s fake and what’s not

Mark Frankel checks how many students use social media

Up for Debate Ms Haughton was very impressed with six GCA debaters – Coryn Y7, Bella Y8, Erlind and Lara Y9, Victoria and Kevin Y12 – for doing so well in the PixL Up For Debate competition: ‘The team had to prepare two motions ahead of the competition: This House would tax junk food.

This House believes that cultural treasures should be returned to their country of origin.

‘On the day they also had 20 minutes to prep for another motion: This House would ban gambling. Although they didn’t win the overall competition, the team was fantastic and performed particularly well in the impromptu round.’

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A love of reading

The snow and the bitter cold forced us inside the dining hall for the World Book Day group photo on March 1st. As usual, we allowed a loose interpretation of ‘book’ but be assured lots of serious and not so serious reading did go on throughout the day.

And yes, there is a book based on ‘Grease’ as well as several books that have been written about Frida Kahlo. Both Frida and the suffragettes also feature in Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.

Sherlock examines the crime scene

Miss Trunchbull is not at all happy

The Cat in the Hat welcomed visitors

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All together now

Two Fridas are startled to see each other

The Pink Ladies from Grease

Medusa – don’t look, she’ll turn you to stone

Heavy snow failed to deter this suffragette from her cause

A very sad Miss Havisham

Hagar tends her baby

Wizardry My book review will revolve around one of my favourite book series. Sit back with your wands ready in hand and your wizards’/witches’ hats on your heads because I’m talking about Harry Potter (the first book anyway) so let’s begin .

The book starts off with a tall old man strolling down a normal neighbourhood (this man is really relevant, trust me) alongside an old woman (she’s relevant to the story too). They arrive at a house (this house will be important too). Suddenly a MOTORCYCLE COMES OUT OF THE SKY... and in that motorcycle is a carrier.

What was in it? A baby boy what’s so special about that baby boy?

We don’t know …yet. You are going to have to read the book to find out more about the boy who lived…

I really like this book and the whole series, you will be lost in a magical dimension.

If you have a friend who likes… magic

fantasy

or wands

THEN THIS IS THE BOOK FOR THEM (or if you like any of the above yourself read it too please).

Available at any bookstore near you and at any library.

A love of reading

Two keen readers review their favourite books.

Head of English, Mr Bird, has been extra busy this year. If you are a Year 11 English Literature student you will have been getting lots of tips from his revision videos on the texts you have been studying.

Check out Lit. Matters on YouTube and Twitter.

‘Mr Bird’s videos are brilliant. He has a superb teaching style, relaxed and friendly but it’s obvious he knows everything there is to know about the plays and books.’ GCA parent If you have young children in your family and you are running out of ideas for stories to read to them then have a look at this YouTube special – Give Us A Story! – another Bird production.

He has a superb teaching style...

GET IT NOW (please).

Gideon, 7LN

Phoenix by SF Said This book is about how to deal with our feelings.

The story is about a boy who lived with his mother but one day he woke up to his bed being burned to ashes. He inspected his body and was astonished to find out that it was in perfect condition.

His mother knew what was going on and promised to let him know but, unfortunately, she didn’t and now he’s on an adventure to find the truth.

This shows that we never know what is going on until we find it ourselves.

I think that this is a great book, it’s like putting the world’s hardest puzzle (life) together.

Bismark, 7LN

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Science - the ‘S’ in STEM

‘Be curious’

Stephen Hawking

The labs were packed with curious students during British Science Week.

A tasty lunch Judging by the squeals, the session on edible insects was the most intriguing.

Millions of people across the world eat insects. Well, why not?

They are a great source of protein and tasty too. Some insects are in such demand that harvesting is strictly regulated. The vast majority of edible insects, however, are easy to harvest, with many falling from the sky in their thousands.

Dish of the day - appetising!

Ms Harper’s menu for the day included locusts, mealworms, buffalo worms, crickets and black ants. You can see the reaction they got in the photos here.

Unsure

Must try

Still unsure

‘Use the force’ Obi Wan Kenobi (and Mr Farrant) Mr Farrant used the Van de Graaff machine to generate static electricity – basically to move electrons around and charge up things. He charged up students who then tried to move a metal can without touching it using electrostatic force.

Charging up - a hair-raising experience

Blowing bubbles Year 7s and 9s made giant bubbles with Ms Gilbert: ‘They had tremendous fun exploring different factors that can increase the size and shape of bubbles, for example, wind speed.

As you can see in the photo, the bubbles create a rainbow effect due to the splitting of white light known as dispersion.’

How big can it get?

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Use the force

Did you know?

Silvinho now feels he has a greater understanding of the nuclear physics module of his A level course:

• Snails have 1000 teeth and are hermaphrodites

Science - the ‘S’ in STEM

Sixth form scientists visited CERN in Geneva to learn more about the Large Hadron Collider. The LHC consists of a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating structures to boost the energy of the particles along the way.

• Cockroaches can live for a week without a head

• Millipedes have only 32 legs at birth We found out the answers to these questions and many more when Lillian from Zoolab introduced us to some of her favourite creatures – a giant African Land Snail, a Madagascar hissing cockroach, Caribbean hermit crabs called Oscar and Sheila, a gecko and a Chilean Rose tarantula.

Freezing in CERN

‘During our tour, we saw the practical applications of studying minuscule particles. We were made aware of the extent of the largest science experiment on earth. Even at the cutting edge of physics research there are so many unanswered questions such as: “Are quarks and leptons the final fundamental particles?” and “Why do we only know three things about dark energy?”.

‘I left with a new enthusiasm not just for science but also engineering and computer science (since most of CERN employees are engineers and computer scientists not physicists). I have a better appreciation of particle physics, electric fields and magnetic fields topics and this will allow me to perform better in my summer exams.’

We learned about their feeding habits, the environments where they thrive, how they hide from predators and how they evolve and adapt.

Slightly warmer at the UN

Whilst in Geneva, the group had a chance to visit the UN where they learned about how states co-operate on an international level.

Big Bang Fair This was a fantastic opportunity for our KS3 scientists to see how science can be applied in new ways. Companies ranged from the RAF to GSK – all showcasing weird and wonderful examples of science technologies.

Highlights included a 3D gummy candy printer, the latest in VR technology, 3D selfies and immersive 360 degree VR.

‘I held the friendly snake - it had really smooth skin. Even the tarantula was friendly! It was an amazing experience.’ Teon Y8 ‘We saw a giant African land snail and a lot more incredible reptiles. It was a lovely experience, I really enjoyed myself.’ Kawa Y8 ‘It was the first time I’ve ever held a snake – it was a great experience!’

Rohan Y8

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STEM innovations

GCA has been designated the STEM Innovations Hub for Haringey Many thanks to all the schools that took part in the first STEM Showcase in January where we saw so much of the innovative work that Haringey schools are doing.

Outstanding for All STEM Award winners, St Paul’s RC, showed us how they sent a teddy bear into space – it reached a height of 23 miles!

St Mary’s CofE demonstrated their remarkable skills with Ohbots.

St Ignatius RC pupils had been exploring space and were keen to pass on their considerable knowledge.

Rokesly pupils asked us how cold it can get in Crouch End as they were telling us what they had learnt about polar exploration.

Welbourne pupils told us about all the STEM challenges they had tackled over the year.

St Aidan’s sent 6 talented coders to show us how it’s done.

APS and GCA swapped ideas about drones.

Then there were all the GCA activities: VEX, Formula 24 racing car, electric racing cars, a maths coding challenge that had pupils chasing clues around the school, rocket cars, coding/animation classes, Arduino programming, wacky design, crime scene investigation, dissection, screaming jelly babies (keep off the sugar!) and sparky physics with a Van de Graaff machine that had hair standing on end.

We were delighted that the 1851 Trust could join us to tell us all about the Landrover/BAR programme and take us on a virtual sailing trip. Lucy and Luzana from STEMettes encouraged girls to take up STEM subjects and think about the huge variety of careers in this area.

Thanks also to all the schools that came to learn and support and, we hope, to think about demonstrating at next year’s showcase:

Haringey STEM Showcase January 25th, 2019

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STEM innovations

Greenpower racing GCA students have been competing in Greenpower racing events – IET Formula 24 category – for the last four years in a car they have modified significantly from the original kit. The 2018 race season runs from June to October. This year our team includes students from Years 7, 8 and 9 who have been busy working on the car’s power management system as well as building a new steering wheel to improve leverage and ensure smoother turning.

Building the new steering wheel

Thanks to the Tallow Chandlers Company we have been able to purchase three Goblin car kits for primary pupils to build and race. Pupils from Campsbourne, North Harringay and Chestnuts have been coming into GCA to assemble the chassis and give it a test run. At the same time, they have been learning some basic mechanics and electrics with the help of Ms Karsan and Aziz, Y7.

‘It’s interesting how you put all the different parts together. They all have to be strong otherwise the car wouldn’t be a car.’ North Harringay Y4 pupil Back at their own school they will build the bodywork using recycled materials. North Harringay pupils decided cardboard wouldn’t be a good idea because it isn’t waterproof and they are thinking about items they have around the house. We’re looking forward to seeing what they decide.

Hopefully, they will be confident enough to compete in the IET Formula Goblin races later in the season.

Building the chassis

Expert advice from Aziz GCA

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Engineering and robotics

Are the robots taking over?

Definitely not – GCA students are still in charge as they demonstrate their skills in building, programming and operating their VEX robots.

This was the fourth year that our IQ teams have reached the VEX national finals where they were up against 60 of the very best teams in the country.

The day before they left for the tournament at Telford International Centre, Erlind, a key member of Chromagicals, our most experienced Year 9 team, told us how he was feeling: ‘Last year, the tournament was extremely stressful. This year there will be 60 teams and we all want to come first. It’s nervewracking but will be rewarding even if we don’t get first place. The journey is the best part about VEX IQ. You get a buzz and feel in control. This is our last year with plastic robots and we’ve been experimenting a lot in preparation for moving on to the EDR metal robots. It’s been fun.’

On March 1st, as snow fell heavily across the country, three IQ teams set off at 5am to travel to Telford.

Was the effort and all the preparation worth it? The answer is a resounding yes – just look at these results: GCA New Bots, Y7 – 6th highest UK score in the finals.

Well done: Sheeba, Anda and Yi Ping

GCA New Bots

Valyrian Steel, Y8 – joint second seeded team in the finals, came joint 4th overall.

Chromagicals, Y9 – second in the UK Finals and the highest scoring team for much of the tournament.

Well done: Jia Bei, Seth and Lee

Well done: Erlind, Arnas, Yu Feng and Mehdi

Some other things you need to know about the three teams: GCA New Bots competed for the first time at the end of January this year so they did amazingly well to gain such a high score in the finals.

Valyrian Steel

Chromagicals

In the run-up to the finals, between them the three teams won an amazing

14 trophies, 5 championships and 3 Robot Skills awards!

In a heat at Brunel University, Chromagicals were awarded the prestigious VEX Robotics AMAZE award for the most reliable, consistent, highest scoring and well engineered robot in the competition.

Moving on IQ graduates move on to VEX EDR where they build and program metal robots to compete in demanding challenges.

Two of our Y10 teams – United Robot Squad and Tech Fusion – secured a place in the National Finals where they joined

forces to compete with their hybrid robot. Congratulations to Hannah, Rebecca, Mahdi and Aleksander, who just missed out on a place in the final match of the Nationals.

d n a z z u b a You get . . . l o r t n o c feel in

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Engineering and robotics

Students run the show It was GCA’s turn to host two of the north London regional heats in the spring term. Years 7, 8 and 9 were exceptional as usual and led the tournament for the whole day but what we want to highlight here is the sterling work of our Year 10 and 11 volunteers who acted as judges and umpires.

‘I couldn’t have run the day without their help. They were incredibly professional and impressed teachers and students from all the other schools.’ Mr Knappert

Judges deliberate

‘I enjoyed judging the competition. It was good to see how much effort all the competitors put in, particularly some of the younger girls. We judged them on their innovative ideas, how they tackled the design process and how they overcame technical problems.’ Mahdi Y10

An umpire umpires

Talking tactics

A big round of applause to Mitchell, Tanvir, Umar, Benedict, Erik, Hannah, Rebecca, Isabella, Mahdi, Armando, Kaspars and Aleksander.

Coming soon Mr Knappert is working with teachers from other schools to set up a Haringey VEX IQ league for both secondary and primary schools. Thanks to the Tallow Chandlers we have been able to buy 12 VEX robotics kits for primary schools to enable them to take part.

The first step was to get primary teachers to come to GCA to learn how to assemble and program the robots. How best to teach them? Use the experts of course. Who might they be? It’s obvious – GCA’s robotics teams.

‘I was helping the teachers build their robots. The biggest challenge was making sure they were very precise about fixing the gears. If they go the wrong way the robot tears itself apart.

The coding is also complex. You have to get the exact right measurement, even if you’re a little bit off the robot can either go slow or fly off the side of the table.’ Seth Y8

All the schools will be invited back for an end of term competition.

‘They were really enthusiastic. It was a steep learning curve but once we explained the instructions they got on with things immediately and they were open to learning about strategies not just the raw mechanics.

They all used different strategies and it was good strategic play that led to success. They were all extremely competitive and great to work with.’

Erlind, Y9

Teaching the teachers

The next step was to bring in groups of pupils with their teachers to learn more about building and programming the robots. Schools then competed against one another on the VEX field – each team playing every other team. St Michael’s N22 were clear winners on points. Well done to them.

Setting up the field for the 2018-19 challenge

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STEM pathways

STEM professionals help solve the complex problems of today’s world and its future Read on to find out how GCA students are working with professionals to get advice on the realities of different career paths.

GCA STEMettes Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon was just 20 years old when she received her master’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Oxford. Her pioneering spirit led her to co-found the STEMettes, a social initiative dedicated to inspiring and promoting the next generation of young women in STEM. Brianna, Tiffany, Aaliyah and Britney met Anne-Marie at a STEMette Leadership Academy workshop where they discovered what it takes to be successful as a female in STEM and how they might develop leadership skills.

A selfie with Anne-Marie Imafidon

STEMette leaders

Back at school the four girls have been joined by Shanice to form the leadership team of the Stemillions club.

The club meets once a week. Via an app, they find out about a woman excelling in STEM and are set a task relating to her. Merrit Moore, a ballet dancer and quantum physicist, is one of the women they researched and the task they chose to do was to create an infographic about different branches of physics.

‘My definition of a good leader is someone who has the ability to encourage others to get on track to success in whatever they are doing.’

Aaliyah

GCA STEMettes

Nothing is fixed… … this is the message Ms Ali wanted Y7 and 8 girls to learn in a workshop on STEM careers.

‘This wasn’t about persuading students to take up STEM subjects and careers. I respect the fact that they all have many interests. I do want to encourage them not to dismiss the idea of studying science, maths and technology because of concerns that these are male-dominated fields where women are not welcome.

I was keen for them to meet women who are successful in STEM fields. Young people need to keep as many doors open to them as possible because nobody knows what the jobs of the future are going to be.’

The girls worked through questionnaires designed to get them thinking about the sorts of roles they might be suited to – entrepreneur, investigator, communicator etc. – and the sectors where you find such roles.

Natasha hopes to inspire

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Thanks to the three professionals who worked with the girls: Natasha Eversley-Robertson, a civil engineer, Meron Efrem, a structural engineer, and Ayaan Ali, a computer scientist working for the Economist magazine.

All three had studied at City University with our own Ms Ali. ‘At school I was interested in architecture and design but didn’t think about engineering until it was time to choose a degree. Students need to have careers guidance earlier than is usually the case. The construction industry has a shortage of qualified people, particularly women. I hope I’ve been able to inspire some of the girls to think seriously about STEM careers.’

Natasha

… could give you a head start in the world of work.

At Cyber Ready Girls’ Day, Y8 and 9 girls used micro:bits to develop games.

They also got a better understanding of the importance of privacy and cybersecurity in our digital world.

Cyber girls

As well as all the tips they picked up for thinking about their careers, the girls learned a lot about taking care with social media so that they don’t lay themselves open to scams.

Coding

‘Not everyone can do what you can.’

This is the second year we have worked with the University of Cambridge on the Designing Our Tomorrow (DOT) initiative.

They listened to thought-provoking presentations from a Head of Data Protection, a Global Privacy Director and a Business Development Manager.

STEM pathways

Learning what makes tech tick …

Y10 students took part in a workshop where they experienced the difficulties with which people with visual impairments or mobility difficulties contend.

‘We wore simulation gloves to make it difficult to handle objects, and glasses which affected our sight.

Then we had to do things like open a medicine bottle.’ Nelson

‘Attacks have become more sophisticated and continue to evolve online.’ Lara Be alert.

Learning new ways of doing things A team of six Year 8 and 9 students are researching ways in which we can protect the environment through measures such as carbon emission reduction, recycling and reuse of materials.

Tiffany, Henri, Britney, Shanice, Zeynep and Aaliyah are taking part in Go4SET, a project set up by the Engineering Development Trust to encourage young students to consider a career in STEM and develop their entrepreneurial skills.

Their challenge: to design an eco-friendly factory that uses new, sustainable and environmentally friendly ways to create the energy it needs to run.

They’ve been researching the type of materials that could be used to build the factory and assessing the pros and cons of each option. They have looked at how to heat it and where the energy will come from.

Supporting them in their task is Mark Barnikel from Crouch End company, Symmetrys Structural Engineers.

At the Go4SET launch

‘They are learning new concepts and new ways of doing things such as creating renewable energy from natural resources.

They are also learning how to be professional in a work environment – organising and preparing for meetings, taking minutes, deciding on actions to be taken.’ Mark Barnikel

Simulation

‘It made me realise the problems that people with different types of impairment have. Not everyone can do what you can. Making tea seems easy but there are so many different steps involved and when you have problems with mobility, sight or hearing everything becomes more difficult. As a designer you have to break down all the steps in a process and think about how somebody interacts with the product.’ Jeremy

At the end of this 10-week project, team members will be awarded an Industrial Cadet qualification, an industry-led accreditation.

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STEM pathways

Operation Moonbase – a STEM/Enterprise Challenge In May, we worked with Enabling Enterprise on a challenge for local primary schools which gave pupils a chance to develop their problem-solving and budgeting skills, whilst taking on different job roles.

The task was to establish a new society on a distant moon called Utopia. Teams selected a crew to support them on their mission, before planning and building a 3-D model of their dream city.

Pupils from Welbourne, St Aidan’s, St Gildas’, Trinity, North Harringay, Rokesly, Weston Park, St Paul’s and All Hallows, Campsbourne and St Mary’s were full of bright ideas. They were brilliantly supported by GCA ambassadors.

At the end of the day teams delivered persuasive pitches at the Intergalactic Trade Fair in a bid to win the judges’ votes.

And the winners were… St Mary’s N8 Congratulations to them and to all the teams that took part.

‘I wanted to help pupils benefit from the wonders of STEM and to gain knowledge and skills that they can use in later life. It wasn’t so long ago that I was at primary school so I feel I can look at things from a pupil’s perspective and explain things clearly.’ Patience, GCA ambassador

Ambassador Patience

Ambassadors Mufti and Nicholas

British Army challenge Sixth form public services’ students were set a series of scientific and technological tasks when four British army engineers, including the first ever female tank driver, spent a day at GCA. The day offered: • an opportunity to develop skills in generating ideas, solving problems and evaluating projects – all skills that are invaluable in any career • a chance to find out about the education and training opportunities the Army offers, including apprenticeships and degree courses Corporal Matthew Mutale explained the first task: ‘Sometimes the army operates in isolated places without effective communication and we have to

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take our own signals equipment to communicate back to base. We tasked teams with building a freestanding tower to support transmission discs.

The winning team was the one that completed the task in the lowest recorded time.’

One of the lessons learned from all the challenges was: ‘You have to keep going back to the brief you’ve been set to be sure you’re doing what you’ve been asked to do.’

A tip for anyone taking an exam!

Building a communications tower

STEM pathways

Schools Starpack Award Two groups of Y9 and Y10 students tackled design briefs set for the Schools Starpack Award. They got a real feel for what it’s like to design for a specific audience.

There were seven briefs to choose from, all designed by industry experts.

The Year 9 group: Britney, Tiffany, Brianna, Aaliyah, Shahriyat Their challenge:

The Candy Dispenser: to design an innovative and fun aspect to a piece of packaging to hold and dispense a regular quantity of your favourite sweets.

The Year 10 group: Nelson, Jeremy, Elea, Rozelin, Emmanuel Their challenge:

Breakfast on the move: to design a new and innovative carton board pack for a nutritious breakfast product that can be eaten on the way to work.

Rozelin and Emmanuel didn’t enter the competition last year so it was all new to them. What did they learn?

‘Nothing comes out perfect first time round. You have to keep trying – try, try and try again.’ Rozelin ‘Dedication is the key.’ Emmanuel

Encouraging girls to take up physics Ms Tshiae is keen that girls don’t miss out on the joys of physics. As a physicist she knows how exciting it is to be challenged to discover the patterns and principles that relate to the phenomena of nature. She decided to take a group of girls to Imperial College where they could find out more about the sorts of careers open to physics graduates.

Students heard from researchers about the projects they are working on and had a chance to watch demonstrations. Undergraduates took them on a tour of the college and encouraged them to have a ‘yes you can’ attitude to physics.

‘I found the fact that there were so many powerful, young women in the physics world really inspirational.’ Delina,Y10

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Bringing learning to life

Students new to the UK have been learning in class how the country is governed and also finding out about the many treasures found in institutions such as the British Library.

To bring their learning to life they visited institutions such as the Houses of Parliament, the Royal Courts of Justice, the British Library and the Museum of London.

These visits gave students a sense of the history of the country whilst also helping them develop their English language skills.

What better way to explore for themselves what they have learnt in class!

Ms Irakleidou

The Royal Courts of Justice ‘The trip to the Royal Courts of Justice was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. I learnt about the process every member in the courtroom has to go through. I got the role of the prosecution barrister, interrogating all the witnesses. We were also told about the building and the history behind it. I totally recommend this trip to anyone interested in how the justice system works.’ Steisi, Y9

I was impressed by the judges’ costumes and wigs (which are too expensive to buy) and by the fact that if you lie in court and the police find out, you commit perjury and you can be sentenced to prison for up to 5 years.’ Mario, Y9

‘I enjoyed the tour of the building, especially hearing about the case that involved cannibalism.’ Amadou, Y9

Royal Courts of Justice

‘We had great fun on the day of the trip. I liked the part when we acted out a real-life case of cyberbullying (and the sentence we gave to the defendant was so close to the real one!). I also enjoyed the building, which was built like a Gothic church.

Debating in Parliament

The British Library

As part of their topic on debating, a group of students visited the Houses of Parliament to take part in a workshop.

The Library’s workshop ‘Word Up’ introduced students to its many collections. As well as a tour and a chance to ask questions, students enjoyed an activity that exposed them to different types of scripts, texts and recordings, including those in the Treasures Gallery – from Magna Carta to the Beatles.

‘It was a fantastic trip, I really enjoyed it. We went to the House of Lords and I felt really lucky, because we were in a place where the Queen has been before. We also saw a hall where other famous people, like Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama, addressed Parliament.’ Asan, Y8

Debaters

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Thumbs up in Trafalgar Square

‘Our trip was really fantastic. We learnt things about Parliament that I didn’t know before. The part that I most enjoyed was when we watched a short film screened on all four walls of a room. It showed the whole history of Parliament and had amazing effects.’ Nadya, Y8

Exploring different types of script

Bringing learning to life

May v Corbyn On another trip, students found out all about the UK political system and the way laws are set. They observed part of the second reading in the House of Lords of the Refugee Bill (family reunion) and also acted out a role play in the House of Commons, pretending to be Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn. Mrs May couldn’t join them because she was in Brussels negotiating Brexit!

National Portrait Gallery – not a woman in sight in that painting of Parliament

There was just time after that for a visit to the National Portrait Gallery where they were able to research paintings of politicians over the years. They were doing a lot of portrait painting in their art classes back at school at the time so perhaps they picked up some tips.

In the Main Hall of the House of Commons

Finding out about the United Nations Year 9 students, Steisi, Christian, Evelyn, Elisey and Luis took part in a fascinating workshop run by SOAS all about the United Nations.

After finding out about the UN – how it operates and its functions – they took part in a mock UN Security Council meeting. Two of them represented Egypt and three represented Russia, all holding their own very well in the debates where they invoked articles 41 & 42 in relation to Syria and the use of chemical warfare. All took part in voting and got an insight into how the Security Council works.

A tour of the SOAS campus was a bonus. They were amazed at the range and number of books in the library and didn’t want to leave.

Ms Zossimova

We had to drag them out of the SOAS library

There were tasty treats in abundance at the Christmas EAL cake sale in aid of the Night Shelter at Holy Innocents church. Staff, students and parents baked delicious cakes and biscuits using recipes from all the different countries our students come from. It was so difficult to choose that most of us just had to try a selection – followed by a trip to the gym!

Melomakarona – a Christmas treat from Greece

Sernik – delicious Polish cheesecake

A festive spread

Tommaso introduced us to Pandoro

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Active governors & students

A message from Mark Whitehead, parent governor

Look out, here come the governors You may have seen one or two of them walking around school and popping in to have a look at a lesson from time to time. They seem to take an interest in all the activities and seeing how people are getting on with their studies.

We are the school’s governors. We don’t run the school – that’s for the Principal and the hard-working teachers to do. But we do try, as volunteers, to help GCA look after students and make sure they get the best possible education.

areas such as the school’s finances in more detail.

The governors come in all shapes and sizes – the current set includes a City finance expert, an IT specialist, a journalist and a social worker.

Some are parents and school staff, while others are appointed by GCA’s sponsors.

As you can imagine, we talk about lots of interesting issues. But we are especially keen to help students achieve their personal goals in life.

This means making sure every student attains the best exam results they can, so that they get into the university of their choice and pursue their chosen career. It means supporting the school’s excellent record in sports, arts and technical pursuits, all areas in which GCA excels.

They meet five times a year as a governing body and also have subcommittees which discuss some

We are particularly proud of the high standards of behaviour at GCA – our pupils are noted for being polite and

well turned-out, and people often comment on the confident, cheerful way they welcome visitors. That is something the governors are keen to encourage because it helps make the school a happy, productive place and makes a good impression on the local community.

We are determined to make GCA one of the top schools in the country and the first choice for local parents when they are choosing a secondary school for their child. Governors often attend parents’ meetings and other school events and we value comments on how GCA is doing. So if you happen to spot one of us why not say ‘Hi’ and have a chat.

Governors, parents and visitors often comment on the wide range of extra-curricular clubs at GCA. Here’s a small taste of the activities that students enjoy.

New this year – sewing club Year 7 student, Dior, says that sewing is a way to express herself creatively and she wants to pass on her skills to her fellow students. So, she took the initiative and set up a club with support from Ms Biel.

Lots of music and dance goes on at every opportunity

‘I want to give people a chance to express themselves and show passion in what they are doing.’ Dior The club meets every lunchtime on Mondays and if you call in to see what’s going on you’ll find a group of keen designers. Some of them have joined the club because they already enjoy sewing and do a lot of craft activities at home, others want to try something new.

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Impromptu dance moves

Y9 ensemble practice

Active governors & students

‘Chess is life’ Bobby Fischer – chess champion Chess may not be life for GCA students but the club that Ms Ali runs on Wednesday lunchtime is certainly popular. They haven’t mastered the Ruy Lopez opening yet but Jacob and Shantavia are keen to learn.

‘I’ve only just started but it’s very satisfying and enjoyable. My friends were playing so I decided to join.’ Jacob ‘My dad used to play and when I started at Greig I decided to have a go. I enjoy learning about tactics and playing against my friends. I want to destroy them – but only in chess of course!’ Shantavia Keen to learn

Can you hit the shuttle twice in badminton?

Not sure? Ask one of the regular players in the sports hall any Thursday lunchtime. That’s if you can get them to stop playing for a moment to reply. The club welcomes all comers and all levels and you will have to take your turn because there are so many eager to play.

Parent Governor, Petal Kaddu, and Chair of Governors, Helen Williams, wonder whether to join in

Will he reach it?

Looks as if he did

Mr Chorley is floored

Science club meets at least once a week. Students find out about the applications of science through fun experiments. Marshmallow bridges anyone?

Science club

• sport • debating • cookery • science • knitting • sewing • art • dance • drama • music • computing • bookclub • writers’ club • sport • debating • cookery • science • knitting • sewing • art • dance • drama • music • computing • bookclub • writers’ club • sport • debating • cookery • science • knitting • sewing • art • dance • drama • music • computing • bookclub • writers’ club • sport • debating • cookery • science • knitting • sewing • art • dance • drama • music • computing • bookclub • writers’ club • sport • debating • cookery • science • knitting • sewing • art • dance • drama • music • computing • bookclub • writers’ club • sport • debating • cookery • science • knitting • sewing • art • dance • drama • music • computing • bookclub • writers’ club • sport • debating • cookery • science • knitting • sewing • art • dance • drama • music • computing • bookclub • writers’ club • sport • debating • cookery • science • knitting • sewing • art • dance • drama • music • computing • bookclub • writers’ club • sport • debating • cookery • science • knitting • sewing • art • dance • drama • music • computing • bookclub • writers’ club • sport GCA

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Last minute news

Many congratulations to…

Camilo, a Fastnet and Etchells veteran.

Camilo was invited to sail on an IRC2 yacht called Redshift Reloaded earlier this year and, as a result, has been chosen to act as bowman for the yacht in the European IRC2 championships.

Our Y9 girls’ rounders team who were crowned Haringey League Champions in June. Well done to: Chanel (Captain), Marie, Sedanur, Tishanie, Safir, Lyonelle, Christal, Sandyele, Zilan, Keren, Karley, Steisi, Erica and Yaiza- Melanie.

Our Y8 girls’ rounders team who quickly emulated the Y9 success when they took the Haringey League title. Well done to: Alexia (Captain), Skye, Latifa, Patience, Janet, Shakara, Tyann, Riana, Rianna, Esther, Rebecca and Rhenai.

Our Y7 girls’ rounders team who also took the Haringey League title for their age group – just as we were going to print! Well done to: Tyann (Captain), Esther, Shantavia, Shakara, Riana, Rianna, Rebecca, Rhenai, Jacqueline and Mariah.

Camilo with Redshift

Masoom and Ercan, Y10, for their achievement in the British Physics Olympiad Year 10 Challenge.

Masoom was awarded Silver and Ercan gained a Bronze.

Ercan and Masoom

Tobias and Gabriel, Y7, winners in the Crouch End Festival schools’ creative writing competition. Tobias was the runner-up in the Year 7/8 category and Gabriel’s entry was commended. Both boys are members of the Year 7 writing club, Quills United.

Tobias and Gabriel

Starpack Award winners (see p37) Gold and Sponsor Award: Shahriyat, Y9 Gold and Sponsor Award: Rozelin, Y10 Silver and Best Portfolio: Brianna, Y9 Highly Commended: Y9s – Tiffany, Britney, Aaliyah; and Nelson, Y10

Shahriyat

Rozelin

And finally…

We have just heard from GCA alumna Mirela who is coming to the end of her second year of doctoral studies at Oxford.

This year she took research trips to Egypt and Iran, edited a book and submitted her first article to an academic journal.

She will soon be spending a month in Washington DC as a visiting scholar at a Harvard Research Centre (which she tells us has an amazing swimming pool!).

Mirela

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New from September In September 2018, we will introduce two specialist curriculum pathways for our Year 7 students: The Mandarin Excellence Programme – to be delivered with the UCL Institute of Education and the British Council. Students on this pathway will have Mandarin language tuition for four hours a week. The remaining lessons will cover all the National Curriculum subjects.

STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). Lessons for students on this pathway will cover the full National Curriculum, including all the STEM subjects. However, they will also have additional time allocated to STEM subjects and activities.

For more information, please send your query by email to: enquiries@greigcityacademy.co.uk or via the Contact Us page on our website: www.greigcityacademy.co.uk.

A very big thank you‌ ... to our sponsors and supporters.

We are very grateful to The Greig Trust, The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers, Pioneer Underwriters, the Tottenham Grammar School Foundation and the Joan Braithwaite Sailing Trust as well as all the many people, charitable trusts and companies who give so much practical and financial support to ensure GCA students can enjoy, and benefit from, a fantastic range of experiences.

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Title

Keen readers If you want any recommendations for books to read, talk to any of the Year 7/8 book club members who meet every other Thursday in the library.

We called in to see five of the members with Ms Grant to find out why they enjoy book club so much.

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

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

GCA’s Chair of Governors Helen Williams CB, MA Oxon

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

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

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Designed by Chimera Design Ltd. www.chimeradesign.co.uk I Cover photography by Jon Holt

Sponsorship