Societies

In the Summer Term, we ran a special ally event, a screening of Happiest Season (or, as we called it, ‘Christmas in May’!). The whole community came together to make snowflakes and paper chains and we even found a lovely rainbow Christmas tree for the occasion. We hope that this will be the first of many events to encourage allies to support the school’s LGBTQIA+ community. We were also joined by Pride almnus Briden Whitbread, who spoke about the science behind being transgender. She explained everything in a concise and accessible way and we came away feeling informed and validated. Thank you, Briden, for being so incredible at dumbing down biochemistry to our level! After half term, we hosted our third ‘Pronoun Ambassadors’ presentation. Many pride members were courageous enough to stand up in front of a whole lecture theatre of teachers and educate them on how to use and respect trans and nonbinary pronouns.

We celebrated Pride Week at the end of term with the mighty Progress Pride flag flying from the Wilson Tower. We had a ‘make your Pronoun Badge’ station in the library and the Head Master allowed us to wear rainbow laces in our school shoes all week. We sold these laces on the Quad, with all proceeds going towards local LGBTQIA+ charity, Freedom Youth. The Pride Society also hosted Chapel, performing a court scene about the effect of using ‘gay’ as an insult. There was also a delicious Pride Lunch in BSK and pride flags everywhere. Tutor groups took part in a flag Kahoot quiz and watched a video starring Pride members, both old and current. As the editor, I shed a few tears at seeing some of my oldest friends and hearing their words about what pride means to them, their experience in the school, and advice they would give people to be a good ally. On Thursday, Dr Poland presented ‘Scientific Society x Pride: Gender and Sexual Diversity in the Animal Kingdom’. Not only was the message hugely positive, but Dr Poland was passionate and fun in her presentation, which included audience participation and videos set to perfectly suited soundtracks. On the final day of Pride Week, we worked with the Charities Committee and hosted a rainbow themed home clothes day. In the evening, we held a karaoke night, the highlight of which was Ms Walker and Miss Atkinson’s duet! Speaking of Miss Atkinson, we had to say goodbye to her on the final day of term. We had a wonderful farewell breakfast in the morning followed by cheers (and tears) when she walked out of Chapel for the final time. We’re all so grateful for everything the amazing Miss Atkinson has done for us over the years. And of course, we can’t talk about Pride Society without mentioning Ms Walker: kind, compassionate and in possession of the only strand of sanity in the society, Pride simply wouldn’t be Pride without her. The Clifton College Pride Society is everything from hectic and chaotic to passionate and devoted to making this school a better place, in which we are free and proud to be who we are.

Tara Madan (WT)

The Clifton Herald

The hallowed halls of the Clifton Herald (also known as Mr Lane’s Computer Science classroom) are filled with dedicated student journalists on Monday afternoons. We had a mass exodus of our Year 13 cohort in the Summer Term and our team now consists of Daisy Whittard, Jasmine Holland, Isabelle Wilkinson, Callim Powlesland and me, plus some much valued guest contributors. There is never a dull moment, with discussion about new articles or edits that are necessary for the paper to ever see the light of day. At the end of the academic year, we were delighted to be able to publish a real paper edition for the first time since 2019. We work independently (with guidance from Mrs John and Miss Shaw) and do everything from writing and editing to designing and marketing. The only thing we don’t do is pay for the printing! The summer edition includes articles on the climate crisis, conspiracy theories, feminism, and the oft-controversial topic that is school uniform. Look out for our next issue soon!

Piers de Voil (ST), Clifton Herald Editor-in-Chief

Pride Action Group

At the start of 2022, the Pride Society expanded with the creation of Pride Action Group. Officially, this is an EDIB focus group which has created a space for LGBTQ+ activism in the school, leaving the evening Pride Group for social events. Although Pride Action started off slowly, it quickly picked up speed, enabling us to make a real impact. We have worked closely with the English Department and we’re pleased to report that

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin will be included in the Year 9 English syllabus in the coming years. This novel tells the story of Riley, a person who is gender fluid and has just joined a new school. It’s a thrilling and heartwarming (and sometimes heartbreaking) story, portraying how great but also how difficult it can be to be a transgender person in modern society. This is just the start of integrating and usualising understanding and acceptance into our school and society as a whole.

Tara Madan (WT)

Science Society: Crime Scene Investigation

The Upper Sixth biologists investigated a crime scene, working in individual teams to fathom the cause of death. Wearing forensic suits with the correct ID, they explored the evidence along with interviewing a suspect. What happened on that fateful night?

Who committed the crime and why? Forensic entomology helped to link the evening with their A Level biology course. After pulling their conclusions together, the teams presented their findings. The winners were awarded CSI lanyards for their efforts!

Mal Grohmann

Origami Club

A group of Cliftonians were busy practising the art of paper folding during the Michaelmas and Lent Term, with the aim of developing mathematical reasoning, sequencing skills, attention and patience, as well as having some fun at transforming a piece of square paper into something entirely different. Their beautiful creations included origami flowers, Christmas decorations, and animals. The ninja stars and flexagons were a big hit too!

Yan Turnock

Environmental Action Group

The Environmental Action Group have been busy this term, with a number of events and collaborations set up both within school and as part of the Bristol Educational Partnership (BEP). The students have shown themselves to be motivated leaders, so watch this space for further environmental action next year!

BEP Eco Week Plans

Since the beginning of the year we have been hoping to create a presentation for tutor groups as well as an assembly for the Prep School regarding the impacts of climate change. As part of the BEP Eco Week, we created a dramatic presentation showing the impacts of climate change if action is not taken. At the end of the presentation we will also ask students to consider what they will do to help. We hope this presentation will persuade many students and teachers alike to take responsibility for climate action. We are very excited to have this presentation shown next academic year.

Alexei Joukovski (SH) and Ollie Sakpoba (WaH)

Sodexo Meeting

A key event for this term was a Q&A with Sodexo, the school’s caterers. From this meeting, it was clear to us that the catering team have already taken a number of progressive steps towards cutting down food waste and emissions in general. For example, as much of our food as possible is sourced from local and sustainable farmers, with a clear chain of traceability. Sodexo also has an Environmental Policy, which includes reducing plastic use and increasing the number of plant-based meals on offer. It was really encouraging to hear how much the Catering Department are already doing, so please pass on your thanks to the staff next time you see them!

Ned McKinlay (ST)

DT Department Visit

Another exciting collaboration began when the team went to the DT Department to look at the new plastic-reusing machine they have invested in. We found out how the machine works and had the chance to use the machine ourselves. Afterwards we had a quick briefing on how we could use this machine to recycle our plastic and what we would have to keep in mind and look out for in order to be able to do so. One of the ideas that we came up with was to have a Frisbee making competition in collaboration with the DT Department where each House would compete by collecting reusable plastic. We hope to launch this competition early next academic year.

Lola Barber (OH) and Maya von Lilienfeld-Toal (HH)

Kendrew Society Dinner

Following their outstanding performances, the musicians competing in the fabulous Kadoorie Cup at the beginning of May joined the Sixth Form academic scholars for the annual Kendrew Society Scholars’ Dinner. A black

Christian Forum

Christian Forum has restarted in person this year and it has been so pleasing to see the group begin again in earnest. We have been looking at Jesus bringing good news from the book of Mark and Matthew. It has been great to see a variety of Houses and students represented at the meetings, and enjoying good discussions with the speaker after talks. Speakers have come from a range of churches and have engaged us in the passages. It was fantastic to hear a conversation about the style of churches in Asia, Africa, Qatar and Yorkshire. We are a group who encourage people to look at the claims of Jesus in the Bible over a few snacks. All who are willing to think are welcome to attend. The pizza supper with a Christian holiday presentation and the summer barbecue were lovely occasions.

Jay Gardner

tie event at which the food was outstanding and the entertainment came in the form of a Mr Mills quiz, a Dr Turner address and brilliant company, a great evening was enjoyed by all. It was a fitting way to celebrate the achievements of our Sixth Form academic scholars throughout the academic year.

Graham Mallard

Student Librarians

We welcomed some brilliant new student librarians to the team at the first event in the literary calendar, the Bristol Bookshop Tour! On a sunny September Saturday, the group ventured to Bristol’s best independent bookshops to browse, buy books and eat ice cream. As well as all their usual library duties, they have teamed up with the Creative Writers for author workshops, had a lecture on the history of the library from former Percival Librarian David Reed, helped plan Harry Potter Day (they’re worth their weight in Niffler gold!), taken over the Library Instagram account for a week, and joined the DT Department for the magical Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour featuring duels, dragons, Gringotts and more! We are so grateful to library legends Rowan Read and Benson Zhou, our Year 13 student librarian leavers; part of the team since Third Form, they have done so much to make the library such a vibrant, creative and fun place to be.

Charlotte Withey

Creative Writing Group

Clifton College’s wonderful wordsmiths were on fine form again this year. The writers read their original work to the whole school in Chapel, took part in workshops with amazing authors like Alex Wheatle and Louisa Reid, attended the Bristol Poetry Institute’s Annual Reading with special guest Roger Robinson, and shared their beautifully eclectic poetry and prose at Commem and the Summer Arts Evening. We also welcomed new creative talent

Perhaps Paris?

to the group at our regular Tuesday evening sessions in the library, including the brilliant Miss Clarke who joined us for the year. We bid a fond farewell to Llewellyn Evans who has been our resident poet since Year 9 (or, in fact, since he attended a taster workshop with us when he was in Year 8 and was sold on the cookies) and thank him for being such an inspiration to students and staff. Here is one of Llew’s most recent poemswho needs Paris when you have Clifton Village?

Leah Shaw

Perhaps, for a moment, I’d found Paris. Not in the truth of a grey riddled city, but in the stone coloured facades, the literature ladled coffee shops and the feeling of being something of purpose and beauty. And, perhaps the strangest thing, is that I’d found Paris in a rainy hour of Bristol. Where music, traffic, rain, all turned the voices I knew, into a foreign language which so confidently let me go.

Llewellyn Evans (MH)

Philosophy and Law Society

Legal debates continue to be at the centre of high-profile news events, whether the acquittal of the ‘Colston Four’ in January 2022 or the monumental overturning of Roe v Wade by the US Supreme Court in June. These issues were reflected in the various pupil presentations given this year. That given on civil disobedience by Steven Yao considered the boundaries between terrorism and justified violent resistance, cases ranging from Maquis resistance to the Nazis, armed civil rights protest groups, damage to property, and 9/11. Alex Long considered the various conflicts between parents and children in terms of legal rights, including medical treatment and international relocation issues in custody battles. Theo Claeseen surveyed the ways lawyers justify themselves when defending the guilty and prosecuting the innocent. Wider experiences this year included presentations on ‘life lessons’ from the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume, an enrichment afternoon led by Professor Antonio Layard of Oxford University, a mock trial based on a case of firearms possession, and a resumption of our annual Bristol Crown Court visit, where students saw barristers in action in three real-life criminal cases focused on the Kill the Bill rioters. Well done to all involved.

James Drinkwater

AniManga Club

A new club for anime and manga fans was set up in the Summer Term by Tammy Ogunbajo and Amon Tamnarnchit. The group have discussed their favourite manga series, suggested books and DVDs for the library, and watched and analysed some classic anime shorts. The highlight of the term was the manga drawing workshop, led by the supremely talented Tammy, who also designed the promotional poster for the club. Tammy and Amon are looking forward to recruiting even more students next academic year.

Leah Shaw