Chs school magazine 2017

T

IR

LS

IN

G

GIR

LS

E

TH

RSPEC

IV

E

PE

SPIRING

Magazine 2017

Croydon High

Letter from our Editors September 2016 saw the arrival of Mrs Pattison, our new headmistress.

As changes to GCSE and A-level assessment have also continued, it has been a year of transformations, which we have embraced and enjoyed.

There have been so many highlights, such as the National Women’s Conference, First Give, and the annual sixth form Fashion Show.

We wish to thank all those who have contributed to this magazine and for support in writing and editing from Mrs Cook, Mrs Roe and Ms Forshaw.

It has been a challenging but rewarding experience enjoyed by us all.

Overall, being on the magazine committee has been a memorable experience that we are incredibly grateful for.

Our Editorial Committee: Miranda Best, Maya Devincenzi Dil, Grace England, Hannah Green, Emma Kassim, Elizabeth Lovering, Anjali Malik, Sharna Piercy, Georgia Taylor, Ella Webster.

SENIOR SCHOOL

CONTENTS Title ................................................................. Page No. Interview with Mrs Pattison..........................................................2 Thoughts from Mrs Bradshaw...................................................... 4 Nursery...........................................................................................6 Reception.......................................................................................8 Year 1.............................................................................................10 Year 2............................................................................................ 12 Year 3............................................................................................ 14 Year 4............................................................................................ 16 Year 5............................................................................................ 18 Year 6........................................................................................... 20 Junior School Drama.................................................................. 24 Creative Writing......................................................................... 26 House Report.............................................................................. 30 Fashion Show.............................................................................. 32 Amnesty International................................................................ 34 SHINE ....................................................................................... 35 Charity Report............................................................................ 36 Young Reporter: First Give.........................................................37 Government and Politics .......................................................... 38 Autumn Trip to the USA............................................................ 39 High School Drama................................................................... 40 Sports Report ............................................................................ 42 Artistic High-lights .................................................................... 44 English ....................................................................................... 46 LRC – Making connections ..................................................... 48 Career High-points .................................................................. 50 National Council of Young Women .......................................... 51 History ........................................................................................ 52 Geography and Psychology ...................................................... 53 Religious Studies ....................................................................... 54 Classics and Latin ...................................................................... 55 French ........................................................................................ 56 German and Spanish .................................................................. 57 Travel and Trips .......................................................................... 58 Netball and Hockey Tour of South Africa ...............................60 Music .......................................................................................... 61 Maths and Economics .............................................................. 62 Biology ....................................................................................... 63 Physics ....................................................................................... 64 Computer Science .................................................................... 65 Chemistry .................................................................................. 66 Farewell Mrs Clark ..................................................................... 67 Goodbyes and Thank yous ........................................................ 68

Cover Story The incredible image that we have chosen for our cover this year is the work of Year 13 fine art student Blanche Brown. This is what she has to say about her experience at Croydon High.

“I have loved my nine years at Croydon High and am sad to say goodbye to the wonderful art department – my home within Croydon High. The teachers are some of the most inspiring people I have met and I have learnt so much from them.”

“In Year 13 the coursework section has allowed me to explore landscape, and in my essay I found myself questioning whether Monet and Doig’s work should be classed as abstract or representational. My coursework piece ‘A Half Frozen Sunrise’ depicts a section of the Bay Pond, Godstone, on a very cold morning. I was influenced by Doig’s ice focused paintings and Monet’s Waterlilies. I aimed to capture an effective sense of the atmosphere by focusing on the reflection and have enjoyed exploring the use of mixed media and bright colours.”

1

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Q: Did you look anywhere else for headships?

A: No, I didn’t. I hadn’t thought about it. I was approached and started

researching the school and really liked the way it looked. But I hadn’t made up my mind, to be really honest, until I came. What I loved about Croydon High in that visit were the girls and the staff. The welcome was really warm and the girls who showed me round were lovely – I had lunch with years 7, 8 and 9 and they had lots to talk about – buzzy, exciting girls with projects. I think the thing that really did it for me was the Padilicious campaign run by a sixth former who was moved by the plight of the refugees in Calais and wanted to help. I thought: I want to work in a school with girls like that! Amazing, compassionate girls who are open-minded, who look at what’s going on in the world and want to make a difference.

Q: Since you’ve come to the school you’ve made quite a lot of changes. What kind of future do you see for Croydon High?

A: I think we are in a really strong position, so I am making changes

that I see as improvements and enhancements of what is already a very strong foundation. I foresee a school that is at the top of its game, the best in the area, the flagship school of the GDST. I think in some respects we’ve got some work to do, but in very many respects we are performing exceptionally well. I don’t think we shout about it in the right way, so that’s something I want to work on, and I want to strengthen even further our academic and extra-curricular offer.

Q: So is there anything new and exciting you’re working on for Croydon High that you can give us a little sneak preview of?

A: We’re doing a lot of work on IT, and I think some of that’s perhaps

already been perceived. We’ve replaced all the printers and the photocopiers. We got rid of old laptops and we’re going to put more in; some have already gone into the library. New, Clevertouch whiteboards are going into classrooms over the summer and they are already in the Junior School. Also, we’re completely rebranding the school – we’re not losing the Ivy Leaf – that’s still really important. But I think, to help us really sell ourselves, the website needs some work and a uniform committee are looking at a uniform that helps us stand out a bit more, while being elegant and comfortable. Other plans include the Positive Project, which we will launch at some point next year to help girls improve their emotional literacy with a view to being more mentally healthy. Along the same lines, we have a new school counsellor joining us next year.

2

Interview with our headmistress, Mrs Pattison, who joined the school in September 2017 Q: So we were just wondering what kind of jobs you had prior to coming to Croydon High?

A: I didn’t go straight into education. I did a graduate scheme – Thomas

Cook – for a few years, and it was actually really good for someone going into teaching. The scheme gave me the opportunity to do a bit of marketing, HR, finance. I worked on a shop floor in Croydon as it happens but I always knew I would probably go into teaching; I just wasn’t sure when.

When I eventually did, I worked in the state sector, then in Paris and at Caterham School as head of year. At Guildford High School, I was head of languages. It’s a girl’s school with a junior school, so a similar format to ours. And then, immediately before here, I was at St. Johns, Leatherhead and was deputy head, (academic). I think the really exciting thing that I’ve been able to benefit from in my career is variety within education and learning as much as I can through each academic year.

Q: You’ve more or less answered this question… but did you always want to be a teacher?

A: I sort of always knew I would be – my mum was, my grandma was

– there’s a lot in the family! When I was revising for my GCSEs in my bedroom, it helped me to learn if I pretended I was actually teaching someone. Then I ran a choir and wrote a musical at school, and we performed it, and I just loved that. I really enjoyed getting the girls into something that I was passionate about. So I always knew it would happen eventually.

I didn’t necessarily know I was going to be a headmistress, just as time passed it became something I was really interested in.

Q: So at school, what was your favourite subject?

A: Music of course, I loved music, and then English, and French.

Those were all the subjects that I would walk to class a bit more quickly to get to.

Q: Do you have any pets?

A: No. My daughter would love a pet – she’s two years old and would

absolutely love for us to have a dog; she’s learned all the animal names of dogs and cats, and every time we see a cat she points it out. But my husband and I work full time, so I don’t really think it would be fair. My mum and dad have a dog who is adored and treasured and gets loads of fuss whenever they come round.

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Q: So do you have any hobbies outside of school?

A: As a headmistress, with a two-year-old daughter, there’s not lots of time left! I really enjoy playing the piano and singing, and that’s a good chance for me to de-stress. I must say, I don’t do it as much as I used to, which is really naughty, and I keep telling Mr Suryani that I will. I do go for a nice long run, two to three times a week because I live right near the North Downs Way. I love skiing but I’m not very good.

Quick Fire Round Q: Starbucks or Costa?

Q: Book or Movie?

A: S tarbucks – there’s a reason behind that but that’s

A: Book

a story for another time

Q: Summer or Winter?

A: Summer Q: Android or iPhone?

A: Both – actually Android, since I have a Samsung Q: Fruit or Veg? A: Fruit Q: Chocolate or Sweets?

A: Chocolate Q: City or Countryside?

A: Countryside

Q: Chinese or Indian?

A: Indian Q: Favourite colour?

A: Pink Q: Favourite childhood memory?

A: Horse-riding Q: Best place you’ve visited?

A: Barcelona Q: Best movie you’ve seen?

A: The Color Purple

3

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Thought from Mrs Bradshaw, head of the Junior school

This academic year was a unique one if only for the fact that I spent the Summer Term in the Senior School. I missed the Junior girls and very much looked forward to returning – hoping they didn’t change the locks while I was away!

This year has seen unprecedented sporting success including being U11 double netball champions and our first Junior ski trip. The ski trip provided opportunity for girls whose families do not ski to have a taste of the pursuit and I was most proud of two of our girls who announced after their first lesson that skiing was, in fact, not for them. After a combination of tough love and encouragement, two days later they both said it was the most fun they had had!

Drama and music were excellent again this year. The nativities, End of the Pier Show, Junior girls in the Wizard of Oz and Honk! all impressed the audiences. We also had some amazing concerts including work composed by our girls. There are not many junior schools where 10 year olds have the knowledge, skills and confidence to compose (a skill needed in GCSE music) and all of our Year 6 are able to do this.

We have had a focus on maths in Junior School this year and Mrs Johnson tells me that the number of maths passport certificates given out run into the hundreds. In the Primary Maths Challenge all our girls gained bronze, silver and gold certificates, and we were particularly excited to learn that Naomi Murphy had been invited to the next round, an invitation that only extends to 2% of the entrants.

Mathematics was also complimented by a huge amount of work on our STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) provision in Juniors.

Our team of four Junior and four Senior girls achieved the Judges’ Gold Award at the Digital Leaders competition for their app designed to help children with dyslexia learn languages.

Our first girl-led Science Fair was a huge success as was the first year of LittleBits electronics club. Our Robotics Club successfully created Ivy, whom they took to our first robotics competition. The girls were placed 7th out of 14, which is impressive in itself on their first outing but even more so as they were the only Junior School team entered.

Reading that string of achievements one would be forgiven for thinking our girls were ruthlessly ambitious. But on the contrary, their ambition comes with compassion.

4

This year saw all the girls give their full support to our very own Mrs Troop as she made a personal visit to the school we helped to build through You Can Africa. Two groups of Year 5 girls then organised their own fundraising to support her.

A different group of Year 5 girls then asked to organise an event in support of a local animal sanctuary. Compassion and confidence can make a big difference in the world and our fundraising in Junior School alone topped £6,000 this year.

Finally I would like to give some advice to those Year 6 girls, who have ended their Junior School journey and are now in Year 7.

At Easter I took a risk. I had never planned (and never wanted!) to work in the Senior School, let alone be the deputy head. But when the opportunity came along to challenge myself I did not let the risk of failure whisper in my ear. I didn’t focus on how I was uniquely unqualified for the job! And that is what I challenge you to do.

Make a plan and set yourself goals and targets. However, when an unexpected opportunity to challenge yourself comes along, whether that is in Year 8 or your first job, take it. Do not ever be scared of something because it is going to be challenging.

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

17 girls, Mrs Moon and Mrs Bradshaw spent a week in Alpe D’Huez in a group of 150 girls and staff from the GDST. We learnt how to ski and had our first experience of ‘networking’ with girls from 5 other GDST schools. #gdstski #GDST4life

5

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Nursery We have been very busy this year.

We have been learning to write our names.

Some of us practised drawing upside down!

In the Spring term, we looked at ‘Growing’.

We watched some chicks hatch!

We watched our vegetables grow.

6

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

In the summer term, we went on a trip to Ladyland farm!

We saw lots of ponies.

At school, we talked about which animals we would like to be. Can you tell what we are?

7

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Reception

As part of their topics about Minibeasts and Life Cycles, Reception watched caterpillars turn into butterflies which made the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar more realistic for them.

8

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

The girls made salt dough minibeasts and then painted them.

They played sequencing games about all the food the hungry caterpillar ate!

It was fascinating to watch the butterflies fly away in the garden.

The girls were also very lucky to see chicks hatch from eggs.

They had some tadpoles too, which turned into frogs!

9

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Year 1

We found out lots of facts about Africa. We wrote acrostic poems about African animals and painted pictures too. We made some elephants and sewed animal puppets.

Lions are predators In the deep deep grass On a tree Now he pounces on his prey

by Isabelle and Aleesha Low, creeping in the tall green grass Eager to catch food Opening its wide jaws Prowling, searching for food Always on the look out Roaring loudly Dangerous and sly

by Zia and Diandra 10

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

We all worked together on our Year 1 African Sunset Zebras are stripy, black and white Eating juicy green grass Being amazing runners Racing to the water hole A zebra’s teeth so great for munching!

by Elianna, Sara and Zoe

Lions are scary and fierce In the jungle there are lots of animals On the African plains, he is King!

Noisy jungle animals.

by Maha and Priya

Lazy leopard Eating his lovely lunch Opening his scary mouth Peeking around a bush Asking the zebra, ‘What are you doing?’

Really fun things Day dreaming under a tree.

by Miku and Amari 11

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Year 2

A small fire, accidentally started in Pudding Lane in the City of London in September of 1666, was the cause of an enormous fire which lasted for four days and destroyed most of London.

Amazingly, very few people lost their lives, but buildings which had been crammed very close together and were made of wood were easily destroyed. After the fire, all new buildings were made of stone and brick.

We know a very great deal about the Great Fire of London because Samuel Pepys kept a detailed diary.

St Paul’s Cathedral was designed by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire.

We went on a trip to see St Paul’s Cathedral.

Our London Trip It was a long journey to London. Laura, Josie, Holly M and I saw the London Eye so we knew we were in London. Then we played I spy and the animal game. The animal game is when you think of an animal and you take it in turns to ask a question about it. When we got there we got our bags checked.

Then we put our bags and coats in a cupboard. A lady took us on a tour around St Paul’s Cathedral. She showed us the two statues that got burnt during the Great Fire of London. The fire burnt off the legs and arms.

12

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

We then took part in a role play. Holly I was Samuel Pepys, Hannah was a woman, Holly M was a man and Leonie was Christopher Wren.

One of the most well-known features of the cathedral is the Whispering Gallery. A whisper against the wall can be clearly heard at the other side, 35 metres away.

Next we lay down under the three circles and looked at all the patterns. I liked all of the patterns.

Then we had lunch. After, she showed us two cathedrals. Cathedral 4 and 5. Then we went up to the Whispering Gallery. It had lots of steps.

After that we went back to school on the coach.

By Aleena Bennett 13

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Year 3

A great time was had by all at the Warner Bros Studios!

The Hogwarts Express is a real train which runs across 84 miles of railway in the United Kingdom.

Mrs Handstand’s lot cartwheeled out

Mrs Butterfly’s lot fluttered out

Mrs Sea’s lot swan out

Mrs Snooze’s lot yawned out

Mr Popcorn’s lot popped out

Mr Jewel’s lot shimmered out

Malaika Macfoy

Mr Jump’s lot bounced out

Mrs Duck’s class quacked out.

Charulata Raval

At the end of assembly…

Miss Tree’s lot blew out

Mr Elephant’s lot blew out

Mr Onion’s lot cried out

Miss Book’s lot read out

Mrs Sandwich’s class munched out Mrs Car’s lot zoomed out

Sonam Maharaj

14

Mrs Crisp’s lot crunched out Mr Trampoline’s lot bounced out

Amariah During

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

In art this year we studied a number of different artists.

Here is a selection of artwork produced after studying Van Gogh and Quentin Blake.

Can you spot the originals?

We made bridges out of spaghetti and marshmallows!

15

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Year 4

Menu for The Iron Man

Starters Long, exotic springs.

Spicy, sautéed bedspread with a bit of engine oil.

Creamy springs like noodles with engin e oil ketchup.

Main Courses Butter-poached washing machine.

Crispy trucks with exotic springs.

Pan-fried bicycles with creamy WD4 0 Roasted trucks with delicate engine oil.

Desserts Creamy car with WD40 sorbet.

Caramelised train tracks with petrol.

Honey drizzled washing machine.

Spirited Arts Project How do our beliefs influence what we do?

Drinks ~ Diesel. Petrol. Engine Oil. Side Orders ~ Spicy bicycle bells.

Exotic iron filings.

Miu Someya

Menu for The Iron Man

Man The Iron Menu for with illed stoves olished, gr P ~ s er rt Sta trol. a hint of pe track. ched train oa -p er tt u B les with es ~ Bicyc Main Cours gs. n ri h luxurious sp teads, flavoured wit beds with ed rv Two rusty se d esel oil an a hint of di ns. pa d an pots izzled bus stop dr Luxurious ~ s rt se es D . p with honey ied by a cu s accompan Poached bu l. of engine oi springs. s ~ Metal Side Order Watson ra a m A Menu for The Iron Man Starters ~ Slow -roasted, crispy and chewy springs with a delicate splash of oil.

Luxurious, velve ty butter poached chains.

Georgia O‘Keeffe – study 16

Main Courses ~ Caramelised, ric h ovens served with some iron filings.

Crispy and exotic bedsteads.

Spicy, pan-fried bicycles served with butte r-poached springs.

Starters ~ Crispy grilled pans with rich, slow-roasted springs.

Roasted headlamps with velvety grilled pans.

Main Courses ~ Delicate butter-poached train carriages with soft, slow-roasted railway tracks.

Two spicy pan-fried stoves with fragrant roasted girder.

Luxurious sautéed bedsteads with simmered chains.

Desserts ~ Luxurious, caramelised pots and pans served with a roasted girder.

A velvety, sautéed washing machine with a delicate pan-fried car.

Drinks ~ Classic Diesel.

Seasonal Petrol.

Side Orders ~ Crispy springs.

Spicy iron filings.

Creamy, chopped chains.

Desserts ~ Hone y-drizzled cars with luxuriou s caramelised chain s.

Honey-glazed mi crowaves with iron filings , sprinkled with chrome cru mbs.

Side Orders ~ Sl ow-roasted, spicy iron filings .

Luxurious springs .

Areej Khan

Elsa Balzer

Croydon High

Emily and Amelia

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Sneha and Tania

Location, location, location

Penelope and Roma

Amy and Zara

Elsa and Annabella

Reflections of Year 4

Bethan, Sam and Caron

17

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Year 5

William Morris was an English artist, poet and politician, who lived and worked during the Victorian era. He designed wallpaper and his patterns were inspired by the natural world. We designed some of our own.

Gisela Christou

Madeleine Hunter

Aashka Patel

Ruby Williams

Anousha Nihalani

THE RIVER

by Shreya Rao

A RIVER’S JOURNEY

by Reshini

THE RIVER

by Emilia Hirschmann

I opened my eyes to see the world before me I was thin and narrow Strolling down the steep hills Lush and green

I was born at the peak, Of a mountain so high, I played with the wind, Who galloped at my side

It’s rapping and roaring, It’s a monster of froth, It’s a tumbling acrobat, It’s racing a cheetah

As I grew weaker Needing protection from The towering trees Lusciously green

It’s now a tranquil place, It’s a mirror reflection, It’s the sunlight that’s peering, Down from the trees

As I became older, More active with more ambition, I used my muscles like a body builder Eroding all I saw and brushing the rocks, Like the bristles of a brush I was transported like luggage To a fast flowing place Jumping out and falling in, flooding the land A race track for races, where waters bolt and zoom For now and then, you come and go For many days you twist and turn Around the race track of a meander Then you follow your way towards The open arms of paradise Where waves start to grow 18

I struggle along with my load As they tug me back strongly, Sediment is clinging to my body I wonder ‘Will I ever be free of this misery?’

Tired and exhausted I heaved my way along My body grew weary As I sailed into The open arms of the sea

It now wants to jump, Over boulders and rocks, Wide as an elephant, It still carries on Dancing and prancing, Singing like an eagle, It finally reaches its destination, Into the open wide sea!

THE RIVER

by Deethya I was once born I gazed around the lush green hills I saw the flowing river bubbling about Jumping around rocky stones I listened to the howling wind like a witch’s cackling

We did a river survey in Nettlecombe

Croydon High

THE RIVER by Temilola I’m a bellowing, roaring river As I tumble over the branches and roots Rapidly forming foam clouds I’m a calm, soft river, Slithering down the forest floor, As clear as glass, as shiny as glitter I’m a monster, Effervescent, fast flowing, bubbling I’m an acrobat Tumbling over rocks Racing the wind.

A lion taking the jungle I’m dancing and prancing, Gliding into the shimmering ocean Slowly and steadily sliding down

Year 5 Artwork Abhishree Vaze

Meg Bridges

Millie Bowen

JUNIOR SCHOOL

THE JOURNEY

by Sophia P I started up high in the hills Racing as I go I can’t stop moving Tumbling as I go I turn into a rapid Growing louder as I go Jumping over stones Bubbles pushing me along Then I wound my way around the rocks Looking at shadows Reflecting on the water And then I start to get slower And slower And slower Until I go trailing behind other rivers Getting tired as I go along Then I join my friends And we found ourselves opposite The Sea

Lilia Harper

Krishna Unnithan 19

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Year 6

Honk! tells the story of an odd-looking baby duck, Ugly, and his quest to find his mother. It is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved story, “The Ugly Duckling”. and the cat get caught in it. Ida is out looking for her son when she sees two lumps of snow, which look like bodies. Ida then realizes that Ugly is underneath the snow. She thinks that Ugly is dead, but he has actually turned into a swan. Ugly is reunited with his mum but she wants him to go with the swan family.

Eventually Ugly says that he will go with the swans, but he and Penny go back to be the first swans on the lake. Grace who is the most respected duck on the lake hands the red band over to Ugly and now everyone loves him. The story ends with Ugly and Penny living on the lake with all of the other animals of the farmyard.

Amy Honk! was an amazing experience, and we all had a really fun time on stage. I was very lucky to play the part of Ugly, who was teased by his family when he was a ‘duckling’. Nobody on the lake liked Ugly apart from Ida, his mum.

Ugly went off with a cat who told Ugly that they were friends, but the cat only wanted to cook him. He has to face a series of obstacles to find his way back to the duck yard. He meets many animals of the farmyard, including Penny, Greylag and Dot, the cat and the bullfrog. When Ugly is travelling back to the duck yard there is a blizzard, and Ugly

We all worked extremely hard on the play, putting a lot of effort into it. Mrs Broyd and Mr Bentley worked especially hard putting the whole show together, and helping us with all of our music and drama. My favourite scene was the kitty cat snack shack. I performed this with Sienna and a lot of choreography was involved.

My favourite scene was when the ducklings emerge from their eggs. It was such fun to watch the audience’s shocked faces as they started to laugh. I also thought the dance in ‘Play with your food’ was very impressively choreographed.

Eloise I liked when I sang ‘Play with your food’ with Sophia, and Amy and Sienna did a dance in front of us. It always made me laugh when Amy wiggled her bottom and when she got put in the pot. I also liked it when Hannah uncovered me from the snow and then I went crazy. I thought cat suited me very well because I am CRAZY!

Honk! was not just a performance, but a great memory for all of us.

Jemima I enjoyed Honk! I was a goose. I loved marching around the room and being in the opening dance. I watched all the scenes. My favourite was the one with Ugly and the cat in the kitchen.

It was a brilliant show. It was a great experience for me and it was the last one in the Junior School. If I could I would do it again because some people are leaving.

Hannah

Asha We did Honk! as our Year 6 production where I played Henrietta. I especially loved singing in a trio with Kayla and Caitlin and later on as a quartet with Kayla, Caitlin and Jessica.

20

Honk! was a great experience, I played the part of Ugly and later on I turned into a swan. I enjoyed acting these parts because at the start I got to sit inside a giant egg and suddenly pop out. As a swan, I had to lie down under a white sheet and act dead. My favourite scene was the froglets’ dance and I liked Lauren’s and

Croydon High Ella’s gym during the dance. I think everyone played their parts extremely well and even though it took a lot of work to do the show we all enjoyed it.

Alice In all my time at Croydon High, I’ve done many performances and amongst them Honk! has been the best of them all. My part in the performance was Grace, queen of the duck yard.

She was great fun to impersonate and my favourite part was when I gave Ugly the cygnet my red band, the symbol of being queen.

Caitlin I remember hearing Mrs Broyd telling us we were doing Honk!, then her telling me that I was singing Ida!

Fiiyin I liked being Snowy in Honk! because I got to make a joke that didn’t make sense and also at the end of my scene I had to spray feathers over the audience because there was a gunshot and the geese squadron got badly hurt. I also liked learning the songs because all the songs had different tunes and that helped me learn it quicker.

As the parents filed into their seats, reality smacked me painfully in the face; we were really doing it. I really enjoyed being Ida. I don’t have stage-fright so the experience was pleasant. I can’t believe that it is over so soon, like my time in the Junior School. The show is over, but the memories live on.

JUNIOR SCHOOL

perfect. There were also so many characters to play too. Overall I think that Honk! was a wonderful play.

Kayla In June we performed our Year 6 production of Honk!, which is a bit like The Ugly Duckling but a more detailed version and for slightly older children. I played the part of Maureen the moorhen.

I was very happy that I got a solo in a song called ‘Joy of motherhood’ but by far my favourite part was when Eloise and Sophia sang a really jazzy song called ‘Play with your food’ Sophia I was singing Ugly, so I got to do an emotional solo, called Different. I really enjoyed being Ugly because I got to take part in sad, happy and exciting scenes. Even though my friends had to laugh at me on stage, I still loved wearing quirky glasses and a funny hat.

Watching the ducklings hatch out of their impressive eggs was one of my favourite scenes as it was hilarious and creative.

I’m very proud of my friends and I think we put on a fantastic performance. I wish I could perform it all over again.

Miranda One of my favourite parts in Honk! was when Greylag said ‘Company, fall in’ and the goose literally fell in! I also enjoyed going onto stage wearing my froglet costume and doing the froglet dance. When the ducklings got out of their eggs it was funny.

Fola Honk! was a great performance, there were so many funny scenes and it was great fun to create.

My character was a duckling called Fluff. I loved my part because I got to be in an egg at the beginning of the play and it was fun coming out of it. The play was a sad, romantic story, and was an amazing success.

Phoebe I was Greylag, the RAF Officer goose.

My favourite part of Honk! was when my ‘Squadron’ literally fell on the stage and I was like ‘I didn’t mean literally’.

My most embarrassing moment was when, in the last song called ‘Warts and all Reprise’ I got a solo I wasn’t meant to have. I really enjoyed being Greylag, even though I hated the moustache!

My scene with Sophia was really funny. I got shot out of the air! It was really funny when the feathers came down!

Theoni Being in the eggs was really fun, but it was really hot and stuffy. Everyone laughed at us when we popped out of them. I really enjoyed Honk! Everyone was energetic, happy and cheerful throughout the production.

There were lots of funny jokes in the play.

It was really relaxed compared to other productions in the past. It was very humorous and fun to act out. I liked it when Drake said, ‘and don’t take up all of the water, my bill is big enough as it is!’

Olivia My character was the turkey. I thought she was quite a funny character. She was always worried about Christmas. Everyone had their own unique character to play. There were so many lines and songs to learn to make it

Arunima I really enjoyed being Drake in our Honk! production and I was pleased when I found out what part I was playing. I especially liked the scene with the bullfrog and the ugly duckling with all the amazing dancing.

I also enjoyed the jokes in the scene with me and Ida. I enormously enjoyed taking part in the production-it was one of the highlights of my year!

21

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Lauren Honk was a really good experience. I liked my part as a froglet, a child, part of the camera crew and helping backstage. My favourite part was being a froglet because we got to do a dance and I performed some gymnastics. My favourite scene was when Ugly turned into a swan and loads of people in the audience got emotional and tearful.

Florence

Nur-Aleena Honk has been my favourite show and it’s going to stick to my mind because it’s my last junior school play. The costumes were amazing, the dances spectacular and putting all the music and drama together worked really well.

We owe it all to Mrs Broyd for the directing, Mr Bishop for the lighting and Mr Bentley for teaching us the wonderful songs. My favourite scene is the one where Ugly becomes a swan.

My favourite song is ‘Warts and All’ because it’s telling Ugly it doesn’t matter what you look like, all that matters is what’s in the inside not the outside.

Jessica I loved Honk! I was acting Ida. I got lots of scenes but my favourite was the ducklings hatching. The audience had no idea that the ducklings were in the eggs. It was very funny. I also learnt choreography for ‘Hold your head up high’ when I danced with Hannah to show her learning to swim – I loved learning it. It was great being on the stage with my friends.

I was very nervous before the show but on stage I turned into a different person. I love acting and it was a great show to end our time in Junior School.

Naomi I really enjoyed being in the goose squadron and dancing around as a froglet. My favourite song was ‘Warts and All’. My favourite scene was the scene was the one when Ida finds Ugly at the end of the blizzard. I definitely won’t miss my fluorescent green froglet costume or the neon green wig. The script had many jokes in it but on the first night not many people laughed. My favourite character in the play is the cat. She is evil and cunning and yet, she could not get Ugly and in the end she gave up.

22

I really enjoyed when we were hiding in the eggs and no one knew and then we popped out and everyone laughed at us. I also found it was very cramped. One of my favourite scenes was the froglet dance because the choreography was very good but when I came on in the costume my friend who had come to watch, laughed at me.

Sienna My experience of Honk! was very exciting.

Although we had done plays before, I loved this one because of the advanced level of acting required, the stage make up, the elaborate costumes that set us so vividly in character. A couple of my favourite scenes were the kitty cat snack shack and the dance that I loved doing (crawling on the table was a highlight).

All in all, I really loved Honk! and all of the fabulous props to enhance the extremely enjoyable acting. Being the cat was a great experience, and I supremely enjoyed being so horrible and sleek and feline. It was a final play to be proud of, and I hope everyone liked it as much as I did.

Serena I liked being in an egg but it was hot and cramped. They painted the floor blue for the lake. Being a froglet was fun. I especially enjoyed the green wig and costume. My favourite scene was the blizzard scene twirling the umbrellas while Shenai was singing and everyone else was dancing with white cloth.

Ella The play was funny, romantic and sad all at the same time. It starts when Ugly and the other ducklings hatch and he looks very different, then he goes away with the cat, and runs away and gets lost for about a year. He eventually finds his mother and realises that he is a swan and becomes the first swan on the lake. It was an amazing performance!!! I loved it so much, it was really fun.

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

YEAR 6 PRODUCTION OF HONK!

by George Stiles and Anthony Drew Parents arriving at the Junior School for the Year 6 production in June, found themselves advised to pass quietly through the hall as a rare breed of duck was nesting in the vicinity. Of course the giant eggs laid in the hall concealed the ducklings who hatched in the vibrant opening scene of Honk!, the musical version of The Ugly Duckling. The Hans Christian Andersen story came to life with the animals and birds of the farmyard, singing and dancing around the freshly-painted pond on the hall floor.

With green-wigged froglets and the bullfrog, reminding the ugly duckling that he will find someone out there to love him, the dancing took on a Hollywood flavour with lycra and lilypads.

Shenai I have been at Croydon High for seven years and still every year Mrs Broyd amazes me with her fantastic ability to choose a play that is right for us as a year group. As our last ever play in the Junior School, I was expecting a play that I would take into adulthood and Honk! was exactly that. Honk! is the very childish story of The Ugly Duckling but so much more. There is a range of very different characters portrayed expertly by my friends.

Not only was it an amazing experience but it is a memory that I will never forget.

The energy and enthusiasm of all the girls was outstanding with excellent acting and some truly amazing solo singing. The message of the play…it is what is on the inside of a person that matters, not external appearances… was made absolutely clear by the talented cast. In an evening of great entertainment. Well done girls!

Mrs Broyd Sibel

Mahi

In Honk! I had three parts. I was a news reporter (that was my main role), an extra goose and a snowstorm. My favourite part was being a jay bird, because that was the part I was supposed to be. I loved how when we were a snowstorm we were supposed to look like idiots.

Honk! has been an amazing experience and I loved every rehearsal. The parts that Mrs Broyd chose suited everybody. The songs in it were quirky and full of energy alongside some hilarious jokes which the audience really enjoyed. The choreography was well thought out which really brought out those amazing solos and songs. The whole play was a success and each day it got better. We loved it and hope everybody who watched Honk! enjoyed it just as much as us.

Maya I really enjoyed Honk! My favourite song was ‘Warts and All’. My favourite scenes were the squadron, the blizzard, the eggs hatching and a ‘Poultry Tale’. My favourite choreography was the goose squadron, but a poultry tale was really fun as well.

During the goose squadron I wasn’t actually meant to fall over when Phoebe says, ‘Company fall in’, but I tripped over the people who were meant to fall.

When Shenai and I had to carry Sienna off the stage I nearly dropped her because my arms were aching!

Chanelle I liked it when everyone laughed when I said ‘Hello Penny’ to Lydia in a flirtatious way. I also liked it when it was my solo for ‘The Joy of Motherhood’ and I sang ‘Daddy, Daddy, Daddy’ in a mocking way and people laughed at that as well.

I liked it when I saw Arunima act because she was the other half of me. I also enjoyed Shenai’s jokes and I couldn’t help laughing.

Year 6 23

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Junior School Drama

KS2 CELEBRATION OF CHRISTMAS 15th DECEMBER 2016 What a delightful way to end the term in the Junior School. Smart in their winter uniform and white blouses adorned with coloured tinsel, the girls of KS2 filed onto the tiered seating on the senior stage with a great sense of excitement.

Musical offerings from the violins of Asha de Silva and Nur-Aleena Hameed; the recorder ensemble; the jazz band and the junior orchestra set the

festive mood as the guests and girls took their places.

There was an opportunity for guests to share the Christmas spirit and join with traditional carols as well as a feast of singing, poetry and drama. Every girl in the school had lines to speak and the performances of both words and song were given with great confidence and obvious enjoyment.

After the retiring collection in aid of the charity You Can Africa, the school was able to send off an amazing donation of £308.93.

CROYDON HIGH SCHOOL OFF BY HEART COMPETITION FINAL 2017 – MARCH 8th 2016 On the evening of March 8th a wonderful celebration of poetry was held in the Junior Drama Studio. A group of very proud parents and friends joined the sixteen finalists of the “Off By Heart” competition as they presented a wide variety of poems learned by heart.

Joining us for the evening were Mrs Webb and Ms Austen from Senior School, who agreed to take on the unenviable task of adjudicating the competition.

They had an incredibly hard task as the standard of performance from each of the girls was extremely high. The girls spoke with confidence and a great attention to vocal and facial expression.

Although there could only be one final winner of the trophy, all the finalists could be very proud of themselves as they entertained their guests magnificently in a feast of verse.

YEAR 3 FINALISTS

YEAR 5 FINALISTS

Emma Farquharson- Please Mrs Butler

Sophia Hage – The Trouble with my Sister

Sonam Maharaj-I don’t want to go into school

Madeleine Hunter – Marmalade Kayra Jafer – Henry King

Anya Mehta – The Wind Shriya Srinivasan – Please Mrs Butler

Francesca Williamson – The trouble with my Sister

YEAR 4 FINALISTS

YEAR 6 FINALISTS

Sneha Sunil Kumar –The Four Friends

Jiya Doshi – The Marrog

Seanna Patel – The Invisible Beast

Sienna Mehta – Norman the Zebra

Julianna Gadd – Rat Race

Sophia Jegham – Dear Mum

Penelope Pelling – Jabberwocky

Jessica Wells – Friends

Congratulations to the overall winner of the Croydon High School “Off By Heart Competition 2017” KAYRA JAFER 24

Croydon High

JUNIOR SCHOOL

YEAR 4 RECITALS A record number of girls were entered for examinations through LAMDA this year and all achieved merit or distinction grades. From the Year 3 girls with their first examination poem and book to discuss, to the more mature prose and poetry challenges of the Year 6 entries, girls demonstrated the increasing skills and confidence that they can transfer to other elements of the curriculum and on into adult life.

Usually in Junior School, the exam work is judged on solo performance, but in Year 4, where girls are beginning to develop their co-operative skills, the challenge is working on a Group Recital.

Few schools prepare their pupils for this and LAMDA examiners are always excited to see the programme.

The two groups of girls gave five minute recitals of poetry and prose on themes that they had chosen. ‘Beware Dragons!’ explored the question of whether or not dragons actually exist and used movement

and choric speech to great effect. ‘Strange Lands’ began with an element of physical theatre as the girls stood in rows to represent the rows of fur coats hanging in the wardrobe which led to Narnia in C.S Lewis’ famous book.

They moved on to the hilarious ‘Land of the Bumbley Boo’ and ended with the dreamy poem, ‘A Book is a Place’.

Both groups were a wonderful example of the amazing work that can be achieved with teamwork and serious concentration.

YEARS 3 AND 4 “SEASIDE SPECIAL” 23/24 MARCH 2017 Shows like this are what make strong memories of Junior School days and writing in the days after the performances, the girls’ comments bear witness to this. What follows is an amalgamation of comments from all of the girls involved.

“I loved being in the show, it was a great experience. I got to show my grandparents what I could do in drama and they were amazed. It was a wonderful experience doing it with all of Year 3 and 4 together, real teamwork. I enjoyed it when we all got together on the stage and sang the song ‘Flash bang wallop!’ because I really like the bit in every play where all the actors get together and do something all together.”

“My favourite bit was when the Punch and Judy show started, it was so funny. I loved it when Mr Punch hit the police officer on the head.

He was really naughty. I think the Punch and Judy show got top marks for being the funniest event of the evening, because Mr Punch got up and said he was dead! It was hilarious when the crocodile stole the sausages too.”

“I was scared when the devil came on in the Punch and Judy Show, but it was only Mia! I almost forgot my lines!”

“When we sang ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ it was really fun, especially at the end when we went faster and we raced Mr Bentley on the piano. It was hilarious when the girls performing “The Never-StopMoving-Family” poem did press-ups in the middle of the stage.”

“When we were waiting to come on I felt really petrified. Before I came

on I was really nervous but I kept on saying ‘I can do it’ and I could do it!

At the start I felt excited and nervous at the same time and I felt like a butterfly was tickling my tummy. It was very special when my mummy kept whispering ‘You are doing great’ and I mouthed back ‘Thank you’ with a tear in my right eye. Seanna Patel said ‘I felt bitter sweet, my heart was pounding and my forehead was sweating with excitement and I was also worrying because I had lots of lines.’ ” “I was scared when I went on. When I came out and saw all the people I shivered but then I saw my mum and I was happy. I felt as if I was going to burst because there were so many people. When I saw my mummy smiling at me with joy and happy feelings, suddenly I wasn’t scared at all.”

“When everyone clapped I felt very, very proud of myself and excited like I was an actual actress. I felt famous, like people were clapping just for me. I felt like Ed Sheeran, very special. I began to smile. Wasn’t really scared, it was actually the opposite. It’s like I have a smile the whole way through, it’s stuck to my face.”

“I am so happy that Mrs Broyd, and Mr Bentley and Mr Bishop made it happen.”

“I would like to say that I really enjoyed it and wish I could do it all again.”

25

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Maya Devincenzi Dil, Y12

KIM K In the style of Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Beautiful’ She needed fame: was fixated, focused, in the midst of a tangled murder trial, glossed lips glistened, glazed eyes shone, with tears that later she could flaunt on command.

She giggled, screeched, fluttered sticky, webbed lashes. Does everyone get a tape of this?

Sisters before misters. Five sets of puffy lips, a swarm of wasps that buzz and crawl under the magnifying glass of a nation.

They film everything. Ten years of scrutiny, the posing, the pouting, the money. She hoards her riches, because, she says, I bought her a career.

A brand, idolised and criticised, she parades her jewels. Flash. Filter. Post. Flash. Filter. Post.

In the city of love comes a night of loss. She lies folded, curled, calm, until footsteps.

Biding her time, she smooths a thousand creases, colour coordinates, beautifies the blonde, blending into the background, sidekick. A sharp kick to her pride.

When a painted Midas licks his lips, asks sexy can I? He could.

Everyone got a tape.

L e t u s i n.

She built an empire. Family first at first, until a star, 6”9, flash car, slid a pay check on one manicured claw.

She was a vision in white.

Went all out, lavish reception, cameras flashing, make sure you get my good side.

In seventy-two days, she lost two, a diamond and a husband. The world watched.

The concierge with a gun to his head, hopes she will be okay. To be famous is to be invincible. How ironic, criminals disguised as the people’s protectors.

Lunging towards her like pit-bulls, writhing, snarling. Sour breath. Where is it? Where is it?

She sobs. For the first time her tears are true. Shimmering pearls racing, down contoured cheeks. She screams.

Life through a lens. Infamous nasal drawl.

Squeezed into latex, she shimmies inside, slips up onto the mantelpiece of the American home.

He makes his move then, a self-proclaimed god, fit for the queen of nothing and everything at the same time.

She marries him.

Her playthings are diamonds and dollars, her life a magazine spread of drama and sex appeal.

A superstar all from a home movie.

But they already are in, crept into her home through a lens and settled like dust upon silk sheets. Two years following online, in cars, knew everything.

Bound, gagged, flames of rope against soft wrists.

Smirking, he knows her, She’s into this kind of thing. Please, I’m a mother.

Silk bathrobe falls open, bare chest heaving.

Nothing they haven’t seen before.

Isla Francis, Y13

CRY For the void of ancestral places for the empty chair at a mother’s table for feet fated toward a funeral march for the locked journal with eyes, nose and a gunshot through the head for words withering in icy fire for the pages blank but stained with tears 26

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Extract from time travel story Maddy Cascarini, Y7

‘No, no’, Steff replied shakily. ‘I just need a minute to get ready.’

Steff awoke as slivers of light crept under the closed blinds in her dimly lit room. The first thing she noticed as she opened her sleepy, droopy eyes was that the room she had woken up in was incredibly bare. A lone bookshelf and a chair stood in a corner of the bleach white room. Where had her rainbow room gone? She rubbed her eyes, confused, then clambered out of bed. She was wearing, to her disgust, a white lacy nightdress. She threw it off and dressed in black jeans, a tie dye t-shirt, underwear (again, lacy) and boots she had found on the dilapidated chair, and went off in search of an explanation.

Jamie and Steff took the train into London, looking out warily for anyone who may oppose their matching rainbow bracelets that Jamie had presented Steff, much to her delight. Steff felt lucky to live in the 21st century, where if anyone physically or verbally abused her it was a hate crime. Although it had never stopped dirty looks and thin, glaring eyes, she didn’t have to worry about having to physically protect herself, well, most of the time.

Outside the room she found an extremely pretty girl about her age who wore a pair of ripped black jeans, an Iron Maiden T-shirt with hair cut into a tapered, undercut pixie, the same deep red as Steff’s quiff. A name emerged in Steff’s brain. Jamie. Jamie immediately gave her an enormous hug. This came as a surprise to Steff, but she wasn’t complaining .

‘Hi Steff! I’m taking you to Pride ’85!’

Pride ’85…..85……1985……Oh gosh…..She was in 1985 Steff felt the colour drain from her face.

‘Steff , you haven’t changed your mind have you?’

Jamie asked worriedly.

Luckily, as soon as they stepped off the train, they joined with a group of fellow queers and walked through the warm summer air to the meet up place. It was wonderful, Steff thought, that even when surrounded with homophobia, people still walked hand in hand with the people they loved , or in some cases , sauntered along in full drag. Jamie turned to Steff and took her hand gently. Steff blushed, but didn’t pull away as they marched along proudly with the parade. Steff was just admiring a drag queen’s seemingly flawless makeup when her vision started to blur, her hearing muffled. She looked around, panicked, as her legs buckled.. The last thing she saw was Jamie’s worried, beautiful face before she plunged into darkness.

Steff opened her eyes, spotted her rainbow walls, and relaxed.

She was back. She rolled over, to find where the buzzing alert was coming from, to find it was her phone. She turned it on and found a text from Jamie, her Jamie.

‘You ready for Pride today?’

She grinned.

Alexia Malyszko and Shermya Modupe, Y9 Pray for The girl who’s abused because of something she can’t change – her colour Pray for The unknown fighter The one who existed but never truly lived Pray for The old man unable to move a muscle whose past keeps him awake at night Pray for The child looking for a warm embrace after the cold hard slap of society’s exclusion Pray for You sitting there with your dyed pink and blue hair and the marks on your arms and the demons in your head Express yourself You are not alone

‘I feel like I’ve already been!’

Marney Ross-Johnson and Jade Howard Y10 Inside a woman grows into a widow She lays her own teeth upon her pillow.

What was once hers, is hers no more Taken by the greed and power of others.

A woman who may not have a lover, a child, a home, a roof to live under Divorced from herself and alone Dissolving into her own skin The abyss within Disappearing.

27

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Caitlin Perry, Anna Skeels and Choi Liu, Y9

TO A NEW CHAPTER To the ones who have no choice Stuck within the nightmare Which is their reality To the ones who are voiceless Overshadowed by a superior force Whose ideas have never seen daylight To the ones who are haunted by the past Whose lives are like shards of glass Don’t take them for granted To the ones who live in a dream Wake up – it’s not like it seems Ice-cold water will never break their utopia To the ones who won’t take a leap of faith It’s time to turn over the leaf And start a new chapter

Simar Awal, Keya Patel and Emma Cahill, Y9 Sing for those who do not have the power within them to sing Sing for the girl who cries herself to sleep in an attempt to heal the wounds left by her father’s tight grip Sing for the loving mothers, their arms emptied and hearts echoing the isolated playroom Sing for the boy who was killed for wanting to be the Barbie to the Ken Sing for the man whose cup was filled with scarring memories from the war Sing for the girl whose last chapter has already been written for her Sing for the boy who can’t read for himself after his education has been snatched from his reach and his house blown into shards like his hopes and dreams

Extract from a story by Francesca Gillen, Y8

A WORLD OF MY OWN Extract from descriptive writing Sneha Fernando, Y10 Seconds ticked away into the distance and pierced the uninvited silence. They counted down towards the coming darkness, which would envelop the city at that time of night. Time had carved a path through the walls that weakened the ceiling, already desperate to hold up the burden of five floors of solid concrete above us.

Electrical wires snaked across the length of the room, a health and safety nightmare. The fluorescent light flickered immediately after every clap of thunder, blinding my eyes, momentarily. The television screen buzzed with a complication of colour whilst it sat majestically on its stand, which sagged under the weight. Scars on the remote control were engraved reminiscences of simmering rampages, which broke out of the end of every finished bottle.

Anxiety raked at my nerves as I anticipated the moment the slumped figure would stir from his slumber and all hell would break loose. Shattered glass, sculpted like a mosaic of white light, mourned on the cold, hard floor.

28

My name is Lily, Lily Evans. I’m fifteen and I live in a world on my own, a world where no one understands me. I sail my own ship and I anchor it myself, only I never actually know where I should.

I often fall over the side of my boat; I find it hard to get back on again. I splash around in the murky water, lost and alone, trying to drag myself up… but failing.

I lie on my bed, angry, resentful – a lone tear trickles down my face and gently drops onto my pillow. I don’t know why I feel this way; sometimes I wonder why… why I’m different. I compare myself to others and ponder: what do other people have that I don’t. I stare in the mirror - long and hard. A girl with misty blue eyes, dark, glossy brown hair and a pointed nose glares back at me. There’s nothing strange about her. Well there obviously is as no one likes her, no one cares about her and no one will ever need or want her.

Often I feel resentful of the people around me; when I feel like that there’s only one way to release my thoughts, my feelings.

I grab my bike and I escape – as I race along the road the wind rushes through my hair. I’m free. Everything that makes me sad, unhappy and alone flies away from me; it escapes and becomes somebody else’s problem: their issue, not mine! I get a sense of freedom and strength. No one can judge me. In fact, no one can see me because I’m a whirlwind rushing past.

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Caitlin Perry, Y9

JUNE 5TH 1989 “Go and find the man in the square, Who wore a white shirt And had jet-black hair,” That’s all my dad said, When I enquired as to whether, People only show courage when they band together.

Flee from their path, Run far away, Don’t stand tall, Live to fight another day, I shout at the screen in much fear, As I spot a white shirt coming near.

So I searched on YouTube, For a man in a square, Who wore a white shirt, And had jet-black hair, I didn’t mention courage for I had no idea, That courage could be borne out of such fear.

He wore a white shirt, He had jet-black hair, And SHOPPING BAGS in his hands!!

A modern Athena for this new warfare, What is one man? What can you do?

When the might of China is threatening you.

Nothing was found, Except for videos of black dye!

Were they covering up, A myth or a lie, What does it take to stand tall?

Does courage like that exist at all?

Passive, immovable, Arms by his side, A martyr for the digital age.

The Eyrines will not be denied, This is just a one-man barricade!

Why is it that he is not afraid?

Refining my search, Typing something profound, I looked for a man,

A second from death, Courage stands unbroken, The behemoths stop, No words are spoken, But courage doesn’t need to roar, He is playing these leviathans like a matador

Who stood his ground, As primeval pachyderms rolled down his street, Seven wide lanes of grimy concrete.

A square on the screen, A click of a mouse, From the safety of my room, Comes a human slaughterhouse, An old orange shell of some burnt out coach, Lurks in the corner like a Corbett roach.

Nothing else moving, Except for the Eyrines, Clanking and roaring, Drowning my cries, Rancorous grey, dealers in destruction, Leaving their imprint on any construction.

In the background, Explosions shatter the silence, This is no game, Death supplants defiance, But this is no Greek tragedy, Fear and courage don’t play abstractedly.

I watch till the end, From the crowd they emerge, Two men dressed in blue, This rebel to purge, Taken away from my sight, The crowd splinters, they have lost the fight.

Conflicting stories, Did he live or die?

The world stood and watched, I’ll never know why, One man had the courage to fight for a billion, But five billion didn’t have the courage fight for one man.

29

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

H O U S E R E P O R T 2016-17

By Mrs Webb

House spirit reached fever pitch this year as the four Houses competed across a variety of activities and disciplines for the 2016-17 House Cup.

The year began with a grand tradition as Year 7 paraded into Harvest Assembly with their beautifully decorated donation boxes.

Seacole secured their first victory of the year putting the yellows firmly on the leader board.

Throughout the autumn term points were awarded not only for commendations in class, but also for a photography competition, poetry competition and numerous activities across biology week. As we looked towards the countdown to Christmas, Curie had narrowly taken the lead from Eliot with Seacole and Garrett snapping at their heels.

30

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Christmas brings the House competition to a whole new level. With competitions for House Christmas trees, Christmas cards and Winter Fair helpers, Croydon High’s Got Talent is the culmination of a tough two weeks of work for the Houses.

Curie’s “elf yourself ” theme wowed the PTA judges for the tree decoration award, Eliot’s Christmas card entry stunned the art department and House Captains rallied the troops to support the PTA Winter Fair.

This year our House Captains whipped the crowd into a real frenzy for Croydon High’s Got Talent 2016. They cheered and applauded House acts from both Junior and Senior schools. From tap dancing to synchronised swimming, stand-up comedy and sketches it’s clear to see that Croydon High really does have talent – and we have it by the bucket load! Every single girl who got on the stage had the full support of the crowd, leaving us full of Christmas joy and cheer as the term ended.

We rounded up the spring term with a flurry of inter-house sports tournaments: hockey, netball and swimming, as well as the Great Croydon High Bake Off. Both students and staff entered an impressive array of cakes with an Easter theme, judged by our very own head chef, Simon.

The summer term is when House competition reaches fever pitch! Our eco-garden had opened and the upcycling competition saw Garrett take the top prize for their medicinal themed planting. Garrett also took the top slot in the House Sing Off for their enthusiastic and creative “mash up” leaving it all very much to play for on sports day.

And what a day it was! Every House was in fine voice and Seacole looked to be leading from the outset, especially as Mrs Pattison finished the squadron relay victorious for the yellows. But they were pipped to the post by just a few points by Eliot, and we all waited with baited breath as the final commendations were added to the final total at the end of term.

As we head into the 2017-18 academic year, Mrs Webb passes the Curie baton to Mr Coley, Ms Ellard steps in to Mr Vickery’s shoes as Head of Eliot, Mr Fletcher takes charge of Garrett in Mrs Kugathas’ absence and Mrs Sharples, aided ably by Mr Thorpe take Seacole to contest the Curie blue ribbons on the House Cup for a second consecutive year…And who knows what adventures we face?

31

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

FASHION November brought the annual tradition that is looked forward to by the whole school: the Croydon High (with Whitgift) Fashion Show!

This year’s theme was music and memorable acts ranged from the Music Legends Catwalk to the famous boy-girl dance. We were lucky enough to have music from Whitgift’s very own Year 13 band, 5 Minutes Later, and mesmerising singing from Carlotta Meyer, Alita Butcher-Wallis and Fariha Baba.

The whole evening was fantastic, impressive and enjoyed by the large audience on both nights.

We recognised the months of hard work that all of the girls had put in as they really showed off their skills. They created their own clothes for the catwalks, and choreographed and learnt numerous dance routines without complaint to deliver a flawless night. It was especially enjoyed by the girls themselves.

Year 12 student Liza-Mary Abginone said, “I had a great time and it helped to create even stronger bonds between the two years,” and Hannah Brown, also in Year 12, declared “It was over too quickly and I can’t wait to do it again next year.”

However, although the fashion show has always been fantastic entertainment, the reason behind it should not be forgotten and this year was no different with another inspirational charity Young Minds being supported by Croydon High.

This leading charity is committed to helping young people to deal with mental illnesses and helps to maintain their wellbeing as they go through the most difficult times of their lives while offering support and advice to parents and giving information to the professionals.

We are delighted to say that we raised an incredible £5,343.87, for this amazing charity.

32

SHOW 2016

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

33

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Amnesty International

Sixth formers from the school’s Amnesty group were invited to attend Amnesty International’s launch of the 2016 Write for Rights campaign, one of the world’s biggest human rights events, which involves sending cards of support and writing letters for people whose basic human rights are being attacked. The event ‘really touched our hearts,’ said Georgia Poulier. Girls heard from speakers such as Albert Woodfox (freed in February after 44 years of solitary confinement in a Louisiana prison), and Richard, husband of British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin ZaghariRatcliffe who was arrested in Iran in April and sentenced to five years in prison on unspecified ‘national security-related charges’.

The Croydon High Amnesty group, led by Kaneila Denton, Evangeline Loizou and Liza Agbinone, supported Nazanin and a young Malawian girl, Annie Alfred, born with albinism and at risk because of ignorance and prejudice, through their Human Rights Market in December. Girls created cards of support and signed letters asking for justice, as well as ‘skipping for human rights’, buying friendship bracelets and decorating cupcakes, to name but a few activities.

Evangeline (after seeking advice and ideas from Mrs Deblock, our Laboratory Technician) conducted an experiment; she asked eager volunteers to squeeze a pipette full of sodium hydroxide into a flask of a weak solution of hydrochloric acid and to watch for changes. Nothing happened after the first pipette-full was added, nor after the second… after the sixth, however, the solution changed to a bright pink, indicating that the solution had been neutralised. The message was that the cumulative effect of small actions can bring about a big change.

Competition was fierce when two formidable staff teams pitted their wits against each other in Amnesty International’s annual quiz. The Flat Caps (Dr Chapman, Mrs Corner, Ms Forshaw and Mr Vickery) and the Hoodies (Mrs Fenwick, Mr Fletcher, Ms Kermani, and Ms Moore) battled their way through the challenging questions which were aligned with the theme ‘small actions – big difference’.

The Hoodies narrowly beat the Flat Caps but the greatest ‘victory’ was in raising awareness of Amnesty International’s work and in providing great entertainment for our girls and staff.

34

Seven students attended Amnesty International’s Youth Conference at the Human Rights Action Centre in Shoreditch. Year 10s, Esther Green and Victoria Akinwolemiwa, were moved by the words of Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty UK, who spoke about her visit to the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa where she met refugee shipwreck survivors.

The girls commented: ‘Our outlook on the ongoing refugee crisis has changed; we want to inspire others to help refugees seeking asylum.’

Jupleen Bains and Miranda Best attended a workshop on the importance of lobbying MPs to effect change. Kate Allen’s final words resonated with the group: ‘You are the agents of change. Today is about celebrating your achievements but also about rolling our sleeves up and preparing for the work ahead.’

What does it feel like to step into the shoes of a refugee? The Amnesty group (with help from Jan Duyt of the design & technology department) prepared an exhibition of refugee stories (and matching shoes) to make people more aware of problems many refugees face when they leave their homeland and how hard it is for them to settle in or even feel at home.

The last Croydon High girls then collected baby goods and toiletries for newly arrived refugees, who are supported by the Croydon Refugee Day Centre. Visitors from the centre explained that it welcomes 100 refugees, who meet to share life stories and a meal, and also receive advice and support on how to access training in order to gain employment, as well as basic things like accessing health care, and opening a bank account – not easy if you speak very little English.

Shine

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Again, girls in Year 12 were asked to help with Shine, the amazing project which offers Saturday morning sessions to Year 5 and 6 students from local schools. Almost the whole year signed up to give up a few hours of their weekend to come into school and work with 40 pupils from Applegarth, Wolsey, Rowdown and Fairchildes primary schools.

Various sessions, ranging from maths to drama, and from chemistry to learning about the solar system, were put on by the teachers who also gave up their time. There was something exciting for every student to get involved in. The girls also threw themselves into the sessions, making sure experiments ran smoothly, giving a hand to solve some tricky problems and helping the students to create impressive PowerPoint presentations using IT skills that were new to many of them.

By the time the Shine was over, all of the children had something to take away from the experience, whether that was work to take home that they could be proud of, happy memories, or new friends made through doing the numerous activities. The Year 12s also thoroughly enjoyed the process. ‘I really enjoyed Shine because it was nice to see the children get used to you over the weeks and interact with each other on a friendly level,’ said Liza-Mary Abginone.

The final Graduation Ceremony took place in March when the children returned with their families to receive their certificates, enjoy some delicious food, and reunite with their new friends.

Shine was a huge success for all who took part. ‘Shine was an enriching experience that allowed me to improve my communication with children of a different age group,’ said Damini Patel, ‘and the teachers were impressed with the effort and help that all of the girls who were involved gave.’

Croydon High First Give December saw the fruition of a ten week project to mobilise year 10 and 11 to social enterprise and charitable awareness when Croydon High First Give had its first awards evening.

Nine groups of year 10 and 11 girls gathered with their families and members of their nominated charity to present, to a packed and excited room, the reasons why their charity should receive the funding from the crowdfund collection gathered in the autumn term. There was not a dry eye in the house as each group sensitively, professionally and maturely showcased the phenomenal work undertaken on a daily basis by a broad assortment of charities in our local area and across London. Charities ranged from The Albert Kennedy Trust to Dyscover to the Kiyan Prince

Jessica, Anika, Lauren and Canice with Contact volunteers

Foundation. We were educated about the work of CCAT who combat human trafficking and protect vulnerable victims, and the importance of Nightwatch, who routinely provide food, services and a kindly ear to homeless people on the streets of Croydon. Mind, Lives Not Knives and the Bromley and Croydon Women’s Aid organisation had their essential work explained through moving film, drama and PowerPoint presentations that stirred the audience.

Eventually the judges had the very difficult decision of nominating a winner and the prize went to Jessica, Anika, Lauren and Canice for their support of the charity Contact, an organisation that provides practical help, advice, support and information for elderly residents in Croydon. The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Toni Letts emotionally spoke of the tremendous work of all the girls and described them as “terrific ambassadors for Croydon High School.”

We are immensely proud of all the nominees and winners, and of all the girls in year 10 and 11 who embraced this project with gusto. Special thanks must go to Miss Moore, Mrs Beck, Mrs Conrad and the upper school pastoral team who drove this project to completion. All in all, it was an evening to be very proud of and we are happy to announce that over £2000 was raised!

35

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Charity Report 2016-17

WE The Senior school charity events this year raised a record amount, an incredible £13,600. There were so many highlights. The fashion show was, as is usual, the largest single fundraiser, sending over £5,342.87 to Young Minds.

Another significant event was the most impressive KS4 First Give project which culminated in a very memorable presentation evening in November. The project raised a total of £2,700 for the nine charities, with Selsdon Contacts, the charity of the winning group, receiving the largest amount of £850. This was particularly nice as it is the nearest charity to the school, based in the Sainsbury’s building.

We had our usual mufti days, one per term and enjoyed assemblies given by the charities we supported on two of these days. Justus Miwanda, from International Needs Uganda, returned to tell us about the water project in his area and a speaker from the Children’s Trust in Tadworth came in to tell us about their wonderful work done for children with brain injuries. The final mufti day supported the DanSpargo Mabbs foundation, another local charity who had performed a very moving play about drugs misuse to some of the older girls in the spring.

All form groups organised their own individual fund raising events for their chosen charity; it was inspiring to see girls doing their own fundraising for a cause that moved them. Many thanks to all involved for your time, effort and money. Mr Fletcher

36

The WE movement is an international charity that partners with countries all around the globe to relieve poverty. The WE movement has been run at Croydon High School for two years by Head of English, Mrs Edmonds, and happens during the weekly enrichment sessions. This year, the WE group had a variety of campaigns from collecting loose change in jars to having a ‘Revision Guide Book Drive’. The initiatives were conceived and executed by the students and all proved to be a great success.

One of the most notable initiatives was the School Sleepover where pupils from years 7-9 slept over in school to get a feel of what it would be like to be homeless for a night. The initiative was run by two year 12 students, Amelia De Lima and Tulsi Patel, with the help of other sixth form and year 11 volunteers: Ella Webster, Sophie Hodges, Anjali Malik, Anna Tokarski, Amy Stubbington, Natasha Sam, Abby Hughes, Carys Marsden, Claire Stranack, Kassi Mahadeva, Shivani Patel and Piya Varma. The campaign gained local publicity and we even had a visit from Councillor Wayne Trakas-Lawlor, the Mayor of Croydon. We raised £650 and then the CEO of the GDST, Cheryl Giovannoni, was so impressed that she doubled the amount. Overall, the sleepover raised a total of £1300, which was donated to the local charity Nightwatch.

In all, the WE initiatives have raised just over £3000; we handed over a cheque for £1100 which will help with the efforts being made to rebuild a school in an area in Haiti which has still not been re-built following the earthquake in 2010.

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Croydon High again took part in the Croydon Guardian Young Reporter scheme and a number of Year 10 girls completed the eight articles required to gain a certificate of achievement. Here is one of Maya Patel’s articles.

GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY Giving back to the community is the best thing that any local area can do, and that’s what Croydon High’s Year 10 and 11 students have been doing, working on a project called First Give that aims to improve their local community by investing their time and their talent. It all began with the girls listening to a moving and inspirational talk by the Mayor of Croydon about local issues in Croydon. This project, magnificently led by Head of R.S., Miss Moore gave the girls an understanding of the idea that charitable fundraising can be far more meaningful and life changing than cake sales and MUFTI days – great as these can be!.

He broadened our knowledge of the issues that Croydon faces, and inspired us to research these issues further by choosing a charity.

We split into groups of four or five to adopt a charity. We conducted research into the work of the charity and then delivered a presentation to advocate for the charity to receive support and funds. The winning group will donate the money raised from the project to their chosen charity. This project is giving us the opportunity to realise what local charities do to support our community, and the issues they face. First Give is also giving us a variety of extremely useful skills, from self-confidence to presentation skills. Teamwork and organisation have been vital. All the teams worked very well to produce excellent and touching presentations. Some of the presentations were very personal to the teams, which made this project very special.

Taking part has given us a deep understanding, that as local residents, we should give back to our community. The students at Croydon High School have all developed a close relationship with their charity over the course of the project and many are now planning to volunteer and donate further to their charity. First Give is a chance for us to give back to our community, and realise that with the help of these amazingly hard-working charities, we can make a difference to the local issues that surround us every day.

Mayor of Croydon, Councillor Wayne Trakas-Lawlor launches CHS First Give with Head of R.S. Miss Moore

Amirah Khalid received a highly commended certificate for the photographs she took to illustrate her article on American Apparel: ‘Clothing Shop or Pornography?’

37

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Government and Politics Politically the year 2016-17 will be one to remember with Trump and Brexit making headlines the world over. In our own little political microcosm of Croydon High, things were no less memorable but thankfully far less divisive.

Thanks tour own President Vickery for steering the ship.

MODEL UNITED NATIONS

UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION COMPETITION

There were three main MUN events this year starting with REIMUN in September. Fourteen girls representing France, Portugal, Iran and Uganda, took part in a day of heated debate about topical issues, culminating in Fariha Baba being highly commended for her perfornmances in the debates. We were able to take away many valuable lessons and apply these to our own conference.

CROYMUN November at Croydon high was the highlight of our MUN year. This was our second conference and we hosted 300 delegates, from 27 different schools, who debated topics ranging from the Zika virus to the conflict in Balochistan (it is a small region in Pakistan). This event, perhaps more than any other, showcases the combination of cerebral and organisational skills that Croydon High girls are known for. It was a great success and the many grateful and congratulatory emails from participating schools that Mr Vickery received in the days that followed was testament to this.

CITY OF LONDON CONFERENCE Just a few months later the MUN team was back on the road, this time at the City of London conference, where we represented Iran, Uganda and Spain.

Another excellent event over which was also the last appearance for our Head Girl, Fariha Baba (pictured left), who has done more than anyone to raise the profile of MUN at Croydon High. Fariha has won 10 awards at different conferences over the course of her MUN career; a record that is unlikely to be repeated. It was fitting that she was again recognised for her contribution with a highly commended award.

38

Jennifer Cairns and Nahid Inayat took part in the semi-final round of the 2017 Sutton and Croydon UNA Schools debating competition against a team from Woldingham. Jennifer and Nahid proposed the motion: this house believes that current steps to combat the radicalisation of youth are counter-productive, and after a closely fought debate, were declared the winners by the judges 75-73. They are the first Croydon High team to reach the final for five years.

WHOLE SCHOOL MUN The whole of the senior school had an opportunity to experience MUN style debating at the end of June on our first whole school MUN day.

This was a fantastic opportunity for some of the younger years to become aware of MUN, more interested in political issues and to gain experience of political debating.

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

AUTUMN TRIP TO THE USA It was to be a trip to remember for the students who set off for an American adventure in October half term.

Elena Pensa in Year 12 recounts the story…

At 5.45am on Thursday 20th October, 21 students from years 11-13 were buzzing with excitement for their highly anticipated trip to the United States of America. Despite the early start, morale was high and we boarded our plane with enthusiasm. After the 8-hour flight, we finally arrived at Washington Dulles airport, and made our way through a very slow passport control. After leaving the airport, we immediately travelled to the hotel for a well-deserved rest. We were all pleased to have a quick break in our rooms but little did we know, this would be our only break on the whole trip. It is fair to say the trip was jam-packed – we visited up to five landmarks each day!

On the first day in Washington, we visited Mount Vernon, the Supreme Court, a museum of our choice and the Lincoln Memorial. As you can imagine, it was a tiring day so we headed to the metro station to catch a train back to the hotel. Much to our surprise (and Mr. Vickery’s!), the metro station had shut moments before and we ended up walking all the way back to our hotel in the dark! Although we were exhausted, it was an adventure and a great experience for the year groups to mix and get to know each other.

Overall our stay in Washington DC was brief but incredible; my favourite visit was definitely Mount Vernon due to the beautiful scenery, and it gave us an insight to the beginnings of America and the life of the first president.

On Sunday 23rd, we caught a train all the way from Washington DC to New York City. As we approached The Big Apple we stared out of the window in awe at the city’s magnificence. Almost as soon as we arrived, Mr. Vickery took us on a walk through Times Square where we were star struck by the bright lights and the billboards of the busy street. As the sun set, we took a trip up the Empire State Building which put into perspective how vast the city was and brought our first night in New York to a memorable close. The rest of our stay in New York was filled with more educational visits - and plenty of shopping!

– but my favourite day was Monday when we visited many famous locations such as the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Ground Zero.

The 9/11 museum was so emotional and powerful – it was one of my most memorable experiences of the trip.

On Tuesday, it was Anika’s 16th birthday, so by way of celebration, the teachers treated us to an American bagel and a delicious cheesecake at Katz Deli, made famous in the film “When Harry met Sally.”

Overall it was an incredible trip and one we will always remember. We are extremely grateful to all of the teachers ( Ms Forshaw, Mrs Gower and Mr Vickery) who gave up their time to take us on this once in a lifetime experience and special thanks to our party leader, Mr. Vickery for sharing his knowledge and passion for both of these cities with us.

39

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

High School Drama SHAKESPEARE SCHOOLS FESTIVAL

In September, the Year 10 GCSE Drama group began their involvement in the Shakespeare Schools Festival, by attending a workshop at the Leatherhead Theatre. Led by two volunteers, they worked with students from another school on activities designed to develop their vocals and stage presence. Then in November, after weeks of preparation, they performed their version of Romeo and Juliet as part of the festival.

Kishana Ganeshamoorthy said, ‘Transitioning from the CHS Drama Studio to the Leatherhead Theatre stage was a major feat because the stage is so big and felt so intimidating!

The hours of rehearsal we had put in clearly paid off because our final performance was fantastic and we got a brilliant response from the audience. I’d definitely like to do something like this again. Being part of a festival that includes over 1,000 schools in 350 theatres across the country over six weeks was amazing!’ Mrs Webb added, ‘Ms Austen and I were so proud of all the girls! They were all incredible and worked so hard to support each other on stage.’

A STANISLAVSKI EXPERIENCE

This included exploring characters’ motivations by identifying their objectives and how specific actions can inform this. They considered adaptations in actions and super-objectives in a study of an extract from A Streetcar Named Desire, which many of the girls are also studying as part of A-level English. It was fascinating to discuss character motivations and objectives in depth with the boys, who had some differing views on the female roles of Stella and Blanche; it was also interesting to hear their interpretation of the role of Stanley.

MISSING: THE TRUTH OR A LIE? Sophie Haden Scott, Lauren Kite and Georgia Weaver performed their final A-level devised piece in May for an audience of supportive friends, family and staff… and an external moderator from AQA! On the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the girls had chosen this as the inspiration for a piece of Epic Theatre which would explore the moral issues arising from the media coverage of this case.

The girls asked the audience to consider their own opinion based on a selection of scenes they had created using facts, interviews and reports surrounding Madeleine’s disappearance. It was a highly energetic and fast-paced exploration into the events leading up to, and the ten years following the case.

CROYDON HIGH AT THE LEATHERHEAD DRAMA FESTIVAL 2017 In January, year 12 Theatre Studies students took part in a drama workshop at Whitgift School on the practitioner Stanislavski, delivered

by Nick O’Brien from the Stanislavski Experience. They were involved in a number of exercises, which helped them to understand how Stanislavski wanted to give his actors and audiences the most truthful experience of theatre.

40

For the second year running, Croydon High took two new pieces of theatre to the Leatherhead Drama festival, showcasing the talented performers and writers that we have in the school. In Loving Memory was created and performed by Morayo Adeagbo, Charlotte Clapperton, Hannah Feighery, Emma James, Amy Marsden and Sam Martin.

Taking inspiration from their studies of contemporary theatre company Frantic Assembly, the girls developed a heart-wrenching piece of theatre exploring a mother’s experience of losing a loved one. Using

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

RAINBOW’S ENDING ‘Little did we know when we planned to do an outdoor production in the autumn term and were praying for good weather that we would be hit with a heatwave! Having rehearsed in the shade of the Drama Studio for a term and a half, our 40-strong cast and crew from years 7-10 transferred to the sweltering conditions of the Drama Courtyard and showed incredible concentration and determination when delivering Noel Greig’s thought-provoking tale of two giants ruining the world as we know it. It was an outstanding ensemble performance from all the girls, who really rose to the occasion in performing this challenging tale.

I am one very proud Drama teacher!’ Mrs Webb

her daughter’s diary, she retraces her final months finding no answers, only more questions. A beautifully choreographed and presented piece, all girls were congratulated for their characterisation, with Charlotte achieving a nomination for the Best Actress Award across the whole festival for her central role as the mother, and the cast winning the Richard Houghton Trophy for outstanding contribution to the Leatherhead Drama Festival. Year 13’s devised A-level piece Missing: The Truth or a Lie, was also performed. The festival committee again commented on the exceptional standards they have come to expect from Croydon High.

THE RICHARD HOUGHTON TROPHY Congratulations to Y12 Drama group for winning the Richard Houghton Trophy for outstanding contribution to the Leatherhead Drama Festival.

CROYDON HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA QUEENS 2017 Mrs Webb, and her fabulous assistant, ex-student Lucie Stranack, ran some Drama workshops for an enthusiastic group of year 5 girls from local primary schools.

They started with favourite warm-up games then the newly formed “Drama Queens” rehearsed the opening scenes from Rainbow’s Ending for a performance to their parents.

41

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Sports Report NETBALL This year has been very successful for netball. 42 girls from years 10-13 represented the school on the South Africa tour, a once in a lifetime experience when our skills, tactics, fitness but most of all friendships blossomed. The tour included close matches against four high schools and training sessions from the South Africa Indoor National Netball coach and netballers from Tucks Academy. After a fantastic come back against Pretoria High School, we were awarded the ‘Most Exciting Game of the Tour’.

A special mention must go to the following players for achieving Tour Awards: Georgia Taylor – Most Improved Player of the Tour, Rheanna Thomas-Grant and Flora McEwan – Outstanding Performance in Netball and Ellie Haden-Scott – Netball Player of the Tour.

In March, 34 year 7 and 8 players went on the GDST netball weekend.

The girls were on fine form and played 21 games, only losing two, drawing three and winning 16! All teams qualified in the top three in their group and went onto the finals on Sunday.

The juniors had a very successful year and the U11 team finished as Croydon League champions. In the Croydon Schools’ tournaments, our U12 and U13 finished first while our U15 and U18 teams finished second. In the GDST rallies, we had further success with the U15 team coming second and the U18 team a much-improved fourth against 20 other GDST schools. Finally, the U16 team has had a very successful year qualifying for the Surrey finals and finishing third in their group. Flora McEwan and Rheanna Thomas-Grant were selected to represent the South East Region in netball and Rheanna was selected to play for the Super League team, Surrey Storm.

Nicola Coulthwaite

HOCKEY The 2016/2017 hockey season was successful and enjoyable for all the teams, from the Junior school inter house all the way up to the seniors playing for the Surrey trophy. The highlight of the season was definitely the hockey and netball tour to South Africa. On this incredible trip, we took two hockey teams: the U18 first team and the U15 team. As well as visiting some of the amazing attractions that Cape Town and Johannesburg had to offer, both teams played four matches and were very successful with the U18s being voted team of the tour. The teams got to train with the U20 national coach at a high performance centre. Overall, the tour developed us into close units, helping our performance in South Africa, and also benefiting matches back home.

I have loved seeing the progression of each individual, but also the improvements that have been made in the teams. The 2017/18 season promises to be exciting for all teams. Erin Rochester

42

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

ATHLETICS

SWIMMING

To see the joy on everyone’s faces when one person does well, inspires and motivates others to push themselves and that can cause faster times, longer throws, higher or further jumps. This was shown by our year 7 and 8 team in the ESAA Regional finals where four girls achieved PBs and seven girls improved on their scores from the previous rounds, a truly amazing achievement.

I am so proud of the swimming team this year for their hard work and determination in training and their competitive spirit in all of the swimming galas. The year started off with the Senior girls achieving an impressive victory in our first friendly gala against Woldingham. In another Senior gala against Coloma High School, the girls won by a huge margin of 82-38. Croydon High did not disappoint in Croydon Schools’ with the U14 team winning overall and the U19 team getting a respectable fourth place!

Another example of a remarkable triumph was at the GDST schools’ rally in Bath where we reached six sprint finals and three relay finals.

Hannah Carter finished an incredible fourth in the year 8 100m final against some tough competition. Lauren Baldwin jumped 3m 43 in the year 6 long jump. Emma James won the year 10+ shot put with a throw of 10m 68, which is also a new GDST record, so huge congratulations to her! Carys Marsden won the discus with a throw of 35m 43. Overall, year 7 were placed third, and year 8 and year 10+ second in their category.

The school has had so many successes in athletics this year and I just want to say well done to every single girl! Carys Marsden

GYMNASTICS It’s been an experimental year for all involved in gymnastics.

We spent the season testing the up and coming junior gymnasts to finalise our squads, whilst continuing to represent the school well in the seniors. There have been highlights for the gymnasts in all age groups.

A huge congratulations to Marion Cole for the fastest swim in the biathlon and to Amelia Middleton for completing it in fourth place and Olivia Thompson in third. We have also had lots of fun in the Junior School with the annual interhouse competition, won this year by Seacole! Overall, a very well done to the whole team and I hope we continue the successes next year! Sharna Piercy

The Junior teams started the year with the Surrey Tumbling in which the U11s achieved sixth place and the U9s narrowly missed a medal in a very respectable fourth place. The U11s then proceeded to move upwards to fifth place at the very challenging Surrey floor and vault competition, with the U9s coming sixth in the same competition.

Finally, the U11s had a successful sports acro competition and finished in a promising fifth place.

The senior teams continued to compete well throughout the year with highlights including the successful Surrey tumbling competition where the U19s came away with the silver medal. All three teams went on to compete in the Surrey floor and vault with the U13s finishing in eighth, the U15s in seventh and the U19s in seventh place.

The U19s sports acro team finished off the season with a great achievement of fourth place.

This is a great set of results for all of our teams and very inspiring for future gymnasts. Lauren Pococke

43

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ART DEPARTMENT’S YEAR Yet again, a highly successful year for the art community at Croydon High, with opportunities for girls across all year groups to grow and develop their talents and their love of artistic expression.

COMPETITIONS & EXHIBITIONS

WHISPER

Many girls were publicly recognised for their art this year. Aviniya Bloomfield in year 7 was commended for the National Open Art for Children competition.

The GDST postcard completion had the theme ‘Creativity’, and the following girls had their work exhibited at Gallery Different in the heart of Oxford Circus: Year 1 - Diandra Davis, Year 6 - Lauren Baldwin, Nar-Aleena Hameed, Sophia Jegham, Year 7 - Lara Bower, Phoebe Doble, Eleanor Ivrea, Emily Leeves, Rianna Mohindra, Eloise Suggett, Eva-Grace Tague, Year 8 - Sophy Gurl, Priya Kaur Aidan, Finty McEwan, Erin Moloney, Leila Nurbhai, Eve Papacharalambous, Bethany Williams, Year 9 Analisa Carozzo, Aleeya Lone, Caitlyn Morgan-Waller, Nana Achiaa Opoku-Gyamfi, Rhianna Patel, Isabella Pensa, Aditi Rammohan, Mia Sherley Dale, Jasmine Vickars, Megan Webber, Sophie Webber, Year 10 - Chelsea Allin, Ria Dhopatkar, Sneha Fernando, Frankie Light, Rhea Patel, Halina Wieckowska, Year 11 - Lauren Burns, Siena Cornish, Year 13 - Sarah Andrews, Blanche Brown, Caroline Ip, Emma Norman.

Year 7 and year 8 made moths for the Whisper exhibition at the Kaleidoscope gallery in Sevenoaks.

The moths were displayed in April and June, and then, in August, ‘migrated’ to America to be showcased in the Cross Pollination exhibition in New Mexico.

AN OUTSTANDING EXHIBITION This year’s Art & 3D Design GCSE and A-level exhibition was fantastic.

The work was extremely impressive and would not have looked out of place in one of the top London galleries. It was lovely to see parents, siblings, grandparents and friends being very proud of the girls and their achievements.

Some former Art & 3D students and teachers, as well as governors and current pupils, also attended. Over the last two years, the girls had developed a variety of ideas, and explored many materials; the contextual links and influences from other artists and places they had visited, like Florence, was evident in their work.

WORKSHOPS ROYAL ACADEMY WORKSHOPS

ARTiculation Caroline Ip from year 13 spoke at the Wallace Collection in London, as part of the ARTiculation Competition where entrants discuss an artwork of their choice in front of an audience of students, teachers and the adjudicator - Lucy Davis, Curator of Paintings at the Wallace Collection.

Caroline chose photographer Lorna Simpson’s 1980’s pieces, which discuss issues of representation and discrimination. She got through to the Articulation London Regional heat at the National Gallery. The auditorium is an impressive space and Caroline met the challenge with great enthusiasm and energy.

The adjudicator Penny Huntsman thanked Caroline for the introduction to a new artist whose work addressed identity. She remarked how much she enjoyed Caroline’s discussion of this theme and thought she fielded a challenging question very well. Congratulations to Caroline, getting to the last 30 out of 5,000 was amazing.

44

In October, the GCSE and A-level Art groups took part in a life drawing class led by a Royal Academy tutor. They experimented with different techniques to capture the form and texture of their model. As the day progressed, they drew under different time limits using different scales and a variety of colours and media. They found it useful to compare drawings with a partner to critically analyse the work and discuss key areas of importance.

In January, the same girls spent a day at a portrait workshop. Milla Booth year 10 writes: “The Royal Academician who led the day was very enthusiastic about art and portraiture and this flowed into our work.

He led us through over 20 drawing exercises, which allowed us to be creative and open.

I particularly enjoyed an exercise, which involved us selecting images from photographs and composing them together. The model then got into character and we had to draw her. I think that I speak for everyone when I say that it was a thoroughly enjoyable day and we learnt lots of new drawing techniques.”

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

CARVING AND SCULPTING WORKSHOP Year 12 art students had the fantastic opportunity to participate in a carving and sculpting workshop led by local artist and teacher, Mr. Cullen.

The idea of carving into stone was a little daunting for the girls initially; however, they soon grew accustomed to the techniques and to the pieces of stone flying everywhere. Mr. Cullen helped them and they were amazed at the speed, skill and confidence with which he worked. The day encouraged the girls to continue to develop their skills in sculpting, even though they did have very sore hands by the end of the day!!

Carys Marsden year 12

Lauren Burns GCSE

Sarah Andrews A Level Fine Art

VISITS Year 8 visited the Watts Gallery in Guildford, to learn about the gallery and its founders: George Frederick Watt and his wife Mary Seton Watt.

Vega Brooks and Bethany Gilbert wrote: “Some of Watts’ images seemed unfinished, but that was the style he was aiming for. Some of his paintings reflected the anti-corset movement, and raised the issue of homelessness. Both were very controversial at the time. After our tour, we sketched a painting or portrait in his style. Then we were privileged enough to be shown around the house, which is not normally open to the public, and Watts’ studio. We were able to assemble and stretch canvases, which was fun. Next, we did a quick painting with vibrant acrylic paints to show different aspects of autumn, before heading off home. We thought that the trip was very interesting, practical and fun.”

In June, Year 10 and 12 3D design students visited the New Designers show in London, where they saw the work of some incredible UK graduate designers, including textiles, costume design, glass and ceramics. Girls were able to talk directly to college tutors and graduates to find out more about the courses they had studied and the materials and processes they used.

45

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

English

In October 2016, English and Drama students were treated to an amazing all-female performance of Romeo and Juliet, by the cycling acting troupe, the HandleBards.

Each actor took on at least three roles, making for an energetic and engaging show. Afterwards, their workshop gave the girls an opportunity to learn more about acting, the play and the bard himself.

Alumna Anna Mazzola and past and present English Department: Judith Forshaw, Jonathan Vickery, Gill Sharpe, Anna Mazzola, Janet Pascoe and Veronica Duggan

Girls got involved in World Book Week 2017 with an array of book themed activities in the LRC, including designing bookmarks, ‘Guess which teacher is reading what?’, and the ‘Write for Rights’ paper chain.

Year 10 and year 13 English Literature students enjoyed a rousing poetry performance from the spoken word artist Joelle Taylor (pictured above).

In her workshop, girls had the opportunity to write poems focusing on issues of interest to them, such as gender equality. They were then challenged to perform them using rhythm, varied intonation, movement and music to support the sentiment of their pieces.

46

A mixture of current and former pupils, parents and staff, and senior girls also enjoyed an evening with two of the UK’s most exciting young writers, Anna Mazzola and Sarah (S.D.) Sykes. Both Anna (CHS 1996 alumna) and Sarah have received national recognition for their recent work. Anna’s first novel, The Unseeing, was published last summer to critical acclaim.

Both of Sarah’s first two novels have been widely praised. Anna and Sarah gave an enthralled audience some fascinating insights into the world of books and publishing.

Afterwards they signed books and chatted.

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Another visiting writer was Sita Brahmchari, the author of Artichoke Hearts who worked with year 8 showing them how to construct characters and story plots.

The girls had great fun decorating their hands with images and words in henna, inspired by Sita’s prompts about their characters’ appearances, personalities, and mannerisms. She also gave a fascinating whole school assembly in which she spoke of how her heritage and personal experiences had shaped her work.

BBC SCHOOL REPORT

The English department also hosted a creative writing workshop run by renowned children’s writer, Ciaran Murtagh for year 5 students from local feeder schools and our own Junior School. Ciaran, who has written 35 books and numerous TV programmes, read from his stories and talked about the process he goes through to formulate his ideas for plot and characters.

The boys and girls were invited to volunteer ideas for stories and then write their own character portrait by thinking about their food, favourite place, job, hobbies and personality description.

After a short break to have a drink and a cookie and play outside, the students reassembled to compose their own character using photographs as stimulus. Leaving with a goodie bag, all the students agreed they had enjoyed a fabulous, fun-filled morning.

In March, 27 year 7 and 8 girls took part in the BBC School Report day. The budding reporters spent the day researching, writing, filming and editing news broadcasts.

Each group focused on either local, national, world or entertainment news and worked with professionalism and enthusiasm to produce some engaging and insightful bulletins.

The topics on the day ranged from tampon tax to aliens and the girls’ keen journalistic noses sniffed out the ‘hot topics’ of the day. Amelia Fletcher-Alvarez in 7A said, ‘We all enjoyed ourselves and it opened lots of windows of opportunity to see what journalism is like.’

47

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

The Learning Resource Centre Why not join the club?

The LRC is so much more than a place for collections (of books, laptops, online resources, DVDs); it is ultimately a place where people connect, whether this is through clubs, reading-related events or Learning Extravaganzas!

THE CARNEGIE BOOK CLUB Members were privileged to have a Skype discussion with the winner of the Carnegie Award, Ruta Sepetys, speaking from her treehouse in Tennessee! Her novel Salt to the Sea brings to light the greatest, but little known, maritime disaster in history.

THE BANANA AND WORDS R US CLUBS The Banana Club has enjoyed games of skill and word play including Bananagrams, Dingbats and – the favourite – Articulate. The girls have given Ms Austen and Mrs Abrams a good run for their money!

The Words R Us members brought Year 8s and 6th formers together, experimenting with different forms of writing; a highlight was playing the ‘smelling game’ (trying to identify different liquids by their smells) in order to awaken the senses.

SIXTH FORM BOOKS & BREAKFAST CLUB The highlights were having time and space for informal book chats over a glass of orange juice and breakfast delights supplied by Ms Forshaw and Mrs Abrams. They voted their best read as The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey (described as a horror novel with ‘bite’!).

CHS COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB THE NOVEL IDEAS GDST BOOK CLUB The girls in this club enjoyed some fascinating discussions.

The majority guessed, and voted for, the overall winner, The Art of Being Normal, a ground-breaking book about two boys with two difficult secrets.

48

The club continues to meet monthly on a Tuesday morning; it’s a wonderful oasis in the day, providing both stimulation and relaxation.

The book which provoked (a) the most laughter was Fforde’s The Eyre Affair and (b) the most heated discussion was Thomas Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd.

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

OUR WORLD BOOK JAMBOREE The jamboree extended over a whole week, with girls and staff participating in a variety of activities each day, including the Guess Who’s Reading What? competition, quizzes and creative exercises during which girls wrote ‘Booky Poems’, designed bookmarks and generally explored the power and pleasure of reading.

MATHEMATICAL SCAVENGER HUNT Girls connected with each other and with the LRC resources in a very effective way when we ran the Mathematical Scavenger Hunt towards the end of the summer term during which Year 7 students raced against the clock to solve various clues. The highlight was the practical task – girls were given a minute to build a tower made of old books and asked to measure the volume. One tower measured a breath-taking 18,900 cubic centimetres! A ‘Learning Extravaganza’ indeed.

49

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

CAREERS It is always a busy year for Mrs Gower who is our Head of Careers. Below is a list of just some of the events that have taken place over the last school year.

GDST NETWORKING LAW EVENT September, a group of girls from year 12 who aspire to be lawyers travelled to London to attend a GDST Networking Law Event hosted

by Taylor Wessing LLP.

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE CONFERENCE “Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all.”

Meg Cabot –The Princess Diaries 2001 Women of the Future is an international foundation which runs a portfolio of events and projects that support and celebrate the successes of young women.

PWC EMPLOYABILITY ROAD SHOW PwC is a professional services firm who recruit over 1,500 students (from school and university) each year. They regularly top the 100 Best Companies list, offering both School Leavers Apprenticeships and Graduate employment.

CAREERS NETWORK BREAKFAST Over 20 delegates from a range of Creative professions including Art, Graphics, Theatre, Music, Photography, Journalism, Marketing, Law and Consultancy visited to network with years 10-13. The delegates included Alumnae, Parents, Relative and Friends.

CAREERS MASTER CLASS EVENING This year we introduced a new element, the chance for parents to hear important information about preparations for university, including student finance, (ably led by UEA) and Apprenticeships. Over 150 girls and parents from came to hear talks from our delegates covering interesting career areas, including Art, Law, Journalism, Medicine and Pharmacy.

UNIFROG LEAPS INTO YEAR 12!

Year 12 were introduced by Adrienne to Unifrog, a destinations platform that makes it easy for students to find and apply for the best courses and apprenticeships suited just for them.

YEAR 11 WORK EXPERIENCE Year 11 finished off their KS4 life with work experience. The placements were varied and located over the South East. We had students at The Eye Centre, East Croydon Medical Centre, 20th Century Fox and 21st Century Fox, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Latham Watkins LLP and Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotels. All agreed that they had gained skills and have learnt more about life outside of school and it is good to know that our Year 11 girls are already leaving their mark on the world of work.

YEAR 9 TAKE YOUR DAUGHTER TO WORK DAY The girls visited a vast variety of placements including; the Old Bailey the HMRC, Radiation Consultancy Services and a number of dental surgeries and schools.

50

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

National Council of Young Women

In March, we held our annual International Women’s Day Conference in collaboration with the National Council of Young Women.

The sixth form, along with students from other local and GDST schools explored the topics of sexual health and reproductive rights, with help from guest speakers from Brook, Amnesty International, Marie Stopes and UCL. We discussed everything from the reproductive rights of women in sub-Saharan Africa and the implications of the Mexico City Policy on international sexual health services to the availability of contraception and the quality of sex education at home in the UK.

I think all the girls would agree that it was thoroughly inspiring to be educated by the speakers on these topics, and also empowering to be able to share opinions freely and openly. Thank you to those who contributed and we hope that everyone who attended went away with a deeper understanding of the situation regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights across the world.

Women of the Future Conference 2016

In November, four year 12s attended the annual conference of the Women of the Future Ambassador Programme. The organised by the Lloyds Banking Group.

The theme of the conference was ‘Lessons from Leaders: What I wish I knew at 18!’ Pinky Lilani, the founder of the programme, started the day off with an inspiring speech on the importance of kindness in leading us toward success, both in our careers and life in general. The guest speakers then shared their stories and advice. Danielle Brown, a double Paralympic gold medallist in archery, as well as a three-time world champion, described how she overcame the difficulties of living with a disability and how she dealt with self-doubt and pressure in the Paralympic final. A popular speaker was Sheila Nortley, a director, screenwriter and owner of the production company Dreamscapes. In her heartwarming speech Sheila emphasised the value of having dreams and trying to achieve them, as well as enhancing our inner beauty because that is what we express to others.

We enjoyed a panel discussion and networking session and were especially interested to learn about the careers and ambitions of the international delegates from countries like Canada, Russia and Malaysia. The highlight of our day has to be when we got the opportunity to talk to Pinky Lilani; her message on the importance of kindness will have a lasting impact. Praveena Senthilkumar, Emma Kassim, Elizabeth Lovering and Elise Blease, Y12

UN Women

In September 2016, girls from years 10-13 had the amazing opportunity to meet the inspirational Amra Naidoo who works in Singapore with UN Women; this organisation aims to raise awareness of women’s rights in education, work and in the home.

UN Women also helps women who have fallen victim to physical, mental or sexual abuse. Amra spoke about her journey: how she left school with few ideas about her future but that an internship with UN Women in Singapore secured her a job that combined two of her favourite subjects: business and social impact. After her speech, some of us had the opportunity to talk with Amra. We discussed many local and global issues surrounding sexism and its implications. The girls in years 10 and 11 discussed their Give First campaign ideas and we talked about our work for Free the Children and the WE movement. Amra was so enthusiastic in her support for every campaign.

I think I can speak for everyone when I say that her passion for what she does is truly inspirational. Overall, the experience was great. We learned that changes come from ordinary individuals who are willing to be extraordinary, and Amra made everyone believe that we could all be one of those individuals. Carys Marsden, Y12 51

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

History The history department has had a very exciting year with the arrival of Mrs Fenwick as the new head of history.

A highlight was Holocaust Memorial Day on Thursday 19th January which was commemorated with a day of workshops and lessons organised by the English, RS and history departments.

Year 9 were taken through the narrative of Leon Greenman, who lost his family in Auschwitz and then went on to survive the Holocaust. They pieced together his story through images and objects and used his narrative as a springboard to engage with the historical events between 19331945 which led to the Final Solution.

They also created timelines depicting the policies of the Nazi party and the stories of the people affected by their outcomes. They then watched first hand testimonies of the liberators of the camp Bergen Belsen, after being duped into thinking they were to enjoy a movie.

The horror of the images in this film greatly affected their responses to the final element of the day: how should we mark the Holocaust? Year 9 then debated the importance of memorials and the nature of remembering before trying their hand at creating their own memorials in a variety of media such as watercolour, chalk and even charcoal.

Overall, Croydon High’s first Holocaust Memorial Day was an insightful and thought-provoking day and the girls would like to thank the English, RS and history departments for organising it.

52

Geography

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

A-level geography students attended a conference at the Chartered Institute of Insurance (CII) near St Paul’s. Various people gave information about how studying geography helped them with their jobs, including client-facing roles such as underwriting, and back office roles such as business analysts.

Big name companies such as Allianz, AON, and Miller were present to tell the audience how geography is a massive part of the finance industry.

Presentations included Geointelligence and Catastrophe Risk (CAT).

Then there was an interactive Q&A session with members from RSA, Marsh Brokers and Davies Group and time for networking.

In March, Year 12 geographers made their way to Epping Forest for a Carbon Day to help them with ideas for their independent study.

The girls planned and discussed fieldwork techniques, which were put into practice later in the morning. Some of these included calculating the amount of carbon stored in a tree by working out its height and circumference. They even worked out how much carbon was stored in the whole of Epping Forest!

After lunch, the girls moved from trees onto soil, and used sampling techniques to work out the amount of carbon in the soil, but also the different types of soil present at different locations around the forest.

Overall, it was a very informative and enjoyable day with lots of ideas to take away.

Psychology The Year 13 psychology group were joined by English A-level students on a visit to Sigmund Freud’s house in Hampstead where he lived from 1938-1939 after fleeing Nazi persecution in Vienna. The house is now a museum to his life’s work and holds his collection of antiquities from ancient Egypt.

Freud believed that mental illnesses were the result of unresolved conflicts in early childhood. From this, he developed a therapy known as Psychoanalysis, which attempts to uncover repressed thoughts and feelings in order to resolve such conflicts.

Students learned that modern therapies remain influenced by Freud’s ideas but that he is not without controversy; for example, Freud’s enthusiasm for his own ideas means that he has been accused of interpreting conflicts in terms of sexuality whilst ignoring other factors.

Year 12 psychology students also participated in a workshop at London Zoo, where they explored the psychology of phobias, their symptoms and triggers. They were introduced to phobia treatments, using the wellestablished ZSL Friendly Spider Programme as a case study.

In the second part of the session, the girls had the opportunity to take part in a hypnosis therapy demonstration, and experience a graduated exposure to an animal that often causes a phobic response – a spider.

All the students, and Miss Karim, held a spider by the end of the demonstration. The girls were able to apply what they had learned in class to understand the characteristics of phobias, understanding why phobias may begin and how to treat them using systematic desensitization.

53

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Religious Studies PHILOSOPHY LECTURER Philosophy and ethics students attended three undergraduate style lectures at Sydenham High School by academics from the University of York. One was on ‘God, Suffering, and Horrendous Evil: on the love of God in life, in death, and in life after death’. It raises the age-old question of the problem of evil: if there is a God, how do we explain the extreme and crushing evil experienced by many?

The girls were given a fascinating insight into implicit biases and whether or not we should be held responsible for these, looking specifically at police shootings in the USA as an example.

The day finished with perhaps the most head-spinning lecture on knowledge and testimony, where the girls were asked to think about whether the knowledge we receive through testimony is reliable, in the words of John Locke, is it ‘but Leaves and Dust when it comes to use’.

ISLAMIC CONFERENCE Our first religious studies conference was organised to challenge, extend and enrich students’ understanding of Islam. We welcomed 14 external schools to the conference, giving us 160 delegates. The programme consisted of seven speakers and featured academics from Cambridge University, media experts and practising Muslims.

The day was packed full of issues for us all to consider and engage with which included why Islam matters through to what young Muslims should be taught about Islam. We gained an insight into Islamic civilisation, which was then contrasted with Islam in contemporary China (all before lunch!)

The relationship between Islam and women, and the integral role the media plays in highlighting Muslim identity, were featured prominently, and we were later challenged to think about bioethical issues, including questions around what it means to be human.

The penultimate session got us thinking about how we can live together and co-operate with people who differ – racially, ethnically, religiously, or economically – through the eyes of a prison researcher. Finally, we were treated to a Q&A session with the panel, which included questions such as: can religion and politics ever be separated? is there a belief in Islam about predestination and, if so, are some people already destined to go to heaven or hell?

54

The day was a brilliant success; we have already been asked if we will be doing it again next year!

One student’s comment to the panel was: ‘Your speeches were really inspirational and we loved hearing your views on these topics, thank you so much!’

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Classics and Latin ANTIGONE A group of Year 10-12 students studying classical civilisation, Latin and drama attended the UCL production of Sophocles’ Antigone.

The play investigates timeless issues such as the individual vs the state and gender relations. Maya Patel (10Fl) offers her thoughts on the production: Antigone’s emotive speeches and sacrifice for her brother were really heroic and the escalation of events causing people’s deaths was tragic and movingly portrayed. I admired the zombie-like appearance and eerie voices of the chorus.

Creon was convincingly evil and realised too late that his actions had led to the consequence of his wife and son committing suicide. The portrayal of Tiresias’ character was particularly strong because of his haunting appearance, complete with blank contact lenses, purple tights and silver dripping out of his eyes.

YEAR 8 AND 9 CLASSICS TRIP TO ITALY In April, 18 girls from Year 8 and 9 flew into Naples! Everyone was extremely excited and fully prepared to sample the first of many gelateria, and shop to their hearts’ content in the sunny, Sorrento streets. On the second day, we all woke up bright and early, tremendously excited about our upcoming visit to Pompeii!

On the penultimate day, we visited Herculaneum which was restored in a much better condition than Pompeii; we were able to view mosaics that the people had on their walls, many featured gods and goddesses showing religion was a very important aspect of a Roman’s life. By evening, we were all exceptionally exhausted, not only from our trip to Herculaneum but also from climbing Mount Vesuvius.

We marvelled at the ancient Roman streets and I particularly found it extraordinary how massive the rich people’s houses were compared to poorer people – there was a very large difference, financially, between the rich and the poor in Pompeii. On the third day, we visited the island of Capri and the blue grotto; it was amazing and I was stunned at how magical the grotto felt – no wonder the Ancient Romans had used it as a marine temple!

The view from the top of the volcano was amazing and I was shocked to discover that it is next forecast to erupt in 2072!

On our last day, we visited the Naples archaeological museum with its amazing collection of art. If I got the chance, I would definitely go back to Sorrento and do it all over again! Francesca Gillen, Y8 55

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

All things French

STUDYING MOLIÈRE IN YEAR 12 The French Department had another year filled with amazing trips and events!

Year 12 who are studying Tartuffe written by Molière, saw the film, Molière loosely based on the years of his life when he found inspiration for his play. The film was extremely interesting, hilarious at times and very dramatic too.

As well as this, the girls were able to see a live version of the play when they visited Paris. ‘In February, our Year 12 French Class escaped the last day of mocks and set off to Paris for a long weekend.

This consisted of a lot of walking, fabulous French food and a full immersion experience of French culture, including: La Musée De L’Orangerie, the Eiffel Tower by night, the Palace and Gardens of Versailles and Trianon, Montmartre, the Place de Vosges and the Bastille.’

Antonia Pollard, Elise Blease and Kassia Mahadeva, Y12

A FRENCH CELEBRATION

FRENCH EXCHANGE

Year 5s from the Junior School and visitors from year 5 at Park Hill Juniors, celebrated 12th Night, or ‘Epiphanie’, in French style with Madame Paris and sixth formers studying French.

January brought the event that the year 8 girls had been waiting for…the arrival of their French exchanges!

The exciting celebration included learning some new vocabulary, creating beautiful crowns and discovering more about the traditions while singing some French songs!

All this hard work was rewarded with every girl enjoying a special cake called “galette des rois”, which contained a lucky charm (la fève). The lucky girl who found the charm on each table was crowned queen!

56

The Year 8 exchange group summed up their experience: ‘We were all anxious but excited to meet our French exchange partners.

On Saturday, most of us went to Brighton or London with our visitors.

A lot of us went bowling and ice skating too. They also enjoyed experiencing the great British snow! All of us will never forget this experience and we can’t wait to see our French friends again.’

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

German Exchange October 2016 The German department has had a year filled with fun and enriching activities. The year 10 exchange kick-started the year when the girls met their exchange partners, introduced them to the landmarks of London, made new friendships and developed their German language skills.

Esther Green described the experience: ‘The German exchange was great and I was able to develop several skills such as speaking in German more confidently. The students had a wonderful time here experiencing new culture in London, sightseeing and going to great events. My exchange and I cannot wait until we meet again! The German exchange is a wonderful opportunity for all and I recommend it to girls in the upcoming years to improve your speaking, confidence and most importantly to have fun!’ The Year 10s went to Bonn in January to see their partners again and enjoyed their trip thoroughly, especially the Haribo Factory!

AUF DEM CAMPINGPLATZ Years 8, 9 and 10 had the fantastic opportunity to see Auf Dem Campingplatz performed by a German production company. They were able to learn new vocabulary in an entertaining way. ‘I found the play challenging but also very enjoyable and really entertaining to watch.’

Lucy Allen, Y8 Finally, sixth formers travelled to Berlin in December. ‘It was a packed trip with sightseeing, museums and many Christmas markets. The highlight of the trip was on Friday afternoon where we set off on a bike ride around the city, managing to see all the famous sites in about three hours! It was a perfect time of the year to go as the famous Christmas markets were in full effect!” Elise Blease, Y12

Spanish

flamenco dances from a very experienced teacher. Everyone had a go at the dance and left with smiling faces and some sore feet!

We have to thank our amazing teachers, and the support from the school, for taking us on this incredible trip. I hope that future year 9s enjoy Cordoba as much as we did.’

Year 12 Spanish students helped Señora Diez give year 3 visitors from Greenvale School, and our own year 3, a taster of the Spanish language with an egg-citing Easter theme:

The Spanish department has been busy with new specification changes for A-Level Spanish students as well as special events.

Year 9 were eager to go to Cordoba after the many exciting stories and memories passed down from the older years who had already enjoyed this enriching visit. The trip was an immersive experience that helped the girls to improve their Spanish while learning a lot about the culture.

‘The children from Greenvale quickly bonded with the Croydon High girls whilst learning how to greet each other in Spanish with a special handshake, which consisted of high-fiving each other twice, then saying “Hola”. Afterwards, the girls had fun learning, and then dancing to, a Spanish Easter song. The children became even more excited during the Easter egg hunt. They learnt the colours in Spanish and had fun naming them as they coloured in pictures of Easter eggs. This day helped both schools get into the Easter spirit and was a great success.’

Kassia Mahadeva, Y12

Megan Webber, Year 9 describes her time: ‘After lunch prepared by our host family, we went to visit the bullring. Shortly after, we had a relaxing boat trip on the Canal de Alfonso the 13th that had amazing views of the city.

Next was a trip to an olive mill and wine cellar. We tasted olive oil and learnt about the way wine is stored. We had the privilege of learning some basic 57

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

“ To travel is to live.”

Hans Christian Andersen

French A-level students trip to Paris

TRAVEL

erform at ool choir p

Middle Sch

German A-lev el

Paris Disneyland

students trip

to Berlin, Ger

Year 9 trip to Cordoba

“ We wish to learn all the curious, outlandish ways of all the different

countries, so that we can “show off” and astonish people when we get home.

We wish to excite the envy of our untraveled friends with our strange foreign fashions which we can’t shake off. ” Mark Twain

58

many

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Y8 and 9 classics trip to Ba

y of Naples, Italy

ew York City ngton DC and N

ashi Y11-13 trip to W

& TRIPS h Africa

ut ckey tour to So Netball and ho

ange trip to

Y

erman exch 10 GCSE G

Bonn

Y8 exchange trip to Be

sanรงon, France

59

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Netball & Hockey Tour to South Africa, October 2016 During the October half term, 42 very excited girls from Years 10-13 (and four equally excited teachers!) left England for the long awaited Netball and Hockey Tour of South Africa.

Working on the Community Programme, introducing different games and activities to local children - a special experience everyone thoroughly enjoyed.

They also delivered a number of donated items, including Soccer, Netball and Hockey kits and lots of stationery, toothpaste and brushes - all gratefully received.

Table Mountain and Cape Point will be memories that remain with the girls forever, as will the final two nights of the tour staying at Ivory Tree Lodge. They enjoyed four fantastic game drives seeing lions, white and black rhinos, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes and elephants in a stunning natural habitat.

“The memories, friendships and opportunities will remain with us forever.

The girls experienced inspirational training sessions from the South Africa Indoor National Netball coach and U21 National Hockey Coach. The Netball teams played to an excellent standard with fiercely competitive matches; including winning in a fantastic comeback against Pretoria High School – a game that ultimately received the ‘Most Exciting Game of the Tour’ award.

Our hockey teams (U15 and U18) also produced some excellent hockey throughout the tour. Their first day in Stellenbosch was a shock to the system, with a 90-minute professional training session in mid30-degree heat! In the afternoon, the girls took on the prestigious Stellenbosch High School and after going a goal down, fought back strongly, with Flora McEwan scoring two consecutive goals in less than 10 minutes to win the fixture 2:1.

As well as a busy sports schedule, the girls experienced some wonderful South African moments…

Langa Township – a real eye-opener; learning about the history of the township, the customs, and traditions and how hard it has been (and still is) for those less fortunate than us.

60

We are very grateful to the teachers who came with us, especially Mrs Beck, for giving us the opportunity to experience the fantastic country of South Africa.”

Y12 Erin Rochester and Y13 Nicola Coulthwaite

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

CHRISTMAS CONCERT Music started the year with its annual Chamber Music festival with 14 ensembles from all years. The night was full of beautiful playing, and culminated in the adjudicator, Ian Gibson, awarding highly commended to Divertimento in F, Movement 1 and the Minuetto Classico. The winners were girls in year 10 with the wonderful Minatures No.7 Waltz.

The Christmas Concert quickly followed, where again all years took part. It began with the Second Orchestra, playing the rousing Radetzky March and Hungarian dance No.5, followed by the Year 7 chorus, singing the upbeat Star Carol and Calypso Carol, then the Evening Prayer sung by Riana Patel and Jennifer Cairns, accompanied by Jessica Man. The first half was rounded off with the Senior Choir singing This Little Babe and a medley from ABBA that had the whole audience singing along. After the interval, the Symphony Orchestra played the exciting Overture to Egmont and got everyone in the Christmas spirit with Sleigh Ride. The Junior Choir took over, singing Danny Boy and the wistful Feed the Birds, before the Chamber Choir sang Ave Verum Corpus, followed by the feel-good Here comes the Sun and Nobody Does It Better, and finishing with A Gaelic Blessing. The Year 7 chorus, joined by CHUG, our very own Croydon High Ukulele Group, ended the concert with wonderful Christmas tunes.

The annual Christmas Carol service in All Saints church, began with Charlotte Clapperton singing the traditional Hodie Christus Natus Est. Later Elizabeth Lovering sang the solo in Jesus Christ the Apple Tree. The service included a range of carols from Middle School Choir, Chamber Choir and Senior Choir, as well as congregational carols and readings, before everyone was invited to share mince pies and mulled wine.

SPRING CONCERT The Spring Concert took place on a lovely evening in March. The concert opened with the Second Orchestra playing the Halcon March and Waltz and continued with Chamber Choir singing the lilting Scarborough Fair and the rhythmic Girl from Ipanema. Imogen Cliff, the Jacqueline Du Pré scholar played the mellifluous harp piece, Impromtu-Caprice. Middle School Choir sang an upbeat Disney Medley, preparing them for their trip to Disneyland at half term, and the first half was brought to a close with the Chamber Orchestra performing the wonderful Cavatina and Symphony No.4 in F. The second half was the whole of Vivaldi’s Gloria, a tremendous feat with solos taken by Abi Coskun, Charlotte Clapperton, Fariha Baba and our guest Mezzo Soprano, Claire Troth.

The Wizard of Oz was a great event for the music and drama department.

After weeks of frantic music rehearsals the opening night finally came. On stage the drama flowed beautifully and kept everyone engaged. Meanwhile in the WOZ band, a witch’s hat was passed from player to player, somehow never quite reaching the cello section. A birthday was celebrated in true musical style with the whole audience singing and the last night was full of laughs, as the brass section improvised most of the last number and everyone finally managed to make it the whole way through the Jitterbug for an encore.

The newly formed Swing Band kicked off the Summer concert with a rousing performance of Tequilla, followed by the second orchestra who gave a secure interpretation of the challenging Overture Dramatique by Applebaum. Next, the Year 5 and Year 7 Chorus sang the children’s cantata, JonahMan Jazz by Michael Hurd. They gave this the swagger and drama that was required in this quirky retelling of the story of Jonah and the Whale. The second half of the showcase was taken up by the African Carnival. Throughout the day, Year 7 had studied African drumming , African dance and culture, and costume making. A team of internationally respected artists visited to lead the sessions along with the Art and Music departments. In the evening performance, the students brought all of the arts together, with the audience being encouraged to join in.

61

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

MATHS

Every year the Maths department enters their top students for the ‘Maths Challenge’, an exam written by the United Kingdom Maths Trust. It is often a gruelling combination of tricky multiple choice problems which students find a ‘little out of the box’ compared to their normal examinations. The exam is run in three groups at Croydon High: the Junior Maths Challenge (years 7, 8 and 9), the Intermediate Maths Challenge (year 10 and 11) and the Senior Maths Challenge (sixth form). Here are some examples of problems given to students in recent years. See how many you can do: 1.

One lap of a standard running track is 400m. How many laps does each athlete run in a 5000m race?

A: 4

B: 5 C: 8

D: 10

E: 12.5

5.

All the digits 2,3,4,5 and 6 are placed in the grid, one in each cell, to form two three-digit numbers that are squares. Which digit is placed in the centre of the grid?

A: 2

B: 3 C: 4

D: 5

2.

The diagram shows five circles placed at the corners of a pentagon.

The numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are placed in the circles shown, one in each, so that the numbers in adjacent circles always differ by more than 1.

What is the sum of the numbers in the two circles adjacent to the circle which contains the number 5?

E: 6

A: 3

A: 5 1/4

B: 4

B: 5 3/8

C: 5

C: 5 1/2

D: 6

D: 5 5/8

E: 7

E: 5 3/4

A: 46 cm

B: 52 cm

C: 58 cm

D: 62 cm

E: 76 cm

4. A water tank is 5/6 full. When 30 litres of water are removed from the tank, the tank is 4/5 full. How much water does the tank hold when full?

A: 180 litres

B: 360 litres

C: 540 litres

D: 720 litres

E: 900 litres

7.

Three friends make the following statements. Ben says, “Exactly one of Dan and Cam is telling the truth.” Dan says, “Exactly one of Ben and Cam is telling the truth.” Cam says, “Neither Ben nor Dan is telling the truth.” Which of the three friends is lying?

A: Just Ben

B: Just Dan

C: Just Cam

D: Each of Ben and Cam

E: Each of Ben, Cam and Dan

ANSWERS: 1. 12 ½ 2. 7 3. 76 cm 4. 900 litres 5. 2 6. 5 5/8 7. Both Ben and Dan are telling the truth and Cam is lying

3.

Four copies of the triangles shown are joined together, without gaps or overlaps, to make a parallelogram. What is the largest possible perimeter of the parallelogram?

6. The diagram above shows a square ABCD and a right-angled triangle ABE. The length of BC is 3. The length of BE is 4. What is the area of the shaded region?

ECONOMICS other panellists were journalists and academics. The girls analysed key economic variables such as wage growth and lending rates in order to make a recommendation as to how the Bank should alter interest rates at their next policy making meeting.

Croydon High’s team of four A-level economists: Cherise Tsang, Sakina Dungarwalla, Shivani Chheda and Olivia Dickinson reached the London heats of the Bank of England’s Target 2.0% Interest Rate Challenge.

The girls presented to a panel of the Bank of England’s most senior economists, including members of the Bank’s influential Monetary Policy Committee, which has responsibility for setting UK interest rates; 62

Olivia Dickinson thought this was an interesting time to be called upon to make a recommendation. ‘Since the Brexit referendum result was announced the value of the pound against other major currencies has dropped drastically and this is clearly putting an upward pressure on the price of vital imported raw materials such as petrol. Inflation is likely to rise above the Bank of England’s 2.0% target by this time next year.

However, we won’t be recommending a rise in interest rates as this will only raise production costs further’. Overall, the day was a stimulating experience and, although our girls did not progress onto the Area Championships, they performed amazing well.

Biology

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

The Biology Department has been especially busy this year with exciting events happening at every turn. The department kicked off the year with National Biology Week filled with entertaining and challenging tasks and competitions for girls in all years. One competition, which attracted over 40 students and staff, was to find out who had the fastest reaction time in the Senior School; first position was grabbed by Flora, in Year 11, with a very impressive time of 60 milliseconds!

Sixth formers took charge of an exciting but squeamish herring dissection and many girls baked cakes resembling various biological models for the fantastic ‘Biobakes’ competition. With all of the remarkable and creative entries, choosing a winner was an almost impossible task, but the eventual, well-deserved winners were Caitlyn (KS3) and Yaalarasi and Kaviarashi (KS4/5). The week concluded with quizzes for KS3 and KS4. Mrs Conrad sent a message to all the girls who took part: ‘I would like to thank all the Sixth Form helpers who assisted in launching our event in an assembly, as well as helping run the activities. Thank you also to the many students who took part. #girlsinspiringgirls.’

Later in the year, sixth formers had the opportunity to go to Selsdon Nature Reserve with their quadrats and tape measures to show off their knowledge about plant sampling. Despite the cold and damp, the biologists pressed on until they knew all species of plants in the reserve by heart and impressed Mrs Conrad with their hard work.

Last, but certainly not least, Year 7 went on a fun and interesting joint Biology and Geography trip to the Natural History Museum to learn about human reproduction. ‘We found it very interesting learning about how the foetus develops and how we grow into women,’ said Varjitha Kunalan. Orrin Blair commented: ‘In the Biology display we investigated the topics of reproduction and puberty. It was a great trip and complemented our learning perfectly.’

63

PHYSICS

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

The most common thing people think of when discussing physics, besides new exciting discoveries

by NASA, is experiments.

From using circuits and motors to slow motion cameras, we conduct a diverse range of experiments throughout the school years at Croydon High.

These not only allow us to see science ‘in action’ but also make for a fun experience, especially if it involves food.

Here are a couple of experiments carried out in physics this year that you could try at home.

CUSTARD POWDER

USING A MAGNIFYING GLASS TO REFRACT LIGHT This experiment may be harder to set up at home as it involves a room which is dark, except for a small source of sunlight from a window. You will also need a magnifying glass and a piece of paper or board.

This is a classic example of a quick, fun and cheap experiment to try at home. It involves just custard powder, water, a tub to mix the two together and some sheets of newspaper to cover the surface of a table.

Start by mixing some of the custard powder and water in about a 2:1 ratio, until it starts to feel more like a solid, if put under pressure, but appears to be more similar to a liquid in appearance.

Once fully mixed, try rolling it into a ball and you will feel that, when any pressure is applied, the mixture has qualities and properties similar to a solid.

However, the moment you stop applying pressure the substance becomes fluid once again. These properties make this mixture a nonNewtonian fluid, a group which includes fluids such as quicksand.

First create the lighting conditions as above. This can be done by almost closing blinds or curtains. Then place the magnifying glass next to this gap and hold the paper, at a reasonable distance, behind the magnifying glass.

Adjust the distances to get the picture in focus and you should get an upside-down view of the world outside the window. This is how projectors and other similar contraptions work.

64

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Computing in the real(ity) world GOOGLE HAS THE WOW FACTOR Google visited the school on Thursday 29th September 2016, and amazed the girls with their virtual reality platform. The technology provided a real wow factor and enabled the girls to take virtual reality expeditions to a wide range of exotic locations. During the day they visited the Palace of Versailles, the Namib Desert, the Rainforests of Borneo, Gallipoli, The Statue of Liberty, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Human Digestive System, the Great Barrier Reef and many other places. One class from Year 9 even climbed El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. It was an action packed, engaging and fun day for all and a great opportunity to see a glimpse into the future of classroom technology.

TEENTECH CITY Year 9 girls braved the snow and rain in January, to take part in ‘TeenTech City’, a national Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics event being held at the Emirates Stadium in North London. With over fifty companies and universities participating the girls had plenty of opportunity to explore a wide range of technologies, meet industry experts, participate in demonstrations (eating nitrogen cooled yoghurt lollies seemed to be very popular), and to take part in competitions. During the Inventors Workshop the girls had to invent and present an idea for a useful new gadget. The girls proposed two ideas: a remote medical sensing device known as the ‘Doctor Watch’ and another device for assisting pupils with dyslexia. Competing against five hundred pupils from over fifty schools, the girls won two awards for their designs. Their success against stiff competition was very pleasing.

CROYDON HIGH WINS THE TOP PRIZE AT THE GDST DIGITAL LEADERS CONFERENCE A huge congratulations to our team of Year 5, 6 and 7 pupils for winning the top prize at this year’s GDST Digital Leaders Conference. The girls were awarded the prestigious ‘Judges Prize - Gold Award’ for their design of a game app called ‘A-Maze’ which aims to provide support for young people with reading, writing, and speech difficulties. The girls received huge praise from the judges and other schools for their idea. This is a fantastic achievement for which they should be immensely proud. Not only were they competing against teams from twenty-one other GDST schools, they were also one of the youngest teams in the competition. Our A-Mazing team this year were Sofia D’Inverno, Treya Maharaj, Anjali Patel and Krisha Patel from the seniors and Mishti Busa, Emily Hayden de Carbonnieres, Theoni Kanoutas and Shenai Lewis from the Juniors. Mr Brady

65

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

CHEMISTRY

Mrs Thompson joined us in September 2016 as the new Head of the Chemistry department, after 13 years as Head of Chemistry at Whitgift School.

She sent the Year 12s, to an enjoyable ‘Chemistry in Action’ event, a series of talks given by experts, including Will Andrews, a principal scientist at Proctor and Gamble, who spoke about ‘The Science of Scent’, concerning the fundamentals of perfumery and exploring the fascinating processes involved. Another speaker, nanochemist Sujata Kundu spoke about ‘Living in a Material World’, defining exactly what materials science is about, and the history and future of material.

Dr Peter Wothers, a lecturer in chemistry at the University of Cambridge spoke about ‘Gods, Devils and Alcohol’ guaranteeing that you will never look at a shampoo bottle in the same way ever again! In the summer term year, the Year 12s undertook a Cambridge chemistry challenge, competing against candidates from schools around the country. Younger girls also had a challenge in March when four Year 8s attended the SALTERS’ FESTIVAL OF CHEMISTRY at University College, London.

Ariana Mehta writes: Kanishka Harrar, Abi Squires, Katie Scarrott and I were all very excited and interested to find out what sorts of experiments we would be carrying out. The university staff and technicians made us feel very welcome and explained what we would be doing.

Our first challenge was to solve a murder mystery using chromatography and some exciting chemical reactions. In the afternoon, we did another experiment in which we had to make a 60 second timer by altering the amounts of chemicals in a reaction; this was quite challenging! The last event of the day was to watch a famous chemist, Andreas Sellas, make ice cream using liquid nitrogen. It was fascinating and we all loved the ice cream! It was then time to go home after a very fun day. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

66

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Farewell Mrs Clark

At Easter 2017, we said goodbye to Mrs Clark, who left Croydon High after 13 years as deputy head. She will be fondly remembered for many things, including her legendary organisational skills, red pen, Kit-Kats and killer heels. Our editorial team interviewed her before she left.

What have you enjoyed most about being at Croydon High?

The variety of it all; every day is so completely different and there are always opportunities to be doing new things every day. All the work revolves around people and the relationships you have with them, the staff and the pupils, and it’s wonderful to build such strong connections. I also really enjoy solving puzzles and finding solutions to problems. Perhaps the most enjoyable thing is to be able to shape what Croydon High is and have opportunities to show that off to other schools and other people, and being proud of what everyone’s achieved. is driven mainly by exams and the specification, so there are far more limitations on what you can do. However, in both roles the outcome is similar, trying to achieve the best for the girls. It’s just a question of scale but I have thoroughly enjoyed both.

Do you have any plans for the future?

I haven’t really had time to think about any future plans yet. The world now is my oyster; there’s so much one can do; there are really no limits.

QUICK-FIRE ROUND: Favourite book?

Wuthering Heights, there are so many intriguing ideas.

Childhood book?

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, or when I was older Catcher in the Rye; it just made such a huge impact and was a completely different style.

Go to meal?

What will you miss the most?

The people definitely. Without the people and being able to develop relationships and interact with others, nothing really happens so I’ll miss all the good relationships.

Has there been a stand out moment, either for the right or the wrong reasons?

One of the worst experiences I had at Croydon High was my first prize giving ceremony. At that time, I’d been assured that the sixth form would take care of everything and bring the girls in, all in the right order. On the night, I got up on stage, the platform party assembled and whilst the governor was making his speech, I looked down into the hall, expecting to see the girls starting to make their way up to the stage for the presentation but there was nobody there. I was met with a completely empty space. You can imagine my shock and worry when I realised the girls hadn’t brought anyone in. However, the moment was saved; the girls did eventually file in. But after that, I decided I would take over the planning of prize giving for the future.

Which role have you preferred: deputy head or English teacher?

Possibly deputy head as you can still teach whilst having an overview of the school and an idea of the big picture, whereas an English teacher

Does a sandwich count? I’m really far too much of a perfectionist to be a good cook. I’d want to be too precise all the time. However, I do enjoy going to a really good restaurant, possibly Michelin star; they just present everything so beautifully and the aesthetics are wonderful.

Ideal weekend?

Going to a great restaurant, a place with nice views and treks to walk with the family. The south of France (especially Provence) is wonderful; there are so many vibrant colours and the heat is lovely. New York also has such a buzz.

Best place to read?

When inside, a nice comfy squashy armchair but if there’s good weather, then outside in the garden on a sunny day.

Currently reading?

Unfortunately, I rarely get any time to read during the term but, at the moment, I am dipping in and out of Go Set a Watchman and flipping occasionally into To Kill a Mockingbird.

Favourite pair of shoes?

I have a wonderful pair of quite high heels that are satin, with quite a delicate satin rose attached to the front as an evening pair of shoes.

Unfortunately, as they are so high, they can be quite uncomfortable but the look is worth it.

67

Croydon High

SENIOR SCHOOL

Goodbyes & Thank yous We send grateful thanks and all good wishes for the future to staff who have moved on to pastures new.

Frau Kolankiewicz

was kind and caring; a champion for her tutees and as ‘KK’, much loved in the staff. A passionate an dedicated teacher, she helped students achieve impressive results. Frau K has secured a position as Head of German at Surbiton High nearer to where she lives.

Dr Chapman was a superb Head of

Physics and tutor and ably supported his sixth form tutees through the challenges of KS5. He was instrumental in building links with universities and PGCE training centres, which proved invaluable. Dr Chapman secured an exciting promotion as Deputy Head at Oxted School and will be in charge of teacher development.

Ms Galvin was Head of Psychology and later, Economics, as well as a sixth form tutor. She supported the girls whole heartedly through their study of these new subjects. She is now teaching at Dulwich College.

Monsieur Haidar was a much-loved Head of Sixth Form and his cheeky sense of fun will certainly be missed. He moves back to the state sector, to the Harris Academy Bromley to lead their Sixth Form as a member of their Senior Leadership Team.

Mrs Edmonds, Head of English, will be remembered especially for her kindness and her unwavering support of the girls.

Mrs Edmonds moved on to take up the post of Deputy Head (Academic) at the Hawthorns School.

Miss Moore will be remembered for the numerous projects she ran as Head of RS, such as First Give and Holocaust Memorial Day which were both sensational learning experiences. She is now Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning at Brentwood School where she lives.

68

Miss Downie was an inspirational teacher of 3D Design and her work in the sector brought a valuable element of the real world into this very practical subject.

Miss Sherrif was a fantastic addition to the Music Department this year and an incredible support for Mr Suranyi. She leaves us to dedicate more time to her commitments as a professional musician.

Miss Karim was an exceptional teacher

of Psychology and a beloved Year 7 form tutor, who made a great impact in a short time. We wish her well as she takes up the position of Head of Psychology at Streatham and Clapham High.

A BRAND NEW FITNESS SUITE ON YOUR DOORSTEP! 50% OFF JOINING FEE IN MARCH

• New Fitness Suite now open • Weekend and seven day memberships available • Family swim memberships available for our 25m indoor pool • New Group Exercise Programme • Fitness Suite from £12.50 per month • Selsdon’s best kept secret!

Call us for more info on 020 8657 9313 or visit www.croydonsportsclub.co.uk

RSPEC

T

IR

LS

IN

G

GIR

LS

E

TH

PE

IV

E

SPIRING

Croydon High School, Old Farleigh Road, Selsdon, South Croydon CR2 8YB  www.croydonhigh.gdst.net 020 8260 7500

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy throughout the magazine, we hope you will forgive any minor errors.