Chs the magazine 2015 v1

The Magazine Croydon High School 2015

CONTENTS TITLE................................................... Page No. Interview with Mrs Leonard................................... 2 Celebrating 140 years.......................................... 3 Bespoke Designs in Stained Glass....................... 5 The Great CHS Tweet-off........................................ 6 Amnesty International........................................... 7 Mrs Bradshaw’s Year.............................................. 8 Junior Music........................................................... 9 Junior Drama........................................................10 Nursery..................................................................12 Reception..............................................................14 Year 1.....................................................................16 Year 2.....................................................................18 Year 3.....................................................................20 Year 4.....................................................................22 Year 5.....................................................................24 Year 6.....................................................................26 Alumna of the Year...............................................29 House Reports.......................................................30 From Nursery to Sixth Form..................................32 Five Generations of CHS......................................33 Poppy Parade.......................................................34 Fashion Show........................................................35 Sporting Highlights...............................................36 The Art Scene........................................................40 Oil Painting Portrait Workshop.............................42 What a Drama!.....................................................44 Summer Concert..................................................48 Mrs Cohen Interview............................................49 Chamber Music Festival......................................50 Duke of Edinburgh Awards..................................51 Travel broadens the mind...................................52 Creativity in Art and Language..........................56 Young Scientists....................................................60 The Ivy Link............................................................62 Love Shouldn’t Hurt – NCYW Conference..........64 Inspiration through writing...................................66 Magnificent Mathematicians..............................68 Careers..................................................................69 Farewells................................................................71

Letter from our Editors The end of another academic year at Croydon High, the emergence of another school magazine! What a year we have had girls! Trips abroad have taken us from Washington DC to Berlin, and academic achievements are countless! Not to mention the girls on-going commitment to hundreds of extra-curricular activities.

The biggest challenge for the editing committee has been selecting from all the academic and extra-curricular achievements of the year; it is simply not possible to include everything. The Magazine would never have come together without the tireless hard work of Mrs Cook and Ms Forshaw, whose commitment and patience have helped to guide the editing committee.

This magazine reflects all we love about Croydon High, and shows, as we enter our final year of school, why we are so proud of everything we have accomplished here together.

As Sixth Formers, we are so impressed and inspired by the achievements of all the girls from Nursery to Year 11, which this magazine allows us to present to those inside and outside our CHS community.

Massive congratulations are in order to all the teachers and pupils who have achieved such excellence this year!

It has been an honour to oversee the editing process of The Magazine, to be part of and witness the 140th anniversary of CHS, all the House events including Sports Day, Enterprise Day and the countless charity events. We hope you all enjoy The Magazine as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.

Cover Story Our front cover for The Magazine this year, celebrates our 140th anniversary with one of the stunning stained glass panels produced for the school from the girls’ own designs. This particular panel is now on display in the Junior school reception and has already been much admired by visitors.

You can read more about the stained glass project later in The Magazine, and we hope these beautiful pieces will remain in place as a lasting reminder of the 2014-15 academic year, where we did so much to celebrate Croydon High and its proud 140 year history.

Here’s to the future and many more happy anniversaries!

Teachers Julia Thomas and Leila Weston who led the stained glass window project

CR OYDON HIGH

Since 1874 S E N I O R S C H O O L

Head Lines

Charlotte Rhule and Izzie Cruickshank interviewed Mrs Leonard as she reflects on our special 140th anniversary year and also her fifth year as Head of Croydon High.

Q: What is the best part of being Head at CHS? A: Seeing the girls participate in such an array of activities; relishing every challenge that is thrown at them and excelling in so many things. I really enjoy seeing them develop into well rounded individuals who are a credit to their school and an asset to society. Witnessing the journey they take, from little girls with so much untapped potential to the accomplished and impressive young women they are when they leave, is definitely one of the best parts of the job.

Q: Looking back over the last five years, what accomplishment makes you most proud?

A: Well there are a few! One is redefining Croydon High’s reputation locally, through the efforts and achievements of the staff and girls here. I am very proud when people tell me – as they often do – how well regarded the school is in the wider community. I am also always delighted to hear of the amazing things that our alumnae are doing in the wider world and the fact that so many of them are still in touch with us through the Ivy Link network. As a Head, there are obviously many demands on my time, so the fact that I still teach Maths is significant, because whilst I have other responsibilities, teaching is really important to me.

I am also proud of the refurbishments and renovations that have been made to the school.

They recognise that they have been privileged with their education, but remain humble; they never take it for granted.

Q: If you could be a celebrity who would you be and why?

A: I really admire Katherine Grainger, the most successful Olympic female rower. Perhaps she is not a typical ‘celebrity’, but to me she possesses what I think is one of the most important character traits; resilience. Having won silver medals at three Olympic Games between 2000 and 2008, she became Olympic Champion at the London 2012 Games winning Gold in the Double Scull event. She never gave up and she pushed herself to achieve her dream. In my eyes that is real celebrity status.

Q: What has been the biggest event of the year?

A: It would have to be the 140th Celebration Concert at Fairfield Halls.

It was a brilliant occasion, because it showcased what Croydon High really is – and has always been – about.

The girls were amazing; their diversity of talent and the achievements of past and present pupils were really celebrated. It was so important for the alumnae to come back and celebrate with us, because as we always say, CHS is for life – we want everyone to feel that. The 140th Anniversary concert was Croydon High at its best.

Q: How would you describe yourself in three words?

Q: Would you say the alumnae network is still growing?

A: Passionate, dynamic and personable.

A: Yes, definitely; every year our Ivy Link network is growing and becoming even more effective. We regularly communicate with over 4,000 women who were at school here or at the school’s original site in Wellesley Road, Croydon. We celebrate their news, put them back in touch with each other and welcome them back to school on many special occasions, including when they support careers and networking events which are so beneficial to the girls here. This year we had over 200 girls attending the Ivy Link Netball Challenge – now an annual event.

Fifteen teams, made up of girls who played in school teams dating back to 1971, competed fiercely supported by their families and friends – it was a real family event. It goes back to the idea that Croydon High is for life – and that is something that I want all our current girls and our alumnae to feel and to benefit from.

Q: What do you think the next step in fighting gender inequality?

A: Women everywhere need to seize the opportunities that lie before them. Women are certainly breaking the glass ceiling, but I feel more positive action is vital in order to make real progressive change. It is in our hands!

Q: When you see girls who leave the Sixth Form what characteristic makes you most proud?

A: The way they carry themselves; they are confident young women ready for the world. They are articulate and inspired but most importantly, they are never arrogant.

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CR OYDON HIGH

Since 1874

SENIOR SCHOOL

Celebrating the 140th Anniversary with Music, Drama, Art and Design… and Badges When the girls returned to school in September 2014, they knew immediately that this was not going to be just another school year. Rehearsals were already under way for our grand concert at Fairfield Halls, murmurings of stained glass windows and sculptures were rife and every girl in the school was presented with a commemorative badge to be worn in our 140th anniversary year. It is true to say that some took longer than others to sew them on, but by half term, all jumpers or blazers were ‘emblazoned’ with the striking silver and blue design based on the original school badge.

Sixth Form girls wore a smart pin badge in the same design.

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CR OYDON HIGH

Since 1874 S E N I O R S C H O O L

Music, History and Drama combine in an Anniversary Concert to remember At 7pm on 26th November 2014, the packed audience of Fairfield Halls waited expectantly for Croydon High School’s anniversary extravaganza to begin.

Mr Bentley and Mrs Webb in perfect harmony

They were not disappointed. The ensuing hours were packed with sketches documenting the school’s history, a rousing performance of Zadok the Priest and, of course, the hugely entertaining Sixth Form Fashion Show. Many of the students of CHS learnt much about their school that evening, such as the amusing incident of Miss Neligan, our first head mistress, paying her taxes with a silver tea-pot!

The tireless determination of the girls and teachers was exhibited throughout the evening, through performances onstage, and backstage. From the evacuation of the entire school during WW2, to the efficient organisation of the orchestra’s chairs and stands, the CHS spirit shone through.

The seamless running of the performance had been the result of months of hard work from various members of staff, notably Head of Drama, Mrs Webb and Director of Music, Mrs Cohen, with the Heads of Music and Drama in the Juniors, Mr Bentley and Mrs Boyd. There was invaluable assistance from Head of Key Stage 4 Mrs Beck, as well as enthusiasm from every single member of the school from the youngest to the oldest pupil. We were thrilled to welcome back several old CHS girls, one of whom has sent five generations of her family to our school.

Undoubtedly, the night was a great success and we certainly felt proud to be CHS girls as we sang the school song, Brother James’ Air. The evening ended, as Mrs Leonard said in her closing words, with us looking forward to the next 140 years of Croydon High School.

The Art and Design Department also commemorated 140 years of Croydon High School in two very special and unique ways, showcasing the creative abilities of the girls across the years.

Knowing Ivy A commemorative sculpture was made by artist in residence, Janine Creaye with Year 7 to 9 pupils in special classes at lunchtime and after school. It represents the body of a schoolgirl surrounded by ivy leaves, which were designed and made by the girls. The structure was made out of metal and wire, and then filled with cement to create a wonderfully unique representation of a CHS girl. It now holds pride of place on the wall outside the hall, for all to see and is to be called Knowing Ivy. Two of the participants involved in the project told us about the project… ’Knowing Ivy has been an amazing experience. I have learnt so many techniques in such a short space of time and learnt so many things! Working with the artist, Janine, was an absolute pleasure. It felt great to actually work with an artist who taught us so much in four weeks! I have learnt how to use wire to make an ivy leaf. My favourite new discovery was learning how to use charcoal and the putty rubbers. From my perspective, I believe that over the past four weeks my Art & 3D skills have definitely improved because, although Mrs Smith and Janine were always there to help, I feel I have gained more independence in my work rather than asking how to do it. Knowing Ivy now being a permanent sculpture at Croydon High is incredible! Knowing that I helped to make her makes me feel very proud because I have used my Art and 3D skills to help make a sculpture that marks 140 years of Croydon High School. Overall, Knowing Ivy has been an amazing experience and I am very grateful to be part of it.’ Anya Pillai ‘Working with an artist was one of the best experiences I’ve had in Art at Croydon High. She explained many things and I enjoyed all of it. She helped me learn to work with wire and how to draw in three dimensions and with different media. I have never worked with an artist in residence and it was a fun experience. My Art and 3D skills have improved drastically and it has benefited both my drawing and sculpture skills. To be part of this permanent sculpture puts a shiver down my spine and it gave me an amazing feeling. ’ Ashika Patel

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CR OYDON HIGH

Since 1874

SENIOR SCHOOL

Bespoke designs in Stained Glass The 3D Design Department contributed to the festivities in a very different way by working with the girls to design and make stained glass windows.

The window that will be in place outside the staff room, overlooking the central courtyard, is made up of nine panels with the middle panel having been designed by Rosalind Hickman in Year 10. The others all incorporate designs by other CHS students. The Senior project was led by 3D Design teacher Julia Thomas.

In the Juniors, a similar project ran with the girls producing drawings to inspire a final piece. Year 6 girls participated in a Maths activity to accurately measure the windows where the panels will be on display. Girls then worked with French teacher and talented artist Leila Weston to produce a stunning final design.

Girls met on Monday afternoons in a specially equipped art room in the Junior school, where they spent their time cutting and filing each individual piece of glass so that they all fitted perfectly. This was followed by sticking copper foil around the edge of each piece and then soldering them together.

This was then sent off to be professionally finished and assembled before being fitted in the Junior school reception area and also opposite the staff room in the Senior school for us all to enjoy.

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CR OYDON HIGH

Since 1874 S E N I O R S C H O O L

The Great CHS Tweet-Off !

As part of our 140th birthday celebrations every pupil in the entire Senior school was asked to write a ‘Twitter Story’ (strictly 140 characters) in 15 minutes. Running it as House Competition gave the experience an extra edge. Curie came first overall, with Garrett a close second. Here are some of the results:

Everyday a flourish of school girls enter with beaming smiles and deep conversations. What will happen that day?

Excitement, learning, joy.

(1st, Junior Section: Georgie Gill 8P, Seacole)

The glistening snow reflects off the school field while the young children frolic in the fog and we stare longingly out of the frosty window.

(3rd, Senior Section: Eve Drummond, 12V, Eliot)

Yr 7 abseiled, surfed, roasted marshmallows, rafted, played murder in the dark, rock climbed, hiked, zip-wired & scavenger hunted at Skern!

(2nd, Junior Section: Aleeya Lone, 7Ke, Curie)

The feeling when I walk into CHS = Happiness. The feeling I – (LOL joke #neverleaving. know I’ll get when I leave… #CHS4eva. #truefan!!!!)

(4th: Senior Section, Rebecca Kipwola 12B, Seacole)

A big smile on my face, walking out of school proud and motivated. I achieved many goals because of CHS. I’m very fortunate. CHS is the way!

(3rd, Junior Section: Florence McEwan 9M, Garrett) 140 pieces of glass. So many different colours & patterns that have so much meaning. This stained glass defines CHS’s people – and our Love.

(4th, Junior Section; Piya Varma 9B, Eliot) CHS is like a brumby, galloping proudly across the land of education. She’s a whale, taking us along the ocean of knowledge to the future.

(1st, Senior Section: Laura Liu 12B, Curie) From far and wide the delegates came – MUN - the home of future diplomats. CHS take home the gold, best delegation of the whole conference.

(2nd, Senior Section: Ysabel Cruikshank 12B, Garrett)

The Great CHS Write-Off!

Staff also participated! Names were removed and entries judged anonymously by a team of 6th formers.

The staff prize went to Ms Forshaw CHS: Where we want to be: caring, known, nurtured.

Graft, endeavour, fun, frustrations, surprises, rewards, not perfect but pretty good.

Other staff favourites were: Setting sun. A cup of tea and a burger. Smiling. Not feeling guilty at all about the girls eating burnt pasta and nursing their aching feet. Ms Kermani Exciting times at CHS! Learning Laughter Creativity!

Challenging the norm and breaking boundaries. We are Here’s to 140 more. Mrs Webb Croydon High Hurrying down the corridor very late for lunch, and with a hundred things on her mind, she suddenly saw a robin.

She smiled and hurried on. Mr Vickery

Amy Jones (13F) was the winner of our ‘Write-Off’, a short story competition with a word limit of…you guessed it…140.

First day of school. Swallowed by my blazer. Weighed down by a turtle shell rucksack. It’s the end of the day.

The bell rings, we put away exercise books and fresh new pencils. Meticulous, careful. I look up.

Where’s everyone gone? Oh well, I’ll find my way.

Miles long corridors, new blue carpet - very posh - older girls towering above, loud, excited, omigodhowwassummeritsbeenAGES. Up the stairs, so many stairs, how many more to go, two floors?!

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Finally there, get my phone out of my locker, turn around to leave... Wait. How do I get out?

There’s nobody around. I’m lost. I’m lost!

Rush out the door, down the stairs. I can see mum out the window....but I can’t get to her. Round and round the stairwell.

Wait. There’s a door here. Hit the button, push open the door and…

CR OYDON HIGH

Since 1874

SENIOR SCHOOL

Better to Light a Candle than to Curse the Darkness The Amnesty International logo says it all; the barbed wire communicates oppression, while the burning candle evokes hope. Our CHS Amnesty International Youth Group, ably led by Year 10 pupil Kaneila Denton, has worked hard to convey that message of hope to those in need, most notably to Moses Akatugba, a young Nigerian arrested ten years ago for allegedly stealing mobile phones.

The school community was encouraged to design solidarity cards which we sent to Moses at Christmas time, and to participate in the ‘Write for Rights’ campaign to petition the Governor of Delta State in Nigeria to commute his death sentence.

It was wonderful to hear the news in April that Moses had been pardoned and released.

He writes: I am overwhelmed. I thank Amnesty International and their activists for the great support that made me a conqueror in this situation. Amnesty International members and activists are my heroes.

The Amnesty members have played a major role this year in creating awareness of human rights abuses round the world, and in fundraising.

Some of the key events were a Danceathon involving both pupils and staff (Ms Diez’ Sassy Salsa troupe, and Mr Pickering’s ‘No Direction’ team in their baseball caps, were sights to behold!), an AmnesTEA during which they sold ‘school-made’ recipe books, an Easter Treasure Hunt and a Sponsored Obstacle Walk. They were able to send over £500 to Amnesty this year.

In April their work was recognised at a prestigious National Awards Ceremony at the Human Rights Action Centre in London; they won ‘The Most Creative Fundraiser’ Award.

Another highlight of the year was in April, when Kaneila Denton (a member of the National Youth Advisory Group), Antonia Pollard and Mrs Abrams attended the 53rd National Conference and AGM at Warwick University in Coventry – a life-changing experience.

We can be proud of our girls and their understanding of the importance of defending human rights.

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CR OYDON HIGH

Since 1874 J U N I O R S C H O O L

Mrs Bradshaw looks back on the year in the Junior school…

20th May 2014 is, I imagine, a fairly inconsequential date for most of you but it was, for me, a momentous one. It was the day I returned to Croydon High to interview for the role of Head of Junior School. As part of the day I led an assembly to Year 7 about making mistakes.

Research suggests that making mistakes is increasingly difficult for girls, possibly linked to an innate need to please.

Mistakes are, of course, essential for learning and avoiding them can steer young learners towards ‘safe’ regurgitation of known facts rather than the intellectual challenge that will help them reach their potential.

I have been so impressed with the girls at Croydon Mrs Bradshaw, Mrs Cordrey and High and their willingness Mrs Raja rising to some unusual to put themselves forward challenges this year! without the fear of failure. An example of this was picking a team for the GDST general knowledge quiz. I asked girls in Year 5 and 6 who would be interested in trying out, to come to a classroom at break. With only four spaces available on the team and over eighty girls in Year 5 and 6 the odds of gaining a place were low and the associated risk of perceived failure high. However, that did not deter our girls and the demand to try out was so large we had to relocate to the Hall!

Junior girls have not only impressed me with their willingness to have a go, they have had a plethora of success too. Our LAMDA results were awash with distinctions and there was much individual instrument success including some fantastic informal concert performances and our cellists sweeping the board at Reigate and Redhill Music Festival. Our netball, swimming and rounders teams all had a most impressive season and as Mrs Luff leaves CHS she can do so in the knowledge she is passing the baton to Miss Newman with plenty of potential. Miss Newman joins us full of enthusiasm both for competitive endeavour and for ensuring that each girl finds success at their individual level - and also fosters a love of sport.

This year saw us branch out into academic competition too, as we took two Maths teams and a General Knowledge team to local events. Numerous House competitions also gave opportunity to develop those much needed skills of winning and losing gracefully. Our first recipe competition put four new vegetarian dishes onto the CHS menu!

2015 was, of course, the year of the General Election and our girls took part in two mock elections within school. Years 5 and 6 were invited to the Senior School to hear the manifestos of 6th form candidates and held their own hustings where they peppered the candidates with questions on topics ranging from mansion tax to fracking. The rest of the Junior School held an

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election in assembly where the concept of ‘first past the post’ was explained by splitting the vote into constituencies (classes).

As part of our work on encouraging girls to be intellectual risk takers, we launched Thinking skills in the Junior School this year. The girls spent a day off-timetable taking part in a range of activities designed to make them think in new ways and to discover Piaget’s definition that “intelligence is what you use when you don’t know what to do”. Girls took part in group puzzle challenges, designed products and applied their knowledge of plants and adaptation to create new species.

It seems amazing that amongst the enormous range of activities, the girls found time for the basics in the classroom.

However, they have impressed all year with pieces of work brought to Good Work Assembly and their determination to make progress and hit their targets. Once again this year our Year 6 results have put us in the top third of the GDST for value added and lower down the school we are seeing girls meeting and often exceeding their personal targets.

There have been many highlights of the year for me. The productions this year from the EYFS Nativity, which was a perfect example of how much girls can achieve when we raise the bar, to the hugely impressive The Piper and the somewhat nostalgic My School Musical as well as a number of outstanding class assemblies have all reflected the confidence of our girls. Our new look Celebrate and Anticipate morning was a busy and wonderful event. We welcomed nearly 200 parents into the school and the girls were visibly bursting with pride being able to tour their guests around their work and the exhibitions. 100 Happy Days combined with the launch of our Virtual Learning Environment, Firefly, was hugely successful and I look forward to finding more and more uses of this wonderful on-line learning community as parents join us with their own Firefly accounts in the Autumn Term 2015.

My personal favourite moment in 100 Happy Days (and possibly my favourite of the year) was logging on in the holidays to begin the day’s thread and finding that the girls had got there first. Discere Faciendo!

CR OYDON HIGH

Since 1874 J U N I O R S C H O O L

Making sweet music...Junior School Musical Highlights 2014-15 This has been a busy year in the Music department with the usual round of informal concerts, the established Christmas and Spring Concerts and the addition of several exciting extra events that the girls enjoyed have been involved with.

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irstly there was the 140th Anniversary performance at Fairfield Halls which of course involved the whole school, where music was a prominent part, and where the juniors were very much involved. They sang beautifully in our own Junior school slot, commemorating the evacuation during WW2, and several Year 5 and 6 girls also had the opportunity to play with the Senior orchestra in the March from Bizet’s Carmen, the first of several collaborations with the seniors this year. Years 3 to 6 had their own parts to sing in other songs during the evening, culminating in a wonderful performance of Rhythm of Life.

In the Christmas concert the orchestra opened the show with their performance of Susato’s La Mourisque and a high point was the world premiere of the carol All that Matters on Christmas Day composed and performed by Year 6, which they also recorded.

All our choirs were busy outside the school in the lead up to Christmas, with choirs singing in the Whitgift Centre, and the Chamber Choir once again being the guest choir at the Royal Marsden Hospital’s Celebrate a Life carol concert in Sutton, where, directed by Mrs Tackie, they sang a challenging two part arrangement of Ding Dong Merrily on High.

The Spring concert offered more chances for senior and junior school musicians to work together, with harpist Imogen Cliff accompanying the Year 3 and 4 choirs in their performance of Adonai Roi, from Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.

We also heard wonderful performances from the school orchestra, chamber orchestra, chamber choir and madrigal ensemble singing the very old round Sumer is Icumen in.

There were a number of excellent solos, including music scholar Sophy Gurl’s performance of a Seitz Violin Concerto movement which particularly stood out.

Key Stage 1 had their own recital, with solos, songs for the different years groups, the Year 1 and 2 choir led by Mrs Lovering, and a recorder piece written and performed

by Year 2.

A select group of Year 5 and 6 girls played again with the senior orchestra in their summer concert; it was particularly enjoyable- especially their performance of Leopold Mozart’s Toy Symphony with some help from Mrs Leonard and the Senior Leadership team.

Our last musical event was the Jazz evening featuring our own Junior Jazz Band collaborating with girls from the Senior school under the tutelage of jazz legend Digby Fairweather – a wonderful way to round off our musical year.

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CR OYDON HIGH

Since 1874 J U N I O R S C H O O L

Junior Drama Off By Heart Competition On 6th February Croydon High held its first ever “Off By Heart” event in the Junior School. Every girl in KS2 was challenged to learn a poem, from a given selection, and then perform it from memory to her class.

There was a buzz of excitement all around the school as performances took place in classrooms during the course of the morning. Each class selected two performers to take part in the grand final in the afternoon, one choice being made by the class teacher and the other by the girls themselves.

In the afternoon, Mrs Webb, Head of Drama in the Senior school, joined the staff and girls in the Junior hall, to adjudicate the competition and select an overall winner.

The girls’ enthusiasm and standard of performance was amazing and all entrants must be congratulated on their considerable achievements. The overall winner was Sophia Hage in Year 3 who delighted the audience with her exuberant and fresh performance of “I don’t want to go into school” by Colin McNaughton.

The finalists were:

The runners-up were:

6V Lucy Vine, Anna Davies, Sarena Yogendran

Sarena Yogendran, Tay Blair, Orrin Blair, Lara Bower,

6T Tay Blair, Bethany Williams, Shayna Patel

Mahi Parekh, Sienna Mehta, Madeleine Hunter

5L Amelia Middleton, Orrin Blair

The Winner of Croydon High School “Off By Heart” competition 2015…

5M Lara Bower, Abigail Daly 4J Mahi Parekh, Sophia Jegham 4M Caitlin Clifford, Sienna Mehta 3T Georgina Chimonedes, Madeleine Hunter 3W/R Claudia Fletcher-Alvarez, Sophia Hague

Year 3/4 production of The Pied Piper March 2015

Sophia Hage

Well done Sophia!

On March 12th and 13th , Years 3 and 4 presented a delightful musical version of The Pied Piper, written by Margaret Carpenter.

“Everyone had amazing costumes and fortunately everyone remembered their lines. I was extremely scared because I was the Pied Piper and I had solos to learn and much more. Everyone had so many lines to learn. I even had a microphone to fit on as well for the singing.

It was quite difficult to learn all of our lines and songs, but we did it in the end. I was amazed by my classmate Jessica Wells who filled in for Mahi, the storyteller, when she was ill for one of the performances.”

Sophia Jegham 4J “It was a play which had lots of feelings inside the story. It was a funny play, a sad-at-times play and a bit of an angry play.”

Amy Howes 4J

The young performers gave their audience a truly outstanding evening’s entertainment and it was clear that the girls themselves thoroughly enjoyed the experience and gained confidence through their involvement. Some of their comments after the performance give an insight into their thoughts and the memories that they will take with them.

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“In the play I was the Mayor. It was a really tough challenge to take on. But as soon as I put my costume on, I suddenly became a different person. I was not Chanelle any more.

I was the Mayor of Hamelin and I felt proud of myself. When it was time to do my first solo, I stood on that stage and sang like I meant it. It was really fun to work with the Year 3s and see how well they acted.”

Chanelle Ohemeng-Mensah 4J

CR OYDON HIGH

G ree k

myths

Since 1874 J U N I O R S C H O O L

presented

by Y ear

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The summer term was almost over when the girls from Year 5 brought new energy to the Junior School with their evening presentation of Greek myths. Four stories: Pandora’s Box; The Myth of Arachne and Athena; King Midas; Theseus and the Minotaur were enjoyed by family and friends. The plays were followed by a parade of Greek masks made by the girls during Art lessons.

Scripts for the plays were taken from a selection of plays written by the well-known author Geraldine McCaughrean.

Her book, currently out of print, was provided for us on request by the author herself. She sent a signed copy wishing the cast good luck with their performance and so the girls felt very special indeed.

Throughout the evening the cast displayed their performing talents with many playing multiple roles and highlighting specific skills that they had been learning in class. The role of

the Greek Chorus commenting on and moving forward the action of the scenes was clearly displayed.

There were moments of physical theatre too, as the actors represented Theseus’ boat with its black sails. Individual characterisation and movement brought life and humour to the horrors that emerged from Pandora’s box. The girls must be commended on their well-controlled and powerful performances in an intimate setting that would have not been out of place in any Fringe Theatre environment.

My School Musical

The 2015 Year 6 production was the tongue-in-cheek My School Musical, a lively cross between High School Musical and The X-Factor. With three famous judges and a television company visiting a school, not unlike Croydon High, looking for talent to mentor on the journey to a recording contract, the stage was set for some high energy showmanship.

The girls, as well as creating some convincing adult characters in the extrovert judges (played by Rosemary Goodall, Inaya Huie and Alex Sharpe) and somewhat staid teachers (Shreeya Bhartiya and Ivana Boncrah), were able to showcase their own particular talents. Soloists ranged from the delightful unaccompanied singing of Eve Papacharalambous, to the poetry recitation of

Summer Hogan, the energetic tap dancing of Kirstin Sarpong and the beautiful vena playing of Shajani Kalaichelvan.

The three divas of the show (played admirably by Lucy Vine, Eloise Bowen and Anna Davies) realised after their initial audition piece, that the judges were looking for teamwork as well as individual talent. This was provided in great style by the percussion junk band; a Halloween song and dance; a fast-moving dance team and a truly talented gym routine. These groups were all the more admirable for having choreographed their own pieces and rehearsed in breaks and lunchtimes.

Additional fun was to be had in the characters of Mr and Mrs Jackson (Joani Baker and Erin Moloney), who failed in their attempt to bribe the judges with a large donation to the school.

An unsympathetic caretaker (Lucy Allen) and rather jaded cameraman (Ananya Kriti) and sound recordist (Vega Brooks) were more characters played with style by the girls of Year 6.

Every girl in the year spoke confidently and clearly and under the musical direction of Mr Bentley produced tuneful and catchy singing that had the audience humming along as they left the hall. There were , of course, moments of despair for Mrs Broyd on the way to the first night, but in true Croydon High style, the actors rose to the challenge to give sparkling performances with unbelievable energy and enthusiasm!

As well as delighting the audiences who were lucky enough to be in the hall, My School Musical has created experiences and memories for the young cast that will remain with them for many, many years to come.

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CR OYDON HIGH

Since 1874 J U N I O R S C H O O L

Nursery *** ***

In June, Nursery had their first school trip to Godstone Farm. The girls had been so excited and we had been counting down the sleeps but finally the day came and the grown-ups drove all of the girls to the farm to see the animals.

He was GIGANTIC but the girls were very brave and gave him a careful stroke. Then we went to see the goats and sheep and learnt all about their wool. After that the girls all lined up to practise their farming skills by ‘milking’ a ‘cow’.

Once we had arrived we were taken to ride a HUGE tractor. We all piled on and were ready to go. During our very bumpy ride we saw pigs, chickens, sheep, goats, llamas, Shetland ponies, and we even saw dinosaurs…ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!! The girls couldn’t believe their eyes!

We were then directed to the pig sty and were all given ‘sow rolls’ to feed to the pigs. The pigs were grunting and snorting as they were extremely hungry.

One nearly jumped out of the pen with excitement!

Once the tractor had stopped we went for a talk and had a chance to handle some of the small animals.

We learnt about the chickens and rabbits and met the biggest cockerel any of us had even seen.

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Following that the girls enjoyed their first ever school packed lunch before ending the trip with lots of fun in the soft play area. EVERYONE had ‘early bed’, including the teachers!

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Reception *** ***

As part of our topic on Food, Reception have been learning the story, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

The girls each had a part to play in telling the story of how the caterpillar nibbles through lots of food and turns from a small caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly.

y r H u e n g V r y C a e h T We showed a range of work including, Foodie faces, Caterpillar collages and Butterfly paintings that are symmetrical.

A few girls learnt some poems off by heart including, ‘The Tickle Rhyme’, ‘The Green Caterpillar’ and ‘Don’t Cry Caterpillar:’ The assembly includes three songs with actions and dances; ‘Caterpillars only crawl’, ‘Caterpillar Curl’ with a solo part and the finale, ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Caterpillar’ all accompanied by Mr Bentley on the piano.

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The Green Caterpillar The green caterpillar wanted to race, He asked a frog, who was washing his face.

“No,” said the frog, “I’ll hop to both ends, go find someone else who crawls and bends”.

So he went to the ant, and asked her to run. But she was too busy carrying a bun.

The poor caterpillar was so sad he began to cry.

Then something amazing happened, He became a butterfly!

r a l l aterpi And flew away into the sky!

by Eric Carl e

Don’t Cry Caterpillar Don’t cry caterpillar Caterpillar, don’t cry

You’ll be a butterfly-by and by.

Caterpillar, please Don’t worry ‘bout a thing ‘But,’ said caterpillar ‘Will I still know myself-in wings?’

The Tickle Rhyme ‘Who’s that tickling my back?’ said the wall.

‘Me,’ said a small caterpillar, ‘I’m learning to crawl.’

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Year 1 *** ***

All about Africa

Ava White

Great In the wild Reaching into the tall trees

Poppy Somers

All of them are tall Furry black and yellow skin Fast running Eating lots of food Long terrifiying teeth

By Leila Idiculla

In the jungle On the wet grass

Alexia Salako

Noisy

By Ava White

Anusheh Kidwai

Two beady brown eyes In the tall tree tops Grizzly growl Eats meat Roars ferociously Emma Farquharson

By Malaika MacFoy

Charulata Raval

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Delina Silvera

Delina Silvera

Malaika MacFoy

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Sarrah Shafiq

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Reena Murphy

Fitnet Quaquah

Emma Farquharson

Grazing the green leaves In the wild they creep Reaching the high tree tops All of them are tall Fast running Fast running Eating loudly the luscious leaves

Anya Mehta

By Anjali Bahel Anjali Bahel

Marvellously they swing On the tree tops Nearing the high tree tops Keeps on causing mischief Eating fresh bananas Yawning loudly

By Sharanika Kalaichelvan Charulata Raval Amariah During

Leila Idiculla Poppy Somers

Anusheh Kidwai

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Year 2 *** ***

Year 2 had an exciting day when they went to ‘Australia’ for the day!

They were ready to travel in their holiday outfits with their passports in their hand!

They ‘travelled’ in the 4D room and experienced many of the Australian sights.

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As part of their work on ‘The Seaside’, the girls found out about Punch and Judy shows. They had to design and make their own puppets.

That’s the way to do it!

The Magic Box by Zariya Bennett

The Magic Box by Seanna Patel

In my box I will put a colourful bunny.

In my box I will put my hard, light, silver bracelet.

In my box I will put a steamy train.

In my box I will put my see through heart confetti.

In my box I will put a shiny glimmering sea shell.

In my box I will put my yummy squidgy burger.

In my box I will put a picture of my first holiday.

In my box I will put my dark, pretty flower clip.

In my box I will put a picture of my first day at school.

In my box I will put my red bus with dark wheels and see through windows.

In my box I will put a golden bangle.

In my box I will put a tall, spotty giraffe.

In my box I will put my shiny, dark, blue marble.

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Year 3 *** ***

Invaders and Settlers

T

he History topic, Invaders and Settlers, focused on the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings. The girls researched Anglo-Saxon village life and decided whether they would rather live as thanes or churls.

Most preferred the wealthier option of a thane as you had a bed with a mattress and more private toilet facilities!

One of the highlights of the year was the History Workshop led by Theatre Exchange.

The girls enjoyed a morning of fun-filled drama activities which helped gain better insight into life in Viking times.

Our Viking Workshop by Anousha Nihalani Today was very exciting because we came dressed as Saxons or Vikings. I came as a Saxon girl; I brought a shield and a sword too. I was very excited about walking in to school because everyone (in Year 3) was wearing costumes!!! Soon it was time for the workshop so Adam and Jake came. They said we were to create a Saxon village. I was a carpenter. But the Vikings attacked Meg so she died. Then we had a ceremony for Meg and sacrificed her servant, Temilola. We had to sacrifice an animal, but then some strangers came along…and said, “DON’T KILL THE ANIMAL!!!!”

I was bursting with curiosity because the monks said, “Our God will provide you with much more than this…”

They were sent outside so we could think. I said, “Let’s sacrifice those monks!” Everyone agreed! I was sent to fetch the smallest monk to sacrifice.

But it didn’t work – she was ALIVE so Jake asked Adam, “How are you so strong?”

“It’s our God…he gives us strength,” Adam replied. So Jake said, “We will side with you!!!!”I had so much fun – this was the best day of Year 3!

Our Viking Workshop by Keya Patel Today we had a Viking workshop with Theatre Exchange. It was a whole lot of fun! We started by doing some warm-ups like pull a toffee out of my pocket and get it stuck all over your body.

Then we got into groups and I was with Sophia and Emily. We had to do poses together. Next we got into families and my family were bee keepers – we could trade honey for other things. We went into a big moot and we pretended that Meg died because of a sick disease.

And Temi died as well because she was Meg’s slave.

Then we needed two volunteers and I was one. We put cloaks on and pretended to wash our hands.

Afterwards, we had to go through an imaginary forest with the Vikings chasing us.

It was really funny! Finally, we sat at a table and cheered. It was the best workshop ever!!!

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In Art, Year 3 girls learned about Monet and impressionist style of painting. They found out about his techniques of focusing on light and shadow and the way these could be conveyed by clever choices of colour.

Using his artwork as their inspiration, the girls then painted their own versions of some of Monet’s most famous creations.

Haystacks in Winter by Louise Riley

Poppy Field by Sophia Patrick

Eleanor Farjeon’s poem, “The Sounds in the Evening,” was the starting point for some written work in our traditional poetry topic. We discussed how these sounds reflected the period in which the poem was written and how they might change if the poem were written today.

The Sounds in The Evening by Lilia Harper

The Sounds in The Evening by Millie Bowen

The loud sounds in the late evening Go all through the silent house, The click of the old clock And the pick of the tiny mouse, The thumping of footsteps of chattering people Upon the creaking top floor, The swishing skirts of my wonderful Mother That brush by the opening door, The mewing of the playful cats That seem just by my little ear, The hooting of baby owls That can never seem near, The queer little noises That no one explains…

Till the shimmering moon through small slats Of my pink window blind rains And the world of my closing eyes And my little ears melt like hot steam As I find my pillow the lovely world of my strange dream.

The peaceful sounds in the ebony evening Go all through the gloomy house, The click of the screeching mouse, The trampling footsteps of hushed people Upon the creaking top floor, The silky skirts of my hurrying mother That brush by the wobbly door, The mewing of playful cats That seem just by my twitching ear, The hooting of beautiful owls That can never seem near, The queer little noises That no one explains...

Till the shimmering moon through the painted slats Of my ancient window-blind rains, And the world of my glittering eyes And my tiny ears melts like crackling steam As I find my comfy pillow The fantasy world of my wonderful dream.

Other poetry styles the girls learned about included calligrams and spiral poems.

They really enjoyed writing about snails and creating the shell with their words.

By Gisela Christou

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Year 4 *** ***

My favourite activity was humane mammal trapping Ella Smith 4M Juniper Hall was great!

There were activities and so much more. The food was great and the staff were very kind. You never thought that it could get any better, but then is did!�

Caitlin Clifford 4M

I loved building the shelters. I loved it the most.

Arunima Unde 4M You make your own lunch at Juniper Hall.

We had a campfire with marshmallows.

Miranda Merrison-Glavin 4M I loved it when we were sitting near the camp fire singing songs. It was the best school trip I have ever taken.

Lauren Baldwin 4M

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I really liked Juniper Hall when we made shelters and when we found out who our room mates were.

Nur-Aleena Hameed 4M I really liked Juniper Hall.

My favourite thing was having a campfire and roasting marshmallows.

Kayla Patel 4M I loved Juniper Hall. It was my first time away from home with my school overnight. My favourite bit was building the dens.

Theoni Kanoutas 4M

It was fun going to Juniper Hall, especially the camp fire and sleeping with your friends. I really want to go there again.

Naomi Murphy 4M I had lots of fun. My best activity was making dens with logs.

Hannah Karpal 4M It was great fun. My favourite bits were making the shelters and setting the humane traps.

Alice Fawcett 4M

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Juniper Hall

It was amazing! Everyone had a great time and I loved making shelters.

Sienna Mehta 4M We got to sleep in single rooms with one or two of our friends. I enjoyed toasting marshmallows.

We used compasses.

Shenai Lewis 4M Juniper Hall was fun and exciting and very happy.

My favourite things were the camp fire and making dens.

Eloise Abrahams 4M

‘uniper Hall was awesome!

My favourite part was the shelters. We had to build them as a team.

Maya Malhotra 4J

Juniper Hall is really fun.

There’s lots to do. I loved the campfire and den building.

Asha De Silva 4J

It was fun. I loved the marshmallows on the campfire and building the shelters. It was amazing!

Folakemi Awosusi 4J

It was funny when my friend woke up and her hair was all over the place!

I was really excited when we first arrived.

Chanelle Ohmeng-Mensah 4J

The experience at Juniper Hall was great. I had lots of fun and loved every bit of it!

Lydia Sobolewski 4J Juniper Hall was amazing!

I loved it. We did fun walks for two miles. It was a fantastic experience!

Sophia Jegham 4J I found it funny when my roommate started sleep talking!’

Jessica Wells 4J I liked sleeping on the top bunk!’

Jemima Jennings 4J

It was epic because of marvellous Michelle!

Phoebe Richardson 4J Juniper Hall was the most amazing experience of Year 4!

Mahi Parekh 4J I enjoyed setting mammal traps. It was so much fun!

Amy Howes 4J Making shelters in the trees was so much fun.

Serena Chetwood 4J

It was really fun making dens out of sticks, logs and leaves. I had a great time!

Tara Paulpillai 4J

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Year 5 *** ***

Greek masks by Year 5

Rianna Mahindra

Zara Majeed

The Beach by Katherina Warren

The Beach by Lydia Mattikoya

Demolishing it like it was nothing.

Like a maze of giants under

Throwing ships to and fro

The scorching furnace of the blazing sun

The waves grabbing creatures and pulling them back.

Cooking people

The jungle growth powering through the sand

Wanting to get a tan

Pushing through

On the sandy frying pan.

Trying to take on the sea

On the sand that was diamonds, glistening

Trying to be king.

Shimmering and glistening in the bright sun,

But the sun rules the beach

I can see shells and dead jelly fish

It destroys the jungle with fire

Faces like a wet weekend

The teeth of the ocean eat away at the sand

Washed up by the monstrous tides.

Warms the sea like soup.

In the sea I can see soaring surfers

It wins the battle.

But the beach is as quiet as children sleeping It doesn’t fight back

Defeating the smashing army of waves Along with the ships and yachts Dancing their way to the horizon.

It knows it will be defeated

The sea like a demanding mistress

So

Slapped and splashed the children

It is silent.

That ran in excited strides like scuttling lizards Under the boisterous sea

The Beach by Vanessa Chu

The sun was bright as a golden lantern The pier was being brushed by the sea.

The people who were on the pier

I can imagine Merry mermaids and delightful dolphins Having a boogy amongst The starfish disco constellation.

Chattered like a crowd of seals, And the seagulls flew above circling as white as snowflakes.

Perspective drawings

by Abigail Daly and Isobel Goldsmith

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At the beach I can see palm trees

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Nettlecombe 2015

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Year 6 *** ***

France 2015

We arrived at the school promptly at 7:30am on Monday morning and we were all bursting with excitement!

We all stepped on the coach saying goodbye to our On the first day of France, we were very excited to families, sad but definitely more excited! Lucy A get on the coach and leave. When we got to the Channel Tunnel, we were extremely excited and couldn’t wait! When we were out of the Channel Tunnel, we drove to Nausica, the biggest sea life centre in Europe. Emily

Day 1

At Nausicaά, we saw many different sea creatures, including sharks, jellyfish and other weird underwater creatures. We also saw a fantastic sea lion show, where we saw three sea lions do a variety of amazing tricks, like finding different shapes and letters. Ananya When we left Nausica, we went to the PGL centre, and found out which rooms we were sleeping in. We had five minutes in our rooms and then we came downstairs to enjoy a lovely dinner. Afterwards, we headed into the woods to play some fun games. Ariana When we were in the woods, we played two games. The first was called camouflage, where you had to hide and try not to be spotted by the person in the middle.

The second was called capture the flag, where we were split into two teams and had to get the other team’s flag back to your base. We then went back to the centre and went to bed. Diya

On Tuesday it was Yasmin’s birthday. She had a great time, arguably the best day of the whole trip!

Day 2

We made some fabulous forts using sticks, sand, pinecones, flowers and more. The PGL staff poured water on our forts and some people got soaked!

We enjoyed delicious waffles at the goat farm and got to hold the super cute baby rabbits and the goat kids! Some people fed the cows (we weren’t brave enough to do that).

Charlotte and Katy Today was a busy day. We woke up in the morning and had breakfast. The PGL staff took us to the woods and we got into groups. They told us that we had to build a tent using two sheets and sticks. After we did that they poured water over our shelters to see if they were waterproof. After this fun activity we had lunch. It was yummy! After lunch we went to the goat farm. They lady didn’t speak English so we had to try and figure out what she was saying. She showed us the goats and how to make butter. Shayna

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Day 3 The chocolate factory was amazing!

We loved the chocolate and learning about how it was made! Afterwards we all crowded into the shop and pretty much bought the whole store.

We went back to the centre and had a shower but after that we made crepes we worked in teams of six and got taught how to use the crepe cooker. Yasmin and Finty

In the morning of day three we trekked to the beach and played a few games which were very enjoyable! The PGL instructors showed us a WWI shelter and told us how it played a part in the war, it was extremely fascinating! After our very tiring walk we headed back to the PGL centre and we poured out mountains of sand from our shoes! Lucy and Sarena

On day three we had a long walk down to the beach. Everyone was really excited. We all walked and talked, smiling through the fizzy sting of nettles. We all couldn’t wait till we got to the beach. It was scorching hot and all of us were a little tired and lazy. We stopped on the way to play a game called camouflage. It is where you hide and someone has to spot you from where they are standing.

Finally we arrived at the beach, we walked down a huge sand dune and everyone cheered. All that walking had been worth it. We walked and I found lots of pretty shells. We played lots of fun games and when we had finished we all made sand castles. It had been a wonderful day so much fun I couldn’t help but think what adventures tomorrow would bring. Leila

Today we went to a snail farm. When we arrived, we went into a room for a talk and a slideshow about snails and the lady who owned the farm was talking about how they made the different types of foods using snails and the preparation of snails. Next we went outside to where they kept the snails. This is where we got to hold them. Most of us were a bit hesitant at first but then we plucked up the courage to hold them. After we held them we had to wash our hands thoroughly. We were amazed at how many snails they had in the farm. We learnt that they used parts of snails to make L’Oréal shampoo. Lastly, we got to taste different types of foods that the lady and her partner had made. Most people didn’t enjoy most of them but we also got lemonade. I really enjoyed going to the snail farm and I learnt a lot of new things. Sajni After that we travelled to the Snail Farm where we were greeted by the lady who was going to show us around. We got the opportunity to hold a snail and try snail-based food such as snail pate and other kinds of tasty food.

We then had some free time outside which went very quickly because most of us were trying to tidy our rooms before they got inspected.

Eloise and Layla

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Day 4 On Thursday we went to Le Touquet market. It was really fun and we got to make our own lunches in groups using the food we had bought with two euros each. The teachers also had to do it but were disqualified because they spent too much! After they had been judged we got to eat our lunches (and the staff leftovers).

We also went to a war cemetery where everyone could use a book to see if they had any relatives remembered there. In the evening we had activities with the PGL staff and a disco. We enjoyed watching the teachers dance. Everyone was dancing to the macerena. The disco went on for a couple of hours before we had to stop and give the PGL staff thank you presents. Next we had to start packing for our long journey home.

Sara, Anna K and Ivana

We all jumped off the coach extremely excited to buy our own lunch. As we were already in groups we gathered together and got each our own two euros to buy our lunch. We were in groups of six but in my group we split in half as me and Diya were vegetarians and Rosie had a nut allergy. Devangi

On day five everyone was sad that it was the last day in France, though we were looking forward to seeing our families again. First we celebrated Izzy’s and Kirstin’s birthday with cake and presents.

Our first activity of the day was a town trail, we were given a sheet of clues which would help us figure out the answers about the town, this included finding the number of a glass house and where we had to find the name of a cottage shaped like a toadstool. We stopped off at the beach and played a few games as well as having a fun time building sandcastles.

After a lot of fun on the beach, we walked back to the Centre for lunch and had a go on the adventure course which proved to be quite tricky. The other enjoyable activities were table – tennis, badminton and others chose to just play running games. We were all eager to go home and share our memories with our relatives, and that time finally came.

We hurried into the coach and said our last goodbyes to the PGL staff.

Once we pulled into the CHS car park we all gave a cheer!

Emma and Shreeya

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Today was our last day in France. It was our birthdays, so we all celebrated. In the morning we went on a town trail down to the beach. At the beach we played games and built sandcastles then we walked back to the camp site and had a picnic lunch. When we had finished lunch we played on the adventure equipment. Finally we left the centre to drive home to school and we were greeted by a crowd of parents. France was really fun but we’re really glad to be back now! Izzy and Kirstin

Day 5

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GDST Alumna of the Year

And the winner is…

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SENIOR SCHOOL

On 3 February 2015, all of Alison’s dedication paid off, the House of Commons voted in favour of amending the law. On 24 February, the House of Lords followed suit. Mitochondrial donation is now a reality in the UK. The nominations for the Alumna of the Year award were all outstanding and inspiring; seven fantastic nominees with a varied range of stories, experiences and achievements had been shortlisted and the judges reported that this year they received twice as many overall votes as last year.

But Alison’s story and her achievements obviously particularly inspired many people in the school community and beyond. When she came back to Croydon High last month to talk to the girls in assembly, she had a very big impact and indeed has already inspired fundraising initiatives. A Year 9 group organised a ‘Lily Lolly’ sale this week and there are plans to involve pupils in more activities to help support the charity in the future. Most importantly, it was Alison’s attitude and determination in the face of tragedy that resonated so strongly with girls and staff alike.

In her acceptance speech Alison paid tribute to her old school saying, “I never envisaged when I left CHS aged 18 that I would end up doing what I am doing now, but my education at that school has contributed to a very large part of who I am today, and it gave me the skills I needed to adapt to what life had in store for me.

The friends I met at school are still my friends today, 20 years on, and my teachers gave me the confidence and support to choose subjects I enjoyed, even though at the time I felt like I was the only one who had no idea what I wanted to do when I grew up.

The foundation I got from my time at Croydon High School, enabled me to be versatile in my career choices, to adapt to life situations as they changed, and it gave me the confidence in my abilities to turn circumstances that were beyond my control, into something very positive. “ GDST Chairman, Dr Tim Miller, presented Alison with a trophy and cheque for a £500 donation to The Lily Foundation. The awards ceremony followed the GDST’s Annual Conference, which this year focused on the power of networking and included powerful and inspirational speakers, including GDST Alumna and broadcast journalist, Samira Ahmed and GDST Alumna Sandie Okoro, who is global lead lawyer for HSBC Global Asset Management.

C

roydon High was celebrating when it was announced in June that the winner of the 2015 Alumna of the Year award was our very own Alison Maguire, Research Director for local charity, the Lily Foundation. Alison (née Chisholm) left the school in 1994 and lives in Warlingham.

Alison continues to raise money to fund further research into a cure, to support affected families and to raise awareness of the disease – her work is changing lives and our entire school community is extremely proud of her.

To find out more about the work of the Lily Foundation, please visit their website www.thelilyfoundation.org.uk

As Research Director for the Lily Foundation, Alison has led a ground-breaking change in UK law, a hope for those affected by mitochondrial disease, a debilitating genetic condition with no cure.

Alison’s daughter Niamh was born with the disease; her life was tragically cut short at 4½ years. Upon losing her daughter, Alison vowed to find a cure. Together with Liz Curtis, Alison runs the Lily Foundation, to raise money to fund research into mitochondrial disease. Researchers at Newcastle University developed a way to use IVF for mitochondrial donation to prevent babies being born with the disease. Alison fought to change the law to allow this, working tirelessly to brief select committees, rally the public to lobby MPs and inspire journalists to support the cause.

Alison with GDST’ CEO Helen Fraser and Chairman Dr Tim Miller

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House Reports 2014-2015

CURIE Curie as a team performed brilliantly this past year, in all the various House competitions. On the sporting side, Curie won the squadron relay for the 2nd year running and in Mrs Webb’s words “totally rocked the tug of war!”

Sparkling Curie Head, Mrs Webb

Despite this, Curie was unfortunately placed last out of all Houses on Sports Day; we still really don’t know why.

However, what we may lack on the sports field we certainly make up for with our brains (and beauty!) Curie and our myriad of actresses performed wonderfully in House plays for the 140th celebrations and contributed some outstanding culinary masterpieces in the “Eat Your Words” cake competition.

On the academic side, Curie members did very well throughout the year in the inter-house debating and both the History and Maths competitions as well.

All of this endeavour and enthusiasm, combined with the dedication of our legendary Head of House, Mrs Webb and the hard work our fantastic House captains, Lucy Robbins, Lucy Mars and Yaalarasi Baskaran, ultimately led the Curie team to victory winning the House Cup! Congratulations on another successful year to all in Curie House.

SEACOLE One cannot deny that it has been a fantastic year for Seacole! Our performance summing up the life of Mary Seacole was accurate and entertaining when performed at Fairfield Halls.

One particular event where we shone was CHS Has Got Talent. It is an event where everyone Farewell to legendary supports each other and Seacole Head, Miss Dixon puts themselves out there to perform in front of the whole school which takes enormous courage.

We are particularly proud of our Seacole performers as not only did we have some very inventive and talented acts, but Seacole came in first and second place as well!

Congratulations to Emily Leeves in Year 5 for winning the talent contest. She did an absolutely incredible dance that did Seacole proud. It just goes to show that Seacole has a lot of talent in both the Senior school and the Junior school.

We are sad to see the end of Miss Dixon’s role as Head of House as she has been such an inspiration particularly when participating in so many staff plays and events.

Miss Dixon was great at motivating the girls about team spirit and to keep earning house points! We are so grateful to all she has done for Seacole!

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Mrs Sharples will be Seacole’s new Head of House and she promises no less than world domination. We look forward to her enthusiasm, positivity and invaluable advice to help Seacole guide its way to winning. Here are some wise words from our future Head of house; Mrs Sharples: “I am really excited to be taking over as the new Head of Seacole House. I know we will all work together – Juniors and Seniors – to make our house the leader of the pack. If we run fast, think well, aim high, add quickly, spell well, help each other and, above all, just take part and have fun then Seacole will be the best!”

As a new year approaches, we say goodbye to the year 13’s who have finished their A-levels and move onto other things and especially our House Captain Jennifer Favre who put so much of her time and effort into all the competitions, even writing the script for the house play for the 140th.

We also say goodbye to our vice House Captain Isabel Andrews whose support and dedication was so important to our house. We welcome in new House Captain Jessica Martin and new Vice Captain Kajetha Kanendran who will assist Mrs Sharples to achieve victory for Seacole next year!

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Since 1874

SENIOR SCHOOL

ELIOT Suave Eliot Head, Mr Vickery

first position in the Easter card competition. The girls also excelled during sports competitions, showing off their determination and team work and coming a close second in inter-house swimming as well as proving tough competition in the netball tournament.

The Talent Show was another highlight of the year for Eliot, as it saw girls really come together for their house. Our singers, dancers and entertainers did an amazing job and certainly put a smile on everyone’s faces!

Another year has passed and yet again the girls of Eliot have shone!

In the series of events throughout the year, the Eliot competitors have shown themselves to be as talented and versatile as ever. One of the highlights has to be the 140th celebration at Fairfield Halls, when we staged a dramatic version of the life of our heroine George Eliot, and in five scenes gave the audience a vivid insight into what an amazing woman she was.

Eliot girls are both brainy and sporty. Their knowledge of the workings of the mind was put to the test during the psychology competitions which Years 7, 8 and 9 all won with great success! Eliot continued throughout the year to show off a range of skills, with the Year 11 girls winning the senior house debating and our talented artists taking

Sports Day at the beginning of July is always a sporting highlight of the year and at the end of an exciting afternoon we were thrilled to finish a close second. Overall the hard work, determination and dedication shown by the Eliot girls paid off and ultimately placed us a close second behind Curie in the final points tally. All of this would not have been possible if it weren’t for our two amazing captains, Beth Livermore and Roshae Parry. Both girls gave so much to the House, and for that we thank them and wish them good luck for the future. A new year brings new captains and we welcome Lydia Walker as the new House Captain and Eve Drummond as Vice-House Captain. Hopefully, together with Mr Vickery, they can make Eliot even better and lead us to victory once more.

GARRETT Head of Garrett, Mrs Kugathas (Miss Devendra in a previous life) who celebrated a special event this year)

With a new year, the girls of Garrett house welcomed a new head of house, Mrs Kugathas, and with that came a newly found determination and competitive attitude to become Croydon High School’s winning house of 2015.

Garrett flaunted their talents, winning first prize in the Junior school snowflake and Christmas tree fairy competition in the autumn term and continued to show off their creativity and added some artistic flare to the Harvest box and Christmas tree competitions. The great efforts from the girls landed Garrett in first place.

The spring term was no different, as the girls showed great sportsmanship as they successfully secured first and second place in the Year 7 and Year 9 netball, hockey and basketball interhouse competitions. Not forgetting to mention, huge congratulations to the Junior School for their

commitment to the house by attaining a high number of house points and coming first place in the spring term!

In a year of such highs, we are sorry to say goodbye to the house captains, Breagh McEwan and Jessica Maher. They have shown an incredible amount of dedication to the House and put so much work into their roles; it has been much appreciated by the girls. Breagh and Jessica have proven themselves to be valuable and enthusiastic assets to Garrett. We will miss them and we wish them the best of luck for the future. However, we are now privileged to welcome Sophie Parker and Humera Khan as our new house captains. They have faced fierce competition to get these roles and have a lot to live up to. It will be a challenge to maintain and build upon the successes of the previous house captains but we are all confident that they’re ready for it!

Overall, 2015 has been an amazing year for Garrett House.

The girls from the Junior School and Senior School have combined their hardworking efforts and have gained a lot of success to show for it – long may this continue!

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From Nursery to Sixth Form – strong foundations building bright futures

By Honor Clapp and Ysabel Cruickshank in Year 12

As they prepare to enter their final year at Croydon High, Honor and Ysabel look back on their days in Nursery here and how they have been shaped by their years at the school.

Honor: In the year 2000, I was lucky enough to get a place

After leaving Croydon High, I hope to study Philosophy at

in the first year of Nursery at Croydon High school. Although a

Durham or Edinburgh, with a year studying abroad. I feel that

long time ago, the memories I have of Nursery are still so vivid

my career at Croydon High has given me the skills I need to

to me. Mrs Masson, our Nursery teacher worked with Sarah,

be confident enough to seize every opportunity to continue

her teaching assistant to create new interactive displays

my education, but also to see the world and experience

each week. For example there was once a suspension of

different cultures. After this, I aim to do the law conversion

turquoise and green tissue paper draped from the ceiling

course to qualify as a solicitor. Croydon High has instilled in

to the floor, with cans and rubbish hanging from pieces of

me an ambition to achieve my high aspirations, and has

string to give us insight into the consequences of pollution in

encouraged me not to give up when this seems difficult, but

the sea, and the effect human activity has on the coastal

to work harder.

environment. Another fond memory I have of Nursery was my grandfather dressing as Father Christmas and coming in to

Ysabel: I was nervous to join school at the young age of

surprise the whole class. However, I quickly pointed out that

three, but after my first day I knew I never wanted to leave!

this was no Santa Claus (sorry everyone).

From a young age I was a keen debater and CHS has given me the opportunities to participate in five Model United

I think that these memories are a true representation of the

Nations conferences and we are now hosting our own MUN

spirit that Croydon High School possesses. From the age of

conference in December – all run and organised by Sixth

three to 17, I have been surrounded by creative teachers

Formers! I was encouraged to question what I was told and

and classmates who are enthusiastic about education, but

discuss and elaborate rather than regurgitate a textbook. I

who also have a further enthusiasm for life and fun. Croydon

have always been encouraged to be more than simply just

High School has allowed me to flourish in my own way, at my

academic, I have joined the magazine committee, taken part

own pace. For this I am forever grateful, as this approach has

in the Young Reporter Scheme and run the Junior Debating

allowed me to become independent and confident, but also

club for Years 7-9. I gained 7A*’s and 4A’s last summer

thoughtful and a team player. This is why I am so proud to

and I hope to study Politics and International Relations at

be Pastoral prefect, as I can contribute to this special aspect

Cambridge and then hopefully work for the United Nations,

of the school that encourages personal development and

specifically promoting and developing women’s rights in the

happiness before anything else.

developing world.

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Five generations of Croydon High School

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his year at Croydon High we celebrated our 140th anniversary, and for me this was a reason to reflect on my family history.

With 14 people attending the school over five generations I can certainly say I have roots in Croydon High!

Louie Docking was the first person in my family to attend the school. She joined in 1878 while Dorinda Neligan was headmistress. She was sisterin-law to my great great grandmother, Lilian Allen, who also had Miss Neligan as a headmistress and always told my grandmother how strict she was. Mollie Docking (my great grandmother) had very happy memories of Croydon High, although at one point she was summoned, with her mother, to Miss Leahy’s office to be told that Croydon High was not the place for naughty girls and

that she should mend her ways if she wanted to stay. However, she could never remember what she had done to receive the warning! Mollie was very fond of quoting ‘first form girl in your big new school, what have you learnt of its life and rule..?’ which comes from the school song. Her husband, Edward Wagstaff and his brother and sister (Arthur and Mary Wagstaff) attended Croydon High, although the boys were only allowed in kindergarten, transition and first form.

In 1948 my grandmother, Ann Wagstaff, joined Upper 2

My great grandfather when he attended the school

(which is now known as Year 5) and was much like her mother, as only a year later it was suggested that her ‘high spirits’ may be better catered for in a boarding school. However, after severe warnings from home, and a healthy fear of Miss Adams, she continued at CHS, directing her energies into hockey, tennis and school productions. Eventually she was chosen to be a prefect, as she would be experienced in spotting trouble makers lower down the school!

My aunt, Sally Stranack, joined Croydon High in 1970 and fortunately broke the tradition of troublemaking. She recalls that in Years 3-6 the girls had ‘rest’ after lunch where they all lay down on blankets in the hall and listened to a story read by a teacher, although this was once disrupted when a girl screamed as a mouse scurried over her leg!

She also remembers when the swimming pool was built,

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although it wasn’t ready when they arrived in September. As they now had swimming on their timetable, they spent their lessons practising ‘jumping in’ by jumping off benches onto the floor. Sally was at the school during the centenary year and remembers practising her gym display although there were frequent bomb scares, due to IRA activity, so they often had to evacuate and practise their display outside.

Claire and I are the fifth generation to attend Croydon High and we have quite a legacy to uphold. I have been getting involved in the 140th activities such as helping with the stained glass windows and acting and singing as part of our celebration at Fairfield Halls. As I reach the end of my years at Croydon High, I’m left wondering how many future generations will attend the school.

Lucie Stranack (Year 12)

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Pop-up Poppy Parade hits CHS

Poppies are in full view, providing a lovely flash of red against the cold, grey backdrop of an autumn day. They cascade down in a beautiful display, their wonderful simplicity a symbol of those who gave their lives for the good of our country.

It sounds like a description of the beautiful ceramic poppies outside the Tower of London. However, this is a description of Croydon High School’s very own poppy tribute to commemorate Remembrance Day! On Tuesday 10th November, each Croydon High student from the Juniors all the way up to the Sixth Form tied their own handmade poppy to the gates outside the school to remember those who died during active service. A special assembly was also held to recognise this important day in our calendar, and it was touching to see even the youngest students taking an interest in the events surrounding Remembrance Day and why they mean so much to so many.

Student Humera Khan, said “I think it’s a great way to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War”.

Another student, Helena Brawand said, “I think it was a very touching tribute to the fallen soldiers of World War 1”.

Remembrance Day occurs each year on the 11th November to commemorate the end of World War 1, which concluded on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Each year, millions of people across the country, whether at work, home or school, stop what they are doing at 11am to remember those who have died serving their country – whether in the two world wars, or in more recent conflicts.

The temporary display at Croydon High won’t last forever – but what will last are our memories of the dead, who we will never forget.

By Kirsty Bailey (Year 12)

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Sixth form strut their stuff at the M ayor ’ s fashion show !

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roydon High School is famous for its annual fashion show with Whitgift School. Hours of the girls’ free time and much effort gets put in every year to make sure every last detail is perfect.

However, this year because of Croydon High’s 140th anniversary the fashion show did not follow its normal format.

So we were particularly honoured to be asked by the Mayor of Croydon to perform a fashion show at the Town Hall. Think a fashion show can’t be planned in a week? Wrong! This is Croydon High...we can do anything!

(To an extent of course!) With only eight days to prepare, the Sixth Form community joined together to create a fashion show that will never be forgotten.

All this fun however, was for a serious cause. The Mayor’s fashion show was in aid of Macmillan Cancer Care and Age UK. We are very

proud to have raised money for such important charities that are close to home and can affect any of us.

The evening was enjoyed by

everyone and Croydon High feel honoured to have been able to put on such an event Katie Harris 12W

The Mayor’s fashion show was held in the Braithwate Hall in Croydon. In this beautiful hall, both girls and boys showed off a range of outfits to represent the multi cultural society that we are lucky enough to have in Croydon. We had a range of catwalks such as ‘childhood memories’, ‘Olympic catwalk’ and ‘Miss Universe’ and a performance of Asian dance as well as items from Year 12 singers and dancers.

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SPORTING HIGH-lights 2014-15 It has been an exciting and successful year for our sports stars with some outstanding team and individual performances.

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WINNERS! 12 selected aby Light Y WINNER! G in at the t Great Brita to represen rada st ae Gymn 2015 World

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Y9 Netball (B) an Croydon Sch d 3rd Place (A) ools

WINNERS! U 11 Croydon Sc hools Netball League Finals

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WI Y12 Sim NNERS! Canic eS ran Ver di and Y creene, 6 Kayli – Surre n Scree y Schoo ne ls Golf

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Sports Presentation Evening by Charlotte Rhule Y13 On Thursday the 2nd of July, Croydon High had their annual sports presentation evening.

The night began with a light healthy buffet suitable for the occasion. The respective sports captains gave detailed accounts of the achievements of the girls during this academic year. This highlighted the sheer amount of talent that we have a Croydon High as well as the variety of sports that the girls participate in.

For instance Sophie Hodges, Erin Rochester and Ella Webster all made their county teams in Rugby. Nana Patel, Alex Edwards and Lauren Giles were recognised for their success at the National Schools Trampolining competition where they finished an impressive second, they also won the Team of the Year award, a prestigious honour voted for by all Croydon High pupils and teachers.

The guest speaker was Lily Rodgers, an alumna who later Guest Speaker Lily Rodgers this year will go to represent Great Britain in Australia at the World Nets Championships. Nets is a fast paced version of netball where the ball never goes out of play.

Overall the night was a huge success and showcased the amount of talent that we have at Croydon High.

Here’s to next year!

THIS GIRL CAN…THIS GIRL DID at Croydon High!

On the last four consecutive Fridays of the summer term, the PE department hosted an excellent sports event for girls in Years 4 and 5. This was the fourth year in which the school has secured funding for a community based sports event from HSBC and once again, all agreed we put on an excellent show! Almost 50 girls from our own juniors and from local schools including Ridgeway, St Peter’s and Atwood joined us to learn new sports and to learn how much fun competitive sport can be. The girls played soccer, frisbee, rugby, tennis, hockey and basketball and on the final Friday, parents were invited to join the girls in a mass aerobics session on the field! At the end of the course, frisbees, water bottles and certificates were given out to all the girls in recognition of their efforts. Feedback from parents was very positive, commenting on the high standard of coaching, the excellent organisation and the superb facilities. Building the girls’ confidence and interest in new and competitive sport is the key driver for events like these and we hope that it may have ignited something that the girls will want to continue with.

Our thanks go to HSBC for their fantastic support and to Mrs Beck and all the coaches who gave of their time and expertise.

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Marathon Superstars The London Marathon was very personal for Croydon High this year, as we had representatives of our school in three levels of this fantastic event. Year 6 runner Tay Blair, took part in the London Mini Marathon, representing Croydon, as part of a team of eight girls running in the U13 race.

Congratulations also go to Year 12’s Charlotte Rhule for running in the U17 section of the London Mini Marathon and we are delighted to report that Charlotte won GOLD for her team. Congratulation Charlotte! And finally, our very own Mrs Beck battled through with a foot injury and ran the full marathon in a fantastic time of just under five hours. Mrs Beck was raising money for three charities close to her heart, including the Leukaemia and Lymphona Research charity in memory of Nicole Favre.

Tay No.550

Swimathon

by Jennifer Favre Y13

“Well done to all the Year 13 girls who got up at the crack of dawn to take part in the Swimathon. It was a great success and all together we swam 250 lengths! With added flippers, snorkels and not to forget Bethany’s rubber ring, it was a fun way to spend a Thursday morning.

Of course we didn’t get up early for no reason as it was all for an important cause. We were raising money for the ‘Forget-Me-Not’ charity set up with Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research in memory of my big sister, who sadly passed away in 2004.

She was an amazing, talented little girl and always put a smile on everyone’s face. Every year since then, we have raised money by taking part in the Purley Swimathon but decided this year, as it is my final year at school, to host the event in school in the hope of raising as much money as possible. Thank you again to everyone who swam and a massive thank you to Mrs Beck and other staff who helped in making the morning possible.”

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The Art Scene at Croydon High

Art continues to flourish in school, under the creative guidance of Mrs Smith and her dedicated team and the quality and variety of work just seems to grow every year. There have been too many highlights to mention all, but here is a flavour of our artistic year.

THE ARTICULATION PRIZE The ARTiculation Prize is an annual event designed to promote the appreciation and discussion of art. Adjudicators assess a ten minute presentation about a work of art, artefact or piece of architecture.

Following a fantastic presentation at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in February, on the painting Ash Flower by contemporary artist Anselm Kiefer, Ellen won this heat and went forward to the final at Cambridge – a wonderful achievement.

Here she tells us of that experience.

ARTICULATION: THE NATIONAL FINALS, CLARE COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE

by Ellen Prizeman We arrived at Clare College in Cambridge at 10am. We listened to interesting talks given by professors on global art history.

Then in groups, we had tours of the university and had the chance to visit Kettle’s Yard, a beautiful old house which has a vast collection of modern art.

a chance to read over my notes beforehand. I spoke about German artist Anselm Kiefer and his painting Aschenblume 1983-97. Kiefer really influences the artwork I do at school, so it wasn’t really a problem discussing his painting in such depth as I enjoy researching his processes (using unconventional materials like ash or straw, blow torching and experimenting with oxides and metals) and his inspirations (bringing attention to the horrific events of the Nazis, mythology, Van Gogh etc.)

I hope my passion came across in my talk.

It was set up by art collector Jim Ede and his wife and is exactly how they left it when he died.

The house wasn’t open to the public so the ten of us finalists, and a guide, had the gallery all to ourselves which was amazing – especially since we could get so close to paintings and sculptures. The talks started at about 2pm in the college’s lecture theatre. I spoke just after the interval – which gave me

I believe there were over 500 applicants, so I’m very proud to have been awarded second prize by the adjudicator Dr Penelope Curtis, Director of Tate Britain, especially since I didn’t expect to make it through to the final. It really was a great experience and I’m so glad I took part. I think it’s unearthed presentation skills I didn’t even know I had which will definitely help me at university and in later life.

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Meeting the Artist: JASON BROOKS

by Isabel Andrews in Year 13 “I was so privileged this year to have the opportunity to meet the renowned artist Jason Brooks. I first saw his portrait of Paul Nurse (‘Paul’) in the National Portrait Gallery and was amazed by the huge scale and incredible amount of detail in the face. In my coursework, I was working on portraiture in a photorealist style so it was amazing to be able to talk to Jason Brooks about his work and processes.

He discussed his techniques with me and I was fascinated to hear how he included so much detail within his work, using both an airbrush and paintbrush. The idea is that is in today’s society we see so many airbrushed images in magazines and therefore he is trying to capture everything within his portraits to show their true personality.

I have been fascinated by photorealism and hyperrealism over the last year and, as a result, I have been developing portraits of my family. Meeting Jason Brooks has been a fantastic opportunity for me.

Isabel’s stunning portrait of her sister

We discussed different techniques and processes and ways to develop work and I will definitely be using this to refine my work further and complete my 3,000 word critical essay.”

We are very grateful to Jason Brooks for so generously giving his time and advice to Isabel – it has obviously really inspired her.

‘Paul’ by Jason Brooks

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oil painting portrait workshop textile piece inspired by her grandma; Kanan Thakrar Year 11 painted her sister; Maheen Alam Year 12 painted her mother and sister; Hannah Jones Year 12 illustrated the relationship between her mother and father and Isabel Andrews painted her mother, father and sister in a hyper-realist style. It was lovely to see all of them there and to realise how proud they were of their girls, just as we all were. The 3D Design girls had created some beautiful jewellery in glass, and fabulous chairs, tables, lights and shelves using a variety of skills in wood. Many of the girls made pieces for their parents who were their clients.

It was also fantastic to see old girls Georgia Sims and Rhea Dillon, who are both at university studying men’s tailoring and fashion respectively. Georgia,who is studying at Rochester University of Arts was giving Ellen Prizeman some great tips about the university as she is going there next year to study a foundation in Art & Design. It was also lovely to welcome back Ms MacDonald with her delightful baby Reuben.

Our GCSE and A Level students studying Fine Art were invited to a full day’s oil painting portrait workshop with nationally recognised portrait artist Adele Wagstaff. Adele is a specialist outside tutor and established artist, whose work has been shown at the National Portrait Gallery in the BP Portrait Award Exhibition. Her book Still Life Painting in Oils was published in 2012 and her next book Painting the Nude will be published early in 2015.

Blanche Brown in Year 11 told us about the day “I really enjoyed the oil painting workshop as it has improved my confidence in applying paint directly on to a canvas. Adele Wagstaff has really inspired me to be more experimental with primary colours. She has encouraged me to only use the three colours to create all of the colours that I need to paint a portrait. The workshop is going to really help me now we have started our exam preparation.”

Abigael Morris, also in Year 11 said, “The oil painting workshop with artist Adele Wagstaff was really enjoyable and informative, as I have learnt new painting skills that I can apply in my GCSE work. It was a real opportunity to explore new techniques of working with oils with the help of a professional artist.”

Thank you to Adele Wagstaff for the encouragement and inspiration she gave to our young artists.

The Summer Show is always a fitting finale to the year in Art and this year was no exception.

Visitors to the exhibition were greeted with some beautiful music, played by Amy Marsden, Abigail Hughes, Morayo Adeagbo, Imogen Cliff, Emma James, Charlotte Clapperton and Mrs Cohen. The show was extremely well attended as always and it was a pleasure to see all the girls exhibiting with their proud families. There was a very real sense of family, not just among the visitors but also in the subject matter of many of the pieces. Blanche Brown in Year 11 had painted and created a

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Congratulations to all of the girls and to our Art Department on another amazing year.

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What a Drama!

For the Drama Department, 2014-2015 has been a year like no other! From juniors to seniors, so many girls have been involved in some form of drama production.

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he year began with the Croydon High 140th birthday celebration held at Fairfield Halls. From September to November, it was full steam ahead with script writing, intense rehearsals and gathering costumes.

With Mrs Webb and Mrs Sharples’ brilliant script writing, the 140th celebration was a night to remember! The show was opened by the Sixth Form Theatre Studies students. They portrayed local parents back in 1874 discussing the opening of Croydon High, a new school for girls. The audience were then taken on a journey through time of all the history of CHS. From a Sixth Form ‘through the ages’ dance to the Queen’s coronation, the night was a complete success being enjoyed by those both on and off stage.

Also in November, the Year 10 Drama students performed Twelfth Night as part of the Shakespeare Schools Festival at the Rose Theatre, Kingston.

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They modernised the play, creating a “play within a play” by playing tramps that perform on the street for food. The girls had a great time and found the day a really enriching experience.

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Once upon a time The Drama department then produced another great show – the pantomime! Croydon High and Whitgift School collaborated to perform Once upon a Time, a family fun pantomime. This one night only special was an evening full of laughter, hisses and cheers. It followed Princess Lottie on her journey through Pantoland and her encounters with well-known panto characters – Cinderella, Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood! The audience were even lucky enough to have guest appearances from a few familiar faces – Mrs Webb, Mrs Beck and Mrs Gower!

It was a great production and a lot of fun for those who performed in it as well as the audience!

Overall, an astounding £1634.95 was raised for the ‘Forget Me Not’ fund in memory of former pupil Nicole Favre.

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Then, it was time for the GCSE and A-Level pieces. This year, GCSE girls performed DNA by Dennis Kelly. It was a performance that both the girls and Mrs Webb were incredibly proud of. The examiner was amazed at all the extremely talented girls.

The AS Theatre Studies girls performed Carol Ann Duffy’s Grimm’s Tales: Hansel and Gretel with Brecht as their chosen practioner. The performance showed the darker side of Hansel and Gretel but still had an element of light heartedness and received a great reception from the audience.

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The AS girls then went on to perform their piece at the Leatherhead Drama Festival where Mrs Webb received a special mention for a ‘highly commended director’- a well deserved achievement! Finally, the A2 girls performed their devised piece – Love Shouldn’t Hurt. It was inspired by the NCYW conference on domestic abuse. The play explores the life of a victim of domestic violence and how she tries to deal with both the mental and physical struggles she has to face.

It was an incredibly touching and hard hitting piece.

All girls performed tremendously and should be very proud of their work.

Finally, to end the year on a high, it was the Lower School’s production of ‘Annie’. The girls had been working on the production since January, when they were cast. With girls ranging from Year 7-10, it showcased just how talented they are. From the first song to the last song, it was a funpacked, all singing, all dancing production! Every girl performed to the best of her ability and it was a wonderful evening. Special thanks go to Mrs Webb for directing the production, Miss Dixon for choreographing the dances and Mrs Cohen for conducting the singing.

And that’s it for another year of drama at Croydon High! It has been an extremely busy yet successful year. Big thanks go to Mrs Webb for working so hard to make it all happen. All girls should be very proud of their contribution to drama this year.

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Mrs Cohen’s Final Summer Concert

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n the absence of the senior girls who were taking exams, our annual Summer Concert in May, gave our talented younger musicians the opportunity to shine on their own.

This year we invited orchestral players from Years 5 and 6 to join us and the whole of Year 5 sang in the concert performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

The Orchestra opened the evening with four short pieces including the Minuet and Trio from Leopold Mozart’s Toy Symphony. This piece requires a cuckoo, a drum, a toy trumpet, a nightingale whistle and a quail-sounding hooter and Mrs Leonard, Mrs Clark, Mr Pickering, Mrs Bradshaw and Mrs Mester ‘volunteered’ to play these, proving themselves to be great sports, and all seemed to enjoy the experience of playing with a symphony orchestra.

This was followed by impressive solos from music scholars Jessica Man (Year 8) cello, Katharine Walker (Year 9) piano, Riana Patel (Year 9) voice, Elizabeth Lovering (Year 10) oboe and Julieta Baker (Year 10) cello.

Interspersed with the solos was the Wind Ensemble, directed by Mr Cox playing La Gatino and two songs by the Middle School Choir. The concert ended with a rousing performance of Joseph, with a surprise appearance of Mr Pickering singing Pharoah’s ‘Song of the King’.

It was Mrs Cohen’s last concert as Director of Music before she retires in the summer and what a fitting finale – all agreed it was a night not to be missed!

Congratulations to Julieta Baker in Year 10 – Winner of the Marjorie Baldwin Bequest Award for gaining the highest mark awarded for Grade 7 piano in the whole of the Croydon area…131 marks!

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The ‘Mrs Cohen Interview’ by Larissa Kennedy Year 12 This year Croydon High is losing a member of staff who is very much at the heart of the school. As Director of Music at CHS Mrs Cohen has experienced an array of emotions as she has passed on her wealth of knowledge to girls past and present.

Saying goodbye to Mrs Cohen as she retires will be truly hard for many students, colleagues and parents and we couldn’t let her leave before her final curtain call on the CHS stage – getting the gossip on her time here in a revealing interview.

How long have you worked at CHS? I’ve worked here for nine years, making a total of 38 years of full time Music teaching.

What is a fact that most students and teachers don’t know about you?

I appeared in the Steven Spielberg blockbuster film Band of Brothers (2001) starring Damian Lewis, Tom Hanks and David Schwimmer.

I was the nun who conducted the girls’ choir in the convent. Apparently you can Google the scene!

What is your favourite memory of CHS? I have lots of memories and I can’t really choose a favourite! Memories of tours, concerts, performances, girls and even just happy times in the classroom will always be there for me to look back on.

What has been your proudest moment at CHS? Receiving a standing ovation in Florence was a proud moment for me and for the choir too. Equally, there have been several occasions when pupils have achieved something they thought was impossible and I am always very proud of them when this happens.

What is the funniest experience you’ve had at CHS? On my first tour with CHS girls we had an outdoor concert venue in the middle of nowhere – it was ridiculous! The audience consisted of Mr Dodsworth and the bus driver.

We were singing ‘Didn’t it Rain’ when it began to pour!

So we just stopped the concert and got into the bus.

Another funny experience was when I had just given the choir a talking to about appropriate clothing for the tour and Larissa walked into room 48, late - and wearing the shortest pair of shorts imaginable– the timing was just impeccable!

Who do you sit with in the staffroom?

Believe it or not, I don’t have a desk, so I hover next to the noticeboard. I don’t sit elsewhere else because the “comfy chairs” aren’t actually very comfortable.

What challenges have you faced at CHS? In my first term at CHS we did a full-blown stage performance of Oliver with live band. It was quite a challenge as I was still finding my feet in a new school.

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The Chamber Music Festival by Imogen Broyd Year 12 On a cold February evening, Croydon High School’s parents and students were entertained with some awe-inspiring classical music pieces, from Cherubini in the late 1800’s to Gershwin in 2000’s, performed by small chamber music groups made up of girls from different years ranging from 7 to 13.

Each group was made up of three or four girls, who had practised a particular skill to create the perfect chamber groups, communication.

It is very easy for someone to perform with an accompanist but it is much harder to perform as a group and communicate to make sure phrases are together and to help each other.

However, when the groups had mastered this skill the result was phenomenal, with phrases perfectly on time and each girl listening to each other so the sounds were completely in tune. A lovely thing with chamber music, is the support the girls were able to offer each other through a friendly smile at the beginning, as well as the comfort of having each other on stage, acting like a safety blanket.

When each piece had finished, the group lined up and, with a huge smile of relief, finished off their ensemble perfectly with a choreographed professional bow. Each piece was then marked by adjudicator, James Hargraves, Director of Music from Sutton High School.

The girls were honoured to hear his advice and delighted with his genuine praise. The winners of the trophy were Charlotte Clapperton (violin), Katherine Walker (cello) and Julieta Baker (piano) performing Saltarello by Frank Bridge, which was played without fault, demonstrating true talent and musical co-operation.

For some being part of an ensemble was new experience but for others it was one to get off the shelf and dust down. Yasmin Alagaratnam, in Year 12, commented ‘it was a very enjoyable evening and the winning group were very worthy winners of the trophy.’

LUNCHTIME CONCERT IN ST MATTHEW’S REDHILL In March, the annual Lunchtime Concert in St Matthew’s Church, Redhill took place. The programme was given by the Chamber Choir, who sang nine songs from memory ranging from 16th century unaccompanied madrigals to some more modern Shakespearean and folk song arrangements.

The songs were interspersed with solos and ensembles. Charlotte Clapperton performed some unaccompanied Bach on the violin and there were some repeat performances from winning ensembles from the Chamber Music Festival the previous week.

The instrumentalists involved were: Abigail Gunn, Eleanor Bunce and Jemma Upton, Caroline Ip, Fariha Baba and Cherise Tsang and singers: Riana Patel and Jennifer Cairns, accompanied on the piano by Jessica Man. The girls excelled themselves and the audience (which included five former Croydon High School girls from Wellesley Road days) was impressed and delighted.

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DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD SCHEME INSPIRES OUR GIRLS

The Duke of Edinburgh scheme is always popular at Croydon High and the girls put in great effort to meet the challenges of this demanding scheme; both physically and through their commitment to volunteer work. This year we have girls involved in all levels of the scheme.

Bronze Award – 48 girls Silver Award – 17 girls Gold Award – 8 girls We look forward to celebrating the completion of the awards later in the year and big thanks to Mrs Bennett and Miss Kermani as well as fabulous ‘gappies’ Clare and Lisa for all their time and effort in helping the girls achieve their goals.

dinner is served!

Sharon and Jen are part of the CHS catering team and work in the Sixth Form and Year 11 common rooms every day. They know all of our gossip, so we thought it was about time we got to know theirs…

Sainsbury’s or Waitrose?

S & J: Definitely Sainsbury’s How long have you been working at Croydon High?

S: It’s coming up to eight years now.

J: Seven years!

What’s your best memory of working here?

What is your signature dish at home?

S: I used to work as the supervisor in the Junior School playground, so my fondest memory is watching them run around and play.

Sharon: I don’t actually cook that much at home. I prefer a takeaway, so my signature dish would have to be a chicken tikka masala!

J: I’ve worked in the lower school dining rooms but working in the Sixth Form common room is definitely my favourite, I prefer working with the older girls.

Jen: I make the best shepherd’s pie.

Have you ever watched Victoria Wood’s Dinnerladies?

If you were going out for a meal, where would you go?

S: I love Indian takeaways, so definitely an Indian curry house.

J: I’d go to a tapas bar!

Do you have a bucket list? If so, what is on it?

S: A lot! I would like to win the lottery of course, buy some land and take in and care for stray animals.

J: My main goal is to learn to drive, which is what I’m tackling at the moment! I’ll be ticking that off soon hopefully.

S: I haven’t; are we like them then?

J: I’ve never watched it!

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever eaten?

S: Pease pudding. It’s absolutely disgusting J: I hate broad beans!

Savoury or sweet?

S & J: Savoury!

By Honor Clapp and Sarah Garrone

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This year the girls of Croydon High have certainly shown that they are going places...

In October, 48 girls from Years 10 to 13 took part in one of the most legendary of CHS trips, to New York and Washington. Beginning our adventure in Washington, we visited the National Mall and were delighted to have Mr Divall, an expert of American history, to explore the American history museums with us and to watch re-enactments of famous events of the Civil Rights movement.

A

s well as visiting cultural, historical and art museums, we visited the heart of Washington DC, the White House.

We were incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to visit the most guarded house in the world and the girls, particularly A-level Politics students, loved exploring the rooms and corridors where diplomats and Heads of State from around the world had previously walked, all whilst Obama had his breakfast in the Oval Office above us.

We toured the monumental cemetery Arlington and watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, reminding ourselves of the horrors of war and the bravery of soldiers.

The next iconic institution to visit was Congress. After a tour of the impressive building, the girls asked questions about the politics behind the institution and particularly the conflict between the President and members of congress in recent years. We learnt secrets and strange traditions of the building, including the whispering chamber, where when one person whispers on one side of the chamber they can be heard on the other side. Last, but definitely not least, a tour taking us inside the Supreme Court where girls learned of famous, historical cases of the past and the workings behind the Supreme Court.

But, in true Croydon High fashion, work hard, play hard was our motto. Following the enriching Washington trip, the girls took the Amtrak to hit the Big Apple and dragged

Mr Vickery up and down Fifth Avenue for hours. He will never admit it, but he secretly loved it as a closet shopaholic (pun intended).

Gazing up at the intricate ceiling of Grand Central Station and taking in the views of Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge were unforgettable experiences. However, the girls didn’t let an opportunity to learn more escape them, as we visited Staten Island, famous as the stop off point for immigrants seeking out the American Dream. We also experienced a humbling moment in the 9/11 memorial museum and were reminded that from the biggest tragedies, hope can still arise.

From running around Bloomingdales to being rooms away from Obama and Mr Divall’s ability to have a fun fact on nearly every monument in America, the trip was life changing and all the girls will remember it forever.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

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Mark Twain

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Ms Forshawe gives her “View from the Bridge”

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“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

Marcel Proust Sarah Garrone in Year 12 told us about some of the new landscapes discovered this year…

This past year has been a busy one for the Language departments. The Santander and Cordoba trips with Year 9, were packed with activity; the girls had the opportunity to try some delicious home-made specialties from ‘paella’ to ‘salmorejo’, as well as visiting some of the most well-known Andalusian cities: Malaga, Cordoba and Seville.

A particularly memorable experience voiced by the girls was the visit to the Great Mosque, or the Mezquita, a truly stunning treasure of Islamic art, although learning the flamenco or discovering how to make olive oil proved almost as enjoyable!

The Berlin trip for Years 12 and 13 was equally successful. With girls from both German and History classes, the trip was groundbreaking in both a linguistic and cultural sense. With visits to the beautiful, world famous German Christmas markets, Charlottenburg Schloss and

Potsdammer Platz to name a few, and the traditional German cuisine such as schnitzel and pork leg with sauerkraut, the girls had an amazing opportunity to experience German culture at its best. However, a visit to Berlin would not be complete without remembering its striking history. Everyone was extremely keen to learn about this amazing city, through visits to the Holocaust Memorial and Museum, Check-point Charlie and the TV tower in East Berlin, both used during the Cold War, to name but a few.

The girls also had the chance to go on the annual exchange trips, which are becoming more and more popular with our girls. After Year 10 spent a busy, but exciting week with their German exchanges in London, visiting the Science Museum, Covent Garden, Madame Tussauds, and going to a workshop at the Globe Theatre, the visit to Bonn was, unsurprisingly, greatly anticipated by everyone. From visiting Marksburg Castle, the Haus der Gechichte museum, climbing both mountains and cathedral towers, and visiting the Haribo factory, there is no doubt that the trip was thoroughly enjoyed.

There was also the Year 8 French exchange to Besançon. The girls were treated to many unusual activities, husky dog sledging and watching husky racing were particular favourites. Aside from this, the girls spent time at the exchange students’ school to help in an English class, learned about the city and the architect Vauban, and even had the

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opportunity to participate in the festival of Mardi Gras, tasting many of the local delicacies.

We would like to thank all the staff who organized and participated in these trips, for giving up their time to create such amazing opportunities and memories!

Spelling Bee In June, Croydon High was buzzing as we greeted the eleven other GDST schools participating in the MFL Spelling Bee. Having had just three weeks to learn 140 words in French, German or Spanish, the Year 8 and 9 girls made the most of their free time with some final practice, while they waited for all the schools to arrive.

The Year 12s who were assisting were amazed by all the girls’ performances, but a special mention must go to the Year 9 German team who spelt an astounding 75 words correctly in three minutes! The overall result was equally as amazing, with every round in all three languages being won by the Croydon High girls. This is a fantastic achievement and great recognition of the high standard of language teaching in our school.

To congratulate the girls on their sweeping victory, they enjoyed a well-deserved pizza lunch. We would like to thank everyone who participated and helped, and especially the MFL teachers who worked so hard to organise this event.

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c · r · e · a · t · i · v · i · t · y The English department has inspired girls to produce some outstanding written work this year. Here is a taste…

A fan fiction piece inspired by The Edge Chronicles

by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell The night stretched out for what felt like an age, and Barkwater didn’t sleep. Instead the sky-pirate looked up to what was visible of the clear, inky sky and remembered the days of his prime. He could still see that sky-ship in the dock, pulling desperately at its moorings like a wild beast. Rook could still see himself, a young academic with an urge like gnawing hunger to explore The Edge. His first crew, he couldn’t possibly forget. The young dwarf stonesetter, the scrawny tufted goblins that worked the ropes, that loping banderbear and the gorgeous faerie cook. Barkwater smiled, his blackened and withered teeth barely showing in the ebony blackness.

He thought of how he must look and pictured himself once again standing at the helm of a ship, his tailcoat thrashing in the strong winds. He could still see his own face: his sharp and intelligent eyes, high cheekbones and well-kept facial hair, his captain’s hat cocked jauntily to an angle over his full head of dark hair.

Barkwater chuckled to himself in the silence, a terrible rasping noise that rose and soon stuck in the old man’s parched throat and developed into a fit of coughs that racked his wiry frame. He would do well to remember his own past – lest he forgot it.

Dawn came all too soon and Rook Barkwater was pulled hastily from his trance-like state by a lugbird, its routine screeches echoing ghoulishly into the cell down through the grate. Barkwater didn’t move as footsteps approached the door. He stared blankly at the grating, his eyes flashing dangerously in the dark like one of the Deepwood’s creatures. The bolt on the door was tugged across and filled the empty prison with noise. A man entered the room with a rough wooden tray; he set it down in front of the skypirate and crouched beside him. He was an academic, like the pirate had once been, and despite the terrible situation in which the two souls had met, he liked the old man immediately and fought for the rights to visit him once a week.

He marvelled at the stories Barkwater had told him, of wars and great disasters, places far away from here such as the Mire, the Deepwoods and the twisted Edgelands. He sat and listened for hours to tales of romance, adventure and danger until the

Caroline Ip, Year 11

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pirate’s voice was raw. At night, the young scholar’s dreams were filled with lugworms and banderbears and great caterbirds. He could close his eyes and sometimes imagine the breeze on his skin, piloting his own great sky-ship, but that life was no longer available. The sky-sickness had brought down all the great pirates.

Sky-ship flight was no longer possible so instead the man sat and lived in the tales of this... Rook Barkwater, perhaps the most renowned and infamous sky-pirate to ever have mastered the art of sky-ship flight.

The man sighed. He looked deeply into the pirate’s cold blue eyes but they were far away, looking beyond that grate into the skies – where the sun was just starting to crawl up into the horizon.

He examined Rook’s state, the torn and filthy royal blue coat, his thin face with cheekbones that jutted out like knives. He wished he might have seen this man in all his glory and his heart broke.

It felt wrong to see him here, like a great caged beast whose wings had been long broken. The man said nothing but lifted the prisoner’s hand and held it in his own. It was as cold as death and he could feel each individual bone through the yellowed, papery skin. He warmed it with his hands and gave a gentle, assuring squeeze. He watched the pirate’s face and said nothing as his eyes watered and a single tear made its way from the sparkling eyes down to his thin jaw. Rook Barkwater understood.

The decision had been made and by this evening, the great skypirate was to hang.

It was a long day that followed. Evening fell fast and the academic was sent to fetch the prisoner. He led the two large gnok-goblins to the cell door at seven o’clock and his eyes adjusted quickly to the gloom. There Rook Barkwater lay, his hand by his side where the scholar had left it. His eyes were fixed, unseeingly onto the grate. There was no execution that evening.

Nor would there ever be any execution for any evening after that.

For the great sky-pirate, whose name had once haunted the minds of any sky-traveller, whose reputation had preceded him as generous as well as fearsome, Rook Barkwater, whose piercing eyes had perhaps seen the whole Edge and more, was dead.

His face was relaxed, almost blissful, the scholar thought. That unblinking gaze stuck upwards towards the sky, where that man truly belonged, and where now may be his spirit soared.

Samantha Martin, Year10

Ellen Prizeman, Year 13

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I wrap my coat tighter around myself and press my face into my scarf. The cold outside is numbing as I wait for him to arrive. I breathe into my hands to warm them. As I look up, I see him walking towards me. He’s just as wrapped up as I am, wearing the scarf I bought him for Christmas last year. As he gets closer, my heart starts to pound. I let go of the breath I didn’t know I was holding as he approaches me.

We face each other, standing in the middle of the pavement as other busy pedestrians push past and around us.

It’s been months since we last saw each other. He seems much taller, like he’s towering over me.

“Hi,” he whispers gently.

“Hi,” I breathe.

Isobel Reeves, Year 12

He smiles at me with his teeth. I realise, in that moment, just how much I’ve missed him. He had become a stranger to me, but now it feels like nothing has changed.

“It’s good to see you.” I smile nervously

Piya Varma, Year 11

“It’s good to see you too.” He grins widely at me.

I’m surprised he’s so cheerful after everything that happened.

I walk awkwardly behind him as we enter the coffee shop. I watch him at the table, as he orders our drinks. It’s not as busy as it should be in winter. There are a few people milling around with their drinks. A couple begins to laugh at the table nearest me. I smile at the sound.

Emma Norman, Year 11

Caitlyn Morgan-Waller, Year 7 Looking up, she thought she’d never seen the sky looking so magical. She felt free on the hills, the wind brushing against her face, the breeze moving her hair from side to side. Nothing could go wrong. Everything would be okay as the sunset faded away.

For weeks she had dreaded she would be lost in anger and fear but now she could let go. About a month ago, she was at her aunt’s house for the night. When everyone had gone to bed, she lit a candle and stared into the flames’ hypnotic trance as the colours danced. She then fell asleep and as she fell back she knocked the candle. Soon, the carpet was alight. The heat and smoke woke her and roared as she ran to find her family. By the time she found them, it was too late to escape. The fire had quickly spread making the ceiling collapse.

That was all she could remember. When she woke up in the hospital, she screamed and burst into tears. From colours to death, from house to ash. She was too late to save her aunt and uncle. They were found after her when the fire fighters arrived. The doctors said it was a miracle that she was still alive.

So whenever she has a chance to feel free, she takes it and thanks God that she’s still alive.

He walks over to where I’m sitting, smiling warmly.

I send a tight smile in response, rubbing my sweaty hands together. Why am I so nervous?

He places the tea in front of me, still smiling. I wrap my hands around the hot mug, the steam blurring my glasses as I take a quick sip.

“How’ve you been?” he asks. I look up at him, glasses still blurred, surprised at his sudden burst of words. He laughs at my awkward expression and blurred glasses.

“I’ve been good. Busy, but good.” I manage to send him a genuine smile.

“It’s nice to see you again.” He smiles back, resting his hand on top of mine.

“It’s nice to see you too.” I squeeze his hand gently and his smile widens.

The friend I thought was turning into a stranger is finally coming back to me.

Kira Walker, Year 10

Maheen Alam, Year 12

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Sonnet In the machine of destruction demons hiss.

Ghosts stir in the trails of desolation remaining.

Within the mess we wait, content with the abyss, Wool pulled over our eyes, in the hopes of restraining.

Merely puppets, tangled in a web of strings, Unable to act, we sink into the night.

In the broken land of corrupted kings, Plagued with villainy, we wait for the spark to ignite.

Brainwashed, unseeing reflections, cursed, Stuck in a lost generation, we weep.

In the flames we stay, awaiting the hearse.

Drowning in our idleness, the consequences we reap.

Our eyes are open, yet we try to grip To the tower of lies, threatening to slip.

Natasha Ball, Year 9

Dear Charlotte Brontë, I am writing to about the book you have recently submitted. In this letter I shall explain whether we, Penguin Classics, will be able to publish your book.

Having read Jane Eyre, I have come to a conclusion, both as to my personal feelings about your novel, and also as to whether or not we will be able to sell it. My first impressions upon opening the book was of the sheer number of pages, and how long it would take me to fulfil the arduous task of completing it. However, I was proved entirely wrong. The first line, sure to become a classic [“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day”], engulfed me immediately, drawing me with such power into the realms of your imagination that I found myself unable to resist your storytelling abilities. Needless to say, it kept me up for many hours late that night.

I thoroughly enjoyed your well-written and carefully thought-out novel, and found very few faults with it. First, let me make it clear that this is one of the most well-constructed books I have read in the many years of my career, and that these points I am about to make bear no relation to your writing skills. However, I feel it imperative to say that your scene where Mr Rochester leaves Thornfield Hall may need some more consideration [i.e. deletion].

We would like to appeal to all ages, and so the retention of the rather explicit details about the manner of Bertha’s death may not be suitable for our age range. Should you feel strongly about this, we may reconsider, but only if you are unhappy with our change. “Smashed on the pavement...dead as the stones on which her brains and blood were scattered.”

Isabel Andrews, Year 13

I Remember by Helena Brawand I remember the smile you gave The moment our eyes first met They were grey, like a storm On a winter’s day, as cold as a grave.

And yet I did not turn. I held your gaze And, from that moment on, I was your slave.

Re: Your recent book proposal

Hannah Jones, Year 12

I remember the walk in the wood When you declared your love to me I should have turned, or run away, But instead I stood As still as death can be, Held by your gaze, held by your arms Held as a true lover should.

I also feel that there is a significant chance of readers finding your conclusion unrealistic. I am unsure as to whether or not you know, Miss Brontë, how a real marriage functions, but I believe that no marriage can be as perfect as this, for I am sure that Mr Rochester cannot be completely at peace with himself in the sound knowledge that his former wife is dead, and it is only through her death that he can marry Jane Eyre. Once again, I shall leave it to your discretion if you would care to revise this scene a little more realistically, as reality, I believe, is one of the firm characteristics of your novel – never once did you stray from the likely scenarios which may have befallen the carefully crafted characters, and in particular Jane and Mr Rochester.

Apart from the minor points I have pointed out above, I feel that you have an exquisite turn of phrase. To read “Reader, I married him” is delightful, as it shows that you, as a writer, acknowledge those who are indulging themselves in your novel and it is as if you are talking to me personally.

I remember our parting kiss As you releasd me for eternity The bittersweet of our goodbyes As I savoured one last moment of bliss Although I try, I hear no love, only pity And for a moment my heart is void For all I feel is hate for the creator of my misery.

I remember every second, every day We spent united as one.

But now you are dead And my heart followed you away Leaving me broken, heartless, alone.

Please forgive me, but I must forget Or your death will lead to my decay.

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On behalf of Penguin Classics, I am pleased to say that we will gratefully accept the opportunity to publish this wonderful novel for you, and I shall write to you shortly to discuss monetary arrangements.

Yours sincerely, Emily Slade Year 9

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The Sky’s The Limit by Larissa Kennedy 12W As an advocate for girls’ and women’s rights and votes at 16, I am lucky enough to have been in contact with Sky News through its initiative Stand Up Be Counted (SUBC) in the past year. My journey with Sky began by uploading a video to the SUBC website in which I targeted body confidence as a key social issue nowadays, particularly for girls and young women, quoting the statistic that ‘1 in 5 girls of primary school age has been on a diet’.

Following this, I was frequently commissioned by the co-ordinators of SUBC to do specific videos, including my thoughts on Croydon Central’s position as a marginal seat prior to the election. Sky’s producers asked me to go into the studio twice to discuss lowering the voting age to 16 and I was overwhelmed when makeup artists worked their magic and coffee and bagels were delivered on request.

I was also slightly star-struck when I had the opportunity of meeting Eammon Holmes and he let me sit in the anchor’s chair!

By far, my most exciting venture with Sky was their ‘Ask The Leaders’ event on 2nd February, where not only did I get to meet Natalie Bennett, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and David Cameron but also to grill Bennett on ways of encouraging the political interest of girls from a young age and quiz Miliband on steps needed to diminish the over-sexualisation of women in the media. Altogether, it was an amazing day and I was especially impressed with the ping-pong tables, bacon and pancakes breakfast and candy store with free sugary goodness for staff (and guests like me!) all day long.

Community service During our enrichment on a Wednesday, many girls opted to join community service. With a variety of options such as helping the elderly at the Selsdon Centre, working with Greenvale Junior School children for trampolining lessons and helping Waggy Tails club, who use dogs to help young people with disabilities, the choice was a difficult one.

I (Honor) chose to spend a lunch hour a week at the Selsdon Centre, which I feel was a very rewarding experience. A dedicated team of volunteers provide lunch, transport and entertainment daily for elderly members of the community, who would otherwise be left isolated without family or friends living near. One of the elderly women I spoke to explained that having somewhere to go and socialise everyday saved her life because it stopped her from feeling so depressed. Not only did this allow us to give back to our community, but we also developed personal relationships with the service users.

Voluntary roles involve everything from mentoring Year 6 girls in their ICT lessons, to simply being an extra playmate for the infant years! The considerable number of girls who do so show how many of our seniors value the closer links and personal relationships the community service programme has allowed us to make with year groups that older students perhaps do not encounter very often.

Honor Clapp & Cora Sexton

This was a refreshing experience because none of us had ever tried volunteering like this before. It was a daunting prospect but everyone was friendly and they wanted to connect and engage with us. I would recommend volunteering at the Selsdon Centre if you enjoy making new friends and are prepared to share and hear interesting stories.

Croydon High’s girls have also been very active elsewhere in the school this academic year, and many of Year 11 and the Sixth Form (like me, Cora) travel the short distance to the Junior school every week to lend a hand there.

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SUCCESS FOR OUR YEAR 8 CHEMISTS AT SALTERS FESTIVAL OF CHEMISTRY All three sciences are popular subjects at Croydon High and our girls are enthusiastic scientists from an early stage with a large proportion of them opting to take science subjects at A Level. We were very proud this year when some of our Year 8 girls took part in the Salters Festival of Chemistry and did very well. Madeleine Brookes in Year 8 was one of the team and here she tells us all about the day…

On Thursday 23th April, four Year 8 girls Madeleine, Halina, Seyi and Franky, went to the Salters Festival of Chemistry at Imperial College London. We had to do two challenges and were judged on our performance as well as our results. First, we did the Salters Challenge, where we had to find out who murdered Chris Salter. We did chromatography experiments, tested for different salts and liquids to compare to the murderer’s pen, powder and liquid.

We had to work as a team and do all the experiments twice to get accurate results. The second challenge in the afternoon was called the University Challenge. We were given some materials and we had to get the temperature of a particular mixture down to 10.5 degrees, this was quite tricky. After this, we watched a demonstration of different experiments given by some university lecturers. They described what a chemist is. Lastly, we had a prize giving where we were surprised and delighted to discover that we had won first place in the Salters Challenge. It was a fun and interesting day because we learned how to work together in a team, while also getting the results we wanted.

WATCHING THE DARK: WAITING FOR THE ECLIPSE The much talked about total solar eclipse in March was particularly eagerly awaited at Croydon High, with Head of Physics, Dr Chapman, working with girls from Year 5 as well as his A Level students to prepare for this rare phenomenon.

The Year 5 girls really enjoyed the challenge of understanding the scientific background to the eclipse and also making pinhole viewers so they could observe the sun safely.

Our Year 12 and 13 Physics students – who are currently studying stars - came over to the Junior school and helped the girls use their cameras to view torches. This collaboration was another example of the great benefits of an all-through school, where younger and older girls gain so much from working and learning together in all sorts of areas.

On the morning of the great event, the girls took to the field and were intrigued to see the birds returning to their nests as they became confused by the early-morning darkness. Although the weather was disappointing, the girls were not disheartened and watched the Total Eclipse back in the classroom. We are sure they won’t forget it!

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“Oh, a dainty plant is the ivy green… … A rare old plant is the ivy green”. Charles Dickens

Maintaining the Ivy Link The Ivy Link is Croydon High’s flourishing alumnae organisation, which offers opportunities for ‘old girls’, staff and friends of the school to stay connected.

For the first time next year we will have an Ivy Link prefect responsible for helping run Ivy Link events and to liaise between current and past CHS girls. Hannah Lipczynski is taking this role in 2015-16 so here she looks back on another happy year for the Ivy Link.

Ivy Link events are always exciting for all pupils (previous or current) and are happily anticipated throughout the year.

Springtime brought the much-anticipated Ivy Link netball tournament, where over 100 netballers from our alumnae network came together to play in a friendly tournament. The current Croydon High 1st XV team took much enjoyment from playing against the previous 1st XV teams (from 1966 to the present!). It was a very enjoyable event and was great to see old teams reunited and reminiscing about old games they’d played, their previous coaches and amusing stories of their time together. All the teams had a great time and we were even lucky enough to welcome back Lily Rogers who left in 2010 and has been accepted to represent the England Nets team in Australia this year.

On Thursday May 7th, Mrs Leonard hosted her annual afternoon tea for senior alumnae and friends of the school.

This event is always a highlight of the year, particularly for staff and Sixth Form girls who also attend.

The guests are invariably interesting and inspiring women, with fascinating stories to tell of their time at school and their lives now. Ranging in age from 70 to 88 they all had strong connections to the school, either as alumnae or as former staff and in some cases both. This year there was a special welcome for alumna Cynthia Ehrenkrantz (Class of 1948) who has lived in America since the 1950’s and is writing a memoir of the war years. She was keen to include information about her school days and this was a perfect opportunity to share stories and reminiscences.

The ladies spent a delightful couple of hours reacquainting themselves with old friends and classmates, sharing memories and enjoying a really delicious traditional afternoon tea. The new prefect team mingled well with our guests and found themselves engrossed in tales of Croydon High in bygone days in a very happy and convivial atmosphere. Thanks to all who came and to all who worked so hard to make it such an enjoyable afternoon.

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The last event was the alumnae gathering for the annual Summer Lunch, something which this year’s prefects enjoyed immensely (the incredible stories the ladies told of their time here was the talk of the common room for weeks after)!

On a sunny June Saturday we welcomed over 100 guests, including large groups from the classes of 1995 and 1965, celebrating 20th and 50th anniversaries respectively. There was also a good number from the class of 1983 who were all celebrating ‘significant’ birthdays this year. Some admitted to pre-reunion nerves but all agreed that once they were together it was as if they had never been apart – even those who hadn’t seen each other for 50 years! It has become a tradition to start proceedings with the school prayer and it was touching to see how many of the ladies joined in with the well-remembered words.

The lunch was delicious and the wine flowed and there was a happy buzz of reminiscences and lots of laughter. Following the meal, Mrs Leonard gave an update on school news, and the events of the 140th anniversary year, and then introduced the prefect team who each spoke about what they hoped to do once they leave the Sixth Form.

The girls were on hand to give tours of the school; there were many positive comments on how bright and welcoming the classrooms are and how the facilities have improved.

We have received a number of warm letters and emails thanking us for the day and commenting very positively on the atmosphere, the welcome and, particularly, the current CHS girls they met.

“Please convey my thanks to Mrs Leonard and all the team who contributed to the wonderful occasion of the Ivy Lunch yesterday. Such a warm welcome from the prefects, delicious and beautifully presented food and an inspirational talk from the Head. A really lovely way to not only meet up with old friends but also to reconnect with the school that played a big part in making us who we are.”

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Love Shouldn’t Hurt Hosting the National Council of Young Women’s conference has become an eagerly awaited annual event at Croydon High. Each year, a Sixth Form team led by the Marketing Prefect, choose a topic, contact speakers and invite students from around the country to join them for what is always a memorable and thought provoking day. This year was certainly no exception. Our Marketing Prefect Louisa Rowland and her team pulled together an extraordinarily impressive and affecting event covering the painful topic of domestic abuse, which they aptly titled Love Shouldn’t Hurt.

Yasmeen Ameer, in Year 12 attended the conference – here are her thoughts…

Domestic abuse, it’s one of those things that you hear about a lot. Perhaps through magazine articles, TV soaps, or even through some crude, distasteful jokes (I must admit I’ve heard a few of these). It’s an issue that exists but not one that’s particularly relevant, right?

I mean, it only affects certain types of people, doesn’t it? It’s not something that could never happen to someone like you, could it?

Well, if you agree with any of these that’s where you may need to think again.

On Wednesday 11th March, Croydon High School hosted the National Council of Young Women’s 2015 conference.

The topic, as you may have guessed: domestic abuse.

The annual conferences aim to raise awareness on critical social issues and educate attendees on misconceptions and the reality. And this year’s conference did exactly that. It presented a rounded view of domestic abuse from the perspective of the law, the victim and supportive organisations.

The conference was extremely eye-opening and showed that domestic abuse is far more common, and serious than it is usually portrayed to be, affecting an average of one in four women and one in six men in their lifetime. This led me into doing some research of my own.

On average, two women in the UK are killed each week by an abusive partner. What’s more, through a survey I conducted on 75 people, a staggering 58% knew someone who had been a victim of domestic abuse. Whilst the general rate of abuse is declining it is still frighteningly prevalent.

So what is it about our modern, seemingly progressive society that allows such abuse of those who should be loved ones?

Smartphones, social media and the internet as a whole make it increasingly possible for possessiveness and control.

For those in abusive relationships, fear of stigmatisation often prevents them speaking out. Many abuse victims hold a misconception that telling someone will lead to judging and disbelief (it really won’t; it’s far more likely to lead to

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some resolution). Manipulation lowers self-esteem anyway, and some may feel that maintaining a façade of a perfect relationship, or protecting the person they supposedly love, is a preferable option. Men have the added threat of supposed de-masculinisation and, as well, lack the legal standing women have. A similar problem exists for the LGBT community, as abuse that is not man-on-woman, is not generally as thought about.

I mentioned jokes earlier, and something I’ve noticed is that we do tend to normalise domestic abuse through popular culture. I was listening to a song recently and the singer prided himself on being feared “like a wife-beater”.

Not only is that a completely insensitive and bizarre lyric, but it shouldn’t be acceptable. Making abuse the norm encourages people to turn a blind eye and trivialises the issue when it is serious and really potentially life-threatening.

The release of the new 50 Shades of Grey film has also sparked controversy as protesting group, 50 Shades of Domestic Abuse, have found many cross-overs between the character of Christian Grey and characteristics of domestic abusers. I’m by no means an expert; I haven’t read the books or seen the film to judge but they present a convincing argument. They claim they have nothing against people seeing the film but rather want to open debate about how it does romanticise abuse. They’ve got people talking and that is exactly what needs to be done.

We live in a society where issues like domestic abuse, rape and mental illnesses are still seen as taboo, as something that shouldn’t be spoken about.

But if we continue this way nothing will change.

Like many social issues, education is vital. It it’s lacking, it becomes easier for victims to fall into abusive relationships and for perpetrators to become abusive.

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When in an abusive relationship, many victims may not even recognise the signs of abuse, again showing the immense need for education.

Abuse is abuse regardless of gender. Nobody who speaks out should ever be judged, because it takes courage and they’re so brave for doing so.

In my survey I found that whilst many felt the media provided them with some insight into domestic abuse, only 24% felt they had received this thorough education at school, and I’m assuming many of these people were attendees at the conference. Furthermore, for those who have grown up with abuse being the norm, education is even more vital to break the cycle. Obviously not all those who experience abuse at a young age will go on to be a perpetrator but it is a risk factor.

If you take nothing else away from this article, at least remember that #loveshouldnthurt.

Earlier this month, on International Women’s Day, there was a billboard campaign at train stations in London and Birmingham. It forced people to face the realities of abuse, but that’s not enough. We need to get people talking more; there should be no taboo. The sexual double standard that still exists in the law needs to go.

Mayor of Croydon, Councillor Manju Shahul-Hameed opened our Conference

BORIS BACKS OUR CONFERENCE TACKLING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE #LOVESHOULDN’T HURT Marketing Prefect Louisa Rowland did an amazing job co-ordinating this year’s National Council of Young Women’s conference. Here she is displaying a letter of support from Mayor Boris Johnson who she had invited to join us on the day. Regrettably, he was unable to come but did send a personal letter to Louisa with his best wishes. We were delighted that the Mayor of Croydon however, did agree to open the conference and emphasised the importance of the subject, praising Croydon High for shining the spotlight on such a difficult subject.

Delegates heard inspirational and often moving accounts from key speakers, including Renee Matthews, herself a survivor of domestic violence, Alison Kennedy from the Family Justice Centre in Croydon and Mark Brooks, Chairman of Mankind UK who talked about the male experience of domestic and sexual violence. We also benefitted from a powerful presentation from members of the Metropolitan Police Domestic Violence Unit in Croydon. Wristbands with the powerful message Love Shouldn’t Hurt were sold in aid of Mankind and a local women’s refuge and the delegates harnessed the power of social media by tweeting throughout the afternoon to very great effect.

The aim of raising awareness, both inside and outside school, was certainly met and all went away wiser and inspired.

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World Book Jamboree 2015 All over the World People are Reading…and that’s what World Book Day is all about. It’s a celebration of reading marked in over 100 countries. CHS celebrations ran from 2nd-6th March starting with an ‘Eat Your Words’ competition.

Girls (and staff!) produced beautiful and delicious book-themed cakes. The Baskaran sisters ‘took the cake’ for Curie with their exquisitely crafted Childhood Stories. Analisa Carrozzo’s dazzling Fault in our Stars cake (Seacole’s gain) and Sienna Lloyd’s original The Borrowers (kudos for Eliot) tied at 2nd place. Safiyah Lane (Garrett) won 4th place for her striking Twilight. ‘Best Taste’ went to Lucy Robbins of Curie. During lunch we sold cake by the slice, making £83 for Book Aid International which provides resources for children in Africa. Our creative ‘bookbakers’ did us proud.

Celebrations continued during form period on Thursday 5th March (World Book Day) when 300 girls, in their classrooms, listened to stories read out loud by their teachers or special VIPs (including members of the Year 11 book club). And what a range of tales …from the wisdom of Winnie the Pooh to the fantasies of The Princess Bride, from the mysteries of The Cuckoo’s Calling to the mesmerising world of The Secret Life of Bees, to name but a few. The ‘dough-nation’ of breakfast doughnuts by Sainsbury’s made the experience particularly sweet. What a way to celebrate the power and pleasure of reading!

The pièce de résistance, however, was a visit from author Tanya Landman on Friday 6th March. She entertained our Year 7 and 8 girls during a special assembly, reading from one of her popular murder mysteries featuring heroine Poppy Fields. She describes the series as ‘Agatha Christie for kids’ – full of intrigue, red herrings and double bluffs. She then turned her attention to our Year 9s, challenging the myth of the Wild West where the settlers and cowboys are viewed as heroes and the Indians as savages. Her novels Apache, Buffalo Soldier and The Goldsmith’s Daughter give an insight into the plight of the native inhabitants, as well as their courage and extraordinary abilities. In the workshops she encouraged the girls to ‘inhabit’ a particular character, and to describe a few dramatic moments in the life of that character. The Year 9s produced some wonderfully imaginative pieces in a relatively short time. Girls had the opportunity to buy books and have them signed.

On 22nd June we were thrilled to learn that Tanya Landman had won the prestigious Carnegie Award for her novel Buffalo Soldier!

Inspired By Tanya Landman…

Lonely, if you could even call it that. The vast, plain grassy area stretched before me. At dusk the sky was a blend of pink, purple and blue as the sun began to set. This nameless land worried me. The few desperate others and I didn’t know whether we’d be accepted or shunned by the intimidating natives that live here.

Getting here by boat was a challenge; it left me with sore limbs and blurry thoughts which put my brain in agony. My memories had yet to be recollected. I didn’t even recall the last meal I had. It could have been anything, with anybody. However, thinking of food made my stomach groan in discomfort and hunger. Even though I was surrounded by other settlers I felt as lonely as they come.

I cautiously pry my eyes open, to have my vision flooded by a harsh, cruel sun. Every day, we try to escape its heartless claws and every day we fail, and watch ourselves have every last drop of energy drained from our bodies. The intense heat penetrates our skin, leaving unwanted scars and burns before it evacuates in the night, waiting to imprison us in the morning.

As I adjust to the blaring light, small black objects glide over us. My heart drops; it’s the vultures again. Their malignant eyes glare as they wait to strike.

The vultures are a constant reminder of the ordeal we endure and how imminent our failure

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I didn’t know anybody. The only thing I had in common with them was the desperation and despair that clouded our minds.

No weapons meant no defence against the infamous natives. The only protection I had was my prayers. However, if they were not answered I had nothing to lose. It was best to try and focus and control the dread that filled me. I felt as if everybody was my enemy.

Somebody was just waiting to strike me out at any wrong move I made. I was just anticipating, waiting for something to happen to me today, tomorrow or the next.

And it did.

Renee Brown Year 9 really is. As well as sweat, the lingering stench of blood crawls up our noses and invades, clouding any hopeful thoughts we may have. The unvariegated, dull yellow stretches for miles and miles, driving the best of us insane – any visual relief is in the form of a spiky cactus, or a pathetic shrub. Every passing rock, every grain of sand, every object in this god-forsaken place seems to mock us by making us feel so insignificant.

But we are, aren’t we? We are negroes – the lowest of the low. Any faint glimmer of hope has to be desperately clutched onto, in fear of a white brutally snatching it away…

Nahid Inayat Year 9

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National Poetry Day Celebrations in the LRC The 2014 theme for National Poetry Day was Remembrance, and girls celebrated with special poetry events in English lessons. Additionally, on the 2nd October we were given a chance to discover more about the history of our school and our first headmistress: Dorinda Neligan. With the help of our brilliant guest speaker, Mary Pat Larman, we traced our steps back to the heart of Croydon where CHS used to lie. From there, we read the diary entries of old girls – their schedules (which was pretty much a half-day every day!... unless you had a dancing lesson, of course). We took particular note of our Suffragette headmistress in the dining hall with the students, feeding the school cat! That’s a pretty cool headmistress.

With the afternoon drawing to a close, Year 7s were given a chance to read out their own poems which they had been working on in class. From melancholy pieces of sombre memorials, to happy and bright memories of the beach, the girls created beautiful pieces to share with the group. To top the session off, our Poetry Day ended with a delicious cake.

Rebecca Kipwola, 12B

The English department and the LRC have hosted two visiting authors this year – Avril Joy, winner of the Costa Short Story Award 2012 for her Millie and Bird, and Tanya Landman, winner of the prestigious 2015 Carnegie Award for her Buffalo Soldier.

They encouraged our girls to write and read for pleasure, and generously shared their expertise.

The CHS Community Book Club, the Sixth Form Books and Breakfast Club, the Year 10 & 11 Book Clubbers, and the Carnegie girls have had a fruitful year. On two occasions our Year 10 Book Club girls invited their Year 5 ‘sisters’ to join them in the LRC for stories, literary games and treats.

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ELLIE’S GOLD CREST AWARD STEMS FROM NUFFIELD PLACEMENT Congratulations to Ellie Bunce in Year 12 who was awarded a Gold CREST Award this year.

This exceptional achievement came as a result of some extremely hard work by Ellie and also some real initiative as she set up a work placement for herself at the University of Surrey and has contributed to on-going research taking place there. Ellie told us about the experience.

Last summer I organised a five-week Maths research placement at the University of Surrey. The Nuffield Foundation Research Placement scheme offers Year 12 students studying STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) the opportunity to work alongside professional scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians.

I heard about this scheme a few years ago through the Royal Institution, and applied because it’s a fantastic way of experiencing what it is like working in research at a university.

What excited me especially was that it was genuine research, in that it had never been done before.

I was lucky enough to have Professor Peter Hydon as a mentor, and before I started on the research, he introduced me to concepts such as the derived subalgebra and the lower central series, and processes such as Gaussian elimination, the understanding of which I could apply to the research that I subsequently undertook.

I mapped automorphisms of real finite-dimensional Lie algebras using two alternative classifications, for a range of dimensions spanning from two to five.

Using the typesetting software LaTeX, I wrote a research report at the end of the placement, which mathematicians at the University of Surrey are using in their current research.

I submitted my report for a Gold CREST Award from the British Science Association, and was successful. CREST (creativity in science and technology) awards recognise STEM projects that fulfil specific criteria, and in addition, the Gold award requires a minimum of 70 hours of work.

I attended a presentation event at Imperial College, where I received certificates for my research placement and for the Gold CREST Award.

“The highest form of pure thought is in mathematics”…Plato Additional Success for the Intermediate Maths Challenge candidates In particular, congratulations go to Sharada Patel who received one of the Gold certificates and the Best in Year 9 certificate, Nayna Patel who received a Silver certificate as well as the Best in Year 10 certificate and Fariha Baba who also received one of the Gold certificates as well as the Best in Year 11 and Best in School certificate.

The IMC is run by the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) which is a registered charity whose aim is to advance the education of children and young people in Mathematics. It organises national Mathematics competitions and other mathematical enrichment activities for UK secondary school pupils.

The IMC is aimed at the best students in Years 9 to 11 (or equivalent) across the UK. Over 200 000 pupil participated in this year’s challenge with roughly the top 6% receiving a Gold certificate, the next 13% Silver and the next 21% Bronze.

It involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in one hour under exam conditions without a calculator!

Congratulations to all 29 Croydon High girls who received a Bronze (16), Silver (10) or Gold (3) certificate.

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Following on from the IMC, are the Intermediate Kangaroo papers. Each year, the pupils from all three year groups sitting the Intermediate Challenge who reach the threshold are invited to sit either the Grey or Pink European Kangaroo paper, dependent on school year. These are one hour papers with 25 multiple choice questions, taken by pupils from over 30 countries worldwide.

The Pink Kangaroo is for pupils in Years 10 and 11; the Grey Kangaroo is for pupils in Year 9. This year Fariha Baba and Caroline Ip, both in Year 11, were invited to sit the Pink Kangaroo paper whilst Sharada Patel, Emily Slade and Kristin Agyekumhene of Year 9 were invited to sit the Grey Kangaroo paper. All five girls acquitted themselves well and received a Certificate of Participation, a copy of the latest Kangaroo book of questions and the much sought-after International Maths Kangaroo key ring! Well done girls, we are proud of you!

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“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.” Steve Jobs Some of our girls were invited to the Inspiring Futures Careers Networking Event at the House of Commons this year. This fulfilling experience allowed Year 12 students to meet high profile figures such as Michael Gove and witness a debate in the House of Commons about tax devaluation.

Meanwhile Year 11 girls were fully immersed in practising work related skills on their two week work experience.

Girls obtained placements all over the country; from the Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool to Four Square Fine Arts in Lewes.

The Power of the Network

Year 12’s Cora Sexton tells us how CHS girls are starting early when it comes to thinking about their career aspirations..

Head of Careers, Mrs Gower works tirelessly to provide opportunities for current Croydonions and this is always greatly appreciated by the girls. This year has been busier than ever with a huge range of events and activities designed to get us thinking about life after CHS!

Careers Masterclass Inspires A Careers highlight this year was the Masterclass in February, organised entirely by Mrs Gower, a fabulous evening for all girls from Years 9 to 13. Over 90 representatives from a multitude of fields provided an insight into careers such as engineering, medicine and law.

They held seminars as well as discussing personal paths for the girls, giving many the inspiration to forge towards A Level and university choices. The Take Your Daughter To Work Day initiative reinforced the emphasis placed on Year 9 students to begin to think carefully about what their own career might entail, by gaining experience at their parent’s workplace, an ‘extremely enjoyable’ yet ‘exhausting’ experience for them all!

The extensive GDST Alumnae network and The Ivy Link, uniquely for CHS’ old girls, has provided current students with impressive work experience opportunities and advice this academic year. Most recently, old girl Alison Maguire, a director of the Lily Foundation and winner of the GDST’s 2015 Alumna of the Year award, was able to offer two Year 12 students experience at Guys Hospital in genetics, with a particular emphasis on exome sequencing- an effective technique allowing the identification of malign genetic variation.

Year 10 also benefitted directly from our Ivy Link connections with an inaugural Networking Breakfast at the end of the summer term.

Six of our alumnae came in to school offering an invaluable opportunity which gave the girls an opportunity to practise their networking skills and ask direct questions to some very interesting women. Our thanks to Serena Alam, founder of Cronx Books, Alexandra Barrington, audit assistant at KPMG Public Sector Audit, Rehemat Bhatia, micro-palaeontologist at UCL, Hayley D’Souza working at the Foreign Office, Halima Khan, HR assistant, UK and Ireland at IPG Mediabrands and Christina Smith now at the Met Office.

Each was hugely excited to be back at CHS and eager to impart their experience, advice and wisdom.

Taking a leap with Unifrog The introduction of Unifrog, a progressive tool to help organise higher education research, became key software for Year 12 this year and, as always, the employment of Fast Tomato programmes and Morrisby testing offered further guidance. These were particularly relevant during the Year 10 Careers Enrichment programme that took place in the last few weeks of the summer term.

Year 10 spent two days assessing their aptitudes, sampling A-Level subjects and discussing employability skills. Girls took part in a variety of activities designed to develop or highlight their employability skills, helping them to consider post-secondary education options and develop life-long learning skills. ISCO’s Morrisby Tests evaluated everything from manual dexterity to verbal reasoning and the following day volunteers from Barclay’s Bank gave presentations on how to prepare for interviews, present the best version of yourself and the value of networking.

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LOCAL GUARDIAN YOUNG REPORTER 2015 AWARDS Croydon High certainly swept the board at this year’s Young Reporter 2015 Awards, winning in many categories.

Congratulations to the seven girls who completed the scheme: Yasmeen Ameer, Kirsty Bailey, Miranda Best, Malika Bowry, Imogen Broyd, Ysabel Cruickshank and Katie Harris and especially to the winners.

For the second year in a row Croydon High won Best Reporter with Katie Harris gaining this coveted award, following on from Yasmeen Ameer’s success last year.

Our girls have done extremely well as 66 schools took part in the scheme and more than 200 young journalists completed the programme over eight months, producing eight articles which were published in the local Guardian online.

Thanks especially to Ms Forshaw for encouraging and supporting our budding journalists.

Croydon Students Celebrate International Women’s Day The event was hosted by broadcaster and former gymnast Gabby Logan, who was “delighted” to chair the event, given that she used to live just down the road from the world’s first women’s refuge in Chiswick.

On Friday 6th March 2015, four students from Croydon High School were among the guests at the ninth celebration of International Women’s Day, held in the City of London at Guildhall.

The celebratory breakfast event took place to commemorate the day, which occurs annually to recognise the role that women have played in shaping history.

The United Nations marks the day each year, and it is celebrated in many countries across the world.

The event was also held in support of the work of Refuge, the domestic violence charity which has grown since it was founded in West London in 1971 to become the country’s largest provider of domestic violence services.

The theme of the day was “Make It Happen”, and an excellent panel of guest speakers were in attendance to share their stories of success. Among them was barrister Sandie Okoro, who is currently the Global General Counsel of HSBC Global Asset Management and involved in numerous other projects, including mentoring young aspiring lawyers. She is named as the fourth most influential black person in the UK, and said of women’s rights on her Twitter account: “We are not there yet but...a journey of a thousand miles is taken step by step.”

Student Shelley Allen, who was one of the students to attend, said of the event: “It was an interesting experience which greatly developed my awareness and knowledge of the issues raised.”

In a society where women’s rights are frequently debated in the media, the day served as a perfect example of how females are able to make a real difference not only to their community, but also to the world in which they live.

By Kirsty Bailey

A MESSAGE FROM THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE for Year 9’s Anika Patel Each week Anika runs the Noah Club which raises awareness about endangered species. This is a very popular club and this year it has even received Royal patronage! Anika told us more..

In Noah we produce newsletters and do other activities to encourage girls to learn more about animals close to extinction. The Duke of Cambridge is highly involved in the protection of endangered species, and has set up a charity for this cause, called ‘United for Wildlife’. I wrote to the Duke to tell him about the Noah Club. I also mentioned my interest in promoting awareness about endangered species and perhaps widening the Noah Club to all GDST schools. Last week I was lucky enough to receive a reply from Kensington Palace! The Duke sent his very best wishes and encouraged the Noah Club (and me) to continue this worthwhile work.

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Time to say goodbye Every year, members of staff move on: it is the natural order of things. For some it is to enjoy a well-earned retirement, others are taking on new challenges in other places. We said goodbye to a number of teachers this year and they will all be missed. Two of them, however, as long serving members of staff will always play a big part in the history of the school due to the impact they have had on so many girls.

Farewell Mrs Simpson

by Larissa Kennedy

Mrs Simpson has dedicated 25 years to Croydon High’s community and I think I speak for all pupils, staff and parents, when I express my gratitude for all that she has done to inspire pupils over the years. Year on year, Mrs Simpson has brought literature to life and we hope that she will keep in touch and continue passing on the magic of the English language.

Fondly remembered by countless girls, as their first form tutor in Year 7, she will leave a space in Croydon High that cannot be filled. Many past staff and students have sent warm messages to express their appreciation of her teaching and her commitment to the school. We wish her every happiness in a long and fulfilling retirement.

Who are your school best friends?

What better, more appropriate way to mark this retirement than with a sonnet, composed especially for the occasion, by former colleague Jill Saudek.

Ms Forshaw and Mr Vickery are the people I’m closest to in the staffroom and I hope to keep in touch.

Do you see teachers outside of school time?

LAILA IS LEAVING Well yes, sometimes we meet at the end of summer for a At last, sweet Summer’s come - but Laila’s leaving;

party. I’ve been with colleagues out to lunch and things.

For as Time never lingers, so the day draws near.

What’s your favourite book?

She’ll leave a gap, a blank, a dim misgiving

War and Peace is my favourite book and, I suppose, the

That things can’t be the same when she’s not there.

We’ll miss her kindness, her polite enquiry As to our health and general well-being;

favourite books I’ve ever taught are Othello and Equus.

Oh and The Crucible I liked. Too many to pick one!

Is there anything about you that students may not know?

I have a bird-phobia – pigeons, any dead bird is just

Her genuine commitment, her anxiety

awful…I have no problem with live birds though.

That nothing should escape her overseeing.

I used to teach English as a foreign language.

She always gave her all – and in her pupils

Where did you teach it?

Always inspired such warm-hearted affection;

In Brighton. Oh and India.

They understood her ways, her jokes, her scruples,

What’s a funny memory you have of CHS?

As she prepared them for Life’s stern inspection.

First drafts can be hilarious!

My sonnet’s time has gone too; tell me, has it

What are your plans for the future?

Captured at least one glimmer of that generous spirit?

I’d like to travel the world!

“Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry.” Dr. Seuss 71

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Auf Wiedersehen Frau by Ysabel Cruickshank To the Sixth Form she is the most important teacher in our lives. However, she is much more than a teacher to us; she is a mentor, a mother, and most importantly, our rock through some of the most stressful times of our lives. At the end of this academic year, we say goodbye to our Head of Sixth Form Frau Mester; Heidi, you will be eternally missed at CHS. To show our

Although she won’t see us through our final phase of the

appreciation to this

UCAS journey and into the world of university, her advice

very special teacher,

and the skills she has taught us will ensure her legacy lives

we planned a surprise

on. Finally, Frau we will never forget you and everything you

party with help and

have ever done for us; we love you with all our hearts.

espionage from Mrs Leonard and Miss Kolankiewicz.

Balloons, pizza, Schloer, party poppers, streamers, banners and obviously lots of dancing filled the Common Room! For a teacher who knows everything about everyone, it was amazing we managed to keep this a surprise.

We created a scrapbook of photos from alumnae with special messages from girls she helped to venture out into the ‘real world’. We also created a framed photo of our year, because we know Frau will still want to see our faces every day, no matter how much she disagrees.

Mrs Cohen’s retirement has been mentioned earlier in the magazine and we wish her a long and harmonious retirement.

Our School Nurse, Mrs Winter is also retiring and her calm and sensible approach to medical ‘emergencies’ minor and, thankfully rarely, major, will be greatly missed. We wish her many happy years. The imminent arrival of her first grandchild will of course keep her very busy!

Mrs Luff, Head of Junior school PE has left us to take up a part time role enabling her to spend more time with her young family.

Dr Nitkunan has moved to take up a new challenge as Head of Chemistry at Greenacre School in Banstead. We wish her every success in her new role.

Assistant Head, Mrs Bennett leaves us to develop her passion for working with children with special needs. Her efforts in so many areas of the school; including extra-curricular, D of E, SHINE and with the PE department are much appreciated and we thank her and wish her well.

We also said goodbye at Christmas to Mrs Clarke who was our very popular Head of Classics. Vale et res secundae.

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Croydon High School, Old Farleigh Road, Selsdon, South Croydon CR2 8YB ďżź 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.