The Lyonian - Summer 2019

The New Head Boy Report: Laos World Volunteer Trip Project Cornucopia CV and Personal Statement tips

Welcome

June 2019

Dear Lyonian,

Welcome to this latest edition of the Lyonian! I hope you enjoy a good read about what is going on at School from our new student editorial team.

We’ve reported on some of the recent events held at the School - for current students and OLs. Please do look at the back cover of the magazine for the events for the rest of this term and for next term. We’d love to see more OLs coming along to these. The first coming up is Association Day - please come, bring friends, bring a picnic and enjoy watching cricket and tennis on a summer’s day at Sudbury!

With best wishes, Suzannah Acknowledgements: many thanks to the pupil editors and Gary Gibbon, our Patron.

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Letters Dear Reader, In this edition we have numerous articles, reports and pieces of advice for you to indulge your eyes and inspire your brains with. With 2/3 of us being involved with Model United Nations, perhaps we were a little biased when we decided on the cover for this issue. Nonetheless, the variety of content on offer should be more than enough to satisfy many of you.

If you would like to send anything our way, be it letters telling us how brilliant (or terrible) we are or your fond memories of John Lyon to share, then please don’t hesitate.

Best regards, The Editors Husain Abedi, Joseph Calvey & Vivek Nanwani

Letter to the Editors: There were so many names I recognised among the casualties listed [The Lyonian, December 2018], the loss of Mr. Payne was particularly saddening. He taught us English in Form 1A. Here is my “old yarn”, as requested.

Yours, Terry Healy (OL 1937 - 1943) RAF in Burma 1946 During the war with Japan, Winston Churchill had asked the tribesmen in northern Burma to destroy their rice crops, in case they fell into the hands of the enemy and promised to replace them at the end of the war.

Subsequently, after 10 squadron had completed Operation Blighty, ferrying members of the victorious British army to Indian ports for repatriation to the UK, RAF command decided to retain the squadron in Burma for further duties. These entailed the fulfilment of Churchill’s promise to the Kachin and Shan tribesmen, by dropping supplies of rice from aircraft to their villages.

This procedure was carried out by members of the aircraft crew, second pilot, navigator and wireless operator, and entailed ejecting the heavy bags of rice grain through the open doors of the Dakota, while the first pilot endeavoured to fly the aircraft straight and level over the target. All this at a height of 500 feet.

The terrain was mountainous and navigation aids were virtually non-existent. On 30 March 1946, three aircraft were lost with their 11 crew members.

After a four day search by the rest of the squadron, the wreckage of two were identified in a narrow, blind valley, which it would have tested the skills of the most seasoned pilot to exit.

I shall always remember the day that my own crew discovered the wreckage of the missing third aircraft in just such a valley.

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One-on-one with the new Head Boy Vivek Nanwani interviews Husain Abedi, the newly appointed Head Boy, and asks him about his past, present and future at John Lyon What made you want to apply for such a role?

“When I first joined the school in 2015, I felt extremely nervous having come from a completely different background but found that the people in my year, as well as the staff and the School community, were extremely welcoming and friendly. I feel like I was made in John Lyon. Ever since those first months I have always felt that it was necessary to give back something.”

What was your initial reaction when finding out you were Head Boy? “It was a rush of multiple emotions: excitement, gratitude and even a slight hint of fear.

However, as I spoke to the Head, celebrated with my friends and reflected over the weekend, I felt a growing sense of determination to give it my all and really have an impact on the School and better the lives of all students currently here and soon to be here.”

What goals do you hope to achieve as Head Boy? “The most important thing for me is strengthening the School community and really creating that sense of cohesion around John Lyon. I aim to do so through overhauling the Student Council, expanding volunteering and social action programmes to the younger years of the School, as well as increasing the participation of the prefect team, who are essential to the continued function of the School” How do you hope to ensure that this year’s prefect team will be a success?

“Maintaining enthusiasm is a challenge which I see the Head Boy Team may face as other priorities and demands increase for prefects during our A-level year. Mr. Rowe and I, alongside the rest of the Head Boy Team, really want to make sure the prefects are actively involved in projects and events throughout the year. We have a great year group and I will need all their help and support and in turn will support them to the best of my abilities.

What do you think will be the hardest job as Head Boy? “One of the toughest challenges that I will face has to be balancing my time. I am keen to maintain my role in the JLMUN Society as well as making sure I do as well as possible in my A-levels. How to manage these responsibilities as well as the role of Head Boy is definitely something I will have to learn as the year progresses.”

Husain at Open Evening, where he spoke about his journey in the school and why he loves John Lyon. He also intends to speak at TEDxJohnLyonSchool about potential solutions to the climate crisis.

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One Small Step...

Jay Desai reports on the success of the meeting of the Academic Excellence Society On Thursday 23rd May the Academic Excellence Society held its termly meeting, with three students in the Lower Sixth giving presentations on their chosen topics.

Toby Newton gave the first talk, a fascinating explanation of Huntington’s disease and the methods currently being used by the NHS to treat it, as well as experimental research that has been carried out to find a permanent cure.

Sebastian Clifford-Varley followed with an elaborate presentation about the art of paper making, taking the audience back to the Egyptian Pharaohs and Han Dynasty of China.

The evening was finished off by Christopher Lau who gave a thought-provoking talk on the future of Artificial Intelligence in medicine which included an interesting video of a machine doing precise surgery on a grape.

Shaurya Garkhel, the newly appointed chair of the Academic Excellence Society, gave a statement on behalf of the whole Academic Excellence Society board saying: “The event went really well. It was great to see so many people come and I hope the talks have inspired many younger pupils.”

The next event will be held in the autumn term and we hope many more pupils will attend and enjoy themselves, as well as learn about topics not taught in the School’s curriculum.

The Academic Excellence Society meets termly (above autumn 2018 meeting). Meetings are open to all pupils and contributions are welcomed from all.

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Laos World Volunteer Trip 2019 A group of the Lower Sixth spent their spring half term helping construct a school dormitory in a village school near Laos Jay Desai’s field notes on the of the time spent by John Lyon boys volunteering in Laos alongside fellow Sixth Formers from Harrow Bangkok We flew to Bangkok where we met the Harrow Bangkok students we would be volunteering with. We spent the afternoon sightseeing in Ayutthaya.

The next day we flew to Laos. Arriving in the afternoon, we spent the evening at the night market in central Luang Prabang. We woke up early the following day to enjoy a boat ride and a hike to the village we would be staying in, where we were greeted very hospitably by our host families. We spent the afternoon at the work-site where we learnt more about the work we would be doing.

We spent the next 2 days in the mud pits. Our jobs were making mud bricks, laying the mud bricks on walls and shaving the bricks. After finishing the work we set out do to, we left the village and trekked to the Kuang Si falls, where we went swimming and visited the Asiatic black bear sanctuary. In the evening we visited the night market in central Luang Prabang one last time.

We woke up at 4 am the next day to take part in a ceremony to feed the local monks sticky rice. We then visited the UXO centre where we learnt how the Vietnam War affected Laos even though it was neutral.

We flew back to Bangkok in the afternoon and after sitting through evening traffic we arrived at the Baiyoke tower where we Above: The house, built with the help of John Lyon Lower Sixth volunteers Below: John Lyon pupils with Harrow Bangkok volunteers

enjoyed dinner on the 82nd floor. After saying goodbye to the Harrow Bangkok students, we spent our final night in the Harrow Bangkok dormitories before flying back to LHR terminal 5 the following morning.

In conclusion, I think it is safe to say that everyone really enjoyed the trip and it was a great experience to go on the trip with the Harrow Schools in Bangkok. I would definitely recommend the trip to anyone interested.

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John Lyon MUN now in session Students organised the first Model United Nations conference at John Lyon, bringing in over 50 students from 6 other schools for the weekend event Husain Abedi reflects on the inaugural conference As the delegates were ushered from the foyer of the Lyon building and down the wooden steps leading to the Boyd Campbell Hall, a person with a bad haircut, nervous sweat and legs which appeared to be in perpetual motion, could be seen frantically pacing across the School, adding the final touches to a conference he had been planning for months. That person was yours truly.

But after the obscure and irrelevant worries were sorted, or simply forgotten, excitement seized me as I walked at the head of a group of aspiring students from our local area about to experience their very first taste of MUN. At first, many, save a battle-tested few from John Lyon, were scared and didn’t dare to step up to the podium. I remember looking each of them in the eye and daring them to talk, even for a minute, even at the volume of a mouse’s squeak, even if their statements were bland and generic and expected.

As it turned out, I witnessed two days of high stakes debating about important and relevant issues ranging from mental health in young people, the crisis in Yemen, preparing for an unknown disease. And who could forget the invasion of the Framandir from an alternative dimension?

It was extraordinary - people who I previously thought of as being shy or unlikely to contribute became so passionate about the resolutions debated and amendments discussed that they proceeded to challenge other delegates to dance-offs and (you didn’t hear this from me) provoke others to duel- though that was quickly put an end to.

When Patrick and I, the two SecretariesGeneral of the Conference stayed behind afterwards, we weren’t disappointed to be cleaning up. We felt fulfilled. It was a success, with numerous schools such as Harrow High, Watford Grammar and St. Dominic’s all in attendance. The satisfaction at having provided many with an experience they’ll cherish, both for the friends they made and the confidence and skills they gained, made all the effort worth it.

Here’s to John Lyon MUN 2020!

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The Summer Art Exhibition Title

Joe Calvey takes a look at and reviews the finest offerings from this year’s summer art exhibition The John Lyon summer art exhibition has highlighted a huge range of styles and media from this year’s GCSE and A-level students. From sculpture to oil paint, and everything in between, this year’s artists have explored a range of themes and ideas, producing an exciting variety of work.

Yuvraj Dhunna (Y11) has studied Bob Ross’s loose and expressive landscape paintings and Yuvraj’s work beautifully captures vast and impressive natural landscapes across the globe.

These photo-realistic paintings contrast with the bold and graphic style of the Banksy inspired screen-prints and spray-paintings, also present in the exhibition, exploring the prominence of political figures in popular culture and the role of street art in society.

As well as a wide range of GCSE pieces, the gallery is also exhibiting the work of the Upper Sixth, such as Zac Samak’s Picasso inspired exploration of fragmentation and the emotive photography of Usmaan Khan. All the work in the gallery was exhibited on 5th June and I hope the variety of work has enthused and inspired artists across the School.

Samples from the Art Gallery

To see more of the art from John Lyon pupils see www. johnlyon.org/school-life/creative-arts/artwork-of-the-month/

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Political Leadership Title

Liam Velani, L6CKL, gives his opinion on examples past and present of political leaders and what they can tell us about the future ‘The lady’s not for turning’, a powerful statement demonstrating the strength and determination of our political leadership of the past. A woman characterised by her strength of steel, in terms of personality and not politically, and her distinction of being the first female prime minister. Compare her to Theresa May, and it is evident that there has been a great transformation in our political arena; leadership and the opportunity for changes have been weakened by the continuous deadlocks and in-fighting between the Westminster elite. But more importantly, is this for the good of the country or to the detriment of its 65 million strong democracy?

Thatcher, with all her radical and on most occasions beneficial policies, was not without her fair share of criticisms. Her deeply unpopular policies, for example removing free milk from schools, within her own Department of Education, tainted the foundations of her career. As one of the first female ministers, could it have been any worse than to be called ‘the milk snatcher’? In a male dominated political society, her journey to the top surprised and shocked many, and the opposition and criticism that followed tarnished her relationship with her inner circle and cabinet. ‘I’m the only rebel in the cabinet of squares’ is one of her comments that painted the fragile and weak governmental unity that existed. However, it must be added that this to the most extent placed no barrier to Thatcher’s plans and successes during much of the 1980s. Her capacity for work and her sense of mission proved pivotal, providing positively to her inherently dominant and ignorant personality. The pictures of her atop the army tank, dressed in camouflage military uniform, her distinctly strong and commanding voice, and I think the greatest of all, the ability to command and lead Britain for over a decade, from wars to strikes, from cabinet rebellion to increasing inflation, show that she well and truly deserved her title of being ‘The Iron Lady’.

‘I’m the only rebel in the cabinet of squares’ The ideals of the American Presidential system usually resonate greatly with the world: strength, power and authority; the Commander-in-Chief more like the ‘Supreme over everything else’ Commander-in-Chief of the USA; all her allies and interests abroad, of which there are many; all her proxy and puppet states and all those who want to be like her. Presidents, and the way they act, are key to preserving and emphasising the might of the Americans, and their wisdom and knowledge have proven key to many American successes, both domestic and abroad. So, no matter how many advisors, staff, counsels or generals they can have, the right man, or woman, at the top proves crucial. From Obama’s last-ditch decision to send in reinforcements and backups in the 2011 operation to kill Bin Laden, to Kennedy’s unequivocal determination for success, albeit giving in somewhat with the Cuban Missile Crisis, a strong and visionary leader will always have the advantage in getting their way.

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Political Leadership (cont.)

Liam Velani, L6CKL, gives his opinion on examples past and present of political leaders and what they can tell us about the future (cont.)

Trump’s surprise victory raised questions over how the ‘business man/ media personality/ politician’ with no prior experience could lead the White House. His close advisors may give him sound words of confidence, or not, when Trump sends out his tweets, or when he refers to Chairman Kim Jong Un as ‘Rocket Man’, but it is ultimately up to him in which direction he decides to lead American foreign and domestic interests.

And now we come to 2019, a period in which British politics has seen the most detrimental change in a century: May’s repeated attempts, and repeated failures, to pass a deal through parliament, and the cabinet’s ruptured unity - the resignations seem to have become daily! You can bring in as many special advisors, ministers and secretaries as you want to, but what brings down the government comes from the top. This is what has happened! May had brought herself into a near-impossible situation; to deliver a Brexit that could be agreed upon by the public and probably more importantly, Westminster.

‘Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth.

Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope’ (written for St Francis of Assisi) A politician sets out to bring harmony and hope and restore faith to those who govern over us. Ultimately, discord, error, doubt and despair often remain for long after they leave; nobody could ever please everyone. However good the team they have around them, the centre leadership remains the most important, and the successes of decades of work hang in its balance. I would argue though, that the day to day legislation and the governmental work is of less importance to political leaders of this day; much greater outlook remains on building the strong foundations to ensure their values and ambitions remain intact in the near future.

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The New Old Lyonians Asher Ahmed reminisces about the Class of 2019 and the impacts they’ve had on him I have a lot of special memories of the Upper Sixth leavers this year, from funny memories to their large influence on me as a person and as a student. For me, the most important influence has been playing with the First XI football team alongside a number of students from the Upper Sixth including a few members of the outgoing Head Boy team: Head Boy Ed Davey, and two of his Deputies, Shourya Suri and Coco Rashid. For me they have been role models, both on and off the football pitch. I have learned a lot: the professional fashion in which they behave; their work ethic in training; being first at training and last to leave, never letting the side down. After games with results which some would consider ‘brutal’, our soon to be Old Lyonians showed us what pride meant and continued to fight until the final whistle.

Some memorable moments include a heroic penalty save made by Shourya Suri to prevent the opposition from taking a 2-goal lead, which energised the whole side and led to our equaliser late in the game. Jono Abraha’s almost perfect free kick was almost a great memory - the ball unfortunately bounced off the line. His exclamation of “disgusting” as Jerome Robinson followed up the rebound and placed the ball into the back of the net will live long in the memory.

While the leavers will be a significant loss to the pupil body and sports teams (not to mention art, music and drama!), they will be an even bigger addition to the Old Lyonian teams. The Upper Sixth leavers this year were role models with great good humour, and will definitely be missed by the John Lyon students and staff next. I hope to see this group actively involved with the Old Lyonian programme and look forward to seeing them again at various events.

Above: Class of 2019 on Leavers’ Day Left : The First XI lads line up for a final shot 11

OLs Title in art: from the RA to the streets of Soho News OLs demonstrate the extraordinary artistic talent coming out of John Lyon Zak Samak and Usmaan Khan leave John Lyon this summer and, along with the other creative A-level students, will be much missed in the Art Department (photographed right at the leavers’ BBQ) and we hope they continue to create wonderful art. Zak Samak not only won the Whitefriars Art Competition, open to all Sixth Form art students in Harrow borough, with his Mediterranean Landscape (pictured on page 8), but also secured a place in the Royal Academy’s on-line exhibition with a self portrait, below (youngartists.royalacademy. org.uk). We wish Zak best of luck in studying architecture next year.

Meanwhile, across the road from the Royal Academy, Usmaan Khan was photographing homeless people outside the Ritz for his A-level project, with some stunning results. We caught up with him to find out more about his project. See full interview, right.

We also say goodbye and thank you to James Massey for all his work on designing the Lyonian!

Above: Zak Samak, self-portrait, left which won a place in the Royal Academy’s on-line summer exhibition. Above right, this piece was inspired by Hermann Rorschach’s Ink Blot Tests Overleaf: Usmaan Khan’s portrait project for his A-level coursework

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Project Cornucopia Title We asked Usmaan Khan about the experience of making his project Why did you choose to work with homeless people? Is this a passion of yours beyond photography?

This series of photographs (see page 13) was taken for my final piece for Unit 1 of A-level Art. The theme of my project is celebrity and class, exploring the influence of celebrity lifestyle within our own lives, the concept of luxury and extravagance, and the eventual downfall within the community of high-flyers through the access to drugs, alcohol and the exposure of every detail within the media. Throughout this project, I explored how money is truly the root of all evil.

I have always wanted my artwork to have a message, to inspire, to create a conversation and for people to reflect upon their own actions. Inspired by political activist Jenny Holzer, I created Project Cornucopia. The Cornucopia is a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce.

I walked along the streets of London passing by numerous homeless men and women. Men and women whom I would have never paid a second’s thought towards, feeling guilty as the smell of unwashed bodies and cigarettes invaded my nostrils, then getting angered as someone almost barged into me and my life keeps going.

For this project, I painted satirical messages onto paper bags which I asked the homeless models to choose from, then filled the bags with whatevere they asked for. The concept was to create street art messages in a way in which it cannot be taken down. I initially thought of hoarding disorders - where someone acquires an excessive number of items and stores them in a chaotic manner, usually resulting in unmanageable amounts of clutter. I then thought that

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Project Cornucopia (cont.)

Title the homeless don’t hoard due to a disorder but as a necessity, keeping their possessions with them at all times. I planned to create the bags, fill them with food and hand them to homeless people around London, my message staying days after I left with no reason to come down.

What messages are you trying to get across?

This project made me understand the fault within our society. These men and women I met were some of the kindest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. They didn’t want me to spend “too much” on them and only asked for coffee and soup to keep warm in the bitter February weather. We tend just to walk past these people, turn our noses away and clutch our wallets and purses for dear life, dreading something might happen.

As I photographed each model I began asking questions.

“What’s your name?”

“Where are you from?”

“What caused you to be here today?”

These men were running from broken homes, from war, from a life that was destroying them... some just couldn’t pay their bills.

One of the most powerful areas I took the photos in was outside of the Ritz Hotel. The perfect juxtaposition, men with overgrown beards, dirty and cold, as women in fur coats strutted past, Louis Vuitton bags swinging like a pendulum and men prim and proper turned their nose as their tucked their wrists adorned with Rolex and Cartier watches into their pockets.

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Project Cornucopia (cont.)

I knew this sensation was shared with many, the feeling of sorrow then simply forgetting as

“more important” matters take place. I knew I wanted to evoke change, to give a voice to the voiceless, to allow their voices to be heard in the hub of England for thousands of people to see as they walk past, and to revoke their prejudices.

I have a memory with me from when I was in my childhood, walking with my family to an event in London passing by countless homeless people melting in the summer heat. I pulled my mum’s hand and asked if we could give them something, it wasn’t fair they were suffering. Giggles from my family as she said “They are just going to spend it on drugs…” as I was pulled forward away from them. When creating this project I was faced with similar comments, “What if they steal your camera?”, “They are just going to spend it on drugs” or what I believe to be worst of all, “Are you going to use actors?” The thought that the homeless are so alienated from society that they are unapproachable and instead would require actors to pretend to be suffering to get the photographs I desired disgusted me. It fuelled me to create the project as I knew these were perceptions that had to be changed.

Did you find it hard to strike up a conversation? What were the challenges?

It was incredibly hard, to go down and ask a stranger if they wanted to be a part of my project, especially as all of London decides to stare at you bend down to speak to the person. What was so unexpected was the willingness for the homeless to become a part of the project, I had been warned “Don’t go alone, they will get angry if you put a camera in their face.” Yet these men showed incredible bravery and strength by letting me put their faces in this project.

Many of these men were fleeing from war-torn countries, some had not seen their family since childhood, some were escaping broken homes; for me to show their face was a huge deal with many incredibly frightened of being caught and sent back home.

The first person I approached was Anthony. I asked him to choose which bag he would like to have, from a number which had been inscribed with phrases which mocked common rules and comments said by people in power or on social media. This, I hoped, would allow the message to stay days or weeks after the photos were taken and so allowed me to create a long lasting and high impact message beyond just the photographs. I found it incredibly fitting that Anthony chose “Home Is Where The Heart Is” as he had fled from a broken home and had been living on the street as it was safer there than where he grew up (despite the fact that mortality of homeless men is over 7 times higher than in the general population, according to a recent report in the Lancet, for women it is over 11 times higher).

There were many other challenges I faced whilst trying to take these photographs, ranging from a homeless woman screaming in my face to the general public mocking me, believing I was taking advantage of the homeless. Whilst taking photos of Anthony a man handed him a £5 note saying “Don’t worry, I don’t need a photo…”, this angered me as they had no clue about the intention of this project, giving a voice to the voiceless; but I took it in my stride and kept working.

Did you meet the same people several times and, if so, are you still in touch with any of them?

The homeless very rarely stay in the same spot. I would pass the same area whilst taking the photos that day and see them happily tucking into their sandwiches and soups with smiles, waving back at me. It saddened me seeing their spots empty as the days would pass. I wanted to go say hello, to eat lunch with them and talk. These men let me into their lives, they spoke to me about their situation, their families, even what they liked to eat. It wasn’t something I wanted to do just for the project but something to better their lives as well as my own: to create a better understanding and acceptance of those in worse situations than we are in.

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Back to school!

We love seeing OLs come back to School! Here are some pics from the latest events there are lots more at www.oldlyonians.org

Words of wisdom: thank you to the many OLs (some pictured above) who came to the John Lyon Careers Evening to give advice to pupils from John Lyon and other local schools

We were delighted to welcome back two highly distinguished OLs to John Lyon to give talks about their fantastic careers Graham Parker (OL 1981 - 1988), left, kindly returned to the School all the way from New York to talk to pupils about his journey after leaving John Lyon School to being President US Classics at the largest music company in the world, Universal Music Group. “Average. Very, very average.� This was how Graham described himself at School but a far cry from his professional successes and inspiring talk about ambition, success and happiness to Union.

Nik Mehta OBE (OL 1988 - 1995), right, made time in a visit to the UK from South Korea, where he is deputy ambassador, to speak to pupils. We were so grateful for his fascinating talk about working at GCHQ, being in diplomacy at the FCO, and his passion for improving diversity in those two organisations.

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Back to School!

The 107th OLA Dinner (above) was a wonderful evening of food and friendship, especially for the Class of 1989, meeting 30 years on. Reunions (below) saw the Class of 2009 celebrating 10 years-on back at the School and the ’49ers celebrating 70 years since starting.

Poet’s corner: with Association Day just around the corner, Martin Sexton’s “The Opening Batter”, written in drear February, seemed the perfect choice Early nerves, heard but unseen ball’s seam, is no dream, is the dare Make Straight lift and down line to cover swing’s drift in sight’s stare Windy or still, bright or cast over, time at the crease is the aim to remain Then shot to the fence with spin curve drive is batter’s domain Brings applause from yours and admired by all others From the ‘thwack on the blade, no edge through the covers Watch the ball in eye’s bead for the hook in speed need Thrilled grace of late cut which was keeper’s feed Avoid the pain of the strain with protection insane Guard meat and three veg from bowled pledge to find edge Seen off new ball’s shine is the feeling divine Of job’s duty well done, then give team their time.

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Writing a good CV

“You’ve got to be lucky to get this job…”

A friend of a friend used to sift the 2,000 applications he received for a junior role in a fund management team by throwing every other CV in the bin without looking at it. His rationale was that to be successful in fund management they would need to be lucky and clearly those who had been placed in the bin were not lucky people.

Whether or not this is true, it makes a good story. But what makes a good CV that stands out and what will tip you into the bin? The Lyonian Association asked some OLs who work in recruitment, as well as John Lyon’s Head of HR and our careers advisor. Here’s what they said: “If you want to stand out, I’d look to do so by being genuine and honest – you’d be surprised how many applicants that could set you apart from.”

Top tips

• Do “be concise.

Having just left school, it’s great to talk about your experience, but you will not have as much to talk about as a professional of 20 years’ experience, make sure your CV is 1 or 2 pages and does not ramble on.”

• Do “show variation - let people know you have different interests, sporting/

academic/arts/music are all equally important, and showing you have different interests makes you come across as someone who is happy to be out of their comfort zone.”

• Do “tailor your CV towards any application you do.

If you are applying to be an accountant, show your interests in statistics, and what opportunities you’ve had to develop this skill set.”

• Do “record achievements - anything you have received recognition for - put it on your CV! It makes you stand out, and shows you’re a high performer.”

• Do “use spell check – but don’t rely on it, it is easy to make a typo with similar words, such as advice and advise. Having read your CV at least twice, ask someone else to proof read it. The Huffington Post reported finding 90 % of CVs they looked at had spelling or grammatical errors.”

No one enjoys an awkward interview!

Make sure you can evidence everything you say on your CV, or disbelief will be obvious on the face of your interviewers.

If you would like your CV checked before you send it off, please get in touch and we will put you in touch with someone in the right field: lyonianassociation@johnlyon.org.

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Great CV points can be earned writing for the Lyonian! There are lots of other opportunities at School: e.g. organising the next John Lyon MUN or speaking at the Academic Excellence Society.

The no-nos

• Don’t “write things on your CV that are not true, whether it’s grades or awards or experiences. Interviewers will test you, and you come out looking very foolish if it’s not true.” And don’t “exaggerate as it is often painfully obvious to the person reviewing the CV. If not, it will soon become painfully obvious at interview.”

• Don’t “use Comic

Sans on your CV with all the writing in bold. This may have looked cool in year 8, but it’s not that easy to read. And don’t use WordArt for you name. Whilst you are showing that you can use Microsoft Word at its best, it does not come across as very professional.”

• Don’t “include a photo.

Maybe a few years ago it was OK, and in some countries people still do – but it is not the norm in the UK. Besides which, will others think your photo is too serious, too jokey, too weird…? If you are applying abroad, do some research about whether to include a photo or not.”

• Don’t “over-share.

Keep the information you give relevant to the job you are applying for. You may have spent quite some time thinking about yourself and how that relates to your career direction, but make sure what you say is interesting to the employer!”

• Don’t try to be funny or alternative.

This example didn’t work: “I’ve got something that you need, let’s negotiate.” Nor did: “I don’t do interviews, give me a start date and you won’t regret it.”

The personal statement Writing a personal statement can be difficult but it is the probably the first thing an employer will read and given that many employers report reviewing CVs in under a minute, it needs to describe your key attributes in under 150 words... in an interesting and engaging way... so no pressure!

•Make it short.

•Tailor it to the job.

The employment agency Reed suggests structuring it as follows:

•Who are you? - e.g. graduate in Physics from, first year undergraduate

•What can you offer? - keys skills which match the job requirements

•What are your career goals? - linked to the experience you would gain in the role

Finally, a CV is not enough… in applying for most jobs a CV on its own is insufficient.

Check whether you should write a covering letter.

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Leaving staff We wish a fond farewell to a number of staff this year and asked their colleagues for a few words about their time at John Lyon James Armstrong began his teaching career at John Lyon straight out of postgraduate study. He was always open to ideas, constantly reading and deepening his understanding, always thinking and relaying this thinking to his students. He taught at School for almost seven years, a significant portion of his life and he made a strong impression on those he taught.

Whenever James was teaching you could be sure that the students would be immersed in ideas from John Stuart Mill, John Rawls or Robert Nozick and James would be applying these to something from the news that morning. He was always a pleasure to teach with and an intellectual pleasure to be around.

James became Head of Sixth Form and worked hard to ensure that his strongly held principles of justice and fairness were diligently applied across the Lower and Upper Sixth. James taught across Politics, Philosophy and Economics. It is always difficult to replace such intellectual flexibility in one teacher and his colleagues and students at once will miss him, and be grateful for the significant contribution he made to John Lyon. MEW On arrival, Lauren Bailey immersed herself entirely into the school culture. She demonstrated excellent skill both within the classroom and outside as she participated in the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE)award and CCF. She shared her love for the environment with the boys by running eco-club, to make the boys more mindful of the effect of their actions on the environment and during values day she organised for the boys to plant flowers and make bird feeders. The pupils and staff wish her all the best for the future. JNL Jade Boyle joined the School in September 2015 as Teacher of English and quickly established herself at the heart of the English Department, providing resources and sharing ideas with her colleagues. She is a natural teacher who blends strong discipline with a manner that has won the respect, trust and admiration of her pupils. She has been Head of Year for the last three years and deputy Safeguarding Lead for two years, roles in which she has shown tact and diplomacy. She has coached Hockey and Football, directed the Shakespeare Schools Festival on several occasions and assisted with DofE Bronze expeditions and several international trips, including leading the international schools’ exchange visit to Beijing three years ago. Jade leaves to a significant promotion as Assistant Head at Mill Hill School. She will thrive in her new role and I fully expect to see her continue to rise up the profession. JOP Naomi Dunston joined John Lyon as an NQT and was a valued member of the French and Spanish departments. During her time at John Lyon she participated in numerous DofE expeditions and contributed to the CCP programme by running calligraphy and Italian classes.

Naomi’s love of music was well received at the School. She was part of the Motet choir and accompanied the group on an exciting trip to Italy last year. Naomi will be missed by her tutor group, students and staff alike. RS Stuart Mills took up the position of Teacher of Physics in September 2016 and was quickly promoted to Head of Department. His department comments that is he very supportive of his staff as well as his pupils. He is happy to go the extra mile to helps others and always sees the positive side to every situation. Stuart is also often to be seen supporting musical and drama events and took on the DofE Bronze Award this year with relentlessly enthusiasm and determination. Whilst some might compare organising Year 10 to herding a group of particularly uncooperative cats, Stuart has managed to successfully guide all 124 of them through 48 hours in the Buckinghamshire countryside. Twice. He will be missed by all of his colleagues in the many areas of School life he has touched. JOP

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Amy Rankin has been Head of Geography for five terms and is leaving to join her husband who has received a diplomatic posting in Beirut. Amy is a dedicated teacher who worked hard to improve the quality of Geography teaching, completely changing the Key Stage 3 programme of study and revising aspects of the GCSE course. She has led successful trips to field study sites around England and accompanied the Year 7 to Paris. The Geography Department has mentored with great success two student teachers from the Institute of Education. Outside School, she continues to volunteer at the Royal International Air Tattoo.

She says that the practice of corralling groups of very focused people has been useful when carrying out lunch duty. A valued and exceptionally professional colleague, we wish her every success as she adjusts to life in the diplomatic community. JOP George Seller began his teaching career on a PGCE placement at John Lyon three years ago.

He had come from working in publishing and was young, enthusiastic, great with computers and keen to learn everything. There’s a suspicion among many teachers that the very best teachers are really those people who never quite stop studying. This is George in a nutshell.

John Lyon was smart enough to snap up George Seller as a Business and Economics teacher.

He has a gift for relaying ideas to Sixth Formers, making abstract ideas come alive by bringing them down to earth and explaining how some concept is illustrated by the latest activities of big tech firms, or how the logic of YouTube necessitates the end of creativity in mainstream pop music. George’s colleagues and students are sad to see him go because his enthusiasm was always infectious. He has that great but simple gift of always managing to lighten the mood and brighten the day of everyone around him. MEW In her year at John Lyon as Teacher of Biology, Sameeyah Toraub (Samee), has overseen the continued development of the BioMedical Society. A successful Mock Mini Interviews event emulated the actual process and tested prospective medics and dentists’ ability to cope with various high-pressured situations. Working with pupils from four schools, Sameeyah has provided mentoring and other enrichment opportunities. A number of these pupils have secured offers at top medical schools. Sameeyah will take up the post of Teacher of Biology at St Benedict’s School in September. JOP Andrew Westlake joined the School as Head of Religious Studies in September 1997. Initially a small department, Religious Studies and Philosophy grew under his leadership to be one of the most successful in the School, with outstanding exam results. Over the years a significant number of our successful Oxbridge candidates benefited from studying Philosophy and Ethics under Andrew’s careful guidance.

As Assistant Head of Oldfield, his gentle manner and patience were much appreciated, although it would be wrong to say he relished all aspects of the role, in particular the cold springtime camping trips to France when sleeping on the ground under canvas. In 2009, he joined the Senior Management Team with responsibility for staff. In the last ten years the staff have been grateful for his calm measured approach to the issues that have been brought to him and his utmost discretion in the way that he has dealt with these.

Andrew has always taken an active part in the life of the Common Room and serves on the Common Room Committee – notably acting as Quiz Master for last year’s Staff Quiz Night.

His baking skills have also been showcased deliciously in the annual Staff Baking Competition.

Other than perhaps amongst the competitive bakers, he will be much missed in the Common Room and by the pupils. LSP

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In Memoriam John Buchanan (1950 - 1956) was brought up in South Kenton in a family devoted to community service. He came to The Lower School of John Lyon in 1950 on a scholarship.

He excelled at Maths and Physics becoming the RSM of the school’s RAF CCF section.

He was Deputy Head Boy to the late Michael Burrell during their S level year. He read mathematics at Durham University followed by a period of teaching and then migrating to Canada to promote Canada’s Metric Program.

Living in Ottawa he took up cross country skiing, became a recreational pilot and travelled extensively in Europe and USA as a tennis fan. He continued his family’s ethos of voluntary work at Ottawa International Airport and was a director of the Ottawa Little Theatre where he and Michael Burrell met up when Michael was touring with his one man play.

John Buchanan, second from the right, bottom row, pictured here in 1956 with fellow John Lyon monitors and Head, R F B Campbell. The Class of 1956 had a 70-years-after-joining reunion on 1st May (see page 17)

George Upson (1938 - 1940) was born in 1927 and joined the Lower School of John Lyon in the first form in 1938, two years later he was evacuated to Bournemouth where he spent the war years and completed his secondary education. He returned to Harrow at the end of the war and remained there for the rest of his life, working at the Nat West Bank in London. He played football with the OLs and continued to stay in touch with the School and OLA for over 70 years.

In memoriam is also available at www.oldlyonians.org

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JEREMY GEELAN BURSARY APPEAL

In memory of Jeremy Geelan (OL 1975), and with the support of Mike Geelan and Jeremy’s family, Paul Matarewicz and Michael Foster have launched a Bursary Appeal.

Thank you to the following Old Lyonians who have made a commitment to support the Jeremy Geelan Bursary, pledging an annual donation over 7 years. A local boy from the Harrow area from a disadvantaged financial background will have the opportunity to be educated at John Lyon School through this wonderful effort.

Neil Altman Mike Christelow Anthony McClaran Simon Flamank Michael Foster Gordon Hamme Michael Kwan Paul Matarewicz Paul Montague Paul Raby Robert Steen Michael Smith Anthony Taylor Andrew Woodend Jeremy Wray

OUR TARGET £130,074

(£18,582 per year for 7 years)

TOTAL RAISED £18,044

14%

(£2,578 per year for 7 years)

Help us grow the commitment to support a bursary which will transform the life of child and welcome him to an environment at John Lyon that challenges, inspires and creates friendships that last a lifetime.

H A R ROW- O N - T H E - H I L L

Contact the Development Office by email: Khadija.Ansari@johnlyon.org Read more about supporting John Lyon: www.oldlyonians.org/supportus Middle Road, Harrow-on-the-Hill, HA2 0HN

Registered Charity Number: 310033

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Future dates for your diaries 29th June – Association Day OLs are most warmly invited to the following:

Summer term 3rd July: Sports Day, Harrow School Athletics Track 4th July: Head Boy’s Golf Challenge, Harrow Course

27th September: Founder’s Day Service and lunch at John Lyon (50 years-on plus) 5th October: Commemoration Concert, Harrow Speech Room

1th November: Act of Remembrance, John Lyon 14th November: Autumn Concert, John Lyon

5th-7th July: OLGS Lyme Regis Tour

11th and 12th October: OLGS Autumn Mini-break, East Sussex National

20th and 21st November: Legacy of the Prince, Middle Road Theatre (OL) production, John Lyon

8th July: Speech Day, Speech Room, Harrow School

17th October: TEDxJohnLyonSchool: Earth, John Lyon

2nd December: Christmas Concert, St George’s, Headstone

Autumn term

9th, 10th and 11th 31st October: OLA Vice Presidents’ Lunch, December: We Will Rock You, John Lyon Northwood Golf Club production, Ryan Theatre, Harrow School 7th November: Class of 1969, 50 years-on 12th December: reunion, John Lyon Class of 2019, OLs and parents, 1 term-on reunion, John Lyon

26th September: CCF Dinner, John Lyon 27th September: OLGS Autumn Meeting, Aldenham Golf Club

For more information about these events, please visit www.oldlyonians.org or contact the Lyonian Office.

Suzannah Chirnside Le Beau House 76 West Street Harrow-on-the-Hill HA1 3ER 020 8515 9410 Suzannah.chirnside@johnlyon.org