The Standard - Spring Term 2020

THE STANDARD

The John Lyon School Magazine | SPRING TERM 2020

In this issue

School receives coveted 'double excellent' inspection Talks-on-the-Hill looks inside the human body A brief history of Science at John Lyon Junior Hockey players take county silverware

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Our celebration of hard work and success will never stop A new age of John Lyon begins as the School welcomes girls for the first time Excellent school inspection sees John Lyon achieve highest praise Students listen as powerful voices come to Union Valentine's Day trip gives students a look at careers they may one day love BBC's Political Editor speaks to John Lyon students Nobel Prize winner inspires John Lyon chemists at Royal Institution lecture Second Talks-on-the-Hill looks deep inside the human body Pupils learn more about their future connected world in special workshops 'Godfather' of Business and Economics learning gives students tips for their future Year 7 Paris trip departs with a special 'bon voyage' from A-Level language students British Film Institute French Cinema trips John Lyon Model United Nations sees trade wars and climate change top the agenda Schumann proves no shoo-in as Sammy takes close-fought Musician of the Year title Great variety and consistent excellence on display at the Spring Concert John Lyon’s instrumentalists continue to see great success in their examinations Lower School Production Lord of the Flies We Will Rock You dazzles Harrow audiences National Theatre Connections, The Marxist in Heaven Dhanesh has designs on an architectural future following Cambridge offer Double competition success makes it a Spring Term to remember for Dhanesh Mums and dads continue their own learning on popular John Lyon course Soaking teachers leads to brand new digital resources for local nursery “Putting Duke of Edinburgh’s Award volunteering on your CV will definitely make you stand out” Flash Fiction 2020 competition winners “When in doubt, go to the library” The Standard long read: Science at John Lyon Youngsters step up as Hockey growth continues Distance runners battle through the mud to high place finishes Football and Hockey mini-tour sees junior sportsmen head north Lyonian bursary appeal hits one-third of target in first year

Front cover: Rafay Raja (7JOC) and Reuben De Souza-Gilroy (7JOC) look through the microscopes on the Biology Day of British Science Week.

www.johnlyon.org/values

Our celebration of hard work and success will never stop

Miss Katherine Haynes, Head

With each edition of The Standard written and designed to provide a snap-shot of School life as it is at that moment in time, it would be remiss of me not to note the circumstances under which I write this welcome.

We are bringing Spring Term to an end a week early, with our learning now going online. There is a great sense of unease right across the country as it faces a challenge of a type and scale of which it has no living memory. These are difficult times.

And yet, within these pages you will see many examples of great effort, outstanding success, and moments of joy that our

pupils have enjoyed in the past months.

Our boys have competed and won, in the classroom, in the arts and in sport; they have explored what their future lives may look like at inspiring careers events; they have listened to those with great stories to tell and insights to give; they have continued in the charitable and philanthropic vision of our Founder; they have entertained us, in the Music Hall and on the stage.

We have so much to be proud of and to celebrate, regardless of what is going on around us, so let us not isolate encouragement, congratulation or celebration.

And all of this was done in a term in which we received the highest possible ‘double excellent’ school inspection and announced that from 2021 we will be welcoming girls as pupils for the very first time.

What the remainder of this school year looks like in practice is currently unknown. We will continue to support all our pupils in their endeavours, providing particular care for those in GCSE and A-Level examination years.

The next Standard will be published, in some form, in July. One certainty is that it will once again be filled with stories of great endeavour and success.

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A new age of John Lyon begins as the School welcomes girls for the first time The first female pupils in the century-and-a-half history of the School will walk through the doors in September 2021 Cheers and applause filled the assembly hall when pupils were told in March of the historic move to welcome girls.

448 years after the Royal Charter was signed by Queen Elizabeth I for local farmer John Lyon to form a school for the “perpetual education, teaching and instruction of children and youth”, and 145 years since the formation of the ‘new’ John Lyon School, girls will now be taught here for the first time.

On hearing the news, one parent wrote to the School: “I clearly recall coming for open day last year with our son and youngest daughter. She was definitely more vocal and enquiring and demanded to know from Miss Haynes why girls weren’t allowed! Today I told her this news and she is thrilled. She feels she had a hand in it! More importantly, she is determined to prepare for her 11+ for John Lyon.”

145 years since the formation of the ‘new’ John Lyon School, girls will now be taught here for the first time.

Excellent school inspection sees John Lyon achieve highest praise Pupils’ academic achievement and personal development were both praised following a full three-day inspection, giving the School the best possible result Following the November inspection by a team of five school inspectors from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), the report, published in January 2020, rewarded the School with a coveted ‘double excellent’ in both key areas of educational quality: academic achievement and personal development.

The 14-page report was full of praise for the many aspects of John Lyon learning and teaching. One of the notable sections focused on the School as a community and remarked “The school community transcends cultural difference and exudes an ethos of inclusivity” with pupils feeling 2

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Aaron Esser (10RS) and Anish Parmar (10CEP) get their heads down in a GCSE Geography class.

“that diversity is the essence of the school.”

ISI also found John Lyon to be fully compliant with all regulations concerning quality of education, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, welfare and health and safety, suitability of staff, school premises, provision of information to parents, handling of complaints, and quality of leadership and management.

John Lyon Head, Miss Katherine Haynes said: “Receiving an excellent school inspection and specifically achieving ‘Excellent’ in both areas of educational

quality is highly significant for John Lyon.

Inspectors are thorough in looking at all areas of School life and the bar to achieve this top rating is set very high.

“Success at inspection is a team effort, and I am appreciative of all our pupils, teachers and support staff who work hard both in what they do individually and for the School as a whole, not just for the three days of inspection but on every single School day of the year. I am also extremely grateful to all our parents who are key partners in making sure the School is a success.”

Johnson Beharry, one of just two living recipients of the Victoria Cross, spoke about his life and career to a captivated audience.

Students listen as powerful voices come to Union A busy term for John Lyon Union has seen many speakers talk to Sixth Form students on a range of subjects, always engaging, often inspirational

Spring Term highlights were the visits of Richard Rampton QC and Johnson Beharry VC. Visiting ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day in January, Richard Rampton talked about the work for which he became well-known, both in the British press and then on the big screen. In the early 1990s he was hired as the barrister for Deborah Lipstadt and Penguin Books who were defending themselves in a libel case against notorious Holocaust denier David Irving, dubbed by the media as ‘history on trial’. Rampton helped in the legal victory over Irving’s dangerous views and the

Richard Rampton QC gave students a fascinating insight into the dangerous notion of Holocaust denial.

case was then turned into a film, Denial, in which Rampton was portrayed by Tom Wilkinson.

In March, Johnson Beharry spoke with passion about his life, from troubled 20-year-old new to London having moved from Grenada, to hero soldier, whose actions in saving his comrades in Iraq were deemed so brave that he was

awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest possible award for valour, the first to receive the award for more than 20 years.

One report read: “Terribly wounded and barely conscious, he drove backwards at high speed and to safety. Despite Beharry’s injuries, which included a fractured skull that would leave him in a coma for weeks, he saved the lives of all his fellow soldiers.”

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I absolutely loved the trip, it’s great to get exposure to the real world of work and I am now hoping to start work experience for one of the big four accounting firms.

Advait Sundaram (L6PWM), Arjun Rai (L6LH), Zain Mirza (L6SJA), Christopher Eluwa (L6AJC), Rasool Twaij (L6PWM), Mustafa Salman (L6EMM), Shayne Amba (L6ASL), Harshil Mathur (L6PWM) and Benjamin Southgate (L6ASL) heard from a number of big firms at the IBM careers event.

Valentine’s Day trip gives students a look at careers they may one day love The South Bank offices of IBM were the venue for the leading company careers day, attended

by John Lyon Lower Sixth students. Head of Economics Dr Morgan White writes

Students had the opportunity to network with the firms’ representatives and learned about what is involved in management accounting, audit, and mergers and acquisitions activities. The IBM offices on the South Bank were impressive and students got a flavour of working for a large corporation.

John Lyon students were able both to celebrate St Valentine’s Day and plan their future working lives on a visit to IBM to find out more about exciting careers opportunities. Students heard from companies such as EY, PWC, CapGemini, RAF, IBM, and CIMA, discovering interesting facts about what it is like to work for these blue-chip companies. For instance, despite IBM no longer being a household name, it is responsible for more patent innovations than any other firm in the UK.

Students reflected thoughtfully on relatively innovative training ideas such as degree apprenticeships. These offer the chance to combine work and university study without incurring debt as well as giving work experience.

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Asked about the event, Rasool Twaij (L6PWM) said: “I absolutely loved the trip, it’s great to get exposure to the real world of work and I am now hoping to start work experience for one of the big four accounting firms.”

Having attempted to secure the BBC’s Political Editor for more than a year, the John Lyon Excellence programme finally got their woman With a General Election done and the UK’s exit from the EU now a certainty, Laura Kuenssberg was finally able to sit down and speak with students, answering many questions about a turbulent few years and what may happen politically in the future.

Nobel Prize winner inspires John Lyon chemists at Royal Institution lecture A lecture by a Nobel Prize winning chemist has given a group of John Lyon students an inspirational insight into high-level academia The lecture in January, one of the Royal Institution’s popular Friday Evening Discourses, which have been held for almost two centuries, gave students the chance to listen to Sir Gregory Winter speak about the work that won him the famous Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2018.

The talk, Harnessing the power of evolution for making new medicines, explored Sir Gregory’s work making monoclonal antibodies using a technique called phage display, how he did this and how his earlier work led to the development of drugs used to treat breast cancer and treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Part of the lecture audience, alongside respected scientists and university students, was Lower Sixth student Adam Azim (L6TCF). He said: “I found Sir Gregory’s perseverance in pursuit of results particularly

interesting. He pioneered a new class of pharmaceutical drugs which have saturated the list of the world’s top selling drugs. Humira, for instance, is a fully human monoclonal antibody used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and is currently the world’s top selling pharmaceutical drug, with global sales of 20 billion US dollars.

The continuing demand for antibody therapeutics is blatant hence Winter’s talk also focused on developing new medicines to meet this demand. He touched upon a relatively new biotech company of his – Bicycle Therapeutics – regarding the chemical synthesis and therapeutic development of small compounds known as bicyclic peptides. Fingers crossed these may go on to treat thousands of people around the world, bettering their quality of life and breaking another medical barrier.”

John Lyon’s Head of Chemistry, Mr Nicholas Arratoon, was happy that students had taken away so much from such a traditional and important lecture stage for scientists. He said: “The Royal Institution’s Friday Evening Discourse has a long and prestigious history. It is here that ground-breaking discoveries such as that of electricity, the electron, and various chemical elements

were publicly announced. Scientific giants of old, including Michael Faraday, Sir Humphry Davy and Lord Kelvin, as well as many other winners of awards in all areas of human endeavour, have spoken on their cutting-edge work in the Royal Institution’s famous lecture theatre.

The Discourse also has various quirky traditions, such as the lecture starting punctually at 7.30pm and without announcement, and the speaker being locked in a room alone for ten minutes before the lecture. These peculiarly British features are all part of the experience.”

Zia Sheikh (L6TCF), Yuvraj Dhunna (L6PWM), Sanjiv Jadav (L6PWM), Kareem Shurafa (L6PWM), Adam Azim (L6TCF), Alpha Kolajo (L6TCF), Umar Saifuddin (L6EMM), Rayyan Hussain (L6SJA) and Ibrahim Mansour (L6TCF) were joined by Head of Chemistry Mr Nicholas Arratoon, Teacher of Biology Miss Joemie Moes and Head of Biology Ms Joanna Leveson for the RI lecture. Sir Gregory Winter (above) won his Nobel Prize in 2018.

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Second Talks-on-theHill looks deep inside the human body John Lyon’s annual Talks-on-the-Hill proved to be a detailed examination of the human body, from the viruses inside us to the way the outside world affects us The John Lyon Excellence Programme lecture series, in which all residents of Harrow-on-the-Hill are invited to hear talks based around a single topic, saw pupils, a teacher and invited subject experts talk about The Body in the Boyd Campbell Hall in February.

Harjeevan Bains (7JOC) introduced the audience to the human brain, explaining how with its help we had all become superhumans, capable of flight, medicine and peace, amongst other things.

Clockwise from top: Jane McAdam Freud, Madisan Nimalathasan (7JOC), Rafay Raja (7JOC) and Rayyan Hussain (L6SJA) ask each other questions on the panel, Professor Derek Gilroy talks about vaccines, and Harjeevan Bains discusses the human brain.

Professor of Immunology at UCL and John Lyon parent, Derek Gilroy, then talked in detail about vaccines and how they work to combat viruses in our bodies.

Teacher of Biology Mr Edward Mendelblat focused not on what is useful within the human body, but what bits of us now serve no purpose; those vestigial structures lost to evolution such as the tail.

Madisan Nimalathasan (7JOC) and Rafay Raja (7JOC) looked at how our environment affects our body, some of which we can’t control but some of which we can, such as how much and how well we sleep and how we use our connected devices.

Rayyan Hussain (L6SJA) explored the little-regarded world of natural remedies and asked if they could be the solution to a healthy body.

Renowned artist Jane McAdam Freud finished the evening using images of her own works which all focus on the body in a variety of ways, describing how 6

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she compares the space of the body in relation to the space in the studio.

Speaking after the event, pupils reflected on their evenings on stage.

hardest part, as my heart was not pounding, but aching, as I did not want to mess up in front of the school and the public.”

Harjeevan: “I remember being very nervous, especially when first sitting on the stage, however I became much more relaxed as I presented what I had practised – and telling some jokes helped a lot.”

Rayyan: “The talk was incredible, and I hope this event grants me more opportunities in the future, in both the academic and public sectors.”

Madisan: “Delivering the talk was the

Rafay: “I would recommend students try giving talks like this as this is a very amazing opportunity to experience.”

Pupils learn more about their future connected world in special workshops Year 10 pupils and Head of Digital Learning Dr Jack Honeysett get to grips with the internet of things.

Coding experts from BigClown came to John Lyon in December, to show Computer Science Excellence Programme pupils how real-world problems can be solved with an ‘internet of things’. Varun Valentine (10AJF) writes The internet of things (IoT) is a term describing all technology linked to the internet. It is a system that allows data to be transferred by this network without

the help of humans.

During the BigClown workshop I learned how tiny devices could measure motion, temperature, humidity and CO2 levels.

The thing that stood out was when I breathed onto the device, the computer screen turned red as temperature, humidity and CO2 levels dramatically increased. We mainly focused on air quality and how sensors can be connected with a computer over a network.

After this event, I was thinking about how IoT could be used to look at air quality in my home and school. I realised that sensors could be used to control air quality and if one classroom has high levels of humidity, this could be a reason to improve ventilation in that room.

Overall, it was a great experience and I learned how IoT could one day save the planet.

‘Godfather’ of Business and Economics learning gives students tips for their future

Ian Marcousé accepting an invitation to speak at John Lyon will prove incredibly valuable for all the students who heard him speak.

It wasn’t just students from John Lyon who flocked to the Boyd Cambell Hall to hear teacher, marketing consultant and educational bestseller Ian Marcousé

While John Lyon teachers are excellent at using textbooks to further the knowledge in their classes, getting the author of those textbooks in to speak is perhaps one step better still.

That was the case in February when the author of the most widely-regarded textbooks in Economics and Business accepted an invitation to John Lyon. With students from Harrow School and London Academy of Excellence Tottenham also

invited, Mr Marcousé spent the best part of a full School day giving his insights into topics being studied as well as exam technique and how students can best approach questions in the papers they will sit. He also gave a fascinating insight into the US-China trade war.

of how students should approach their exams. He really is the Godfather of these two subjects.”

Mr Marcousé’s books are international bestsellers and his name is known by teachers and students right across the world.

John Lyon’s Head of Business, Mr Michael Fletcher, said: “Ian Marcousé accepting an invitation to speak at John Lyon will prove incredibly valuable for all the students who heard him speak.

Not only does he know the Economics and Business curriculum better than any other person, he has a detailed grasp

Ian Marcousé spoke to students for most of the day.

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Year 7 Paris trip departs with a special ‘bon voyage’ from A-Level language students A mainstay of the John Lyon School diary for many years, the February half term Paris trip set sail once again, with Year 7s having been given a taste of what to expect by Lower Sixth French students Pupils from all three Year 7 form groups left John Lyon in February for the three-night trip to the French capital, with a full programme of tourist and cultural hot spots on the agenda, including the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, the Musée d’Orsay and a Bateaux Mouches trip down the River Seine. The final day gave some more modern culture, with a visit to Disneyland Paris.

Before they departed, pupils were given

The Year 7 tourists gather in front of the famous Sacré-Cœur.

Below, Daniel Wong (L6ASL) gives pupils a taste of Paris before the trip.

an insight into the history of Paris – from its Celtic and Roman roots through to the present day, via revolution, Napoleon and WW2, as well as what key sites they should keep an eye out for – by A-Level students who have themselves been studying French heritage as part of their course.

Having given a presentation alongside Nicholas Berezovsky (L6LH) and Amman Budhdeo (L6ASL), Daniel Wong (L6ASL) said: “We have been studying the topic of Le Patrimoine (heritage) and its importance in France and other Francophone countries. As part of our course we had to produce a presentation about Paris and its rich heritage, which we then delivered to the Year 7 French classes, covering different

aspects of Paris such as its history, museums and landmarks. It was a good experience and beneficial to us language students as well as the Year 7 boys going to Paris.”

Immersive French learning can also be done much closer to home, with central London’s British Film Institute (BFI) becoming a regular destination for John Lyon pupils The UK’s leading film organisation runs regular education events, including screening French movies, giving language students the opportunity to engage with culture and language beyond the classroom.

Following a visit in February, Mohamed Altaie (9AIA) said: “It was a great day filled with facts and educational experiences about French and French films. In the cinema we were given worksheets filled with interesting facts and features about films in French. We watched short film after short film, answering questions about each and finding out about the technical features in them. We learnt about points of view, the future tense, editing and much, much more. After this session we watched a longer film, L’Etudiante et Monsieur Henri, which we then discussed at the end. This trip was an interesting learning experience.”

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Year 9 French pupils on the South Bank for their cinema day.

After an A-Level conference in January, Rishi Luthra (U6MEW) and Vivek Nanwani (U6KML) said: “The conference about contemporary dramas and La Nouvelle Vague (a new wave of French cinema which came about in the late 1950s and 1960s) saw lecture-style presentations, where we were given an insight into the new changes of cinematic methods used by directors in a young post-war France. We watched the film Bande de filles, which depicts the deprived and harsh environment of young women living with misogyny and abuse in the Paris outskirts. This was extremely useful as we were able to produce links to the film La Haine which we studied as part of our cultural studies course.”

I witnessed young people involving themselves in fruitful and astute debate.

Students from many local schools gathered for the two-day MUN event.

John Lyon Model United Nations sees trade wars and climate change top the agenda Thirty-six nations descended on John Lyon to debate some of the world’s most pressing concerns, as the School’s Model United Nations was reconvened

Following the success of 2019’s event, the second annual John Lyon Model United Nations (MUN) took place over the first weekend in February.

75 delegates from nine schools took their places for the event, with participants each representing a country and debating resolutions aimed at addressing key global topics.

Professor Richard Davies, fellow at the London School of Economics and former economics editor of The Economist, officially opened the conference by addressing the students, who ranged

in age from 14 to 18, before small committees debated resolutions and then came together as a General Assembly.

At the end of the weekend, Husain and Patrick reflected on the second John Lyon Model United Nations.

Topics of debate were varied and included the regulation of the United Nations Peacekeeper Force, the sovereignty of Kashmir, internet access as a right, civil unrest in Hong Kong, the crisis in the Amazon rainforest, pollution in urban centres, the development of renewable energy solutions, regulation of the pharmaceutical industry and de-escalation of the United States-China trade war.

Patrick said: “They say the second time you do something it is easier, and I felt that was true with this conference.

Building from last year’s success we were able to appreciate the project we had started.”

Once again John Lyon Model United Nations was entirely student-led, with all of the event’s logistics and content created by a committee headed by Upper Sixth students Husain Abedi (U6CKL), Patrick Miles (U6CKL), Deven Ruparelia (U6CKL), Vivek Nanwani (U6KML) and Adnan Kachwala (U6ND).

Husain said: “MUN is as much about the people as the politics. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished as a team – an event where young minds develop new and interesting perspectives on global affairs, from lenses most don’t usually see through, while also meeting new and interesting (and possibly lifelong) friends.”

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Schumann proves no shoo-in as Sammy takes close-fought Musician of the Year title The oboe music of romantic composer Robert Schumann was deemed the finest of a great evening of music, as Sammy Smith (10AJF) took the John Lyon 2020 Musician of the Year crown

In a very close competition, which could have seen any one of the eight performances take the spoils, it was Sammy’s musicianship and control of his notoriously difficult instrument that won the praise of guest judge, President of the Royal College of Organists, Mr Gerard Brooks.

The competition final in February included the category winners from the House Music competition held earlier in the month. The first half of the concert was for musicians performing at a level of grades 1-4 in nine categories.

Having listened to all performances and giving much praise to each musician, Mr Brooks selected trombonist Josh Holloway (10CEP) as the winner, for his performance of David A Stowell’s Jam Bouree.

The grades 5-8 category saw another eight performances, all of which displayed a very high level of technique and musicianship, on instruments both traditional and less commonly heard, including the miruthangam.

After all eight pieces, including two each from Sammy Smith (oboe, piano) and Sebastian Clifford-Varley (U6REM) (voice, trombone), it was 10

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I was surprised and delighted to win this prestigious competition with so many other great musicians also playing.

Sammy who was named champion for his playing of Robert Schumann’s Romance Op 28 No 2. He was awarded the de Mello Cup, named after Mr Joe de Mello, a long-standing supporter and former member of support staff in the Music Department.

On being awarded the trophy, Sammy said: “I was surprised and delighted to win this prestigious competition with so many other great musicians also playing. It has increased my confidence as a performer and now I feel encouraged to continue studying for my diplomas.”

Sammy Smith's performance on the oboe secured victory and the coveted trophy.

Below, the grades 5-8 category winners: Kassem Azzawi (9RAR), Giritharan Krishan (8SRP), Rahul Renganath (11CAB), Ethan Miller (L6PWM), Sebastian Clifford-Varley (U6REM) and Sammy Smith (10AJF).

Clockwise form main picture: the Wind Band opened the Spring Concert, Hugo Hudson (9JEB) and Emmanuel Wang (9RAR) play violin in the String Ensemble, Sayam Shah (10AJF) on trumpet in the Brass Ensemble.

Great variety and consistent excellence were both on display at the Spring Concert, the largest gathering of School musicians of the term

Omar Mustafa (U6ND) and Priitivi Ravi (U6ND) get to grips with wind turbines in the challenging day at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratories

Well over 100 performers took to the Boyd Campbell Hall stage in March, performing in a wide range of groups: Wind Band, Chamber Orchestra, String Ensemble,Year 7 Choir, The Pride of Lyon's a capella group, Brass Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Band, Some Average Joe’s rock band and the Rhythm & Blues Band.

John Lyon’s instrumentalists continue to see great success in their examinations (Clockwise from top left): In December there were Trinity College Grade 8 merit passes for guitarists William Mitchell (10CEP) and Rahul Renganath (11CAB),and Rock School Grade 7 merit passes for Ethan Miller (L6PWM) and William Davey (11SGJ), who were two of a staggering 15 John Lyon drummers to gain awards.

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Lower School Production Lord of the Flies February 2020

George Allen (8LA) You may think when you first get your lines you will never learn them. I thought that when I first got the script, but after all the rehearsals I just learnt them from the repetition of saying them. Before this production I never thought it was as hard work to be able to produce a play. I now know this because of the number of rehearsals after school and on Sundays I had to do to make this production a reality. After all the rehearsals you would think the performance would be easy, but when you are performing for real you can't afford to make a mistake. This was always in my head during the performance. This is called the fear of failure, and we get this from all the hard work we put into the production. Overall this production was an experience that I won't forget for a long time.

Oliver Coupland (8LA)

Jai Davison (8JNL) I really enjoyed being part of this play as it was a very challenging script with little humour. After months of intensive rehearsals it felt exhilarating to perform it in front of a live audience. We all had to show our dark side and it was interesting to see my cast mates in a different light.

Lanus Sasikaran (9MWV) This play has been a pleasure to be in and this play felt like a jigsaw puzzle since we had to piece all the scenes together.

The rehearsals where great fun with the cast and I had a good time.

I loved performing this play because it was fun and felt amazing in front of the audience.

The rehearsals were long but fun. This was a great experience for me because I want to become a professional actor when I'm older.

Jack Jack Ellis Ellis (8SRP) (8SRP) II really really enjoyed enjoyed Lord Lord of of the the Flies Flies because because II got got to to perform perform aa really really enjoyable enjoyable play, play, play play aa character character who who suited suited me me very very well, well, and and itit made made me me manage manage my my time time better. better.

Oscar Deans (7ADH) Lord of the Flies was great. It was a great experience.

Otto Verden (9MWV) Not only was this my first play where I played in a big role but I enjoyed playing every second of Jack Merridew and had so much fun up on stage. To me drama is about having fun up on stage and showing your acting to the audience and I was able to do this and conquer the fear in front of many people.

Alexander Rothwell (9RAR) Lord of the Flies was an amazing experience. I made some new friends and learned some new skills. The hardest part was trying to memorise all of my lines but other than that I enjoyed every second of it.

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Ace Parmar (8JNL) Lord of the Flies was an amazing experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was thrilling to perform to hundreds of people.

Dylan Ireland (9PS) I'm really glad that I got to participate in this play, as it was a new opportunity for me. It was quite difficult and tiring to learn all of the lines, but it was worth it in the end. It was a thrill to perform in front of a live audience.

We Will Rock You dazzles Harrow audiences Three sell-out houses were given a real Christmas treat as John Lyon staged its big annual musical for 2019, We Will Rock You The jukebox musical by Ben Elton, featuring the music of Queen, came to the Ryan Theatre for three nights in December, with a cast of John Lyon boys and girls from a number of local schools.

Produced by the John Lyon Drama Department led by Mr Samuel Jones, the show featured amazing costumes, choreography and a live band, with many people working behind the scenes to ensure a seamless production.

As well as the three-night audience of 950, a dress rehearsal saw more than 250 children from local schools enjoy the show.

After the shows, Patrick Miles (U6CKL), who played Pop, said: “My final John Lyon musical has been an unforgettable one. The challenging role of Pop allowed me to push myself well outside my comfort zone and the chance

The cast of We Will Rock You wowed audiences across three nights. Below, Patrick Miles (U6CKL) got to grips with a new mode of transport.

to share the experience with such a wonderful group of friends made it evermore memorable.”

Cast member Asha Davison said: “I had the absolute time of my life working with my amazing cast-mates and the production crew, and performing with them every night was so rewarding after all the hard work we put in during rehearsals.”

William Davey (11SGJ), who played the lead role of Galileo, added: “We Will Rock You was incredible and it was such an experience to be working with such a talented group of people. It has been so much fun and I have enjoyed every part of it.”

The 2020 John Lyon and National Theatre Connections performance was Hattie Naylor's new play, The Marxist in Heaven.

Louis Tyrrell (L6AJC) had perhaps the best costume for The Marxist in Heaven.

Starring John Lyon pupils and directed by Graduate Assistant Ethan Peters, the funny, playful and provocative play complete with disco ball - came to the Boyd Campbell Hall in March.

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Dhanesh Jegatheesan (U6ND) tries his hand at charcoal on paper during a life drawing class.

Dhanesh has designs on an architectural future following Cambridge offer January brought good news for Dhanesh Jegatheesan (U6ND), as he was awarded a coveted offer to study Architecture at Churchill College, Cambridge

The John Lyon Art Scholar and Prefect received the email from Churchill at the end of January, offering him a conditional place to study amongst the 500 undergraduates at what is one of the university’s modern colleges, boasting 32 Nobel Prize winners amongst its fellowship.

The Upper Sixth student, who has made the John Lyon Art Department a second home since joining the School in 2014, was thrilled at his hard work being 14

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recognised by one of the world’s foremost universities, and thankful to those who had helped get him to this point.

He said: “I could never have expected to get an offer from Cambridge; it was only ever a thought in my dreams. Opening that email from Churchill brought great euphoria and has motivated me to strive even harder for the very best. I aspire to become one of the greatest architects, such as Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid, and this offer is a big step for me to fulfil this goal. I spent my previous summer holidays doing work experience at architecture firms, which helped give me an idea of the job an architect does in order to help society, and it has now become a passion of mine.

Cambridge is considered one of the best universities in the world, and their renowned supervision system would help

me aim for the highest achievements.

There was no doubt that I would apply to Churchill College, with its vast art collection and highly admirable modern architecture.

“I cannot thank John Lyon enough for the support that they have given me. I would've never applied if it wasn't for the confidence of Miss Katherine Haynes and Mr Jonathan Rowe, who believed that I could get into Cambridge. The Art Department has helped me immensely during the lead up to the interview, with the guidance of Ms Lorna Hope and support of Mr Nick Brown. Mr Jonathan Pepperman and Rev Stephen Mepham also helped me hone my personal statement, so I could put into words all my reasons for wanting to become an architect.”

Double competition success makes it a Spring Term to remember for Dhanesh Alongside the work needed to complete his final year at John Lyon, Dhanesh also found time to enter his work into two competitions, both inside and outside School With future plans to redesign the Mall, the large central area of the main School building, students were asked to submit their ideas and designs for what the space could look like, with shortlisted entries then presented to a panel of judges which included the Head, the Bursar and special invited guest Angus Goodwin, architect at London firm ZMMA. Having been whittled down from more than 50 entries, the final saw six Sixth Form students joined by three pupils in Dhanesh Jegatheesan (U6ND)'s design board for the Mall competition.

Below left, his winning work in the Whitefriars Art Competition.

Below right, Adam George (L6LH)'s runners-up work.

Years 7 and 8, all of whom presented interesting, well thought through proposals for the future of the Mall.

It was Dhanesh’s design which caught the judges’ eyes the most, with its study balcony, green wall, smart canopy and art exhibition space. Dhanesh’s ideas will now go on to planning and feasibility, with the hope that elements of his design can be incorporated into the future Mall work.

issues related to mental health, took the main prize at the award ceremony.

Furthermore, Adam George (L6LH) was named a runner-up, and with James Rosario (L6LH) also being highly commended. It was the second consecutive Whitefriars win for John Lyon, with Zak Samak (OL2019) having won in 2019.

Just as this edition of The Standard was being closed, there was one final victory for Dhanesh, winning the 2020 Whitefriars Art Competition, a contest to celebrate the best young artists in Harrow Borough.

Dhanesh’s oil on canvas work, Speechless, which looks at how art can communicate Spring Term 2020

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had the opportunity to attend them.

Parents talk in small groups in the Refectory on the latest course.

Mums and dads continue their own learning on popular John Lyon course The Parenting Teenagers Course, led by School Counsellor Mrs Laura Herman, continues to attract full houses, arming parents with a wealth of knowledge and confidence The most recent course, in February and March, proved useful once again for one mother, who wrote her impressions at the end of the four sessions.

“Along with 15 other John Lyon parents, I have just completed the Parenting Teenagers Course. For two hours every Wednesday morning we focused on specific topics which were designed to help parents take a step back and keep sight of the bigger picture while balancing the very tricky act of meeting our teenagers’ needs, developing emotional health (ours and theirs) and setting boundaries.

This was the fourth time I had attended this course, and no, not because I have particularly delinquent children, (although some days I do wonder!) but to help me with two main things. The first is to 16

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provide me with a better understanding of what my teenage sons are going through as they navigate adolescence in this crazy, modern world of ours and secondly, to give me some practical tools to help keep our lines of communication open and our relationships working. My first course was six years ago, and I was surprised at how useful I found it even though we had only one young teenage son at the time. We now have three of them and periodically investing the time in these courses never fails to provide me with the space to reflect and the wisdom to change. This approach has been invaluable for us as a family and I consider myself lucky to have

Soaking teachers leads to brand new digital resources for local nursery Christmas Fair may seem like a long time ago, but for children at Hillview Nursery School, the money raised by John Lyon pupils means they will now be able to purchase brand new tablet computers to help their learning.

Cash raised from food sales, a FIFA tournament on the huge Boyd Campbell Hall screen and lots of soaking teachers with wet sponges led to a cheque being presented to the nursery in January.

Head Boy Husain Abedi (U6CKL) and Charity Prefect Shiv Lakhani (U6MEW) took the short walk down Middle Road to meet children and staff, and to hand over the cheque.

The course is supported by a DVD which outlines the topic for the week and is supported by interviews with professionals, parents and the teenagers themselves. There were many moments of knowing looks and laughter at some of the comments on screen and this helped pave the way for the animated small group discussions that followed. Over the four weeks we all shared stories of teenage angst, rebellion and frustration, however the overwhelming feeling as we left each week was of hope and empowerment that things could be different if we were willing to try. Before we had even reached the end of the course, parents were sharing success stories and we all left week four feeling grateful for the time we had dedicated to making our relationships with our teenage children just that little bit, or in some cases a lot, better.

If you ever have moments when you wonder where your young compliant child has gone, or are in anticipation of what is to come…then this course is for you.”

The Summer Term Parenting Teenagers Course is planned for Mondays 11th May, 18th May, 1st June and 8th June, all from 6.00 - 8.15pm. To reserve your place, email Laura.Herman@johnlyon.org

“Putting Duke of Edinburgh’s Award volunteering on your CV will definitely make you stand out” The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award remains hugely popular at John Lyon, with boys from Year 9 upwards working hard to gain their bronze, silver and gold awards. Expeditions around the UK countryside are the most well-known part of the DofE, but volunteering continues to form a major part of the awards. Here, Adam Azim (L6TCF) and first Max Wilkinson (11TM) talk about their very different volunteering experiences Max: “Every Sunday for the past four years I have worked at the Great Cockrow Railway in Surrey, helping with the running of the miniature railway. In the summer, I am usually found pulling levers in a signal box, driving steam trains or assisting passengers on the platform or in the ticket office. In the winter, when it is colder, darker and closed to visitors, maintenance is carried out replacing track and repairing engines and carriages.

The railway has 41 steam engines and 12 electric engines on site, each owned privately and very rare and expensive.

Open since 1968, the railway has grown and expanded, and is holding more and more special events.

From when I joined, I have become less shy and more confident talking to different people of all ages. There are a range of people that I have to deal with, including the passengers who may have a disability and require help getting in a small low-down carriage, or someone who might be interested in seeing things behind the scenes.

It has also been fantastic to meet people with similar interests, including a number of volunteers who used to work on the real railways. It’s great because I am able to get in touch with people who might help me get into work experience, for example. There are also a lot of teenagers who are similarly aged and we keep in touch outside school and help each other out.

When I began volunteering at the railway I had no idea I would learn the skills to be driving passengers three years later.

This may sound like a long time but from starting out only knowing a couple of people a lot has changed. I am also ready for lots of scenarios, such as potentially being the person required to be a First Aider at short notice.

I have learned new skills and become more mature. I would recommend volunteering to everyone.

Putting Duke of Edinburgh’s Award volunteering or any other volunteering on your CV will definitely make you stand out from everyone else. There’s also a lot of overlap with the things at this railway with real jobs which would speed up the training into jobs.

I have learned new skills and become more mature. I would recommend volunteering to everyone.”

Adam: “Every Saturday, I attend Haven Residential Care Home in Pinner. I have been going for four months now, getting to know the atmosphere of provision and palliative care in the home, furthering my knowledge and experience of this part of healthcare, which will be useful in my future professional career.

The majority of the residents I speak to have deteriorating dementia and it’s quite sad to see it get worse over the months.

However, it is rewarding to know the time I get to speak to one or two of them can make both our days a little more fulfilling. I recently spoke to a, now-familiar, 85-year-old man named Bernard who

really appreciated the interest I was able to give him. His character had changed from when I saw him a few weeks prior – he was less lively and looked more fed up, telling me “if you dont mind me I’d like to go home now” and repeating himself numerous times. It’s made me feel more grateful for the little time we have and cherish the little things we take for granted – such as good health, as well as how to care for those that do not have such luxury.”

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Flash Fiction 2020 competition winners The Hillside,

by Joshan Minhas (10AJF) He looked into the eyes. They looked alive. They were staring back at him, but there was no life left in them.

The body was a mangled mess, the insides falling out, and the rough green army clothes soaked with blood.

But it was those piercing eyes that haunted him. Once full of life and excitement. They belonged to a young soldier who was keen to help out his country, to make his parents proud. But now this body is just one of many.

Mrs Maria Trafford: “I like the snappy start and strong sense of setting in the opening paragraph.

It’s clear our protagonist is plagued with a sense of his own failure before he’s even finished his morning coffee. Husain has done a good job of injecting this short with wry humour – he plays with words and even gives a satirical nod to the process of entering a writing competition in his final sentence. We’re left with no answer as to whether Simcoe will lose his job today or not, but it’s certainly hanging in the balance, which is a clear reference to the fickle state of the world of politics that Husain imagines here.”

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The ground was littered with them, and they were all piled up against the churned-up mud that had become their graves. Looking up, Jo could see the sun shining down on a red and green sea of bodies snaking up the hillside, who all had one goal – to reach the opposition stronghold at the peak.

But this operation had failed, and the once cheerful soldiers who had set out in hope of a famous victory, all lay there, defeated.

The dawn rays shining down, reflecting on the jewellery and lucky charms that were glistening in the sunlight.

The medic took a sigh and began to sift through the masses.

The Drumpf Administration,

by Husain Abedi (U6CKL) 0600. Croissant. A French delicacy. Coffee.

Originally a closely guarded secret of Arab merchants. Pennsylvania Avenue. One of many such streets in the Nation’s capital named after one of the Nation’s many states.

Andrew Simcoe’s legs lagged behind his mind – a crucial flaw for a State Department official. Crises could be created by careless, cantankerous characters cajoled by cruel dictators.

He used to call his job “whack-a-mole”, but a Senator from Vermont overheard and had taken great offence as he saw it

Teacher of English, Mrs Maria Trafford: “A very powerful snapshot of a devastating battle scene. Joshan creates a lot of interest at the start by focusing on the soldier’s eyes, ‘staring’ but lifeless. The piece is cleverly structured with the colours of green and red on the hillside leading to the climactic image of a sea of bodies highlighted in a dawn light.

The medic, who narrates, has a job to do and the reader’s final focus is on his own grim journey up the hill presumably in a futile search for some life.”

as an affront to the proud tradition of Groundhog Day. Strange. An old man on the verge of death could fire him. His livelihood little more than crumpled paper, worn and creased. Ink splattered in a pollockesque cacophony of reports and dossiers that no one, no one, would read.

Simcoe’s wife had warned him against taking the job. Was that the problem?

His life hijacked by the hijinks of others not concerned with a hardly sentient staffer as him, Simcoe - Junior Liaison to POTUS. President Drumpf had shaken his hand once, though he knew not if he felt honoured. For that very hand could undo in seconds what he had taken painstaking hours to plan, write and submit.

Top to bottom: Wesley Pardo (8LA) contemplates his work in the Library, Jaynil Patel (8LA) designs his World Book Day book token, Oliver Scott (7ADH), Yuv Dattani (7JOC), John Vazquez-Torrez (8JNL) and Tristan Morton (8JNL) try to 'guess the shelfie'.

“When in doubt, go to the library” These wise words from pure-blood wizard Ron Weasley resonate with many John Lyon boys, who see the School Library as the go-to place at break and lunchtimes The largest gatherings are seen on special days throughout the year, such as Harry Potter Book Night in February and World Book Day in March, at which Librarian Mrs Rita Halsey and Library Assistant Ms Sarah Greene arrange a host of activities and competitions.

World Book Day saw many members of staff submit photographs of their own bookshelves, with boys tasked to identifiy the teacher from their books.

Most successful at ‘Guess the Shelfie’ was Hemang Khandelwal (7JOC), with runner-up Oskar Maroo (7EM) not far behind.

Congratulations also to Jaynil Patel (8LA) who was judged to have designed the best book token.

The Gordon Surtees Library is open every Monday to Friday in term time, from 8.00am – 5.00pm.

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The Standard long read

Science at John Lyon

Spring Term’s British Science Week activities showed that Biology, Chemistry and Physics are hugely popular amongst pupils. But was that always the case? John Lyon’s new Head of Science, Mr Alex Kyles-Brown investigates.

On joining John Lyon as Head of Science this year, one of the first things that struck me was how incredibly well-equipped the whole Science Department is. Eight bright and spacious labs, large prep rooms, and practical equipment to demonstrate everything from a solar eclipse (one of the labs can be turned into a camera obscura) to the collisions of individual molecules due to Brownian motion.

The equipment we have as a department varies in age considerably – some brand new, some almost antique. This to me demonstrates the School’s continuous and long-term investment in Science education 20

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over its history.

The definitive account of the School – John Lyon’s Dream by the late Michael Burrell (OL1956) – was helpful to me in establishing the origins of Science teaching at the school. The history of Science teaching in the UK, and particularly in independent schools, is worth a brief review at this point. In the present day, Science is seen as one of the ‘core’ subjects in most schools. This was not always the case. Most independent schools in the late nineteenth century did not place a significant emphasis on science, preferring to educate boys in classics, moral character, tradition etc.

Indeed, at several schools the sciences were considered dirty or beneath a gentleman, sometimes being referred to as ‘stinks’!

John Lyon seems to have been ahead of the curve here. The Lyonian magazine was founded by Ernest Young in 1890 –

a Science Master whose ethos for the magazine was academically inclusive: “Its pages will be open for all matters of interest which any Lyon boy may care to discuss.”

Young left in 1891, having achieved remarkable results with the boys in Chemistry, and establishing the School as a place where Science would be central to the curriculum for the next century and beyond. As many will know, he returned to the School as Headmaster in 1898. It was under his Headship that the Scientific Society was founded.

The scientifically-literate Heads continued, with perhaps most notably Oscar Le Beau, Head from 1926-1951. Le Beau was a fellow of the British Astronomical Society.

He taught all the sciences, lectured on his many travels, and studied ‘Classical Persian’ in his presumably limited spare time! Le Beau also oversaw the building – in 1930 – of some of the School’s current science labs, off what is now the Mall but what used to be an outdoor space.

Despite long tradition, many aspects of Science education would be unrecognisable to former Masters or Old Lyonians. The interactive whiteboards would be familiar to recent leavers, but the omnipresence of Microsoft Surface Books and shared OneNotes, with teachers’ slides and boys’ notes magically syncing in the cloud would be new.

The datalogging equipment we regularly use would be unfamiliarly slick – as boys take experiments their results automatically plot themselves onto graphs, and we emphasise computer modelling as

part of our GCSE and A-Level courses.

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) would be an idea totally alien to many former members of the John Lyon community, but I am sure Le Beau or Young would have loved it: the ultimate cross-curricular subject, setting boys challenges by stretching their artistic as well as scientific imaginations.

Society with links to Harrow School, and more trips than ever to exciting locations, such as CERN and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

To read more about what current John Lyon students think about Science at John Lyon, and for more new and archive images, visit the John Lyon blog: www.johnlyon.org/blog

Our work in Science at John Lyon is nowhere near finished. In addition to an upcoming new STEAM lab, there is a Robotics Club, a brand-new Astronomy

Main image: Head of Science Mr Alex Kyles-Brown talks Physics with Sumeet Shah (7EM) and Madisan Nimalathasan (7JOC). This page, clockwise from top left: Dissection of a catfish in Biology class, c.1960; Year 7 pupils get to grips with microscopes during British Science Week 2020; Ernest Young, teacher of Science and second Head of John Lyon; Sixth Form chemists during practical work, c.1960; Ethan Van Beek (8LA) starts fire in the British Science Week Chemistry activity.

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The successful U13 and U14 Hockey teams with the competition medals won this term.

Youngsters step up as Hockey growth continues With younger boys regularly being selected for the School’s most senior teams, it is clear that John Lyon’s newest Major Sport is continuing to catch pupils’ imaginations. Head of Hockey Mr Adam Ling writes

Hockey is thriving at John Lyon and as another season passes we get closer to our goal of creating a School Sport that rivals Football and Cricket in terms of competition, success and pupil participation.

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Although the season was cut slightly short, boys have enjoyed over 70 fixtures, with an increase in numbers now taking part; newly created B teams at U14 and U15 have netted victories in all of their games which is a positive step to creating depth within our squads.

The U14As have displayed the most notable success, by winning the 2020 Middlesex Cup in February. This is the first time the School has entered the competition and coupled with the U13s, who were runners-up in their competition, it demonstrates just how far we have come in the past four years, since

Hockey was first played here.

Statistically, the U15As were the most successful across the course of the season, winning five of their nine games.

Notable victories against Berkhamsted, Westminster and Chigwell have made them a real force this season. Three players – Ali Malik (10CEP), William Mitchell (10CEP) and Taranvir Bansal (10MRF) – have all regularly represented the 1st XI and this bodes well for the future.

Our Junior teams continue to thrive and whilst some still enter Year 7 having played no form of competitive Hockey,

I would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work and commitment to what has been another very successful season.

Clockwise from left: Romesh De Silva (10RS) runs with the ball in a match against Harrow School, the 1st XI pose for a photo after a match, James Otaruoh (10CEP) waits for the ball.

results would suggest otherwise. Both the U12A and U13A have won over half their games, as have the B teams. We are gradually increasing the depth of talent within squads, which will assist their development, particularly as the Year 8s move to 11-a-side next season.

Whilst Hockey in some schools is on the decline, it has been refreshing to see the positive attitude of the boys who continue to commit to the development of our programme. I would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work and commitment to what has been another very successful season.

While scoring lots of goals is a good way to win Hockey matches, not conceding them helps too. That’s why the School looked to get some extra help at the back, in the form of a masterclass by Scotland international goalkeeper, Sam Lloyd. Together with brand new protective goalkeeping equipment kindly provided by a John Lyon parent, our netminders now both play the part and look the part too.

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Distance runners battle through the mud to high place finishes John Lyon’s young Cross Country runners took on the best of the borough, with two winning through to the county championships. Head of Athletics Mr Rob Rice writes In January, the John Lyon Athletics team took its largest ever squad to the Harrow Borough Cross Country Championships held at Harrow School.

The boys enjoyed great success on the day, with the Minor Boys and Juniors Boys finishing 2nd and 3rd in the team events respectively; whilst James Rothwell (7ADH) and Artur Philippa-Gradillas (7ADH) also qualified to run in the Middlesex Cross Country Championships following 3rd and 7th place finishes respectively.

Both boys went on to finish inside the top 40 of the county event, a tremendous achievement from both, and excellent preparation for the fast approaching Summer Term Athletics season.

Shahmeer Khattak (7ADH), James Rothwell (7ADH), Dhyan Sharma (7JOC), Artur Philippa-Gradillas (7ADH) and Oscar Deans (7ADH) all ran excellent Cross Country races.

A respected annual list of the best cricketing schools in the country has included John Lyon for the first time. The Cricketer Schools Guide 2020 gave a highly commended award to the John Lyon Cricket programme, recognising the School’s commitment to Cricket as an integral part of school life.

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The Hockey and Football tourists at Liverpool FC's Melwood training base. Below, the boys pose with their opposition.

Football and Hockey mini-tour sees junior sportsmen head north Known for both its sport and culture, Liverpool was the perfect destination for an inspiring three-day tour. Head of Football Mr Rob Rice writes Liverpool. A recent European Capital of Culture, birthplace of The Beatles and home to two of the biggest footballing clubs in England. And for three days this January, also home to 26 John Lyon students and staff.

The primary objective of the tour was for boys to immerse themselves in the traditions and culture of the way sport is played in this great city. Training sessions at both Chester University and Liverpool FC’s Melwood Academy showed the boys the outstanding facilities used by sport’s future stars, whilst the tour of Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium and the match day experience at Everton’s Goodison Park gave the students perspective of what hard work and perseverance on the sports field can achieve.

During the tour all students had the opportunity to play both Football and Hockey against Bishop Heber School and Neston Hockey Club. There were a number of impressive performances throughout, with the U13 Football team particularly enjoying a pulsating 3-3 draw against Bishop Heber.

at Melwood, a state-of-the-art training centre that has seen several top England internationals pass through its doors.

With some of Liverpool’s U23s looking on, I am sure the boys thoroughly enjoyed the experience and we hope the tour has inspired them to continue their excellent progress within Sport at John Lyon.

The tour ended with a training session Jason Mahmutoglu (11KS) made quite a splash in December as he came away from the Swim England National Winter Championships ranked as third best 15-year-old over 50m freestyle, 15th at U18 and 35th in the Open category.

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Lyonian bursary appeal hits one-third of target in first year Pledges totalling £44,000 mean a seven-year John Lyon education for a future young pupil is now getting closer to a reality. Development Coordinator Mrs Khadija Ansari writes

Miss Katherine Haynes Head head@johnlyon.org

Mr Andy Sims Deputy Head AJS@johnlyon.org A First Form French class in 1970, in what is now the Reeves Room in the Red House.

After the OLA Annual Dinner in March 2018, Michael Foster (OL1976) and Paul Matarewicz (OL1976) approached the School about an idea to help support a local pupil with their education. The OLA Dinner reminded them of how many boys have been educated at John Lyon and all in some way or another greatly affected by their experience at School. Michael, a huge advocate of social diversity, with a successful and passionate career in supporting young people to enter the workplace in order to boost social diversity, saw this opportunity to give back to the local community.

to be an In Memoriam Bursary Appeal, enabling OLs to support the School and creating a lasting memory of a loved one.

In November 2018, a bursary appeal was launched in memory of their very dear friend, Jeremy Geelan (OL1975), who sadly lost his life to cancer a number of years before.

After launching the appeal we soon realised there was great interest in supporting the School through bursaries to honour the fond memories of a friend or family member.

We have several annual commitments until 2026 totalling £43,780 but still some way to go to reach our target of £130,000. Once we reach our target, we can identify the pupil that will receive the Bursary support and would love to create a plaque or fundraising tree where we can thank our donors and share the names of all those remembered.

Just over a year later, through discussions at various events and reunions over the year, we are strongly encouraged by a large number of OLs who have also expressed an interest in remembering an OL no longer with us. Through these conversations we have evolved the appeal

Join us today and support the In Memoriam Bursary Appeal. Please contact lyonianassociation@johnlyon.org or Khadija.Ansari@johnlyon.org for more information.

The bursary appeal aims to raise money to support the education of one child from Year 7 to Upper Sixth over seven years, with an annual commitment that covers all their fees. We hope to grow it from there!

Mr Jonathan Pepperman Deputy Head JOP@johnlyon.org

By supporting a bursary, you can offer an education with transformational opportunities, to a family who otherwise may see an independent education as out of their reach.

Mr Michael Gibson Bursar Michael.Gibson@johnlyon.org

Open Day Dates www.johnlyon.org/opendays Miss Rebecca Davies Registrar Tel: 020 8515 9443 admissions@johnlyon.org John Lyon Middle Road Harrow-on-the-Hill HA2 0HN 020 8515 9400

www.johnlyon.org @johnlyonharrow