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ACADEMIC MATTERS
Library
It feels good to say that 2022 has been a much more settled year than the previous two. School life has returned to the ‘new normal’ and many activities and events have been able to resume.
READ UP! KINGSTON
FIRST YEAR PROJECTS AND READING CHALLENGES
We participated in the Read Up! Kingston shared reading project again, with a copy of the same book being given to all incoming First Years to read over the summer holidays. The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh by Helen Rutter is a heart-warming story about a boy with a stutter who wants to become a stand-up comedian. When asked what they thought about the idea of a shared reading project, students were very positive. Arjan Cheema said: “I liked it because it meant that everyone had something in common when starting a new school.” In October we were lucky enough to welcome the author to KGS. Helen delivered a wonderful talk and workshopped some fiction ideas. Judging by the wildly inventive ideas that the students came up with, there are certainly some budding authors amongst them!
Anya Taylor was presented with this year’s Library Project Prize for her inventive and innovative investigation into Women’s Blind Football. After her well-researched presentation, she invited two volunteers to play on her fantastic homemade fußball table. The catch? The players were to be blindfolded so that they could experience what it might be like for the players to play football without being able to see! Of course, fußball is in no way the same as playing a team match on a pitch, but it did really help us all to think about what it must be like for the blind players and how much courage, conviction and skill they must all possess.
Our second author visit of the year was from Catherine Johnson, whose book, Sawbones, was studied by some of the First Years. Catherine spoke about her writing process and her particular interest in historical fiction, as well as the importance of diversity in children’s literature. She entertained us all with fascinating stories about body snatchers, the swashbuckling ThomasAlexandre Dumas and the dangers of surgery in 19th century London! KINGSTONIAN 2021/22
