School magazine for Millfield School

MILLFIELD

VOICE

Nยบ184 - NOVEMBER 2019 ISSUU.COM/MILLFIELDVOICE

Editor’s Note

It’s hard to believe that we are almost at the end of the autumn term and I hope you enjoy the treats that we have in store for you in this edition of “The Millfield Voice.”

What is great to see is the sheer variety of activities that staff and students continue to get involved with. One thing I wanted to mention is how lucky we are to have such a diverse arts programme.

In schools across Great Britain, subjects revolving around the arts (e.g. art, drama, music, dance and photography) are becoming extinct.

One by one, schools are cutting funding and losing interest in the arts as a subject.

As the world progresses and culture moves forward, technology may become more relevant, but so do the arts.

Actors, artists, activists, sculptors, performers and more professions involving the arts are becoming much more in demand, and by removing these subjects from school curriculums, chances to move forward in these professions become less and less.

As part of the fastest growing sector of our economy, there is nothing soft or useless about these subjects, in fact they help to improve social and cognitive thinking skills, as well as general creativity, memory and happiness in schools Mrs Haydon, our new deputy head academic has written passionately about the connections between Science and the Arts.

The best students are the ones who maintain a curiosity about everything they come across and we hope that this paper will do enough justice to remind you of all the opportunities that you have to savour.

Mrs Coelho

Diketso

What’s been your biggest challenge at school?

I have found it hard to balance music, academics, sport and outdoor education.

It’s difficult to choose which you should prioritise and when you should take time off. Millfield is a busy school and you will be constantly presented with opportunities. I always try to remember that you can’t do everything. Don’t spread yourself too thin.

What’s your favourite school memory?

Mine has to be the international dinner. I have a German and South African passport so it’s great meeting and socialising with people from similar backgrounds. I love watching everyone take pride in their own country and the environment is very positive.

The event is filled with colour, amazing food and diversity.

Definitely one of the best events at Millfield.

What is your favourite House event?

House hockey usually takes place on a Sunday and lasts the whole day. I enjoy the competitive environment and playing against my fellow hockey team mates. This year was my favourite as I got to captain the team and organise our house squad. House hockey gives us a chance to mix with other year groups, strengthening our house bonds.

Current A Levels?

Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Further Maths What lesson has Millfield taught you?

Millfield has taught me to take all the opportunities thrown my way. I have been presented with a range of options, learning that even if the opportunity is unknown or seems uncomfortable to me, I shouldn’t dismiss it. I have found that the further out of my comfort zone that I go, the better the outcome.

Future plans?

I plan to study either Chemical Engineering in the UK or Environmental Engineering in the US. I would like to go into the renewable energy sector and maybe work in solar energy. I am also interested in electric cars, planes and autonomous vehicles.

Advice for younger years?

Don’t over plan your life. Take things as it comes and try and live in the moment.

First, get through your GCSEs, then focus on A Levels. Try and go to as many school events as you can and make sure

you always take time for yourself. Your mental health should always come first.

What are you going to miss the most?

I am going to miss my friends. I have been with them for 5 years and parting ways will be hard. We have all gone through so much together and have grown

privilege to have this opportunity to be closer in the running of the school and to hopefully make a positive impact with the time I have left at Millfield.

Favourite house event?

My favourite house event would hands down have to be House Song. As someone who isn’t naturally gifted at music this might come as a surprise, but I thoroughly enjoy the process. What I enjoy the most is our house ,along with our sister houses, creating a piece of music all led by students and then hearing the end product and being so proud. Additionally, this year having the incorporation of year 9’s will allow for interaction with younger and older age groups which is great as I think the older students have to be more visible, as if any year group member had a query they could then ask someone they now know.

Current A-Levels ?

Computer Science, Media Studies and Business Studies and I took Geography A-Level originally but chose to drop it after reflection in the first term of A-Level studies.

Future plans?

I plan to go to University to study Computer Science and I very much hope to also carry on my passion of basketball here at a high level.

What lessons has Millfield taught you?

Millfield has taught me to always challenge myself and others around me to create a positive impact wherever life may take you. It has also taught me the importance of team spirit in everything I do not just on the sport field.

What are you going to miss the most?

It is very hard to narrow down to just one thing I am going to miss when I leave Millfield, but I believe it will be the atmosphere and community ethos that this superb school has. This is seen throughout everything in the school day to day life such as music, art, sport and most importantly class work. I will miss the community as the constant support from teachers has changed my school life for the better. Not to mention the friendships I have made here that I truly believe I will have for life.

Any advice to younger year groups?

My advice for younger year groups is for them to work hard and take all the possible opportunities they can as we are all so lucky to go to such a great school.

Millfield has a vast range of opportunities and you never know where they might take you.

Heads of School

The Heads of School for this term are Diketso Karas and Charlie Kilner throughout our years here. Millfield has given me so much support from not only friends but teachers, coaches and matrons. I will miss being a part of this community.

Charlie

What’s been your biggest challenge at school?

My biggest challenge at school has been gaining the respect of my team mates that are older and younger than me when being elected captain of the basketball first team. This meant a great deal to me as the responsibility that this entailed then allowed me to inspire younger years to work hard towards an end goal as a team.

Favourite school memory?

My favourite school memory is being appointed head boy at the start of my Upper Sixth year, it has been a real

Preparing for a Christmas Carol

By Mr Pender

The much-loved and well-known narrative will be very recognisable, but using some clever theatrical (and filmed!) techniques, we hope to show this seasonal staple in a way you may not have seen, but one that will be very enjoyable!

What’s the rehearsal process like? By Inigo Edens (Scrooge) Rehearsals all begin with concise warmups involving drama games which get us active and focused on the task at hand before we begin to effectively work our way through a scene.

We have been rehearsing intensively and excitedly on the forthcoming school production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ since the beginning of the autumn term.

Featuring students in Years 11-13 in both acting and production support roles, we have also been supported by a wider team of staff assisting with an assortment of areas, from choreography to costumes.

Our vision of Dickens’ classic is to present the traditional story with an innovative approach using surprising and innovative techniques.

A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843 Dickens used his books as social criticisms for what was going on in his world.

It tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a tightfisted, mean-spirited man. He is the kind of person who rains on every parade with his sour disposition, always complaining and finding fault with everyone. The story starts on Christmas Eve, and we learn from the narrator that Scrooge’s partner, Jacob Marley, is dead as a doornail – he died seven years ago.

It is a story that reminds us that no one is all bad, and that we are capable of changing our bad ways and habits. Most of us are given second chances, but not everyone makes use of them.

We meet frequently, at lunches and after school almost every day. We first read through the scenes and vaguely block them out on stage while assigning lines amongst the ensemble cast We then work through the scene and ensure everyone knows exactly what they’re doing in the scene, despite the exhausting nature of this, enthusiasm within the cast remains high and only continues to increase as we get ever closer to the performances.

Learning to be Leaders This was then followed by an inspirational talk given by an army doctor and all her many struggles and experiences that she had endured during her life in pursuit of her ambitions, and I can definitely say that it offered a very different perspective to me about not only life working for the armed forces, but also a life in the army being a woman.

by Jasmine Nobbs Members of Lower sixth recently had the opportunity to take part in a leadership symposium along with other students from schools across the county. Here, Jasmine reflects on her day.

After waiting patiently, anticipating the arrival of the several other schools, we had a moment of time to help the students navigate themselves into the hall where we awaited our instructions for the day.

The day began with an overview of how the activities were going to run, and then we separated into groups that included people we hadn’t yet spoken to before.

We headed over to the barracuda to take part in some team building activities. At first, we were all slightly apprehensive to get to know one another. But as time passed and the sheer difficulty of some of the tasks required us to work collaboratively, we succeeded in overcoming our initial nerves and becoming quite effective as a group.

My favourite included an activity where everyone but one person in the group was blindfolded, and the person without the mask had to navigate them into an allocated area without using their voice. Luckily, I was the one navigating and it was quite amusing to watch several individuals of my group wondering around aimlessly.

We continued afterwards back in the Johnson hall with an exercise focused primarily on the art of conversation and social etiquette. At first, it appeared many were uncertain about some of the tasks, but it soon became apparent that we all needed a little guidance on how to steer conversations, and as Mrs Jackson emphasised so profoundly, we all need an interesting story to tell when we are struggling with conversation topics!

This was then followed by an inspirational talk given by an army doctor and all her many struggles and experiences that she had endured during her life in pursuit of her ambitions, and I can definitely say that it offered a very different perspective to me about not only life working for the armed forces, but also a life in the army being a woman. My highlight for the day however was the amazing food variety that was offered to us, and I know that I was not the only one to appreciate it intensely.

After lunch, we had two more activities which included presentation skills and the entrepreneur panel.

Both offered contrasting ideas but still equally as interesting and we again had the opportunity to change groups and meet new people.

I’m incredibly grateful for having had the opportunity to take part in this symposium. I believe I not only learnt an incredible amount about leadership and how it can influence people, but also had a tremendous amount of fun socialising and interacting with people outside the Millfield community I think sometimes we take advantage of the facilities available to us, and hearing so many people expressing their admiration for our school helped me remember how fortunate we are.

Millfield pupils from all year groups presented their talents in music, dance and drama to help raise money for the school’s three charities.

As ever, the evening provided a great opportunity for pupils from a wide variety of creative disciplines to showcase their wide variety of talents to a packed audience and to help raise money through collection and ticket sales.

SHOWCASE

Pupils performed contemporary music solos and as part of bands, as well as abstract and group dance routines to the delight of the crowd over three nights after auditioning for their parts in the show.

Some thoughts from Alessandro Jenny, conductor of the winning chamber choir – Martins, Kingweston and Millfield House.

I was conductor of the Kingweston chamber choir which won, and I have to say it was a great honour. House song is by far the best house competition of the year and being in chamber choir makes it even more special. You end up spending a lot of time with the chamber choir and people you don’t know well at first become good friends by the end. I myself am not very musical but enjoyed learning about the conductor role and how much actually goes into it. I was proud to see the progress that I had made from when I first started in late September to the final performance in mid-October.

On the night, nerves were high, but it was mainly excitement in the air.

Once Kingweston and Martins had performed that was a huge sigh of relief and we were pleased with our performance. When the results were being announced everyone was anxious. I was already over the moon when winning chamber choir but then to win both, chamber and main choir is something else. It was truly a night to remember.

And Samuel Ojo- conductor of the winning main choir – Choir AMartins, Kingweston and Millfield House House song is the one time of the year that everyone comes together to create something special. As a house we came together to do the unthinkable…we won chamber choir and house song. The moment the adjudicator crowned choir A as the winners, it instantly became the greatest highlight of my Millfield career.

The few weeks we had to prepare for chamber choir saw us rehearsing for a ridiculous amount of hours. We rehearsed nearly every evening and eventually rehearsed on a Sunday. We wanted it to be perfect. We may not have had the most ‘musically gifted’ people, but we had desire and passion... we had to retain our title of best chamber choir from the year before and that’s what we did.

Singing Elton John’s “Circle of Life” was a challenge especially as it was in a different language. And if that wasn’t challenging enough, we are also the smallest house in school and without a brother house. Although we were at a disadvantage, we didn’t let it stop us. We rehearsed at house after roll calls and in our free time to ensure we knew every word and every melodic pitch. It was an experience to remember.

Hopefully, we will retain our title for the third time in a row, next year.

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Mrs Haydon New Deputy Head Academic Mrs Haydon has kindly given the “Millfield Voice” a copy of the speech that she gave during assemblies to persuade us to think more closely about climate change. We hope you enjoy reading it and thinking about the issues surrounding global warming and how Millfield staff and students can contribute to make the world a better place.

My name is Mrs Haydon, I am Deputy Head Academic here at Millfield.

I am interested in lots of different things. I found it very difficult to choose my A level subjects and eventually chose science, but I am equally keen on Maths, Languages, Literature, History, Music, the world around us- and I ask a lot of questions.

Last summer I was speaking to someone about Bill Gates and they referred to him as a Renaissance man.

Does anyone know who this is? Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and one of the worlds most successful business leaders. So why ‘Renaissance Man’ I thought to myself. Asking my friend what she meant she explained that he was equally interested in the arts and the sciences, that creativity and technology were nothing without each other. I thought about this phrase a

little more.

Renaissance means rebirth. The term is used specifically to describe a period in European History from the 14th C to the 17th C – so 600 or so years ago.

I have never studied this period of history properly, so I decided to find out more. What you are going to get

The Renaissance isn't just about copying stuff. That's not a Renaissance, that's cheating as examiners will tell you. It's being inspired by the past but adding a modern twist. now is what I found out – the entire Renaissance in 7 minutes.

So, what is the Renaissance and when did it happen? In the 1300s, over in Italy, the discovery of ancient writings led to a cultural rebirth or renaissance that’s become known somewhat unimaginatively, as “the Renaissance.”

Something dull is happening but there’s something exciting - bear with me. The dull thing is they’ve done away with the feudal system an emperor or king at the top, uneducated peasants at the bottom and opted instead for a republic and everything’s run by boring middle management.

Told you it was dull.

To become a boring middlemanagement type, you need a decent education something your average Italian hasn’t had for centuries. To find it, they must go old-school. To an old school in fact, to the great libraries of the Islamic world which contain classical writings from ancient Rome and Greece. So, these Italian boffins rediscover *loads of ancient knowledge (there it is again) and classical learning enjoys something of a rebirth or Renaissance as the French like to call it and that’s the end of that. But not for long! Soon Italian sculptors start turning to the past for inspiration too, basing their statues on ones from ancient Rome and Greece and Renaissance art is born. Yes, thanks to such big-name chisel chippers as Da Vinci, Donatello and Michelangelo, the style of the past is brought back at last.

The Renaissance isn’t just about copying stuff. That’s not a Renaissance, that’s cheating as examiners will tell you. It’s being inspired by the past but adding a modern twist, which is where the poets come in. The likes of Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio who are inspired by ancient writing, …. find a new style of rhyme that more suits their time ….and become the first

poets of the Renaissance.

Before long, the painters are also relishing this Renaissance spirit.

Giotto brightens up the art world by brightening up the art world. Yes, he adds windows to his paintings, introducing light and space to art for the very first time. Then Alberti hits upon the concept of perspective, a revolution in both art and science, a system of judging when something is very, very far away and when something is very, very close.

Titian, Raphael and Botticelli all making their mark on the art world as they discover shadow and lifelike accuracy. And they don’t stop there. Having developed a taste for new concepts and fresh thinking, Renaissance man becomes what we now call a Renaissance man. Someone who’s brilliant at everything.

So sculptor Michelangelo puts down his chisel, picks up a paintbrush and turns the Sistine Chapel ceiling into a work of art.

As for our man Leonardo Da Vinci, well, there’s nothing he CAN’T do. He’s a sculptor, painter, scientist, inventor, engineer, geologist, botanist, musician and quite frankly an all-round smarty-pants.

This was 400 years ago (this is a big year for Leonardo fans as he died in 1519) and he comes up with designs for the calculator, solar power, military tanks helicopters and even a robot lion that walked and opened his chest to reveal a bunch of flowers!

Remember the republic? Well, with the emperors gone, Italians now get to vote for their leaders, and no sooner is there voting than there is vote rigging, meaning corrupt families like the Medici’s and the Borgias can bribe, buy and muscle their way into power.

The latter lot were really special, Pope’s with openly illegitimate children, incest, poisoning.

An absolute disaster, right? Wrong!

These corrupt families just love showing off, so what do they spend all their money on? New works of art! The rulers of Italy are now

personally funding the Renaissance and it goes from strength to strength.

The threat of foreign invasion only helps to fuel the march of progress, as Da Vinci, Alberti and Michelangelo start designing clever new forts to defend Italy from invaders. Now the Renaissance is harder to contain, and this new way of thinking starts spreading right around the world!

Copernicus and Galileo revolutionise astronomy. This is Copernicus’ drawing, beautifully illustrated some year’s later that show, shock horror, the sun does not go around the earth – it is the other way round! Erasmus and Descartes and Bacon become the great new thinkers of a new age, challenging the previously held view

that if sufficiently clever men discussed a subject long enough, the truth would eventually be discovered (as if). Truth required evidence from the real world they argued and thus ‘science’ was born.

So, there we have it. A melting pot of power, art, science and thinking that changed the world dramatically and gave rise to so much that we take for granted today. A simple question – what do you mean when you say that Bill Gates is a Renaissance Man? Led to a fascinating journey of discovery for me.

Now my little bit of research that summer on the Renaissance brought back memories of my time, just after

I left school, when I was interrailing with friend around Europe and we ended up in Venice. How many of you have ever been to Venice?

The history of Venice begins around 400 A.D. Frightened populations, fleeing from the barbarians sweeping down from N Europe after the collapse of the Roman Empire, sought refuge in a lagoon where their enemies did not follow them. The lagoon was relatively inaccessible, you needed ships and a knowledge of the sea to get there and the geographical isolation of these early Venetians enabled them to enjoy an independence from the successive upheavals by which Italy was now being shaken.

Venice is situated in a shallow lagoon.

It is a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges.

The two or three miles of shallow water separating Venice from mainland Italy, had not only protected Venice from invaders but effectively isolated the Venetians from the Italian political life.

Untouched by the papalist and imperialist warfare, feudalism and territorial squabbles; they fixed their attention towards the East and the rich markets of Constantinople. And so, began the great merchant empire of the Venetian Republic.

During the late thirteenth century, Venice was the most prosperous city in all of Europe.

During this time, Venice’s leading families vied with each other to build the grandest palaces and support the work of the greatest and most talented artists. This is not an assembly about art but it would be When I was there 24 years ago, we had slightly blown our budget before we arrived in Venice and could not afford to go in anywhere but there was so much to see and do just by walking and we spent three happy days sitting in squares, eating ice cream. This is the Piazza San Marco, or St Mark’s Square and at the front is the extraordinary Basilica of St Mark. It was built in the

11th century, very byzantine or eastern in its architecture, And up on the balcony are the Roman Triumphal Quadriga, or the horses of St Mark, moved to Venice from Constantinople (present day Istanbul in Turkey) in the 13th century. This is true renaissance style.

We took the children to Venice in half term last autumn (you can see here

This is about mass migration, famine and conflict. We must open our eyes to the wonderful and extraordinary planet we live on. You know this - we must do our bit – we must turn our lights off, reduce the amount of food we waste every day, we have to find alternatives to plastic and technologies for carbon capture. that I found the arty photo button on my phone) and it was just as magical as I remembered. The squares, the canals, the boats, the ice cream – it really is an extraordinary place. This time however, we had the money for the entrance fees. I had deliberately not looked at pictures of the inside of St Mark’s because I wanted it to be a surprise and I was not disappointed.

Words cannot express how stunning it is. Each golden wall is actually made of tiny mosaic venetian glass tiles, the technology of which could be an assembly in its own right.

A week before we were due to go, Venice had been hit by both storms

and very high tides and was under water.

This was St Mark’s Square two days before we arrived, and this was the beautiful St Mark’s. By the time we got there the water had gone, it smelt a bit damp, but it seemed OK. I said something like this to the guide who shook her head sadly. “You see,’ she said, ‘the columns are made of porous stone. As we stand here water is invisibly tracking its way up this building, creeping behind those mosaics, loosening the mortar, staining the stone. Twenty years of damage were done in two days Madam. This is not sustainable. “ Venice will be underwater within a century if the acceleration in global warming is not quelled and flood defences installed. The ancient and iconic city will be flooded because the Mediterranean Sea is forecast to rise by up to 140cm before 2100. The same rise in sea level is predicted to swamp a 176-mile stretch of the NW coast of Italy and this is due to greenhouse gas emissions.

As the temperatures rise due to increased production of carbon dioxide and methane, land ice melts and the sea itself becomes less dense and expands.

This is a map, courtesy of national geographic, of what is on course to happen. The pale blue line is the outline of where we currently have land. The green is what Europe would look like if all the ice melted. Look at the UK – the East has almost disappeared, and Venice does not

stand a chance. Global warming is not just about emaciated polar bears – it affects each one of us, in every country on Earth. Where will the people who live in the flooded regions go? What will they eat? This is about mass migration, famine and conflict. We must open our eyes to the wonderful and extraordinary planet we live on.

You know this - we must do our bit – we must turn our lights off, reduce the amount of food we waste every day, we have to find alternatives to plastic and technologies for carbon capture.

Are we? Are you? How much food do you waste daily? How much do you care about what you consume? I admire Greta Thunberg immensely. I want to see you being activists, being

A melting pot of power, art, science and thinking that changed the world dramatically and gave rise to so much that we take for granted today. positive disruptors, changing the way you, individually, and we, as a Millfield community do things for the better.

Think global yes – but act local.

So, I have taken you on rather a circuitous route today. From Bill Gates to 14th Century Italy to rising sea levels. Why? Because I want you to ask questions. Interested people are interesting to be around. Be interested in the extraordinary world around you, look for patterns, read, challenge the status quo and stretch yourself. Ask questions. Ask lots of them.

Four years ago, the United Nations adopted ‘The 2030 agenda for sustained development’. This agenda primarily consists of seventeen goals, which aim to create a global partnership to tackle our planet’s most pressing issues.

Number one on the list of sustainable development goals is just two words, ‘No Poverty’.

This is an ambitious goal, but such ambition is necessary.

About 10% of people worldwide live off less than £1.50 a day. This has been established as the international poverty line, and it is the line we hope that one day nobody will live below. Closer to home, there are more than ten million people living below the national poverty line in the UK. Evidently this is not a problem we can dismiss out of hand, it is one we must tackle, and tackle with a sense of urgency.

It is our responsibility, not just as students at Millfield, but as global citizens, to help other people in every way we can.

We should strive to create a better society, and we have the means to do so. Millfield has always been involved in the community, and there is no better motivation than helping those less fortunate than ourselves.

Last year we raised over £15,000 for charity and totalled over 4,000 hours of voluntary service as a school. This is an incredible achievement but now is no time to rest on our laurels. Now is a time to aim higher and strive further than we have before.

This year we aim to take the first step towards eradicating poverty in our community. We look to increase the number

of students volunteering in local food banks as well as to push student-led initiatives that tackle poverty. In March, we plan to run a sleep-out to raise money for homelessness charities, and throughout the year we want to organise a variety of other events with similar goals.

There are more than a thousand students at Millfield, and each one of us is capable of making a difference. We hope to see a great many people getting involved throughout the year, but you can do your part without just relying on us.

Whether it be giving some change to a single homeless person or raising a large amount of money for a homelessness charity, your contributions matter. You can do your part on whatever scale you find achievable. If you prefer not to get involved directly then there is still plenty, you can do.

There is a wealth of information available online on the current worldwide poverty crisis, and what must be done to tackle it. There are several TED talks, and a vast collection of articles, which all discuss the matter. This information is accessible to all of us and we should take full advantage of it.

So, go out and do some research, volunteer by yourself, or participate in events through the school. The most important thing is that you do something, because not everyone is as fortunate as us.

We would love to hear any ideas you have to offer, for events we could organise or anything else, so feel free to email me at: FRENMA@millfieldschool.com

by Max French

Taking the first steps to eradicate poverty

Training to win - catching up with Millfield decathlete Jami Schlueter What does the decathlon involve?

It is an event in athletics. Within that, I do 10 different disciplines. These are a variety of track events, shotput, long jump, hurdles, pole vault and high jump. I therefore must participate in a wide variety of training to ensure that I can do the wide variety of events.

What does a typical training regime look like?

At the moment, I am in my winter training block. My current focus is looking at my endurance, speed, and my maximum strength.

Later in the term, I will be looking at the technical side of my events by adding my long jump and my throws into my training schedule.

The easier days are always the days that I concentrate on my throws but my harder days are always at the start of the week as I have just had the weekend off and my body is feeling rested so I can maximise that training session. Pole vault is mid-week and then I move onto the throws later on in the week.

How many days does a decathlon usually take place?

It usually takes place over two days with a mixture of the events always finishing with the 1500 metres.

What was your last season like?

My last season was good as I was top of the under 17 ranking in combined events which means that I am in quite a good standing currently. I was

fortunate enough to also do well in some of the individual events as well.

For hurdles, I was ranked second in the country and for long jump I was ranked in the top four. I think sometimes being a decathlete you overlook the individual side of the events. Looking at in context, I only train once per week for my events

but to still rank nationally against the individual eventers motivates me to continue to push harder in all areas.

When did you first become interested in the sport?

You start with the event called the quadrathlon so that would have been when I was in Year 7 and I was 12.

That is 100 metres, shotput, long jump and an 800. As I won that event, I decided to have a go at pentathlon.

They keep on increasing the events and you build it up as your body gets older and more mature.

What kind of support does Millfield give to you in your training?

Firstly, the coaching that we have.

Some people back home in London only have the one coach. At Millfield, we are lucky to have specialists in all of the areas. My head of athletics, Alan Richardson plays a big part in looking at my gym, nutrition and handling school studies. The physio department help.

The institute of wellbeing and the coaches help with my strength and conditioning. The staff at Millfield are really understanding about my training needs and always willing to help me catch with academic work when needed too.

We have been talking about mental health quite a bit recently. How much do you think your ability to perform is not only based on your physical wellbeing but your emotional one too?

I think it impacts it 100%. If my head isn’t in the right place mentally and emotionally, I can’t perform to the best of my potential. One of the ways I do this is through creating a sense of positivity and calm in the environment around me, particularly leading up to my major competitions. I have found when it comes to big days either academic or sporting a good focus, clear mind and emotional calm gets the results that you targeted.

BAND of BROTHERS Upper Sixth student Will Joseph reflects on seeing his brother perform in the final of the rugby world cup.

South Africa were crowned world champions for a third time after what was, in the end, after a victory over favourites England in the final in Yokohama.

Where England shut down the All Blacks last week, the Springboks did the same to them this week. They could find no chink in the Boks defence, no space to release runners into. They had to work hard to get an inch over the gain-line and found it hard to break through the defence.

Watching the nail-biting final was current Upper Sixth student Will Joseph who gave his reflections on seeing his brother reach the final.

Jonathan is easy going, very relaxed and a fun big brother. Although he was very focused on his rugby, he always found time for family. I remember hours spent with him messing around with a rugby ball in the garden

and l loved going to watch my big brother play when he started out with London Irish.

His achievements have made me realise anything is possible. I never really thought about a moment when I knew he was really good; he was just my big brother.

Playing rugby at a high level was simply Jonathan’s job.

Like high-performing professionals in sport or any other career, he is dedicated and works hard to achieve results.

We’re a close family and we always stay in touch, and have talked and texted about the usual things brothers chat about while he’s been in Japan.

Sadly, I couldn’t go to Japan to go and watch him because I got called to a training camp over half term.

But I felt such a mixture of pride and nervousness when I saw him on the screen. It was an unforgettable moment and achievement for England to reach to that stage.

I’d really like to follow in Jonathan’s footsteps and sometime reach that stage of my rugby playing career.

It’s giving me inspiration to keep on gong through my current ambitions to ensure that I keep with my training programme, my peak fitness and my sport to ensure that I have the best chances of success.

How long have you been here and what capacity?

I am now in my fifth year at Millfield, it is frightening how quickly each academic year goes by.

I started as a part-time teacher of Business, and now I am full time whose responsibilities include being Course leader for BTEC Business and Enterprise; Assistant Housemistress of Mill and I also do a little bit of badminton and volunteering as part of the EAGLES programme working with GFM and Dementia Action Alliance.

When you were 14, what did you want to be?

I wanted to be an architect, I was fascinated with design and loved art and design technology lessons. But by 16, I had a real passion for Geography and went onto study this at A level with Economics and History and so my path began to change.

What would your school reports say about you as a student?

Last year while moving house, I came across my end of Year 11 school report, or fifth year as it was known in those days. Written by Mr Kibbler, my Group Tutor of five years he stated: “of a lively yet quietish personality she is very good natured, sympathetic and considerate towards other, cheerful and with a good sense of humour. Adaptable, honest and trustworthy, extremely well organised and exemplary in her approach to schooling”. As you can probably tell, I loved school and all it had to offer. I would like to think I have carried these characteristics into adulthood!!

Where did you study?

University of Leeds was where I furthered my studies, completing a BAJH in Economics and Geography. A big change for me, having grown up in a very small rural Yorkshire community where everyone knew everyone to living in a large cosmopolitan city. It took me a while to adjust and embrace but four brilliant years of my life.

What do you think is the most fascinating part of Business?

It’s relevance to life. It ultimately impacts on everyone. It has so many different facets and is interrelated to other subjects helping you to develop a better understanding of the world around us.

What was your school like?

I went to a small state secondary school with 450 pupils

in total. The catchment was of all the local villages and everyone pretty much new everybody. Looking back, I probably did not meet anyone my age from a town until quite late in life! Possibly why the big city was such a shock at 18!

If you could invite anyone around for a meal (dead or alive) who would it be?

Sir David Attenborough. His humility alongside the ability to be realistic about the threats facing the natural world without being judgemental would make him a perfect dinner guest. He truly inspires me to explore the world and play my part in ensuring we do all we can to tackle the real threats we now face. I would love to hear first-hand about his travels.

Standout moment of Millfield so far?

Seeing 118 students last summer become a Dementia Friend. It was great to work with a dynamic group of L6 students and five Year 9 pupils volunteering for their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award alongside Dementia Action Alliance, Street. There was so much positivity within the school community on how we can all help people live well with Dementia.

What do you do in your spare time?

I love to get outside and explore with my family. It is one of the few times when I feel I can truly escape the demands of the modern world. It is amazing how after the initial grumbles of not being able to access technology from my children we can all rediscover the art of conversation and realise that we actually have not missed anything of importance. It is the holidays which then gives us time to go further afield to discover new places together. I also love interior design and think nothing of changing a room in a weekend!

What’s your hopes and ambitions for this academic year?

To create a learning environment which is enjoyed by most, if not all!

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

Treat others the way you wish to be treated. It is the mantra I now try and in still in my children.

Mrs Miller