Canons Life - Summer 2015

CANONSLIFE The Summer Term 2015 at North London Collegiate School

FOCUS ON

THE ARTS

MIDDLE SCHOOL PRODUCTION THE WITCHES

STUDENT ART GALLERY

MATHS UPDATE

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TRIPS

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Front Cover Artwork by Qianrui Wang ,Year 11

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CANONS LIFE

MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMISTRESS Summer is a beautiful time of year at Canons and the range of activities taking place generates a wonderful spirit throughout the entire school community.Alongside successes in the sciences and maths this term, I have once again been amazed by the many creative talents of the girls, which have been on show in the musical concerts, drama productions and art exhibitions that have taken place. It is seems fitting that music and the arts continue to feature so prominently at Canons, having played such an important role in its history; the Duke of Chandos was a well-known patron of the arts and Handel was his composer-in-residence. The arts have always played an important role in the life of the School and, with this in mind, the focus of Canons Life this term is, ‘The Arts’.

North London continues to recognise the benefits of having creative and inspiring artists and musicians visit Canons, especially their positive impact on the girls’ appreciation and enjoyment of artistic forms of expression. In this Canons Life, you will be able to find out more about our first musicianin-residence, William Cole, whose residency comes to an end this term after two years at the School. We also feature an interview with this term’s artist-in-residence, Venetia Norris, one of a number of visual artists taking part in a new programme established at North London this year. We have also recently launched our ONL Arts Society, one of a number of societies to encourage networking opportunities for our alumnae and to offer support and encouragement to girls who are still at School.

Drama continues to be an important part of extra-curricular life. Fifty students from Years 7 and 8 excited, scared and thrilled their audiences in Roald Dahl’s The Witches. It was wonderful to see them perform with such insight and confidence. This term also saw Years 7, 8 and 9 participate in the original For Scene, a ‘promenade’ performance taking place at various secret locations around the School.

Contemporary 10, the Year 10 production, was another example of the innovative productions that have taken place in the drama department this term, comprising of extracts from new plays first performed between July 2014 and June 2015. As I write we are also looking forward to the annual Canons Follies revue in the final week of the academic year.

Over the Summer Term we have celebrated some great achievements in a range of other extra-curricular pursuits.

One of our Year 13 students represented the United Kingdom at the European Mathematics Olympiad. A Year 11 girl won the ‘Best Questioner’ award at the final of the National Public Speaking Competition for Schools, with the entire North London team being awarded ‘Runners Up’ overall. And a number of girls in Year 7 are through to the final of the national French Spelling Bee Competition, which will be held over the summer. We wish them the best of luck!

Our inaugural Sports Celebration Evening also took place this term, celebrating the outstanding contributions to sport by teams and individuals across the Senior School.

We have organised many events for girls, parents and Old North Londoners this term; in addition to the annual ONL Summer Picnic for friends and former students, there have been reunions for leavers from 1975, 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2012, and a networking event for ONLs working in Law. As before, girls have committed themselves whole-heartedly to community service, with house bake-sales held to raise money for the Alzheimer’s charity BRACE. The Livability Summer Party, hosted by pupils, was a great success once again, and as the term draws to a close, students are preparing to work and teach at the Flying Angels School in Zambia.

Our thirty trips each year continue to enrich the girls’ education and broaden their outlook, with exchanges to Paris, Ludwigsburg and Philadelphia and to our sister school in Jeju having taken place this term, as well as trips to numerous locations abroad including Brussels and New York.

And, building on this culture of internationalism, our students will soon benefit from even more cultural and educational opportunities abroad with the opening of our new franchise school in Dubai, planned for September 2017.

As we approach the end of another busy term, I wish you all a happy and restful summer break.

Bernice McCabe, Headmistress SUMMER 2015

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STUDENT ART GALLERY This term has seen the GCSE and Pre U Art Exhibitions in the Performing Arts Centre Galleries and in the Drawing School. The artwork this year has been outstanding and guests to the end of term exhibitions have been amazed at the skill and creativity shown by the girls.

Issy Pead - Year 13

Tara Albini - Year 13

Yasmin Verghese - Year 11

Atlanta Beck - Year 13

Rebecca Marks - Year 13

Mia Whitefield - Year 11

Ria Popat - Year 11

Elyssia de Rougemont - Year 13

Aashni Chohan - Year 11

Kaye Song - Year 13

Extra-Curricular news Public Speaking Competition

In the beautiful surroundings of Churchill College in Cambridge, the North London team, made up of Anoushka Sharp, Harriet Pinder and Lucia Rimini in Year 11, competed in the final of The ESU (EnglishSpeaking Union) Churchill National Public Speaking Competition for Schools. The standard of all eight teams taking part was exceptionally high with each team in total command of the large audience. Anoushka won the best questioner award, and missing out by the narrowest of margins, North London were awarded ‘Runners Up’ overall.

Anoushka was joined

by Harriet who gave a charismatic rendition of her speech ‘The Price of Greatness is Responsibility’, and by Lucia as a most gracious and warmhearted Chair.

Spelling Bee

After a term and a half of weekly practices, four girls in Year 7 ventured to Upminster in London for the French Spelling Bee Regional Competition.

The girls enjoyed several hours of practice and fun prior to the competition, meeting once a week to learn a list of 150 words.

Included in the list were words ranging from countries to verbs. As well as these weekly practices the girls spent time working at home to beat their personal bests. After wonderful performances by all girls taking part, two of the girls were awarded the title of North London Finalists and have been selected to take part in the National finals in Cambridge, to be held in the summer. We wish Isabelle and Dara all the best as they learn a further 50 words to compete for the National trophy.

CANONS LIFE

THE ARTS AT CANONS

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Venetia Norris, Artist-in-Residence

The Canons Life team caught up with this term’s Artist-in-Residence,Venetia Norris, and our Musician-in-Residence, William Cole, to find out about their experiences of life at Canons.

Venetia Norris, Artist-in-Residence Venetia spent ten days at North London as Artistin-Residence during the Summer Term.Venetia is a practising artist. She studied art at the British Institute of Florence, Itay, before completing a foundation year at Chelsea College of Art. She graduated with two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the London College of Fashion and the Sir John Cass School of Art.

What style of work do you create?

I create drawings inspired by nature. I love using graphite, pen, ink, paint, charcoal and gouache (a type of opaque water-soluble paint) to create marks on a surface. I am fascinated by the natural world – the

William Cole, Musician-in-Residence

dramatic curve of a stem, a collection of petals or lush leaves compel me to pick up a pencil.

What did you most enjoy about your time at North London?

North London has an incredible Art Department with talented practising artists teaching. I had a space allocated to me just by the entrance, enabling me to share my work and interact with the students. I usually prefer to create work alone, but this was a completely different environment and I really enjoyed a new perspective of sharing work in progress.

How did being ‘in-residence’ inspire your work?

Exploring the grounds and buildings of the School really inspired me. I created layered drawings that echo a sense of new and old. I wanted to produce

What do you do as a ‘Musician in Residence’?

I teach lots of classes from the Junior School up to Year 13, and fill every lunchtime with lots of orchestras, choirs, ensembles and chamber music. I have also been able to create my own groups, such as a singing group for the Sixth Formers in preparation for university Choral Scholarship applications.

William Cole, Musician-in-Residence William joined the School in September 2013 after completing his Music degree at the University of Cambridge.As well as his residency at North London, William is Music Director of a small opera company called Opera Lyrica and takes part in a wide variety of other musical work including composing, conducting, playing the piano and singing.

What has been the most enjoyable part of your residency?

work that had a real and tangible connection to the physical architecture. I took rubbings of architectural details of the old building and gardens. I was lucky to visit the School at a time when the blossom was in full bloom and framing the buildings. I drew blossom and other plants found on the estate onto the rubbings creating a conversation in lines. I chose bright and neon colours to communicate the energy and sound of the School. much else! I was lucky to receive a tremendous musical education that encouraged me to take charge, be inquisitive and create opportunities for myself.

What is your favourite piece of music?

A good question! It changes weekly – though Bach’s B Minor Mass is perhaps one of mankind’s supreme achievements.That or Paul Simon’s Graceland.

Year 13 Leavers Concert

It has been a pleasure to make music with the girls here both in the classroom and rehearsal room.There are some very talented musicians at the School, and it’s very exciting to nurture that; I also enjoy the inclusive nature of lots of the music here at Canons.

I’ve been thrilled by the creativity of my Middle School classes, who have produced many wonderful compositions over the last two years.

Why did you become a musician?

Like many musicians, I didn’t really consider doing

Year 13 Leavers Concert

Middle School Summer Concert

Music Review Musical performances, as ever, were to an exceptionally high standard with girls performing in many choirs and ensembles including the Middle School Summer Concert, the Soloists Concert and the Year 13 Leavers Concert.

Middle School Summer Concert

Middle School Summer Concert

N O R T H L O N D O N C O L L E G I AT E S C H O O L

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CANONS LIFE

PERFORMING ARTS

Contemporary 10

Over two evenings, all Year 10 Drama GCSE students presented a programme of extracts from new plays first performed between July 2014 and June 2015.This exciting concept is part of the department’s drive to explore the most current and relevant material being performed in professional theatre.

Plays featured included Radiant Vermin by Philip Ridley, Deposit by Matt Hartley, How to Hold Your Breath by Zinnie Harris and Incognito by Mike Bartlett. The performances featured a wonderful mix of styles.

The Witches Full auditoriums were treated to magical, mystical and spooky performances of The Witches. Based on the Roald Dahl text, the play tells the story of a boy and his grandmother; they travel to the Hotel Magnificent where they unfortunately stumble upon the annual meeting of witches, brazenly held under the banner of the ‘Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’ - whose sole purpose is to do the exact opposite! The cast of fifty students from Years 7 and 8 excited, scared and thrilled the audience with a wonderful mixture of horror, suspense and comedy. Girls from Years 9 and 10 helped create the world of The Witches by assisting in technical and backstage roles. Congratulations to the cast and all involved in the production, including the Director, Mrs Wettreich, for a hair-raising take on a Roald Dahl classic.

Going Nowhere

For Scene

Exploring the themes of fate, free will, prophecy and destiny, For Scene was a collection of twenty-two extracts taken from fourteen different plays, poems, songs & texts: including The Lady from the Sea by Ibsen, The Trojan Women by Euripides, The Tempest

by Shakespeare and three student playwrights.

Directed by Mr Kenwright, the girls from Years 7, 8 and 9 worked with commitment and passion to bring their extracts to life. The immersive and ‘promenade’ nature of the production with students located in different areas of the School and grounds required them to perform their work eight times to the eight groups of audience. This was an innovative and inspiring piece. We thoroughly enjoyed our journey.

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Mirroring the rehearsal routines of Shakespeare’s actors, students from Year 11 had only one full rehearsal to prepare this new play written by Miss Gibbs, Director of Drama. Going Nowhere explores what happens when a group of people find themselves stuck in traffic on the M25 when they should really be somewhere else. The Sunday afternoon audience was treated to a hugely entertaining and amusing piece and the performers must be congratulated for their skill and expertise in creating something so professional in such a short rehearsal period.

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NEWS FROM THE MATHS DEPARTMENT Challenges and Competitions

The North London mathematicians are a fearsome bunch. Last year, the girls achieved the best ever results in all three mathematical Team Challenges (Junior, Intermediate and Senior) organised by the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT).The UKMT Team Challenges promote mathematical dexterity, teamwork and communication skills.

They also give pupils the opportunity to compete against pupils from other schools in their region.This year they improved on these results in the Junior and Senior Challenges earning more certificates that ever before.The Challenge Clubs throughout the Senior School have been going fantastically well, with the launch of the new Supermentoring scheme. Enthusiasts from

the Senior Challenge club are paired up with their younger counterparts from the Junior Challenge club, so that they can pass on their skills and experience.

Girls selected for Imperial College Summer Courses

Engineering the future

Congratulations to all of the girls who have recently been selected to take part in a number of prestigious engineering courses at Imperial College, London over the summer.

Girls from Years 8 and 9 have been selected to take part in an Engineering Summer School.Two girls from Year 10 will take part in the Magic of Materials Engineering Residential, hosted by Imperial’s world-leading Department of Materials who are at the forefront of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) research.And finally eight girls from Year 12 have been selected to

take part in Headstart - Engineering in the Capital, a 3–day university style residential, organised by the Engineering Development Trust.

European Mathematics Olympiad for Girls Joanna in Year 13 has finished off her superb mathematical career at North

London by earning a place on the UK team for the European Mathematics Olympiad for Girls.After amazing results in the British Olympiad, Joanna was one of a team of four girls selected to represent the UK in the European event, held in Belarus in April. Joanna in Year 13 After completing two ‘challenging but fun’ four hour papers, Joanna was awarded a Bronze Medal and now looks forward to continuing her mathematical studies at University.

ONLA NEWS The Summer Term here at Canons has been as busy as ever for our Alumnae Team, with ONLs joining us for several great events.

We welcomed nearly 200 ONLs back to North London for 3, 10, 20, 30 and 40 Year Reunions; ONLs enjoyed the chance to reconnect with old friends, explore the School and hear about recent developments from Mrs McCabe. We are now looking forward to two further reunions in the Autumn Term.

ONLA Annual Picnic

The ONLA Annual Picnic in June was very wellattended, with ONLs and their families enjoying this informal occasion, with sporting activities and much merriment.

This term we launched a new society for ONLs – the ONLA Arts Society – with a private view at Canons of the Pre-U and GCSE Art display.

We hope that more ONLs working in this field – whether in literature, the performing arts, visual arts, production or similar sectors – will join us for future occasions.

1985 Reunion

For details of all our forthcoming events visit www.nlcs.org.uk.

We would love to hear from you with any suggestions, questions or feedback; please drop us a line at onla@nlcs.org.uk Deborah Sobel, Director of Development Poorvi Smith, Alumnae & Development Officer Emma Maltz, Alumnae & Development Officer

Class of1975

Frances Mary Buss has almost 1,500 ONL Friends on Facebook!

To become part of the ONL Facebook community, please befriend Frances Mary Buss and ask to be added to the correct group for your year.

You can keep up with the latest news about ONLs and current girls by following @nlcs1850 on Twitter.

Next term

Next term, we will hold the inaugural event for another new society: the ONLA Business Society.

Intended to bring together ONLs in the fields of accountancy, entrepreneurship, consultancy and the corporate sector, we hope that this will prove a useful forum for networking and sharing ideas.

Please join us on Wednesday 11th November, and contact us for more information.

ONLA Annual Picinc

Class of 1995

ONLs are always welcome to visit the School: please contact the Alumnae Office, at ONLA@nlcs.org.uk or on 020 8951 6475 for further information or to join any of the upcoming events.

Class of 1995

Class of 2005 N O R T H L O N D O N C O L L E G I AT E S C H O O L

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CANONS LIFE

international news Tim Suter, Chairman of Governors and Mrs McCabe signing the NLCS Dubai agreement on Founder’s Day

For past eighteen months, the School has been in discussion with an Indian company about setting up a second NLCS ‘franchise’ school in Dubai.

NLCS Dubai will be built and funded by our partners, Sobha.

Since NLCS Jeju opened, in September 2011, the benefits of this project, to our students and staff, have grown beyond expectations. The girls have benefitted both educationally and culturally, not only from the chance to go on exchange visits to a ‘sister’ school in North East Asia and to meet and work with students from a culture at the heart of this economically important region, but also from working collaboratively, whether it be through joint projects, journals or debates, with pupils from another culture. In addition, over 20 ONLs have already undertaken gap years out in Jeju: living and working in the boarding houses, and running extra-curricular and community service activities. Perhaps most importantly, thanks to this project, there are currently 16 girls here at Canons whose entire Secondary education has been funded by the income received in royalties and whose families would not otherwise have been able to fund their places at North London.

Computer Generated illustration of the proposed NLCS Dubai Buildings

For our staff, the professional development opportunities offered by the project have been significant and have been cited by those involved as the best professional development of their careers: allowing them to reflect actively on their own work and bring fresh ideas back to the London school. These opportunities have also been valuable, in recent years, in attracting high quality applicants for teaching roles here at North London.

Since signing an agreement with our partners in March 2015, we have been working to secure the licence for NLCS Dubai from the Dubai private schools regulator and the preliminary licence has now been granted. NLCS Dubai is therefore planned to open in September 2017. As with NLCS Jeju, the school will be co-educational and configured in a ‘diamond’ structure whereby girls and boys are taught together in the Junior School, in separate classes in the middle years, and together again in the Sixth Form, to reflect the NLCS ethos of single-sex education.

A particularly exciting part of this project is the opportunities for service which it will offer.

Sobha’s Chairman has devoted half of his wealth to a charitable project in Kerala in which he

supports over two thousand people across three villages there: providing food and clothing, education, healthcare, housing and jobs for young widows, and care for elderly people. The gap-year and community service opportunities offered by this project, particularly in the school and hospital located there, are very exciting, and plans are underway to ensure the most is made of these opportunities for students and ONLs. With another ‘sister’ school in the Middle East, North London will be able to offer further opportunities for cultural and educational enrichment for its pupils, professional development opportunities for its staff, as well as increased bursary provision. When the school in Dubai reaches capacity, each year’s income will fund the equivalent of five full bursaries at North London for the entire Secondary education of those girls. This represents a substantial increase in our bursary provision and one which will allow us to maintain a socially diverse intake of the brightest girls from across London and the surrounding counties.

Mr Daniel Lewis

Deputy Head (External Affairs)

Lively discussion followed on a wide range of topics, but particularly the different cultural rituals associated with food. Girls from the past two years of Student Exchanges with NLCS Jeju were among the hosting party, and we hope that the encounter may have inspired some Year 8s to think about applying for the exchange next year.

Jeju Visit

JEJU NEWS At the very start of the Summer Term, girls from Year 8, 9 and 10 hosted an afternoon visit with students and staff from NLCS Jeju. This was part of an eight day cultural tour of London by the NLCS Jeju group, and many mentioned the visit to Canons as a highlight of their trip! The visitors were given a great welcome and a tour of the School, and all enjoyed finding out what the hampers contained for their afternoon tea.

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From 8 to 10 June, 23 new members of staff who will join NLCS Jeju this summer came to Canons for the annual pre-departure induction event. The event focused on subject enrichment, including input from a range of inspiring guest speakers and workshops with NLCS (UK) departments.

The group valued the opportunity to get to know each other, and there was much conversation about the exciting prospect of moving to Jeju island.

The new teaching staff will be joined at NLCS Jeju in August by a fresh cohort of 16 Gap Assistants.

‘Gappies’ make a particular contribution to boarding house life, and are also attached to subject departments during a 5-month placement.

New Jeju Staff

The new group recently met at Canons where an excellent team spirit was immediately established. A number of ONLs and Year 13 leavers will participate in the programme later this year and we wish them every success!

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Summer Concert - Lower School

junior school news All the girls and staff in the Junior School have been extremely busy this Summer Term. The First School girls pulled on wellies and warm clothes to explore Canons as part of Grounds Day. The girls spent the day exploring the natural world around the school. From pond dipping to a mini beast hunt and kite flying, the girls had a lovely time learning outdoors. In the afternoon the girls enjoyed a visit from some birds of prey. The girls enjoyed this special opportunity to meet these majestic animals up close.

In the Lower School, Year 6 spent an exciting week away from home in France at Maison Claire Fontaine in Burgundy. They enjoyed a variety of activities including tree climbing, circus skills, creating plays in French, visiting a local market and of course, sampling local food.

Preston Montford - Year 5

With much excitement, Year 5 travelled to Preston Montford in Shropshire for a 3-day residential trip. The girls had a marvellous time exploring the countryside, collecting river wildlife, playing in a waterfall and making sketches of the beautiful views.

Year 3 transformed the Junior School into a Roman battlefield with the help of Centurion Chris!

They had a unique experience building life-size catapults and battering rams as part of their studies about the Romans.

As a wonderful finale to the term, the girls in the Lower School took to the stage for their Summer Concert. Dressed in the colours of the rainbow the girls performed music and song to delighted family and friends in the Performing Arts Centre.

Johnny and the Dead - Year 6

First School Grounds Day Roman day - year 3

Rainbow Sports Day

Lower School Sports Day

Roman day - Year 3 N O R T H L O N D O N C O L L E G I AT E S C H O O L

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SPORTS NEWS This term a new exciting event, the Sports Celebration Evening, took place on Thursday 23 April in the Senior School Hall. The evening included a prestigious guest speaker from the elite sporting world, Kate Richardson-Walsh, who was a member of the Women’s Hockey team in the London 2012 Olympics.

Her speech was highly inspirational, reflecting on the highs and lows of competitive team sport.

Sports Committee 2015-2016

A total of eighteen awards were presented to teams and individuals who enjoyed many successes throughout the season. Also acknowledged were the formidable

Mrs Ansell and Year 7 students at the Sports Presentation Evening

contributions made by many of our Sixth Form students as players or performers and coaches here at North London. It culminated in the Sports Personality of the Year award, which was voted for on the evening.

This year’s winner was Isabelle Dean in Year 12. Isabelle has most recently been selected as Team GB water polo captain, leading her team at the inaugural Baku 2015 European Games.

Congratulations to all the girls nominated and to all those receiving awards.

It was a fabulous event and we look forward to it becoming a regular event in the School calendar.

House News During this term, girls have enjoyed taking part in a wide variety of ‘Inter-House’ events including charity bake sales from Lindsay and Aitken, with each House raising over £138 and £213 respectively for BRACE, the charity funding research into Alzheimer’s. Sports has always formed an integral part of extra-curricular life at the School and internal competitive events are now focused around the

Houses; From inter-house Rounders to Year 9 Swimming Galas to Sports Day itself, the girls eagerly participated in these events and embodied the essence of team spirit.Throughout the year, the School has held regular House ‘meet-ups’ in preparation for upcoming activities in order to inspire everyone to take part.

Relationships between year groups have been greatly strengthened by

the bonds formed through the new House Activities Programme. New House Captains from Years 8 and 10 are now being chosen for the next academic year. Well done to the current House Captains and everyone in Angus, Collet, Lindsay, Aitken and Gibbons for making this such a fabulous inaugural year. We are all looking forward to the exciting events to come!

Aitken Bake Sale

TRIPS Paris

Rhineland

Dublin @nlcs1850

Chambéry

Malaga

#CanonsLifeTeam

Senior Editor: Leila Hussein (Year 11) Senior Journalist: Lizzie Quinn (Year 11) Editor: Ella Broomberg (Year10) Journalist: Jungmin Seo (Year 10)

CERN, Geneva

Staff Editor and Production: Larraine Bristow, Marketing and Communications Officer