CONTENTS INSIDE THE ISSUE
5
Foreword
9
11
Message from the Head of Junior School
Message from the Co-Chairman
20 22 24
27
36 38 40
43
51 52 53
55
sandcats & tigers
leopards
eagles
falcons
Grade 1
Message from the Head of Lower School
peacocks Grade 1
KG 2
Grade 4
Grade 8 by Zahra Ahmad
Grade 4
Grade 9 by Seungheun (Sam) Lee
oryx
Message from the Vice Principal Curriculum
Grade 5
Grade 10 by Fabi Huda
Heads of House recall their first year at NLCS Dubai
70 71 72 74 76 Le Louvre Abu Dhabi by Sam Lee, Grade 9 Javi
La fuente de la luz French Ai Weiwei Department by Arsh Chilwan, Grade 7 Javi
Global Article
NLCS Exchange 2018
Music Trip to China
The International Schools Choral Music Society
Grade 6 Biology Trip to
Umm Al Quwain
86 94
96 106
112
112 120
Creative Writing Juniors
Founder’s Day 2018
Creative Writing Seniors
Poem
by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
International Picnic by Madge Lobo Grade 6 Yibir
13 14 16 18 Message from the CAMELS Head of First School Pre KG 1
28 30 ants
Grade 2
Grade 3
TURTLES KG 1
dolphins KG 1
32 34 jackals
horses Grade2
red foxes
45 44 48 50 Message from the Vice Principal Grade 3 Pastoral Care
60 63 Grade 5 and 6 Residential Trip to Dibba
Grade 6, 7 and 8 Trip to Iceland
Grade 1 Trip to Adventure HQ
Drama at NLCS Dubai
Grade 6 by Hannah Khan
Grade 7 by Sami Klink, Tia Shah and Zayd Touhami
Grade 7 by Cecilia Haykal
Grade 8, 9 and 10 Trip to Italy
Grade 7 and 8 Trip to Louvre
67 69
77 78 81 82 84
Art at NLCS Dubai
107
108 110
122
124 126
Founder’s Day by Grade 10
Literature Week by Mrs Monaghan
NLCS Dubai c elebrates UAE’s 46th National Day
The House Competition by Sarah Jones
Sports Day by Salayla Elmasry, Grade 6 Yibir
Team NLCS 2017 - 18
Foreword It seems extraordinary to be sitting down, now nearly at the end of our first year, to write the forward to the inaugural NLCS Dubai Year Book. It’s been 6 years since I first began looking at the possibility of opening a school here in Dubai, on behalf of North London Collegiate School. In that time there have been many challenges to overcome and many hours of work. And yet, here we are: a thriving school of over three hundred students and sixty staff. When I reflect on what’s been achieved here, what strikes me is not so much the fantastic lessons I’ve seen taught, nor the wealth of extra-curricular activities and trips our students have enjoyed; it’s not really the countless sporting achievements and personal bests, nor the superb musical and dramatic performances we’ve enjoyed; it isn’t the outstanding facilities which afford our students every opportunity to develop their interests and skills; it isn’t the competitions they’ve won, the progress they’ve made, or the tests in which they’ve excelled. For me, it’s the spirit of the School that matters most. The everyday human interactions and the quality of those human relationships that forge our community. It’s those big moments, when we come together to celebrate, or commemorate, and it’s those small moments: of care for a fellow student, of gratitude to a good friend – it’s the kind word to someone who’s in need of one. At the end of this first year, I see a school in which students encourage and support each other, in which colleagues greet each other warmly, in which teachers know their pupils well and in which those pupils feel happy, safe and supported. I see a school with positive and engaged parents, who love to get involved, and who help each other too. I see a group of committed and enthusiastic staff, who enjoy each day and who give unreservedly of themselves to their students. Yes, we are academically ambitious. Yes, we believe in stretching every student. And yes, we want to play well, win well and succeed. But it’s the quality of who we are, the choices we make, the character we show which will define us as individuals, and as a school: a school of which I am so very proud to be a part. When we open our doors to several hundred new students in September, I feel confident that they will quickly feel part of our community, that they will be warmly welcomed, and become well-known and recognised for who they are and what they can bring to our school. They will pick up the story of this school and carry it on with us, and the story will change and grow but the spirit of the school is set now and it falls on all of us to ensure that it endures. At the end of an extraordinary first year, I would like to thank all of you: for the trust you placed, for the work you gave, for the time you spent, for the energy and determination you showed. I wish you all a well-earned rest and an enjoyable break over the summer holidays.
Daniel Lewis Principal NLCS Dubai
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www.nlcsdubai.ae
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SOME OF THE
GOVERNORS & THE PRINCIPAL ON FOUNDER’S DAY
School Governors (Left to right) Mr. Rohan Bhaskar Mr. Khawar Mann OBE Mrs.Edwina Viel Mr. Bernard West Mr. Ajay Rajendran Mrs. Jules Quinn (Chair of Governors) Mr. Daniel Lewis Other Governors Mr. Josh Herlihy Mrs. Bernice McCabe OBE
Message from the Co-Chairman Dear NLCS Dubai Family, It is my privilege to write to you on the completion of a successful first year. As I reflect upon our journey, I cannot help but feel extremely proud of what we have achieved. The journey with NLCS began several years back, but it seems like not that long ago when I was sitting in a popular Dubai cafĂŠ enjoying a delightful cup of English tea, having one among a series of discussions with Bernice (Mrs. Bernice McCabe) about the education philosophy of NLCS and the opportunity to deliver an NLCS educational to discerning families in Dubai. Through these interactions and my several visits to the London campus, I experienced the energy and positivity in the pupils there. It was clear to me that each NLCS child was special and was capable of achieving great things in life. I also learned about the uncompromising focus and a genuine passion for work that NLCS instils in every child. I was convinced that this was the standard of education and ethos that we wanted for our families in Dubai. Today, when I walk the corridors of the school, my heart swells with pride and satisfaction in the knowledge that we have managed to give our parents exactly what we had promised a year ago. I would like to extend my congratulations to Mr. Lewis and his team of teachers for the amazing job they have done in the very first year of our founding. Several parents who have visited the school have said that the school does not feel like a new school, which is a great testament to the way in which Mr. Lewis and his Senior Leadership Team have gone about running the school. I am proud that Mr. Lewis and his extraordinarily talented teaching staff are successfully delivering the same NLCS standard of education to every child that walks through our doors.I also would like to thank the NLCS Community, our families, for taking the leap of faith in bringing their children to us and entrusting us with their futures. We are very excited to welcome our new cohort of students in 2018, and hope to grow from strength to strength in the new year. I am confident that the entire NLCS Dubai Community is with us with their unequivocal support in making this the best school community in Dubai for many years to come.
Ajay Rajendran Co-Chairman Sobha Group
Message from the Head of Junior School As I reflect on our first year at NLCS Dubai, I feel a real sense of pride in what has been achieved, from all areas of our the school community. Last August, teachers and teaching assistants were busy preparing for the year ahead and the building was in its final stages of completion; it was hard to imagination what the school would be like once the students arrived. On the 10th of September, when we opened the doors to our first students, it was such a special day, filled with mixed emotions: joy, excitement, pride and apprehension. We have an amazing group of students who have achieved extraordinary things this year in sport, music, drama, as well as within the classroom. Seeing the students grow in confidence, take risks in their learning, try new things with enthusiasm and enjoyment has been a pleasure. Highlights for me include the School’s opening, Scarecrow’s Christmas, Planet Plenty, Founders’ Day, all our class assemblies and the International Picnic. These events have all bought the school community together to share key events and to celebrate the contributions of students to the life of the school. Working with a team of inspirational teachers and delightful students so willing to learn, has made this year memorable. Thank you to staff, parents and above all the children, for making NLCS the place to be - a school that everyone is proud to be part of, where children come first and thrive, where everyone is valued and where the school is at the heart of the community.
Emma Navin Head of Junior School NLCS Dubai
Message from the Head of First School What an incredible inaugural year we have had in the First School at NLCS Dubai. It has been an absolute privilege to work alongside the amazing First School teachers, who have provided an outstanding learning experience for the students in a supportive and inspiring learning environment. The very first day will be unforgettable for me - welcoming all the families who I had met in the months leading up to our opening. As both parents and children walked through the revolving doors of the Glassy Porch, I was met with faces full of excitement, some a little nervous, pristine uniforms, fresh haircuts and an eagerness to discover who their class teacher would be and where their new classroom was located. This side of the school year, each morning I am still greeted with the same levels of enthusiasm and beaming smiles; as I welcome the families upon arrival, I am pleased to see the children skipping through the school doors. The teachers have most definitely created a very happy First School. The First School students enjoy our safe and culturally diverse school, developing their intellectual, emotional and social potential. We encourage our students to not only excel academically, but to ‘try themselves out’ and participate in the many different activities that we provide. One example of this would be when only four months into the year, the First School were tasked with putting on the very first NLCS Dubai production. This magazine is a unique record of a year in a school, but this first one is even more special as it documents a moment in the history of NLCS family. In an international school with its mobile population of families and teachers, it is a particularly important record that can be picked up over the years and reflect back on what was a truly special time in our lives. With nearly 70 student nationalities represented this year at NLCS Dubai, we can truly say that we are an international community. As the history of NLCS Dubai continues to evolve, this first year has set the tone that has included a challenging curriculum, service to others, mutual respect, celebration of cultures, caring staff, parents as partners, which all help NLCS Dubai students to become responsible and cooperative global citizens. I am super excited to see how our First School students mature and blossom over their time with us. Thank you to our special community of parents and students. You have made this first year a magical and memorable one.
Georgina Williams Head of First School NLCS Dubai
CAMELS
Pre KG 1
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Teacher: Miss Fran Scanlon Teaching Assistants: Saja and Lauren It only seems like yesterday when, on our adventures around the school, the stairs in the atrium were a challenge to climb and everything looked overwhelming big! Pre KG’s transformation this year has been a privilege to behold. Starting the year with musical flair, we were lucky enough to have many guest musical performers, including Mr. Lyall and Mr. Smith, who helped us dance to our own beat, with confidence and enthusiasm. Our celebration of colour literally turned the oval, us and our parents, multicoloured and we loved sharing the experience with everyone. We were excited to then turn our fingers green and create new school vegetable gardens: We planted and took care of our plants each day, giving them sun and water and always checking whether there was something to eat! Each day in Pre KG we have continued to grow and learn; our experiences, investigations and adventures have helped us to learn about the world around us and ourselves. Each week in our yoga and mindfulness sessions, we send out our wishes and love to the world. Pre KG - my wish is you continue to shine like the amazing stars you are on your NLCS Dubai journey.
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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TURTLES
KG 1
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Teacher: Miss Amy Reeves Teaching Assistant: Daisy Booth What a whirlwind of a year it has been! Seeing how the building has developed from a construction site to a place to nurture and learning, has made me extremely proud to be a part of the NLCS family. I have been lucky enough to have taught 15 of the most enthusiastic, creative and independent little Turtles, whose witty personalities and beaming smiles have made the past year extremely enjoyable. Celebrating National Day with a camel in Budge Square, organising the First School Founder’s Day with a beautiful daffodil procession and watching my class’ confidence blossom during their first class assembly, have been some definite highlights - not forgetting getting to meet and work with a wonderfully supportive group of people. I am looking forward to taking on new challenges next year!
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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DOLPHINS KG 1
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Teacher: Miss Nathalie Allen Teaching Assistant: Karen Kirina We started our journey together, as seedlings in the dust, nobody quite sure of how we would blossom or how the flower bed would define us. With sprinklings of Nurturing, a Love of Learning, Compassion and Success, the NLCS inside all of us, began to quickly progress. We understand that each and every one of us has different talents and paths to follow; that’s why our petals shine differently and we love each other’s glow. The fact that our individuality is desired and our personal tracks carved, has made us all realise that we can mark our own cards. Within us there are budding leaders, actors and engineers, teachers, philosophers and those who are environmentally geared.We feast on concepts, gaining the appreciation of how and why, developing open-minded personas, with all limitations put aside. We have expressed ourselves through fairy tales, traversed the diverse canvas of our world, experimented with materials and found a community feel. We dazzled with our class assembly, comprehending concerning world issues, all before becoming five. Performing on stage, at such a tender age, was one risk even we weren’t sure we would survive. Together we have formed a garden, bright and sunny all year long, where we see each other as inspiration. When you belong to such a community, these triumphs are a breeze; we make tremendous progress with confidence and ease. We continue with our flower bed clear, left open for all to witness, how we will always flourish, year after year.
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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Sandcats & tigers KG 2
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Teacher: Mrs Annalisa Harris and Ms Anyla Ahmed Teaching Assistant: Rameeza Syed and Sophie Dyball Wow, what a fantastic year! We are so proud to have been the KG2 teachers and to have been able to watch the children grow and develop so much over the school year. We have enjoyed getting to know one another and we are a class family. The children have really enjoyed every aspect of their learning; they loved learning about animals and visiting the Aquarium. Our third unit about Imagination and expressing ourselves really ignited the children’s own imaginations and we became a classroom of authors, artists and performers! They’ve loved all of their school trips, performances and events in school. The children have worked so hard and made so much progress this year- I can’t believe our first year together is coming to an end already. They really do make me smile everyday and I am looking forward to watching them flourish even more in Grade 1.
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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leopards Grade 1
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Teacher: Miss Noorhan Abdul-Nabi Teaching Assistant: Michelle We remember our first day in Grade 1: An immense bright space in an open atrium, nameless little faces that would soon become a family. One thing became immediately apparent - we would spend our time well together. From the time spent in the PAC as Scarecrows, Elves and Rockin’ Robins during the winter production, to the time spent in anticipation of another smoky letter from our friendly fire breathing dragon, inspiring the creative writers in us to re-envision the journeys of Jack, little Red and Goldilocks. Our thirst for knowledge and inquisitive natures grew with each Unit of Inquiry. We approached new learning experiences with fascination and curiosity.We appreciated our parent visitors who transformed our classrooms into different countries with artifacts, food and music - making it possible to bring the whole world to our door. Our learning community took shape that very first morning and we’re excited see it grow as we continue our journey onto Grade 2.
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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peacocks Grade 1
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Teacher: Miss Claire Lind Teaching Assistant: Angela Randev Principled, Proud Peacocks we quickly became, Embracing NLCS and the PYP was the aim of the game. Attributes and attitudes, no goal too tall, Caring, balanced, we have it all! Once upon a time a dragon visited us too, Celebrations and traditions, we have enjoyed more than a few. Knowledgeable inquirers we will continue to be, Soaring through life, a Proud Peacock will always be me!
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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Message from the Head of Lower School The Lower School of NLCS burst into life as we opened our doors and welcomed our very first cohort of students. Seven excited and eager teachers met with 89 faces, full of anticipation. Our wonderful team of teachers did not fail to deliver. Six units of inquiry have been delivered to these students, encompassing a whole range of skills, experiences and learning opportunities, from creating their own biospheres, to dissecting brains to help us explore how the brain works.There have been many amazing trips: residentials to test out our risk taking and team work abilities; beach cleans to help clean up our local area; a trip to Sustainable City to see how we could use renewable energy to make change to improve our environment, and many more. Leadership opportunities have been created this year with the election of four House Captains to work closely with the Senior School House Captains and the formation of the School Council. It has been brilliant to see these students take hold of the leadership opportunities they have been presented with. Above all though, we have created here in the Lower School’s inaugural year, a community, a spirt that has aspiration and achievement at its core. Students and staff members work harmoniously to create a rich environment full of learning and creativity. I am immensely proud and honoured to have such a great team of professionals working alongside me, and cannot wait to see the Lower School continue to grow and prosper as we move into the next academic year.
Hannah Smith
Head of Lower School NLCS Dubai
ants Grade 2
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Teacher: Miss Jordana Worthington Teaching Assistant: Joanna Cooper From learning about famous landmarks such as the Colosseum and the Eiffel Tower, to visiting the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, Grade 2 Ants have had such a busy year. They have learnt so much from interacting with the world around them, including having their own class pet! “We got to put him on the carpet and let him roam around for a while, it’s also great that we get to take turns taking him home so we can all get to know him.” The Ants class are absolutely loving the responsibility of looking after a real life animal. They have been motivated to learn and have grown so much from the beginning of the year. Good luck in your journey through the school – I know it will be an amazing adventure!
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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horses Grade 2
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Teacher: Miss Coral Huby Teaching Assistant: Joanna Cooper
The opening of NLCS Dubai, has left us all on such a high. It surely wouldn’t have been as good without the jolly sound of the sheer amount of work that had to be done, in busy old Grade 2. We started the year with a wow, making crystals which beautifully now still hang in our window, a reminder of where we began and what we love. Inquiry, from the start, we saw curious minds, loving hearts and more. All the learning from structures and earthquakes, to the juicy writing and mastery maths that makes my head hurt trying to keep up with it all; thank goodness the children were so on the ball, in brilliant old Grade 2. Friendships changed, new ones were found. To have been able to watch this, to be around has been a true privilege and one I’ll cherish. And so I’ll leave you all with a final message: Remember to be kind, always and smile, help others and go that extra mile. Continue to strive in all learning you get, keep pushing yourself, trying to never forget, if you don’t try, you’ll never know just what you actually could show. Remember to still come and see me and wave as you move on to exciting Grade 3.
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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jackals Grade 3
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Teacher: Mr Alex Durston Teaching Assistant: Sobia Jamil In this inaugural year of NLCS Dubai, I feel incredibly privileged to have taught in Grade 3. The students’ ability to impress me week by week is astounding. This year alone they have created T-shirts with unique and original designs; performed their socks off in a wonderful ensemble play in our incredible PAC; sung in front of the whole school, including pupils, staff, parents and honoured guests in our first Founder’s Day service; impressed everybody (even rival schools) with their abilities in the swimming pool and on the sports fields and have showed resilience and openmindedness in this year of change for everybody at the school. No matter what the challenge, Grade 3 has represented the school in the best possible way and I am proud to call myself their teacher. I have no doubt that continuing at NLCS Dubai will only lead them onward and upward to even greater achievements!
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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red foxes Grade 3
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Teacher: Miss Jessica Brewer Teaching Assistant: Sobia Jamil Like a caterpillar, we slowly slithered into the daunting, expansive building that is now our home: NLCS Dubai. Despite feeling shy, we were excited to begin our new chapter in Grade 3. Feeding our brains with inspiring maths and fascinating Unit of Inquiry topics, we have expanded our learning. We have appreciated parent visitors giving us an insight into their life journeys and business ventures. Our outlooks have evolved as we have understood the value of the learner profile attributes, becoming more open minded along the way. We have an abundance of favourite memories between us, from Ellis Island drama to residential adventures.We have run daily miles, made tasty smoothies and performed powerful productions and assemblies. We have immensely enjoyed our ECAs and events such as National Day. We are ready to go into our summer holiday cocoon and flutter off into Grade 4 to continue our NLCS journey.
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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eagles Grade 4
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Teacher: Mr Stephen Phee Teaching Assistant: Romana Farhat This year Eagles class have been on a fantastic journey of learning and self-discovery. In the inaugural year of NLCS Dubai, we have all successfully conquered the challenges of: making new friends; finding our way around the fantastic new building (often getting lost in the process) and settling into a new school environment. There have been many moments to remember, from trying to remember everyone’s name on day one, to children completing the leap of faith whilst on residential at Kalba (I’m still recovering from this!). My particular highlight has to be the whole of Grade 4 rapping to ‘Ice Ice Trekking’ during Shackleton The Musical. The children have constantly impressed me with their tenacity and resolve and the manner in which they have worked to embody the PYP Learner Profiles. They have been fantastic communicators and have worked collaboratively to great effect in all of our Units of Inquiry. I have also been touched by the caring nature, which they have developed through the year; comforting a classmate whilst upset or giving extra support when someone finds something challenging. I will be sad to say goodbye to Eagles class at the end of the year, but also immensely proud at what they have achieved. Good luck next Year Eagles and always remember... Eagles soar because they always focus on their goal.
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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falcons Grade 4
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Teacher: Mr Jon Mounsey Teaching Assistant: Romana Farhat What an incredible inaugural year we have had at NLCS Dubai! We all faced the challenge of a new beginning: making new friends; exploring a new school; becoming familiar with new subjects and for many, a new country. Grade 4 has grown in so many ways this year. Yes, the number of pupils in the year group has increased and we are all a little older. More importantly, we have all grown in character. It has been incredible to watch the children learning about and embodying the IB Learner Profile Attributes. They demonstrated that they were caring and open-minded from day one, working together and welcoming new comers to the class. They have been risk takers, not only in their attitude to work, but also when on camp at Kalba this year and whilst performing on stage in both the lower school production of Planet Plenty and our class assembly (more affectionately known as Shackleton the Musical!). They have impressed us repeatedly with their collaboration and communication skills and we know they are well prepared to achieve great things next year. Well done Grade 4!
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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oryx Grade 5
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Teacher: Mr Paul Carmody Teaching Assistant: Manjula Kakulavarapu As I walked into my new classroom, I might as well have been stepping into a moonscape. My mind was blank and everything was new and alien to me. Fear loomed ominously in the corners of my mind, but slowly it dissipated. We slowly got to know each other with those now familiar ice breakers. We made our own tight friendship circles. After our first week, we were a fully functional team, ready to learn at all times. Over the course of the year, we have visited many places and experienced many amazing moments, such as our trip to Dibba in the gulf of Oman. In class, we have set ourselves to work on many tasks including our half-term assessments. We tried hard to succeed at our goals and objectives and in the end, we are ready for Grade 6. Tara McNaught and Alex Fann - Grade 5
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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Message from the Vice Principal - Curriculum A North London Collegiate School academic ethos is a special one; it asks a lot of students and teachers and creates a culture of high expectations; a love of learning; passionate subject specialists and academic success. This year the teachers and students have fully embraced this ethos and have created a special place in the academic landscape of Dubai. The first monitoring visit by NLCS London took place in October. On the first day of this visit, former Headmistress of the London school, Mrs. McCabe, said that it felt like a North London Collegiate School, right from the moment she walked through the door. The teachers have created an environment where the students enjoy their lessons, are engaged and strive to be successful. This has come from lessons based on passionate subject knowledge, which inspires and enthuses the students. Students have regularly commented on how much they enjoy their lessons because the teaching is rigorous and exciting. Outside of the classroom, the teachers have delivered a rich programme of Nicholson Lectures.These are lunchtime lectures open to all members of the school community and have included topics from The Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival to Classical Opera.A number of parents have also delivered lectures on topics such as earthquake engineering and being a Bollywood actor. The senior students have created the beginnings of a rich Academic Society programme. They have run a Societies fair for the younger students and have given assemblies and run events during lunchtimes. The Maths Society gave an entertaining assembly where students pitted their knowledge of Pi to as many decimal places as they could remember; Green Club delivered a poignant assembly on the impact of plastic on the planet and how we as a school help to maintain a sustainable future; Literature Society ran a subject focus week, with a live question and answer session with an author in the UK and a Drop Everything and Read competition. The students have fully embraced what it means to be in an NLCS school and have laid the foundations for the new students joining us in September. They have created an atmosphere where everyone has the highest expectations of themselves, without limits. Having been part of the group of teachers who set up NLCS Jeju in 2011, I am immensely proud at what has been achieved in this first year and am confident we have replicated a true NLCS ethos here in Dubai. I am looking forward to seeing the students and teachers take this forward into next year as the school grows and continues to inspire many more young people here in the UAE.
James Monaghan VP Curriculum NLCS Dubai
Message from the Vice Principal - Pastoral Care The end of the first Year of NLCS Dubai is fast approaching and it seems appropriate to reflect on all that has been achieved by the Senior School students. The pastoral system continues to develop, with the House structure playing a significant part in ensuring that all students are fully integrated in to NLCS Dubai. Each student has been involved in House Competitions and they all take pride in their House achievements. Currently, three of the Houses are separated by two points with only two competitions remaining. The House Music event is currently generating an excellent level of competition, with all students involved in this final activity of the year. As the year has progressed, it has been wonderful to witness many individuals growing in confidence. This has been clearly evidenced by the weekly Student Led Assemblies that have involved a large number of the students throughout the year. Their subject passion is also clear to see from these fine and inspiring performances. Mr. Lewis’s commendations are held on a fortnightly basis and provides the students with an opportunity to share with him all the successes they have enjoyed, both in and out of School; these range from sporting achievements to students being commended for their participation in an MUN conference. I am however, most proud of our students when they are inspirational ambassadors for our School. Each individual has risen to the challenge of taking tours and answering any questions visitors may have, with knowledge and confidence. The feedback from the wider community has shown that our students have fully embraced the NLCS ethos and are able to share it positively. It is with great anticipation that I look forward to welcoming the coming academic year.
Lisa Lobo
(Acting) Vice Principal (Pastoral Care) Head Of House (Javi) NLCS Dubai
Grade 6 by Hannah Khan
For sixth graders, it has been a thrilling year, especially since it was our first year in secondary school. We all felt a little nervous, but mostly excited. After interviewing some students, we found that nerves were common but even just after the first week, we felt settled; the big, shiny steel and glass building was quickly becoming our School. The first term was packed with staff presentations, choosing house mascots, musical events and a Grand Opening. Learning about Houses and getting to know fellow students in House assemblies, really felt like we were learning from each other, and before we knew it, the second term was upon us. We had some new joiners and soon they also felt a part of the North London family. We asked them how it felt joining in the middle of the year and they said that they were treated with a warm and happy welcome. During the second term there were several school trips including the Grade 5 & 6 residential; an unforgettable experience! After all the excitement of a hectic term everyone was feeling tired and ready for a break.
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Artwork: Ameera Lavers - Grade 6 Javi
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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Grade 7 by Sami Klink, Tia Shah and Zayd Touhami
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Grade 7 in other words, is simply amazing. We are culturally diverse and are all always keen to discover and learn about each other’s cultures. We are all ambitious learners and risk-takers because we are not afraid to try out new things and to learn about them. We are all talented in different subjects and strive to help each other to succeed. We care for each other and are courteous at all times. Though our grade is always looking out for fun activities to do, when it comes to work and study, we always give our best in class and we are always focused. We are always inquisitive and are often capable of creating outstanding and creative work, most of the time independently.
www.nlcsdubai.ae
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Grade by Cecilia Haykal
The first day at NLCS Dubai was very different from my expectations. I thought that everyone was going to be strict, competitive and very hardworking to a point where I wouldn’t have been able to catch up. However, I was ready to accept the new environment and my expectations were completely mistaken; everyone was friendly, kind and welcoming. All my worries were gone when I met my new schoolmates. They welcomed me and I developed very strong bonds with my new friends. 50
YEAR BOOK 2017-18
Grade by Zahra Ahmad
Grade Eight has been, in a nutshell, eventful. Ranging from exchanges, to trips abroad, to representing the school in fixtures, each and every one of us has represented the school with pride. From the moment I stepped in the school, I was unsure about what to expect and who to expect, and as the year has flown by, we have grown closer and stronger than ever.To be the first grade to be asked to complete the MYP program has been scary, and the demands of the school are different to others, but because of this we have all grown for the better. In this school, we have accomplished a lot of firsts, and let me be the first to say that we couldn’t have done it better. Easter break brought the prospect of visiting Iceland for some of us – walking behind waterfalls and swimming in geothermal pools made for a school trip of a lifetime! Suddenly it was term three, which meant final year exams! With focus and hard work, we pushed through and we are now preparing for the festive arrival of Ramadan. www.nlcsdubai.ae
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Grade by Seungheun (Sam) Lee
On the first day of school, there was an awkward silence amongst the grade 9s in the class, and we could not even say ‘hi’ to the person next to us! Looking back, we were the quietest grade in the senior school. However, now, we know our friends inside out, and we all care for each other the most. We love the fact that our teachers seem to enjoy teaching us so much. We think that this is because we have all gained so much confidence. We have done things that we would never have dreamed of. Maryam read a poem in front of hundreds of people on Founder’s Day; Sam performed at the British Embassy and we have all been involved in leading assemblies throughout the year. Grade 9 is not made up of separate groups; we are one tight knit collection of amazing people. We are looking forward to seeing just how far we can go together next year. 52
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Grade by Fabi Huda
One couch. That’s all you need to seat the entire Grade 10. “You’re very special,” Mrs. Monaghan says, as she talks about us. A diverse grade with nationalities from all over the world, it’s just the eight of us who make up the grade 10 in NLCS Dubai. Creative, courageous and maybe a tad bit chaotic. Finding ways to challenge ourselves and to try and push ourselves beyond expectations, we stick together as a tightly knit group. Whether it be fitting into a curriculum, or trying to understand concepts in subjects we have never done in the past, we play to each other’s strengths to help each other out. We came together as strangers, but now we form the most formidable and dynamic team. www.nlcsdubai.ae
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Heads of House recall their first year at NLCS Dubai As we look back at the first year of NLCS Dubai, there is a real sense of pride and accomplishment. With the Senior School being relatively small, it has meant all students have been able to get to know each other quickly. The vertical House system has been a real asset in helping the students forge friendships across all grades. A few weeks into the first term, the four Houses started on their quest to create their own identity. The inaugural cohort were in a unique position to develop their House mottos and define their attributes, ones that will be carried on for years to come. The final project was to decide on a House mascot and design a House logo. It was fantastic to see their hard work come to life when the banners and flags were revealed during the Sports Day Competition. There have been many House Competitions this year which have given every student an opportunity to display their talents. The wide range of events, from sporting challenges to academic and dramatic endeavors, meant every student has had their chance to shine. The House Captains: Alexia, Tanya, Josh and Hyemin have been excellent ambassadors for the School and their Houses and have been proactive and diligent in their leadership. The Student Council members: Janna, Cecilia, Haeun, Naba, Shalini, Sami, Tiwa and Madge have collated the ideas of their respective Houses and brought some great discussions to the Council Forum. The students have made their voices heard, changes have occurred, and new ideas have been taken forward. The Publicity Officers: Hannah, Anoushka, Sam and Alya have devoted their efforts to ensuring signs and displays have been made for House events. Form times in the mornings and afternoons have been a highlight of the week, with each Form creating their own traditions, such as: sharing customs, teaching new languages and question time to name a few. We have been extremely proud of our Houses and all that they have achieved in this first year at NLCS Dubai. We look forward to the growth of the Senior School and all that it will offer. Kristine Lewis
Christopher May
James Mower
Lisa Lobo
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E S U
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Joshua
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YEAR BOOK 2017-18
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YEAR BOOK 2017-18
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Grade 5 and 6 Residential Trip to
dibba
Huichan Jung Grade 5 Oryx
In February, from the 19th to the 21st, my class had the first residential trip in Grade 5. We had fun activities with a company called ‘Absolute Adventures’, in a place called Dibba. The first day was fantastic! When we arrived, we changed to our swimming suits right away and went to the beach. Mr Carmody and the adults split us into two groups. My group build a boat with bamboo sticks and some small, empty water tanks. I loved it so much because it made us show off the skills that we had learnt in class. Meanwhile, the other group did beach games while were we were making our awesome boat. The night of the first day was my favourite because we went in the tent and did lots of fantastic activities. For example, the best party move you can do. Mr Carmody was amazing! The next day we did rock climbing and mountain biking. I achieved one of the learner profile attributes as I was a ‘risktaker’ by rock climbing on real rocks for the first time. I loved the trip, plus the food was amazing! The activities made us become better communicators, team-workers and risk-takers. Dibba Days by Grade 5 Oryx
Lukas Schmidt
Before my memory of those fun Dibba Days Becomes nothing more than a haze, I would like to say a little something About our amazing stay. I my dorm. I had a fun group of six, Some small, Some clever, And even a new kid. We would laugh, We would chat, And smile at this and that. We had good fun In those good old Dibba Days. 60
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Ameera Lavers Grade 6 Javi
While on our breathtaking trip to Dibba, we went rock climbing in the mountains on different rock faces.This required a lot of trust as the belaying team needed to pull the climber up and down the mountain.This was essential because the climber’s life was in their hands, which made it more sensational. After putting on our safety harnesses we trekked up the mountain; it was an amusing, yet terrifying adventure. We managed to trek up to the different climbing courses and we were stunned because of how high we had to climb. However, when we finished one course we were courageous to climb more. After an exhilarating few hours we trekked back down the mountain and we walked back to the camp. We will never forget the new, lively and enjoyable experience we had.
Janna Hindawi Grade 6 Hafeet
It took about four hours by bus to arrive at Dibba. This was a new adventure for the Grade 5 and 6 students and teachers. We were given three activities: setting up a tent at camp, kayaking, and climbing. Kayaking was my favorite. Before kayaking, the instructors taught us how to actually kayak. We were then able to choose a partner and go on a kayak in the sea, but we had to help bring the kayaks back to the shore of the beach. When we arrived back on shore, we rushed to play a series of games. My favorite game was when we were put into groups. The groups were called: orange, banana, and apple. Once the instructors called out one of the groups’ names, if we were in that group, then we had to jump up and down three times and say we are that fruit.Then, we had to quickly change kayaks with another person from the same group. It was a bit of a train wreck, because people started falling into the water. Although we got wet and soaked, it was an amazing experience. After drying ourselves, we went onto the next activity: climbing. This was a very challenging activity, but many of us accomplished it. Finally, it was time to eat. Many of us enjoyed our dinner. Quickly after we finished eating, we were allowed to play one last game. When we finished, it was time for bed. Some of us felt a bit homesick or scared, but had our friends to help us and so got through the night. Overall, this was an amazing and unforgettable experience for the Grade 6s and I. We learned many new things.
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Madge Lobo Grade 6 Yibir
When I was given the opportunity to go on a two-night residential to Dibba, Oman, I was overjoyed. All though there were so many to choose from, my favourite activity has to be the rock climbing.To begin with, we learnt how to belay and tie ourselves properly. This was an interesting skill that I can now add to my repertoire. We were put into groups of five and were allowed to start climbing! My group was coached by Stuart; he gave us all the information we needed to complete the climb. We also picked up lots of climbing terms such as different hand holds. The second climb was my favourite - it had a slightly more difficult route but I was able to complete it in just 25 seconds! Climbing was an incredible experience that I will never forget.
Mehdi Touhami Grade 6 Javi
My favorite and most challenging part of this trip was the rock climbing. At first, we had to climb a mountain until we arrived at the area where we were going to climb. There were hundreds and thousands of small rocks that could easily make us trip and fall to our death, however, everyone managed to stay safe. Once I started climbing a rock, I didn’t stop. It looked much easier than it actually was and thinking of the fact that there was a chance that I would die, made me scared, but in the end, I made it to the top. I felt relieved when I first stood on stable ground. I certainly regret being afraid of rock climbing and the next time I get the chance to go rock climbing, the answer will be a definite yes!
Aarav Kalwani8 Grade 6 Javi
As we entered the dhow boat, which was bobbing on the emerald green water, I felt a sudden rush of excitement as I heard the engine roar to life. We cruised on the still, balmy waters feeling the cool breeze rush through our hair. We anchored close to the shore of a deserted island, with only a bleating mountain goat in sight. We dived into the chilly waters, and had a wonderful time, playing water sports, and had an exciting time learning how to play ‘Save the President’. This was my favourite memory of my trip to Dibba. 62
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Grade 6, 7 and 8 Trip to
iceland
On the 25th of March we all travelled along with Mr May, Ms Saavedra and Miss Huby to the land of fire and ice‌. Iceland! The aim of the trip was to see some of the geographical features we have been looking at in lessons in real life but also to see just how beautiful and powerful this small nation in the middle of the North Atlantic is.
What did we aim to do? To see the country in all its glory – the ice, snow, wide expanses of grasslands, water so clear you could see the bottom of the lake, glaciers that were so blue with black lines telling the stories of past eruptions, homes built to withstand the winter storms and coastlines as black as night. To touch the sharp and rough lava stones filled with bubbles of gas; to touch the angular basaltic columns; to touch the icebergs washed up on diamond beach but not to touch the ground at geothermal areas, which can reach over 100 degrees Celsius! To smell the clean fresh air, free from pollution and dust; to smell the sulphur being forced out of the ground, along with steam and boiling water and of course, to embrace the smell of rotten eggs as you have a shower in the water that is drawn straight from the ground below. To hear the wind whistling around the buildings; to hear the sound of studded tyres rolling over the roads; to hear the roar of the waterfalls in the distance and close up and to hear the gasps of shock as water explodes from the ground at a geysir.
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Day 1 Day one was mostly a travel day flying from Dubai to Keflavik via Stockholm. Flying over the southern coast of Iceland, we became aware of the massive volcanoes laying under huge glaciers and the black coastline. We landed and headed straight to our first destination. Gunnhuver is an area on the South West peninsula where steam and sulphur erupt through vents in the ground, there are boiling mud pools and brightly coloured rocks alongside pipes that stick out the ground, clear evidence of Iceland’s geothermal power industry. The vast majority of Iceland’s power comes from underground. They extract steam from deep below to turn the turbines in power stations and once the steam condenses, it is pumped back underground to be used again. Most homes in Iceland are heated by hot water from underground and energy bills are tiny! One power station; Hellishedi, accidentally created one of the most visited places on earth: The Blue Lagoon. Waste water from the power plant is sent to the natural pools which seem to glow blue against the black rocks. Swimming in lovely warm water whilst the air temperature is close to zero is an experience we will never forget.
Day 2 Our first full day in Iceland was to include some of the most famous sights as we were embarking on the ‘Golden Circle Tour’. Our first stop along this route inland from the capital Reykjavik was Thingvellir. This is the area of land between the North American and Eurasian plates and is some of the newest land on planet earth. Many people think that the crevasses on the western side are the actual gap between the plates but the gap is actually around 7km wide and flanked by small cliffs. Iceland sits directly on the mid-Atlantic ridge. A constructive boundary where two plates are moving away from each other and allowing volcanic activity to create new land. The North American and Eurasian plates will continue to move apart and Iceland as a nation will grow in size as its volcanoes create new lava fields. Our second stop was the most famous sight in Iceland. The location is called Strokkur and used to have two erupting Geysirs, however only one still erupts every 5-7 minutes. The entire area is filled with bubbling pools of boiling water, steam vents belching out clouds and has an otherworldly feel to it. Finally, and via a stop for ice cream (which was eaten next to the cows that made the milk!) and a chance meeting with some horses, we arrived up in the highlands at Gulfoss or Golden Falls. On the way, we made sure those who had never touched snow were able to play in it for the first time. Gulfoss is one of the largest waterfalls in Iceland, where water from the large glaciers inland thunder over two falls, one after another. On the second drop the water volume increases as an underground river emerges from under the rock adding to the power of the falls. This was the moment that we got to experience some fun Icelandic weather. Wind speeds were gusting around 25 metres per second and the walk down to the falls was certainly eventful. 64
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Day 3 We knew a storm was coming so we quickly travelled out east to the glacial lagoon and the many glaciers flowing down from on top of the Vatnajokull mountains. When we arrived at the lagoon, we could see the glacier in the distance but very few icebergs in the lagoon. Normally the area is filled with icebergs that have calved from the glacier and get stuck before they flow out into the Atlantic. Mr May did some research; he asked his friends who live in Iceland and they said that there had been a massive calving event in December of 2017 and since then, Icebergs were few and far between as the supply of fractured ice was in short supply. The contrast in just one year is amazing but we still got to see lots of seals playing in the rough waters and visit Diamond beach where icebergs flow onto the land. Following this, we travelled to the Skaftafell national park nearby and hiked up to Svartifoss, which is a stunning waterfall over basalt columns and also made a stop at a glacial tongue. A glacial tongue is the end of a flow of ice coming down from a large glacier and this is where it melts and breaks apart. We could see clear evidence of ash fall in the form of black lines running through the ice but the most noticeable thing was the colour of the ice. Glacial ice is often a bright blue colour due to the gases trapped within the ice. The ice absorbs all colours apart from this particular blue.
Day 4 Day four was a bit of a nightmare: a storm (and when we say storm we mean a storm that can blow a truck off the road) was sat right on top of the main road heading west and we could not travel to our next destination. However, we did manage to fit in some sights in the morning. Our first stop was the lava fields which over many years have been covered with a bright green moss. The place looks like it is from another planet and spreads as far as the eye can see. These lava fields were from ancient eruptions that saw the southern coast extend by up to 5km. We learnt that Iceland cannot support much plant or animal life. It only has five native species of mammal and most of the farming is either domesticated cattle or grass, the latter to feed the former! Then another stop at the tarn lands.These mounds, covered in small piles of rocks, were used by the Vikings to navigate their way across the land. They are found all over the southern coastline and we even built our own (this is the only rural area where you are allowed to do this). Finally, before heading to the hotel we visited the dwarf cliffs; they are small but their name comes from the myth that small trolls live within their walls.
Day 5 We first visited the black beaches of Reynifvershi. The waves were massive here as there is no land between here and Antarctica! We stayed back from the creeper waves and got the iconic image of us all on the basalt columns. Basalt columns can be found all over Iceland and their formation is very interesting. As basaltic lava cools slowly it forms cracks at 90 degree angles. Over time, these cracks widen to 120 degrees, the angle at each corner of a hexagon. The lava forms these vertical cracks often when cooled by oceans and this is why you often find these columns on coastlines. Iceland loves these columns and many of the important buildings in the capital are designed around their pattern and structure such as Halgrim’s Church, the National Theatre and Harpa concert hall. We also visited Dyrholaey, the southernmost tip of Iceland. Its coastline shows perfect evidence of coastal erosion with the classic crack, cave, arch stack and stump formation. The arch is so large a small passenger plane could fly through it. We travelled west to three separate waterfalls. First was Kvernufoss, a rarely visited falls hidden inside a gorge. www.nlcsdubai.ae
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To get to it we had to clamber over stones in a stream and we were greeted with a stunning, tall column of water falling almost directly on us.To say we all got very wet is an understatement. Waterfall number two was Skogarfoss: a 60 metre tall and wide falls generating a huge amount of power and noise and you could really feel it as you walked towards the base. Finally we visited Seljalandsfoss - one of the most instagrammed places we visited. This waterfall has eroded a cave underneath it over many years meaning you can now walk behind the cascading water. Once again Mr May was determined to get as close to the falls as possible. After drying off a bit, we travelled back to Reykjavik and on the way, we managed to capture the now infamous image of the farm at the base of the volcano that erupted in 2010. When we arrived in Reykjavik we visited Perlan. A series of huge tanks that used to hold the hot water used in the capitals homes. Now the building is a visitor’s centre with an Ice cave (made of transported glacial ice) and a 360-degree viewing platform of the capital.
Day 6
Our final full day in Iceland was unplanned, as we had crammed everything in around the storm on Wednesday so we decided to head North West. We drove alongside and at one point underneath the western Fjords admiring the majestic landscapes as we went.
Our first stop was the volcanic craters and lava fields of Borgarfjordur. We hiked up the crater to get panoramic views of the alien landscape around us. It also gave us another opportunity to play in the snow! Next on the journey was the geothermal springs. Boiling water is forced under pressure through small cracks in the rocks. The minerals turn the rock beautiful colours but the steam smells like rotten eggs. This doesn’t deter the locals though who flock to these springs to relax in the many spa’s and streams that have lovely warm water. Onwards to Barnafoss or ‘children’s falls’. The story behind these falls may be tragic but the power and crystal clear waters were stunning. Next to these falls are the famous lava falls. Ground water from the glaciers above flow across the lava field and as they do so, the water flows into the ground. It emerges like magic from the side of the rocks into the river.
Day 7 The next morning we were on our way home after a wonderful time exploring Iceland.We hope that many other NLCS students, over the years to come, are lucky enough to experience such an incredible country. Thank you to Mr May for organising this trip. 66
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Grade 8, 9 and 10 Trip to
italy
Students from Grades 8, 9 and 10 visited Italy over the Spring Break. They explored three different areas and cities: Venice, Florence and the Tuscan countryside. They learnt a lot about the main families that helped build Italy as a country, alongside the history behind local beliefs and major historical developments. Our first stop was Venice. The heart of the entire city is Piazza San Marco, the only square worthy of the name in Venice. Located within the square is the magnificent Basilica di San Marco; this is where the body of St. Mark can be found St Mark’s Basilica. It is the most famous cathedrals of the city. On the further end of the piazza is St Mark’s Campanile, which is the bell tower of the basilica and one of the most recognisable symbols in the city. The Palazzo Ducal (Doge’s Palace) is an impressive gothic style, characterized by the use of arcading in the lower stories and its multicoloured marble exterior. It is one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the leader of the former Republic of Venice. It later opened as a museum in 1923. It is to be found next to the Basilica: connected by the marvelous Porta della Carta. It was also the city’s prison and place of execution and torture.
Another symbol of the city is the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge), one of the three bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice. Built in 1591 it is the oldest bridge across the canal and probably the most famous in the city. It was the only bridge and therefore the only way of crossing the Grand Canal by foot, until 1854.
When first arriving in Venice, a water taxi took us to Rialto Bridge, where there were many tourists and locals enjoying the view and weather in many of the restaurants along the canal. www.nlcsdubai.ae
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Venice’s unique architecture is built across 118 islands connected by canals and bridges.The three most popular islands are Murano, Burano and Torcello, which are the ones we visited. Murano is part of the glass making industry. We were fortunate enough to see a glass maker create the local work of art and purchase some of our own. The small island of Torcello only has a few residents but it is popular during the summer, when tourists flood in to see the Venetian-Byzantine mosaics or visit the Ponte del Diavolo, which is a bridge with no railing along the side. Finally, we travelled to Burano, which is known for its bright multicoloured houses and seafood cuisine. We enjoyed seeing the picturesque buildings and the famous leaning bell tower. We would like to thank Mr. Smith’s good friend Martino who showed us around these islands and other sites of Venice. The Palazzo Vecchio is a well-known town square located in Florence. This is where a copy of Michelangelo’s David and a gallery of other statues can be found.This copy of the David statue was sculpted by a famous artist named Donatello. Other statues that we saw in the gallery were: Medusa, Cosimo Medici, Hercules and Cacus. We also saw the Ospedale Degli Innocenti, which was one of Europe’s first orphanages, founded in the year 1419. As we explored the building designed by Brunelleschi, we were able to read the stories of the orphans who came into this orphanage. Though their stories were touching, we were happy to hear most of them went on to have a prosperous and successful future. Another moment I don’t think any of us will forget is our long and ambitious trek on the hill. We climbed some of the steepest roads Florence; however the tiring walk was worth the pain. As we got to the top, we reached a church and opposite that was the whole of Florence. What a great way to end our last day there. One of the biggest parts of the entire trip was the study of the various churches around the two cities. We realized that religion was a huge part of how the country used to work and the churches were the rich’s biggest investments. The churches had the most beautiful artwork. They varied from paintings of The Last Supper, to glass mosaics of the birth of Jesus. After an hour’s ride from the city of Florence, we made it to the Castello del Trebbio, located in hills of Tuscany.
After we settled into our rooms, we all gathered in front of the castle and participated in a small role play in which we re-created a summarized version of the Pazzi conspiracy, which led us to believe that the castle was most probably haunted. Enzo played the part of a horse and Lorcan a screaming 13-year-old cardinal. When we finished the role play, we went inside the palace to see what it was actually like and saw how the current Count and Countess stay in the same castle, built over 100 years ago. When we were in the family’s living room, we were amazed that they had a Raphael painting just hanging in their living room. By the time the tour was over, we were all quite hungry; luckily it was then time for our cooking course to begin.When we walked in, Big Jerry invited us with warm welcomes and showed us how to make authentic Italian pasta. Thank you to Mr Smith for organising the trip. 68
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Grade 7, 9 &10 Trip to
Louvre Sami Klink and Shreeya Khaund Grade 7 Javi
In January, we set off for the newly opened Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi.This was a chance to explore the amazing new building and to savour some amazing artwork. The museum is located on Saadiyat Island and this is just the first of the world-class museums that we are going to be able to visit in the area. The Louvre is the largest art museum in the Arabian Peninsula. It’s 24,000 square metres!
The first exhibit we were shown was a section on the history of France. Accompanied by a tour guide, we explored the world of Louis XIV and the Louvre in Paris in the 19th century.
After the first tour, we settled down at the café to have lunch. The café looks out on the open water and there is a real sense of peace around the building, despite it being so busy. We were shaded by the incredible dome, that’s patterned to let light through, just like the leaves of a palm tree.
After lunch, we discovered the contemporary art section. Well, we were supposed to. Instead, we ended up around the dawn of the Greek and Roman era, dissipating the little time we had left. By the time most of us had managed to find their way to the Contemporary Art section, we only had about five minutes left. It was a shame; I could have stared at some of the art there for years.
One of the most impressive pieces is by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. It is 7-metres high and made of stainless steel and glass. It’s inspired by the Tatlin Tower, a project that was meant to be built in Russia in 1919 but never was. (Pic 6) The Louvre Abu Dhabi commissioned this chandelier-inspired installation and it’s a stunning addition to the museum. This was a great trip – although we would all like to go back and take a lot more time to take in such a collection.We’re lucky that we all only live a couple of hours away from this world-class museum. www.nlcsdubai.ae
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Le Louvre Abu Dhabi Sam Lee, Grade 9 Javi
The MYP provides students with opportunities to make connections between subject areas. Here are examples of how students used their Art Trip to the Louvre to develop their Spanish. This work also demonstrates the range of genres with which our students are encouraged to write, from Haikus to monologues –all in a foreign language.
Describiendo una Pintura Se llama ‘Juego de Bezique’ y fue pintado por Gustave Caillebotte en 1880. Está hecha de óleo y sobre lienzo. Su forma no es simple o recta, sino que es un poco curva. Sus colores son mates y duros y tiene mucho negro y gris. Así que su textura es dura. Su estilo es bastante realista y la pintura es figurativa. La textura es un poco bruta y desigual pero no demasiado. La forma es orgánica y fuerte. Hay seis personas en la pintura y ellos están jugando al Bezique. Parece que está representando el tiempo libre de la clase media. Esta pintura es una obra maestra. Me gusta mucho esta pintura porque es muy artística y realista al mismo tiempo.
[ Una historia ] Me llamo Antonio y soy de Francia. Quiero lucir bien, así que llevo barba y bigote. También, tengo el pelo liso y negro, y los ojos marrones. Tengo cinco amigos: Samuel, Jaimito, Daniel, Justin, y Gerardo. Samuel es muy amable y gracioso, sin embargo, Jaimito es un poco tímido pero inteligente. Daniel es muy hablador y optimista. Por otro lado, Justin es un poco travieso y vago, pero es amable con nosotros. Gerardo es ambicioso y creativo, así que me gusta mucho Gerardo. Hoy nadé en la piscina con mis amigos y como resultado, me cansé. Sin embargo, mis amigos no estaban cansados así que fuimos a mi casa. Dormí en el sofá, pero mis amigos jugaron juegos de cartas; concretamente al Bezique. Samuel ganó el juego, y me compró el almuerzo. Ahora me encanta Samuel. ¡Hoy fue un buen día!
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La fuente de la luz – Ai Weiwei Arsh Chilwan, Grade 7 Javi Hoy fuimos al museo de Le Louvre.
Se llama La Fuente de la Luz y fue hecha por Ai Weiwei en 2007. Creo que es mucho más bonita que otras obras de arte porque es única y rara. Está hecha de vidrio y acero, muestra su forma, que es simple y brillante. Sus colores son brillantes y alegres mientras que su estilo es luminoso, moderno y abstracto. Creo que la escultura es figurativa. En el fondo se pueden ver otras pinturas. Me gusta la escultura en la noche porque hay contrastes de colores. Desafortunadamente, no se nos permitió tocarla porque es delicada y como muestra de respecto de cuán duro trabajó la gente para hacer esta escultura. La escultura simboliza el poder de la luz porque se describe como la felicidad. Pienso que significa que si tienes felicidad puedes ser tan fuerte como la luz. My haiku explaining the sculpture’s essence and power; connected to the happiness and pride of everyone. Luminosidad De sobra agobiada En estado de shock Porque es muy bonita colores de la pasión Felicidad fluye Detente y mira Admira la belleza Siente el amor Luminosidad Más fuerte que el sol Derrota a todos ¡Regenérate luz! Vuelve a tener más poder Repite el ciclo. Fin
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FRENCH DEPARTMENT Learning and Speaking different languages is a vital part of what it means to be at NLCS Dubai. The Languages department give students amazing opportunities to continue their love of languages outside of the classroom. On Sunday 22 April, the French department hosted a bilingual French-English production in the school’s auditorium. The UAE based theatre-company ‘Culture Emulsion’ staged an outstanding performance of ‘Little Red’ – a modern day version of Little Red Riding Hood. The show was performed by a visiting French theatre troupe called ‘L’Atelier Florentin’. The visiting French actors gave a formidable performance and it was a very exciting show from start to finish. We were also delighted to welcome a large group of French speaking children who joined us to watch the play from the Lycée Français International. We enjoyed working with Culture Emulsion and we look forward to their future shows and inviting them back in the next academic year. Here is a student review of the performance: “In my opinion I would say that the show was amazing! The way they managed to perform a whole play of Little Red Riding Hood with only two performers on stage. It was nice how they switched between talking French and English. Whilst watching you could see how much work went into the performance. I think it is probably one of the best plays I have ever seen” By Saanvi Malhotra Grade 4 (Falcons)
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Interview avec Gaspard et Aya de Grade 3 Arabian foxes sur le spectacle de « Little Red » Bonjour Gaspard et Aya. Première question : comment avez-vous aimé le spectacle ? Gaspard : J’ai bien aimé. J’ai même adoré. Parce que c’était très rigolo et puis il n’y avait que deux acteurs et ça avait l’air très dur. Aya : Oui, j’ai adoré en fait. Parce que c’était très rigolo. Les chansons étaient super marrantes et il n’y avait que deux acteurs et ils ont joué plein de rôles et ils ont joué le spectacle à eux deux. C’était vraiment très bien. Tu as aimé les chansons ? Tu as chanté ? G : J’ai aimé les chansons, mais je n’ai pas chanté. (Aya commence à chanter une des chansons du spectacle) Aya : Je n’ai pas chanté parce que c’est un peu embarrassant de chanter en public. Comment trouviez-vous le mélange anglais / français ? Aya : bien, parce qu’il y a plein d’enfants à notre école qui ne parlent pas français, mais qui pouvaient quand même suivre grâce au mélange anglais français. Gaspard : c’était bien, parce que ceux qui ne comprennent que le français pouvaient comprendre l’histoire grâce au mouvements et aux mimes des acteurs et en écoutant la partie anglaise. Est-ce que vous voudriez voire une autre pièce similaire l’année prochaine ? Aya et Gaspard : Ouiiiiii Aya : au fait, moi je veux revoir la même pièce, parce que c’était si marrant. Ou on peut voir Cendrillon ou Hanzel et Grettle. Gaspard : Oui. Parce que c’est très rigolo et puis c’est chouette de pouvoir voir un spectacle en français, même si on est à Dubaï. Quelle était la meilleure blague ou la scène la plus marrante de la pièce ? Aya : « c’est quoi des waffles ? » Gaspard : « cheese » cheese ? G : parce qu’au fait Albert a dit que « cheese » c’était « chose », mais au fait ce n’est pas vrai, ça veut dire « fromage », et donc pour prendre la photo, Albert a dit « fromage ». A : Le petit chaperon rouge a demandé à Albert s’il aimait manger des crêpes avec du beurre et Albert répond oui. Puis, elle lui demande s’il aime manger des ‘waffles’ et Albert répond oui aussi, mais après, il réalise qu’il ne sait pas ce que ça veut dire ‘des waffles’, donc c’est le petit chaperon rouge qui lui explique.
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Music Trip to China – The International Schools Choral Music Society
The ISCMS festival comprises three different groups, the choir, the orchestra and the Big Band. The Big band is a jazz band containing trumpets, saxophones, trombones, guitar, piano, bass and drums.
Joshua Reid, Grade 10 Javi As an avid musician, I like to take advantage of as many musical opportunities as possible, and when an opportunity to go to China to perform in a huge music festival, I immediately decided I would be going. The seven of us, five students and two teachers, travelled to the land of Suzhou, where we would perform Carl Orf’s ‘Carmina Burana’, a piece commissioned for the festival, and a piece created by a student. By three in the morning, we were on a flight ready to go to China. When we landed, we were greeted by an associate of the school we were rehearsing our performance in, who helped us tour the local areas, such as the Bund. We then travelled, by car, to Suzhou, with loud ACDC music blasting, provided by Anshul. We arrived, tired, at the Doubletree Hotel, checking in and immediately going to bed. The next day was a day of sightseeing, as we met up with an Australian school, who along with us, were the only school not from the Asian continent. We toured local ancient structures, with the local Chinese people and saw the amazing threshold for cold an Australian student named Bryce had, as he walked around in a short-sleeved t-shirt with the temperature reaching single digits.
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Our next days were packed with rehearsals, as we continued bonding with other schools, and listened to a performance of the Big Band. This was our second full day of rehearsals in Suzhou. Anshul sang in the bass section of the choir alongside me. The rehearsals ran all day and we made good progress. Our choir director was the conductor of the National Youth choir of New Zealand. He taught us various techniques to improve our singing such as imagining that we were talking in Italian about pizza! It was an amazing experience meeting people from all over the world. I met people from Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and many other places. Saturday was the big day; it was concert time, so we travelled via metro to the Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre. Anshul, Shalini, Annant, and I practiced with the Orchestra, almost dying after standing for what seemed like four hours straight. The 300-strong choir practiced with the orchestra on the stage, and it was a fantastic sound to hear, the hard work had paid off. We were also joined by two professional singers who sung the solo roles in Carmina Burana.They had amazing voices and it was great to share the concert stage with them. Finally, we performed, in front of an audience consisting of a thousand members. It was an extraordinary feeling. The last day was full of fun, as we went sight seeing again, seeing the more modern places such as the Shanghai Tower and the fake market, where we bargained for fake items. We were sad to leave but very pleased that we had had such an incredible opportunity. Thank you to Mr Lyle for organising the trip.
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Grade 6 Biology Trip to
Umm Al Quwain The Grade 6 students went to Um Al Quwain Marine club to apply their learning on ecosystems, habitats and adaptations. The pupils excitedly went down the water slide into the lagoon; learnt how to catch three different crabs and set them free; cleaned up the environment and even did some learning.All in a day’s work.
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Grade 1 Trip to
Adventure HQ Grade One visited Adventure HQ as part of their Unit of Inquiry ‘Choices people make affect their health and wellbeing’. Throughout the unit, the children learned all about the importance of taking care of our body and mind, through exercise, nutrition and well-being. They also participated in the Dubai Fitness Challenge so were delighted to put their strength and stamina to the test at Adventure HQ. The children had time to explore the activities there before competing in teams, in which our teamwork and sportsmanship skills were put to the test.
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Drama at NLCS Dubai
Monologue Slam In March students from Grade 2 up to Grade 9 participated in a monologue slam. Students used this performance to highlight their performance skills and the audience was delighted with a mix of contrasting monologues.
Mahnoor Raja – Reflection on The Monologue Slam To help us with our Trinity drama course, Mrs. Durston arranged a monologue slam, where we had an opportunity to perform our pieces in front of an audience.My monologue was from Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, when Lady Macbeth desires to be rid of her femininity in order to murder the King. This extremely heinous speech contrasted greatly with my own personality, and was difficult to perform with genuine evil, however through studying the play in great detail in English, it was easier for me to simply step into the vindictive mind of Lady Macbeth. As someone who usually finds it difficult to talk to an audience, the extremely minimal lighting, concealing the crowd, was a great help!
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Junior Drama Club Junior Drama club and senior drama club performed “Ella’s Incredible Illucinations”. This comedy told the story of Ella and her vivid imagination. Whatever Ella dreams comes true with funny consequences for everyone in her life. Audiences were lucky enough to view the results of the Junior Drama Club’s hard work on Founders’ Day, when they performed an extract from Roald Dahl’s ‘The Witches’.
First School Show Our Winter production, Scarecrow’s Christmas, was simply magical. In the space of a few months, the First School students not only delivered a heart-warming play with a strong moral message about caring for others, they also showed their families and the rest of the school just how talented they were with their acting, singing and dancing. This experience not only sparked an interest in the Arts for the children, but helped them to blossom with confidence.
Arts Evening There was a wonderful array of dramatic talent in evidence in this showcase of creativity and entertainment. From monologues to hard-hitting scenes from the Grade 9 Drama class, this evening gave us a taste of the incredible things to come from NLCS Dubai’s students.
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Planet Plenty Students from Grade 2, 3 and 4 performed in the musical Planet Plenty which highlights the importance of looking after our planet today to have a better future. This year saw the inaugural Junior School Musical appear on stage. Planet Plenty is an important story that shows the challenges our ever-changing world faces because of climate change. It did not fail to impress! The Lower School students amazed us with their singing, acting and dancing skills, all whilst instilling an important message – act together to save our planet. The students worked under the direction of Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Durston, learning important features about working in a theatrical production such as: stage directions, voice projection, performing on stage and singing with an orchestra. After weeks of preparation and rehearsals, the show was performed to a packed Performing Arts Centre. The singing was fantastic and the acting brilliant. Enormous fun was had by all and we can’t wait for the next Lower School production coming to our stage in November 2018.
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THE
GREATEST SHOW I am Lyutha and I am going to talking to you about Planet Plenty. On March 12th, grades 2, 3 and 4 did a production named ‘Planet Plenty’. There were many roles and 10 scenes in the play. I played Princess 1. There were rockets, three kings and three queens. A busy production, I know! Planet Plenty was set in the PAC at NLCS Dubai. In the play, the easy-going king ruled Planet Plenty – it was a total dump! Planetarians (Planet Plenty people) didn’t care about the environment. All they cared about was living a happy life – well not so happy actually. How they figured out that they were ruining their planet was because of the heat. So, the ‘Action Squad’ went to Planet Pleasant and they were as green as a bush in summer.They found out what was wrong: it was because they littered everywhere and used all their energy as if it would never run out. When they came back to Planet Plenty, they recycled everything and there planet became as clean as Planet Pleasant.
Planet Plenty Review by Seunghyun Lee, Grade 5 Oryx On Monday the 12th of March an outstanding, inspiring and entertaining performance came to NLCS Dubai to teach many people a very great lesson about conserving the environment. The directors were Mrs Durston and Mrs Smith. On Planet Plenty, it is like Earth but everyone has swimming pools, houses and everything they want.They go to another planet because their planet is polluted, due very much to their actions. They accidentally land on this planet called ‘Planet Pleasant’ and learn that they have to start saving the environment on their planet. In the performance, they did an amazing job dancing with the music and singing too. The lighting was really good because it made sense to go with everything in the interesting performance. Another part of it, which was excellent, was the sound effects, like the rocket blasting off into space and the whistling when they wanted to call someone. I would give this a thumbs up! I would give it 5 *****. Everyone put in their best efforts for this play.
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12
Angry Men
T
he first senior school production at NLCS Dubai was Reginald Rose’s “Twelve Angry Men”. Following the closing arguments in a murder trial, the 12 members of the jury must deliberate, with a guilty verdict meaning death for the accused, an inner-city teen. As the twelve-jury members try to reach a unanimous decision while sequestered in a room, one juror casts considerable doubt on elements of the case. Personal issues soon rise to the surface, and conflict threatens to derail the delicate process that will decide one boy’s fate.
Nishka Nanani “Being a part of the school production was an amazing experience and was the first time I have ever been in a school play. It helped raise my confidence on stage and has taught me about all the work that goes into putting on a production like this one.”
Sam Lee
Hassan Zain Mithani
Zahra Ahmad
“Being in the 12 Angry Men Production was an experience like no other.What was really amazing was to see all of our hard work culminate into an extraordinary play which was greatly received by the audience. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every moment of the production and feel extremely honoured to have been chosen to work among such talented actors. It was an experience that I will never forget.”
“12 Angry men was a rollercoaster, and through last minute lines, missing scripts and many more adventrues, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I played Juror Eight and was the only Juror who votes not guilty, in order to discuss the case in more detail. She presents facts and arguments to the table and sways each juror one by one. When met by much opposition she continues to support the boy, amid a terrifying and genuine slap to the face! Playing Juror 8 was tough, but thanks to an amazing crew we all pulled through and delivered an amazing performance. We were aided by the Tech crew, Mr Durston and most of all by Mrs Durston, none of this could have been executed if not for the people behind the scenes, all working just as hard as those on stage.”
Rayyan Al Kharusi “During the practices the play would go under; we had to go on Fridays, late after school, and luckily, by the aid of parents and fast food stores, we managed to get meals during Friday rehearsals. Despite all this, it was very fun experience and I hope that next year’s play will be just as great as this one was.” Alya Lootah “Being in the first senior school production at NLCS Dubai was an amazing experience, partly because we’re the pioneering cast of the first NLCS Dubai senior school production. By taking part in the play, we have learnt that there is more to theatre than just a stage and some people saying their lines – it is a great commitment! After all the hours of rehearsals, the play has taught us that once we put on the shoes of an actor, we are no longer ourselves. It was such a great experience and I can’t wait for the next senior school production. So, do you vote guilty or not guilty?
“As a person who started learning Drama only a few months ago, it was a big pleasure to be part of 12 Angry Men, and I thank Hassan for saving me on stage when I said the wrong line.”
Twelve Angry Men was supported by a fantastic technical crew who ran the whole performance. Students supported the show by operating the lights, operating the sound desk, stage management, marketing/photography and calling the show.
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The House Photography Competition allowed students to demonstrate their creative talents with their interpretation of how they saw their home of Dubai.The competition culminated in an impressive exhibition of the finalists. These photos now adorn the walls of the school and can be seen everywhere, from the staffroom to the library. They remind us of what an incredibly diverse city we live in.
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The competition was won by Rayyan Al Kharusi for Hafeet. Her stunning shot of the Dubai skyline was voted for by teachers, parents and her peers. Burj Khalifa by The Creek “When I took this photo, all I was thinking about was the setting sun and its reflection hitting on the water. The seagull luckily found its way near the scene, and so I caught the lucky shot.”
Art Grade 6 have created beautiful mandala watercolour paintings inspired by their own interpretations of literature. Students first looked at mandalas from different parts of the world, created using different techniques. They learnt about what mandalas are, how they can be used and how to create one themselves. Inspired by themes of isolation in a tropical paradise, students created small mandalas exploring appropriate visual imagery from ‘Robinson Crusoe.’ Introducing colour theory, students were then challenged to create a mandala that showed their interpretation of The Tempest. Symbolism and use of colour to convey mood were key elements in their learning. Their pieces were finalised by using different weights of line to emphasise the foreground, middle ground and background in their compositions. Studying the work of Illustrator Pomme Chan developed the class’ understanding of this process.
Shalini Shayam Kumar - Grade 9 Javi
Grade 6 - Mandalas www.nlcsdubai.ae
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The three NLCS schools are in such vastly different locations, all of which have their special traditions, places and problems. At NLCS Jeju, we are lucky to have students and teachers that have experienced life in all of these three settings. So, what does London, Jeju or Dubai mean to them?
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Mrs Monaghan – Head of English, NLCS Dubai For me, Jeju is about the freezing cold winters. I thought that, having lived in the UK for all my life, that I knew about cold. But I knew nothing! Nothing could have prepared me for the icy wind that arrives on the island in November; it whips around the corners of the buildings like iced bullets. No matter how many layers I wore, or how daft my wooly hat was, the cold always managed to find a way in. Of course, for most of the year, the weather in Jeju is beautiful and sometimes, in the height of Dubai’s summer, I miss the cold, but it still makes me shudder when I think of that Jeju winter.
Eva Joudrey - Grade 5 For me, the differences between the life of Jeju and Dubai are immense! I have never before experienced anything as difficult as moving from one side of the world to another. Especially when I have lived there over half my life! It is indescribable! When I lived in Jeju, (which is an island of the south coast of Korea) I lived onsite. Unlike the London or Dubai schools, Jeju is a boarding school. There were eight boarding houses called Halla North, Noro, Harubang, Geomun, Mulchat, Sarah, Jeoji and the Ghost house recently named Bali. I lived in Noro, my dad was the house master. We lived on the boys’ side, which I always whined about, (but I was only 4 when I arrived.) Since I lived onsite, it took less than three minutes to walk to school. Now that I have moved to Dubai, I live so far away that I have to drive to school and because it is early in the morning there is traffic and it takes half an hour to get to school! Can you believe that? The food is also immensely different. In Korea they have rice with everything. Even breakfast! They also have noodles in soup. I am still adjusting to Dubai and I miss Jeju so much but now I can have a new experience!
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Mingyo Kang - Grade 8 Spicy, Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter. The taste of Korea is mesmerizing. I love Korean food more than any other food from different countries. This is also because of the taste, but mostly because of the tradition of food. After school, (because we walk to school everyday) me and my group of friends head to a very small restaurant. We order Tteokbokki (Korean rice cake), Sundae (Korean sausage), Odeang (fishcake), and much more. We eat and eat until we are so much full we cannot move properly. There are street foods everywhere in Korea. So, whenever you feel a little bit empty, you can just turn right, or left and there is food you can eat on the street. And in Korea, whenever I was very hungry in my house I would open the cupboard in the kitchen, and there will be colourful cup-ramens.Then, I would pour hot water and slurp it all in a second. The amazing spicy, and sweet taste always made me consider if I will eat one more. The kitchen cupboard was like a treasure box to our family. Every night our family would prepare dinner together, and the first thing that came up on the table was the shining red Kimchi. Our family never forgot about it. The sour but sweet, and spicy taste made me drool whenever I thought of it. Food in Korea is just awesome ...
Harry Lewis - Grade 4 For me the most significant thing about life in London is the tube stations. You walk into the station and a blast of cold air hits you in the face like a dodgeball. Unfortunately, a main aspect of the tube is getting your body parts stuck in the train door. I have seen people get their head, foot, arm, leg and even neck trapped in train doors. It is a terrifying moment as the steel doors close upon you, I would not like to experience it. However, the tube is a great way to get around the vast city and there are normally enough seats. The problem is though, the underground is extremely expensive and you will soon spend way more than you intended to.The difference between the London train and the Dubai metro is that the train normally goes through boring tunnels and the Dubai metro flies past the wonderful landscape and you can see the cars racing by on the road. I much prefer the Dubai metro but they’re both terrific transporters.
Ned Lewis - Grade 4 Back in London, I used to adore the rain. When it rained, I would jump up and down and get all exited. Sometimes, when it gets colder, I used to go inside, all warm and cosy, and snuggle up with my blanket and hot chocolate, then watch TV, while the rain pours down. When the rain stopped, I would sprint outside as wild as a tiger hunting its prey, and I would collide with puddles and splash myself from head to toe in mud. After a few months of this, my mum and dad got me and tiny pair of overalls, so they would get dirty, not me, when I splashed in the mud. Oh how I loved the rain! Apparently when it rains in Dubai, everybody goes bonkers since it’s always scorching hot. ‘Rain days are the best days,” my friends say. Because there are no gutters in Dubai, the rain stays on the surface for ages. 88
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Alexander Fann - Grade 5 In England, there is a vast selection of foods each tailored to suit the tastebuds of all. Since foods are traditional, they give me an astounding amount of pleasure to think that these very foods were eaten years ago. Lamb roast is a big part of festivities, bringing the fun and good drinks to town, with roasted potatoes beside; it is crucial to the English lifestyle. Cooked to a crisp on the outside, though it achieves great tenderness and juice in the centre, like layers of a cake. With it being displayed on the dining table every Christmas, it builds up the character of the holiday. I remember the days when I was almost knocked off my chair by the intense flavours of the meat, and never to forget, mint sauce. Pork belly is the cream of the crop, a favourite in countryside restaurants, and boy do I miss them. The crunchy tough, outer layer, when breached by gnashing teeth, give way to soft and savoury meat. Made with vegetables and sometimes mushrooms, this meal provides the perfect level of iron, protein and nutrients. I cannot wait to taste the lovely roast again, remembering those wonderful days I waited for what is one of the foods I consider to be ‘Heavenly’. Fish and chips are the waterside delicacy, providing the unbelievable taste of fish, batter and vinegar, a wonderful mix that is traditional to not only British, but also to Australia and America, it was destined to the start to be famous. As the wonderful food it is, the meal is specially made to be an appetizing consumer’s food, perfect for the public’s desires. I miss that.
Shalini Shyam Kumar Grade 9 From the window of my bus, I can see Dubai from a whole new perspective. I can never get enough of the tall and beautifully designed buildings. The light from the morning skies reflect against the buildings and is definitely a sight I cannot get tired of. There always seems to be a new construction site starting every other week and its finished within a matter of only a few months. It’s truly mesmerizing, the way a few bricks can turn into a work of art. I am always so curious and impatient to find out what new jewel is being made to adorn Dubai. We are also home to the tallest building in the world, the magnificent Burj Khalifa. It touches the sky and overlooks the city. Being on the top of the building, especially in the evening is a magical experience.The buildings in Dubai do not bore me, rather they tell me a story.
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Suha Kidwai - Grade 8 I know that feeling. Completely overwhelmed, standing in this glossy, surreal paradise, surrounded by shops and windows, all displaying the most glorious chattels, all just begging to be brought and taken home, to be glorified for minutes before your increasingly blasé Dubai lifestyle leaves it to gather dust on a shelf. Unsurprisingly, this is Dubai. World renowned for its variety of impossibly over-the-top showrooms and displays and, lest we forget, the title Dubai holds as the “Number One shopping destination in the world,” leaves us incapable of comprehending what to buy. This is Dubai. I assure you, that in London, this is not the case and shopping is not such an ordeal, in fact, I often enjoy shopping more in London because I can actually afford to look at the things there. Because, it’s no secret that Dubai holds the inexplicably expensive bejewelled designer labels without carrying the price, in fact, many shops in Dubai don’t even carry price tags. The aura of London shopping is so different; the wet pavements from the night before, the cold air and graffitied walls and walking down to each and every shop on the street, enjoying and absorbed in that feeling calm familiarity, before waiting for the bus, weighed down by bags you brought from home, because London now charges for plastic bags and let’s face it, nobody is willing to pay that extra five pence; getting drenched by that all-too expected rain, illuminated by the flickering orange streetlights.
Zahra Ahmad - Grade 8 Okay, so wherever you are in the world, you probably know what rain is, right? And if you don’t, it’s these tiny droplets that fall from the sky. And cause nationwide drama, panic and floods. But only in Dubai. I’m almost certain that in England and Jeju, you guys don’t close down schools when it rains. Actually it’s probably a way of life for you guys. In Dubai, maybe once or twice a year, it rains; but it’s not normal rain. It’s evil. I swear it is. It causes damage to all the houses, the schools are shut down for AT LEAST two days and it gives my mom a chance to divulge in her secret knowledge on how cloud seeding will be the death of us all (for those who don’t know, cloud seeding is when clouds are artificially manufactured to create rain). Okay, if you’ve never been to Dubai, it is a hub of international hustle and bustle, center of innovation and also probably one of the only urbanized countries that do not have adequate drainage systems because of the greater need for sunblock 363 Days a year. For me, rain days are the most fun, most thrilling time of year, mainly because it’s always on a school day.
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Isabelle Seow - Grade 8 In Dubai, Christmas isn’t widely celebrated in the Muslim community (because Christmas is a Christian celebration) but is a big thing within the expat community, just like in other countries such as the UK. However, you can see Christmas trees all over, in the malls and lights in the streets; for example, if you go to a housing compound here in Dubai, there are lights and decorations everywhere. In the local shopping malls, you can see huge Christmas trees everywhere, fully decked out in decorations and fully into the Christmas spirit. For me, one of our unofficial family Christmas traditions is putting up the tree on the first of December. Other families may have other traditions, like cookie decorating. Although it may not snow here in the desert, the temperature cools down greatly, to about 20 degrees celsius.This may not be cold to people in England or Jeju, but it really is to us here because we are so used to the heat. I love Christmas in Dubai because it’s one of those holidays where everyone is in the Christmas spirit.
Alya Lootah - Grade 7 It might seem that the UAE is a modern country which is constantly modernising – full of construction, tall skyscrapers and tall buildings. However, one thing that us Emiratis hold on to is our National Pride. I am Emirati and I am proud of where I come from. His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the creator and the mind behind the union of the emirates. There were six emirates at first Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah, with Ras Al Khaimah joining a year later. We have just turned 46 years on the 2nd of December. We are united, we are all one. Although some may see 46 years as of not a lot, one thing that many countries are lacking nowadays is holding onto heritage. My grandmother once told me: ‘This country isn’t as old as other countries, but something that makes this land unique is the way all of us are working really hard and at the best of our abilities, and the fact that we are still holding onto our heritage to make this country a better place each second.’ The UAE is a land of hope, happiness and excitement. Everyone is happy for everyone and everyone is proud of this beautiful country. I am Emirati and I am proud of where I come from.
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Mayya Mattu - Grade 5 For me, the beaches in Dubai are the most fascinating place to go. Many of the beaches are private beaches as they are near to hotels. In my opinion, the best time to fo to the beach is the autumn and in December, because it’s not too cold and not too hot. There is nothing like the strong wind blowing in your face and the feeling of your feet sinking into the moist sand as you step into the warm water. There are usually a lot of people there in the morning, so the best time is the evening, when it’s not too hot – the sand gets too hot to stand on during the summer.
Fabi Huda - Grade 10 It might seem intimidating for people to move to Dubai because of the sweltering heat or the blinding sands that wrap every standing building in the city, but to me it has become the norm. Although it’s only been a couple of years since I’ve moved here, I feel like I have completely immersed myself into its culture, traditions and lifestyle. It seems as if my body has adapted itself to living in a constant 40 degree Celsius weather, so much so that I start shivering once the temperature falls below 25. Dubai to me, is a burning sand box with glistening coastlines bordered with achromatic sands. A true summer paradise - if you can stand the heat.
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NLCS EXCHANGE 2018 This year, three students from NLCS Dubai were chosen to represent the school in our first exchange to London. This trip was offered to the Grade 8s, and Yaser Amro, Isabelle Seow and I were chosen. We stayed for 10 days and went with our exchanges to school for a week, spending the rest of our time exploring the areas we were staying in. We began the exchange with an eight and a half hour flight from Dubai International Airport to London Heathrow Airport. At first, we were under the impression that we would be going through security by ourselves, however, as we were all underage minors, we were escorted right onto the plane and skipped all the queues. As soon as we touched down in Heathrow, we were eager to meet our exchanges. Our host families were all waiting for us at the arrival hall. Then we took the long journey back to where our host families lived and got to know them a bit better. Isabelle’s exchange partner was Sophie Bloom. She lives in central London, which was very convenient for going places, and lives near the Northern and Jubilee line stations on the Underground. She has an older brother, a younger sister and an adorable dog called Milo, who we took on a walk the first night Isabelle was there. Yaser’s exchange partner was Justine Samson. Justine and I have quite a lot in common; for starters, we both love sports: she does football at school and she swims for a club outside of school, but her favourite sports are netball, lacrosse, and cheerleading. She is an only child, so when Yaser went over, he said he felt like he was almost like a sibling to her. Justine lived in the North-East of London, in the High-Barnet area; there they resided in a lovely little village, which was a pleasant change from Dubai as it was so peaceful and quiet.
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My exchange partner was Bavini Saravaramuthu, who was from Sri Lanka. Her favourite subjects are Maths and Geography and lives in Woodford. She loves dance and being integrated in her life gave me a chance to see first-hand how well rounded all the NLCS London girls are. Our first full outing all together outside of school was to Creams, which was a dessert bar in Edgware. We took the shuttle to Edgware Station, and walked from the train station to the shop and got excited about things that would and could potentially give us diabetes. (I think it was a welldeserved treat for all that exercise.) The whole trip was absolutely breathtaking and I enjoyed every aspect of it. I think all of us will agree that we fitted almost seamlessly into the classes and took it upon ourselves to take part in every extracurricular activity available. The lunchtimes were separated into two halves, twenty-five minutes to eat and twenty-five minutes for activities- or two activities in one lunch. The food was absolutely delicious, even for vegetarians, and they had a fish and chip Friday, which was TO DIE FOR. I myself took part in netball, went along to J Soc and Fem Soc, to name a few. One of the most hilarious stories to tell was not exactly mine. Yaser was somewhat of a god in the corridors and huddles of girls would part in the corridors to let him pass through, and within five minutes of us setting foot in the school, a well-meaning girl came into our classroom and screamed “There’s a boy in the school!”
Yaser
Isabelle
On the first day I was in London I went to many places including the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and the British Museum. At the Tower of London, I learnt that it wasn’t all built at once, in fact it was built over many, many years, from 1066 till the late 1500 century. In the Tower of London, I also got to see the crown jewels; what I didn’t know was that the guards get really angry if you look at them for too long - I learned this the hard way.
With Sophie, I went out with another girl, who was staying with her, to Camden for lunch one day. We had two small pizzas shared between us and then went for ice cream made with nitrogen, even though it was a little chilly. On another day, we went out ice skating at Ali Pali ice rink with some of Sophie’s classmates because Yaser and Zahra’s exchanges lived further away and couldn’t make it that night due to some snowy weather.
After that, I went to the British Museum, and it is enormous; there are never ending corridors on each of the four floors. I was amazed to see millions of artefacts that are thousands of years old. My favourite bit, however, was a small exhibition on the Currency of Communism. The display looks at the changing roles of currency and exchange in communist states since the 1917 Russian Revolution. That night, I went to the London Eye, which was amazing: I could see all the surrounding areas, including the Parliament Buildings, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Big Ben, sadly though, it was under renovation.
Sophie and I also went to go see a musical called ‘School of Rock’, and it was excellent. I took the train with Sophie and some of her friends to school everyday and it was incredible to see how the girls’ lifestyle is so different to ours. We walked through Canons Park regularly that week too, and it was refreshing to see all the greenery compared to here in Dubai.
When we came back from the trip, we were asked some questions about our experience: 1. What languages do they do in NLCS London? In NLCS UK they have many languages, such as Mandarin, German, French and Spanish.These are all choices. However, Latin is mandatory. 2. How did you get on the exchange program? I got quite a lot of things out of the exchange; one of them was integration into another family, as well as the development of life-long friendships, fostering an appreciation of home and family. It enhanced my interest in global issues as well. 3. What was the most different thing at NLCS London? The fact that their school is just girls. The layout of the school building is also very different. There are some parts that are pretty similar to or school but then there are a bunch of turns that lead to every place in the school. Also, some of the buildings aren’t connected to the main school, like the Performing Arts Centre and the Art Building.
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Founder’s Day 2018 By its very nature, Founder’s Day calls upon us to recognise, celebrate and commemorate the pioneering people, who, 168 years ago, established North London Collegiate School in a small set of premises in Camden. Each year, we celebrate the vision and determination of those founders, and also reflect on the continued development and achievements of the School since then. This is a tradition that has endured since the late 19th Century at NLCS (UK) and, since the founding of NLCS Jeju, has been celebrated by two North London Collegiate schools annually since 2012. And for the very first time today, across the three NLCS schools, we gather together as a community, across a distance of 7,646 miles (that’s right, I checked it!) and three different time zones, to recognise and celebrate, not just the founding of the UK school, but now also the founding of our own School here in Dubai. In NLCS Jeju 5 hours ago they began their ceremony, and in 4 hours’ time the UK school will begin theirs. And here in the UAE, for the first time today, we as a school join that proud tradition. Like those pioneers who first conceived of the idea to found NLCS in Camden in 1850, we too are pioneers . . . all of us: students, parents, governors and staff.
It will be another two years before our Founder’s Day celebrations include a class of leaving students, poised on the brink of the next steps in their lives as they prepare to make the exciting leap into university study. For today, our Grade 10 students will fulfil that role, and with it, the weighty responsibility of a key part to play in our forthcoming daffodil procession. However, there are generations of examples from NLCS in the UK to draw upon, and of course now from Jeju too. In this, my first Founder’s Day address, I am going to focus on the principles upon which North London Collegiate School was founded in 1850, and the ways in which those principles have been celebrated, promoted, challenged and personified by the thousands of young people who have attended NLCS as students over the years. Now, I am very aware that, because NLCS in the UK is a girls’ school, most of the examples I will give you are those of women – and of course I speak to a school community that is, more or less, half made up of boys. However, the values and attitudes that these women embody, their motivations and their achievements, might just as easily be applied to men.
And what does a pioneer do? What does the word mean? To me, a pioneer is someone who goes first – who treads where others have not, or dared not. A pioneer envisions a world that is different, in which things are no longer as they were. And generally a pioneer (as opposed to a mere explorer) has a particular motivation for doing what they do; they are driven by a purpose, a set of values or principles in which they believe and which encourage them to make change, to act. So what are these principles and values that underpin the founding of North London Collegiate? What are the guiding code of ethics, moral values and educational vision that created the School? One way of exploring this is to examine what effect, or impact, these founding principles have had (and continue to have) on our graduating students - our Old North Londoners - or ‘ONLs’ as we affectionately call them.
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Frances Mary Buss
Artwork: Mariana Carvalho - Grade 7 Javi
When Frances Mary Buss opened her school on 4th April 1850, she had clear and unequivocal ambitions for North London Collegiate: to provide the best and most comprehensive education possible for the girls in her care, equal at least to that already provided for boys, and for that education to be put to good use in society.
I will prevent you from doing anything else”. “Like a flash,” recounts Lilian, “I replied, “You cannot prevent me from becoming a dentist”. She prevented me from having that scholarship… I knew nothing of dentistry, but having stated boldly that I would be a dentist, there was nothing else to be done.”
Miss Buss was adamant about the quality of the education that her school would provide.The curriculum from the start was designed to include not just the study of Latin, but also “the leading facts of Natural Philosophy and other Branches of Science” – the study of which were thought by many at the time to be utterly unnecessary for girls. But Miss Buss was determined that her NLCS pupils would follow a similar academic curriculum to that studied by the boys at Eton or Harrow, what she termed “a sound and thorough education”.
Lilian was true to her word. Following an apprenticeship with a local dentist in Holloway she passed her preliminary qualification and applied for dental school. When she arrived at the gates of the National Dental College, Lilian recalled that she found the Dean, Henri Weiss standing outside. She was not allowed to cross the threshold to register.
The study of Science has therefore always played in important role in the North London curriculum and many thousands of North Londoners have taken advantage of the opportunity to study these subjects and to forge careers from them, even if, on one famous occasion, it meant defying Miss Buss herself….
Lilian Lyndsay attended NLCS from 1887 – 1889. She was a scholar, very bright and very ambitious - and was determined to become the first fully qualified and registered Dentist in the UK. According to her biography, the story unfolded like this: “… as her two year scholarship came to an end in 1889, Lilian … apparently won a further award for two years which would presumably have prepared her for entry to university or other higher education. According to Lilian, she was summoned to Miss Buss to discuss her future. The headmistress announced that Lilian was destined to be a teacher of the deaf and dumb. Lilian refused. This enraged Miss Buss, who declared, “Then
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Undeterred, Lilian went North – to the Edinburgh Dental School, which did accept her as a student, even though she was the only woman enrolled. The treasurer of the School did his best to put Lilian off from registering for the whole course, but Lilian persisted, despite having to pay double fees for the course. She graduated on 3 May 1895, having won the Watson Medal for dental surgery and pathology. And therefore became the first woman to obtain a Licence in Dental Surgery from a British Royal College.
Lilian Lyndsay
Many hundreds of North Londoners have followed in Lilian’s footsteps, pursuing careers in the sciences and mathematics. Most recently they have included Roma Agrawal, a structural engineer who was instrumental in designing the iconic Shard building in London.
Baroness Sharp was determined to pursue her career, and used her networking skills to arrange a transfer away from the “elderly bachelor” and over to the Ministry of Health. She was attached to the Local Government Division and spent happy years travelling around the UK visiting various Local Authorities. Gradually, she became accepted as a professional civil servant regardless of her gender. In 1946 she was made the first female Deputy Secretary to a major government department, and, tellingly, she was paid at the same level as her male counterparts (achieving equal pay a full ten years before the civil service in general accepted that principle). She was formidable, tough-minded, decisive and resourceful…
Roma Agrawal
Commitment to academic excellence has, right from the foundation of the School in 1850, been a hallmark of North London Collegiate. Many thousands of ONLs have left NLCS to go on to university in the UK and abroad, studying an extraordinary array of courses: from the arts to the social sciences, modern and ancient languages, jurisprudence, architecture and design, accountancy, finance and business, English literature and language, technology, fine art, computing, music, drama and many other courses besides. Miss Buss was interested in inspiring and encouraging her students to think. “In training the youthful mind to habits of thought, instead of burthening the memory with merely a number of words . . .” Independence of thought was therefore (and still is) a much valued quality for students studying at NLCS. The commitment to fostering such a quality has led to the emergence of a certain independence of spirit among North Londoners, ONLs proved time and again that they had considerable bravery, strength of will and spirit. Baroness Evelyn Sharp was one such ONL. She was a career civil servant at a time when women were almost entirely unknown in that profession. Even as a young teenager, young Evelyn made her mark. She clashed with the authorities at school and her rebellious streak remained a key part of her character. In 1926, she began her career in the civil service in the Mercantile Marine Department of the Board of Trade. She described meeting her new boss in a Times article in 1975: “My superior was an elderly bachelor to whom the law of the foreshore was absorbing. My arrival completely upset the even tenor of his life, and we never achieved a rational relationship.”
Baroness Sharp
Independence of thought and of action has also underpinned Dame Anna Wintour’s career. A remarkable and often challenging character, Dame Anna became interested in fashion as a teenager whilst at the School and was determined to pursue a career in fashion journalism. From the editorship at Vogue, House and Garden, US Vogue and most latterly, as creative Director for all of Condé Nast, Dame Anna has come to be regarded as one of the most powerful people in fashion, identifying and setting trends, and anointing new designers. She is also a notable philanthropist and has raised over $10 million for AIDs charities since 1990.
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Famously, she is reported as saying: “I don’t like people who’ll say yes to everything I might bring up. I want people who can argue, and disagree, and have a point of view.” That spirit of independence, appetite for a good argument and the strength of character that it takes to hold your own in a competitive environment is certainly a characteristic of many Old North Londoners. Jessie Millward
The list is long and distinguished of other ONLs who have forged and continue to pursue careers in the arts. From actors, such as Rachel Weisz, and Anna Popplewell ...
Anna Wintour
Miss Buss was always interested in educating the whole person – not simply in preparing her students to pass examinations. All aspects of a child’s growth and development were considered. She was convinced that music, cookery, carpentry and art were essential elements of the North London educational experience. It should be no surprise to us that so many North Londoners have sought to pursue careers in the creative industries. In the early years of the School however, such an ambition – to be an actor, a performer on the Victorian stage, would have been met with considerable dismay and concern.
Rachel Weisz
. . . to musicians such as Mandhira di Saram, who is forging a successful career as a soloist and a founding member of the Ligeti Quartet, dedicated to the performance of improvised and experimental music…
Jesse Millward (NLCS 1872) learned her love of acting during her time at School, participating in the tableaux vivants and the dramatic societies that were fundamental elements of the NLCS educational experience. Miss Buss took “the greatest delight” in these societies, which were conceived of and run by the students themselves. In 1881, Jesse persuaded her mother to allow her to act on the professional stage. She rose quickly, performing regularly as a lead actress at Drury Lane and in many melodramas at the Adelphi Theatre. Jesse also toured the United States and performed extensively on Broadway from 1898 to 1910. Mandhira di Saram
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Anna Popplewell
. . . to artists such as Peggy Angus, who is best known for her industrial designs, tiles and wallpapers, North London has inspired many to express themselves on stage, screen and in the studio.
As much as she was determined that her teachers should inspire their students with a love of learning for its own sake, Miss Buss also saw education as a means to an end. She wanted the students who studied at North London Collegiate to be economically independent and successful, but she also wanted them to contribute actively to society. This Victorian ideal of social service appears to have been deeply important to Miss Buss. She wrote: “It is surely one great advantage of a large public school, . . . that it inspires its pupils with a feeling of membership in a great body, that it helps to cultivate that collective, as opposed to individual feeling; which has various forms – domestic affection, charity, public spirit – but in the true fulfilment of which consists the highest happiness.”
Peggy Angus
Many students across all three North London Collegiate Schools share a love of literature - and over the years North Londoners have gone on to become writers of every form and persuasion. Stevie Smith and Ruth Padel are notable poets, the latter coming to poetry after an academic career teaching Greek at Oxford and Princeton. Dame Elizabeth Cadbury
Dame Elizabeth Cadbury (NLCS 1874 – 1876) embodied that NLCS commitment to social service and charitable work. It is true that Dame Elizabeth was born into a wealthy family and then married into an even wealthier one … but what marked her out was her commitment to active philanthropy. This desire for good works appears to have been born at NLCS. The Birmingham Post newspaper told the story of a fateful lesson led by Miss Buss herself: “Miss Buss sweeping into the classroom with the sudden question: “Well girls, what are we here for?” brushing aside the answer of learning the particular lesson of the moment with an impatient “No, no – what is the purpose behind our work?” remained a vivid memory to Elizabeth Cadbury at 90. Deeply impressed upon her at 16 was the realisation that the higher education in which she was sharing was to fit her for a wider service to her fellows in the years to come.”
Stevie Smith
Myfanwy Piper
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Eight years after leaving school she started a boys’ club in the London Docks. A year later she was living in Paris, working with a protestant mission for the relief of victims of the Franco-Prussian War, before moving back to London to work with women in the London slums. Her marriage to George Cadbury gave her the opportunity to take a full and enthusiastic role in the foundation of Bourneville Village, a community of houses, flats and other amenities for the workers in a newly built chocolate factory south of Birmingham. She helped to found the Birmingham Union of Girls’ Clubs in 1898 and later became an active worker for the Young Women’s Christian Association and a strong supporter of the Girl Guide movement. More recently, another extraordinary ONL, in her short life, also made a profound contribution to social justice in the international sphere: Stephanie Lee.
study Thai and Burmese at SOAS in London. Stephanie spent every vacation travelling to one of the refugee camps, teaching and raising money for the charity she established: the Karenni Student Development Programme. In three years she had raised more than £30,000 . . . Stephanie had great plans for the camps, including boarding schools for orphans and new facilities for schools. She became known as “Teacher Stephanie” and her creativity, love of life and determination gave rise to the Fantasy Fashion evening, an annual event at North London Collegiate Schools across the world, that continues to celebrate Stephanie’s extraordinary life to this day. Had Stephanie not died in a motorbike accident in 2001, who knows what she might have achieved? The Karenni Student Development Programme continues to grow and support the Karenni people, and it was wonderful to hear the news earlier this year that the charity has now raised more than a million pounds. That same spirit of equality and drive for social justice, was evident in the foundation of the School.
Stephanie Lee
Stephanie first encountered the Karenni people by accident. She was backpacking around Asia on her Gap year, before taking up her place on a Foundation Art Course in Chelsea. Stephanie encountered a refugee camp while travelling in the jungles of Northern Thailand. The people living in the camps had been displaced by the ruling military junta in Burma (in scenes that are sadly familiar to the plight of the Rohingja Muslims in the West of Myanmar today). Many of the children living in these camps had never experienced life beyond the camp’s boundary. What facilities that were there were very limited and Stephanie decided to do something about it.
There was to be no class distinction or racial prejudice in her school; all who came were to be given equal opportunities. Miss Buss wrote: “All the pupils who enter are considered as upon the same equality. The same high tone of feeling is expected from all, the same attention to instruction, the same advantages offered to every pupil.” . . . And so a commitment to the principle of equality and social justice is inherent in our School – fundamental principles that we adhere to today. It is one hundred years since (some) women won the right to vote in the UK. Dorothy Evans was a feminist activist and political leader.
She returned to London and immediately began fundraising to support the Karenni community. She dropped her plans to study art, instead signing up to
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Dorothy Evans
She joined the Women’s Social and Political Union in 1907 shortly after leaving school, becoming its Birmingham organiser between 1910 and 1912. During this period she was frequently arrested and imprisoned for acts relating to the Suffragette movement. In 1913, she acted as a liaison officer between the WSPU’s headquarters in London and its exiled leader Christabel Pankhurst, in Paris. Dorothy travelled between London and the French capital in disguise, putting into practice the nerve and guile she had developed during her time on the sports fields and through her contributions to the School magazine at NLCS.
So as I come towards the final part of this first Founder’s Day address at NLCS Dubai I would like to return to my opening question: what are the founding principles that underpin a North London Collegiate School? I hope that I have been able to illustrate the impact of Miss Buss’s commitment to academic excellence, her high ambitions for the School, her relentless drive for improvement, her determination to give opportunities to all, her desire that the young people in her care should meet the challenges of life fearlessly and with the determination to be economically and socially independent, successful and productive. And I think she would be amazed and incredibly proud to see those values enhancing the education of children not only in London but also in South Korea . . . and now in Dubai. And conscious that all our examples so far today have been women, I’d like to share with you the story of Zi Won Kim.
Esther Rantzen
Dame Esther Rantzen (NLCS 1958), journalist, activist and investigative broadcaster continues the tradition of campaigning for equality and social justice today. Dame Esther, who described herself in the ONLine magazine as “never the perfect North Londoner”, rose to prominence as the presenter of the programme That’s Life! from 1973 to 1994. Dame Esther and her team used That’s Life!’s tremendous popularity and profile to highlight social injustice and political corruption . . . In 1986, following a report on child abuse in the home, Dame Esther launched Childline, a free telephone number, the first in the world, designed to enable children, who were in distress or danger, to call for help. On the first night of its launch, more than 50,000 attempted calls were made to the helpline. Childline has has been replicated in 150 countries around the world, including here in the UAE. In 2013 Dame Esther introduced The Silver Line in a bid to combat isolation and loneliness among older people. ***
Zi Won Kim
Zi Won joined NLCS Jeju in Grade 10, as one of our founding students, in 2011. He rarely spoke, and if you had asked him to say anything about himself, his reply would have been that he was ‘ordinary’. He was used to simply conforming and to memorizing facts. After a few weeks at NLCS Jeju, Zi Won started to realise that there was more to education. “At NLCS Jeju, I learnt how to learn. The academic curriculum was not only about reading textbooks and memorizing facts. It was more about understanding the facts and putting your own thoughts into it. This approach to academics has empowered me to be able to learn independently, and express my thoughts.” Other than academics, he started to see NLCS Jeju as a place of exploration. He was given the opportunity to try out a plethora of activities, including community service, run for fun, golf, badminton and the school magazine. This was a boy who had never written anything other than an essay in his life. www.nlcsdubai.ae
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Within a year he was the magazine editor. He had friends. He was sharing his opinions. He once said that NLCS Jeju saved him but perhaps it’s more accurate to say that the School helped him discover the intelligent, passionate young man that had always been there . . .
mathematician will have found inspiration during the wonderful Maths Society assembly last week . . .
He left NLCS Jeju in June 2014 with an IB score of 42 out of a possible 45 and entered Hong Kong University of Science and Technology – which is among the top 30 universities in the world. He was awarded a scholarship to study Engineering because of his well-rounded application and was given a credit transfer on entry, cutting his course from four years down to three.
You are all part of something extraordinary.You are part of a proud history which goes back 168 years and a set of values in which those pioneers believed and which live and breathe in the UK school today and now in this school.You are part of a family of schools that spans the globe and includes, today, just over 2700 pupils, both boys and girls.
He starts work at JP Morgan in Hong Kong next year.
And being part of that history and of those values, brings with it a responsibility: a responsibility to make the most of the opportunities you are given, a responsibility to remember for what we as a school stand, and a responsibility to each other to support each other, to serve each other and to encourage each other in whatever you attempt.
*** History is important, of course: but here we are at an extraordinary place . . . in the exciting and ever-present now - hovering, as always, between the past, and the promise of the future. And when I think back to those early days in 1850: that first week, that first term, that first year at North London Collegiate in Frances Mary Buss’s family home in Camden, I cannot help but draw parallels with our own first week, our first term, our first year . . . And I wonder if in those early days of the School’s founding, Miss Buss dared to dream of what might be achieved by her School and more importantly by its pupils over the years to come. And I wonder, in another one hundred and sixty eight years’ time, what pupils at NLCS Dubai will make of those stories, and of our stories. Of the stories perhaps of the pupils who joined us having never spoken Arabic in their lives, and found their love of the language here, in Miss Ribal’s class, and eventually became fluent speakers, and who, perhaps after 3 or 4 years in the Arabic department at Cambridge, went on to become diplomats, or to run charities, and maybe helped to bring greater peace and prosperity to this region. Or the story of the student who found their love of literature here within these walls writing with Mrs Monaghan for the school magazine, and went on to become a respected journalist. Or the Scientist, who first understood chemical structures in Miss Shah’s classes and ends up ridding our oceans of the scourge of plastic. Or the story of the mathematician who, in ten years’ time, saves us all from AI, when the robots are taking over and Skynet is attacking and all is lost; perhaps that 104
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Will these be the stories that are told in the year 2186 at NLCS Dubai?
And of course I’m aware that today’s talk has been illustrated by referring to women who have, in one way or another, come to fame or prominence in their career. And of course many of you sitting here are boys and many of you sitting here (boys or girls) will not necessarily become famous or change the world in a way that is publicly recognised. There are many thousands of ONLs whose stories I have not told, whose lives have not been documented in the same way as those I have shared with you today.They have led very happy, successful and fulfilled lives entirely outside the public sphere and have achieved much and, just as importantly, they have loved and been loved. And I want you to remember that you don’t have to be famous, you don’t have to be rich, and you may never receive public recognition for what you do. But every time you use your intellect, your courage, your passion and determination to do something positive, something kind, something good in the world, you will be honouring the traditions and the founding principles of this School’s community. Today we reaffirm our part in the story of this remarkable School and we look forward with confidence to what the future holds. Happy Founder’s Day, everyone! Thank you. Daniel Lewis Principal March 2018 With thanks and acknowledgment to Sarah Clark, Headmistress of NLCS (UK), who generously provided the original draft upon with this speech is based.
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Poem by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Read by Alya Lootah, Grade 7,Yibir
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Founder’s Day by Grade 10
Anastasia Laman
“This year I experienced our first Founder’s Day. It was an amazing experience, when the whole school was working together to create an incredible show. I was so proud to be one of the eight students chosen to take in the flowers.”
Enzo
“I think through Founder’s Day, I gained respect for myself and from the school community.”
Youna “Being the oldest grade in the whole school, I realised the great amount of responsibility I have.”
“ I loved Founder’s Day! Although the rehearsals were tiring, it was all worth it in the end. My favourite part was definitely the procession; all the Grade 10s felt so honoured and special.”
Alex “It felt empowering to be part of a school community and be the eldest. Founder’s Day was a fantastic chance to grow, to commemorate and to celebrate.”
Fabi ” Founders day, was truly an unparalleled experience, with bright daffodils and gleeful smiles flooding the school grounds. It was truly unforgettable to be a part of my first Founder’s Day at NLCS Dubai and I can’t wait for the next one.”
Haeun “I enjoyed experiencing and getting to know the traditions of NLCS.”
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NLCS Dubai celebrates
UAE’s 46th National Day From the 26th to the 28th of November, NLCS Dubai students, staff and parents were thrown into a celebratory mood to mark and celebrate the 46th National Day of the United Arabic Emirates. The activities were diverse and the experience was rich. A group of enthusiastic and passionate educators put together a comprehensive programme of academic and cultural events. A UAE themed curriculum day across the Junior and Senior school was dedicated to study about our host country and the outcome of this day was not only the learning experience, but also a fascinating range of creative academic and artistic work that was displayed in the main school Atrium.Two whole school assemblies were organised; one was staff- led and the other was student- led. An Oud musician was playing in the Atrium and everyone enjoyed listening to the very fine tunes that echoed everywhere. On Tuesday the 28th of November, the school turned into a sea of red, green, white and black with different festive cultural events on offer. There was a camel, falcons, Henna, face painting, photo booth, traditional food and Yola dancers on site. It was a pleasure to see our school community joining the celebration and enjoying the vibrant atmosphere. I would like to thank the students, staff and parents for their efforts and contributions to the success of the event.
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The House Competition by Sarah Jones, Director of Extra-curricular Activities The House Competition is an essential part of NLCAS Dubai. Through the many challenges it places in front of our students, it encourages us all to work as a team; to learn new skills; to make the most of what we excel at and help others to achieve their best. House Competitions are often the highlight of our school year. They bond us together and give us an enormous sense of pride. Belonging to a house is like belonging to a family and the House Competitions provide us with an opportunity to show how well that family works. At time of writing, there have been 13 House Competitions. By the time this publication is being read, the inaugural House Competition will have been decided. From the first swimming race (nobly won by Yibir) to the nailbiting basketball (in which there were only 4 points separating first and fourth place), our students and teachers have planned, practiced and cheered their way to success. The road to House Competition happiness is not a smooth one. Take Javi: one week they are winning the House Quiz, the next they are coming last in the Hang Tough challenge. However, their win at Sports Day was magnificent and a result of teamwork and unfailing support. Yibir are currently at the top of the leader board, after their impressive domination of House Netball. They cleverly played their joker to secure double points. They made this win look very easy. Jais have also demonstrated superior sporting skills, winning both the basketball and the football competitions.They are also making impressive plans for House Music and may be the house to watch ‌ Hafeet will always remember their glorious success in House Drama. This was a golden event and earned them double points.Their performance was thoroughly entertaining and was a marvellous example of how a whole house can come together to create something to be very proud of. The House Competition has pushed students to take on tasks they never thought possible. Some have run races for the first time, many have stood on stage, even though the thought previously terrified them. Some have played chess, although they only knew the basic moves, and others have played netball despite not knowing the rules. This is the spirit of the competition. It is about embracing the new and loving the challenge. It is about community and team spirit. In the end, only one house can win, but it really is about the taking part.
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The Junior School have produced some impressive creative writing this year. Here is a selection of some of the best work. The Sea Dream by Ruby Ahmed Grade 1, Leopards It was getting dark and it was hard to see. The light upon the sea was as bright as the moon. As the waves shimmered in the moonlight, the fishes’ scales shone. Suddenly a big wave crashed on the beach. Suddenly a shadow emerged from the depths. Footprints of a leopard appeared in the sand. Slowly a turtle made its way up the beach and began to dig. The turtle decided to lay some eggs but the leopard was watching. ‘Aha, eggs for supper,’ thought the leopard. But the turtle was very clever. He dug deeper and deeper and began to lay more eggs.
Ruby Ahmed - Grade 1
Finally the turtle stopped laying and there were 5000 eggs! He began to cover the eggs with sand. The leopard watched. Just was the turtle finished, the moon disappeared behind a cloud and darkness fell across the beach. The turtle levelled the sand on top of the nest and then made his way back down the beach and slipped into the sea. The sun rose and daylight came. The leopard looked across the beach. ‘Where is the turtle? Where are the eggs?’ The leopard ran up and down, growling loudly. He never found the nest and he left with an empty belly. The turtle may be slow but he is also clever. The End
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NLCS POEM by Zaidan Amij Grade 4, Eagles NLCS is a new beginning the school welcoming me in Tall trees looming over students As lovely as a rose It is a very contented dog NLCS is a new beginning NLCS is a new beginning The sun cascades the faces of joyful students As new as a newborn puppy. As daring as a lion Like one happy school marching to the heights of space then to the crust. NLCS is a new beginning. I am filled with determination to make this school one of the best in Dubai. Oh, NLCS is a new beginning.
FREEDOM by Harry Wen Bradley, Grade 5 Oryx Freedom is a friend of mine He means so many things Happiness, Joy, Delight and Light He means so many things Freedom is a friend of mine He does so many things Fills my heart with what he means He does so many things Freedom is a friend of mine We all rely on him He gives us hope all the time We all rely on him
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Creativity is at the heart of what it means to be an NLCS Dubai student. Creativity allows us to take risks, to explore ideas in an entirely new way and to explore issues that are challenging or difficult. The work included here represents the amazing creative talent we have in the school. The writing is original, often maturely communicated and powerful. We are very fortunate to have such talented writers in the student body. The first collection pieces were written in response to the title, ‘The Last Breath’. Every student in the senior school was asked to write their own creative response. These finalists were chosen by a panel of students, from Grade 6 to 10.They found it hard to judge their peers and the process took weeks, but eventually these were their favourites. They are quite bleak but in writing them, the students were given the opportunity to express emotions about death, loss and conflict, ideas that they see every day on their televisions and on social media. These pieces of creative writing show that our students are capable of very deep, empathetic reactions.
The Last Breath
by Rayan Shafeek, Grade 8 Hafeet I lie in the sand, waiting for death to claim yet another victim. I lie here, soaked in blood and pain. I was lucky to be able to get out of the water, but it doesn’t change much. Officers are shouting, but nothing is heard. Instead, the only sound in my ear is a constant unbearable ringing. Just a few seconds ago, I was running: a virile lad, just 19 years old, the whole world ahead of me, and now, I lay here, unable to move, unable to stand, unable to do anything. I can feel my heart pound, and with every beat, the pain becomes more and more intolerable. It’s an interesting game. They call it war. I remember when my friends and I would declare war on each other. It was such a mistake, to call those petty quarrels war. If only real war was as simple as that. As innocent, as harmless. Real war is life or death. That’s how it is. That’s how it’s always been. I am freezing, yet my whole body is burning. I can feel the blood, slowly meandering down my cheek.The daze and confusion in my head getting ever more present. My mind spinning, my soul slowly disappearing. It is certain. My last smell shall be that of blood and sweat, both of these combining to form one of the worst possible odors. My last sight will be all these bodies.The closest one to me being this German soldier. He couldn’t have been much older than me, yet, he was my enemy. A villain. A monster. How could he have been a monster? My final resting place? This beautiful beach in France. Omaha Beach, I believe. Why? Why do we do this? I can’t picture my parents. Receiving that dreaded letter. I have to do something. I have to keep moving. 114
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The Last Breath
by Josefina Recabarren Ramirez, Grade 7 Jais
Narrator:
Josefina was one of the happiest girls. She had come back from Chile while visiting her father. Soon, her happiness was going to change to a very hard sadness.
Josie:
(opening door) I’m home!
Veronica:
Come upstairs please, it’s important
Josie:
(going up the stairs) I’m coming mum
Veronica:
Sit down please.Your dad is in the hospital unconscious, no one knows what happened to him. Last night he stopped replying and today he didn’t go to work.Your aunt went to check on him and he was half unconscious already. He kept saying he wanted to see someone.
Josie:
(crying) I can’t believe it, is he going to be ok?
Veronica:
We don’t know, tomorrow we will fly to Chile at 5am to see him.
The Next Day Narrator:
Veronica kept looking at her phone and her face got more and more worried. Josie went and checked the phone but she saw something she wished she hadn’t.(In the phone)
Aunt:
Half of his brain has shut down already, there is very little chance he will survive.
Veronica:
Josefina will be destroyed, she loved him so much, she always will…
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The Last Breath
by Suha Kidwai, Grade 8 Yibir
She woke to the same grey sky And the same wistfulness Of petrichor that was the very essence of her youth She hobbled to the same stone table To the same china bowl Full of Porridge That she shovelled into her near toothless mouth Never really knowing why She stared at the same Porridge The same mesmerising whorls of steam Swirling around themselves Over and over in the sameness of it all Not unlike herself She relieved the same memories Reminiscing the same things That had long since ceased to cause proper emotion And a new thought struck her and she exhaled; a break in the tediousness She heard the same sound Of the same raindrops Skittering down the windows And she blew over the steam of the Porridge She had grown to hate She took her last breath Partly sighing with the sameness of it all Partly to blow the porridge And it was indeed The Last Breath.
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The Last Breath
by Madge Lobo Grade 6 Yibir
I lie in the sand, waiting for death to claim yet another victim. I lie here, soaked in blood and pain. I was lucky to be able to get out of the water, but it doesn’t change much. Officers are shouting, but nothing is heard. Instead, the only sound in my ear is a constant unbearable ringing. Just a few seconds ago, I was running: a virile lad, just 19 years old, the whole world ahead of me, and now, I lay here, unable to move, unable to stand, unable to do anything. I can feel my heart pound, and with every beat, the pain becomes more and more intolerable. It’s an interesting game.They call it war. I remember when my friends and I would declare war on each other. It was such a mistake, to call those petty quarrels war. If only real war was as simple as that. As innocent, as harmless. Real war is life or death. That’s how it is. That’s how it’s always been. I am freezing, yet my whole body is burning. I can feel the blood, slowly meandering down my cheek. The daze and confusion in my head getting ever more present. My mind spinning, my soul slowly disappearing. It is certain. My last smell shall be that of blood and sweat, both of these combining to form one of the worst possible odors. My last sight will be all these bodies. The closest one to me being this German soldier. He couldn’t have been much older than me, yet, he was my enemy. A villain. A monster. How could he have been a monster? My final resting place? This beautiful beach in France. Omaha Beach, I believe. Why? Why do we do this? I can’t picture my parents. Receiving that dreaded letter. I have to do something. I have to keep moving.
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Mahnoor Raja Grade 9 Hafeet
Exhale. The flesh and blood of her entire world had just been separated from the soul. Her hand was still clutching his, his grip turning frigid and icy within seconds. How could she have taken the risk of making this feeble human worth more than anything else, when there was a chance he might leave her? Warm salty tears silently ran down her face as if it were covered in cuts, each tear stinging more than the last. A weak smile crossed her face as all of her memories of him came back to her, to comfort her, and to hurt her at the same time. She tried hard not to make a sound, because she could still sense his joyful spirit lingering around the bed, not able to stay, but not willing to leave. A wave of nausea washed over her, and her heart began to beat faster. Her changing pulse reminded her of the first time she met him, her heart fluttering like the wings of a lone caged bird. Death, although cruel, is certain, but naturally, impulses of denial began to infiltrate her mind. Repeating his name into his lifeless head only confirmed her thoughts and sent pressurized streams of tears through her eyes, and the sharp pain of weeping into her diaphragm, the calm rhythm of her lungs distorted into a messy pattern, as if the air was turning into water. She was drowning. ‘Patience,’ she thought. Although a beloved piece of her heart had just been violently ripped out, pain is always momentary.
Sam Lee Grade 9 Javi
He was smiling. That made me sad. That made me cry. Everyone was wearing black, and Paul was standing next to his mother, sister, and his father’s picture surrounded with chrysanthemums. I bowed twice to the picture. In Korea, we bow twice to someone who passed away. I sometimes bowed twice to my friends just for fun, but bowing to a person that I used to know very well twice felt… awkward.The picture of Paul’s father was smiling at me. In that picture covered with chrysanthemums, he was smiling the same as he always smiled at me. And Paul was smiling the same as the picture next to him. That made me cry. Paul’s father was kind. He wasn’t rich, but he never hesitated to buy me something. His family was very close to my family, so we ate Korean Barbeque together almost every month. Paul’s father was working as an aide, and he actually worked hard to be a proper politician. I surely could say that he would be a good politician. He was the only upright and considerate person I knew who worked in politics. And of course he was an upright and considerate person. Once, he let me go into the library of the assembly hall just because I told him in passing that I love reading. Paul and I became friends in elementary school, but because we went to different middle schools, we couldn’t hang out as often as we used to. But we kept in touch. 118
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I still remember the moment when I heard that Paul’s father passed away. My mon and I were eating lunch while watching TV. My dad came out to the living room and told us the news. The unfortunate news. We stopped eating, dressed up, and went to the funeral. Even until then, I was just dumbfounded by the situation. Paul’s mother came to me after the funeral and said, “Please promise me that you will be my son’s friend until his last breath”. I cried and cried, and promised to her that I will be her son’s friend forever. And I promised to myself. Years after the funeral, I visited my elementary school to meet my old teachers, and I met Paul there. It was that I had seen him since the funeral. He was smiling, just as he did at the funeral. I visited his middle school with him. His middle school was right next to the elementary school we graduated. He looked happy. He became the goalkeeper of his school football team and he was the captain of the team. He looked like he didn’t even need me. I could understand what he was thinking, and I’m sure that he understood what I was thinking as well. His smile made me cry. His smile always make me cry, but this time we were smiling together. www.nlcsdubai.ae
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International Picnic by Madge Lobo Grade 6 Yibir
On the 19th of April, NLCS Dubai held an international picnic. To celebrate the different cultures and nationalities, parents and teachers arranged a feast of delightful foods from all around the world. At the start of International day, the senior school had an assembly where we were able to see just how many places we all come from. Everyone arrived in school in their traditional dress and it was truly a sight to behold. Throughout the day, different age groups were able to visit the atrium and experience the international picnic. Senior students were allocated their lunch slots and we were shocked by the fantastic display of foods. It is very difficult to put into words just how amazing the picnic was, I was able to try foods from everywhere to Tanzania to South America, from Italy to South Korea.The food was delicious but it was also a representation of how diverse our school community is. In a word, the international picnic was ‘incredible’; it was an opportunity to see, taste and find out about different cultures. It was a wonderful experience and I can’t wait for next year! A huge thank you to all the parents who helped to make this event so memorable.
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Literature Week The English Department was very proud to be the first department to have a subject week. It was a great opportunity for the whole secondary school to explore all the different elements of English and to remind us all about the stories that we used to love as children. We were very fortunate to be able to interview author Lucy Strange, who wrote the novel ‘The Secret of Nightingale Wood’. Grade 6 were studying the novel at the time and this was a great chance for them to ask her about her motivation for the plot and her own writing process. In form time, we all tried to guess the best-selling novels of all time and many were surprised to find out that the top-selling book in the English Language was ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, written by Charles Dickens. We also enjoyed finding out about all the benefits that reading brings, from lowering our heart rates to making us smarter. My favourite part of the week was our Drop Everything and Read. Throughout one day, Mr Monaghan read out a famous first line of a novel, and that was our signal to … Drop Everything and Read. The corridors and classrooms were silent, save for the sound of turning pages. The week culminated in Sam Lee’s wonderful assembly. This was entitled, ‘The Power of the Story’. He began by reading a favourite children’s story to us all. It was remarkable to see how engaged we all were and this was a powerful reminder of how we all began our reading lives by listening to stories. He gave the important message of how vital stories are to our lives and how they often have the power to change us. The week was a wonderful celebration of all things literary and we are looking forward to having our next week in the new term.
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by Salayla Elmasry, Grade 6 Yibir
As the blazing sun shone brightly, we marched proudly on the field making our entrance loud and extravagant. We all excitedly yelled our House Chant and walked all the way round the field. This was it, North London Dubai’s first ever sports day and it was one memorable day for all of us. The first events of the day were the Field events; these included: Shotput, Javelin, Long Jump, High Jump and Discus.When one of the members of the House stood up for their event, the whole House supported them, cheering them on. Every single student was full of energy and was ready to participate in events they were not comfortable with and tried new things. After all Field events were finished, the teachers were counting up the scores and a suspenseful silence in the process.When it was announced that Javi had won the Field Event Category, they cheered at the top of their lungs. This First North London Collegiate School Dubai Sports Day was definitely an unforgettable day throughout the entire year with a range of spectacular moments. From Jais, being over the top with their support for the House, including dying their hair blue and wearing blue sparkled lipstick, to the first Baton drop, the day was momentous. Even though the stakes were high and competitiveness was intense, there were also aspects of respect and good sportsmanship. This day was, yes especially good for Javi (the winning house) but also truly something that will be remembered and will go down for one of the best school events throughout the journey of the first year.
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teamNLCS 2017-18 Despite it being our first year and having a small student population, we have managed to have many teams representing our school at the Dubai Affiliated School Sports Association (DASSA). All of the teams listed below have represented their school with pride, sportsmanship and commitment.
Senior Teams
• U14 Boys Football
• Senior Athletics Squad
• U13 Girls Rounders
• U16 Boys Basketball
• Senior Cross Country
o League Winners
• Ski Team
• U12 Fab 5 Athletics
• U15 Girls Rounders
• U15 Girls Football
• U14 Fab 5 Athletics
o League Winners
• U14 Girls Netball
• U14 Boys Basketball
• Tennis
• Senior Tennis Squad • Badminton
Junior Teams
• U11 Boys Football • U9 Boys Football • Swim Squad o Division Champions
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• • • •
U11 Girls Netball U11 Fab 5 Athletics U9 Fab 5 Athletics Junior Cross Country Squad • Junior Aquathlon Squad o Division Champions • U11 Basketball • U11 Golf
• U11 Boys Rounders o Plate Winners • U11 Girls Rounders • U9 Mixed Rounders o Cup Winners
Highlight Performances of the Year Aquathlon The Aquathlon consists of a 100m sprint swim, followed by a 1.4km. NLCS Dubai were entered in Division 3 and competed against nine other schools across three events. In the first event, we finished 5th overall, yet training yielded improved performances to finish 2nd in the second event and 1st in the final competition. Overall NLCS Dubai finished 2nd out of the nine schools entered. An excellent level of progress, claiming 5 podium positions throughout, including three golds. DASSA Athletics Athletics Track and Field is a major sport in the DASSA calendar. All schools compete, taking squads of 50 students to the Sports City stadium and track. This event is used as a qualifier for the individual championships that take place later in the term. NLCS Dubai were very proud to have three students qualify for four events at the finals. This ranked them in the top 8 athletes in their age category in Dubai. Results were as follows: • Isaac – 100m – Bronze • Isaac – 200m – 5th • Ramzi – Shot Put – Bronze • Zahra – 200m – invited to NLCS UK. Fab 5 Athletics TeamNLCS also enjoyed success in the Fab 5 Athletics. This format consists of five boys and five girls that must perform in track, field and relay events. We competed in U14, U12, U11 and U9 age groups with results as follows: • U14s o Gold – Boys Long Jump o Silver – Boys Shot Put, Boys High Jump, Girls 200m o Bronze – Girls Discus • U12 o Gold – Girls Shot Put o Silver – Boys Shot, Girls Javelin, Boys 100m, Girls 200m o Bronze – Boys 200m • U11 – 4th Overall in their league • U9 – 2nd Overall in their league
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Junior Athletics Track Our Junior Athletics Squad competed in a large track event against six other schools. Out of 40 races, NLCS Dubai athletes achieved 32 medal positions. • 10 x Gold • 13 x Silver • 9 x Bronze From this event, seven athletes qualified for the individual championships, to compete against the best in Dubai. Qualifying meant that they were in the top 6 fastest in the Emirate. • 80m – Ethan, Ned, Aniya, Alex • 150m – Ethan and Ned • 300m – Ethan, Tristan • 600m – Johnny, Tristan, Allegra • 1000m – Jessica Although we were some of the fastest qualifiers, we just missed out on medal positions with many 4th and 5th finishes. However this was still an excellent achievement to have this many qualifiers from such a small school. Junior Swimming Our Junior Swim Squad has been a focus sport this year, with a large amount of interest from students at trials.Training sessions were offered five times a week, including two mornings at 6:45am. Our division was tough, with TeamNLCS finishing 3rd out of four in the first of five events. However as the year progressed, personal best times quickly improved. Some swimmers became 17 seconds faster in the water by the end of the year, compared to the start. The season finale came on Thursday 3rd May, hosted at NLCS Dubai. The pool was packed out with supporters from all schools, with the NLCS Dubai crowd certainly the loudest. The home advantage worked, with a brilliant squad performance resulting in NLCS Dubai being crowned Division Champions in their first year. Rounders Our final term of sport has been dominated by Rounders from the U9 through to U15 age groups. With training sessions twice a week, our teams have performed very well. The U9 Mixed team remained undefeated throughout their league and went on to win in the cup final, claiming the title as best team in Dubai. The U11 Girls won their league, but faltered at the last hurdle finishing 4th in the Cup competition. The U11 Boys came 3rd in their league, progressing to the Plate tournament and winning. The NLCS Dubai U13 and U15 Girls teams achieved the ‘perfect season’ in their respective Rounders leagues. Both teams went undefeated and only one draw on the U13s record due to a game being cancelled for adverse weather. Furthermore, both teams had the highest strike rate and best defensive record in their leagues. At the start of the year, we entered the girls into Division 5 of 7 and we will now be promoted to Division 4. Congratulations to the girls who have represented their school with pride and competed brilliantly.
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YEAR BOOK 2017-18