Events and visits: February 2020 Little did we know we would soon have to shut the school for the first time in its 172-year history… Bletchley Park visit
The I Junior Computer Science pupils travelled to Hut “H” at Bletchley Park, which is the home of the National Computing Museum and the world's largest collection of working historic computers. We had an engrossing tour, with demonstrations including the Turing-Welchman Bombe and the Colossus of the 1940s. The museum took us through this significant period of technological history, putting into perspective the mobile phone, which is the culmination of all the efforts and dreams from the 1940s to the present. Editor’s note: Mr Phil Nelkin, Queen’s Director of IT and Head of Computer Science is leaving us to set up a consultancy business at the end of this academic year. We have so much to thank him for, not least organising the technology for us to teach remotely from March 20th onwards and responding to our many queries with enormous patience. In a typical Mr Nelkin touch, he even showed us how to set our backgrounds in Microsoft Teams as the TARDIS. We wish him all the best!
Come and Sing: A Night at the Movies
Musicians ranging from Class 3 singers to professional orchestral players came together to perform film music, to raise money for Queen’s Bursary Fund and the Cardinal Hume Centre, a local charity which helps to prevent homelessness of young people. Since it was ‘A Night at the Movies’, there had to be (at least) two pieces composed by the master of film music, John Williams, which the massed choir and the orchestra performed. However, there was a wide variety of music in the programme, including Nina, IJ, singing the classic ‘Over the Rainbow’ beautifully, and Didi, IS and Natasha, IIJ wowing the audience with ‘Sull’aria’ by Mozart. Over £2000 was raised. Sophia, IIJ During lockdown, a full programme of private music lessons has continued remotely, while Mr Hughes and Miss D’Arcy, along with brass tutor Miss Mitchell, have been busy arranging and recording collaborative videos featuring students and staff, with guest appearances from one or two pets. Enjoy them on our website here: https://www.qcl.org.uk/co-curricular/creative-arts/music
Stock Market Challenge
Students from I Junior, along with guests from Charter School North Dulwich, contested a closely fought Stock Market Challenge. The challenge uses a “real-time” screen simulation over five “days” to track share prices in nine (fictional) companies, sterling/dollar exchange rates and “breaking news”. The actual trading is all done on paper, in an old-style open outcry trading floor. I Senior Economists ran the event as Trading Floor Managers and provided an upbeat soundtrack. The aim of this activity is to give students an insight into financial markets and to start them thinking about A-level choices and careers. Lucky Team 13, comprising Brooke, Anoushka and two visiting students, won with a total portfolio value of £563,000 (not bad from a starting stake of £15,000).
Queen’s Today
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