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Queen’s Today Lent and Summer Terms 2021

Queen’s Staff Hellos & Goodbyes Hello to: Mr Abdurrahman Pérez

Mrs Lauren Robinson

“I know the pupils at Queen’s are welcoming, hard-working and engaged in their learning, so I cannot wait to become part of this lovely community. I’m looking forward to teaching pupils of all ages ‘powerful’ Geography, raising the profile of the subject and shaping students into lifelong geographers, through understanding and investigating their complex and everchanging world.”

“I’m really looking forward to returning to Queen’s as I’m excited to start teaching the A-level Psychology course and working in my new role. It will be lovely to see some familiar faces and meet the new pupils whom I’ll be teaching. I hope that Psychology will be an interesting new subject that the pupils relate to and can link readily with their other subjects.”

Head of Geography

Head of Science & Teacher of Psychology

Welcome also to Ms Lauren Mitchell as Acting Head of Modern Languages

And goodbye to: Ms Cathy Rogers Geography

Mr Burgess and Dr Smith bringing some fun to the Academic Festival*

“I’ll miss the team spirit both with the pupils and with the staff, my wonderful colleagues in the Humanities office and beyond, the passion for the subject shown by my sixth form geographers, the friendliness, the fun and the sense of belonging.”

Mr Finlay Burgess Physics

“I am travelling to Sydney to work as a science teacher for a few years. I am looking forward to cycle touring through the bush and improving my BBQ game. I will miss the positive community atmosphere at Queen’s, the pupils and the endless Science department banter.”

Miss Katy Massey Thrive

“I am looking forward to completing my Masters in Education, Gender and International Development. Alongside that, I will continue to grow my educational consultancy business. I will miss my form group, getting excellent book recommendations from Dr Perry and sharing an office with the incredibly kind and creative Ms Stewart.”

Dr Phil Smith Mathematics

“I’m off to teach in Melbourne, mostly to have two summers in a row (and hopefully another 2021 Sports Day)! I’m certainly going to miss Queen’s, especially the wonderful atmosphere around the college (and the katsu curry).”

Mrs Marta Narauskas Chemistry

“Although I am ready to explore new horizons, I will miss my wonderful colleagues and friends. ‘A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination and instill love of learning.’ I hope I’ve managed to achieve that and it wouldn’t be possible without my students. I have enjoyed every moment at Queen’s.” 1

*See page 4

Contents 3

Foreword

Events at Queen’s

Leavers’ Dinner: Class of 2021

Queen’s Annual Gathering

Queen’s College Preparatory School: Summer Update

Queen’s College Sports Day at Finsbury Park Athletics Track

Mr Tillett’s and Mrs Hall’s 175th Anniversary Bursary Appeal Fundraising Adventures

Spotlight on the Senior College: Mrs Katie Shapiro and Ms Liz Thonemann, in conversation

Interview with Dr Susannah Abbott, Deputy Head (Pastoral) and Mr Mark Wardrop

Old Queens Series: Emily Warburton-Adams and Clunie Fretton

Stories from the Archive

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Please send stories for Queen’s Today to Mrs Josie Baker, Editor, jbaker@qcl.org.uk Queen’s College, London is a registered charity No.312726

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Foreword

he theme of this edition of Queen’s Today is ‘back to school’. When the previous issue went to print we were in the second period of school closure, thanks to lockdown. Since then, we managed to get everyone ‘back to school’, albeit in strict bubbles with many restrictions, and were luckily able to keep both the College and the Prep School open throughout the Summer Term. Although we did have to adapt our usual end-of-term events, with a scaled back Leavers’ dinner for pupils only (page 6) and both the College’s Annual Gathering (page 5) and the Prep’s Prizegiving livestreamed to different bubbles in their classrooms, we hope the articles and photos in this edition are proof that we still managed to have a great deal of fun, as everyone enjoyed being back at school in person! You will see we were also thrilled to be able to hold Sports Day in person once again (pages 9 and 10). Other highlights this summer included us both achieving our respective challenges — of abseiling down the Orbit and wing walking, strapped to the roof of a plane — in order to raise nearly £50,000 for our Bursary Appeal. You can read our first person accounts of these crazy challenges on pages 11 and 12. Please note that Laura has even said if we hit our target (as we write this, we are 3

96% of the way there) she will go back to the airfield and do a ‘loop-the-loop’! We are now hoping to be able to return this September to something much more like ‘normal’ at Queen’s, as the government has announced the end of bubbles and, while there will still be testing, we will no longer need to send the whole year group home if there is a positive test. We are looking forward to another happy term, full of learning and laughter — with hopefully fewer Covid restrictions. Richard Tillett and Laura Hall

Mr Richard Tillett, Principal, Queen’s College, London

Mrs Laura Hall, Headmistress of Queen’s College Preparatory School

Events at Queen’s Focus on June Class 3: a different year but an exceptional one We are so proud of our C3 pupils. Despite starting secondary school in the middle of a global pandemic and getting to grips with studying not just new subjects, but learning them remotely for most of a term, they’ve really made their mark. We look forward to seeing what they can do when the restrictions gradually lift. On the left they are enjoying a post-exams day out to Go Ape and one of the regular lunchtime picnic trips to the playground in Regent’s Park.

Go Ape was amazing. My group started on team activities and we got the Go Ape human calculator record at 27 seconds. After lunch, we went on the tree top adventure course. The zipline was my favourite thing to do.” Clara, C3

Why we should study African history After our successful series of ‘Lockdown Lectures’ on Zoom, we were finally able to invite speakers back in person, socially distanced from students. The History department hosted a talk by Toby Green, Professor of Precolonial and Lusophone African History and Culture at King’s, on why we should study African history, the role of historical sources and the development of West Africa. ” Mr David Willows, Head of History and Politics

Bletchley Park: spies, Morse code and a real Enigma Class 1 went to Bletchley Park for the day. It was extremely interesting and gave us a deeper understanding on how hard it was for spies during the war. We even had a go at using the Enigma machine and Morse code. This trip was definitely a great learning experience, not just for the students taking Computer Science GCSE, but for the whole year.” Sophie, C1

Academic Festival: celebrating Japan Younger pupils took part in activities linked to the Tokyo Olympics to stretch them outside their normal curriculum, organised by Ms Nithya Murugan, Head of Academic Enrichment. The day featured ideas and skills as varied as manga drawing, haiku writing, Japanese business management techniques, Japan’s history and language... there was even an ‘earthquake’.

Academic festival manga workshop Queen’s Today |

Leavers’ Dinner: Class of 2021

here were moving speeches from outgoing Senior Student Didi Robinson, and Emily Astley, especially Emily’s reflection on how you don’t notice your childhood going by and then one day you realise you’re an adult. Mr Tillett congratulated the year group on the resilience they had shown over the last two years and Mrs Shapiro thanked them all for the contribution they had made to school life. We are grateful to everyone who helped make it a special evening, especially our wonderful catering team. We hope the year group enjoy their summer. Finally, we look forward to welcoming the Class of 2020 back to Queen’s for a reunion in September, as soon as the rules permit.

Queen’s Annual Gathering 2021

ur traditional end of year event was a little different to how it used to be, as most of the College experienced it streamed live to classrooms, because only a small audience could be in the Hall. After 2020’s last-minute cancellation, however, it was great to be able to hold the event at all.

Mr Tillett was supported by guest of honour, The Reverend Vanessa Baron, and Professor Alison While, Chair of Queen’s College Council. Mr Tillett spoke about how the lessons learned from the pandemic were the importance of team work and pastoral care, and that even though Queen’s successfully delivered the curriculum remotely, online school can never be a substitute for in-person education. The photograph shows the magnificent contribution that the Queen’s IT team have made to keeping ‘the show on the road’ during this extraordinary year!

Queen’s Today |

Queen’s College Preparatory School: Summer Update

Royal Marine Reserves Visit This term Form V and VI had an exhilarating team-building day with the Royal Marine Commandos. We enjoyed the opportunities and insights into resilience training and the pupils learnt life skills that will remain with them for years to come. The event, the first of its kind for RMR London, was organised with military precision, as one might expect from a team of Commandos. We are very grateful to RMR London for their enthusiasm and willingness to entertain the idea of bringing seventy pupils to the barracks for a day of adventurous activities.

Tree Planting Ceremony Before half-term, our Eco-Committee members from Forms I-IV attended a treeplanting ceremony at Wigmore Hall. The girls were invited to help the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Jonathan Glanz, plant a Chanticleer pear tree as part of The W1W Tree Planting Initiative. This initiative was founded in 2008, with the aim to restore the trees that once lined the streets of Westminster. The pupils had fun helping to dig the soil and plant the tree and were complimented on their manners, strength, and commitment to the cause. They were not even put off by the dreary weather, optimistically stating that it would just help the tree grow!

Headmistress for a Day In May, Lyra (Reception) experienced being Headmistress for the day, after winning a raffle prize earlier in the year. She had breakfast with the Heads of Departments, co-hosted assembly with Mrs Hall, wrote the newsletter and held a Pre-Prep staff meeting. Mrs Hall loved sitting on her sofa with a nice cup of coffee, wondering whether Lyra would want to help her out the following week as well.

Form VI Residential Form VI were lucky to visit York in June. The trip was action packed from start to finish. As they arrived in Yorkshire, they stopped off at Eden Camp World War II Museum to learn more about World Wars I and II. They then visited Flamingo Land, where it became apparent that we have some adrenaline junkies in Form VI. If that wasn’t enough, after dinner, the pupils squeezed in a game of bowling. On the final day, pupils spent the first part of the morning using clues on a map to spot the famous Cats of York, before exploring the famous ‘Shambles’ for a spot of souvenir shopping. Finally, they were lucky enough to visit the York Chocolate Story to learn about the history of chocolate and even make their own chocolate lollipops.

QCPS Leavers “I am so excited to start at Queen’s College this September. I’m looking forward to meeting the teachers, making new friends and exploring the senior school. I absolutely love Art so I can’t wait for those lessons and to meet the Art Teachers and see the Art classrooms.” Efimia

Hattie’s Palaces on Wheels

In June, Miss Hattie Taylor (Head of PE), participated in a 420km ‘Palaces on Wheels’ bike ride from Highgrove to Buckingham Palace, in aid of the British Asian Trust to raise money to combat child poverty, as well as in support of the Queen’s Bursary Appeal. The team of 40 cyclists set off from Highgrove, home of the Prince of Wales, who got on his bike to launch the ride. This wonderful initiative was organised by one of our parents and we’re delighted that they were able to raise over £100,000.

“It’s so exciting to be starting at Queen’s in September. I’ve always liked visiting when I’ve done workshops there and I really like the teachers I’ve met so far. I’m looking forward to meeting the rest. I love English and I’m excited to get stuck into my English lessons!” Maija

Though she be but little, she is fierce…

The Form VI students worked hard to put on a fantastic musical production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in June. Although we couldn’t perform the production in the traditional way, the performers had a taste of being film stars, professionally recording their songs with Miss Hunter and Mr Avierinos and learning lines and dances that were filmed in the Hall from different angles. It would have been lovely to perform it live; however, we’ve certainly learnt a lot and had a lot of fun performing it this way instead. Queen’s Today |

Queen’s College Sports Day at Finsbury Park Athletics Track

ports Day was a great success and despite a discouraging weather forecast, everything turned out beautifully on the day. Students competed in their four houses in the 100m, 200m, 800m, relays, long jump, vortex throw, discuss and shot putt, as well as a range of fun events. Queen’s four houses are named for Rosa Parks (red), Jane Austen (yellow), Mary Seacole (green) and Emmeline Pankhurst (blue). The overall winner was Austen House.

“Sports Day is very fun and it’s nice to be able to enjoy the people around the track having a great time. My favourite thing has been the 800m as I ran in that, and supporting my friends.” “Best day ever! Enjoyed the long jump and the ice-cream!” C3 pupil

C3 pupil

“I’m enjoying the team events. It’s fun to work with others. Favourite thing is the fun relays as it’s not a competition, it’s just fun!” C3 pupil

Queen’s Today | 10

Mr Tillett’s and Mrs Hall’s Mr Tillett’s abseil down Britain’s tallest sculpture “OK, Richard. You’re just going to step on to this platform, turn around and face me, and lean back”. Ah, the bitter irony of the word ‘just’ in that sentence. Am I heck. Claudia was being very patient, but she and I both knew it wasn’t going very well. The kitting up was fine and I had even managed to make small talk in the lift with the young couple doing the abseil at the same time as me; they had been given this experience as an anniversary present, presumably by someone who didn’t like them very much. I had made the mistake, however, of looking down from the top of the Orbit, over 300 feet up, and seen only a concrete car park below. My legs were shaking like some sort of clappedout Elvis impersonator, so much so that I hadn’t even been able to climb over the ropes successfully. And now I couldn’t move. It’s one of those moments when you think about twenty thoughts in a second flat. Claudia is sounding a bit bored and wants me to just get on with it; she wouldn’t be doing that if she was plotting to cause me grievous bodily harm. I am tied on to the structure with three ropes, so if they are unstable the whole thing will come down on top of everyone. I do actually need to do this; over £40,000 (so far …!) is riding on it. So I did manage to lean back, and eventually, I even took my feet off the platform. The rest is a bit of a blur to be honest. Just get down as fast as I can, get the Tottenham strip off, and get to that nice restaurant for lunch to recover. Thank you very much for your sponsorship. Please just don’t ask me to do it again.

Mr Tillett and Mrs Hall bravely faced their fears by abseiling and wing walking to fundraise for our 175th Anniversary Bursary Appeal. Our Bursary Appeal allows talented pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to benefit from a Queen’s education. We hope that by 2023, when we celebrate our 175th Anniversary, 10% of all Queen’s pupils will pay no fees at all. It is an ambitious target, but a very worthwhile one. 11

Fundraising Adventures Mrs Hall’s wing walk on the roof of a 1940s Boeing Stearman biplane

hen Mr Tillett first told me about the Bursary Appeal it immediately chimed with my values. I was also very aware that the primary school years are particularly formative, so a full bursary to QCPS has a truly transformational impact on a child’s life.

As the plane began to taxi across the airfield it was incredibly bumpy; I began to worry that the straps holding me in might not be strong enough! When we took off, however, it suddenly felt absolutely exhilarating. As we soared high into the clouds I felt liberated (despite the straps, which were proving mercifully resilient) and actually began to enjoy the awe-inspiring views. I learned

In that weak moment, I agreed to undertake a wing walk to raise money for bursaries. Fast forward a year and I found myself on a train, speeding towards rural Gloucestershire in a heavy rainstorm, ready to strap myself to the roof of an airborne plane! (Oh, and dressed as Maverick from the film ‘Top Gun’, as a “My nerves really got to me during the safety briefing when result of a popular they explained what to do if you have a panic attack mid-air...” vote). My nerves really got to me during the safety briefing when they explained what to do if you have a panic attack mid-air… But then, just as I was beginning to have a serious wobble and suggest we pay back all the sponsorship money, the professional wing walker told me that she, herself, had been a bursary recipient. “I’d never have had the confidence to learn to fly without that bursary. It changed my life.” After this very timely intervention I realised there was no way I could back out now.

a lesson that afternoon and it’s one I hope to instil in our pupils at QCPS; face your fears, push yourself to go beyond your comfort zone – as, if you do, the sky really is the limit. Also, I promise that if we hit our £50,000 target (as I write we are only five thousand away), I’ll go back to that airfield and do the loop-the-loop!

Through our Bursary Appeal, we have supported more than 50 families since March 2020 whose livelihoods were severely impacted by COVID-19. As a result of the generous donations from the Queen’s community, no pupil has had to leave the College or Prep School due to her family’s financial difficulties. If you’d like to support our Appeal – and see Mrs Hall complete a loop-the-loop strapped to the roof of a plane – please donate on www.justgiving.com/campaign/bursaryappealchallenge If you would like more information on our Bursary Appeal, or any aspects of giving, please contact development@qcl.org.uk Queen’s Today | 12

Spotlight on the Senior Mrs Katie Shapiro and Ms Liz Thonemann, Katie Shapiro is Director of the Senior College. Liz Thonemann will be taking over as Director in September, while Katie will become Deputy Head (Academic). Tim Gerig from the English department will take over Liz’s current role of Deputy Director of the Senior College. WRITTEN BY JOSIE BAKER

What attracted you to Queen’s? Katie: I’d been at my previous school for over 15 years and I wanted a change. The word was that Queen’s was on the up and moving in the right direction. At interview, I loved the people I met, and the atmosphere. Everyone seemed professional and kind. The students were witty, sharp and warm. The questions they asked were great. Liz: I had an interview lesson with some Class 3s, and it was so much fun! Normally you’re a bit on edge. It felt like I was already their History teacher. I then went on to teach some of those students throughout their time at school. Also, it sounds geeky but I say it to my students every year – it’s the history of the College. Lots of schools talk about their proud history but at Queen’s our position at the forefront of women’s education is genuinely so meaningful.

How would you describe each other? Liz: Katie is witty, ebullient, creative in her thinking, highly intelligent, committed to the students here and a real pleasure to work with.

Katie: The sixth form market is really competitive, but Queen’s is distinctive with its smaller sixth form. We have 16 new external students joining us in September, which is a record. Student get individual attention and have many opportunities to lead. Having curriculum time devoted to work experience attracts a lot of pupils. We are struggling at the moment with Covid to provide as many placements as we normally do (if you’re reading this and you can help, get in touch!). The teaching is excellent across a wide range of A-levels and the time the teachers are prepared to give outside the classroom is exceptional.

“Queen’s is distinctive with its smaller sixth form and the students get more individual attention.”

Katie: When I came to Queen’s I felt lonely because I had my own office for the first time. I’ve found Liz a great support: very committed to Queens, to her students and also highly intelligent and witty. We’ve had many mega chats. Liz: We’ve covered a lot of ground conversationally! 13

Why do students choose Queen’s sixth form and what sort of experience do you hope they have?

Liz: When students are thinking about sixth form, of course they look at what’s out there. Many then realise

College: in conversation Liz: It’s never been more fulfilling to have conversations with students in form time about what’s going on in the world – the American election, the Capitol, Everyone’s Invited, Black Lives Matter – globally significant stories. They’re totally willing to discuss these things, they can see the relevance and they have ideas for positive changes. Katie: Students can question these things in form time and PHSE normally, but the level of interest has been so high. As a Politics teacher it’s been great to see the students so engaged with political and philosophical issues such as liberty and lockdown. They are living in an historically significant time and they know it.

What are you looking forward to in September, Liz? Liz: I’m looking forward to seeing the delight on the current I Seniors’ faces when they start getting UCAS offers, after going through the tougher parts of that process. Also, working with Tim Gerig, whom I think will be a really valuable addition to the team and give calm and well considered advice to the students.

that what we offer at Queen’s is just as academically rigorous and in an environment where we know them already. They feel confident that if they hit a bump in the road, academically, or in some other way, we’ll be there to support them. Katie: Even last week, with the new students coming in, they said: ‘I can’t believe how comfortable I feel already’. Liz: We felt that sense of welcome too when we came to interview.

What’s been the most memorable thing that happened at work this year? Katie: Definitely the pandemic! We’ve normalised an extraordinary situation. We’re constantly having to be flexible and change our plans. A-levels haven’t taken place since 2019 and we’re trying to make it as good as we can for students. I arrived in January 2020 and I had no idea what was coming. I could never have imagined we’d be teaching remotely on Teams, deciding on exam grades… It’s a whole new world.

What will you miss about your current role, Katie? Katie: The pupils. I will still see them, but the daily constant interaction will be different in the role and the relationship will be different. In the Senior College, you’re running your own ship. But I’ve always been interested in the academic side of things.

What do you like to do to relax? Katie: I run home every day. It’s 10.5 km uphill. It really clears my head. I need to get home and be nice to my children! Liz: I do not run home. I read on the Tube. At the moment I’m reading a John Le Carré spy novel and eyeing the other passengers suspiciously as a result. At home, I love hanging out with my 3 year old; the way he looks at the world is genuinely inspiring, because he hasn’t known a world without Covid. He doesn’t regret what he can’t do, and he finds fun in everything except toothbrushing, and that’s something we can all learn from. Queen’s Today | 14

Interview with Dr Susannah Abbott, Deputy Head (Pastoral) WRITTEN BY JOSIE BAKER

joined in these enthusiastically too. The first week grew out of our anti-bullying initiatives and was about kindness. Then we had our extremely popular ‘Failure week’. Students liked hearing about ways in which staff members had failed disastrously in their early lives; even the Principal had a story to tell! The serious message, of course, is that the way to success is through failure. We’ll return to that in the Michaelmas term by looking at the idea of learning from academic failure and we’ll also have a week exploring diversity. During the first lockdown, there was a really pressing need for pastoral work to address the issues that were arising from the virtual world of learning the students were suddenly plunged into. From this grew our ‘30 Ways to Thrive’ week. Students posted over 1,500 photos to a special webpage of ways in which they were surviving and thriving.

How does our curriculum at Queen’s aim to tackle these issues?

How did you start the pastoral programme, what were your main aims and how has it developed? There was so much potential. It really felt like the students were willing to give anything a go. We’ve gradually developed lots of new services, including counselling: two more counsellors are joining our team from September, including a specialist BAME counsellor.

We’ve added special lessons for the younger students at the College. In the Michaelmas term, they study kindness and empathy; in the Spring term, resilience, and in the Summer term, truth – including applying critical thinking to issues such as ‘fake news’. The latter is taught by the Principal. I teach the empathy lessons and we encourage the students to be empathetic to themselves and also to show appreciation to people in their lives. Students then move on to life skills, diversity and current affairs. We have had great feedback from parents and our pastoral programme even made the shortlist for two national awards last year. A parent said: ‘it [Thrive] is as valuable as any academic lesson’. Next year we are adding a new programme, ‘Resolve’, in which pupils will be trained to mentor students in Class 3 to solve their own friendship issues collaboratively.

“It [Thrive, Queen’s pastoral programme] is as valuable as any academic lesson’”

We’ve created themed weeks to focus the College on different aspects of wellbeing; the Prep School has

Susannah is Chair of the Girls’ Section of the Independent Schools’ Football Association, which oversees girls’ football in independent schools. She is also the FA’s education welfare consultant, mentoring the U16 female England internationals, for teams such as Chelsea and Arsenal, as well as England. In her own footballing career, she played for Reading and Charlton, including in an FA cup final, was captain of Middlesex Women and was in the England ‘B’ team.

Interview with Mr Mark Wardrop WRITTEN BY JOSIE BAKER AND AFIYAH ALIM

Asking questions when you don’t understand something is not an admission of weakness. The greatest discoveries have been achieved through not understanding and having the intellectual confidence to ask questions that perhaps the conformists are just assuming that everybody else knows the answer to. Once you leave this amazingly supportive environment at Queen’s, where you have the space to ask those questions, don’t lose it. Take that forward.

What will you miss about Queen’s? There is that moment when you cross the threshold from Harley Street, your expectations are confounded in such a positive way — I remember thinking: “this is the place for me.” I will miss the people. What is a school? A school is a community; made up by the buildings, the history, but fundamentally by its people. I will miss that community.

Mr Wardrop is Queen’s Senior Deputy Head (Academic). He will be moving to City of London School in September to become their Senior Deputy. Here he reflects on his eight years at Queen’s College. What are some highlights of teaching at Queen’s? I remember the pupils who I would call the rugged individualists: those that are part of the community but plough their own furrow and do great things as a result. I think there is a tendency in society to value the conformists rather than the eccentrics. The fact that Queen’s is a community where not everyone has to conform to the same mould is really invaluable.

“The fact that Queen’s is a community where not everyone has to conform to the same mould is really invaluable” Finally, an important question. What kind of dog is Juno and how old is she? Does she like coming into College? Juno is a cavapoo, which is a mix of King Charles spaniel and poodle – mostly poodle, in her case. She’s four years old and understands maybe too many words, like ‘treat’ and ‘outside’. She is a very social being who prefers humans to other dogs. She loves young people, so she has very much enjoyed the attention on the rare occasions she has visited. She loved Sports Day.

What advice would you give to Queen’s pupils and alumnae who are interested in a career in STEM? I think you’re in one of the best possible situations to pursue STEM careers in the future. At Queen’s, you have been brought up academically in a culture where no subjects are off-limit. My advice would be to have a questioning approach to everything, where no question is too big or too small – questioning everything is great training for a scientist. Queen’s Today | 16

Old Queens Series: WRITTEN BY AFIYAH ALIM

Emily Warburton-Adams

mily (OQ 2012) is the Co-Founder and Head of Sustainability at POW Food. POW Food has sustainability, responsible sourcing and good nutrition at its core. You can order healthy and delicious ready meals from POW Foods, getting 15% off with the discount code ‘POWQUEENS15’.

Do you have any fond memories to share of Queen’s? I came to Queen’s after boarding school and it was a real safe haven. I have got amazing lifelong friends from my time at the College. I loved the entrepreneurial programme we did. I got to work on some really good projects, selling hoodies to UCL students in Camden Market that we designed and then imported from Paris. We also had a wonderful History of Art trip to Antwerp. I was scouted to run for Heathside Athletics through Queen’s and was supported and encouraged to reach my potential. I did well in my A-levels and I loved it there. Queen’s really helped me see what I was capable of.

Do you have any advice that you would like to share with the Queen’s community about nutrition, wellness and mental health? My advice is to remember that everyone’s completely individual. These days there are so many diets and formulas to live a happier life or be well, but it’s really about listening to your body and being in tune with what’s right for you. It’s very easy to compare ourselves with others, especially with social media. I think there’s a lot of fear around how your body has changed and people’s mindset has changed over lockdown. It’s a lot to take in and the important thing is being kind to yourself and not comparing yourself to others.

“Queen’s really helped me see what I was capable of” What was your journey from Queen’s to POW? After school, I decided not to go to university at the time and instead went to work on superyachts in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. I was a second stewardess, crew cook and massage therapist. It was a lot of fun! I was always interested in the power of nutrition through my personal learning experience while recovering from an eating disorder and I decided to train as a nutrition coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I then returned home and joined forces with my mother, who had run a high-end events and catering company for 25 years; together we set up POW.

Read a longer version of this interview on Queen’s new alumnae portal: https://www.oqconnect.com/news/ alumnae/22/22-Old-Queens-Series-Emily-WarburtonAdams

Clunie Fretton

“You get to go into work each day really loving what you do”

lunie Fretton OQ (OQ 2007) is a classically trained sculptor, artist and gilder who has worked on critical restoration projects at the V&A Museum, as well as Guildford and Rochester Cathedrals.

What did you study at Queen’s and how did you start your journey into the Art world, especially into conservation? I studied Art, English Literature, Geography and Biology at A-level. I wanted to make things, but my impression of the art world and the courses available at the time was that they all seemed to be very conceptual and of a “draw what you feel” ethos, which didn’t appeal to me at all. I became aware of City & Guilds of London Art School in 2010 and was particularly drawn to the Carving department. There was a huge emphasis on drawing from life and learning skills properly before beginning to explore making your own designs. This was very exciting to me.

What is a typical day like for a sculptor, carver and gilder? A carving begins life as a drawing, which might take several days to a week to finalise depending on the size. I then make a model in three dimensions from clay. You

Clunie working on the South Chancel Window at Guildford Cathedral

can add and remove clay easily, but in wood or stone it’s much more difficult to fix if you make a mistake. Then I transcribe the clay model into the wood – a process which can take months. All the measurements are there in the model to copy from, so it’s simply a matter of looking and measuring until you reach around 3mm off the finished surface. At that point you can mostly work by eye – this is my favourite part, because it’s when everything begins to come to life. I work from 9.30am to around 7pm most days quite happily. It feels easier to work long hours as a carver because it’s both physically and mentally demanding in a way that means much of your day is spent in the coveted “flow state” of complete immersion in the current task.

Do you have any words of advice for Old Queens (and current pupils) wanting to enter the art world? I think the best advice is to make sure it’s something you really want to do! Working in the art world as a maker of art has no guarantee of earning you the kind of money that a more secure job in a different profession might, but I think the trade-off is that you get to go into work each day really loving what you do. I meet a lot of people who tell me they’re looking forward to their retirement when they’ll be able to learn woodcarving, but this is something I get to do every day. Read a longer version of this interview on Queen’s new alumnae portal: https://www.oqconnect.com/news/ alumnae/16/16-Old-Queens-Series-Clunie-Fretton Queen’s Today | 18

Stories from the Archive Sofka Skipwith (née Dolgorouky, formerly Zinovieff), 1907-1994 WRITTEN BY JOSIE BAKER

Sofka leaving Russia aged 12

Young Sofka in leopard skin

Sofka Visiting her son at Oxford in 1956

ofka was born in Imperial Russia into an enjoyed the opportunity to receive a school education. aristocratic family. As a small child she led She had read popular English school stories such as those by Angela Brazil and must have felt she was living a privileged life and was sent sometimes in one. She even found the end-of-year exams a novelty. to play with the heir to the Russian throne, In her autobiography she describes how much she liked Alexei Nikolaevich. However, by the time she was a the teachers, who were “imaginative enough to arouse young girl, the Russian Revolution had taken place enthusiasm for their subjects…there was a great variety and the family’s fortunes completely changed. A of personalities at school, which was intoxicating after much older Sofka commented, “The world into my heretofore rather solitary existence.” which I was born in 1907 “The world into which But she hadn’t forgotten her origins and seems as unimaginable a year later, she wrote what a school today, sixty years later, as the I was born seems as history describes as “a horrifying, vivid way of life on some distant of the Revolution for the unimaginable today as description planet.” She and some of her College magazine.” Although Sofka had family were evacuated on the way of life on some to leave Queen’s before matriculating, a British Royal Navy vessel due to her grandmother deciding to distant planet” relocate to Rome, it seems to have been from Yalta in 1919 and were a positive and stable few years in her life. given asylum in London (the Russian and British royal families were interrelated and Sofka’s The experience of poverty after her first husband lost grandmother, with whom she lived for most of her his job convinced her of “the injustice of the social setchildhood, was a lady-in-waiting). up, the obviously false division of mankind into class Her mother chose Queen’s College for her education, on the grounds that she would get ‘more education and less games’ there. Sofka had been taught at home with an English governess until then and seems really to have 19

society.” Gradually, she became a committed Communist. She spent most of the Second World War in a Nazi internment camp in Vittel, from where she contacted the French Resistance and tried to help Jewish internees. She

wrote their names on cigarette papers and sent multiple copies out to the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the Red Cross to try to help them. It was not until 1985 that she discovered fifty of these Jews had been saved, because their names appeared on one of her lists. A fascinating book, by Sofka’s granddaughter, also called Sofka, tells her life story in much more detail and gives a strong sense of her personality: “knowing and curious, opinionated and open-minded, with a good dose of devilmay-care.” Sofka’s contribution to saving the lives of 50 Jews meant she was later honoured by the British government and was named one of the ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ by Yad Vashem.

Sofka and Vassily on HMS Marlborough 1919

Red Princess: A Revolutionary Life, by Sofka Zinovieff (Granta Books, 2007).

An Old Queen in Journalism: Andrée Aelion Brooks

ndrée Aelion Brooks is an award-winning journalist, author and lecturer, and an Associate Fellow at Yale University. She wrote for the New York Times for 18 years, among other major publications. Her subsequent lectures, based upon her books and additional research projects, focus primarily upon the history of the Jewish people – you can find more at: http://www. andreeaelionbrooks.com/

I was reprimanded in front of the whole school for not standing in the correct spot in the welcoming line-up. Overall, I am so grateful for my years at Queen’s.” Read a longer version of this interview on Queen’s new alumnae portal: https://www.oqconnect.com/news/ default-general/24/24-Old-Queens-Series-Andree-AelionBrooks

In her own words: “My time at Queen’s – from 1949 to 1953 – provided me with the personal confidence that contributed to my success later in life. At that time, we were all considered ‘young ladies’, whose only purpose in life was marriage, to a very eligible young man, of course, and family life. At Queen’s, I could enjoy the thrill of being able to study and learn without the social pressure of whether or not I was popular with “boys” (which I was not at that time). And I loved so much to learn, especially history. There was also never a hint of any prejudice; and that was meaningful for a Jewish girl like me, right after World War II. Implicitly, I also gained the social graces that became significant in my later professional life.

“My time at Queen’s provided me with the personal confidence that contributed to my success later in life.”

Still, I had my embarrassing moments, whose memories seem to last forever: such as the time when the Queen Mother came to Queen’s for its 100th anniversary. And

Andrée Aelion Brooks Queen’s Today | 20

Queen’s Means Business! Young Enterprise

The Young Enterprise Company Programme enables young people to set up and run a student company under the guidance of a business volunteer. Students make all the decisions, from deciding on the company name to managing the company finances and sales. Edie and Freya are joint CEOs of Tote-ally Me, which makes customised tote bags. Amra and Zana are joint CEOs of Flossi, which makes selfcare boxes tailored towards the five senses.

ICAEW BASE competition

Four Seniors from Queen’s, Amra, Margoth, Zana and Edie, reached the final of the BASE competition, coming seventh out of over 550 schools and 5,000 students. Zana: “This was an exciting way to attempt to solve realistic business situations. We created a presentation about the extent to which a firm should automate one of their factories, and in the final we got to put questions to top firms such as Deloitte and PwC.”

How did you choose your products? Edie and Freya: “We thought tote bags would be quite easy and we could find a sustainable way to do it. And one size fits all.” Amra and Zana: “We wanted to focus on selfcare. We thought we’d make a product that would improve mental wellbeing.”

How did you choose your price point? Amra and Zana: “We had discussions with Andy, our business volunteer. He gave us suggestions on how to market our product.” Freya: “Natalie is our business volunteer and she helped us a lot with the price. She created a successful business herself and sold it by age 23!”

What have you learnt? Edie: “About managing people and planning workload.” Freya: “Taking the initiative.” Zana: “How many different skills go into running your own business.” Amra: “We learnt how to manage a team successfully.”

Would you like to set up your own business? Zana: “Yes.” Amra: “Yes.” Freya: “Probably not: I’m interested in other things.” Edie: “No, but I liked the role that I had in the group – management and coming up with solutions. I’d like to do that at work.” Mrs Hammond, Head of Careers says: “We’re delighted with how well Young Enterprise has gone and we will be partnering with the boys at Wetherby School from September to continue the programme.” 21

Stock Market Challenge

Queen’s annual Stock Market Challenge went online this year, competing against Westminster City School and University Academy of Engineering South Bank. The whole of I Junior took part, with top team Carmen, Iris and Aroub placing third in their game and second by portfolio value overall. The day concluded with talks from financial industry professionals: James Sullivan, Founder/CEO of Divento Financials Ltd, Tania Kutner from Aerius Associates and Beatrice Johnson, a Degree Level Apprentice at the Bank of England. As former students, Tania and Beatrice told us about their journey to their present positions. Next year, we hope to return to open outcry trading in the Hall!

Queen’s Goes Green: Living wall and gardening club

“Edie and I have been running Eco Society for a while and one of our main aims is to increase the biodiversity and greenery in the school. The living wall was started up last year but paused during the lockdown, so we’ve been working with Dr Davies to make it a reality. We chose native plants that will hopefully bring insects to the courtyard, and we got rid of some of the artificial plants in the courtyard and have planted a variety of flowers, herbs and fruit. We now have a mix of plants that are good pollinators, producing food for the kitchens and removing pollutants from the air. We also started a gardening club to look after the plants twice a week and students from all years come along. Gardening is such a rewarding and also calming activity.”

Challenge from Dr Davies, Head of Science: There are 18 different species of plant now growing in the living wall and courtyard. Can you name 6 or more? ‘Hedera falsa’ is not one of them! Email pdavies@qcl.org.uk with your answers.

Lottie, I Senior

Prize Crossword ACROSS 9 10 11 12 13 15 16 17 19 20 23 24 25 27 29 32 33

Meat on a skewer (5) Sequence in which stronger consumes weaker (4,5) Singer known as The King (7) e.g. stud, hoop or dangle (7) ____ rarebit (culinary) (5) Tavern (3) Theatre scenery (3) Commercial traveller (informal) (3) Largest wild mammal in UK (3,4) Small measure of whisky (3) Evergreen climbing plant (3) Ex-member of US armed forces (informal) (3) Producer of bloomers and baps (5) Area of land with fruit trees (7) Migratory bird (7) Scottish term for Englishman (9) Author of The Waste Land (5)

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 13 14 15 16 18 21 22 26 28 29 30 31

Large container for building debris (4) Descend rockface by second quickest method (6) Second son of Adam and Eve (4) Dodgy (4) Body of persons authorised to rule country (10) Mark left by wound (4) World champion F1 driver (8) WW2 German enciphering machine (6) Prolonged hostilities (3) Sixth in line to throne in British monarchy (5) Person (10) Land with stunted trees and bushes (5) Daughter of sovereign (8) One more than a birdie at Muirfield (3) Disease where water accumulates in body (6) SI base unit of temperature (6) Highest point (4) Entertainment district in London’s West End (4) Word spoken at end of prayer (4) In the company of (4)

Many thanks to Robert Maclean, grandfather of Edie in I Seniors, for this magnificent crossword. If you have been reading the magazine attentively, you may be able to find clues to a few of the answers. The first three correct entries received in the Development Office by 6th September (address: Queen’s College, London, 43-49 Harley Street, W1G 8BT), or emailed to development@qcl.org.uk, will receive their choice of a QCL teddy bear, or a tote bag printed with the William Morris design of our entry hall wallpaper. Queen’s Today | 22

Save the date: Alumnae Drinks Reception 2021 Thursday 30th September 6pm to 8pm We very much hope to be able to host in-person events again by September and welcome you all back to Queen’s. (Event details to be confirmed, dependent on government restrictions).