The Faculty of Mathematics, ICT & Computer Science, 2011-12

“Remember, always give your best. Never get discouraged. Never be petty. Always remember, others may hate you. But those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself.”

President

Richard Nixon uttered the words above as he addressed White House staff for the final time in August, 1974 following the Watergate scandal. Nixon, appropriately, graced the cover of the fourth edition of the History Society magazine entitled “Scandal”. The professionally produced magazine featured contributions from students throughout the school and was ultimately put together by Dr Wallace, Tim Stickings and Luke Watkins (both Year 13). The History department enjoyed another successful year in 2012-13 combining excellent public examination results with a wide range of extracurricular trips and activities which challenged pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding of a range of topics.

The department returned for the first time since 2008 to the World War 2 battlefields in Normandy. Year 9 pupils had the opportunity to explore a range of sites which were focal points during Operation Overlord in June 1944. These included Pegasus Bridge and Omaha Beach which saw the US armies assault German defences which was later immortalised in the film “Saving Private Ryan”. As the generation that provided the participants

Year 9 Battlefields trip: Normandy

Upon arrival at Normandy on Wednesday 22nd May we visited Pegasus Bridge, which for me demonstrated the ingenuity of our military in spite of limited resources of World War 2. The combination of the engineering of the gliders and the expert use of the element of surprise were fantastic examples of how the British military achieved a tactical victory.

The St Mere Eglise museum was fascinating as it contained the uniforms and the weaponry used by different troops deployed in Normandy. Also that day we visited Omaha beach. It was interesting to see the actual site of such a chaotic battle. It was a peculiar feeling standing on the calm, peaceful beach where just under 70 years ago thousands of men fought and many died. After that we visited one of the three US cemeteries in Normandy. It was a massive cemetery containing over 9000 graves. It was a beautifully decorated cemetery, a worthy resting place for the fallen American soldiers. Finally, we visited the Longues sur Mer gun battery in WW2 sadly dwindles, 2014 will see both Year 8 and 9 visit Ypres and the Somme as preparations begin for the 100th anniversary of the start of World War 1 in 2014. These visits, alongside other day trips, will be the highlights of the department’s extra-curricular provision in the academic year 2013-14.

The department has been enhanced by the additions of Sarah Beard and Tom Martin to its fold. Both have brought with them enthusiasm and a range of exciting new teaching ideas. Mrs Beard has served as Head of Year to Year 8 and in this role led the organisation of the new cross-curricular day which asked pupils to decide, “Who was Jack the Ripper?” Year 8 pupils were helped by Year 13 drama students who took on the roles of the main suspects before they enjoyed History, English and Chemistry lessons which furnished them with a range of evidence before they conducted a trial of Walter Sickert, the eccentric artist who was one of the men accused of the Whitechapel murders. Suffice to say there was no consensus on who the identity of the “Ripper”.

2012-13 was an action packed year for the History department, but 2013-14 promises to match or even exceed it!

Daniel Espejo S___Head of History

which showed the true extent of the battle between the allied navy and the German artillery.

On Friday 24th we visited a 360 degrees cinema which created a great sense of atmosphere that allowed you to immerse yourself in the footage of WW2 shown.

We also had a look at the mulberry harbour, a harbour hastily put together by the British to accommodate the larger ships of the British navy to allow them to supply the army following the D-Day landings. Then we visited some of the British beaches and saw the wide variety of equipment used to successfully take them. Finally we visited the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery at Ranville. It was a very moving experience as many of the British troops buried there lived not too far from where I live and one soldier there was only 16 when he died. After a short remembrance service at the cemetery we were allowed to place a poppy at a grave of our choice to allow us each to remember one of the men in the Cemetery. It was a good end to an educational trip.

Luke Smith (9B)

Jack the Ripper Day

On Monday 8th July, Year 9 took part in “Jack the Ripper Day” attending Chemistry, English and History lessons to try to establish who Jack the Ripper was before conducting a mock trial of one of the suspects, Walter Sickert in the afternoon. They were confronted with the problems the police faced in 1888 and began to understand how forensic techniques can be used to help solve crimes. There was also the opportunity to study the letters purported to be from the ripper sent to the police and to make links with ink and handwriting analysis.

Year 9 summarised the court procedings:

On the 8th July 2013 as part of “Jack the Ripper Day” we witnessed the trial of Walter Sickert, accused of the murder of Mary Jane Kelly. He pleads innocent to the charge of murder. The prosecuting lawyers from 9B started by calling forward John McCarthy, the owner of the property Mary lived in. They described how the organs of the deceased were laid out in an organised fashion. The defence lawyers (9H) countered by saying he would have to be educated to have such a good knowledge of human anatomy. The prosecuting lawyers then called forward George Hutchinson, the last person to see Mary alive. His description of the murderer was not very similar to Walter but the prosecution lawyers argued that Walter was well known as a master of disguise. The defence lawyers then called forward their first witness: James Wicker. Walter was an art protégé of James in America. However, James struggled to answer the prosecuting lawyer’s questions and proved to be a poor witness by contradicting himself. Then the defence lawyers called forward the defendant, Walter Sickert. Walter Sickert started by contradicting the statement he made before the trial. He then went on to confirm that he uses the same ink Jack the Ripper used in his letters to the police. The final witness the defence called was a prostitute. She supported Walter’s alibi but the prosecution lawyers tried to tarnish her name and reputation to invalidate her evidence. Following their deliberations the jury came to a unanimous decision that Walter was guilty.

National Army Museum

A group of Year 10 students travelled to the National Army Museum this year to learn more about the diversity of historical battles from different parts of the world, including the 17th century English civil war, India’s fight for independence and the 20th century Korean War. The highlight of the trip for many came when students were able to examine weapons and clothing used by the British army.

History Lecture Trip

A group of Year 12 historians attended a lecture on Wednesday 6th February at UCL given by Professor Mary Fulbrook entitled “A Small Town Near Auschwitz: Ordinary Nazis and the Holocaust”. She provided an insightful look at the lives and attitudes of the Nazis working in party administrative positions as well as an explanation of the skills she had used in researching the book. Overall, students found the lecture to be not only a new and exciting experience but also one that was enriching and thought-provoking.

History Society Magazine

The fourth edition of the History Society Magazine, entitled Scandal, included articles from students through all years and even Old Olavians. The scandals reported included the Reichstag Fire, the Princes in the Tower, Operation Menu and the Hillsborough Disaster.