Blacklands Farm Induction Day

We were delighted and grateful that a number of adult helpers turned up on Friday and Saturday; their knowhow and active input made it possible to prepare the hall to a much higher standard and certainly more easily than we could have managed without them. Much to our surprise and delight, this included Geetha Subramanian, who had pioneered the event in 2004.

It was a great success. The evening ran perfectly and smoothly, the seamless transitions between the acts were achieved mainly by the input of a great amount of time and talent of the main organisers. Thanks to all the performers; each and every act was a sheer pleasure to see and hear.

Thanks go to the many students who helped with the preparation, organisation, setting up, selling tickets, working backstage, and all the major and minor tasks in the weeks leading up to the event.

Thank you to the Headmaster, teachers, students and all visitors for coming and joining us for the event.

Arias (Year 13I). We also welcomed back a whole host of Old Olavians for our “Symposium Programme”; our returning students gave a series of ten university-level talks for senior students over the fortnight on subjects as diverse as Plato’s Meno, medieval French poetry, medical ethics, game theory, the rule of law and the polity of late medieval England. The whole fortnight proved a stimulating start to the term.

St Olave’s Academic Journal

I am delighted to announce the publication of the first edition of the new St. Olave’s Academic Journal. Founded by Dawud Khan (13K) and Vithushan Nuges (13F), this epitomises the Olavian pursuit of scholarship with erudite articles ranging from The Mediterranean Monk Seal to The Shape and fate of the Universe. Most of the first print batch of 75 copies sold out last night but I hope that more will be available at various forthcoming events. I thoroughly recommend it to you and congratulate all of the contributors.

Festival

Our annual fund-raising Festival this year was held on Thursday 19th December and proved a fittingly enjoyable and productive end to an astonishingly busy term at St. Olave’s. The students elected to support the following two charities this year, one international, the other local: Water Aid and The Jennifer Trust.

The day’s events included Festival favourites such as “Just a Minute”, “University Challenge” and “Beat the Keeper” and, as ever, our forms contributed a splendidly eclectic range of stalls for students to enjoy as they went off timetable for the afternoon.

Scholarship Fortnight

One of the highlights of the new September initiative was the Senior Scholarship Evening – a chance to hear again some of the finest presentations from last year’s independently researched Higher Project Qualifications and Extended Project Qualifications and to celebrate the astonishing diversity and intellectual acumen of some of our most remarkable students. Topics addressed during the evening were varied and included income inequality, the life and works of Oscar Wilde, causes, effects and treatment options for cancer, the impact of new media on journalism, innovations in healthcare, the level at which natural selection works and the Eurovision Song Contest. The evening also saw the launch of our new pan-curricular academic journal, edited by Dawud Khan (13K) and Vithushan Nuges (13F), our new Medical Journal, edited by Zeinab Ruhomauly (13G) and our new Law Journal, edited by Srishti Suresh (13H) and Camila

Our thanks go to this year’s Festival Committee of Max Miller (13N), Louise Selway (13I) and Lucas BertholdiSaad (13N) and to their Senior Prefect Liaison, Zeinab Ruhomauly 13G) for their splendid hard work in making the day such a success and for enabling us to make such generous contributions to our two chosen charities.

30 gain Oxbridge offers

We are delighted that 30 students have received Oxbridge offers in a variety of Arts, Humanities, Languages and Science subjects, from the full range of colleges. We take a great pride in their successes, just as we do for all of our students, who are receiving offers from top universities such as Imperial, Bristol, UCL, Durham.

Link with India

A British Council ‘Connecting Classrooms’ link with La Martiniere School for Girls, Kolkata, India will open up a new international perspective. Joint projects may include: ecological economics; how science and technology can contribute to global sustainability; global equality for girls in education and women entrepreneurs; an intra-school e-magazine of scholarly articles and Peace Poetry Established in 1836, La Martiniere is one of the most prestigious institutions in India, known for its academic excellence and rich extra-curricular programme.

Olavian Lecture Series

This popular series is now attracting large audiences not only from the Olavian community but also from other schools and the local community. Professor Sir Richard Friend, Cavendish Professor of Physics at Cambridge University, gave a fascinating talk on The next-generation electronic flexible screens and solar cells with some eye-opening science ranging from Graphene to organic flexible display screens. Professor Robert Freedman’s lecture on Protein Folding treated the audience to an amazing journey through the history of genetic engineering, growing proteins in bacteria, and recreating a fried egg from a scrambled one! A captivating presentation by TV personality and film-maker, Dr Adam Rutherford, covered the last 4 billion years of creativity through genetic natural selection, heralding the next great ‘Industrial Revolution’ of Synthetic Biology. Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Human Genetics at UCL, continued with his lecture - Nature, Nurture or Neither? The view from the genes – on misunderstandings in nature v nurture, using examples from sport and obesity.

Sixth Form Culture Club

Sixth Form Culture Club went to see the revival of Matthew Bourne’s ‘Swan Lake’ at Sadler’s Wells, where Tchaikovsky’s captivating score proved perfectly suited to the modern choreography imagined by Bourne. The inspired use of the male ensemble of swans was incredible; the choreography was beautiful and striking, focusing on the grace of the swans, but also on their violence and strength, dispelling any idea that ballet is stuffy and boring!

Prefect teams

Year 13 prefect have been handing over the reins to their successors in Year 12. Our Duty Prefects help the smooth running of the school, acting as role models to younger students at lunch and break times. Our Academic Prefects engage in departmental support, particularly through mentoring of younger students. Our Ambassador Prefects are preparing for various public events and will ensure a smooth transition for our new Sixth Formers. Our Form Prefects offer support and act as role models to the lower school students in their care. Preliminary elections to Senior Prefect positions have taken place and a rigorous interview process for final selections will take place next term. New Year 12 Form Prefects have been taking part in a training programme, looking at what make an outstanding prefect, how to support forms both academically and pastorally, safeguarding, child protection and bullying.

Oxbridge Evening

Tutors from Oxford and Cambridge spoke in The Great Hall to a packed audience of Year 12 students and parents from St. Olave’s and a range of other schools about applying to these prestigious universities. Dr Daniel Gerrard, St. Peter’s College, Oxford; Dr Sally Boss, Churchill College, Cambridge; Cressida Ryan, Merton College, Oxford and Laura McGarty, Pembroke College, Cambridge offered an erudite blend of frank advice, statistical information and pragmatic wisdom to challenge the aspirations and benefit all those in attendance.

Higher Education Evening

This was a welcome opportunity for Year 12 to find out more about the challenges of student life as they prepare for the UCAS process. Michelle Mallender of Birmingham University tackled the questions: “Why go to university?”, “Which university should I go to?” and “What course should I choose?”; Roisin Hurst of Queen Mary University looked at key aspects of student finance; and Jonathan Tinnacher of Imperial College, London focused on completion of the UCAS form.

Extended (EPQ) and Higher (HPQ) Project Qualifications

Staff and parents had an excellent opportunity to celebrate the scholarship of our students in the Year 11 HPQ and Year 13 EPQ. A staggeringly diverse range of topics included: the aesthetic capacity of computers, the significance of the decoding of Linear B, the challenges of funding the NHS, electoral reform and the likelihood of inter-stellar travel. The standard of research was remarkable, even by Olavian standards, and augurs well for the participants’ future academic success.

UCAS day

Following AS-level study leave and examinations, we welcomed back Year 12 students in the middle of June for their UCAS day. Students received a general introduction to the higher education admissions process and advice on writing a personal statement from Jennifer Barton of Durham University, who offered helpful insights before students finalise their application in the autumn term. This was complemented by a panel comprising recent St Olave’s leavers and current Year 13 students, who kindly came in to offer a student’s perspective on the challenges which Year 12 will face. Year 12 heard about the quirks of the admissions process, the joys of offers and heart-ache of rejections and also the experiences of writing personal statements. We trust that this firm foundation of advice will stand our students in good stead for a wealth of successful applications in the year to come and will encourage them to aspire with realism and confidence for some of the most sought-after courses and institutions in the country.

Sixth Form Association

After a very successful year at the helm, our outgoing Sixth Form Association Committee members (Max Hamilton-Jenkins (13G); Chair, Shino Hirasaki (13J); Secretary and Alexander Bargeron (13F); Treasurer) oversaw the election of new incumbents for the coming academic year. We would like to wish the new Committee members: Chair: Eren Salih, (12Q); Secretary: Shezara Francis (12W); Treasurer: Andrew Bertini (12V); every success in their roles and trust that they will represent the interests of their peers with the integrity, eloquence and diligence of their predecessors.

Scottish Country Dancing

Just ahead of the last day of teaching for our A2 students, before they embarked upon their study leave, it seemed fitting for our Year 13 students to have their final (Highland) fling. A troop from the Orpington & District Caledonian Society visited St Olave’s on Friday 9th May to lead a Scottish country dancing session, filled with energy, hilarity and the sound of the accordion. Trying to bring Year 13 literally into line proved to be a Herculean task; for such a large number of skilled mathematicians present in one room, the concepts of circles and straight lines appeared to be inordinately taxing! Nevertheless, no participants could stifle the smiles on their faces and, despite initial scepticism amongst some who had not tried this activity before, by the end everyone seemed to have had a fun time.

New Senior Prefects

Following a substantial process which has sought student and staff views as well as a two stage interview process with a student panel and a Headmaster panel, I am delighted to announce the new Senior Prefect Team for 2014-15.

Captain of School: Edward McAleer (12X)

Vice Captains of School: Matthew Allen (12O); Jack Bradfield (12O); Lucy Morrell (12Q); Abhishek Patel (12R); Elena Rastorgueva (12S).

Student Publications

Issue 2 - Medics Society Journal

Well done to outgoing President, Zeinab Ruhomauly (13G), and all the contributors, on the 2nd edition of the Medics’ Society Journal. The fascinating articles include Henrietta Lacks. The unsung heroine of modern medicine, by Alex O’Halloran (13I); Synesthesia – tasting shapes and seeing music, by Raunak Rao (12V); Beta Thalassemia, by Uroosa Chugtai (13K); Replacement bio-teeth, by Saarah Kaba (12V); Organ donation, by Janushanth Sritharan (12T); The first licensed gene therapy, by James Speed (13M); the Milwaukee Protocol as a treatment for Rabies, by Caterina Hall 13K); Allergies, by Arun Desouza-Edwards (13M); Regulating blood sugar levels, by Abhishek Patel (13R), and many others.

Issue No. 5 of the Olavian Natural Sciences Society magazine.

President Abhishek Patel (13R) and editors Raunak Rao (12V) and Elena Rastorgueva (12S) have come up with yet another impressive Issue No. 5 of the Olavian Natural Sciences Society magazine. This thought-provoking read includes Chlorine: the love-hate relationship, by Avni Gupta (12X); The nature of time, by Jenni Visuri (13H) and Marc Foxhall (12W); Bio cassava and Sub-Saharan Africa, by Rebecca Daramola (12R); The triple helix competition, by Year 9 and 10 students; How do we smell? by Isaac van Bakel (12S); Illuminating dark energy, by Kush Banga (12X) and lots more.

Issue 1 – Literature Society Journal

To complete this threesome, congratulations to outgoing Chairman, Fintan Calpin (13F), his editorial team and the many contributors to Volume 1 of For Words – The Literature Society Journal. The fine articles include essays such as Rachel Wood’s (12O) Penguins, prisoners and poetry – how does language work and what is literature?; society talks, with Matthew Roberts’ (12Q) Rebecca: unjustly unloved; theatre reviews, including Joe Cordery (12O) on The resistible rise of Arturo Ui by Brecht; book reviews, with Alice Millar (12O) on The past is myself by Christabel Bielenberg ; creative writing such as Samuel

Luker (12O) Brown’s A hymn to clemency and Jay Edavane’s Uncomfortable

Olavian Lecture Series

A good audience turned up to hear Dr Robert Mulvaney’s talk as the final instalment of the Olavian Lecture Series

I. His presentation unveiled some interesting parallels between the early explorers like Scott and Shackleton and present day teams such as his own. Extracting ice sections from almost 1000m deep has revealed secrets of the atmosphere from thousands and millions of years ago, enabling us to make more informed speculations about the impact of Carbon Dioxide levels and the implications for global warming today. Look out for Lecture Series II which will be starting in the autumn.

Leavers’ Ball

At the Leavers’ Ball last Friday we bade a rousing farewell to our Year 13 students with a double bill of events. The new quad was a wellspring of sunshine, canapés and badinage for the Reception at which parents and students enjoyed the opportunity to mix with staff in a friendly and relaxed environment. The event moved into the Great Hall for speeches from the Headmaster, the Director of Sixth Form and outgoing Captain of School, Skanda Rajasundaram, before coaches took the leavers off to phase two, the Leavers’ Ball at Oakley House. To the accompaniment of the Take Five Party Band’s retro repertoire our students danced the night away, enjoyed a sumptuous buffet and were astonished by the legerdemain of the magician. This was an appropriately celebratory evening for a fantastic year group who, we hope, will keep in close contact with the school for years to come.

PLASMA-T, Putting London ahead through Mathematics, Science and Technology.

St Olave’s has been awarded a special role within Boris Johnson’s London Schools Excellence Fund (LSEF) to support colleagues across London schools in developing subject excellence, with a particular focus on programming and robotics. DT staff, in conjunction with STEMNET, have already hosted a 3D printer workshop where attendees were able to build and programme a 3D printer.

Outreach Events

On Wednesday we welcomed staff and students from Imperial College London’s Medical Faculty to run two outreach events for aspiring medics. For Years 10 and 12 respectively, these new initiatives are part of the PLASMA-T project - Putting London Ahead through Science, Mathematics and Technology - which St Olave’s is running in conjunction with the London Schools’ Excellence Fund. Olavians and students from six other partner schools benefitted from workshops on Preparing for Admissions Tests, A Day in the Life of a Medical Student, Preparing for Interview and an interactive You Be the Doctor session, all designed to support applications to Medical courses.