St Marylebone Messenger: Autumn 2014

Autumn 2014

St Marylebone

Messenger

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ST MARYLEBONE CE SCHOOL

Battlefields Trip / Year 7 Scholars’ Concert / Aspiration Day / Poetry Day / Sports Day / Nepal / Blencathra /House of Commons Trip

OUR SCHOOL

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Headteacher’s Message

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ur busy London lives are full of messages: media messages, public safety messages, branding messages, text messages, voice messages, messy pavement messages. Amidst the multi-media, digital din of communication, it can be difficult to know which message is most important. To which frequency should our dial be set?

At St Marylebone, lively as our days are, we help ourselves to filter this stream of messages by having a Theme of the Week. Our Monday assembly launches this theme. Then, every morning we listen collectively to a Thought for the Day, written by senior staff and the Duty Form, read over the tannoy. Each Thought for the Day develops the theme. To this, we add a “Big Question of the Week”: a challenging ethical or moral issue which students debate in form time.

Recent themes include equilibrium, resilience, harvest, optimism, friendship, remembrance.

Importantly, while we are united in reflection on a common theme, there is no single interpretation.

Each Thought for the Day writer has a different take on the theme; every response to the Big Question makes its own vocal mark; every student and teacher participates in this collective process yet has their own thoughts. Our Remembrance Eucharist, for example, explored remembrance not through one over-worn message, but through

Contents History Trip PE Department Nepal Trip AS English Trip Poetry Day Specialisms Celebration Evening Blencathara Trip Playwriting Course Languages Reading Week Economics

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many messengers: the voices of the choir, poetry, silence, a trumpet – and most movingly of all, 70 dancers in black, bedecked in poppies, filling the aisles and quire. The message, without mantra, was clear.

This new magazine, St Marylebone Messenger, brings together a few bold, gold threads of recent Marylebone stories. It’s another example of words and images cohering around a central message: our school thrives on creative expression and reflection. No, there is no mantra – but we are all Marylebone messengers.

Ms Kathryn Pugh, Headteacher

HISTORY

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Remembering Sacrifice

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s McColl, Bryony J and I took part in the battlefield tour programme along with other schools from West London this September.

The first place we visited in Ypres was the Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing. This was a hard part of the trip as Tyne Cot is the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world — everywhere you looked were hundreds upon thousands of graves, and large stone walls with the engravings of the names of many dead men with no known grave.

From there we headed to Langemark, a German cemetery which was drastically different in atmosphere. I found it very interesting to see how the Germans displayed their dead compared to the French. As soon as we walked into Langemark we were greeted with a mass grave containing 24,917 men.

To end the day we headed to Passchendaele Museum. This was an incredibly good, interactive museum: Ms McColl and I tried on very heavy helmets that did not suit us a bit! From there we headed back to our hotel and changed into slightly more formal attire. I wore my school uniform as I was going to represent the school and lay a wreath at the Last Post Menin Gate Ceremony, which happens every night at 8 am, every day of the year.

I felt honoured to do this, as the occasion was poignant, with many ex- and current soldiers there.

Afterwards we headed out for a bit of late-night shopping in Ypres, which involved buying lots of Belgian chocolate!

The following day we went to Newfoundland Memorial Park, the site of the Somme battlefield.

It was moving to think that people had fought and died for their country right where I was standing. I particularly enjoyed the sheep, which were doing a great job of cutting the grass! Sheffield Memorial Park was nearby so we paid our respects to the men that lay in the cemetery. Next we went to Thiepval Memorial. This was also very emotional as everywhere you looked there were thousands of names engraved on the walls: in fact there were 72,195, all belonging to British and South African men who lost their lives in the war.

It felt great to be making something that would be part of a beautiful exhibition to remember the men who lost their lives

We had a quick ice-cream break at Ulster Memorial tower in the glorious sunshine. After that we headed back to the hotel for our final night in Belgium. On the last day we visited the ‘In Flanders Field Museum’, which I really enjoyed as it was interesting as well as sad. We then headed to a workshop to make clay figures that were to be part of a bigger exhibition. We really enjoyed this as it was good fun and it felt great to be making objects that would be part of something beautiful to remember the men who lost their lives.

Finally we headed to Lijssenthoek Cemetery, where we were given wooden tokens (some crosses, some other religious symbols and some just a plain piece of wood) and found a grave to place them on. We had a moment’s silence to remember all who fought in the war, not just our allies, but everyone who died: those who had the courage to get out of their beds every morning, put on their lice-ridden clothes, and step out onto a battlefield not knowing whether they would ever come back again. We remembered them.

Harley B, Yr9

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

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Sunny Sports Day

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he whole school was invited to compete, perform and cheer on the athletes at the St Marylebone Sports Day at Willesden Sports Centre on 16th July. The sun came out for us and the students put on quite a show.

There were cheerleading, flags and musical performances to mark the occasion and all the students came out in their colours to support their respective houses. It really was a fantastic atmosphere, one that every single student and teacher helped to contribute towards.

The field events and track heats started in the morning, followed by the hugely competitive tug of war and track finals in the afternoon. It was wonderful to see so many students participating in the events from Years 7 - 12 and such amazing team spirit. The Sixth Form Committee were also on board to help with marshalling students from the tube station and to their events; they helped the day run really smoothly.

The overall standings at the end of the day were 5th place Wesley, 4th place Nightingale, 3rd place Dickens, 2nd place Barrett and 1st place Hardwick. We look forward to next year and hope we can make it even better!

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ight schools competed in the Westminster Football Tournament on 5th October, in which our Year 9&10 football team took part. With such tough opposition the girls were quite anxious about how they were going to perform on the day, which showed in their first match where they drew against St George’s 0—0. Although they created lots of chances they weren’t able to take the advantage. In the next games they knew they had to raise their level of performance and they went on to win all the remaining games in their group convincingly with goals from Scarlett H, Eve M and Sienna P. After coming top of their group they went on to the semi final and beat QK convincingly 3-0 to take them into the final against Greycoats. They worked incredibly hard in the final but lost an early goal which seemed to knock their confidence and were quickly 2-0 down. At half time they showed resilience and were able to stop them scoring any more goals which was very pleasing. Overall they came runners-up in the competition against some very strong opposition. The PE department were very pleased with their efforts and incredibly proud of their team work and sportsmanship. Well done girls!

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unning Club has been very well attended so far this term and many turned out for the Cross-Country Trials. At St Marylebone we have a wealth of talented students from Year 7 - Year 13 who compete for different clubs around London. Some of them have been highlighted as Champions for the Future and have received funding to help aid their performances. Students from all year groups took part in the annual Inter-House CrossCountry Competition. Well done to all those that took part! The following winning students deserve particular praise: Anouk D (Yr7), Clementine R (Yr8), Jessica W (Yr9), Milla M (Yr10) and Esme M (Yr11).

WORLD CHALLENGE

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On Top of the World

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our teachers, 30 students, and two Far Frontier leaders embarked on a three-week adventure to Nepal at the end of June. At the start everyone was terrified: looking round the airport, the expressions on people’s faces said it all. However, I wasn’t scared. I couldn’t wait to get away and explore a completely different place with no internet, no TV and no communication with home.

After 13 long hours we arrived in Kathmandu. It immediately felt like we’d stepped into a different world. We were presented with flower garlands by Nepalese people, which made us feel so special. The first animal I saw was a monkey, then a chipmunk, not like London where all you see are pigeons and squirrels. A short bus journey later we arrived at Kathmandu Guest House where we stayed for one night before heading off to trek.

I never would have thought that at the age of 15 I would be on a 12-day gruelling trek around the world-famous Annapurna circuit. It was one of the most challenging things I have ever done but I am

so glad that I was able to persevere, as the places we discovered were unforgettable.

There were tea houses 2,000 metres above sea level and a massive vertical waterfall amongst the mountains and birds. However, sometimes we got distracted from these stunning views because we were too busy moaning about how tired we were or how much our feet hurt. One thing you must know about Nepal is there is no such thing as flat ground. With teamwork, motivation from our leaders and a bar of chocolate once in a while, however, we got through the trekking and arrived at the community project.

Before we went to Nepal I don’t think any of us appreciated how lucky we are to live in such a developed country. Seeing the faces of the children at the local Nepalese school light up when they were given pencils and chewing gum made us realise how happy these people are with so little. The trip also showed me that you don’t have to speak the same language to be able to communicate. I made friends with the children simply by playing volleyball and working as a team.

Abigail M & Alice D-P, Yr11

ENGLISH

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Up Close to Crisis

NT Live: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, filmed from the Young Vic production

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illian Anderson’s raw portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, a play we were about to study for AS English, left us reeling. The show is explosively dramatic and upsetting as we watch Stella grow more and more divided between her husband and her sister and an atmosphere of danger and violence pervades their meagre flat. The play is set on a revolving stage, allowing the audience to view the performance from every angle and to showcase the lifelike set, which consists of the Kowalskis’ apartment block.

We watch Stanley Kowalski, played by Ben Foster, grow more and more resentful towards Blanche’s dependence and stubborn habits, and while we can increasingly understand his infuriation with her whining insecurities, the crux of the play lies in her escalating deceits towards her own sister and her rapidly disintegrating options for escape.

The play is more than three hours long, but there is not a moment when the intensity slackens. Shocking interludes of deafening music erupt between scenes, making the audience jump every time — all but the final song, sung by Cat Power, which accompanies Blanche’s final circuit around the stage and which remains with the audience long after the actors have taken their bows and the screen has faded to black.

Although some of the proximity of a play is absent in the NT screening, we gain a more vivid depiction of the characters and their expression, through close -ups and even sparse shots of the stunned audience as the play shatters into its traumatic conclusion.

It was a fantastic evening, and a promising introduction to AS-level English!

Kitty L, Yr12

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he English Department is delighted to announce that Shaima J in Year 8 is the School's Poet Laureate for 2014-15. She won our writing competition on the theme of summer with her beautiful poem. Shaima has also won a year's youth membership to the Poetry Society. Look out for more of her wonderful poems throughout the year.

Miss Bletcher

Summer Give hope to our hearts and nourish our lives, Bring up the young inside us, Discover our strengths, determine our potency, Let us prepare for summer.

Loosen our worries and untangle the past, Shake off the cold within us, Open our windows and unbolt our doors, Bring the summer breeze within us.

Let each moment pass without hesitation, Engulf us within our laughter, Open the gates to our freedom and power, Make everything last in summer.

At last it comes, at last it settles, We see the people open their eyes.

Jumpers turn to tanks, Shivers turn to sweat, The contented season has arrived.

The music is louder, The air is hotter, The skin gets darker, The hair gets lighter, The sea is crowded, The pools are crammed, Footprints in the sand!

The sky is clearer, The gulls are louder, Summer's come around!

ENGLISH

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The Power of Poetry

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ear 7’s annual Poetry Day, on 17th October, was a great success, with visiting poet Francesca Beard a real hit with the students.

A very busy day involved not only workshops with Francesca, in which she encouraged students to write ‘stream-of-consciousness prose poems’, but also collage-making and rehearsals of each form’s chosen poem on this year’s theme, ‘memory’, for the competition in the theatre. This was judged by Francesca, Ms Pugh and our own Poet Laureate, Shaima J (Year 8). The audience was thrilled by the performances, which were preceded by Francesca Beard’s renditions of some of her own, often very amusing poems.

Ms Pugh said it was very hard to choose between the form’s dramatised versions of some particularly sophisticated poems: Ted Hughes’ ‘Horses’, Christina Rossetti’s ‘Remember Me’, Seamus Heaney’s ‘Follower’, William Wordsworth’s ‘Lucy’ and Hilaire Belloc’s ‘Tarantella’. In the end, the latter, due to 7W’s excellent interpretation of its rhythm and their characterful group acting, won the day. The whole school got the chance to see it when 7W performed it again at our Founders’ Day Assembly on the last day of term.

Ms Owen I really enjoyed the workshop because I loved writing poetry about my personal life. You have inspired me to do it more often because I didn’t realise how relaxed it makes you feel! I really enjoyed listening to your poems and some really made me laugh!

Ingrid R I enjoyed your poem about friends because it inspired me that all poems don’t have to be made up.

Courtney L

I love how you don’t think about what people are going to comment about you: you just perform how you want to.

Orla M I really enjoyed the workshop because it transported me to a calm place where my mind wasn’t busy with everyday situations.

Elvi C-H The reason I like you as a poet is that you’re really honest and explain everything really clearly.

Alisha O

Stream-of-consciousness prose poems The new baby And the knock and the opening of the door, and the twist of the lounge door knob, and the cheer and the tears and the happiness, and the cake and the wows and the champagne cork pop and the baby carried up to the cake, and the foot getting closer and the squelch and the cake being squished and the foot covered with cake and the cry and the mascara staining my mum’s face and the smile of my dad and the popping of balloons and the party poppers and the Indian food wafting in the air and the cutlery scraping on plates and the stacking and the washing and the leaving and the slamming of doors and the family of four and the last cheer and the first smile and the new baby.

Jaya S

Music through the mind And the deep drone coursing through the mind and the melody of violins and flutes and high-pitched notes and the shadowy black of the women and the starched white of the men and the glint of gold on the edge of the harp and the silver of the strings catching your eye.

And the shutting of the eyes and the elegant music drilling effortlessly through the mind and its blankness and the accompaniment of music and silence.

And the sea of faces in the audience and the same thoughts in many others’ minds and music is the only sound. And it is peaceful, the peacefulness and the melody weaving in and out of the bass.

Siang T

SPECIALISMS

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ICT & Maths

ICT trip to House of Commons

Maths trip to the London Eye

On the last day of school last summer, I and two other girls in my year, Amber and Lira, were invited to the House of Commons to receive an award for St Marylebone School. Previously in the year we participated in a workshop at the IBM offices in London. This was a fantastic experience as we learnt more about internet safety and security.

Once we arrived at the House of Commons we were directed towards a conference room in which the gathering was being held. There were numerous people in attendance including two other schools. We talked to everyone there about our experience and thanked the people who organised everything. This proved to be quite nerve-wracking as we had to talk about our findings as if we were doing a presentation.

Afterwards we were able to talk and mingle with other people around the room. People asked us about our school, if we enjoyed the workshop, and in return we were able to find out more about their jobs and how they participated in the project.

Overall, it was a good experience for all of us as we learnt lots and had fun whilst doing so. I believe that workshops like this are very important as they help you to gain necessary life-skills. I hope to do something like this again another time.

This October two groups of Year 9 mathematicians made the journey across the city to visit the London Eye as part of the enriched Year 9 Maths curriculum. Once there, pupils carried out a survey to estimate the boarding rate and used this data to estimate passenger numbers for the attraction. Using this information, they were able to calculate impressively accurate estimates for the income generated by the London Eye, and all involved enjoyed the opportunity to see how the mathematics of the classroom can be used to solve practical problems in the outside world. As an added bonus, students enjoyed watching a 3dimensional film that follows a seagull swooping over many of London’s most well-known sights. This offered a different perspective on the city the pupils call home – quite literally a bird’seye view. Wind, bubbles and mist added to the effects, and made this a truly immersive experience they won’t soon forget!

The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and worked hard to come up with some convincing conclusions. Thanks to their enthusiasm, the trips were a great success, and the pupils should be proud of themselves for being outstanding ambassadors for the school.

Mr Kendall

Maya T-H, Yr9

SPECIALISMS

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Summer School

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very Summer, St Marylebone School welcome the new Year 7s by putting on a Summer School. This year, students could choose from a variety of courses: Dance, Drama, PE, Textiles, Art and French.

The Dance course danced their way into the summer holidays to their favourite tunes. They developed their performance skills through technique classes in a range of styles and by learning choreography from their favourite music videos.

The PE course involved a variety of onsite and offsite activities, such as swimming, trampolining, football, bowling, mini-golf, ice-skating and many more!

In Drama, the students looked at how to produce a promenade piece of theatre as well creating the set and costume from Alice and Wonderland.

Over in French, the students were given an entertaining and interactive introduction to French at St Marylebone. They looked at a range of topics, including numbers, colours, family and animals. It was a week full of variety, which was demonstrated in an informal performance to parents at the end of the week.

Miss Boulter

Textiles

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oliday time was clearly a big part of the inspiration for the 2014 collection produced by the St Marylebone Summer School textile design team. Eye-catching tie-dyed rainbow shirts, juicy screen-printed watermelons on shorts, and names emblazoned with hearts and stars turned unwanted items (even socks!) into something new.

The team worked hard. So hard that not one pair of hands came away from the end of each day without having at least one finger covered in paint. But it was worth it. Such incredible D.I.Y. design transformations deserved recognition.

In true fashion-show style, St Marylebone’s textile designers sent their 'new from old' recycled clothes collection down the catwalk in a blaze of colourful glory. So admired was their collection, that even Mr Green popped by for a tie-dyed t-shirt!

Well done girls! Next stop, Vivienne Westwood!

Miss Martin

SPECIALISMS

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Drama

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his Summer's group of Year 12 Drama students surpassed all expectations as they represented St Marylebone at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with their first-ever five-star production. The dedicated cast of 12 worked through six weeks of workshops led by Miss Mathewson which informed the play's script, entitled TEENAGE DIRTBAG: Life Blows. Under the direction of Miss Mathewson, the cast doubled as their own production team with dual roles as performers as well as stage managers, production designers and publicity representatives for their touring company, Crowded Nest.

For most of the cast, this is the first time they've been away from home in the company of their peers and must learn quickly to be independent and responsible for balancing their own itinerary at the Fringe. This experience encompasses not only the opportunity to perform on one of the world's largest stages, but is a major learning experience as they figure out first-hand what it takes to put on a show and are inspired by the vibrant Fringe atmosphere for 10 whole days.

Last year's show, SYNERGY, earned St Marylebone 4 stars and it is with great pride and pleasure that we announce that Crowded Nest gained multiple 5-star ratings this year for our performance of TEENAGE DIRTBAG, a play written for the students who performed it, inspired by their very own stories.

Shakespeare Schools Festival Shakespeare Schools Festival is a nationwide initiative which provides schools with 30-minute versions of Shakespeare's greatest works, in order to encourage young people to engage with the plays with greater confidence. This year, 19 pupils in Years 10 and 11 were selected for our short performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Our production began in a school and moved into an enchanted forest, where fairies were punks and trees could sing. The pupils enjoyed the opportunity both to develop their own characters and to work as an ensemble. After an early preview in school, the pupils performed their final piece at the Shaw Theatre in Euston. The production was a great success: not only did it impress the organisers, but the pupils had a brilliant time, all agreeing that they would love to take part again next year.

Miss Hedges

SPECIALISMS

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Aspiration Day

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High Achievers’ morning

Dance Scholars’ workshop

tudents from Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 took part in High Achievers’ Aspiration mornings. When we arrived at the Blandford Street site on 11th October we saw the familiar face of Mr Watkins. He had come to give us a speech which he hoped would inspire us to keep trying and always achieve the best we can.

A few years ago Mr Watkins was involved in a serious skiing accident which resulted in him being bed-bound for many months. He had broken several bones in his body and his feet needed to be completely reconstructed by surgeons. It was an incredibly difficult time.

However, as Mr Watkins began to recover he decided to set himself a goal to make the most of having survived his ordeal. He signed up to the ‘Iron Man’ competition, which involves a 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bike ride, then a 26.2-mile marathon! Despite doubts, Mr Watkins completed his ‘Iron Man’ in 15 hours.

Mr Watkins decided to take on an even greater challenge, the ‘Arch to Arc’. This involves running 87 miles from Marble Arch to Dover, swimming across the Channel, then cycling 181 miles to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Mr Watkins trained hard before and after school for months, even though this often caused him great pain.

Finally the time came. Mr Watkins completed the run in record time and, after a freezing cold, exhausting swim had nearly reached the coast of France. Then disaster struck: his support boat broke down and he was not allowed to continue to swim without it. His months of training seemed wasted and his dream was destroyed.

However, what Mr Watkins realised as he recovered from his disappointment was that he had already gained as much from his experience as he needed to, because he had tried his hardest and never given up. This speech inspired us all as it showed that anybody can achieve anything if they put their mind to it.

What I loved about the workshop was that the style of dance was quite different from what we normally do and I always like to have a challenge. I learnt how to work intensely with a small group of dancers to create a finished piece. I was surprised how quickly we picked up the piece as a group and finished a whole dance in only two hours. The most difficult bit about the workshop was that most of the steps and moves were quite fast so we had to perfect the movement quickly before we moved on. I really enjoyed it!

Sophia B, Yr11

Freddi-Ray B, Yr8

Scarlett M-J, Yr8

I loved learning a different type of dance: it was in a jazz style. I liked it a lot, it was fun and interesting to learn. I also liked how we could make up our own positions so we had a bit of our own choreography in the dance. I learnt a different type of dance that I've never experienced before. We got taught two dance phrases and then we had to put in our own positions. I was surprised how fastpaced the dance was. What I found difficult was the speed, but I got it right in the end!

SPECIALISMS

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Year 7 Scholars’ Concert Soon after, a really sweet song was performed by Daniella. She sang ‘Down in the Sally Gardens’ and did a very good job. However, Daniella wasn’t the only scholar to sing: Ella sang a wonderful song called ‘The Nightingale Sang’. Both girls performed wonderfully and the audience was mesmerised from beginning to end.

In addition to this, plenty of Music Scholars came to play a piece. I personally was impressed by the wide variety of music played. There was an array of piano, cello and brass instruments.

Next came the choir. Students sang ‘Down in the Valley’ brilliantly – a song which the audience learnt at the end of the day. They harmonised the performance which added to their amazing effort.

Everyone in the crowd was clapping madly and Miss Goodman, Head of Drama, actually had to stop herself from whooping!

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cholars in Year 7 had their chance to display their abilities and shine in the theatre on 26th September. Students danced, sang, played instruments and performed part of a play. They all showed confidence and enthusiasm throughout and left the audience feeling extremely entertained.

The Drama Scholars kicked off to a brilliant start.

They demonstrated excellent use of their performing skills on stage as they acted out a part of a play all about scholars. The theme was extremely relevant and it was fascinating to watch.

However, the highlight of the afternoon was the Dance Scholars’ performance towards the end of the concert. The students who took part were Anna, Layla and Eliona. It was a brilliant way to finish the concert.

Overall, the concert was extremely successful and enjoyed by all the performers as well as by the audience.

Michelle E I really enjoyed the experience and found it amazing showing the whole of Year 7 what I really like doing. At first, before I got on stage, I was nervous but when I was performing I was not afraid or nervous that I would muddle anything up.

It was really enjoyable because I had never really done a dance with any difficult props (the glittery hats) and the costumes were really good.

Eliona S

SPECIALISMS

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Performing Arts

Mandolin workshop

Dance at St Marylebone

To have the chance to play with and listen to the Grammy-nominated mandolin player Avi Avitali, as I and a few other students did on 15th October, was amazing. Firstly, Avi played a Bach Prelude (originally scored for cello) and answered our questions about the mandolin. He then talked to us about klezmer music: traditional music played at Jewish events and other festivals, such as birthdays. Some of the pieces were written in crazy time signatures such as 16/15! After that we split off into sectionals and put together a performance of a traditional wedding piece.

Overall it was a great hour of music-making and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the mandolin, an instrument that previously I had never heard of, and about different musical cultures.

Genevieve R-L, Yr10

I am currently in my second year of GCSE Dance and I am loving every second. I have really enjoyed being able to watch others in my year dance and see how talented they are and how great their choreographic skills are. I have also enjoyed explaining my different ideas when choreographing, especially the group piece I am currently working on.

I think the task I found most challenging was choreographing my solo composition in Year 10.

Although I love to choreograph, I much prefer choreographing for myself and a group of dancers instead of just me, as you are able to use more devices and it’s easier to visualise. One of the biggest obstacles I met was showing my choreography to my group in the group choreography module. I found this hard as I wasn’t sure if my group would like it, but I showed it to them and I had faith in myself and they were all very supportive. I am very proud of the piece I have created.

My experience of singing on Radio 4

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n 5th October I had the wonderful opportunity to sing live on BBC Radio 4 with the prestigious choir I belong to outside school, called Inner Voices.

We sang in Heythrop College, Kensington, which has fantastic acoustics. Doing all the preparation made me realise how much time and effort it takes for Radio 4 to function. With a good supply of tea, biscuits and recording equipment we were all set! The big day soon came. We were to perform in Heythrop's traditional Sunday Harvest Festival service at 8:10am. This meant an early start, 4:30am, to catch the first signs of public transport.

However, tiredness didn't affect us as we were all buzzing with excitement.

In the service we sang three rousing hymns, including ‘Come Ye Thankful People Come’. We also sang two Tallis songs, ‘O Nata Lux de Lumine’ and ‘If He Loves Me’ as well as Byrd’s ‘Angus Dei’. Over 1.5 million people tuned into the service! This will be a great memory that I'll never forget. Inner Voices recently created a video of us singing a piece called 'The Garden'. It would be fantastic if as many of you as possible could watch it. The more views it gets, the more we can be supported to do fantastic things like this. Here is the link: http://innervoices.co.uk.

Thank you!

Milla M, Yr10

The things that I have learnt during my time doing GCSE Dance are, first, never to give up, as I feel that is the first step to failure. Second, always believe in yourself and your ideas as they are probably a lot better than you think. Third, if you can’t do something try and try again until you can do it, practice does make perfect! And finally, always listen to Miss McCoid, because as daft as she may sound sometimes, she always knows best and how to get you the best marks.

Millie S, Yr11

SPECIALISMS

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Art

Wellcome Collaboration ‘Unravelled’ In the Summer Term, 15 of our Sixth Form Art, Textiles and Psychology students took part in our second collaboration with the Wellcome Collection. The Collection’s ongoing aim is to commission new work from young, creative and incurably curious minds, with a particular interest in bringing together art and science.

Our collaboration focused on ‘Archiving our Memories’. Students were introduced to the fascinating archive of the Wellcome Collection and the role of archivists. We looked at items that reveal the individuality of experience and the multiple ways in which people record it.

Students were invited to share something from their own memories as they began to consider how we archive our own lives. In a session with a scientist students gained insight into how memory works. Our brains are our first archives. How do we store memories there, and how do we retrieve them? Supported by a series of artist-led workshops run by Sarah Carne, we investigated these questions. We discussed how memories are not fixed but fragile, altering as we recall them.

Through experimenting with materials and processes we developed a visual language to convey the importance of each object in its owner’s history. The work culminated in a collaborative art installation that was on display in the Wellcome Collection from 11th until 28th September.

Collaborations of this kind are giving our students a real insight into what it takes to exhibit artwork in a professional exhibition context.

Yinka W at FAD Fashion Futures

FAD Fashion Futures 2 Saturday School Five of our Sixth Form students took part in the FAD Fashion Futures 2 Saturday School, a course developed by Fashion Awareness Direct. They participated in workshops with professionals to gain skills and knowledge which will help them progress to Higher Education and on to the workplace. At the end of the 10-week course, the students' work was showcased at an exhibition. All participants were presented with a certificate, and the finalists were selected to take part to the Stage 2 summer school.

Henrietta D (Year 13 leaver) and Yinka W (now in Year 13) were selected as finalists for Fashion Futures 2014 and took part in the Fashion Futures Summer School, where they designed and made their garments. Their beautiful outfits were presented in a catwalk show at the 2014 FAD Junior Awards during London Fashion Week this September. Both outfits received praise and applause from the fashion crowd. Henrietta’s outfit won the prize for embellishment: a great start to her fashion design career.

SPECIALISMS

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Art

Portfolio-building, life drawing and Industry Afternoon

ARTiculation

To ensure that students keen to take up a career in the arts have a successful progression to Art schools, other study routes or employment, we run extra-curricular after-school portfolio-building workshops on Wednesday afternoons and lifedrawing classes on Tuesday afternoons.

The current Year 11, 12 and 13 students also gained insights into art-world pathways from the Industry Afternoon on 19th September, when 17 professionals talked about post-A-Level Art and Design careers. This successful afternoon has already resulted in exciting work placements for some of the students.

The department is delighted that our students have been selected to participate in the ARTiculation Prize 2015 at the Whitechapel Gallery on 5th February 2015.

The adjudicator will be Abraham Thomas, Director of the Sir John Soane Museum. The ARTiculation Prize is an annual event designed to promote the appreciation and discussion of art.

The competition seeks to engage students, regardless of background or experience, with art and to develop their confidence and ability to express their opinions.

Each student is invited to deliver a 10-minute presentation about a work of art, artefact or architecture of their choice. Adjudicators are asked to assess each presentation as a whole, looking at content, structure and delivery.

You can watch Anna V-L’s (now Year 13) speech, which gained her the third prize in the national finals at Clare College University, Cambridge this March here: http://vimeo.com/90243635 .

Henrietta receiving her prize at Fashion Futures

Art History AS Since September we have been running the AQA History of Art AS-Level as an after-school fast-track course for selected Year 12 and 13 students. This exciting opportunity resulted from networking at the ARTiculation conference at Clare College, Cambridge this March. We are able to run this project thanks to the Association of Art Historians and to the generosity of the EsmĂŠe Fairbairn Foundation. Our students made an excellent start and some fascinating essays and discussions have already resulted.

Miss Meyer

ARTiculation

SPECIALISMS

Art & Design

Year 11, 12 & 13 Frieze Art Fair trip Annually the department is lucky enough to receive some free tickets to the Frieze Art Fair. Scholars and High Achievers visited the fair and saw contemporary art from all over the world. Students have found artists who link to their own work and have produced some superb pages in response.

Alice in Wonderland This year's whole-school play has provided the Art Department with a unique creative challenge and a great number of students are relishing the chance to be involved. The play is in promenade and will take place in four English rooms as well as the theatre. Each of the classroom-based scenes will take place in a made-to-measure calico tent, adorned with hand-painted imagery and fragments of text from the actors' script. Dozens of students who do not usually attend Art clubs have joined this club and they are doing an excellent job, responding very well to the need for high quality work, produced under great time constraints.

Year 12 work experience My week’s work experience at Penguin Books was both enjoyable and enlightening about the publishing industry. I shadowed and completed tasks for the editorial assistant at Fig Tree, which included reading new manuscripts and writing reader’s reports on the aforementioned in order that Fig Tree could decide whether to buy them. I also attended an editorial meeting on the latest Viking projects and ideas and an inter-departmental meeting, which discussed the latest sales figures and compared those of the major retailers, such as Waterstone’s and Amazon. There was a bookshelf from which I could choose up to two free books every day and on my first day, which happened to coincide with the Tour de France going through London, I helped with the promotion of Chris Froome’s autobiography and there was consequently a photo of me in the Penguin newsletter! The week helped me to understand better the structure of Penguin, the routes into publishing and to dispel myths such as that editorial assistants spend their days reading, which they don’t! I would highly recommend the experience to anyone active and inquisitive with a passion for books; I am so pleased that I was lucky enough to be chosen for this opportunity.

Ella B, Yr13

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SPECIALISMS

17

Art & Design

Launch of Crafts Manifesto This week the Crafts Council invited 150 guests to the House of Commons for the launch of their manifesto for art craft education. Research showed that students had less opportunity to experience learning through making with their hands, using clay or textiles or other such materials. More and more universities are shutting down their ceramics or textiles courses. This is a huge campaign by the Crafts Council to turn this around. The Head of Policy and Research came to St Marylebone to talk to our Art Textiles students about why they felt these subjects were important to them. Ella in Year 12 made such an impression that she was invited to help launch the manifesto at the House of Commons. Ella wrote a superb speech and spoke to an audience of ministers, MPs, arts funders, makers and galleries. She presented with confidence and spoke eloquently. Well done Ella,, you were an inspiration!

Courtesy of the Crafts Council, photo: Sophie Mutevelian

KS3 Art clubs Scholars have participated in a workshop alongside the Aspiration and Challenge days in which a printmaking lecturer at Heatherleys Art School in Chelsea worked with the students on some exciting monoprinting techniques. She will return to work with the students again, to develop their work into etchings. At the start of term, the Scholars’ Club turned its attentions to furniture renovation and several Year 9 students took great pleasure in sanding down and painting the new chairs and table for Ms Pugh's office. The students worked very well as a team and one even documented the process with her own Polaroid camera.

ENRICHMENT

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Year 9 Celebration Evening

T

hroughout the year, pupils in Year 9 worked towards the Year 9 Award. Not only does the award enable students to accumulate credits in areas such as academic achievement and volunteering, but they are also encouraged to complete an Independent Project: a substantial body of work on a subject that interests them. The students’ outstanding achievements were celebrated at the Year 9 Awards Ceremony, a wonderful evening of performance and prize-giving.

The Colourful World of ‘Seussicals’ was the culmination of work completed over two days during the Year 9 Performing Arts Festival, in which students work collaboratively within the Arts disciplines. The theme for this year’s Festival was Dr Seuss. Each Form was given a Dr Seuss story as the starting point for their creative work: Yertle the Turtle, I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew , Butter Battle Book , Oh! The Places You'll Go! and The Sneetches .

The students interpreted their story in a variety of ways, exploring themes such as acceptance, warfare, life choices, obstacles, hierarchy and courage. The art-work, props and costumes were created by each Form in their Art sessions. The work was inspired by the trend of yarn bombing.

Each work was created by the students themselves, including the music technology and atmospheric soundscapes.

Miss Clark and Miss Boulter

Black History Month trip As part of the ongoing events to mark the centenary anniversary of the First World War, 13 Sixth-Form History and Politics students attend the Mayor’s Black History Month event. It focused on the contributions of those from Africa and the Caribbean in the War, and featured talks from the academics S.I. Martin and Stephen Bourn and an introduction from Blondel Cluff, Chief Executive of the West India Committee.

I really enjoyed hearing two perspectives from historians on black soldiers' contribution to and experience during World World One. I hadn't previously realised the extent of the fighting in Africa and that the backlash which occurred in America in 1919 towards the black population was mirrored in Britain.

Ella B, Yr13

GEOGRAPHY

Beautiful Blencathra

O

n 22nd September, 52 keen geographers set off from London to the Blencathra field centre in the Lake District. After we arrived we got our clipboards, waterproofs (which we needed throughout the week) and hiking boots. During the week we had two to three lessons a day learning about the topics we will study during the Geography GCSE course. We then got the chance to go out and see what we had learnt in different places around the Lake District.

On day one, we were put into two groups in which we would spend the week. There were four teachers on the trip with us: Mr Healy, Ms Ashton, Ms Innes and Ms Maddrell. After the early but delicious breakfast, we had a lesson about flooding. Next, we set off in the pouring rain to the local village, Keswick. We went around in groups collecting information about flooding and how to prevent it. We then all went for a tour around Keswick and learned about ways to stop flooding, and how the village was damaged by the flood in 2009.

On Thursday we learnt about glaciers and how they are formed. We travelled in minibuses to Easdale Tarn and climbed a corrie (which is where a glacier started 10,000 years ago) on a four-mile hike, seeing amazing views of U-shaped valleys.

After the achievement of getting to the top and seeing the huge tarn, we went to an amazing gingerbread shop!

On the last day, we were woken up early by our teachers and after breakfast and our last lesson we went out to climb a huge hill called Catbells.

We met some wild sheep on the way and had to climb almost vertical rocks but we got to the top above the clouds. We took a 15-minute boat ride, giving us the chance to relax, eat some biscuits and see the amazing view of the Lake District.

I really enjoyed the trip and recommend it to everyone taking GCSE Geography in the future! We got to see beautiful views and have fun with everyone as well as learning lots of really interesting physical Geography. During the trip I found that hiking is really great fun, especially if you are around 51 other enthusiastic and motivating people!

Maya S, Yr10

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ENGLISH & DRAMA

20

‘New Views’ Playwriting Course This year, for the first time, we are running an extra-curricular playwriting course in association with the National Theatre, for pupils in Years 10-13. The programme begins with a theatre trip: we chose to see the new play Ballyturk by the provocative Enda Walsh (see review below). Next, the pupils are visited in school by a contemporary playwright; we are working with Sabrina Mahfouz, who ran an excellent workshop for the pupils, inspiring them to start writing. The pupils are then given the opportunity to attend a series of eight after-school workshops, run by me, in which they discuss 'big questions', such as the relationship between theatre and politics, and explore a range of clips of past National Theatre productions. The pupils then work on their own 30-minute plays in their own time, supported by Sabrina and me. At the end of the programme, pupils submit their scripts to the National Theatre to be in with the chance of having their play read or performed at the National itself.

B

allyturk by Enda Walsh was hectic from the start. Frenzied humour, sporadic changes in theme, wild and confusing characters. The play tells the story of two men living in what one can only assume is their home but which has no exit, and there is no indication of the men ever having left. It is almost a pen, where they perform their daily tasks of throwing darts at a wall of drawings, hiding a fly in a cuckoo clock, listening to the walls, and acting out tales of the inhabitants.

Extreme slapstick comedy rapidly intensifies as the characters become increasingly desperate and the futility of their activities becomes apparent to the audience.

Walsh demands so much from the performers, the set and even the audience, but creates an experience that lasts much longer than the 1.5 hours spent sitting in confusion, joy and desperation. The extreme physical theatre of Ballyturk is gut-wrenchingly funny, but at the same time is a distraction for both the characters and the audience from the terrible truths that lie within. Walsh has invented a surreal storyline and characters that would usually be considered mad, yet at the same time manages to create a story that can be related to. The audience finds themselves laughing and crying with the characters, emerging from the auditorium in a daze, wondering if what they had just seen was utter gibberish, or genius that they are still struggling to fathom.

Kira M, Yr10

Modern Foreign Languages

21

Loving Languages

S

ome people seem to think that in order to learn a foreign language you need to be an insane grammar whizz, know the dictionary inside out, be able to quote extensively from foreign works of literature, whip out reams upon reams of arguments on the history of French absurdism, and speak like a native at the drop of a hat. Obviously this isn’t the case, or nobody would bother to do it. In fact, learning a language relies not upon technical knowledge, but upon curiosity, openmindedness and a wish to experience something completely outside your comfort zone.

Learning a language has helped me become more confident My own love of learning languages has stemmed from my incessant, insatiable, uncontrollable nosiness. Living in London as a child, I often heard a huge array of languages being spoken as soon as I stepped out on to the street. It always frustrated me that I was never able to understand what they were saying, or to come up with a witty retort when a group of French school children, decked out resplendently in Converse and jeans, were very obviously whispering about my uniform. Once I got a grasp of both French and German, this curiosity developed into a genuine interest in the cultural background of these countries.

The lovely thing about being a Languages student is how often you’re surprised by people’s willingness to forgive any stupid mistakes. On family holidays to France, I was always the one to volunteer to buy the morning baguette from the boulangerie, albeit in stilted Franglais and with a horrendously strong British accent. The poor baker must have been confused at the sight of a gangly English girl, blushing profusely and gesturing wildly at the bread whilst attempting to stammer out a poorly constructed request to buy it, but he gave me a warm smile and told me the price, holding up his fingers to help me along. I’ve found the same kindness on every foreign exchange I’ve been on, whether it’s been to Strasbourg in France or Viersen, a small town near Düsseldorf in Germany. My exchanges would repeat jokes to me if I didn’t quite get them, or check to see that I was following the conversation at dinner.

I have never been on the receiving end of any unkindness as a result of any mistakes that I’ve made when conversing with a native speaker.

Learning a language has helped me become more confident in my ability to survive in difficult situations.

Yes, a Language exchange is an incredibly daunting prospect, but by making the effort to speak as much as you can, asking for help where you need it, and welcoming the chance to try new things (including the food), you gain long-lasting benefits. After all, what’s to be gained from moping about the house for a week, when you could be enjoying the sights and sounds of a new country?

Jemima S, Yr13

Year 10 work experience Last summer, I had the opportunity to be involved in of the Reach Out for Healthcare Science Programme organised by Imperial College, London.

As part of my one- week placement I was lucky enough to have a tour around Charing Cross, Royal Brompton and Royal Marsden Hospitals. The areas of Healthcare Science which I looked at included imaging and therapy, lung function, clinical Engineering and Audiology. Having these tours gave me an understanding of the many different Science-related careers which I had never heard of.

I also attended lectures given by Scientists including the famous Professor Robert Winston. By the end of the week we had to produce posters of a specific aspect of our placement which we found most interesting. I decided to do a poster on Audiology with another student and won second place in the competition for creativity. Even though the prize (a mini-notepad and a rubber) wasn't the best prize for all the hard work we put into producing the poster, I really enjoyed my time at my work placement.

Helima B, Yr11

ENGLISH

22

Reading Week

P

O

ur annual Reading Week this November was a feast: literally, because of the Literary Cake Competition (the Peter Rabbit biscuits and Alice’s teacup were pa rticu la rly delicious), and metaphorically, because of the range and brilliance of our visiting speakers, which included journalist David Aaronovitch, Puffin Editor Tig Wallace, thrillerwriter Jon Robinson (who electrified Year 7 and 8 with his series set in a futuristic prison for teenagers) and actress Olivia Williams (Peter Pan, Anna Karenina), who spoke about the fascination of performing in texts ‘translated’ to stage and screen.

Other events included an eyeopening sixth-form talk on publishing careers in the digital age by Katie Roden, Year 7s dressing up as their favourite book character, and a speciallystaged debate by KS4 and 5 students of the motion ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’, judged by the Managing Director of Penguin Books.

Ms Owen and Ms O’Connor

I was lucky enough to have the chance to hear editor Tig Wallace’s lunchtime talk. He told us about his job and answered our numerous questions. It was very exciting to hear about his day-to-day tasks and many of us were surprised at the variety in the job. We also got to look at some cover designs of a reprint of Goodnight Mr Tom for its 30-year anniversary since publishing. We were all very quick to point out our preferences! Lastly, we were all presented with a free copy of Popular, a highly amusing memoir from a high-school student following a 1950s handbook on how to get more popular. Overall, Tig’s event made me seriously consider an editorial career.

Genevieve R-L, Yr10

ublishing is an industry not understood by many, as was explained to us by industry expert Katie Roden. At her talk, Publishing in the Modern Age, the ever-expanding and multi-faceted world that any prospective publisher will now face was explained in detail to us.

The main message from Katie was that there is no right place to start in the industry; however, there is a right time. That time is now. We live in a Twitter age where your biggest asset is your ability to market yourself, your ideas and your talent – and there is no use in waiting until you have left school to do so.

The biggest idea I took away from the talk is the fact that publishing is not an industry restricted to book-worms and grammar police; it’s a haven for web designers, graphic artists, lawyers, salesmen and other people that are now integral to this publishing age.

The industry is now working towards ways of making reading materials more accessible, on the page and on the screen, on the go and on a lazy Sunday.

This is a really exciting time for publishers; the book isn’t at the end of its span, it’s at the beginning of a revolution.

Salem K, Yr13

ECONOMICS

23

Strong Foundations

Business breakfast

Working in the City workshop

St Marylebone’s first-ever business breakfast took place on 2nd October. Mr Reid and a number of Year 13 students participated. We had to come in at 7.30am, unaware that life existed at that time, for an excellent opportunity which could help us develop strong business foundations. It was hard to believe that it was the norm for business people to meet up in the early hours. We were presented with a selection of delicious pastries and coffee which gave us much needed energy.

The guest speaker was Gemma Peck, who used to be Director of Business, Skills and Innovation for the government. She told us about the many roles she had in her job. Examples of these were when Gemma was advising the government on issues such as university tuition fees, how to get small businesses contributing to economic growth and how to eradicate the skills shortages caused by the recession. It was interesting to hear how she was helped by the post-graduate scheme which enabled Gemma to create a strong foundation.

It was really interesting to hear about Gemma's many experiences and we gained a real insight into her role as a civil servant. We were able to understand how she had to remain impartial and professional when dealing with controversial issues that she may have not particularly agreed with. One example would be raising tuition fees to £9,000.

We were surprised by the many opportunities that are out there after our educational journey, some of which we were entirely unaware of. We were particularly interested in how closely Gemma worked with the government, and how she had had input into strategies that directly affect us.

The talk gave us stronger business foundations by helping us understand the importance of working hard in our Economics course and creating a wide network of contacts.

Mr Reid and Mr Sonpar took us to find out a bit about working in the City to take part in... speed dating! This took place at UBS bank in the City as part of the ‘Working in the City’ workshop. We learnt a bit about what the City of London is, then, in a carousel activity which in business gets called ‘speed dating’, we met some of UBS’s top employees and asked them lots of questions.

We learnt some facts about the City which made us understand a bit about why we might want to work there. For example, that London is the second most economically active financial capital city in the world after New York.

Janan A and Naomi Y, Yr13

Noura C, and Louise C, Yr10

We felt excited about the number of women who work in the City and the opportunities for young, ambitious Londoners We learnt that it’s the best location in the world to do business. Being on GMT time means that when we get up, Asia have been awake to do business with, and when they go to sleep we’re still working and can start doing business with America who have just started their day.

We learnt that of the $3.98 trillion foreign money that gets traded each day in the world, trading in London accounts for around $1.85 trillion.

We felt excited about the number of women who work in the City and the opportunities for young, ambitious Londoners. The trip helped us identify the skills we might want to develop in our GCSEs and the importance of work experience to start building strong business foundations.

The St Marylebone CE School

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Term dates 2014-15

Terms 2 to 6

Start time first day back

End of term finish time

8.30am

12.30pm

8.30am

3.30pm

8.30am

12.30pm

Half-term holidays Saturday 25/10/14— Sunday 02/11/14 Term 2

Monday 3rd November - Friday 19th December 2014

Christmas Holidays: Saturday 20/12/14 - Monday 05/01/15 Term 3

Tuesday 6th January 2015 - Friday 13th February 15

Half-term holidays Saturday 14/02/15—Sunday 22/02/15 Term 4

Monday 23rd February - Wednesday 1st April 2015

INSET day Thursday 2nd April. Pupil Easter Holidays: Thursday 02/04/15 - Sunday 19/04/15

Easter Sunday April 5th 2015

Term 5

Monday 20th April - Friday 22nd May 2015

8.30am

3.30pm

Public Holiday - May Day 4th May 2015

Half-term holidays Saturday 23/05/15 - Sunday 31/05/15 (Bank Holiday 25/05/15) Term 6

Monday 1st June - Friday 17th July 2015

8.30am

12.30pm

Other Key Events Yr 7 Parents’ Evening, Wed 14th January Yr 10 Parents’ Evening, Mon 26th January Yr 9 Parents’ Evening, Mon 2nd February Yr 11 Parents’ Evening, Mon 9th February All at Blandford Street from 4 - 6.30pm

Dance Show, Tues 10th, Wed 11th & Thurs 12th February Spring Concert, Thurs 26th March KS5 & Y11 Dance Exam Showcase, Tues 31st March All in the Main Theatre at 7pm Cover artwork: The Nativity by Ayantu E, Yr13. This painting, which has won the Rector's Prize, was commissioned to fill the vacant space in our church during the restoration of Benjamin West's masterly painting of the same title (1818).