The Lion - Issue 78 by Bablake

Issue 78 | Spring 2019

News from Bablake

Back to the 80s!

arents and staff were treated to an evening of nostalgia on 22nd March as Bablake hosted its third fundraising concert for Harrismith School. This year’s theme was music from the 1980s, which proved to be an inspiration for teachers and pupils alike. There were some outstanding performances and it was fantastic to see new talent emerging from younger pupils who sang with amazing confidence and energy. One parent commented after the show, ‘I feel like I’ve had an evening out!’ and she was right - it was a hugely enjoyable evening and a lot of fun for everyone.

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There were many highlights, but those who attended may never forget Mr Roberts’ performance in ‘Uptown Girl’. Certainly, Mr Burns and Mrs Skilton cried with laughter throughout! Most importantly, the concert raised £1150 for Harrismith School, allowing us to continue funding the school’s ICT suite, Internet connection and uniform fund. Many thanks to all those who took part and helped with the organisation. A special thank you to Katy Davis and Anastasia Jeffcoat who were responsible for most of the organisation and artistic direction. Well done to you both.

News

Chess

In the recent competition, Bablake beat King Henry VIII to win the Coventry Schools Chess Cup; we took eight players and chose the strongest six to take part. Those who did not play watched carefully and were on the edge of their seats for the majority of the time. We started off very well and quickly went 3-0 up but boards 1-3 were still playing. We lost boards 1 and 2 but Amrit Gill (board 3) led us home with a comfortable victory. The final score was 4-2 and Bablake thoroughly deserved the victory over their close rivals.

Talent 2030 Competition for Girls Vedika and Zaynah in the Lower Sixth were recently selected as finalists for the Talent 2030 Competition for Girls at the Big Bang Fair at the NEC. The competition invites girls to tackle major challenges of the 21st century, showing how engineering makes a difference to people’s lives and to the planet. They could develop an original solution from scratch or create a project showing what engineers are currently doing to solve the challenge.

Big Bang Fair 2019 The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people in the UK and this year, three Bablake groups were selected as finalists for the Big Bang Competition at the NEC in Birmingham. The groups worked very hard to produce displays which would impress the judges and capture their attention, whilst also making their stands as interactive as possible. The final titles of the projects were ‘Eco-friendly Electricity’, ‘Observing muon Neutrinos’ and ‘Investigating PTEN Genotypes’. Teams presented their work to the judges and over 20,000 people attended the fair each day.

“The atmosphere was always lively with all the science and engineering lovers within the room.” Upper Sixth student, Ajan Manoharan said ‘the competition was amazing, even though we didn’t win; the atmosphere was always lively with all the science and engineering lovers within the room. We also wouldn’t have anticipated the level that some people took their projects to. We learned lots of things and met lots of people. It was also the final Big Bang Fair the senior groups would go to, but hopefully Bablake will enter next year with even better projects aiming high to win some awards. Companies such as Rolls Royce, Meccano, GSK and Virgin Media were there. Going around the fair, there was so much to learn from the technology and the people who worked at those companies. The RAF had VIVE headsets and controllers to give us an interactive insight into the lives of a typical RAF engineer’.

The girls’ project was entitled ‘Green Vehicles’ and discussed how cars could be more efficient and looked at how renewable methods might be used in modern day vehicles. They created a fantastic display and impressed the judges and the crowds that attended. There were no prizes to be won, but the girls thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Careers Our fortnightly Careers newsletters have continued to prompt discussion, and open students’ eyes to exciting options beyond Bablake and how to develop the skills to impress employers. Former pupils Peter Sidwell and Juliet Hodges returned to lead workshops on opportunities with PwC and behavioural economics respectively, while we were pleased to host a visit from Harper Adams University. Once again we have celebrated International Education Week with a Study Abroad Fair, including representatives from higher education institutions from across Europe, America and Canada. Two Life Choices sessions with our Lower Sixth presented the opportunity to deliver pertinent advice on how best to research university and degree apprenticeships options available post 18 - for the latter we were delighted to welcome Aston University to Bablake. Our legal week with Leicester Law School and the University of Law proved a useful complement for Lower Sixth student Eva Kant, who has begun a Bablake Law Society.

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British Biology Olympiad Just before half term, three of Bablake’s finest Upper Sixth biologists participated in the British Biology Olympiad run by the Royal Society for Biology.

Over 9600 students from more than 700 schools around the world sat the two examination papers during the first week of February. This is the first time for many years that we have entered this prestigious competition, which really does test the curriculum and wider biological knowledge of the very brightest Sixth Form students. All three of our entrants received an award. Amrit Gill was awarded a Gold Award, placing him in the top 7.2% of participants, which was a phenomenal achievement, and Harry Menashe gained a Silver and Ravi Bodalia a Bronze award. The Biology Department is extremely proud of all three boys – they have performed tremendously.

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Debating

Our two EES teams have been busy working on their projects for their sponsor companies since October and are currently nearing the handing-in date for their reports.

Earlier in March, Eva Kant and Abinaya Muraleetheran had a fantastic day out in Oxford, representing the school in the final of Oxford University’s Schools Debating Contest. The girls went through four rounds of debates, discussing such topics as feminism’s stance on the way that motherhood is represented and whether it should be legal to purchase donor organs. The competition finals day is based around the Union Debating Chamber, where participants are watched over by busts of five British Prime Ministers and two Foreign Secretaries, as well as the portrait of Mrs Benazir Bhutto, the first female premier of Pakistan. All of those luminaries have served as President of the Union Debating Society. Eva and Abinaya were one of only fourteen percent of teams who qualified from over eight hundred who competed in regional rounds both in the UK and in countries as far afield as Canada and Hong Kong. This competition brings the schools’ debating and public speaking season to an end. It has been a good one for Bablake pupils with over twenty-five students representing the school in competitions at local, regional and national level, and winning through several rounds in various competitions.

Back in January, 12 pupils represented Bablake at the F1 in Schools regional finals in Birmingham. The two teams – Omega Lion and Black Comet – worked hard to bring their best efforts to the competition which allowed those involved the opportunity to experience what it is like to run their own F1 style team, with their personal design and manufacturing portfolios, pit display areas and model racing cars; points were awarded for the best design and performance on the day. The teams managed to bring home four awards, coming top in every major category of the judging criteria. This is an amazing accomplishment despite teams being unable to secure overall first place prize for their separate classes. Their efforts are even more impressive as they beat teams in higher grade classes consisting of GCSE and A level students; this really does put into perspective how good their achievements were and how positively their efforts were recognised. Having learnt a vast amount form the day, we can now take this knowledge into next year and hopefully compete for the top prize!

Eva and Abinaya were one of only fourteen percent of teams who qualified from over eight hundred.

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F1 in Schools

ICON One of our German ICON Schools, the Evangelisches Lichtensterngymnasium in Sachsenheim, recently visited Bablake, bringing ten pupils and two teachers to find out about some of the peace-building work that we have done. Their visit followed a meeting at Bablake of twelve local school members of the International Cross of Nails Schools (ICONS) network, as we looked at how we can work together to spread an ethos of peace and reconciliation in our communities.

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Engineering Education Scheme

Our team sponsored by civil engineering giants, Arup, and working with link engineers Kirstin and Liana, has been working on a footbridge to span the Coventry ring road near Greyfriars Park. Lower Sixth students Alex Hyde, Vedika Bedi, Kogulan Vipulan, and Prana Karthikesu have taken on roles of responsibility within the group and have almost worn out the DT Department 3D printers as they prepare a scale model of their concept.

Our second group is sponsored by Unipart Manufacturing and has been trying to solve a real problem which is causing concern on a manufacturing line assembling fuel caps and filler necks for cars. Working with engineer Simon and his team, the group has come up with an imaginative solution which not only assembles the valve in a jig but also pressure tests for leaks at the same time. Pupils Jasmine Marajh, Henry Pilley, Maninder Dyal and Will Abdulraheem have been putting in extra shifts before and after school to meet deadlines. Both groups are now on the final countdown to their Assessment and Celebration day on May 5th at Cranmore Park in Solihull.

Country’s best linguists make language Crystal clear! Written by Mya Lane with Rebecca Headley, Rhys Haden and Elizabeth Hayes Our venue for the English and Media Centre A Level English Language Conference 2019 was a place called ‘Friends House’ in Euston, a large contemporary conference space which boasted a 1000 seat capacity. Our first talk was from Professor Devyani Sharma who spoke about the increasing diversity of the English language and how dialect and accent differences can help us to communicate with each other, contrary to the belief held by some that they cause miscommunication. The most insightful message that we took away was that accents do not make people harder to understand; it can be the anticipation of misunderstanding which makes language unclear. Then we were fortunate enough to learn about forensic linguistics from Professor Tim Grant. This was our favourite part of the day as it showed that linguistics can have very real applications. He described forensic linguistics as ‘an attempt to improve the delivery of

justice using language analysis’ and this was something which we had not heard of before. He also explained how specific characteristics of our language can be indicative of our personal history. In 2014, he used an analysis of the grammatical errors in messages left by hackers of Sony, along with certain political events of the time, to deduce that the ethnicity of the hackers was North Korean. After a short break, we had a thoughtprovoking lecture from Dr Claire Hardaker about online abusive behaviour and she showed us how easy it is for anyone to become involved in this behaviour due to the false sense of safety and anonymity that the internet creates. We were fortunate enough at the end of our lunch break to catch Professor David Crystal for a quick chat and a photo. David is arguably the most famous linguist in the English speaking world with an OBE and over 100 hundred books about our fascinating and complex language to his credit. His on-stage presence is excellent as he is very intelligent but also humorous.

He talked of how children learn language before they are even oneyear-old and explored the key features of baby-talk such as varying pitch, lip rounding and excessive repetition to underline how this creates a bond with the baby and gets them to notice the adult talking to them. Before the conference ended, we watched a lively poetry performance from Luke Wright. Through his modern style of poetry on topical issues, he showed us how language can be used to create many different personas through changing the narrative voice in his poems: from a Georgian dandy to a leftwing London hipster. He exuded life as he slipped into these different characters, giving a powerful commentary on the nature of modern life. We enjoyed a fun, yet highly educational day. It turns out learning can be fun after all (but don’t tell the teachers that we said that!). BABLAKE

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Junior Science We have once again been busy in Junior Science Club. Activities this term included making glow in the dark slime using borax, making bath bombs and designing parachutes to support an egg.

Faith Centre dedication Earlier this term, we celebrated a special morning with the opening of our Faith Centre by the Bishop of Coventry, Dr Christopher Cocksworth. We were honoured to be joined by the Lord Mayor as well as representatives of Langar Aid, the Coventry Muslim Forum,

Coventry School Foundation Governors and other colleagues and friends of Bablake. Both the Bishop and Headmaster spoke about the spirit of peace, reconciliation and tolerance, the importance of respect for our differences and rejoicing at our coming together in the Faith Centre. The Bishop blessed

the Chaplaincy, Oratory and anointed Revd Sacha Slavic, the Bablake Chaplain. We are grateful for the musical and singing talents of our pupils during the dedication. Both the Chaplaincy and Oratory look great, with thanks to our maintenance team, Art and Design & Technology departments.

Pupils always enjoy making slime and this time they created letters and then placed them under a UV lamp – the letters read ‘Bablake’. Pupils spent a number of weeks designing and constructing a parachute. We decided to test the parachutes in the sports hall by seeing if they could hold an egg without it breaking. We had great fun dropping the parachutes containing the eggs; some groups were successful while others created a mess!

Library

Crêpes and creations!

The library has put its new giant display board to good use with a display of LGBT+ literature available for students to borrow.

This term in Languages Club, we have been enjoying making crêpes and creating beautiful masks as part of Mardi Gras celebrations. Pupils made some impressive sparkly masks and it truly was glitter-galore in the Languages Department! We followed this with pupils displaying excellent crêpe-making skills as they crafted beautifully round French-style delicacies before filling them with all manner of sugary fillings!

Inspirational LGBT+ role models can be found in all walks of life and across the curriculum subjects studied at Bablake. The display has been enhanced by the use of some wonderful posters produced by York LGBT History Month and the Schools OUT UK charity.

Rotary Youthspeaks At the beginning of February, Abinaya Muraleetharan, Sathvika Krishnan and Zahrah Jahangir took part in the Senior Rotary Youthspeaks competition, giving them the opportunity to speak about a topic of their choosing.

The Library aims to help students gain a better understanding, greater acceptance and celebrate the rich diversity of knowledge and experience from everyone in our society by offering an excellent selection of reading material in this genre, which they have now expanded with recommendations from Bablake’s LGBT+ Society.

Abinaya chaired the meeting and introduced the main speaker, Sathvika, who spoke eloquently and passionately for six minutes about the catastrophic long term effects of plastic on our planet. Finally, Zahrah proposed the vote of thanks, congratulating Sathvika on her excellent speech and convincing the audience of the relevance of the points made. The team worked together very cohesively and competed at Sidney Stringer school against seven other teams, earning themselves a very respectable second place.

International Children’s Games

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We are delighted to report that Shell pupil Daniella Bleach has been selected to participate in the 2019 International Children’s Games, to be held in Ufa, Russia in July.

place at the sports stadium in Russia during the competition. Daniella is also hopeful of being selected for the relay team as her 100m time is very respectable for her age group.

The two events that Daniella has been selected for are long jump and high jump, with a trial for the 100 metre relay taking

We wish Daniella every success and look forward to hearing about her experience.

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Oxford Science Essay Competition A number of Lower Sixth students entered the Hilary Term 2019 Oxford Scientist National School Science Writing Competition, whose aim is to encourage school students to think about science outside the classroom, giving them the opportunity to explore their own scientific interests in a creative way.

Oxbridge After a highly competitive and rigorous process, the following students have received conditional offers from Oxford or Cambridge: George Evans – Natural Sciences, Cambridge Amrit Gill – Medicine, Cambridge

Svetlana Kim – Law, Cambridge Ayesha Riaz – Egyptology, Oxford

They each had some words of wisdom and a few fun facts to share, some of which is specific to Cambridge and Oxford, but they also have some helpful insights generally that could be applied to the whole university selection process – they are wise beyond their years! George: “When I went for my first round of interviews they were unlike any of the mock interviews I’d had already; they asked me not about the topics I suggested in my SAQ but instead about the obscurities of my hobbies. I was later pooled from my original college choice and was given a second interview at another college. The interview, although more difficult, was much friendlier and overall was a much better experience. I first thought that being pooled signalled the end of my chances getting into Cambridge but that only improved my chances and now I hold an offer.” Amrit: “With myriad myths circulating about the admissions process, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. The interviews, widely perceived as the most gruelling and daunting stage of the application process, were more of a friendly, stimulating, academic conversation, with world-leaders in your subject of interest (a privilege to say the least!), in place of the impossible questions I was inclined to believe that I would face. Undoubtedly, the greatest source I had in debunking these fears and gaining valuable advice on what admission tutors are actually looking for was Mr Wright. I think it is safe to say that I have not been afraid to ask for his help on more than one occasion! I applied to Gonville and Caius college, where notable alumni include Professor Stephen Hawking and Francis Crick. It has more medicine Nobel laureates than the whole of Russia apparently.” Svetlana: “The admissions process is formulaic. I believe that the goal is to turn subjectivity into objectivity; you need to demonstrate that you are objectively the ideal fit for your course. In order to do this, find your angle and approach the admissions process methodically. Also, keep in mind that it is just a university and don’t ever be too intimidated to apply – embrace the process. Personally, I really enjoyed the academic discussions at interview and I think you shouldn’t miss that opportunity!” Ayesha: “The whole process is definitely worth the effort; there’s no harm in trying and there’s also nothing wrong with finding out that certain universities are not for you. I would advise not to be put off by anything difficult or unexpected because you really might surprise yourself. I felt out of my depth in the first interview as they gave me a philosophical passage to analyse and discuss with a few words that I didn’t really understand. However, it was all fine because they just want to see you think and they weren’t looking for a black and white answer. Just trust yourself and go with what you want to do.” All four are now working hard to achieve the grades they need this summer. We wish them every success in their examinations and we will support them, as we do all our students, in the final stages of their studies.

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Politics Last term, as part of the Politics component of our Upper Sixth Enrichment programme, Bablake held its very own General Election. This was unusual as elections usually take place on a Thursday and, more surprisingly, it was an election to appoint the hypothetical Member of Parliament for the Bablake constituency. Following an intensive course, the members of our Politics Enrichment group participated in a mock election. It was contested to see how our First Past the Post system operates. Each candidate created a concise speech to persuade the voters; some promised wellcosted manifesto pledges, others opted for sound-bites, but all aspired to be the Right Honourable winner. Having canvassed the Cookery group, a rather small constituency akin to the Scottish islands in terms of the size of the electorate, the ballots were quickly tallied. In a closely-fought election, George Parker, representing the Labour Party, was declared the winner. He described the experience as “Brilliant. I am a man of the people and this was proven today”. Democracy worldwide may be under pressure, but it triumphed at Bablake!

The task was to write a short article about ‘one way that science impacts your everyday life’. Ashley Kabue was a runner up and her essay was titled ‘The Point of Pencils’. She talked about the history of pencils and the chemistry of graphite. Excerpts from her essay include:

‘Often viewed as a mundane writing utensil used primarily by young children and artists, pencils are a highly underappreciated tool. For hundreds of years, they have enabled students and scientists alike to record discoveries, quickly note their observations, and most importantly, erase their mistakes. However, they have a long, and at times toxic, history’. ‘A common misconception held by many – including myself at one time – is that the core of pencils was once lead, therefore resulting in the name lead pencils’. ‘To conclude, it is easy to take for granted the tools we have: without pencils, the day to day life of me and my peers would be much more difficult’.

RAF and BAE Systems Roadshow Throughout a show entitled “It’s a Numbers Game”, pupils were introduced to a series of fun and fascinating ways in which Maths is used in everyday life, including examples of the practical application of mathematical techniques within BAE Systems, the RAF and the Royal Navy. The presentation included the most up-to-date technologies to demonstrate the importance of Maths in the future of Engineering. An amazing robot called MIA showed off her mathematical skills and developments in facial recognition technology were explored. Pupils were invited to participate in some of the demonstrations and problem-solving games and the session concluded with a paramotor in action during which the audience certainly felt the force!

Warwick Science Lectures Some pupils from the Second Year recently chose to attend a series of lectures at the University of Warwick Arts Centre on Science. The first lecture was ‘Take a closer look’ and the second was ‘Out of this world’ and during both talks, the scientists amazed the audience with experiments and real life science! In the first lecture, pupils learned about the properties of water and how it can be turned into ice. They learnt about the science behind the coke and Mentos experiment before seeing it carried out on a large scale on the stage. The second lecture focused on space and lots of information was given about the different planets. The lecture concluded with ‘rockets’ which were made using a film canister, vitamin C tablets and water. They scaled this up and had hundreds of rockets going off at the same time, which was an impressive sight!

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Art & Music

Legally Blonde What message would you like the audience to understand from our production of Legally Blonde? Charlotte Bull (Assistant Choreographer/ Dance Captain) I would like the message to be that no matter who you think you are, you can break those stereotypes and be successful and happy.

What has been your greatest personal development?

Sathvika Krishnan (Professor Callaghan) You are what you want to be. With hard work, a good mind set and possibly a nice pair of stilettos(!), anything is within reach.

Katy Davis (Paulette) I have realised that if I really want to do it, and I believe in myself with all other cast members believing in me too, I can achieve anything I wish.

Daniel Welch (Sound Engineer) That you can start from nothing and become something great - just like this show! Anna Shirley (Delta Nu) Our family has been able to make this show through talent and friendship and I really hope it shows through to everyone watching. Amie Shipley (Serena) I want people to leave the show feeling uplifted and inspired to always persevere.

“I feel this experience has really helped me to develop my skills.” – Robert

Robert Bull (Warner) I have realised what a great opportunity I was given and through challenges I have faced and overcome, I feel this experience has really helped me to develop my skills. Sathvika Krishnan (Professor Callaghan) From this production, I have learnt the importance of family. The integrity shown by all members has inspired me to develop my own teamwork skills which in turn, enhances our performance. Fiona Chung (Enid) I was extremely proud when I managed to sing my verse in ‘The Harvard Variations’ from memory with clear enunciation for the first time. It was definitely a breakthrough in terms of believing in myself. Harvey Thomas Benton (Elle’s Dad) It has taught me to reach out when I’m struggling with a certain bit of blocking or musical part. Ellie Hart (Ensemble) I have personally developed my time management skills by being disciplined and planning my diary to ensure I am able to attend rehearsals without compromising my other school and personal commitments. Ashley Kabue (Brooke) I learnt that it is important to have the confidence to push through and continue if I make a mistake on stage.

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What has been your greatest reward? Daniel Freeman (Kyle/Grand Master Chad/Aaron) Knowing that I can adapt the way I do and say things to fit the character I am playing. Mya Lane (Margot) My greatest reward will be seeing the reactions of the audience, particularly our friends and loved ones, when they see what we’ve been working so hard on for the past few months.

Olly Brindley (Emmett) Seeing the production take shape each time we rehearse always gives a rewarding feeling. Ellie Hart (Ensemble) Not once has anyone ever put anyone else down, there are always positive vibes.

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What has been your greatest challenge? Hattie Morris (Elle Woods) My biggest challenge was trying to maintain an American accent throughout the play, whilst singing fast paced songs; also attempting to try and keep up the energetic and vivacious character of Elle Woods.

“My biggest challenge was moving out of my comfort zone and being confident.” – Rosie

Out & About Ski Trip to

Boston,Waterville and Cannon

Rosie Ingram (Judge) My biggest challenge was moving out of my comfort zone and being confident.

The annual ski trip departed for the USA this year at February half-term.

Alice Rouse (Delta Nu) I have found it hard to be able to sing and dance at the same time, and not get out of breath or forget to sing in tune.

It was certainly colder than previous years, with temperatures dropping to -15 degrees! There was no shortage of snow; we were greeted by ten-foot snow drifts in the car park of our hotel.

Elise Benfield (Crew – projectionist) Finding a role that was right for me and staying committed to it.

We spent the first two days skiing in Waterville, a fantastic resort with plenty on offer for our more seasoned skiers and also some more gentle slopes for our beginners to get to grips with staying upright. We then moved to Loon Mountain which offered even more variety and provided new challenges for each of our four groups. Most days we

were treated to fresh snow overnight and clear skies and sunshine during the day. Evenings were spent ice skating, swimming and competing in the traditional ski trip quiz. We also went to the local tubing park to throw ourselves down a mountain on a giant rubber ring! After five days of incredible skiing, we stopped off at a large Mall (once we had dug the coach out of our hotel car park) to do a bit of shopping, before heading to Boston. Our hotel was in the centre of the city amongst the skyscrapers, which enabled us to take a fantastic walk that evening to Boston Common. We then went for dinner at the iconic Hard Rock Café. The next day we took a tour of Harvard

University before heading to the top of the Prudential Tower, the second highest building in Boston, where we enjoyed stunning views from the 50th floor. A quick stop at the Cheesecake Factory was on the itinerary before we made our way to Faneuil Hall for some lunch before heading to the airport. Another year. Another amazing trip! All our adventures and photos can be found at @bablakeski or by searching for the hashtag #BablakeSki19. Next year we have a record number of 75 pupils travelling to New York, Loon, Cannon and Boston!

Art

Next term, Third Year pupils will engage in the exciting opportunity of working with local artist Colin Yates. Mr Yates, who specialises in large scale portraits in charcoal as well as screen printed images of footballers, will be running a master class session at the start of July. He has also kindly agreed to display examples of his work in the school for the entirety of the summer term and these can be viewed at the annual Art and Design Technology Exhibition on Thursday 20th June between 5.00pm and 7.00pm, as well as at our Open Evening the following day.

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Bablake in Berlin For pupils wanting to learn more about the history of the twentieth century, there is no better place to visit than Berlin.

Auschwitz-Birkenau “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” – George Santayana

It encapsulates the hopes for democracy after World War One, the impact of the Great Depression and the rise of the Nazis, the horrors of World War Two and the divisive effects of the Cold War. In February half-term, over thirty pupils had the opportunity to visit Berlin and during our short trip we managed to visit a wide range of sights.

Five members of the Lower Sixth visited Auschwitz-Birkenau in March. The trip was a moving and at times harrowing insight into the intense physical and mental suffering that occurred during the Holocaust. Here, the students share some thoughts on the experience:

A highlight was the Cecilienhof Palace, which hosted the Potsdam Conference in July 1945; we were able to walk in the footsteps of Stalin, Churchill, Truman and Atlee as they negotiated the new world-order. We also greatly enjoyed our tour of Tempelhof airport, marvelling at the scale of the building and its history, especially the role played by Allied pilots during the Berlin Airlift of 1948-9. Our final stop was at the Olympic Park, also home to Herthe Berlin and, as we arrived an hour early, we had an opportunity for an extended photo-shoot! Many thanks to Mrs Shields who helped with the organisation of the visit and to Mrs Skilton, Mrs Billings, Mr Burns (ace-navigator) and Mrs Rees for accompanying the trip.

Our journey into Auschwitz began by taking the same footsteps as the unfortunate people who were once led to believe ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ work sets you free. ‘Dehumanising’ was the keyword. The extent to which these people were poorly treated breached everything you could expect of mankind. ‘Treated like animals’ emphasised our guide, Michal, ‘90,000 humans, controlled by 1000 soldiers’. I am lucky to have been able to make this journey; I will continue to spread the important messages that I have learnt, and I strongly encourage others to visit. These small steps go a long way towards making our world more positive, harmonious and inclusive. - Kogulan Vipulan

The message that I took from this experience was the importance of the past and the power that it still holds today; although we should learn to live with the past we should never forget what has happened. - Tarun Lalli

Walking around Auschwitz, seeing the real physical evidence of the Holocaust atrocities we have all read and heard about, was of course upsetting and thought-provoking, yet it still didn’t feel real. I know the evil that happened in the concentration camps we visited yet it was still hard for my brain to process the huge scale and intensity of such horrendous suffering.

Our experiences from this thoughtprovoking trip will remain with us for the rest of our lives. In my opinion, this trip was a pilgrimage of understanding humanity and I would encourage others to visit Auschwitz in order to comprehend the scale of this detrimental historical event. Some of the most provocative displays for me were the book of all the names of the tortured civilians, the vast amounts of hair that has been collected and the repulsive conditions where workers would strive for rest. I hope that, given the opportunity, people will want to assimilate the past in order to create an effective and omnibenevolent humanity. - Lydia Taylor

I was particularly moved when I saw the display of children’s shoes. And the mountains of suitcases with real names of victims on which told stories of families torn from their homes, their whole lives ripped apart. I could not comprehend how humans could act so inhumanely to other humans just because they were different in such a small way like having opposing political views or being Jewish. - Mya Lane

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The experience when visiting somewhere like Auschwitz, that bore witness to such atrocities, is almost impossible to put into words. What stood out to me the most was the almost factory line nature of the camps and how people were treated as though items to be disposed of. The dehumanising process that the camps used was truly horrifying from the moment that the victims were stripped of their belongings to the moment they were murdered in the gas chambers.

The most memorable and poignant part of the trip was the visit to the children’s barracks where I saw first-hand their inhumane living conditions. The children would have had to sleep on a hard plank of wood with no mattress or blanket and eight children per plank. The children, if not sent straight to the gas chambers, were separated from their parents and if they were ‘lucky’ they would be sent to work. However, some Jewish and Roman children were selected by Dr Josef Mengele for experimentation. In Germany alone there are ten holocaust centres, memorials and museums to visit and still some people deny that the Holocaust ever happened. These sites allow us to learn from the crimes the Nazis committed in order to prevent this scale of a genocide happening again. That said, there is genocide happening even today, including the present Rohingya genocide in Myanmar and the genocide of Yazidis by the ISLI. I would strongly encourage everyone to visit Auschwitz not only to try to understand the unfathomable and indescribable but to try and get some perspective of our own lives and to challenge people’s prejudices which are unfounded and illogical. - Hattie Morris

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Boys’ Sport

Psychology Trip

Rugby

By Mya Lane, Charlotte Merry and Will Bastock We arrived in London and made our way directly to the Jewish Museum, which offered a very interesting experience as we learnt more about the Jewish religion and the rich culture and traditions associated with it. The visit was very relevant to our Psychology A level studies regarding social influence as we attempt to understand why such evil acts were committed during the Holocaust. The inhumane suffering inflicted on innocent people simply because they’re different can never be justified; we have learned that part of the reason for causing such suffering related to obeying figures of authority and minority influence leading to extreme social change. We then went to the house once occupied by Sigmund Freud and his daughter Anna Freud, which has now been turned into a museum. We enjoyed an exhibition about Salvador Dali’s painting of Narcissus which he created with the help of Freud. We also saw the chair where Freud sat and the couch where patients would lie while he psychoanalysed them and their dreams. In one of the rooms we were shown footage of family life with Sigmund Freud, taken by Anna Freud. It was interesting to see the actual place where psychoanalysis was born and we discovered more about his life.

Our rugby stars have excelled this term! SIX members of our Lower Sixth helped Warwickshire U17s to defeat Oxfordshire. Unfortunately, Ben Barwick picked up an injury and was unable to stand for the photo! Will Canning has also been excelling for Wasps U17s and Sam Herniman has represented Warwickshire U16s.

The following day, we attended a lecture on sleep and mental disorders. This was fascinating as the topic is very relevant as a current issue with teenagers especially. The lecture will prove useful in our Psychology A level due to the topic being a major part of our course. The Bethlem Museum of the Mind was our final visit. Situated on the site of the former Bethlem Royal, a psychiatric hospital, the museum provides an extraordinary insight into mental health illnesses and their treatments. In the main museum, the most interesting section was how mental health used to be treated: from patients being restrained and locked inside a padded cell to being given highly poisonous chemicals as medicines, it gave a real sense of just how far treatment has developed over the past 100 years. Even more astonishing was a five-minute video on the use of electrotherapy, supposedly a barbaric treatment used in the 19th century, but still being used today as a last resort treatment. There was also an exhibition area which featured numerous art works by artists afflicted by melancholia; it explored the causes and treatments of melancholia and how they are represented in the artists’ minds.

As we look to cement our excellent link with Coventry RFC yet further, we have been delighted to have Cyrus, one of Coventry’s Strength and Conditioning team, lead twice weekly sessions for our senior and U15 rugby players; these have included sessions at Bablake, as well as Friday night visits to

Coventry’s own fitness facility. We’re also extremely excited by plans to update our fitness room this summer, enabling us to look forward to providing an outstanding facility to help our young stars in all sports to reach their full potential. Our U15s excelled at the Warwick 7s, winning all three pool games, including an impressive victory versus the hosts before narrowly losing the quarter final versus the power house that is Sedbergh. Max Kearns, Asad Ssemwogerere, Denzel Musarurwa and Tom Canning have all been selected for Warwickshire U15s, with Micheal Adeyemi, Patrick Heffernan, Joe Guest, Max Newman and Toby Elkins also being selected for Coventry. Many congratulations to all the boys on their outstanding achievements. Our U13s also impressed at Warwick 7s, before going on to win their section at the Solihull 7s, with a fantastic performance. Oliver East, Talha Islam and Jack Barsby have all been selected for Wasps DPP whilst Lawrence Crossley has been selected for Worcester. The future of Bablake rugby looks extremely bright!

Football The 1st XI have played 11 games throughout the winter and have faced some tough opposition; however, there have been strong performances and victories against Coundon Court and Camp Hill. The junior block of football started after February half term and we have witnessed some impressive performances. The U15s have

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shown huge talent and promise, comfortably winning their opening fixtures against Coundon Court and the King’s School, Worcester. The U14s and U13s also won their opening games which were against Wellingborough and the King’s School, Worcester, but the U12s narrowly lost their opening game against King’s 2-1.

Photo credit: Mr Phillips BABLAKE

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Boys’

Hockey

2019 has been a successful and enjoyable season, with us playing over 120 fixtures across all age groups. This year, we have welcomed Richard Major to our professional hockey coaching staff and he has been working alongside our other professional coach, and current international, Nisar Chaudhry. The 1st XI, who lost eight players from the squad last season, started the season slowly, but a real commitment and dedication to training allowed the side to come together as a cohesive unit. Disappointingly, after going ahead against strong opposition, several games were lost by a single goal which highlighted the inexperience within a young group of players. However, as confidence grew, there was a renewed sense of determination and results started to turn in our favour with victories against Princethorpe, Loughborough Grammar School, Queen Mary’s Grammar School and Newcastle-Under-Lyme. The 1st XI are now showing what they capable of and there is much anticipation of what this squad can produce in their last few fixtures (including the National Plate) and next season. The 2nd XI have been the most successful boys’ hockey side in terms of results, playing 17, winning 12, drawing 3 and losing 2. They are deserved winners of the Warwickshire Schools 2nd Division League! The 3rd XI have once again had a competitive season and finished 2nd in the 3rd Division, their highest league placing since the Warwickshire leagues were formed in 2011. The U15s have shown huge improvement and there is so much potential within this squad of players. They are crowned champions of the U15 Development League which is in its inaugural year; the squad should be very proud of their achievements! The U14s have also shown huge progress; the highlight of their season came in March when they qualified for the Midlands Finals held at Repton School. The U13s and U12s continue to develop and it has been great to see over 40 players training on a Friday evening every week. The U13s have been rewarded with victories against Warwick and King Edward’s School Birmingham whilst the U12s put in an impressive performance against local rivals KHVIII to win 3-1.

Photo credit: Mr Phillips

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in addition to continuing to improve our already impressive cricket facilities at the Playing Fields. We look forward to the delivery of an additional set of covers and two new sight-screens. The other major change for 2019 is the introduction of a 1st XI ‘cricket week’ which will see the 1st XI play 11 fixtures in the space of 12 days after the summer exams, including the Bablake T20. Let’s hope for some warm, dry weather!

Hockey

It has been great to see the continuing progress being made in all our hockey teams this term. The U14s lost to King’s High 2-0 earlier in the season but competed impressively after the Christmas break, defeating them 2-0. The seniors have managed to rack up a fantastic 28 goals in 18 games and the U13s have won over 75% of their matches, with a particularly impressive win of 5-0 over Newcastle-Under-Lyme in February.

Congratulations must be given to the U12 girls on their success at the Warwickshire tournament. The girls finished first in their group, drawing 0-0 with King’s High, beating Stratford 5-1 and Solihull 2-0. We faced St Martin’s in the semi-finals and won 2-0, then facing King’s High once again in the final. This success qualifies the girls for the regional finals later in the term.

The U16 girls’ hockey team captained by Emma Allroggen did exceptionally well this term making it through to the quarter finals of the National Plate. To get there, they had to beat RGS Worcester and King’s High, the latter being a very exciting game that ended with penalty strokes. This took the girls all the way to Chester to compete against The Queen’s School (eventual National Plate winners). Unfortunately, it wasn’t our day, but the girls have taken a lot from this experience and will build on this success ready for next year. We must also congratulate Emma on her first U16 England representation v Ireland during February half-term.

Netball We have continued to perform well this term, maintaining a 70% win rate across all age groups. The girls have played an impressive 231 games between them, winning 164! A great achievement, girls. The 1st VII has once again had a difficult season, however they showed their true capabilities and resilience in a very feisty game against Nottingham High School, winning 20-13. The 2nd VII has gone from strength to strength, with some outstanding defending displayed by Kelly Turnbull. They have won 8 out of 9 matches with some great results against King’s Worcester (21-15), Wrekin (20-12) and Nottingham (28-8).

Cricket The 2019 season is eagerly anticipated with over 100 fixtures planned during one of the shortest summer terms in memory. It is certainly going to be busy! All fixtures and details can be found on www.bablakesport.com. We welcome back Nick James, our professional coach, for another season and he has been leading our winter nets programme over the winter months. We are also very grateful to Head Groundsman, Anthony Kilroy, who has driven our Academy programme

Girls’ Sport

A look at the plan for the new sports fitness suite

The U15 team has shown great maturity and development this year. In their Coventry Schools tournament, they finished runners up winning five of their six games. They also competed in the Uppingham tournament in February,

where they demonstrated their fantastic potential, competing with some of the top boarding schools in the country. The team was unbeaten in the pool games, defeating Uppingham in the quarter finals 12-7, but narrowly losing to Oakham 10-14 in the semi-finals. Well done to all the girls involved. The junior netball teams have undeniably wowed us this term! The U12s have won 85% of fixtures, the U13s 100% of fixtures and the U14s 70% of fixtures. They are showing exceptional potential which is exciting for next year when two of these age groups will be competing for a place at the West Midlands competition. There is a clear correlation between our success rate and the increased number of our girls playing for club and county lower down the school, which is really pleasing. Congratulations to both the U13 A and the U13 B on winning their Coventry Schools tournaments. They played 15 games in total and won all 15, which was a truly excellent achievement! BABLAKE

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Headmaster’s Notes “I am proud to have played a small part in the history of this great school and in the support and development of my pupils and staff.” attended the entertaining and accomplished musical production of Legally Blonde. My last Heads of Department meeting filled me with confidence over our commitment to high-quality teaching, learning and outcomes for our pupils.Writing about school sport in my last report to Governors made me proud of the very important role it plays in our pupils’ development. Indeed, watching the final rugby match of the season and chatting to parents on the touchline reminded me of the support that you give and the fact that we are co-educators in giving the best possible start in life to your children.Your commitment and loyalty to the school again shone through in my last Parents’ Association meeting. Interviewing Fifth Years for Sixth Form scholarships is always a highlight, as I listen to their dreams and aspirations and as they recognise the strength of our community, valuing the very strong relationships between pupils and staff and the vital role this plays in their success and happiness.

As I write this, I am of course excited by the prospect of a new adventure, but I am continuing to pretend that it is otherwise ‘business as usual’ at Bablake and that I am never actually going to have to say ‘goodbye’! There are, however, certain events in the annual cycle where I cannot help but acknowledge that it’s the last time. Each time has nevertheless been very different, as each time involves fresh pupils and new opportunities. I know that I leave Bablake drama in excellent hands, a fact to which readers will happily attest if they

Every year, every term brings new initiatives too. I was delighted to welcome the Bishop of Coventry to dedicate our Faith Centre – a place for all members of our school and for visitors, reflecting our commitment to peace and reconciliation in our lives and as we look outwards in generosity to the world beyond school, resolved to make it a better place. Before the end of term, we shall invite back former pupils to unveil a plaque and a picture to commemorate the three years during which the school was evacuated to Lincoln during the Second World War – dark days of great sacrifice. I am proud to have played a small part in the history of this great school and in the support and development of my pupils and staff; both have been wonderful fellow travellers. I know that Bablake will continue to thrive and it has been a huge privilege to serve. Adieu.

John Watson

Bablake School Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AU

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