The termly magazine of Queen’s Gate School
Science Week
Explosive fun across the School
Issue 56 · Spring 2019
Fencing success
U18 National Team Champions plus
World Book Day
Great Expectations The Senior School triumphs with Dickens’ dark tale
From the Principal’s Study
Dear Parents, As always a very warm welcome to this term’s edition of the QG News, which contains details of many of our activities in both the Junior and Senior Schools. As I write, Spring has arrived, the days are noticeably longer and warmer and the trees and flowers have suddenly burst into bloom, providing that sense of renewal and refreshment needed by us all at the end of another busy term. As I reflect on the term, I congratulate our girls on all they have achieved during the past few months, in their academic work and in the many extra-curricular opportunities on offer. Queen’s Gate girls always impress me with their commitment, their energy and enthusiasm – and their ability to juggle the demands of their busy and challenging academic programme with all the other activities in which they are involved – Model United Nations, QG Challenge, the QG Diploma, Music, LAMDA, English Speaking Board examinations, the LIV Exchange, the Remove Showcase, the School Plays, Science Week, Sport and the list goes on. As you read this term’s QG News, I hope that you will enjoy sharing in these activities and noting our girls’ many achievements. In conclusion, may I thank you all for another successful term and send you and your family my very best wishes for a Happy Easter.
QUEEN’S GATE GIRLS ALWAYS IMPRESS ME WITH THEIR ABILITY TO JUGGLE THE DEMANDS OF THEIR BUSY AND CHALLENGING ACADEMIC PROGRAMME WITH ALL THE OTHER ACTIVITIES IN WHICH THEY ARE INVOLVED
With all good wishes, Yours sincerely, Rosalynd Kamaryc Principal SPRING 2019
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editor
Miss A. Hinds sub-editors
Miss E. Acton-Edmiston Mr H. Capper Mrs S. Evans Mrs R. Kamaryc design & art direction
ARCH Design Studio
SUMMER TERM 2019 term begins Tuesday 23 April
bank holiday Monday 6 May
half-term Monday 27 — Friday 31 May term ends Friday 5 July
photography
DFPhotography Fergus Burnett Photography
Dates for the diary
contributors
APRIL
Miss E. Adler Miss E. Allan Ms L. Arthur Miss M. Butt Miss L. Coles Mme F. Collombon Miss L. de Bie Mr J. Denchfield Mrs J. Ditchfield Miss C. Hurlbatt Mrs P. Garty Miss C. Lamb-Wilson Dr M. Lee Mr G. Marton Mrs C. Mayne Miss A. Mitropoulos Miss S. Palframan Miss C. Podavitte Mrs E. Scott Miss N. Sitko Miss C. Spencer Miss F. Sutherland Miss B. Ward
Thursday 20 June SENIOR SCHOOL SPORTS DAY
Battersea Park
Friday 26 April EPQ PRESENTATION EVENING 4.30 – 6.30 PM
MAY Wednesday 8 & Thursday 9 May JUNIOR SCHOOL PLAY: GETTING TO KNOW…THE SOUND OF MUSIC
RADA Studios
Monday 13 – Friday 17 May JUNIOR SCHOOL LITERATURE FESTIVAL Monday 20 May JUNIOR SCHOOL ART EXHIBITION 3.45 – 6 PM · Junior School Hall Wednesday 22 – Saturday 25 May IIB RESIDENTIAL TRIP TO NEW BARN
JUNE Monday 3 – Friday 7 June IIA RESIDENTIAL TRIP TO ISLE OF WIGHT
SUMMER GARDEN PARTY · 6 PM
Stanhope Gardens Thursday 27 June ART & DT EXHIBITION PRIVATE VIEW 6–8 PM · Senior School Hall
JULY Monday 1 July JUNIOR SCHOOL PRIZE GIVING 2–4 PM · Holy Trinity Church Tuesday 2 July JUNIOR SCHOOL GARDEN PARTY 2–5 PM · Stanhope Gardens
AUGUST Thursday 15 August A LEVEL RESULTS Thursday 22 August GCSE RESULTS
Thursday 13 – Friday 14 June LVI ENRICHMENT DAYS Queen’s Gate School 133 Queen’s Gate London SW7 5LE
Wednesday 19 June JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORTS DAY
Battersea Park key
020 7589 3587 queensgate.org.uk
senior school junior school whole school
@queens_gate /133queensgate
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QG NEWS
Contents Senior School 38 Charity round-up
22 RBKC Road Safety Awards
40 Remove Showcase
23 IA’s Ancient Egyptian adventure
42 Thinking like an Oxford scholar & The Holocaust Educational Trust
24 Science Week Juniors meet a polar explorer, a balloon artist and some mad scientists
6 Visiting the National Army Museum & LVI trip to the Museum of Childhood 7 GCSE Computer Science pupils visit Bletchley Park 12 Sport Report News and results for Biathlon, Cross Country and Rowing
Junior School
28 IA’s field trip to Juniper Hall
14 Swimming Gala
29 Preliminary visits the NPG
35 Wider World WHOLE SCHOOL
30 III Form gets creative at the Saatchi Gallery
34 Little Mozarts concert
31 Swimming Gala
36 MUN round-up Reports from MTSMUN and HABSMUN
EVENTS
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FEATU RES
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
The Senior School play gives Dickens’s tale a dark and unsettling twist
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SCIENCE WEEK
An exploration of the natural world using LEDs, liquid nitrogen and the circus SPRING 2019
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NATIONAL CHAMPIONS The U18 fencing team cuts through the competition
20 Vegan cooking class 43 USA trip Visiting alumnae in the United States 44 Chinese New Year
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46 Networking evening at Barclays & Eastern Art & Craft at the V&A
The School exercises its literary imagination
47 Welcome to our new staff
WORLD BOOK DAY
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STAFF N EWS
SE N IOR SCHOOL · TRI PS
New Model Army LIV attends a Civil War workshop at the National Army Museum
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n Thursday 31 January, LIV attended a workshop at the recently refurbished National Army Museum in Chelsea. During the workshop, pupils learnt about life during the Civil War, and had an opportunity to try on some of the uniforms and handle artefacts. They were also given a trail booklet to help them learn about the Civil War from the various different displays in the museum.
Revisiting their childhood The LVI record how we have changed as children since the Victorian era
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he LVI Sociologists enjoyed spending an afternoon at the V&A’s Museum of Childhood in February. The visit was to help them discover the ways in which childhood has changed over time, and evaluate whether this has had a positive effect on children’s experiences. The curator showed them paintings from medieval, Victorian and early-20thcentury Europe in order to illustrate the changing nature of gender and the age at which one ‘becomes’ an adult. Pupils were then given toys and media cuttings to analyse. They discussed the impact of technology, gendered toys and the relationship between consumption and bullying. The curator was impressed by our girls’ vivacity and their maturity in these discussions.
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QG NEWS
SE N IOR SCHOOL · TRI PS
Enigma variations GCSE Computer Science pupils got cracking on their trip to Bletchley Park, the top secret Second World War code-breaking facility
BY CLAU DIA E DDIS & LOU ISA H E N KE LL VON RI B B E NTROP FORM V
O
n Friday 18 January, Form V GCSE Computer Science pupils alongside some Form IV pupils, set off early to visit the famous Second World War code-breaking facility, Bletchley Park. Our visit began with a short video showing real life footage from World War II, before we took part in a code and cipher workshop, working in groups to break messages that were encrypted in different ciphers. Everybody then got a chance to use a real life enigma machine – the same one used in the 2014 film, The Imitation Game! We also learnt that, after the war, the majority of the enigma machines were broken to make them unusable, and there are now only 200 machines left – each worth around £250,000. In the afternoon, we split into three groups for self-guided tours around Bletchley Park. Our group was led by Miss Butt, and we were impressed by how much she knew! We all went into Hut 3, the intelligence hut, which displayed some of Alan Turing’s work.
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Our favourite part of the trip was the tour. Nearly 10,000 people worked at Bletchley Park during the war and we learned so much about them. Nearly three-quarters of the employees were women, and they worked on many different jobs, including recording Morse code, code breaking and transporting messages via motorbikes. This trip was great fun – we only wished that we could have stayed a little longer! We would like to thank Miss Adler, Miss Butt and Mr Williams for taking us on this fascinating trip.
SE N IOR SCHOOL · DRAMA
SE N IOR SCHOOL · DRAMA
The gothic and frightening Victorian world of Nick Ormerod and Declan Donnellan’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations is summoned in RADA’s Studio Theatre
SE N IOR SCHOOL · DRAMA
THE CAST Pip Magwitch Herbert Pocket Miss Havisham Estella Jaggers Compeyson Joe Gargery Mrs Joe Biddy Uncle Pumblechook Orlick Mr Wopsle / Counsel Wemmick Bentley Drummle Startop / Soldier Mr Hubble Mrs Hubble Young Pip Young Estella Young Herbert Young Orlick / Officer / Warder Sergeant Watchman / Soldier Beadle Molly Bailiffs Chorus
Lara Brewer Amelie Thompson Lara Garvie Bonnie Goudie Amandine Bodet Lefevre Maria Posada Seraphina Kilroy-Silk Honor Makhlouf Claudia Eddis Leila Khan Leila Siskind Isabella Levi Lweji Lopes Padre Francesca Bowden-Jones Jessica Ballard Louisa Henkell Von Ribbentrop Diana Shevaleva Eva Gerald Kiki Sharp Aria Singh-Bernath Lydia Andriopoulou Eva Gerald Ella Raniolo Alice Reed Diana Shevaleva Sofia Khan Jip Meijer Cicely Feliks Catherine Walmsley 10
QG NEWS
SE N IOR SCHOOL · DRAMA
F
or this year’s Senior School play, the theatre was bigger, the storylines were bigger and the cast … well, the cast was perfectly sized and plenty talented enough to combat the complex storylines that Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations has to offer. Performed at RADA Studios in Bloomsbury over Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 March, Dickens’s bildungsroman depicts the formative experiences of Pip, a countryside orphan, played impressively by Lara Brewer, whose excellent acting skills kept the audience gripped. Throughout Pip’s life he meets extreme characters including Magwitch, performed with a grave mysteriousness by Amelie Thompson, the enthusiastic Herbert Pocket, which Lara Garvie played with gusto, the hard-hearted Estella, brought to life by Amandine Bodet Lefevre, and the spinster Miss Havisham, portrayed with suitable eccentricity by Bonnie Goudie. The performance, adapted by Nick Ormerod and Declan Donnellan for the RSC in 2005, uses a rotation of characters for the narrative – with members of the company placed in partial darkness around the edges of the stage. This clever staging meant a continual flow to carry the audience through the story.
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To add to the complexity, many of the cast were played by two members – the younger and older versions of the characters – which gave pupils the chance to come together, with girls from the lower end of the Senior School, including Kiki Sharp and Aria Singh-Bernath, who portrayed young Pip and Estella with confidence; alongside older girls – creating a fully-rounded company of the School’s most promising actors. A wonderful production team beavered away behind the scenes, and thanks go to everyone involved in making this such an impressive year for Senior School Drama.
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SE N IOR SCHOOL · SPORT
SPORT REPORT
ROWING Outdoor
Indoor
Three qg pupils in two crews took part in this year’s Hammersmith Head at the beginning of March, racing the 2¼ miles from Chiswick Bridge to Hammersmith Bridge. Cecilia Woods and Georgiana Hillier gained second place with their crew, whilst Maddie Perry-Smith and her crew took 4th place in the race. Congratulations to all the girls, and we look forward to hearing about their future rowing endeavours soon!
The queen’s gate Indoor Rowing Squad got the year off to a great start, when they travelled to the iconic Lee Valley Velopark for the Mizuno British Rowing Indoor Championships, now considered the largest Indoor Rowing event in the world. LIV’s Miya Amrouni took the silver medal in the Year 8 Girls 500m category, with a time of 01:53.30. Removian Isabelle Wilkinson-Campbell was placed 6th in the Year 7 Girls 2 minute race, and 4th in the 500m race with a time of 02:02.70, just 0.4 seconds away from the bronze medal winner.
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QG NEWS
SE N IOR SCHOOL · SPORT
CROSS COUNTRY Lara Mannes Diaz de Cerio Form iv pupil, Lara Mannes Diaz de Cerio, has continued to dominate the Cross Country season this year. On Saturday 5 January, she topped the leaderboard for the U15 Girls 4,000m race at the Middlesex County AA Championships. Soon afterwards, in February, she won the Junior A race at the LSAA Cross Country Championships, qualifying her for the
BIATHLON British Schools Modern Biathlon Championships 2019 The qg u16 team of Zoe Auld, Sabrina Mannes Diaz De Cerio and Isla Wallrock celebrated as U16 Team Champions at the 2019 British Schools Modern Biathlon Championships on Saturday 16 March. The competition, run by Pentathlon GB, sees young athletes from across the country undertake a run and a swim, with their combined score from each discipline placing them against their peers. Isla’s 4th place overall, teamed with Sabrina and Zoe’s 17th and 19th places respectively, gained them the top spot for this year. The U14 team of Tess McGill, Fabiola Waldron Sanchez Cid and Sofia di Bernardini was placed 4th in their age group – a wonderful effort. SPRING 2019
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English Schools’ Cross Country (ESAA XC) Championships. Racing against over 100 of London’s best young athletes, this achievement is a first for a Queen’s Gate pupil. On a cold and blustery day in March, Lara travelled to Temple Newsam Park in Leeds to take part in the Junior Race. In a tough field of over 350 girls from across England, Lara battled the elements to gain 9th place – an exceptional result for our Cross Country champion.
SE N IOR SCHOOL · SPORT
Swimming Gala
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he lower end of the Senior School joined together on Wednesday 12 February for their Swimming Gala, at Kensington Leisure Centre this year – with the poolside packed with eager competitors, ready for an afternoon of races. Split into their four house groups, Johnston, Wyatt, Spalding and Douglas for each competition, the girls always swim with vigour to win House points, as well as medals. With Freestyle, Butterfly, Breaststroke and a relay on the programme of races, the girls raced with commitment and enthusiasm. This year congratulations go to Individual Champions Hannah Rekrut (Remove), Eleanor Crider (LIV) and Invitational Champion Zoe Auld (UV) who also won the Overall Champion title for the day. The Overall House winners were Spalding with 185 points, with Douglas in second place (154 points), Johnston in third place (133 points) and Wyatt in fourth (125 points), mirroring the exact order of house winners from 2018. 14
RE MOVE I N DIVI DUAL SWI M M I NG CHAM PION Hannah Rekrut LIV I N DIVI DUAL SWI M M I NG CHAM PION Eleanor Crider I NVITATIONAL I N DIVI DUAL SWI M M I NG CHAM PION Zoe Auld OVE RALL SWI M M I NG CHAM PION Zoe Auld
HOUSE RESU LTS
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SPALDING
2
DOUGLAS
3
JOHNSTON
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WYATT QG NEWS
SE N IOR SCHOOL · SCI E NCE WE E K
SCIENCE
T
his year’s Queen’s Gate Science Week took place from Monday 25 February to Friday 1 March. Pupils navigated the human body with Medical Mavericks and inside the Explorer Dome, learnt about conservation from Simon King, and discovered the science of the circus!
WEEK 2019
25 FEB—1 MAR
LED LIGHT WORKSHOP
Light bulb moment BY KAY COTTRE LL REMOVE
The workshop was fun and creative. It was entertaining to try to make words and create them into a neon sign. It was also really challenging to form the wire into letters. I would definitely do this workshop again!
EXPLORER DOME
Inwardly digest BY I N ES MATHAIS LIV
The explorer dome was fascinating and I have learnt so much more about the digestive system. Firstly, we discovered the stomach, and how we digest our food. I never knew how complicated the mechanism of the stomach was. We then continued on our journey of the digestive system to the small intestine and then to the large intestine. I saw so many amazing things in the explorer dome and it was a great experience. 16
QG NEWS
SE N IOR SCHOOL · SCI E NCE WE E K
On monday, the Senior School had a visit from Dr Ken Farquhar. Dr Ken’s Circus Science show took us all on a voyage of discovery, investigating how performers make use of many scientific principles in their tricks and stunts. From why jugglers love gravity to why unicyclists need to keep moving to stay still, the hands-on exploration of different forces was great fun and by the end we were rather tempted to run off with the circus!
DR KEN’S CIRCUS SCIENCE
Roll up, roll up
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SE N IOR SCHOOL · SCI E NCE WE E K
LIQUID NITROGEN WORKSHOP
Deep freeze BY STE PHAN I E SH E E HAN FORM V
On friday 1 march, Andrew Hanson from the National Physical Laboratory came to school to run a workshop about incredible liquid nitrogen. We began by learning about different temperatures, like the melting point of butter, the temperature inside a fridge and the hottest and coldest temperatures possible. The temperature of liquid nitrogen is –196° Celsius (very cold!). Afterwards, Mr Hanson started to dip everyday objects such as a tennis ball and a flower into the liquid nitrogen and we observed how it changed the properties of each. The tennis ball could no longer bounce and the flower was smashed to pieces when it was hit on the table! Then, he dipped fully-blown balloons into the liquid nitrogen and they slowly shrivelled up. This is because the gas inside the balloons cooled down and their volumes decreased. He pulled the deflated balloons out of the liquid and they started to reinflate back to their original size, right in front of our eyes – it was amazing! Next, he submerged a ping-pong ball with a small hole in it into the liquid nitrogen. Once he removed it, the ball spun around at a very high speed. This helped explain how steam engines work. The same principle is applied when a kettle whistles once the water inside it has boiled. Finally, Mr Hanson decided to show us what liquid nitrogen looked like outside of
a container. He poured some on to a tray and we could see that each droplet hovered above the surface. This is called the Leidenfrost effect, and arises when a liquid droplet is deposited on to a surface hotter than its boiling point, causing the bottom
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of the droplet to evaporate continuously. This creates a repulsive cushion of vapour, which both prevents the droplet from quickly boiling away, and causes it to hover above the hot surface. There is virtually no friction between droplet and surface. Some brave teachers were then given the chance to have some of the liquid nitrogen poured onto their hand. The sensation was cold and a little wet but everyone was fine. The workshop was a very fun experience that helped us discover more about how spectacular liquid nitrogen is and how science is all around us! After this experience, we are all looking forward to similar presentations in the future.
QG NEWS
SE N IOR SCHOOL ¡ SCI E NCE WE E K
King of the jungle Conservationist, author and cameraman, Simon King OBE, presents a talk about his wildlife adventures BY E M MA FE RON E UVI
O
n the evening of Thursday 28 February, as part of our celebration of Science Week, we had the privilege to hear a talk from conservationist, author and cameraman, Simon King. The audience was made up of pupils, parents and staff, who enjoyed hearing about Simon’s exciting adventures; from raising two leopard cubs on a nature reserve to a close-up encounter with some
hunting orcas. We also gained an insight into the challenges of filming nature documentaries, as well as exploring the development of filming equipment over the years. Finally, he enlightened the audience on the importance of conserving the biodiversity in the UK; and how his charity helps restore that which has been lost due to modern farming techniques, the increase in pollution and poor soil quality. simonkingwildlife.com
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WHOLE SCHOOL · EVE NTS
Livin’ life on the veg
Q
Parents and pupils whet their appetites with a delicious vegan cooking class
ueen’s Gate embraced Veganuary this January, by learning some new cooking skills. On the evening of Monday 14 January, we welcomed Francesca Melman and Ann Storr from Riverford Organic to the Senior School. Parents and pupils gathered to cook three vegan dishes under the expert guidance of Francesca, gaining practical
cooking skills, as well as learning the importance of using fresh vegetables and produce. The aromas from the White Dining Room whetted our appetites, and, following their lesson, the group sat down to enjoy the feast that they had collectively created: beetroot curry, roasted veg with romesco sauce and tangy, shredded raw pad thai.
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QG NEWS
Junior School 28
OUT OF TOWN
IA head to Juniper Hall in Surrey to experience life in the countryside
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A COLLAGE EDUCATION III Form get creative on their visit to the Saatchi Gallery
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SWIMMING GALA
Girls compete in the pool at Kensington Leisure Centre
J U N IOR SCHOOL · EXTRA CU RRICU LAR
Safe travels The annual RBKC calendar competition produces three QG winners
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his year, as always, girls from the Junior School took part in the annual Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Road Safety and Active Travel Calendar Competition, which promotes safety for young people throughout the borough. Each month in the calendar is represented by a picture drawn by young people, and themes included active travel to school, using public transport safely, and improving air quality. This year, Head Girl CharlotteAmicie Capelle, and fellow III Form pupils Sophie Goreli and Malika Piplapure, had their designs chosen to go into the calendar. Their topics included not using a phone whilst driving, and animal safety. On Monday 21 January, the girls attended an Awards Evening at Kensington Town Hall, where they were presented certificates by Mayor Cllr Marie-Thérèse Rossi. 22
QG NEWS
J U N IOR SCHOOL ¡ ACADE M IC
Walk like an Egyptian IA travel to Ancient Egypt on an exciting quest
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n Thursday 21 March, IA travelled back in time to Ancient Egypt. In the morning we all dressed as Egyptians and watched a show about life in that period; we learnt lots of really interesting things. In the afternoon we took part in a workshop where we learnt how to write in hieroglyphics. It was so much fun!
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J U N IOR SCHOOL · SCI E NCE WE E K
SCIENCE WEEK 2019
T
he Junior School joined the Senior School in celebrating Science Week from Monday 25 February to Friday 1 March by dressing up as explorers, meeting some creepy-crawly friends, creating some wonderful balloon art and meeting the mad scientist! What a week!
Ginny Smith
IC E B Y B E AT R
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B C O M O N II
QG NEWS
J U N IOR SCHOOL · SCI E NCE WE E K
Explorer Dome
BY S I E N NA
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PE RCU D
A N I II B
J U N IOR SCHOOL ¡ SCI E NCE WE E K
ab l o o Z
Thursday saw zoolab uk bring their rucksack of creepy-crawlies to meet our Preliminary and Transition pupils. A gecko, a land snail, a millipede, a tarantula and even a corn snake joined the party!
M ad Scientist
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QG NEWS
J U N IOR SCHOOL · SCI E NCE WE E K
Balloo n Show
BY N A IA B A L L II B
SPRING 2019
J U N IOR SCHOOL ¡ TRI PS
Our village study IA travel to Juniper Hall in Surrey to explore life outside London
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BY ZOE TABOJ E R IA
n Tuesday 12 February, IA went on a Geography field trip to Juniper Hall in Surrey. We explored the nearby village of Mickleham and we learnt about the differences between living in a village and in a city like London. Mickleham is different to London because in Mickleham there are barely any cars or shops and in London there are thousands of them. It is much busier in the city than in the countryside. Mickleham is a very friendly and open place and there are lots of trees and bushes in the fields. Juniper Hall is a field centre and the building is used for geographical studies. A village is a small area with a few people and a few services. It is an open
area, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town. The population of a village is usually a few hundred people and as the population is small, people like to create communities. I would prefer to live in the countryside because it is much more open and nobody is crowding around me. I would also prefer to live in a village because it is very green, there is lots of fresh air and I could run in the fields every day and people are much friendlier. If I lived in Mickleham I would have a dog and a cat and go for a walk every morning. I would look at the flowers and the trees when I was walking. I would collect berries from the bushes and make jam out of them for breakfast; I would eat it on toast! 28
QG NEWS
J U N IOR SCHOOL · TRI PS
Preliminary sketches The School’s youngest pupils take a trip to the National Portrait Gallery
P
BY TH E WHOLE CLASS
reliminary went to the National Portrait Gallery on Wednesday 6 March. We saw pictures of Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and King Charles I. We loved the Capel Family portrait of 1640 and were surprised to see boys wearing dresses!
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J U N IOR SCHOOL · TRI PS
A collage education
III Form apply their gallery learning to create new artworks at the Saatchi Art Gallery
BY AGATHA DSH KH U NYAN III FORM
O
n Thursday 7 February, III Form went on their trip to the Saatchi Art Gallery. The class took part in an art workshop, as well as visiting some displays. The first one was Georgii’s UVs. These paintings were created using normal and UV paints. They were then submerged under UV light for a short period of time while we explored and talked about the beautiful masterpieces created by the artist. We learnt that some of the paintings had taken over three years to dry. The second one was by the Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli. The paintings in
one room were of people and flowers (in an abstract style) while in the other room they were only sketches and were in a very messy style. In another room there were his sketchbooks and pieces of art seemingly unfinished, in contrast to the boldly coloured life-size paintings in the first room. In the workshop, III Form were making ‘Merits’ and ‘Masks’. These consisted of a photo of an actor and our task was to make the photo abstract. We did this by using old magazines, scrap pieces of paper and other materials. The goal was to replace the key features of the photos with random pictures, body parts from 30
other photos – anything to make it look as artistic as possible. After the tasks were complete, each pupil was asked to talk about and explain their choice of material, picture and photo. Everyone was fascinated and enjoyed the tasks as they let their minds run wild and their imagination soar. Some photos came out looking rather unusual, and all the pupils were inspired by the artwork and the creativity of past visitors, as their pictures hung on the walls of the workshop room. We all enjoyed the trip and everyone had lots of fun; thank you to Ms Sitko for organising it. QG NEWS
J U N IOR SCHOOL · SPORT
GALA CHAM PIONS IA Lula Westoby II B Caroline Hunt IIA Zoe Petropoulou III FORM Beatrix Hillier
Junior Swimming Gala
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The annual competition sees some impressive swims from girls at this year’s gala
he annual Junior School Swimming Gala returned to Kensington Leisure Centre on Tuesday 5 March, bringing with it all the customary energy and enthusiam. The girls fought hard to secure the individual champion spots, and in the end Lula Westoby (IA), Caroline Hunt (IIB) Zoe Petropoulou (IIA) and Beatrix Hillier (III Form) triumphed on the day.
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The House competition was closer than ever before, with Victoria inching ahead at the end of the day with 219 points to Elizabeth’s 217 – claiming back Elizabeth’s win of 2018. Two impressive new records were set: the first by Maria Espiago (IA) in the 25m breaststroke, swimming it in 26.63 seconds, and the second by Beatrix Hillier (III Form) for the 50m freestyle in 35.02.
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WI N N I NG HOUSE Victoria
WHOLE SCHOOL · LI B RARY
World Book Day The School is filled with literary activities and interesting initiatives
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he Library team always look forward, with great anticipation, to the first Thursday in March. The preparation for World Book Day is an exciting time, filled with ‘booky’ activities and interesting initiatives from the girls. On Thursday 7 March, the Junior School Hall became the setting of a new adventure, populated by characters from a variety of books. The girls thoroughly enjoyed dressing up as their book heroes for a day, and some even brought along new ‘friends’ in the shape of a potato book character! This year we had the added pleasure of Senior girls and staff joining the Juniors in their annual tradition of dressing up, with some wonderful photos taken with girls from across the year groups.
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QG NEWS
WHOLE SCHOOL · LI B RARY
During our World Book Day Assembly girls thought about the importance of sharing stories every day, a theme that lies at the heart of this big celebration of books and reading for pleasure. Sofiia Kernes and Victoria Ciampolini Manley from IIB also launched their exciting Write an Alternative Ending to Your Favourite Story competition for girls in IB through to III Form. Finally, Miss Podavitte announced that the Junior School Library is recruiting a ‘Librarian for a Day’, to be appointed in the Summer Term! We hope that many girls will enter both competitions (more information and deadlines for applications can be found on QGBuzz). Throughout the day, we welcomed back the III Form Pop-Up Storytellers SPRING 2019
with great enthusiasm, and we tested our knowledge of fiction by trying our hand at some Book Bonanza Quizzes. We would like to thank all the girls, parents and staff for always making World Book Day a 33
special, fun and inspiring event. We raised almost £300 on the day for Book Aid International, and a big thank you goes to all those who took part in the activities.
WHOLE SCHOOL ¡ M USIC
Little Mozarts
Our budding pianists perform music from Alice in Wonderland to Verdi
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his year on Thursday 7 March, our Little Mozarts took to the stage in the Junior School Hall, to present a concert of piano pieces ranging from Playing Piano is Fun to ABRSM examination preparation. The Junior School’s theme for this year was Alice in Wonderland, and with the concert falling on World Book Day, a great many of the girls had come appropriately dressed in their favourite
Alice dresses. The pieces, written by Ms Chua, took us through the story of Alice and her adventures, including meeting the White Rabbit and Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Senior School girls performed from the ABRSM examination syllabus with a programme including the works of Mozart, Verdi and Praetorius. Many congratulations to all our pianists.
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QG NEWS
SE N IOR SCHOOL · ACADE M IC
Wider World From beauty to philanthropy, our weekly series has it all!
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ur weekly Wider World series sees invited guests from a range of different disciplines and sectors coming to speak to Senior School pupils, helping to expand their horizons beyond the curriculum and enrich their knowledge and understanding of the world. The Spring Term’s diverse roster of speakers included some outstanding professionals from the STEAM world. Noor Mo’alla was flying the flag for women in technology, and her talk about the role of artificial intelligence in predicting natural disasters was particularly fascinating. The following week, Moorfields Eye Hospital’s Professor Lyndon da Cruz focused on the breakthrough stem cell research which is being translated into life-changing treatment for eye patients with macular degeneration. We also took a journey through the world of beauty in its many forms!
Michael O’Keeffe
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Condé Nast Marketing Manager, Olivia Henderson, introduced us to the myriad roles in the fashion industry and Aesop Skincare’s CEO, Michael O’Keeffe, emphasised the need to be unique in a crowded market. Some self-image myths were dispelled by Dr Jane Masséglia from the University of Leicester, when she explained that portraiture manipulation is not a new phenomenon but has been going on for millennia, hugely preceding the rise of the selfie. Other speakers included Myrna Atalla, Executive Director of Alafanar, the first venture philanthropy organisation working exclusively in the Arab region, and Dr Shirley Radcliffe, Deputy Coroner of Westminster and Walthamstow Coroner’s Courts. Our warmest thanks go to everyone who has taken time to come and speak, and we look forward to the visits of our future Wider World speakers.
Dr Jane Masséglia
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Professor Lyndon da Cruz
Myrna Atalla
SE N IOR SCHOOL · M U N
MUN round-up QG pupils continue to impress at this term’s MUN conferences
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t the Merchant Taylors’ School on Sunday 10 February, 11 Queen’s Gate girls took part in a Model UN conference, on this occasion representing France and the Dominican Republic. It was a hugely successful MUN conference with the QG delegation winning two highly-coveted individual awards out of the 12 available. They sat on various committees including the Security Council, Finance, Human Rights, Health, Disarmament, and Environment, competing against more than 170 students from 15 schools. As always, the girls had prepared thoroughly beforehand and had accumulated a considerable amount of information on their allocated countries. The topics debated ranged from the Israel-Palestine conflict to the question of water security, and the financial inclusion for women to the elimination of medical black markets, to name but a few. The QG delegations played a full part, proposing motions and amendments, making points of information and voting on the resolutions. In the afternoon, they also took part in a global ‘crisis’ and were asked to respond
Merchant Taylors’ Model United Nations
Taking part in an MUN conference requires a huge amount of preparation beforehand, as well as the courage to stand up and make your voice heard in a competitive debating environment. — DR LE E
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to a topic that was unknown to them prior to the conference: the fictitious breaking news that Iran had invaded Israel and had used chemical weapons. The girls had to think on their feet, and their debating skills were tested, always mindful that the role of the UN is to avoid war. Congratulations to Luna MiddletonRoy and Diane-Sophie Capelle, who both received a prestigious ‘Best Delegate’ award – the girls dealt exceptionally well with the pressures of representing France, and displayed confidence and impressive maturity throughout.
QG NEWS
SE N IOR SCHOOL · M U N
Queen’s Gate fielded its biggest ever team at an MUN conference (19 delegates and one Guest Chair: Laura ConniesLaing) and again, came away with several prestigious awards for their hard work and meticulous preparation. Laura, our Senior MUN Prefect, displayed authority and commanded the respect and trust from the 30+ delegates in the Health Committee, and she chaired the debates with complete professionalism and unfailing energy. Following some hard-fought diplomacy and excellent speeches, our girls representing the USA beat off stiff competition from 430 students to win four highly-coveted individual awards:
Highly-commended Delegate AMY GI LLYON
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Haberdashers’ Aske’s Model United Nations
rom Friday 15 to Sunday 17 March, Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School hosted a large MUN with 430 delegates from 35 schools across the UK and the rest of the world including Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and the UAE. The standard of debate, in keeping with tradition, was exceptionally high. Debating, negotiation, lobbying and deliberation were the order of the threeday conference, as our girls grappled with many of the issues facing the planet today,
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including chemical and biological warfare, mass disease outbreaks in LEDCs, the use of torture for information extraction, and the rise of far-right groups, to name but a few. As usual, our girls were in fine and persuasive form – representing the USA, Brazil and Chad – and they all spoke eloquently and confidently. They had to act on the spot to come up with a resolution, seek consensus and win support, to bring about positive change and a peaceful end to the issues.
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Distinguished Delegates DIAN E -SOPH I E CAPE LLE MARIA POSADA LU NA M I DDLETON - ROY
These awards epitomise Queen’s Gate’s growing reputation and standing in the MUN arena, and mark the end of what has been a truly remarkable and distinctive year of MUN successes.
SE N IOR SCHOOL · CHARITY
Charity round-up The whole School enjoyed a Spring Term of fundraising for more good causes BY RU BY O’KE E FFE CHARITIES PREFECT
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his term we have been active in our support for a range of charities, across both the Junior and Senior Schools. The Junior School hosted successful bake sales for NSPCC Number Day and Centre Point for Youth Homelessness. In total, their baking and treat-eating raised £1,060 for these projects – an excellent effort which will be greatly appreciated by both organisations. A large range of charities were also supported by the Senior School throughout the term, including Chab Dai (a human trafficking charity), Blue Cross, the British Heart Foundation, WWF, Simon King Wildlife, The Listening Place (a mental health charity) and FoodCycle (surplus food collection and cooking for those in need). Many raised funds through cake sales and jeans days, and there was a lot of fun had and money raised by a Teacher-Zumba-Disco-Dance-Class
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QG NEWS
SE N IOR SCHOOL · CHARITY
for the British Heart Foundation. Many thanks to all the teachers and pupils who took part in the active lunchtime activity – it was a great hour of fitness and disco tunes. Altogether, the Senior School raised a total of £900. We continue to enjoy the company of our Age UK Kensington and Chelsea visitors, who join us for lunch every Thursday. This term saw love in the air with a special Valentine’s Day lunch, and a bespoke menu on St Patrick’s Day, complete with fennel and veg soup, Irish pulled pork and of course, roast potatoes! Our new Foodbank Friday initiative has been a great success across the School, with both the Junior and Senior girls collecting food for the Kensington and Chelsea Foodbank. This will be a continued effort, and all are still encouraged to donate non-perishable items.
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Tabitha UK
BY E LLA RAN IOLO IV
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n 2018, I organised a cake sale to raise money for Tabitha Foundation UK. Tabitha is a non-profit organisation that supports families in Cambodia by building wells, schools and other
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facilities for the local community. My donation, on behalf of the School, built a well, which now serves 3–5 families, providing them with safe, clean water for cooking, bathing, cleaning and watering farm stock and crops. I first found out about Tabitha when I was at my old school in Singapore, as they organised many events for them. They sold items such as jewellery and handbags, with the profit going towards Tabitha Foundation. I remember purchasing t-shirts that have ‘Tabitha’ on them, which I still have. Queen’s Gate does a lot of charity work and supports other charities, but this one stood out the most to me. This cause is important to me as well, as I visited Cambodia and witnessed the dreadful lack of water and healthy nutrition among the poor. I raised £175 to build this well, and I am very proud of this, especially as it has ‘Queen’s Gate School’ engraved on it.
SE N IOR SCHOOL · RE MOVE SHOWCASE
It’s a jungle out there Pupils travel deep into the rainforest for this year’s Remove Showcase
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he annual Remove Showcase is looked forward to by parents, pupils and staff alike – giving everyone the opportunity to learn more about what our Remove girls get up to over their first months at the School. On Friday 8 March this year’s Remove took to the Senior School Hall to perform for their audience. The traditional Musical Prelude to the main showcase event included some wonderful pieces played on the piano, saxophone, Celtic harp and Chinese pipa. The girls’ main musical performance 40
this year was Yanomamo – a musical story about the crisis situation in the Amazon Basin – where trees are being felled for use as timber, driving the Yanomami tribe from their home in the forest. Mixed around the musical performances were other Showcase favourites including the Latin Play, LAMDA and QG Challenge, as well as new items such as Kickboxing, Astronomy Club and Gardening Club demonstrations. What a busy year it has been for our new recruits! QG NEWS
SE N IOR SCHOOL · RE MOVE SHOWCASE
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SE N IOR SCHOOL · ACADE M IC
Scholarly thinking
Sixth Formers gain insights into the lectures and debates awaiting them at university BY ALEJAN DRA AGOSTI N I LVI
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n Friday 25 January, we had the opportunity to ‘think like an Oxford scholar’ at Bloomsbury Baptist Church. We listened to various lectures given by a number of professors and scholars on a variety of ‘big ideas’ ranging from ‘historiography’ and ‘string theory’ to ‘life after death’. At the end of the day we participated in a live debate. The motion was, ‘this house believes that the Monarchy should be abolished’. Oxford fellow, Julie Arliss and History professor, Tom Greggs, spoke eloquently for the opposition and proposition respectively, and then we were invited to share our opinions. A particularly interesting lecture was, ‘The psychology of outstanding achievement’ by Dr Christopher O’Neill. He discussed various effects that he had found to be the key to success in life. We learnt how deliberate practice, self-control, mind-set and being motivated to meet our goals, which are the four main aspects needed to succeed. It was a very enriching day, and we all enjoyed attending lectures on topics that go beyond our curriculum.
Lessons from Auschwitz A poignant trip to the concentration camp leads to some deep reflection from Senior School pupils BY CLARA COLE LVI & AN NA OSTOJA- PETKOWSKA LVI
Clara writes: In earlyfebruary, Anna and I were selected to participate in a fourstep project called the Lessons From Auschwitz project which is organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust. We were given the opportunity to travel to Poland to visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and death camps, as well as to hear a talk from a Holocaust survivor – of whom there are fewer nowadays. We learnt many valuable lessons during this experience – I was truly alarmed by the scale of ignorance which surrounds it in today’s society.
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Anna writes: We had the privilege of visiting the Polish town of Oświęcim, and heard inspiring extracts, such as those from Primo Levi and Kitty Hart-Moxon. Whilst looking at the belongings of all of the victims of Auschwitz, our group leaders highlighted the idea of individuality, and told us to look at just one object from the hundredsof-thousands of items, as each item represented one human life. There was also an emphasis on the role of the bystander, and how one should not stay silent, but rather take action when they or those around them are faced with injustice. QG NEWS
EVE NTS · TRI PS
State of the union QG staff journey to America, visiting schools and alumnae
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ecoming something of a tradition, this year’s Principal’s half-term trip covered both the west and east coasts of the USA, with visits to see Old Girls and Schools on the agenda. Firstly, Head of Sixth Form Dr Lee took a whistle-stop tour of Los Angeles. Whilst there, she caught up with Freshman Emily Dobson (OG 2017) at the University of Southern California campus. Dr Lee also met with the USC admissions team, proving very useful as increasing numbers of Queen’s Gate girls apply to universities in the USA. On the other side of the country, Principal, Mrs Kamaryc, and Alumnae Relations and Events Officer, Miss de Bie, awaited Dr Lee’s arrival in New York City, before heading to Nightingale-Bamford School on the Upper East Side to attend the Educating Girls Symposium. A highlight
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was keynote speaker Claire Shipman’s lecture about inspiring our girls with confidence. The following day, the group travelled to Rhode Island in New England, to visit the admissions team at Brown University, as well as taking an entertaining walking tour of their campus with an enthusiastic Senior student who pointed out the different pieces of artwork on their route, as well as the all-you-can-eat canteen! The next visit was with the Head of Marymount School, which began a day of tours to the Manhattan girls’ schools that form the ‘Seven Sisters’. The group was able to see the fascinating financial Bloomberg terminals; Marymount being the first girls school in the US to teach with the terminals. Next, they visited the Hewitt School further down Fifth Avenue and The Chapin School, with whom Queen’s Gate 43
hopes to collaborate in the near future. On the final day, a brunch was held for Old Girls and their guests at The Smile, in Noho. In a private room, alumnae were able to exchange tales of their time at Queen’s Gate, including sightseeing on Wednesday afternoons! There was much delight to hear plans being made for the next NYC alumnae chapter meet. Thank you to everyone who helped make this trip a huge success, with special thanks to Danika Druttman (OG 2000) and her husband John of the Roger Smith Hotel. If you would like further information about the NYC alumnae chapter, please email us via alumnae@queensgate.org.uk and we shall put you in touch.
WHOLE SCHOOL · EVE NTS
Happy Chinese New Year Celebrating the year of the pig
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n Thursday 7 February, we celebrated the Year of the Pig with a special Chinese New Year
evening. The evening began with a champagne reception in the Black Dining Room, followed by a delicious Chinese dinner,
provided by Imperial China London, in the Senior School Hall. Both rooms were adorned with beautiful decorations made by the Junior School pupils, including pink lanterns and papier-mâché pigs! The London Confucius Institute provided fantastic entertainment,
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including an impressive Lion dance to the beat of drums and a striking fan display. We were also lucky to be joined by Queen’s Gate peripatetic teachers, mother and daughter, Mitra Alice Tham and Alice Chua, for a wonderful piano duet. The fortune cookie raffle was a hit, with lots of wonderful prizes won, including lunch at Bluebird Chelsea and a bespoke bouquet of flowers by Old Girl, Alissa Lambina’s floristry business, Untitled (Flowers). Many thanks to everyone who came along to support. Thanks also go to the Sixth Form helpers who made wonderful waitresses, providing professional, friendly service to our guests. Proceeds from the evening will go towards the Queen’s Gate Foundation, which supports bursaries for pupils at the School.
QG NEWS
WHOLE SCHOOL · EVE NTS
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EVE NTS · TRI PS
QG in Canary Wharf The School hosts its first networking event
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n Wednesday 6 March, we launched our new networking series in Canary Wharf. Hosted by Barclays in their atrium on the 30th floor, the evening was organised for those working or interested in financial services. Head of Charities at Barclays, Nazreen Visram, gave guests a warm welcome before her staff met our recent leavers to give them helpful advice on their career journey. Old Girls, parents and staff enjoyed the stunning city view, whilst meeting Barclays’ staff and each other. Watch this space for the next networking evening, we hope to see you there!
A private tour of the V&A
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The QG community takes a trip to the Far East after hours
n Tuesday 18 January, members of the Queen’s Gate community gathered in the Grand Entrance at the V&A, eagerly awaiting their private tour of the Eastern Art and Craft collection. It was a treat to be in the museum after hours without the crowds, and the group was led through the collection by their knowledgeable guide Anne, taking in India, Islam, China and Japan – all within an hour! In India, they learnt about the importance of different stones within the culture, such as the wealth superstition 46
around wearing sapphire. Next, the group were introduced to one of the world’s oldest and largest carpets, which originates from Iran; the Ardabil. They then ventured to China and to view an unassuming looking tea bowl stand, with an estimated worth of £27 million! The final stop was the Japanese collection, comparing the different lacquer techniques employed by the Japanese, as they were often made with Western tastes in mind. It was a treat to bring parents and Old Girls together, and we look forward to our next cultural outing. QG NEWS
WHOLE SCHOOL · STAFF N EWS
NEW STAFF A very warm welcome to the teachers who joined Queen’s Gate this term
MR CAMBURN
MS GOVER
Mr camburn joins Queen’s Gate School as Head of Economics. He has previously taught at Christ’s Hospital and Roedean, after finishing his studies at the University of Sussex. Mr Camburn is passionate about beach safety and is a veteran lifeguard in Brighton and is also helping launch Surf Solace (a charity supporting children with mental health issues). He now splits his time between London and Brighton and is very excited about building the Economics Department and being part of the QG community.
Ms gover joins Queen’s Gate as Director of Sport. Previously Head of Sport and Leisure for 14 years at LeAF Academy in Bournemouth, Ms Gover took a 13 month break from teaching in 2017 to cycle the world with her partner. Cycling through three continents, across 25 different countries they raised $37,652 for education in Ghana. Prior to this, Ms Gover represented England playing hockey in a number of big stage competitions, gaining 47 caps for her country. She is looking forward to inspiring our pupils and helping them aim high in life.
FOODBANK FRIDAYS Queen’s Gate is now collecting for the Kensington and Chelsea Foodbank. Donations are collected at the Junior School or the Senior School entrance doors every Friday morning.
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Cereal Soup Pasta Rice Tinned tomatoes
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Tinned meat Tinned vegetables Tea and coffee Pasta sauce Lentils Beans and pulses
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Tinned fruit Biscuits UHT milk Fruit juice Toiletries Hygiene products
Queen’s Gate School 133 Queen’s Gate London SW7 5LE 020 7589 3587 queensgate.org.uk @queens_gate /133queensgate