April 2011 - St Dominics | Sixth Form College

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Page 2St. Dominic’s NewsletterApril 2011 Page 11Inside this issue:Chaplaincy 2King Lear 3Rome 4Berlin Exchange 5Maths Talks 5British Library 6United Nations 6Conference 7Achievement 7Capital Gains 8Royal Holloway 8Pseudoscience 9Fairtrade 10Pure Potential 10Classics 11Logan Hall 11Leaving Staff 12Bulletins:• Distribution ofNewsletter• Book Returns• Upcoming DramaPerformances• Gap Year• Columbusonline• Parent EmailsFrom the ChaplaincyDuring this time of Lent, Catholics will often say the stations ofthe cross. We have a beautiful set of pictures in the Chapel thatshow Jesus’ journey from being condemned to death, to his burialin the tomb. The stations mark the stages on the journey and aswe pray these we follow Jesus’ journey.The stations of the cross originate from the middle ages, wherepeople would undertake a spiritual journey to follow Jesus’ journey.Pilgrimage was a popular idea in the middle ages, but noteveryone could make the journey to the Holy Land to walk inJesus’ footsteps. The pictures allowed people to take that journeyat home. Many reflections have been written to go with these picturesand in our Chapel we have some reflections underneath tohelp us think about our lives as well as Jesus’ death on the cross.Lent is a time of spiritual pilgrimage where we reflect on our journeytowards God and living as an Easter people. As we know Jesus’burial was not the end of the story and many modern versionsof the stations of the cross finish with the resurrection, God’s triumphover sin and death. The empty tomb is a symbol of hope,hope that we too will share in the resurrection and take part in thenew life of Christ.Being part of the Easter people means that we not only celebratethe festival of Easter to remember the resurrection, we also haveresponsibilities placed on us by God. In Matthew’s gospel Jesustold us that we would be judged on how we helped others, thepoor, the sick, the suffering and those in prison. This places a responsibilityon us to find ways to reach out to others and work forthe benefit of all in society; it’s a responsibility that should makeus look at how we treat those we come into contact with on a dailybasis. Do we have time for the friend who is going through a toughtime or do we ignore them?In the film Pay it Forward the teacher sets his class the challengeto change the world as a homework assignment. Lent is a time offocusing on this challenge to see how we are changing the world,and to make changes for the better in our lives that will bring usforward on our spiritual journey. Let us remember this phrasefrom the Livesimply campaign: “Individual actions may seeminsignificant but together the small steps of many people can havean astonishing impact”.I wish you all a happy and holy Easter season.Angela Clapham, ChaplainClassicsIt was a cold frosty February morning. We met at Harrow on the Hill station at 9 o’clocksharp. Our destination: Euston Square where we were to listen to several lectures on the Aeneid.There was a collective feeling of anticipation and intrigue among the Classics students –all eager to listen to the beguiling musings of the renowned Dr Peter Jones.Entering the portico of the grand Doric style building, we felt overwhelmed by the sheer extentof the classical décor. We sat down in front of the elevated lectern – our first talk wasabout to begin – Dr Peter Jones discussing the beginning of the Roman Epic. He lectured onthe many similarities between The Odyssey/The Iliad /The Aeneid offering a delightful insightinto the many parallels that exist between the Ancient Epics of Greece and Rome.Next up was the dazzling Richard Jenkyns from the University of Oxford. He examined theextent to which the protagonist of the tragedy,Aeneas, had the Roman characteristic of Pietas.He also displayed his flawless use of Latin, readingmany passages aloud to us. One of our keenClassics students Arda Haladjian said of Jenkyns:“He’s inspired me to learn Latin”On the whole, it was a thoroughly enjoyableday and was a great way to help us prepare foruniversity.Patrick Durkan (EP)Logan HallOn Monday 14 February Abi Gorton took the Music classes to the Edexel Music Conference atthe Institute of Education in London to discuss the exam with the chief examiners, BruceCole, Hugh Benham and Penny Davis.The day began with a performance by a string quartet, which demonstrated Haydn’s use ofchord I and V, and showed us various compositional and analytical techniques. Next, the examinersspoke about Bach chorales, and how to approach them in the exam. We learnt variousdifferent techniques for improving our musical ear, including singing some Bach chorales.After lunch Bruce Cole spoke to us about composition and how to achieve varied moods andatmosphere in our pieces of music. He did this through showing us past examples of A Levelcomposition. We found this particularly useful for our coursework. The day concluded with aperformance from a trombonist and cellist, with Penny Davis constructively criticising theperformers and demonstrated what marks they would achieve in A Level Performance andhow to improve it. It was an interesting experience to meet with all the other A Level studentsin London, and the question and answer session was particularly helpful as it gave us an insightinto achieving a good grade at A Level.India D’Arcy (HMS)
Page 10St. Dominic’s NewsletterApril 2011 Page 3King LearThe Fairtrade label launched in 1988 under the initiative of the Dutchdevelopment agency Solidaridad. It quickly grew into a large organisationand independent consumer label. It is now easily recognisable in our supermarketsinforming us that the producers of our shopping have been givena fair payment and also have a Fairtrade premium with which to developtheir communities.At the beginning of the year we formed a Fairtrade committee. We have made it our aim toimprove the Fairtrade products sold in the College, raise awareness of Fairtrade and support itas best we can. As a Christian community we think that Fairtrade is a very important part ofour lives. It says in Leviticus: “If any of your own people become poor and are unable to supportthemselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continueto live among you. Do not take interest or any profit from them, but fear your God, sothat they may continue to live among you.” It is clear from Jesus’ teachings that ‘any of yourown people’ should be substituted for ‘anyone’ in a Christian message, and yet our governmentskeep our neighbours in debt and our companies take advantage of their poverty. TheNew Testament tells of our duty to the poor. In fact, there are over 2,000 verses in the Biblewhich refer to poverty and justice. Fairtrade is only the first step, and we invite you to takethat step with us.We have run several activities with a focus on Fairtrade. These included: The Fairtrade Quiz.The Fairtrade Section in the canteen, Fairtrade Assemblies and Fairtrade Partnership.Antonia Naughton (DP), Nicola Kelly (AR), Luke Cozens (KJW),Amr Abdul Hamid (KMR) & Zuhayr Chagpar (JL)UBS Pure Potential AwardsOn Tuesday 22 February five of our students were recognised by the United Bank of Switzerland(UBS) for their outstanding academic achievements at GCSE and AS level. The awardsceremony took place at the UBS officesin London and was attended by thesuccessful nominees, their parents andteachers to receive their 'Pure Potential'certificates. Congratulations to:Justine Buckmire, Atinuke Akinmolayan,Saloni Joshi, Emily Griggs andYashvant Nandha. They should bevery proud of their achievements especiallyas they were five of 120 successfulreciprocates of the award out of 620nominations.Helen Parsons, Study + ManagerOn Thursday 3 February, one AS English Literature class travelled to the Odeon Cinema inConvent Garden to see Michael Grandage’s rendition of Shakespeare’s King Lear starringDerek Jacobi. The play, an exploration of one man’s descent from power to chaos andmadness, is said to be “One of the greatest works in Western literature that explores the verynature of human existence”. The production took place at the Donmar Warehouse and wasstreamed live to the Odeon among hundreds of other cinemas across the world for the first timein Donmar history.The dramatic production took place on an ingeniously lit, whitewashed wooden stage,presenting a parallel to the audience with Lear’s fall from grace. The production emphasisedthe true nature of humans and the very difference between good and evil. Derek Jacobi’salmost perfect portrayal of the troubled conscience that is King Lear, graced the screen andshowed how a man’s mental state can deteriorate within a matter of days. Gina McKee playeda powerfully menacing Goneril who steals Lear’s right to his royal comforts. She and her onstagesister Regan (played by Justine Mitchell) pulled at the ties between Lear and his powerresulting in a catastrophic representation of justice turned on its head. Grandage’s adaptationthrust King Lear into a modern visualisation of suffering on a grand and thunderous scale.The intimacy of the Donmar’s stage could be felt in the cinema as we experienced thefluctuating emotions ruthlessly running through the play and powerfully portrayed by its aptactors and actresses. For us, we couldn’t have felt more in touch and connected with the playand its many themes unfolding before our eyes. Despite criticism about the play’s tragicnature, there was some comic relief due to the occasional technical difficulties!All in all, we could feel the cold chill of the outside penetrating the cinema with the brilliantportrayal of the evil characters in King Lear.The emptiness of the production and the stagewas perfectly filled with the actors’ worthyperformances as their respective characters.And as we left, we all had the feeling Aristotleonce predicted we would: the catharsis of atragedy - that we reflect on the tragic andpowerful nature of the play, leaving thoughtsof sadness, life and the truth.Nikhil Harsiani (CCD)& Katherine Evans (KJW)DISTRIBUTION OF NEWSLETTERFrom the next academic year, 2011-2012, to save on printing and distribution costs, Newsletterswill be sent electronically. In order for you to receive the Newsletter it is essential that we have upto date email details. If you would like to be placed on our electronic mailing list please emailyour details to amh@stdoms.ac.uk. The Newsletter will continue to be available to view on ourwebsite, www.stdoms.ac.uk.
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April 2011 - St Dominics | Sixth Form College

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