Chemistry Design and Technology - SD Online Home

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Economics /Business Studies It was another successful year for the ever expanding economics/business studies conglomerate. High academic standards were maintained while the department branched out into exciting new ventures. The Upper Sixth trip to Prague will undoubtedly remain in the memories of staff and students alike for some time to come. Excursions to the university, Skoda and a film studio gave everybody an insight into a country still undergoing economic and political change, while still leaving time to experience some of the city’s diverse nightlife. Earlier on in the year, a team of four went to the Bank of England to present their views on monetary policy. Ali Altinsoy, Polly Elgin, Mitan Patel and Ajit Singh gave a unique interpretation of macroeconomic forecasting and it was no disgrace to be eventually pipped by St Pauls. Lower Sixth students had the opportunity to take part in the Working in the City programme to experience a flavour of corporate hospitality and life in the fast lane. This year, the department is eagerly looking forward to the refurbishment of its rooms, complete with I.T. facilities to bring it into the 21st century. English The first half of the Autumn term was taken up with preparations for the Northern Review Evening, which took place on 11th October in the Little Theatre. This consisted of sketches, dramatic scenes, songs and poetry readings from the North of England, and was performed by staff and pupils. Highlights include Rania Jumailly in Alan Bennet’s Talking Heads, Zach Cashin and Alex Thrift in Two by Jim Cartwright, and Hanna Retallack in A Taste of Honey as well as some bizarre attempts at accent by the staff in Monty Python’s Four Yorkshiremen sketch! Overall, the evening was a great success, and we will be auditioning early in Autumn 2002 for the a London Review evening, just to allay any fears that there is a regional bias in the department! There were two Sixth Form trips in the latter half of that term. All three Lower Sixth English sets went into London for a series of lectures on Othello, ranging from ‘Iago and Desdemona: Good and Evil’ to ‘Geography in the Play’. There was also an Upper Sixth trip to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in the West End. In the Spring term, Miss Oliver led a very interesting Sixth Form trip to Canterbury help those students tackling The Canterbury Tales as an AS level text. We also welcomed Daniel Rosenthall, a film critic who has lectured at RADA, to speak about Othello, using clips from three different film versions of the play. The Spring term also saw the Lecture competition in full swing, which involved Years 7-10. The variety of subjects was, as always, fascinating, with topics ranging from The Simpsons to Taliban Women, from Environmental Destruction in Latin America to Chitty- Chitty Bang Bang! Congratulations to Rose Paine, who won the Lower School Competition, and Sam Hindes, who won in the Middle School. Both will be receiving their awards on Prize Giving Day. The Summer term began with the Literary Society Dinner, the first of its kind, which proved to be a tremendously enjoyable evening. We have Mrs Williams to thank for the venue, the stunning Belair House in Dulwich Village, the owners of which are friends of the Williams family. Sixth-form and a select group of staff fitted into the bar area, and ate, drank and were merry. The Society President, Rebecca Dove, had declined an invitation to speak, so it was left to myself to offer some (in retrospect perhaps ill-advised!) comparisons between life after school and Dante’s Inferno. More successful was Mr John O’Brien, a stand-up comedian who had studied English, who offered some more earthy insights into the subject, and who bantered with the audience at great length. Many thanks to Rebecca and Alex Thrift for helping to organise the evening. At the end of June we were very privileged to welcome Andrew Motion, the Poet Laureate, to the College. Mr Motion began by listening a selection of poetry written and read by members of the Lower School, and around the theme of family. He then presented signed copies of his latest works to the winners from Year 7 and 8, Edwin Coomarasu and Babette Radclyffe-Thomas. This was followed by Mr Motion talking about, and reading, his own poetry, which proved moving and stimulating. Afterwards, members of the audience, from Year 7 to Year 12, asked questions for a good fifteen minutes. Such was the interest that we had to call a halt or buses would have been missed! August has brought with it another successful batch of exam results. At A Level 56% of candidates achieved and A or B grade, whilst at GCSE we were delighted to see that 68% gained an A or an A* in English (a department record by far), with a 97.8% A*-C rate in both English and English Literature. I am pleased to say that there are less staff changes to announce than last year! However, I am not pleased to say that we are losing Lisa Jackson, who is moving back to Australia with her new husband. Lisa has been a tremendous asset to the department, and to the College, and we will miss her high standards, and her professionalism, as well as her raucous laughter, very much. In her place, we welcome Miss Rebecca Wildish to the College. Miss Wildish recently graduated from Keble College, Oxford, and will, I’m sure, prove a valuable addition to the department. Lastly, congratulations to the new Literary Society President, Andrew Michael, and Treasurer, Hans Thompson. AJS
English Society Dinner History The most significant event for the department this year was the departure of Gary Hunter after 13 years as a stalwart of the basement and latterly the History corridor. Without repeating the substance of his valete elsewhere, it would be inappropriate not to record here our appreciation of the enormous hard work and good humour he brought to his task whilst moving from thrusting young innovator to senior manager. As I write only a few days into the Michaelmas Term he is already missed. We wish him well in his new post, and trust we will see him here again on some auspicious occasion. The department’s involvement in the Year 7 and 8 Outdoor Pursuits has allowed more fieldwork to happen than ever before. Although this year Rochester was booked (for diocesan events) and so the trip to Ardres began with Dover Castle, there were visits to the Blockhaus and La Coupole as well as a view of the Vauban fortifications at St Omer. Year 8 appreciated the rich history of Bayeux and explored the Normandy landings at Arromanches. Year 9’s day at the Imperial War Museum seems tame by comparison, but it serves a vital part of the syllabus. This year’s changes to the content mean it will be even more relevant. They, along with Years 10 and 12, are, however, able to join us on the Trenches Trip. A full report of that splendid event is elsewhere. The planned cycle of day trips has now returned to the beginning, and we are anticipating the return visit to Ypres with enthusiasm. Over the last year classes have become used to the data projector in room 222, which is proving a vital asset in delivering fresh and more varied evidence to pupils – although rumour has it that Mr Sharp’s habit of including his own pre-recorded applause at the end of any PowerPoint presentation is losing its impact! With television and video being supplied through the same system it has been possible to remove the TV trolley and dedicate the space saved to other purposes. More and more pupils are using ICT to improve their history, and there appear to be fewer dreadful anachronisms committed by people whose search for illustrative material from the web results in a late twentieth century Soviet battle tank being added as illustration to a piece on the Great War. Nor – thank heavens – are there as many clipart images on the extended exercises! Pupils at the College seem to be much more discriminating than even a year or two ago, and as long as they never lose sight of the primacy of the written evidence they will continue to do well. In the end, success comes down to how well students explain and justify their ideas in writing, and on the whole they do it most effectively. Two visiting teachers from the Institute of Education assisted the department over the year. Both Miss Shipley and Miss Scudamore have gone on to exciting posts, but pupils are more likely to encounter Miss Shipley as she is only a few miles up the road at Eltham College, and is sure to be involved with sports fixtures of some kind. Their fresh input into history teaching at the College was welcomed – Mr Harrild, Mr Glavin and I can always do with a new idea or two, though not usually more than one at a time, at least in my case! I do still need some fresh ideas on OD casualties in the Great War, and so
Page 1 and 2: Chemistry The Chemistry department
Page 3 and 4: James Russell James designed and ma
Page 5: about a variety of power transfer m
Page 9 and 10: Mathematics The year began, as ever
Page 11: Modern Languages Languages Day Frid

Chemistry Design and Technology - SD Online Home

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?