Four classicists among top five in Oxford language test
May 2010
All four students who moved on from St Paul's to read Classics at Oxford in 2009 have finished among the top five at the university in the faculty-wide language test, set at the end of their second term. Sophie Skeet (Jesus College) came first, Jess Lewis (Corpus Christi) came third, Iona McLaren (Oriel) came fourth and Zoya Rous (Wadham) was fifth.
Alumna is youngest European woman to climb Everest
May 2010
A St Paul's alumna has become the youngest European woman to climb Mount Everest. Vanessa Folkerts, a 21-year-old history student at Princeton University, reached the summit of the most renowned mountain on Earth on 24 May, breaking a record set by 23-year-old Ena Vrbek from Croatia in 2009. Vanessa also became the youngest German ever to make the climb. Vanessa acquired the nickname of the "Fiddler on the Rock" after entertaining her teammates with a violin performance at base camp during the ascent. During her year-long leave of absence from Princeton, she aims to tackle more than 20 challenging mountains around the world.
Three students join National Youth Theatre
May 2010
Three students from St Paul's will join the National Youth Theatre this summer. Victoria Beyai and Scarlett Curtis from year 10 and Helena Fallstrom from year 12 have all taken an active part in drama at St Paul's: while Helena played Lulu in this year's Colet Play, an annual production staged entirely by year 12 students, Scarlett and Victoria are both studying the drama GCSE course we introduced in 2008.
"The National Youth Theatre gives young people the chance to work with some of the best professional writers, directors and technicians in British theatre," says Victoria Watkins, our head of drama. "The girls will attend a two-week workshop this sumer and then be able to audition for NYT productions."
Student comedians turn eyes on Middle East
May 2010
Students from years 11 and 12 have been discussing the politics of the Middle East ever since they founded a new society, MidEast Focus, earlier this year. On the initiative of the society's founders, Parisa Khonsari and Si Chen, on 12 May a small group of girls performed St Paul's first ever Middle Eastern Comedy Show, after taking advice on their material from staff and many of their own Muslim, Jewish and Christian friends.
"Although we structured the show around amusing anecdotes, the underlying point was to call attention to the tragic conflicts that are still going on in the region today," says one of the performers, Kat Spooner. "At the end, we raised a collection for the Israeli-Palestinian charity Seeds of Hope."
St Paul's goes to the polls in mock election
May 2010
Students and staff at St Paul's played out their own version of the general election on 6 May in a four-way mock poll between Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens. After groups representing each party had spent days inventing their own election materials, the ballot boxes opened at 8 am before registration and operated throughout break times and lunch until 1.15 pm. "There was a huge crowd around the voting desks to get our ballot papers," says Marianthi Baklavas. "It was an exciting chance for us to express our own opinion about the elections and have our votes count towards a result."
The result mirrored the national mood, with the Conservatives taking 46 per cent of a total 651 votes - coincidentally just one more vote than there are constituencies in the UK. More than half the members of staff who took part in the poll, however, chose Labour or the Liberal Democrats, giving the Conservatives third place in the staff vote just ahead of the Greens.
Students from years 7 and 8, encountering this St Paul's tradition for the first time, were the most enthusiastic voters: both year groups registered a turnout of more than 90 per cent. "This was the first real election I could interact with," says Elizabeth Wickham, from year 7. Cecile Miller and Hana Mizuta-Spencer, from the same year group, added, "We'd been strong Conservatives since the start of the election campaign so we were glad to see them win the school election too."
As the UK faced its first hung parliament since 1974, and as a St Paul's alumna, Harriet Harman, became the acting leader of the opposition, the student-led debating society met on 11 May to discuss whether the election result would strengthen UK politics.
Wind Serenade sounds farewell to Barbara McGregor
May 2010
For the musicians who took part in the annual Wind Serenade at St Paul's on 5 May, this year's edition of the concert for wind, brass and percussion had a special purpose: to sound the farewell to Barbara McGregor, our head of wind and brass, who is preparing to retire after teaching here for more than 20 years.
"Barbara and her team had been coaching all the different groups who performed in the concert," says John York, the head of senior music and keyboard. "The well-nigh all-inclusive line-up of girls performed an astoundingly broad repertoire, from the baroque right through to film music and pop. It could not have been a better farewell."
Swing bands, wind groups and percussion ensembles all took part in the concert, accompanied and conducted by other members of our music staff including the director of music, Yat-Soon Yeo, and the assistant director of music and composer-in-residence, Mark Wilderspin.
"At the end, with only one item left on the programme, Barbara's leaving required a special salute," John says. "To that end, Mark Wilderspin had written a short tribute in the form of a surprise fanfare. It suited the occasion admirably and invited Barbara to make a speech, thank her wonderful team and call for a special round of applause for the students from year 13 who will also move on this year. There only remained the big and rich Concert Band to conclude the evening with the fittingly-titled Sunset Glow by Minelli."
Singing Hall spruces up for second century
May 2010
A larger and more flexible performance space will be coming to the Singing Hall after a renovation programme began in April 2010. The refurbishment, which is likely to last at least nine months, will enlarge the stage, make audiences more comfortable and equip the hall with the latest audio-visual technology.
The enlarged stage area will accommodate a 60-member choir or a large orchestra yet still offer an intimate setting for chamber ensembles or lectures . Audiences will still enjoy the wood-panelled hall's splendid acoustics but now in even greater comfort, with purpose-designed tiered seating for 258 people and responsive climate control.
Musicians, dancers, teachers and students will enjoy new activities and multimedia performances once we have connected the Singing Hall for the 21st century. We will be able to create the perfect ambience for performances, lectures and presentations with state-of-the-art sound, lighting and projection systems. We're also putting a sound studio into one of the main teaching rooms in the music wing so that we can make professional recordings. At the same time, we'll be able to stream performances and lectures from the Singing Hall to classrooms and preserve them digitally.
The refurbishment is also welcome news behind the scenes. There'll be a lift for moving larger instruments such as harps, kettle drums and keyboards and purpose-built storage for smaller instruments. "We're improving the traffic flow so that performers won't have to cross the stage to circulate around the hall - and extra WC facilities will be more convenient for audience and performers alike.
As the Music Wing enters its second century, the renovation plans for a contemporary Singing Hall will respect the building's architectural tradition. The design of the west passageway extension will be a sympathetic complement to the existing Grade II-listed building . With matching stonework, brickwork and windows, the extension will contain a fully accessible and step-free main entrance from Rowan Road, plus an airy reception area for guests and a waiting room for performers.
A taste of France for year 8 students
May 2010
A week-long exchange visit to Marseille at the end of March gave 20 students from St Paul's an inside view of life in southern France. The girls from year 8 stayed with families of students at our partner school, the Ecole de Provence, which has now been welcoming our visits for twenty years.
"We were all pleasantly surprised at the beautiful landscapes surrounding Marseille and, after a weekend with our exchange partners' families, we couldn't wait to start exploring the city," says Alina Young.
During the week, the girls put their language skills to work in real-life situations and explored sites of interest in the area. "We particularly enjoyed a backstage tour of the Opéra Municipal de Marseille and the view from the hilltop basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde," says modern languages teacher Helene May, who accompanied the visit with her colleague Alice Dvorakova. "The highlight of the week was a day in Aix-en-Provence, where they had a tour of Cezanne's workshop, explored the town centre and practised their French with local shopkeepers."
"The experience was unforgettable," Alina says, "and our knowledge of both the French language and French culture improved tremendously."
Year 9 historians moved by Western Front battlefields
May 2010
Our annual history visit to the battlefields of the Western Front has always been one of our most popular - but this year almost half of year 9 and six members of staff spent three days exploring the legacy of the First World War in Belgium and Northern France.
Florence Kleiner was one of 52 girls on the visit, whose tour began in the Belgium town of Ypres at the Menin Gate Memorial. "It was hard to imagine that at the end of the war the town had been completely in ruins and one could have seen from one end to the other with nothing in the way," says Florence.
Next, the group moved on to Tyne Cot, the largest Allied cemetery in northern France, and the Canadian war memorial at Vimy Ridge. "I will always remember the Canadian memorial for its sheer scale and the way it dominated the skyline," says Daisy Hayes. "I felt a sense of awe and sadness when walking around it, looking at the thousands of names engraved around the bottom and wondering in which battle they had died. I was overwhelmed when I thought about how each and every name had had its own story and could have had its own future had things been different."
At Vimy Ridge, the students also visited a preserved set of trenches. "Before I saw them for myself, I had no idea how persistent the firing must have been," says Daisy. "I had imagined shell holes dotted here and there - instead, everywhere I looked were holes inside holes next to holes. Learning about the attrition in a classroom is all very well but going to the actual sites has brought it to life for me."
The long and moving day finished at the Museum of the Great War in Péronne, which has preserved different countries' military kit and household items. "It was interesting to compare and contrast the uniforms and equipment from Russian, French, English, Indian and German regiments," says Daisy, "and we also saw a table laden with items taken from the end of the war, still encrusted in Flanders mud." Florence adds, "We were rather excited to see that the only side with a portable tea set were the British."
On the last morning, the group were able to spend a few more hours in Flanders. "Unfortunately, we only had time to see one place, the Langemarck cemetery for German soldiers," Florence says. "This cemetery was much less peaceful than the others. It was a very small plot of land given by the Belgians, containing a mass grave for 25,000 men."
The girls began to wind down from their emotional visit by visiting a famous chocolate shop in Ypres before returning home by coach. "We'd like to thank all the teachers who took us, especially Dr Bailes, who was an excellent tour guide," says Florence. "We hope the next group from year 9 will be as moved and inspired as we were."
Students, staff and families beat the volcano
May 2010
Like 5 million other travellers, many St Paul's students had their journeys unexpectedly extended when ash from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano grounded air transport in Europe for six days. Girls and their families found resourceful ways home after their flights were cancelled or turned back – while students and staff on a classics trip to Pompeii set out on a 37-hour coach journey back to London.
Cecile Miller, from year 7, and her family made an unplanned road trip across western Europe at the end of their holiday in Rome. "Instead of flying from Rome to London, we took a train from Rome to Milan, drove from Milan to Geneva, drove all the way from Geneva to Brussels the next day and took the Eurostar home from there."
Meanwhile, year 9 student Natascha Hedegaard was coming back overland from the Balearic Islands. "We got stranded in Mallorca and had to spend three days on a ferry, in a car and on the Eurostar," Natascha says. "The refundable flights we booked kept being cancelled but I made it back to St Paul's in time for a GCSE exam."
Cassia Price, from year 10, was caught in the US when she stayed on to visit her family after our exchange visit to Washington. "It was certainly the most informative visit we had ever been on, but maybe not in the right way," says Cassia. "My parents and I ended up spending three hours in the Apple Store in Tampa, Florida, finding flights for Europe. A week later, after flying on four different airlines and staying in four cities – New York, Tampa, Boston and Miami – we finally arrived home."
Leena Meneely was caught about as far away as she possibly could have been - in Australia. The year 7 student notes "The feeling of being stranded so far away was horrible. We had no idea when we would return. But after many phone calls and 36 hours of travelling I made it back to school at the end of the second week of term. The relief and comfort of being back at school was fantastic!"
The 40 students and five staff who visited Pompeii during the Easter holidays also saw their flights cancelled and only returned to London at the very start of term. "After we were stranded in Italy, we took a coach journey across Italy, Switzerland and France for a day and a half before we could get to our ferry," says Olivia Aaronson, from year 8. "During the day, most of us listened to our iPods or played card games and we regularly stopped at service stations to buy food. The hard part was at night – it was really difficult to get to sleep!"
Creative writers retreat to Arvon Foundation
May 2010
It's been three years since the English department started to send creative writers from years 10 to 13 on courses with the Arvon Foundation. This April, they returned to one of their previous venues - Ted Hughes's old stone house at Lumb Bank in North Yorkshire - but this time had classes with different writers, the poets Jane Draycott and Meryl Pugh.
"Jane and Meryl's workshops inspired us each morning," says English teacher Sophie Breese. "We wrote vigorously during the day and discussed our writing over delicious meals put together by the girls. Daljit Nagra also popped in to read some of his published poems and work in progress. On the final night, each student - and teacher - read from their week's work, some of which will appear in the next edition of St Paul's creative writing magazine Words. The whole experience was intense, exciting and very inspiring."
No drought of inspiration for year 13 linguist
May 2010
Last year's record droughts in Mexico City moved one year 13 student, Miranda Lee, to enter a Spanish essay competition organised by the Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian cultural centre at Canning House. In March, Miranda found out her essay had finished as the runner-up, winning her a cash prize and membership of Canning House.
"The essay competition runs every year and last year's theme was the environment and climate change in Latin America or Iberia," says Miranda, who has an offer to read French and Spanish at Oxford. "Over the Christmas holidays, I decided to write an 800-word essay about the warm ocean current El Niño and its effects on the climate of Mexico City."
"I thoroughly enjoyed writing this essay and being able to expand my ideas beyond the smaller word limit of the essays we normally write at school," Miranda says. "Even if I hadn't won a prize, I'd still recommend entering this competition for the experience of writing in depth about something that interests you in Spanish."
Easter week in Washington for year 10 students
May 2010
Easter, for 16 students in year 10, meant a week in the capital of the USA on an exchange visit with National Cathedral School. While living with their host families in Washington DC, they visited the city's historical sites and experienced being a newsreader at one of Washington's newest cultural institutions, the Newseum.
"It was an incredible insight into US life and also into the fabulous museums and shops in Washington," says one of the students, Cassia Price. "Lots of us tried Mexican food for the first time and we all tried new things, even playing Frisbee by a waterfall with a group of nuns."
The two members of staff who accompanied the visit, Kulvant Kaur-Jansari and Isabel Foley, found time to enjoy Washington themselves. Kulvant says, "The best cupcakes in the world, marshmallow fluff and ice cream in five-litre tubs - what more could a girl want?"
Maths challengers qualify for UK final
May 2010
Four students from years 8 and 9 are preparing for the national final of the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust Challenge after winning a regional final on 26 March. Georgina Hansen, Marguerite Tong, Helen Fishwick and Tina Xia took on 28 other London schools in group challenge rounds, cross-number puzzles and even a maths relay race.
"The Team Maths Challenge tests contestants' team working and communication skills as well as their mathematical dexterity," says maths teacher Camilla Darwin, who has been helping the group prepare for the competition. "The group challenge forces them to decide their own strategy for answering ten questions in the time allowed and the relay race splits them into pairs, with lots of movement as well as maths."
For the final on 21 June, the girls will need to research a maths topic such as rolling or symmetry beforehand – and produce a poster while answering questions on the day.
"The challenge was incredibly nerve-wracking at times, which only made it all the more exhilarating," says Helen. "It was such great fun I wish I could take part every year."
Being here 