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Two QE boys have won their age categories in the regional round of a national writing competition.  Year 8 boy Milun Nair (pictured on the right) was placed first in the London/M25, age 12-14 category of the Kip McGrath Education Centres’ Dream a Big Dream competition and Laurie Mathias (pictured left), of Year 7, won the age 9-11 category.

The aim of the competition was to encourage young people aged nine to 14 to write about what they hope to achieve in their own future, whether it be as an astronaut or an accountant. The pieces were primarily judged on originality and creativity. 

One of the organisers has written to QE English teacher Sarah Snowdon, saying: “Please pass on our congratulations to Milun and Laurie; the standard of entries was really high so they should be very proud of this achievement.” She went on to say “Thank you for sending all the entries to me. One of them moved me to tears! Very many congratulations to all the boys who took part, the winners in particular, and of course the staff in the English Department who are nurturing this talent!”

Laurie said: “It’s great news to win the regional competition for my big dream; it was a real surprise. Being selected is brilliant and my friends and family are really pleased for me,” while Milun added: “I’m thrilled I won the regionals. The competition gave me a chance to think about the future and work for a better tomorrow for everyone.”

Kip McGrath was inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to set up the competition.

Milun and Laurie and 14 other regional will now have their entries included in a specially bound commemorative book. They will also receive a certificate signed by one of three rising British athletes hoping for success at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games who have supported Dream a Big Dream: sprinters Sam Ruddock and Rachel Johncock, and javelin thrower Kike Oniwinde.

QE boys and staff heard the first-hand account of a Jewish boy who escaped Nazi Germany, never to see his parents again.

Hermann Hirschberger, who was born in Germany, spoke movingly of the discrimination and bullying he suffered as a Jew in the Third Reich. He told the story of his leaving his parents to come to Britain: they were taken to Auschwitz shortly afterwards, where they both died.

“Mr Hirschberger explained the life he had to lead under Nazi rule in Germany in fascinating detail and he gave the boys a real idea of what it was to grow up under such a dictatorship,” said History teacher Helen MacGregor, who organised the visit with the Holocaust Educational Trust.

Born in 1927, he described in detail the effect of the introduction of the anti-semitic Nuremberg laws. He was regularly beaten by his classmates at primary school; when he and the only other Jewish boy in the school went to the Headmaster to complain about their treatment, they were told it was what they deserved as they were Jewish. He was later forced to leave and had to go to a special Jewish school.

“He saw at first hand the events of Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass), a pogrom led by SA stormtroopers, during which many synagogues and Jewish business were attacked,” said Miss MacGregor.

He also described how he and his brother were held against a wall with revolvers to their heads by two SA officers who had come to the family flat to look for his father.

It was after that traumatic event that his parents decided to send their children away through the Kindertransport rescue scheme, which brought 10,000 children to the UK. Mr Hirschberger praised the British Government and spoke with great warmth of the people who were responsible for the scheme, under which families and institutions in Britain paid £50 – a substantial sum at that time – in order for a child to be taken out of Nazi-occupied Europe and sent to stay with them in Britain.

When it was time to go, he had to say goodbye to his mother at the train station; the last time he saw her. His father journeyed with the two boys to Hamburg and Mr Hirschberger remembers the last journey with his father in minute detail. He travelled to Britain by boat with his brother and was sent to Margate. His parents were sent to Auschwitz soon after.

“The boys were very appreciative that Mr Hirschberger was willing to recount such harrowing events so vividly. Talks such as this very much bring history to life and help the boys to have a greater understanding that topics they study involved individual people,” concluded Miss MacGregor.

Old Elizabethan Jason Greenfield stands on the brink of a publishing contract – and of thus finally fulfilling his true vocation. Jason (OE 1985-89) wanted to be a writer from a young age, but was encouraged by his family to get a ‘proper’ job.

He completed post-graduate qualifications in advertising and then teaching, but continued to write alongside his studies and his work.

Jason wrote his first novel whilst a pupil at QE – a work featuring many of his classmates. He has continued to write, with six completed full-length novels ready to go, predominantly in the fantasy/science fiction genre.

In 2009, he was introduced by fellow OE Bradley Edison to the literary agent Michael Cohen. “Although he liked my writing style, he confessed my sci-fi concepts were not his cup of tea,” said Jason. “My mother had suggested that I write about my grandfather so I pitched the story to Michael and he was ‘wowed’ by the concept and agreed to become my agent.”

The resulting work, Forever Torn, has received critical acclaim from publishers, but has been considered too ‘niche’ for them to take it to press. However, the book has been published on Kindle, with several publishers following download sales closely with a view to offering Jason a print publishing deal.

Forever Torn is the true story of the life of Jason’s grandfather Harry Gilmore (born Orcik Gilevic). It traces his experiences from his birth in exile in Siberia and childhood in the family’s native Lithuania, where he was orphaned and sent to his grandparents in London. There his younger brother was adopted by a wealthy, childless couple. The book examines how a promise Harry makes to his grandfather and the circumstances of the adoption impact greatly on his relationship with his brother for the rest of their lives.

“My ultimate goal is to get all my work printed and I hope to see a few of the stories made into films or television projects. In addition to the six completed novels, I have also produced treatments and ideas for around 100 further concepts – some in other formats, including film, television, animation, cartoon and comic book,” said Jason.

“Essentially, after about 20 years trying to find my definitive vocation, I have concluded that I had it right in the first place.”

Brief resumés of three of Jason’s completed full-length works are below, along with details of two significant works in progress:

The Dashing Blade (historical, swashbuckling adventure with a mix of comedy and straight action/mild sci-fi – first of a series that melds historical, literary and original characters)

The Unseen Man (sci-fi/fantasy epic, set in a comic-book universe, which he wrote with the intention of creating the definitive superhero novel – although ironically the supposed ‘hero’ is a super-villain)

Mad Dog and The Englishman (wild sci-fi involving beings called Ethereals that are based on stereotypical and iconic energies. “Not for the faint of heart!” says Jason)

In the pipe line: Jason has a long list of ideas, but the top two he is currently working on are:

Moonrise Harbour (American over-the-top soap meets chick-lit meets real-world, from the perspective of a main Bridget Jones-esque character)

Vampire Nation (Mystery and intrigue in a world where vampires and humans have co-existed since 1920)

Follow this link for more information Jason and his work.

QE boys performed strongly in a national and international competition open only to the best mathematicians.

Thirteen pupils from Years 9 to 11 took part in the UK Mathematics Trust’s Intermediate Olympiad. The Olympiad is open only to the 500 best performers in each year group from the earlier Intermediate Challenge, which itself is targeted at the top third of pupils in Years 9 to 11.

Two Year 11 boys – Andrew Hui and Bhavik Mehta (pictured) – gained distinction certificates and a gold medal in the Olympiad: medals are awarded to the top 100 students in each year group. Eight other QE boys achieved merit certificates.

Participants in the Olympiad take different papers according to their year group; Maclaurin for Year 11, Hamilton for Year 10 and Cayley for Year 9 and below.

The QE Olympiad competitors were also among 5,500 successful Intermediate Challenge contestants nationwide who were invited to take part in the Intermediate European Kangaroo. This is an hour-long multiple-choice papers (pink for Years 10 & 11, grey for Year 9 and below) inspired by the Australian Mathematics Trust, hence the name.

Actor Rupert Mason gave boys a taste of Gothic horror when he performed to the whole of Year 9 in the School Hall.

In a visit arranged by the English department, the actor presented Tales of Gothic Horror: a dramatic performance of The Red Room by HG Wells and The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe.

Head of English Susannah Sweetman, who organised the visit, said: “The performance was arranged to complement Year 9’s study of Gothic short stories in preparation for their GCSE unit in Year 10, where they will study another Gothic story: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

“The boys found the performance both entertaining and a beneficial addition to their class study of Gothic tales. I was impressed by the thought-provoking questions that the boys asked Rupert Mason after the performance, demonstrating that they were captivated by the atmospheric production and the intriguing nature of the Gothic genre.”