Viewing archives for

Budding engineer Marcus Rodin enjoyed the opportunity to meet and interview two of the key engineers behind London’s iconic Shard building – the unusual prize in a national competition.

Marcus, a Year 13 student, had to write a short letter detailing why he thought he should be given the chance to meet Kamran Moazami and Ron Slade – the Project Director and Design Director for the 87-storey skyscraper respectively. The competition was run as part of STEM education, a government-backed initiative to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in schools and in Higher Education.

He was one of 11 winners given the opportunity to meet Mr Moazami and Mr Slade. All 11 students contributed to the interview and asked a number of searching questions, both about The Shard and about engineering as a career.

When asked why they had chosen structural engineering as a profession, Mr Slade said that his father had been a carpenter, which had sparked an interest in doing something “along those lines”, although he was unsure of his choices up to university level. Mr Moazami thought of becoming a doctor but his father discouraged him, telling him: “You know what, just think of yourself as a doctor for buildings and you’ll be good to go.” Kamran said he was thankful he had listened to his father.

Speaking about The Shard, they revealed the challenge of fulfilling the architect’s vision. “Every building must have something iconic,” said Mr Moazami.

Marcus, who took part in a structural engineering summer school at Coventry University, said: “I enjoyed the opportunity to meet two leading figures in an industry in which I hope to work. It was an inspirational experience to hear at first hand the challenges and successes they face in every project they undertake.

Tours of three factories formed the backbone of a Sixth Form Economics trip to the Czech Republic, while there were also opportunities to savour Prague’s historic attractions.

On the first day the boys relaxed with a cruise on the River Vltava, the longest river in the country. The next day was taken up with a tour of the Skoda factory – one of very few car manufacturers to allow visitors into its plants. The tour included a short film on the 119-year history and development of Skoda car production and the opportunity to compare the collection of historic cars with the vehicles emerging today from the ultra-efficient modern production plant.

Later in the day the group of 25 boys from Years 12 and 13 were taken on a guided walking tour of Prague. Highlights included the Castle, Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square and the Jewish Quarter – once the largest Jewish ghetto in Europe.

The trip was rounded off with tours of the Pilsner Urquell Brewery & Museum in Pilsen, west of Prague, and of the Bohemian Glass factory. The QE party enjoyed a guided tour of the Museum of Communism, and visited the Strahov Library and the famous 'Mirror Maze' at Petrin. The boys also enjoyed the opportunity to spend a little free time wandering in Prague’s famous Wenceslas Square.

“We fitted a great deal into just four days,” said Economics teacher Sonia Strnad, who led the trip and is herself from this part of the world. “The boys had a wonderful opportunity to see three completely different, but internationally renowned, manufacturing operations, as well as to enjoy the historical and picturesque aspects of the city.”

“It really was a wonderful trip,” said Year 13 student, Ralph Flint. “The factory visits helped to reinforce work we’ve covered in Economics lessons, while the city itself is soaked in history. It exceeded our expectations and I would say it’s the best School trip I’ve ever been on.”

The School’s Combined Cadet Force (CCF) took part in the special High Barnet commemoration events to mark Remembrance Sunday in the World War I centenary year.

The CCF joined other cadet forces, including the Sea Cadets and the Air Training Corps, in paying tribute to those who have given their lives in conflict. They gathered with adult reservists and veterans at a special service at St John’s Church. This included a two-minute silence and the sounding of the Last Post; it was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial outside the Church, also attended by many local people who had gathered there to pay their respects.

“The boys were very keen to be involved,” said the contingent’s leader Captain Armon (Mev Armon, of the School’s Biology Department). “They all felt the particular poignancy of the centenary of the start of World War I and the solemnity of the remembrance of all those who have died in various theatres of war up to the present day.”

QE’s CCF regiment, which is open to boys in Year 9-13, started the day at Barnet’s Army Reserve Centre with a parade, which included a miltary marching band and ended it with a march past the borough’s Deputy Lieutenant, Martin Russell, who took the salute. The boys had to wear their Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) uniform, including jacket, green t-shirt, green belt and highly polished boots.

The High Barnet church parade was one of more than a dozen Remembrance Sunday services and wreath-laying events taking place around the borough.

Anthony Anaxagorou (OE 1994-99) is increasingly making a name for himself as a poet, prose writer, playwright, performer and educator. The School welcomed him back to speak to a number of Year 10 classes about his work as both a writer and teacher.

Anthony, who has just published his latest volume of short stories entitled The Blink that Killed the Eye, started writing poetry in his teens. At 17, he won the prestigious Mayor of London's Poetry Slam with his poem Anthropos.

He was initially inclined towards a career in music and studied Music Production at the University of Westminster. Quickly realising that this was not for him – and after a short period supporting himself with odd jobs including warehouse work – he committed himself to working full-time as a poet.

In 2009 he published his first book, Card Not Accepted – a collection of essays, short stories and poetry, all reflecting moments from his life and providing a commentary on western living. In May of that year the MOBO award-winning hip hop artist Akala chose Anthony’s short poem Himself, from the Card Not Accepted collection, to be read out on the BBC Newsnight programme by the actor Damian Lewis:

A man stands inside the noise of the world,
But all he hears is peace,

A man stands inside the stillness of a virgin field,
But all he hears is noise,

All a man ever hears is himself

“We were delighted to receive a visit from Anthony,” said Assistant Head and English teacher, David Ryan. “Much of his work has a social and political edge to it and some of his work is far better than anything we are studying in the GCSE anthology!”

Much of Anthony’s work looks at the spiritual search for inner peace. It also encompasses themes that deal with politics, racism, history and philosophy. His work has attracted increasing admiration and attention and drawn testimonials such as this from The Sunday Times: “Look out for Anthony Anaxagorou … a near-spiritual experience.” and The Evening Standard: “One of the most powerful stage performances I’ve seen.”

Anthony runs creative-writing workshops in schools for the First Story educational trust. The organisation focuses on schools in which more than 50% of pupils are considered deprived, according to the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index. Over the course of an academic year, each writer-in-residence leads weekly after-school workshops for a group of up to 21 pupils. The pupils’ writing is then published in a professionally produced anthology for each school; the schools host book launch events at which the students read their stories to their peers, friends, families and teachers.

He now has eight collections of poetry and short story collections in print. His poetry has appeared on BBC Youth Nation, BBC Newsnight, the British Urban Film Awards, BBC 6 Music and has been performed by Cirque du Soleil. His work has been studied in universities across the USA, the UK and Australia and has been translated into Spanish, Japanese and French.

For this year’s Shakespeare Schools Festival, QE boys took on one of the playwright’s most popular plays, Richard III. They performed an abridged 30-minute version to a packed audience at the Arts Depot in North Finchley.

The performance itself was the culmination of a process which included a special workshop organised by the festival at which the boys received tips and advice on acting techniques from a professional acting coach. They also enjoyed a half-day technical and dress rehearsal with professional technicians, as well as preparing at QE with assistance from the School’s Drama Co-ordinator Elaine White and Susannah Sweetman, Head of English.

The audience included parents, a number of members of staff and the Headmaster. “It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening,” said Mr Enright. “The boys worked hard in preparation, taking advantage of the opportunities on offer to them, and reaping their reward with a high-quality performance.”

The abridged version provided 18 roles for QE boys, with Alex Wingrave taking the part of one of the stage’s most well-known villains, Richard. Suraj Shah was cast as Lady Anne, with Miles Huglin as Buckingham and Timur Salim as Lord Hastings. Boys also had the opportunity to take on back-stage roles, with Finbar Gaffey and Alex Chinweze directing, and Shiras Patel as Stage Manager and also directing the lighting and sound.

The evening’s programme also included a performance of Twelfth Night by West Lea School and Macbeth by Alexandra Park School. The festival, which includes the Department for Education amongst its partners, is the UK’s largest youth drama festival, working with more than 1,000 schools and 150 professional theatres. Its patrons include Dame Judi Dench, Kwame Kwei-Armah and Lord Puttnam. Its aim is to offer students from all backgrounds the opportunity to perform Shakespeare on their local professional stage.