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Pearce took the honours in two separate competitions run by the Languages department to encourage boys to flex their linguistic muscles and show off their creativity during the lockdown.

For both contests, boys had to show their mastery of written French or German, while a challenge set by Languages teacher Rosie Hall additionally gave Year 10 pupils the opportunity to display visual ability alongside their verbal skill.

Head of Languages Nora Schlatte said: “We have been impressed both by the number of boys choosing to take part in the competitions and by the quality of their contributions. My congratulations go to all the winners.”

For a competition open to boys throughout Key Stage 3, pupils had to choose a German or French song and write a paragraph about why they liked it.

Tristan Chanda was the Year 7 winner. In his piece on Parle à ta tête, the 2019 hit by French singer-songwriter Indila, he wrote: “Ça me donne envie de danser!” – it makes me want to dance. He explained that he likes pop music “parce que c’est branché et génial” – because it’s trendy and great!

Saim Khan won the Year 8 prize with a paragraph about Alain le Lait’s song, J’aime les fruits, in which he explained that he also liked the singer’s other songs: “Elles sont aussi très intéressantes et vraiment cool!” – they are very interesting, too, and really cool!”

Darren Lee, the Year 9 winner, took a close look at the life of rapper Georgio, observing that while many have lost hope because of the Covid-19 virus, his song L’Espoir Meurt en Dernier strikes a note of hope that is essential at the present time.

House points were awarded, with Pearce taking first place, followed by Broughton and then Underne.

Languages teacher Rebecca Grundy also ran a House competition for Years 10 and 11, for which they were required simply to submit a piece of creative writing in French or German. “There was great variety in the entries, with boys submitting poems, articles and adverts,” she said.

First prize went to Year 10’s Olly Salter, for his poem, Le Café, about a chance encounter in a café.

Other highly commended entries included:

• Year 11 Shivas Patel’s illustrated biography of Beethoven
• A piece by Om Chakrapani, of Year 10, about Ferdinand Porsche, engineer and founder of the eponymous car company
• A review of the 1945 classic film, Les Enfants du Paradis, by Aadarsh Khimasia, of Year 11
• A brochure-style paeon of praise for the city of Lyon penned by Siddhant Kansal, of Year 11, who fell in love with the city when he went there on an exchange
• Sushant Despande’s poem, Mein Handy. Sushant is in Year 10.

Pearce again took first prize in this competition; Leicester were second and Broughton third.
Miss Hall praised the “great work” done by her set 2 Year 10 class based on Jean de la Fontaine’s fable Le rat de ville et de champs.

The boys watched some French cartoon clips and then were asked to create a comic strip or storyboard, re-imagining the story and using the vocabulary they learned to explain relative advantages and disadvantages of living in the town and the countryside.

Mukund Soni produced a hand-drawn strip, while Kirtinandan Koramutla, Arya Bhatt and Danny Adey all showed distinctive visual approaches in creating their storyboards with computers.

“I’ve been really impressed with their creativity and use of language,” Miss Hall added.

A wealth of creative talent is showcased in this month’s special competition edition of The Arabella – a magazine produced by QE boys featuring the work of the pupils.

Under the theme, Brave New World, the Art and English departments launched Art and poetry competitions which attracted a high level and standard of entry, many of which are celebrated in the special release.

Head of English Robert Hyland said: “As a School community, we are getting used to a ‘new normal’, containing paradoxes of collaborative independence and isolated community, and where we are increasingly working in a ‘brave new world’.

“Boys from all year groups were invited to submit original and creative poems and art works exploring this theme – entries could be witty and humorous, contemplative and reflective, or anything in between, as long as they engaged with the theme.

“We were overwhelmed with the response – and thrilled to see such creativity and artistic flair from our boys. We are proud to see that this extraordinary new chapter is bringing out the best in our boys.”

For the Art competition, Head of Department Stephen Buckeridge first showed the boys some book illustrations as examples.

He ranked their entries on whether the image produced captured the spirit of the Brave New World title and on how it might work as a book jacket design. There were more than 60 entries, covering all the year groups.

“I have chosen eight that I felt illustrated the theme best – reflecting a kind of dystopian vision,” said Mr Buckeridge.

The overall winners​ of the Art competition were Haipei Jiang, of Year 10, whose work is pictured top. Next was Alex Aliev, of Year 12, followed by Kovid Gothi, of Year 8, in third place.

“I felt Haipei’s drawing captured the essence of 1950-60s book jacket design and it reminded me of nostalgic times spent in second-hand bookstores as a teenager,” said Mr Buckeridge.

“Alex’s was a strong, imaginative drawing, suggestive of Amazing Stories magazines from the 1950s.

“And Kovid’s collage captured the spirit of our current times.”

In addition to the three main winners, five boys’ contributions were highly commended:

Anik Singh, Year 7
Manthan Thakkar, Year 8
Anubhav Rathore, Year 10
Abhiraj Singh, Year 10
Pierre Mougin, Year 12

Overall winner Haipei said: “It feels incredible to have won an art competition with so many great entries.​ There is much anxiety worldwide regarding the recent outbreak of COVID-19. However, if we look through another’s eyes, we can see the essence of hope for the future.” ​

Alex, who was placed second, added: “I wanted to combine the past, present and future within one drawing. I chose to use a traditional, well-known, scene of a cowboy [pictured above right] overlooking a typical western setting of a desert, but replace it with a futuristic, almost dystopian, element with tall trees and an unknown distant city of skyscrapers. The large viruses that hang above the cowboy are obvious references to the current situation we live in.”

Kovid meanwhile was excited by the opportunity to participate: “Despite the fact that there are a lot of brave key workers risking their lives to keep our community and economy running, I was most inspired by the front-line NHS staff who, with limited PPE supply, kept on fighting against the coronavirus and were undeterred by the possibility of losing their own lives. This is my tribute to their bravery and dedication to put themselves in harm’s way to save the rest of the world; Brave New World indeed.” His collage is pictured above left.

There was also a high level of interest in the poetry competition. Mr Hyland chose a winner from each year group:

​Year 7 – Keon Robert
Year 8 – Rajanan Shanmugabalan
Year 9 – Akshaj Pawar
Year 10 – Nivain Goonasekera
Year 11 – Ethan Solanki
Year 12 – Tristan Lolay
Year 13 – Matt Salomone

Keon used the word ‘change’ as the basis for his poem. “I wanted my readers to think about what they can do to make an impact on the world. When I found out I was my year group winner I was shocked. I had been able to see some of the other poems through the School’s forums. I’m very proud of my achievement.”

The sensation of feeling trapped was the starting point for Rajanan’s entry, especially having to stay indoors along with finding the courage to get through. “I hope the people that read the poem take away the fact that they aren’t alone, although they may feel like it. We are feeling alone together! To conclude, my reaction to being a year group winner is – amazing! It means the world to me!”

Mr Hyland was impressed to see such a diverse range of approaches to the theme. “They ranged from the natural to the historical to the contemporary. The competition was particularly noteworthy for its technical skill in form and structure, and for the vividness of the imagery.”

The full range of poems can be seen in The Arabella, but two of the winning poems are reproduced below, with some explanatory notes from the authors:

Into a Butterfly
By Akshaj Pawar

How does it feel, the caterpillar? Half of its legs are gone.
It used to like to walk but now –
Now its wings must fly it on.
How does it feel, the caterpillar? Its teeth and jaws are dead.
It cannot crunch on the stalks and stems,
A change has changed its head.
How does it feel, the caterpillar? It can’t hide anymore.
How can it stay safe from the ants?
The ants would kill it for sure.
What can it do in this brave new world without teeth or stealth or legs?
It will drink, it will flee, it will fly.
It will play, it will laugh, it will cry.
In a brave new world, we cannot not know if it will survive.
But the once-caterpillar, it will try.
We all must try.

“This triumph is a great personal victory,” said Akshaj. “I’m honestly mainly glad people like it. While making it, I struggled with rhythm, although I suppose I managed to sort it out in the end. I wanted to make the change in the poem seem striking, and I realised the most striking change possible is being given an entirely different body. Hence the use of a caterpillar’s metamorphosis as a metaphor for a changing world. I realised that the caterpillar’s ability to so easily transition from one form to another and keep going was quite poetic. If you were to take a lesson from Into a Butterfly, it should probably be: don’t let change daunt you, and keep on moving forward.”

Brave New World
By Ethan Solanki

The champions of yore stood arrayed on the field,
And their arrows flew true but were blocked by the shields
And their foes would roar out and then level their spears
And those heroes together laid siege to their fears.
For the sound of the drums was the beat in their chests,
And after the clash each would count themselves blessed,
And the flames of the fallen continued to blaze
As they were embraced by Death’s cold, endless haze
For each soul lived with passion eternal and strong;
And their names in the annals of history belong,
And the deeds of these men changed the world’s warp and weft
And in a glorious state was this brave new world left.
The champions of now stand there tall but alone
As this new war is waged from the confines of home,
As tactics devolve into words on a screen
And the fears of the people are shown by their miens.
For the safety of all is being ripped apart,
As tension and peace conflict within the heart;
As love and wealth come to invisible blows,
As we see to ourselves all the danger we pose.
For whilst Death himself runs rampant on a wild spree
And the flames of the fallen are numbers to be seen,
A lone soul should simply this dark void embrace:
For only as one can we this brave new world face.

Ethan said: “From the way people were talking about the coronavirus, it was made out to be the second coming of the Black Death. So I thought it was important to consider the past and all of the things that occurred to bring us to where we are today. I drew inspiration largely from Lord Byron’s The Destruction of Sennacherib, which to date remains my favourite poem. I hope that people will take away not only the importance of the past, but also that in this time of crisis we don’t abandon one another, but remain in contact over social media, through text, or through Facetime. When I found out that I had won the competition in my year group, I was both surprised and honoured.”

The special edition of The Arabella can be read here.

As the Summer Term gets into its stride, some Lower School boys have been reflecting on their remote learning experiences.

From the early frustrations of not being able to meet friends and the challenge of summoning up the requisite self-discipline, to the acquisition of new skills, boys are having to adapt to a new way of living and learning.

Trying to keep to a similar time frame to that of a typical day at School, including taking regular exercise, has been Dylan Domb’s main priority. He was also one of the QE boys who, at the suggestion of the Head of Technology, Michael Noonan, has been using his 3D printer at home to manufacture face shields for NHS workers. “I delivered my first batch on Monday, so somewhere in the country, front-line NHS workers will be wearing the masks that I have made.”

Praising the versatility of the staff, Dylan, of Year 10,  said: “Home learning has been a new and exciting endeavour for me. I have been given access to a whole host of new resources.”

He has been able to continue studying at a steady pace, using eQE – particularly the facility to ask questions of teachers and receive feedback on his work – just as he would at school. A picture of Dylan’s desk illustrates the article on remote learning by Deputy Head (Academic) in this edition of QE Update.

Dhruv Chadha, of Year 9, misses being in class but is finding the new experience interesting. “I like that all the resources that we would normally be offered in the classroom are on eQE and that we can ask our teachers questions, as it is really helpful. The resources provided are, in my opinion, reducing the damage which is being created right now.”

He has also been making use of the time to try out new things he would not usually have time for and has been learning Korean, Persian and Arabic. “I find these particularly challenging and fun, and I plan to continue studying them after this situation is over.”

Anoop Donthireddy, of Year 8, initially found the completely new style of learning something of a challenge but he is getting used to it now. “You need to follow the teachers’ online instructions carefully to complete the tasks in the correct way within the due date.” He has found working through eQE has become easier and that the teachers’ online help and the resources available there have provided him with the support he needs. “I miss the Science practicals and the after-school clubs, but I have been using the James Dyson Foundation Challenges and maths diagnostics quizzes, which are interesting and fun.”

At first, Rahul Belavadi, of Year 10, was challenged by the change of pace but is now finding the system “quite successful”, as questions can be sent through eQE. In his view, the quality of his learning has not been badly affected by the circumstances. In particular, he has developed his independent learning skills and has valued having more time to take detailed notes, which he thinks will be useful for revision in the future.

“My progress hasn’t really been hindered, as lesson PowerPoints are sent out through eQE, so the teacher’s comments are still part of the lesson,” he said.

He particularly enjoyed the Kerboodle tasks that were set for Biology, finding them engaging, as the questions were set out in a quiz-like style.

Rahul is using his free time to volunteer at a hospital. He distributes donations to staff members in the wards. “I have found this really rewarding, as anything small which makes their life easier, such as a dinner, definitely goes a long way.”

Deputy Head (Academic) Anne Macdonald explains the principles underpinning remote learning at the School and how these are being applied progressively, as the educational experience evolves and new methods and resources are integrated into eQE.

In normal times, our teachers habitually work together across departments, benefiting from the experience of colleagues as they plan lessons and deploy resources in the classroom. During the current extraordinary circumstances, we are strongly encouraging staff to maintain and strengthen this approach, making the most of each other’s particular knowledge and expertise so that departments work efficiently through collaboratively planning both remote learning activities and the use of resources.

We are working hard to balance the need to provide a curriculum that brings the challenge that our boys need with a recognition that it will take students longer to complete work independently, with less opportunity for the spontaneous collaboration and interaction that is readily available in the classroom. Ongoing feedback from the boys through their bespoke online tutorials will provide us with some of the information we need in order to strike this balance successfully. For however long the current situation continues, we want to make sure that remote learning at QE places our boys on a trajectory for future exam success.

We are, therefore, pointing boys towards an increasing range of internal and external online tools and learning resources, where we adjudge that these provide appropriate challenge for QE pupils. These include, for example, resources from our own Queen’s Library, University of Oxford podcasts and TED talks. A new addition is the Classoos online textbook service, which the School can now access. Departments may reorganise curriculum content a little to ensure it is best adapted to the needs and capacity of pupils studying from home, whilst ensuring that plenty of additional opportunities are available to stretch those boys looking for extension. Teachers in some subjects are also considering how they might set some work which is not computer-based.

Audio and video-recording – especially when embedded in other materials such as PowerPoint presentations – are helping us to retain some of the benefits of face-to-face teaching. This can be particularly helpful with more difficult curriculum content, bringing further variety to remote learning and especially engaging those boys for whom auditory learning is most effective. Such approaches will be used selectively to ensure that their impact is not diminished. Teachers who are more experienced in such areas have been sharing ‘how to’ guides with their colleagues to ensure the recordings are professional and purposeful. The eQE forums provide us with a useful way of facilitating collaboration, and a forum area has now been created for all departments. These enable teachers firstly to create threads and then to draw boys in, encouraging them to get involved in lively online discussions.

We are also progressing cautiously with the use of platforms allowing video discussions, such as Zoom and MS Teams, our top priority being to ensure the use of such technology is not only professional, but also safe. To date, this has been used by the Senior Leadership Team with our senior prefects – in order to discuss their experience of remote learning – and it is now being introduced for bespoke tutorials in other year groups too.

Just as we are using eQE’s extensive capabilities to maintain collaborative learning, we are similarly making use of the platform to enable teachers to assess pupil learning and to provide opportunities for pupils to receive feedback to help them progress. Tools on eQE allow teachers both to mark work and provide comments to aid improvement, and to construct knowledge-checking tests for the boys to complete, which self-mark to provide automatic feedback.

My colleagues have been working hard to produce remote learning activities and resources for our boys since the lockdown began. In the coming weeks, through some of the steps I have outlined above, we will be redoubling our efforts to enhance remote learning, using eQE to ensure the QE experience is as good it can possibly be in our current situation.

 

QE Virtual Concert Programme Summer 2020