QE’s has a new literary magazine, The Arabella, showcasing the writing and artistic talents of the boys.
After putting out a call for submissions, an editorial team drawn from pupils across the year groups met on Tuesday lunchtimes to decide which of the many contributions they would include.
The 18-page launch issue, which has been published both as hard copies and digitally on the School’s internal eQE web portal, features prose and poetry, as well as art, contributed by boys from Year 7 to Year 13. The artwork shown here, right, is by Sai Sivakumar, of Year 9.
QE’s Head of Library Services, Surya Bowyer, said: “The Arabella is a really important artistic outlet. All the boys involved – both those who submitted work and those on the editorial team – were able to showcase their creative talents. They should be immensely proud of the result: a brilliant inaugural issue.”
Mr Bowyer oversaw the editorial team, together with Clarissa Tan and Samantha White, interns from the University of Connecticut working at the School this term.
Editor-in-chief Josh Osman, of Year 13, wrote in his foreword of the “abundance of creativity flooding the halls of QE” and said the magazine would provide an additional platform for boys who wished their work to be seen. “For the first issue, we received an overwhelming number of fantastic submissions, with impressive themes ranging from memory to social equality,” he said.
Ms Tan said: “When envisioning a creative literary magazine, we hoped to engage our studious QE boys with their more creative sides. However, we soon discovered that The Arabella harvested further meaning: walk into any Tuesday meeting, and you would find infectious smiles and a constant stream of ideas; you would find great minds coming together, young men taking initiative to build something that mattered.”
Ms White added that she was proud to have worked on the project and excited to see how the magazine would evolve.
“Students should keep their eyes peeled next term for news about how to get involved in issue 2 of the magazine,” said Mr Bowyer.
The magazine is named after Arabella Stuart, a noblewoman with connections to the School’s early history, who died a tragic death in the Tower of London.
As a cousin of James I (James VI of Scotland), a niece of Mary Queen of Scots and a distant cousin of Elizabeth I, she had a strong claim to the English throne. When, instead of her, James became King of England in 1603, she was initially well received at his court but then, in 1610, incurred the king’s wrath by secretly marrying William Seymour, who himself had a distant claim to the throne.
Placed under house arrest and committed to the care of the Bishop of Durham, she in fact fell ill en route to the north and spent some months in Barnet at the home of Thomas Conyers, a governor of the School, while Rev Matthais Milward, also a governor and subsequently Master of the School, attended to her spiritual needs. She attempted to escape to France dressed as a man, but was captured and imprisoned in the Tower. Falling ill and refusing medical treatment, she died there in 1615, aged just 39.
Congratulating the finalists, ICE London Director Jonathan Baggs said: “The #ICanEngineer Competition has shown that our schools are full of budding engineers and innovators.
Now in its fourth year, the #ICanEngineer competition, organised by the ICE London Graduates and Students committee, has continued to grow. This year, more than 50 pupils competed from schools across the London boroughs.
“Personally, I was very impressed with their submissions,” said Karan. “I would like to pass on my congratulations to everyone involved, especially as QE won both the sustainability prize as well as the overall competition. I look forward to seeing the trophy in the School the next time I’m around.”
One QE team took joint first place with a team from The Henrietta Barnett School in the regional tournament’s teamwork finals – and thus secured early qualification for the national finals – while another two were joint second out of the 28 teams from eight north London schools taking part.
wo years, QE teams have not only achieved national success, but have also progressed to the world VEX IQ finals in the US.
After that, it was time for the teamwork competition, in which two teams are required to work together, often, but not always, with teams from other schools. Teamwork qualification matches took place either side of lunch. The final hour was devoted to the teamwork finals and the announcement of the day’s awards.
“This gave the all-QE combination of Gyrofusion and Gearsquad (already ranked as the second overall alliance) the tall task of breaking the national record in order to advance as the overall first ranked alliance. High drama followed, as a packed crowd of over 200 seated in the ‘bleachers’ voiced healthy support for the home finalist. As the robots came to rest, it was clear that a new high score may have been achieved – and a huge roar erupted from the stand. Judges, referees and volunteers checked scores carefully, and when the new UK record of 111 flashed up on the screen, the home crowd was delirious!
en Elizabeth’s and HBS had combined to equal the national record and thus tie the overall competition!
“This made their tiebreaker opponents’ task a simple procession to victory: accordingly, they played it safe and simply did what was required to score 100 points, and in doing so won the tie-breaker and the overall tournament.”
“Another award winner on the day was the newly-formed Year 8 team of Cyber Storm, for the innovative way they programmed their robot.
The annual charity fund-raising event held in association with the Rotary Club of Barnet featured works by Mozart, Dvořák, Rachmaninov and Offenbach, as well as film themes, classical Indian music and some well-known carols, for which audience participation was definitely encouraged!
VIP guests included the Mayor of the London Borough of Barnet, Cllr Caroline Stock, and her husband, Old Elizabethan Dr Richard Stock, and Colin Luke, President of the Rotary Club of Barnet, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year.
The audience were then transported to two different continents, first with the Samba Band’s début appearance and then with the Senior Indian Ensemble performing Valachi Vachi.
As the concert drew towards a close, the whole School Choir sang the popular Carol of the Bells, composed in 1919. The Symphony Orchestra then took on Offenbach’s Overture to Orpheus in the Underworld, Dvořák’s Slavonic Dance No. 8 and Leroy Anderson’s A Christmas Festival.
Following discussions, the Green Party – which came in third place, with 10 seats, behind the Conservatives, on 13 – entered a formal coalition, allowing Labour to form a minority administration, with further support from the Liberal Democrats agreed on a ‘confidence and supply’ basis.
There was particular excitement in three forms where the results were tied. The winners of these seats were decided by the toss of a coin between the two tied parties. The Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats each won one seat in this way.
A lunchtime hustings was held earlier this month in the Main School Hall at which boys had the opportunity to question the five candidates, who were (pictured left-right): Year 9’s Ugan Pretheshan (Brexit); Year 11’s Ethan John (Conservative); Year 13’s Haider Jabir (Green); Year 12’s Eeshan Banerjee (Labour) and Year 11’s Sultan Khokhar (Lib Dem). The debate was chaired by Politics teacher Liam Hargadon – billed as QE’s answer to Andrew Neil – although since all the candidates turned up for the event, no ice sculptures were used!