Viewing archives for Uncategorized

Fifteen teams turned out for the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s Quiz Supper, raising money for the School while enjoying a convivial evening together.

The popular event saw the teams tackle nine rounds under the watchful eye of the quizmasters, who were FQE Secretary Diane Mason and her husband, George, together with Peter and Karen Forrester and their son, William (OE 2009–2016, now at Sheffield University reading Aeronautical Engineering).

Barrie Martin MBE, Chairman of Governors and Chairman of the FQE, presented the prizes. Thanking everyone who had taken part, he said: “These social and fundraising events organised by the Friends are tremendously important, both in creating a sense of community amongst the parent body and in raising essential funds for the improvement of the School’s site and facilities.”

The winning table (team pictured right), with 122 points, included: Philippa Flint (mother of recent Old Elizabethan Ralph, who is now reading Physics at Imperial, of Hugo in Year 13 and of Guy in Year 9; she was until recently the Headmaster’s Personal Assistant); Margaret Gibson (who works in the School Shop and is Head of FQE Support); Lisa Revell (mother of recent OE, Eddie, who is now reading Mathematics at Cambridge, and of Victor in Year 9; she works in the School on data-management) and Toni Smith (Support Services Manager at the School).

Just two points behind was a table that included Languages teachers Peter Feeney, Rebecca Grundy, Gill Ross, Helen Shephard and their guests.

Some examples of the rounds and questions follow (with answers at the end):

Entertainment

1. Which cult TV show has won the most Emmy awards?
2. Who is the host of Carpool Karaoke?

I'm alright, Jack

3. Which American state is the home of Jack Daniel’s whiskey?
4. Whereabouts on a ship would you find its jackstaff?

Flights of fancy

5. In which year was air travel disrupted by ash from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano?
6. Who made the first manned flight in a hot-air balloon from Lyons in 1783?

The name’s Bond (Music round)

7. In 1981, she won the Grammy for Best New Artist and was also nominated for Best Pop Performance for her Bond theme song, For Your Eyes Only. What was her name?

The body beautiful

8. Which company markets the perfume, Black Opium?
9. Which exercise regime began life as Contrology in the early 20th century?

A kick up the 80s

10. Who became the 100 metres Olympic champion at the 1980 Moscow summer Olympics?
11. Who attempted to assassinate US President Ronald Reagan on 30th March 1981?

In the news

12. What has been named word of the year by the Collins dictionary?
13. Who became only the second person (after Bernard Shaw) to have won both an Oscar and a Nobel Prize?

Marathon round

14. Which TV quiz show features this catchphrase: ‘Home please, Sue’.

During the break for supper, which was either fish & chips or vegetarian curry, teams were asked to complete the Marathon round. Other elements of this round included: identifying from pictures famous people who have died during 2016 (such as David Bowie, Sir Terry Wogan, Victoria Wood and Prince); unpicking anagrams formed from the elements; Dingbats and a round entitled Birdseye – identifying locations around the UK from aerial photos, including Hampton Court, GCHQ and Harrow School.

In addition, there was an observation round in which the guests were asked to watch Pixar’s 1989 computer-animated short film, Knick Knack, and then answer questions about what they had seen.

The Kick up the 80s round provided a link to the next Friends social event, an 80s night to be held in the Spring Term. Tickets will be on sale soon for this event, which is scheduled for Saturday 4th March 2017.

The raffle on the evening raised nearly £400, while the total was further boosted by a fundraising Heads and tails game played while the Headmaster was tallying up the final scores.

 

Answers

1. Game of Thrones
2. James Corden
3. Tennessee
4. On the bow
5. 2010
6. The Montgolfier brothers
7. Sheena Easton
8. Yves Saint Laurent
9. Pilates
10. Allan Wells
11. John Hinckley
12. Brexit
13. Bob Dylan
14. A Question of Sport

QE’s Sixth-Formers quite literally saw the dead hand of communism on a trip to Moscow and St Petersburg – but also savoured the architectural splendour of Russia’s imperial past. The trip involved historians from Years 12 and 13, who study Russia from the Communist takeover in 1917 to the death of Stalin in 1953.

Head of History Helen MacGregor recalled the striking start of their first full day in Moscow: “We got to see Lenin – who died in 1924! – in his mausoleum. It was amazing to see someone preserved who was so instrumental in world history, creating the first communist country. They paint Lenin with a secret formula once a week to stop him rotting, except that one hand wasn’t done in time and he therefore has black fingers.”

“We went into his mausoleum with a group of Chinese tourists, who bowed down as they passed his glass coffin,” she added.

The 27 boys also visited the Kremlin – an historic fortress as well as the base of the current president, Vladimir Putin – and the nearby grave of Stalin. Miss MacGregor noted that the group’s Russian tour guides were great admirers of Putin.

The final afternoon’s sightseeing in Moscow included opportunities to see the ornate Metro and the tombs of two more recent Russian leaders – Khrushchev and Yeltsin – at Novodevichy cemetery.

After two full days in Moscow, the pupils, accompanied by Miss MacGregor, Head of Year 12 Charlotte Coleman and Head of Year 13 Liam Hargadon, then took the famous night train to St Petersburg, which boasted four-berth cabins, toasted sandwiches and even wi-fi!

There they saw the magnificence of Tsarist Russia, with its huge palaces, beautiful gold decorations – including an entire room made out of amber in the Summer Palace – which formed a sharp contrast with the Soviet-era architecture of Moscow.

“It was very cold and it even snowed in St Petersburg, so we saw the Summer Palace just how it was built to be seen – with the blue outside walls contrasting spectacularly with the white of the snow,” said Miss MacGregor.

Pupil Conor Mellon said: “The trip enriched the perspective of the country that I had from my History lessons: walking through the Winter Palace 99 years to the day from the October Revolution was particularly cool.”

They went to a series of evening entertainments, with the most memorable being the ice hockey. “This was more like a disco, with music pumping out and cheerleaders dancing away every time play stopped,” said Miss MacGregor. “We cheered on the St Petersburg term and they got a resounding victory, which was good because the massive stadium was full of their supporters. We also went to a Russian circus in Moscow and saw some very bendy people and watched acrobats perform death-defying stunts.”

The group eagerly entered into the spirit of the country, tucking into plenty of beetroot, Stroganoff and savoury pancakes – although some also took in a trip to the local McDonald’s.

Sixth-Former Adrian Burbie said: “This was by far the best School trip I have ever been on. We threw ourselves head-first into experiencing true Russian culture – and the Soviet hat I bought more than made up for the cold.”

On their return, the boys reflected on a trip that was enjoyable and, at times, sobering too:

• Gregory Wong: “From the State University of Moscow to the Winter and Summer palaces of St Petersburg, never have I ever seen such amazing architecture that was so grand and wonderful.”
• Rufus Carruthers: “The diversity that was presented by visiting both Moscow and St Petersburg was particularly intriguing, due to their striking juxtaposition.”
• Erik Lam recalled the “breathtaking and inexplicably beautiful landmarks” and the “deathly silence of Lenin’s mausoleum”. He added: “For me, the guided tour of the Gulag museum was one of great value as not only were we confronted by the dark and unfortunate history of the Gulags in Russia, but also we were given an insight into the life and opinion of a person living in modern Russia; it lifted the veil on the mysterious and biased portrayal of Russia by Western media.”

A special workshop linked to a London-wide competition helped boost the confidence and public-speaking skills of Year 10 pupils at QE.

Some 25 boys took part in the day-long Jack Petchey’s Speak Out Challenge workshop. The challenge is one of several programmes funded by Sir Jack Petchey, the 91-year-old East End entrepreneur, through The Jack Petchey Foundation. The boys took part in a number of activities, which culminated in an internal competition on the day.

QE Drama Co-ordinator Elaine White, who was involved in the event, said: “Some of the boys made really outstanding progress – their performances at the end of the day were unrecognisable when compared with where they started in the morning session.”

And Extra-Curricular Enrichment Tutor and History teacher Matt Dunston, who organised the workshop, added: “Creativity and self-confidence are traits that we wish to foster in boys; The Speak Out Challenge represents an excellent opportunity for doing this and for boys to benefit from the expertise of the foundation.”

The foundation’s Jonathan Drew, who facilitated the workshop, reported afterwards that he had been impressed at the efforts of all the boys. The formal feedback taken indicated that the boys felt the workshop had greatly increased their confidence, he said.

Four pupils – Yash Puli, Dylan Vekaria, Sankeith Kirubakaran and Joel Anjorin – were selected as potential entrants in the competition’s Barnet regional final in the New Year. They will now take part in a play-off to determine which one of them goes through.

After the workshop, the boys were enthusiastic about what they had learned. Joel said: “The activities were extremely enjoyable, engaging and interesting. I feel much more confident about public-speaking as a result of taking part.” Another participant, Vedant Nair, added: “I am now much more aware of things like body language, posture, hand gesture and tone when speaking to individuals and large groups. These will all help me not just in formal public-speaking, but in other areas of school life, too.”

QE played its part in the BBC Children in Need appeal, with 30 boys singing live in a televised joint choir at Elstree Studios – the base for this year’s national telethon. 

The pupils from Years 7, 8 and 9 were invited to join with other children from across the country in a massed performance of Bill Withers’ 1972 inspirational classic, Lean on Me.

In the studio, the QE boys sang in a joint choir alongside children from Mill Hill County High School, The Orion Primary in Edgware and Goldbeaters Primary, also in Edgware.

Director of Music Cheryl Horne said: “Whilst waiting for their afternoon studio rehearsal, our students were doing a bit of ‘celeb spotting’, most notably with cast members from EastEnders.

“After a short break and final rehearsal, it was time for 'lights, camera, action'!  Everyone performed with such enthusiasm and energy, making this a fantastic memory for our students which will last for many years.”

The amount raised currently stands at nearly £47m and is expected to rise further once all donations have been counted.

A QE Engineering team showed off their acclaimed design for a hi-tech hard hat to politicians, policy-makers and industry representatives at a special event at the House of Commons.

The four Sixth-Formers took the Sonus-mico Helmet – a special hat that warns construction workers when noise levels exceed safe levels – to the Big Bang @ Parliament event, where they joined nine other finalists in The Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Competition.

The helmet was developed under the Engineering Education Scheme by Yazid Sukhia, Tochi Onoura, Christopher Suen and Sachin Ghelani (pictured below, left to right).

Technology teacher Shane Ryan said: “They confidently and articulately explained their project to the MPs and VIPs. Well done to all four of them!”

The Big Bang @ Parliament was held as part of Tomorrow’s Engineers Week, a collaboration between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the engineering community. The competition entrants were invited to Westminster by MP Stephen Metcalfe on behalf of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee – a 77-year-old organisation bringing together scientists, science-based industry, the academic world and politicians – which he chairs. He is also Chair of the Science and Technology Parliamentary Select Committee.

Guest speakers included: Mr Metcalfe; Paul Jackson, CEO of EngineeringUK (a not-for-profit organisation promoting the role of engineers) and Sara Sobka, Young Scientist of the Year 2015.

The competition’s finals will take place at The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair, which is being held at the NEC in Birmingham from 15–18 March 2017.

Queen Elizabeth’s School has been ranked as the best boys’ state secondary school in the influential Sunday Times Parent Power guide.

QE not only took second place overall in the 2016-17 state school rankings (behind The Henrietta Barnett School for girls), but also had the highest-ranked A-level results of any state school in the country. In fact, QE’s A-level ranking is bettered only by the independent St Paul’s Girls’ School in Hammersmith, so it is also the highest-placed boys’ school nationally for A-level results across both the state and independent sectors.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “It is most pleasing that the efforts of our pupils and staff have once again been acknowledged in the Parent Power guide. Our high position reflects an excellent summer, during which we recorded our best-ever A-level results, with 98.9% of examinations gaining A*-B grades.”

In recent years, QE has gained a string of accolades, including taking first place in the Parent Power league table of the top 200 state schools for three consecutive years from 2013–2015. The table is based on performance in A-levels and GCSEs.

Another publication held in high regard by many parents, The Good Schools Guide, is lavish in its praise for QE. Its new London North edition, published recently, features two QE boys from Year 10, Sean Dieobi and Leo Kucera, on the front cover.

Following a visit last year, the guide’s Kate Hilpern described QE as “a remarkable school that offers the top 10 per cent of learners from a diversity of backgrounds an exceptional and rounded education that even private schools struggle to compete with….For those who thrive in a highly ordered, hard-grafting environment with an underlying sense of competition across all subjects, this is a great school that consistently turns our responsible young men with unbounded opportunities to succeed at university and their chosen careers beyond.”