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QE boy Ife Adepegba was among just a handful of winners from across London schools in a new city-wide art competition, while fellow Year 10 pupil Daniel Fernando took one of the runners-up spots.

Both boys visited City Hall to receive certificates from the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who had launched the Look Out London 2010 Schools Awards earlier this year during Children’s Art Day. The prizewinners came from just eight schools, including QE.

The competition was organised by Engage, the National Association for Gallery Education, which invited young Londoners in primary and secondary schools to create artwork in any medium, working individually or in groups. The idea was to take inspiration from their local surroundings – the streets and buildings, the parks and open spaces – looking at them in a new and exciting way. The competition is part of the Big Draw festival.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Engage Director Jane Sillis said: “We have had entries from schools across London…and the young people who have come today have produced some stunning drawings all about London and London Life.”
The Mayor, who himself enjoys drawing, added: “Drawing is not about being the best; it’s about putting across the way you feel, right there, in the moment. The world is your sketchbook and I hope everyone will be inspired to join in the Big Draw.”

On the same day as the presentation, City Hall also hosted a preview of the Battle of the Cartoonists and the Mayor launched another Big Draw highlight, Make Your Mark on the Future. This two-day event featured 40 activities at key locations such as Southwark Cathedral and HMS Belfast in which top artists, cartoonists, architects and archaeologists joined Londoners to celebrate London’s changing river and skyline.

Sue Grayson Ford, Director of the Campaign for Drawing said: “Big Draw events are designed to break down the ‘I can’t draw’ barrier. Our aim is to show that drawing is a vital tool for learning, observation, thought, creativity and communication. Best of all, it’s accessible – at the end of our fingertips.”

Queen Elizabeth’s School students have drawn plaudits for their contribution to a civic event held as part of National Inter Faith Week.

Year 12 boys Adeel Haque, Henry Peto and Harish Karunalingam took part in the Question Time-style debate with pupils from three other schools, Ashmole Academy, St Mary’s High School and JFS. They discussed questions about the role of faith in society at large and also within schools.

The debate was chaired by Father John Hawkins, of St John’s C of E Church in Barnet. He subsequently wrote to QE Deputy Head, Neil Enright: “It was my privilege to chair the evening and your students shone and did themselves and QE […] proud.

“At the end, the Superintendent of Barnet police, Mr [Neil] Basu, came up to speak with me and said that he had been in meetings all day with senior police men and women and the level of debate this evening far outshone anything he had heard all day. Indeed he had hoped to slip off home after his own contribution, but had remained to the end of the evening because he was so riveted by the students’ debate.”

The event was attended by the Mayor of Barnet and by several faith leaders. It also featured entertainment from the Jewish Care choir.

“It was extremely good to get to grips with the role of the inter-faith concept in schools and to learn about the opinions of others,” said Henry. His fellow debater, Adeel, added: “The event was an extremely enriching experience and one that widened my perspective on the role that faith has to play in our modern society.”

Twenty-one boys at QE have gained their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards – little more than a year after the School offered the Award at this level for the first time.

A further three boys from the group of 29 Year 10 pupils who registered for the Award in September 2009 are awaiting confirmation that they are also entitled to their Bronze certificates and badges.

Teacher Christina Wu, who co-ordinates the Awards, said: “I am delighted that 24 of the 29 boys have gained Bronze already or about to receive the Award: this is a completion rate of 83%, which is most encouraging.”

To complete the Award, boys had to undertake an hour’s activity per week in each of the Physical, Skills and Volunteering categories and complete a two-day expedition. Two of the activities had to be sustained over three months and the third for six months.

Examples of activities carried out by the boys included:

• Physical: Cricket, rugby, golf, swimming, tennis, badminton, martial arts
• Skills: Photography, musical instruments, Young Enterprise, public speaking, learning Braille, computer repair, learning Mandarin, writing articles for a rugby club match programme, chess
• Volunteering: Charity shop helper, sports and music coaching, assisting at temple/Sunday School/retirement home/NHS clinic/vet, Combined Cadet Force

Before their 15-mile expedition through Great Waltham in Essex, the boys attended four classroom-training sessions, where they learned walking skills, campcraft, map and compass-reading skills, first aid and emergency procedures. They planned their own routes, navigated themselves and cooked their own meals while camping.

Years 11,12 and 13 made three visits to the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

The Institute is a leading player in the Human Genome Project. Boys attended lectures on the causes of bubonic plague and the role of mutations in gene expression, as well as taking tours around the facility.

QE have won the regional round of the Royal Society of Chemistry Top of The Bench Competition for the first time and will take part in the National Final at Imperial College.

After being prepared over the last half-term by their teacher, Elizabeth Kuo, the School’s team saw off competition from several high-achieving schools at the Chilterns and Middlesex round, held at St Benedict’s School, Ealing. QE has been entering the competition for 10 years and its previous best place was fourth.

“We will now take part in the National Final in April and will start preparing for this in January by undertaking extra practical work with the team,” said Dr Kuo.

The team comprises: Mehul Jesani ,Year 11; Aniruddh Raghu, Year 10; Allessandro Zanre and Tianlin Zhang, both of Year 9.

Nineteen Year 10 boys have been running their own registered business, Retrocycle Records, as part of the Young Enterprise competition.

Their coasters, made out of recycled centres of old vinyl records, are going on sale in the School Shop. The boys also hope to sell to local markets in the New Year.