heydrich, was held there to discuss the murder of european Jews. the beauty of the villa’s surroundings was unexpected; as a place with such an awful history, i had imagined it to be very dark and enclosed but instead it was open, with lots of greenery, and looked out onto the lake. it was a very chilling experience, knowing that you were standing in the room where the decision was made to take the lives of so many innocent people. We were able to see the original documents which recorded the discussion and read through the translations.

We then travelled to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and were given a tour. our first impression of the camp was how dark and unwelcoming the whole area was, with its gate displaying the words ‘Arbeit macht frei’ meaning ‘work makes you free’. it was horrifying to know that these prisoners were given false hope from the start as the only release for most of them would be in death. the experience was a shocking one and proved to us that to truly understand the horrendous scale of the holocaust, you need to visit a concentration camp. it was a day of enormous contrast which opened our eyes to the harsh reality of these peoples’ lives.

neWS & VieWS fRoM BABlAke SChool

iSSUe 54 SPRing 2011

In this issueopen to offers... 02

it’s all greek to me... 03

Amnesty Ambassadors 04

Peer support 05

holocaust testimony 06

A flavour of Spain 07

School friends! 08

Working in the community 09

Sweet success 10

Weather for the world 11

life is a Cabaret 12

Sport 13

berlIn PaSt anD PreSentby katHryn joneS & kalIka PurI

Allow us to pitch the Berlin history trip to you – four days in the capital of a history-rich country, a country whose actions left eternal scars upon it, a country that was torn down the middle and then united once more at

a very high cost. Berlin is a city that would delight any historian, but also one that even now is still recovering from its ordeal – a fantastic educational opportunity. the only downside: the temperature was never above zero degrees centigrade!

Despite this we bravely charged forward, determined to get the most out of this exciting visit; we walked for many hours around Berlin, absorbing huge amounts of information. Pupils studying german tried to speak the language at every opportunity and were completely baffled when they received completely the wrong order in McDonalds!

We visited the remains of the Berlin Wall and learned more about the Cold War. it was almost unbelievable that two walls and a small strip of land in between could separate two so drastically different ways of life.

We had a guided tour of Wannsee Conference house. on 20th January 1942, a meeting, chaired by

‘...Berlin is a city that would delight any historian’

2 the lion Spring 2011

Academiclife

open to offers...four Bablake pupils are currently celebrating conditional offers to study at oxford or Cambridge University. School Captains Alex hoare and Millie Ross have both received offers: Alex to read german and italian ab initio at St hugh’s College, oxford, and Millie to read PPe (Philosophy, Politics and economics) at Magdalen College, oxford. chris Starkey has an offer to read history at St Catherine’s College, oxford, and Matt lewis, to read Classics at fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.

Congratulations also to the 13 members of the Upper Sixth who have completed the extended Project Qualification. they researched and gave presentations on such diverse topics as Pre-Raphaelite painting, electromagnetism, and the Cuban Revolution.

Lightning has struck twice for Bablake’s Junior Mathematics Challenge team as it has retained the Regional trophy at Rugby High School.

The team consisted of Elliot Forbes and Danujan Sivanesan, veterans from last year’s winning team, and promising young mathematicians Anna Knight and Madison Cotteret.

Maths teacher, Mr Shoyeb Memon, was delighted with the team’s performance, saying: ‘We knew returning as defending champions would be tough. In fact, the competition was very tight, so the win was even more pleasing.’

The team once again goes to the National finals in London later this year where the challenges increase again. We wish all four members the very best of luck.

Congratulations also go to Upper Sixth Further Mathematics pupils Jamie Bryson and Alex Popplewell who were both awarded Gold awards in the Senior Maths Challenge. Reaching this standard impressively places both in the top 4% of their year group nationally. 13 pupils who received Silver awards and another 33 who collected Bronze also deserve praise for a tremendous performance.

the winning habit

Well done to this year’s gcSe and A level students who performed their coursework pieces for either the solo or ensemble options of their courses. The audience enjoyed a mix of styles from jazz to classical and a variety of instrumental and vocal items.

During October half-term, Classics pupils got the opportunity to discover not only the ancient history of Greece but also to enjoy a little Mediterranean sunshine.

Our trip began in Athens where already we felt the benefit of the Greek sun, enjoying walks around the National Archaeological Museum and the Acropolis Museum followed by visits to the Agora and other historic sites.

We enjoyed a guided tour of the Acropolis and Theatre of Dionysus although unfortunately we had more English weather conditions on this day with rain (and a lot of it!) forcing us to take refuge in a nearby café.

After one of the first long drives that we would soon become accustomed to, we arrived at the spectacular site of Delphi for a guided tour before moving on again to the sights of Olympia, best known for the Olympic Games, where we enjoyed races, although of the more recreational type, on the original race track.

Moving on again, we arrived in Tolon and the Hotel Minoa, definitely the favourite of the hotels we stayed in. When we had been told it was ‘on the beach’ we had realistically assumed this meant maybe a short walk from the beach with sea views from just the upper floors. However, when we arrived it seemed that the hotel had been true to its word, with the entrance, much to our delight, being literally four or five steps away from the sea. This opportunity certainly wasn’t wasted with most of our evenings spent in the surprisingly warm sea.

Its all Greek to me...Classic moments at bablake

3BABlAke SChool

Classicsnews

the first activity of the year for the Classical Society was a talk by Dr llewelyn Morgan of Brasenose College, oxford, on greek and Roman coinage. Pupils from the Junior and Senior Schools were given a rare chance to handle original coins and look closely at the significance of the images on them, whilst Dr Morgan gave an illuminating and entertaining talk.

then, shortly before Christmas, a group of 50 pupils set off for a day in london to look at artefacts in the British Museum. After being upgraded to first class seating on the train, and having a carriage to ourselves, we stopped off for a Christmas shopping experience in Covent garden, before heading off to the Museum. here pupils were free to browse the galleries of greek, Roman and egyptian artefacts, although with over 6,000,000 objects to see from all over the world, we could only take in a tiny fraction. Many pupils were amazed to see objects that they had encountered in their studies, be they coins from Roman Britain, or a sculpture of an egyptian cat which adorns the cover of a text book.

finally in february students from the fourth, fifth and Sixth forms attended a production of Oedipus Rex. for many pupils it was their first opportunity to experience greek tragedy and all agreed that it was a powerful experience.

During our longer stay in Tolon, we enjoyed many trips including a full day to Corinth and Mycenae, although perhaps our minds were more focused on the scorching sun and the shade provided by one solitary tree.

Another very memorable day was our visit to Nauplion and the Theatre of Epidauros where we got to perform our own, very much condensed version of Oedipus Rex thanks to the Sixth Formers on our trip, especially Laura Weaver (our own Oedipus).

The last day came round all too soon with a short stop at Corinth Canal before the long journey home, whilst we wished could be back in Greece again. Greece 2010 was definitely a great success and our thanks go to all the teachers: Mr West, Miss Blattner, Mr Bunce, Dr Archer and especially Mr Menashe for all their hard work (although hopefully they enjoyed themselves as much as we did!)

life has been very busy this year in the Classics Department. Apart from the trip to greece, the department has undertaken a varied and stimulating programme of activities for pupils of all ages.

by lara morley-wHIte

4 the lion Spring 2011

Schoollife

amnesty ambassadors

Amnesty International is a global organisation that campaigns to promote and develop human rights across the world. Its objective is to protect people where fairness and

justice are denied. Amnesty has over three million members in 150 countries collectively working to achieve this goal. We have been members of Bablake’s Amnesty International group for over three years and have campaigned for various cases including the abolition of the death penalty, Engin Çeber’s message of hope campaign and the cruelty in Zimbabwe under the Mugabe regime.

‘We have been members of Bablake’s Amnesty International group for over three years...’Anuriti and Smriti Aojula

are to be congratulated on being the first Bablake pupils to be selected as Amnesty Ambassadors. here, the twin sisters tell of their experience so far.

In October last year, Mrs. Jackson encouraged us to apply for the Amnesty International Youth Advisory Group. Each year, 25 youth members are selected from across the UK in what is an extremely competitive application process. We knew that this experience would be a great opportunity for our personal involvement with Amnesty to be taken to the next level and it will enable Bablake to form a stronger link with the London headquarters. Our applications proved successful and we were delighted to be the first Bablake pupils to be selected as Amnesty Ambassadors.

So far this year, we have attended two meetings at the headquarters. They have been focused on how Amnesty can encourage more youths to join the organisation, on campaigning and visual media, on Amnesty’s strategic direction for the next five years and on the importance of citizenship and why we feel it should remain as part of the national curriculum.

We have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the group at Bablake and we will definitely continue being active members of Amnesty when we enter university.

the lower Sixth is a year full of budding entrepreneurs and ideas ranged from Christmas cards and framed artwork through to children’s cookbooks. the winning team – ‘the Bunting Company’ – makes high quality material bunting tailored for different occasions, and is already generating considerable income and profit. other teams, despite not winning a place on the scheme, have not been deterred and were well represented at the Christmas fayre, making money from their ventures.

the Bunting Company will represent the school in trade fairs against other Coventry and

Warwickshire schools, where they hope to build on ‘royal wedding fever’ with their latest bunting range in red, white and blue.

Another team present at the Christmas fayre was ‘Blu Badger’ with its Children’s Culture Cookbook. here the team give an account of their experiences. ‘After much help and support from teachers, parents, and the school’s reprographics department, we had a successful run at the Christmas fayre. We used samples of food from our recipe book, cooked by members of the team, to entice people to our table. We also encouraged donations to Save the Children as we had decided

it was appropriate for a portion of our profits to go to that charity. After a continued effort up until Christmas, we managed to earn just over £300.’

A grand total of £128 was donated to Save the Children’s ‘no Child Born to Die’ campaign. this pays for a health worker to be fully trained and operate in poor or rural areas to give much needed and life-saving medical care.

raise the buntingWith limited funding, teams had to fight Dragon Den style for the much coveted opportunity to represent Bablake in the national Young enterprise Scheme.

5BABlAke SChool

Schoollife

ARkWRighT ScholARShipSMr John thompson, Regional co-ordinator for the Arkwright Scholarship Scheme, recently paid a visit to the Dt department to check on the progress of our two scholars. luke Briggs (U6th) has designed a children’s play area for his coursework while Chris Abraham (l6th) has produced an unusual chair design in laminated plywood. Mr thompson was very impressed with the quality and originality of their work and praised both pupils for their commitment to Dt. five pupils from the fifth form have taken the Arkwright Scholarship examination and will shortly be finding out who has qualified for the final round of interviews to be held at various universities before the end of term.

School chRiSTMAS cARd coMpeTiTionCongratulations to Alesha Robinson, whose

artwork was selected as this year’s winning entry in the Art Department’s competition to design our school Christmas card.Alesha was delighted to have won and headmaster Mr John Watson presented her with ten cards to keep.

She was also given the print proofs of her design to be framed and kept as a memento of her win.

deniM coMpeTiTionthe Denim Competition takes place annually and is based on a lecture given by Mr. Clive hushon, one of our parents. he arranges for the winning designs to be made up for the pupils so that they can actually wear the finished product. there was a strong field once again this year as the fourth Year textiles pupils tried their hands at designing. the designs were very much on trend, reflecting

Did you know?Achievements from Bablake pupils that may have slipped your notice...

this scheme is an extension to the work carried out by form Prefects and to the contact older pupils have with the younger ones through the house System and other activities.

Back in September ten members of the Sixth form volunteered to be a part of the team of 25 and a further 28 fourth Year pupils applied for the remaining places. the standard of those who submitted applications was impressive and all were interviewed. 15 pupils were eventually selected to attend the Peer Support training alongside the Sixth form just prior to october half term. the training was delivered by leesa Mullins from ChiPS. it was intensive, activity-based and challenging and was designed to develop skills, define the role and set boundaries for the Peer Support work. leesa’s energy, expertise and experience in delivering all aspects made the day extremely enjoyable.

the scheme is pupil led and, dividing into teams for each Shell form, the fourth Year Peer Supporters have been spending time with their groups and getting to know them since the beginning of December. We are now setting up a lunchtime session each week where Shell pupils have the opportunity to meet and get to know members of their year group outside their own form. We are very grateful to the Parents’ Association for their generous contribution towards the games and also to those parents and pupils who have donated unwanted games.

Peer supportcurrent fashion and real street appeal for the younger market. the two winners were erin hushon whose military style jacket and jeans could have come straight from a Cheryl Cole video and eve kershaw, whose dress married up two quite different styles; the blue denim side hints at a military style with epaulettes and rivets on the sleeve while the cut-away red side shows a softer, more feminine aspect. Both were excellent and, as it was impossible to choose between them, we had to have two winners!

eeSDespite giving up their last three days of term and missing out on festive celebrations around school, this year’s engineering education Scheme team had an enjoyable learning experience at Birmingham University.

Based in the Civil engineering department and under the watchful eye of engineers from our sponsor company Arup, the four lower Sixth pupils produced a model solution to demonstrate work completed over the last few weeks.

After an excellent final presentation to all the other eeS groups, Ben, Beth, Phil and Will returned to school ready for a rest, before embarking on writing their final report next term which leads to their presentation day, in Solihull, in early May.

the involvement of pupils in supporting the pastoral side of the school is deemed to be very important and we are pleased to report that our first Peer Support team is now in place and working with the Shell formers.

Bablakeexperiences

6

Guten appetit

Viva españa

Holocaust testimony

Madrid – a city of fun, culture and sunshine! You wouldn’t necessarily have guessed this judging by the mood of the party at the early hour of the morning when we left school. Spirits gradually rose and we soon arrived at Aeropuerto de Madrid-Barajas. We were immediately perplexed by the sheer

number of escalators and luggage belts, which managed to misplace one student’s suitcase briefly, but all of that was put behind us as the golden Spanish sunshine struck us.

The hustle and bustle of the city centre and the calm of the hotel were soon replaced by the sights and sounds of Madrid Zoo, which contained a vast amount of weird and wonderful animals, including the rare Iberian Lynx and some very talented dolphins!

Other fabulous places we visited included El Palacio Real, the Spanish equivalent of Buckingham Palace, the Warner Brothers theme park (which turned into a very wet day out), La Plaza de Torros de Las Ventas, the third largest bullring in the world, and finally Estadio Santiago Bernabéau, home of Real Madrid football club. Never before had any of us seen so many trophies in one room.

Despite some of the party falling ill during the week, a good time was had by all. A few new members of the Bablake family were even gathered up along the way and are now on display at school. Special mention must go to Mrs O’Neill who organised the trip and to Mr and Mrs Timothy for helping to keep an eye on us, even though Mr Timothy’s choice of shirts was questionable at times!

earlier in the term our fifth Year gCSe candidates and the third Year visited Beth Shalom, the national holocaust Centre, and, after seeing the garden display and exhibition, listened to the moving story of holocaust survivor, eva Clarke.

She spoke mainly of her mother’s courage in defeating the horrors of first theresienstadt (terezin) and then Auschwitz Birkenau. it was revealed that eva was born in the latter, a fact that made her mother’s life even more remarkable since so few of the pregnant or newly born left the camps alive.

Mrs Clarke spoke with the dignity and confidence that distinguish so many of the survivors, describing her family’s life in Prague, the concentration camps and life after liberation.

Questions from those present probed her belief in a god, her Jewish heritage, whether her survival was luck or faith, her treatment in england, her forgiveness for the nazis and so much more.

in her final statements, Mrs Clarke encouraged everyone to condemn racism, use their democratic vote, stand up for the rights of individuals, and not condemn germans for the crimes of their ancestors. She also urged us all to find out as much as possible about our own family heritage from parents and grandparents.

Just before the Christmas and New Year break, pupils were treated to some traditional festive delights from Germany and Austria. On offer was Stollen (German Christmas cake), as well as a range of Lebkuchen, Dominosteine and Spekulatius.

Everyone tucked in and enjoyed sampling the treats. Mrs Smith brought in the fantastic gingerbread house pictured that she had decorated with her children. It really was a work of art!

The activity was just one of the seasonal activities that happened at Languages Club in the run up to the end of term. Pupils had made Christmas crackers with tongue twisters inside in French, German and Spanish and had also decorated biscuits to hang on the Christmas tree. This activity was done in conjunction with Year Six pupils at the Junior School, who took time out of their busy schedule to have a bit of festive fun.

Pupils are currently making masks for Karneval and Mardi Gras and we hope to share some of these with you in the next issue.

lower Sixth pupil and Spanish A level student, Joe barr has kindly submitted the following report on the recent school trip to Madrid.

the lion Spring 2011

Some of our Upper Sixth pupils from the enrichment course and Second Year pupils have already had a chance to try traditional Spanish food including paella, tortilla española, chorizo, patatas bravas, albóndigas, calamares and much more, and a visit for Shell pupils is scheduled for Sunday 3rd April.

Courtesy of the manager, Mr Robert fisher, we have free cooking and tasting workshops coming up for pupils studying Spanish.

So next time you are in Solihull, why not try some delicious tapas and freshly prepared paella? the restaurant is open every day and if you take this issue of The Lion with you, you will receive a special offer from the manager.

a flavour of SpainWe are lucky to have established a link with a Spanish tapas bar and restaurant la tasca in Solihull (http://www.latasca.co.uk/solihull/).

Bablakeexperiences

7BABlAke SChool

keeping iT in The FAMilyCongratulations to Scout leader Joshua Baines (Upper Sixth), who travelled to Switzerland during the Christmas holidays to be assessed in mountain safety, first aid, skiing ability, teaching ability and leadership. he, along with mum laura, Scout District Commissioner and Bablake Admissions officer, was assessed by the Swiss Ski School and they were both awarded the Scout Association Ski Permit which allows them to lead and teach in europe. Joshua has been skiing since the age of two and a half and is believed to be one of the youngest members of the Scout Association to have gained this permit.

WelcoMe bAckMany of the Year of 2003 returned to Bablake for their graduation ceremony. After an introduction from headmaster Mr John Watson, Mr Jim Burns (former head of 6th form) delivered a well received satirical reminder of some of the year’s final moments at school before issuing the students with their certificates.

for the students, with the majority having finished their first term at university, it was a great chance to catch up with their peers and enjoy a final formal glance at their alma mater.

Mr Jim Burns commented: ‘it was excellent to see so many of last year’s U6th again. i look forward to hearing about their successes in the years to come and sincerely hope that they keep in touch with the school.’

AMeliA’S poliTicAl AdvenTuRefifth former Amelia Brook recently enjoyed a day at the house of Commons in her role as one of Coventry’s two Uk Youth Parliament members. this was clearly a day Amelia had looked forward to for a few years and it certainly did not disappoint.

Amelia was one of 300 aspiring politicians who attended the event. the representatives, who came from all over the country, took part in five debates during the day: university fees, sex education, free transport, the war in iraq and finally job opportunities for the young.

each debate lasted 30 minutes and was marshalled by John Bercow, the Speaker of the house. When asked whether she had spoken in the Chamber, Amelia said: ‘i was desperately keen to have my say. i stood up five or six times but was unfortunately not chosen!’

news in brief

¡hola! My name is isabel Maria, i am also known as isa and i am working at Bablake as a Spanish language Assistant.

i am Spanish, i come from the south of Spain from ‘Andalucía’. You might have heard about it because it is a very touristy and popular region. My city is Jaen, quite close to granada.

i have lived in Malaga and Jaen, where i went to university, and i hold a double diploma in english language and tourism.

it has always been my passion to teach, so i decided to become a language teacher. i started teaching english in Spain, working firstly at summer camps and later at the university.

i have been very lucky in working at Bablake this year and am also working at king henry Viii and at Coventry University, which gives me an opportunity to see different kinds of schools and ways of teaching. My intention is to learn from everyone in order to become a better teacher myself.

Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and it has such a rich and fun culture that i am sure you are all willing to find out more about it. therefore i encourage you to take Spanish and enjoy it!

¿Vale?

My name is Servane Méléard and i am the french language assistant at Bablake school. i am 22 years old and grew up in Brittany (more precisely in Côtes d’Armor) and have studied

in Rennes, which is close to fousseau. i enjoy reading, listening to music and going to the cinema but am not very sporty, even though i practised dance for more than 12 years. in france i studied Philosophy for three years and got my degree in 2009. i then decided to study english literature and language as it has always been a passion of mine and am currently in my second year of english studies which i really enjoy.

Being an assistant is by far the best thing that happened to me so far as it is a great opportunity to enter the teaching world and learn more about a different educational system. i am having such a good time here at Bablake; i think that the school is amazing and i really enjoy working with such devoted pupils. the environment in which they are studying is very good thanks to the work of the teachers; they offer so much knowledge to pupils, and they really want them to succeed. Working here has made me realise how much i love teaching and that i really want to make it my job in the future. After this year in Coventry, i will go on with my degree, and then i will train to become a teacher in france or abroad.

hallo aus Salzburg!Since october 2011 i have been working at two different schools in Coventry, at Blue Coat School and Bablake. My name is Christine Seidl and i am from

Salzburg in Austria. As an Austrian, of course i love to ski, because

our mountains are beautiful. Since childhood i have loved gymnastics, i have also taken part in gymnastics competitions and have taught gymnastics to children for many years .

During my studies i have spent a year in Australia where i gained much experience for my future. After my studies as an elementary school teacher, i wanted to go to another country to gain more experience as a teacher and to acquire more knowledge. it is also a great advantage to meet other people from other cultures and countries and above all, improve my knowledge of the english language. i like to meet with my friends from different countries and we like to cook together (one time i cook something from Austrian cuisine for my friends and another time they cook italian or french food).

i am enjoying my time in england; people are very nice and helpful and for me it is especially interesting to work in two totally different types of schools.

it is also very exciting to learn about the english education system, because it is different in so many areas, compared to Austrian schools.

Bablakepeople

8 the lion Spring 2011

Hallo! Hola! Bonjour!

Isabel Maria Cobo Palacious Servane MéléardChristine Seidl

Bablakepeople

9BABlAke SChool

‘He had a very sharp mind and a tremendous sense of humour’

Many former pupils associated with Bablake, khViii and the Coventry School foundation will be saddened by the news that Mr Jeff Vent MBe died on 4th november 2010 at the age of 85.

his association with the foundation schools is a very long one. he taught languages at khViii, and, after retirement, remained a very active member of both school communities, running fundraising campaigns, maintaining strong links with former pupils, organising reunions, attending concerts and watching cricket.

Jeff made a very significant contribution to the setting up of fousseau, and had an encyclopaedic knowledge of former pupils and their whereabouts. While he had been seen less at Bablake latterly, because of deteriorating mobility, he came to this year’s Art and Design exhibition and the beginning of term reception, as well as a concert before half-term.

he had a very sharp mind and a tremendous sense of humour. he made the two schools, and particularly khViii, his life, and he will be sorely missed.

oBitUARY

We congratulate Matt lewis on having been invited to join the prestigious national Youth orchestra after successfully passing a series of nerve-wracking auditions.

Already a school prefect with very strong A grades in all his AS levels, Matt has a thoroughly impressive three grade 8 awards for the Bassoon, Recorder and Music theory, two of which are at distinction level.

As well as looking forward to performing with bassoonists of a similar age, Matt will enjoy playing at the liverpool Philharmonic hall, london’s Barbican hall and other superb venues.

Matt has attended one residential and will attend two more. the highlight of the whole experience will surely be performing at the Proms next summer. We will wish him well for the whole venture and will proudly follow his progress.

My community service takes place at Coundon Primary School every Wednesday, where I help the teachers with bicycle ability classes. I get involved in jobs such as

pumping up tyres, ABC checks (air, brakes and chain), setting up the ‘limbo’ equipment and demonstrating such skills as slaloming in order to avoid potholes, and much more. I have also helped with Gymnastics lessons, although I

don’t do any demonstrating in these! I think that the hardest task is remembering pupils’ names and the best thing is watching the children learn and improve their skills for cycling safely on the road.

My funniest moment was hearing all the pupils chant my name once I had finished demonstrating the slaloming technique!

fifth form pupil lee Paplauskas tells of his Community Service Volunteer role.

working in the community

nyo success

jeff Vent

10 the lion Spring 2011

Bablakenews

Trading their classroom for a TV set, Harpreet Chohan, Alex Clarke, Nikolaus Elz and Frank Sackey featured in a documentary on Coventry, acting as shopping channel presenters encouraging people to donate money.

The challenge set was part of the Future Leaders Programme that Progressive Educational Tools ran in a bid to encourage team and leadership skills. Frank Sackey conveyed his enthusiasm for the project: ‘Alex and I had both worked with PET before and this time we really enjoyed being given a managing role in the task. Scripting the programme was excellent and I enjoyed the reaction in the city centre when we took a sofa with us on our fundraising venture.’

Fleur Sexton, Joint MD of Progressive Educational Tools, said: ‘The pupils were fantastic. They rose to each challenge with real energy and application. They have all the makings of future leaders and represent the entrepreneurs of the future. They have a commitment to achieving results, great team working skills, self-belief and above all, a true determination to succeed.’

I have been at Bablake now for six years, and during those years have always been interested in watching various Sixth Formers trying to make money for charity at the annual

Christmas Fair. I was therefore very excited to discover in the pupil diary that there was a Young Enterprise Club for Third Years.

So, in between netball practice, gymnastics, table tennis, clarinet lessons and the odd bit of unfinished homework, and, as Friday lunchtime seemed relatively free, I thought I would quite like to give it a try! After consulting my friend, confidante and soon to be ‘business partner’ Rubi Ingaglia, we decided to go along on Friday lunchtime.

Our brief was ‘to think of something you like and enjoy doing, to sell at the Christmas Fayre’. We were a little confused by this brief but after a brain storming session we came

up with the things we like: cakes, muffins, cupcakes, icing sugar, cakes, pink, sweeties, cakes etc. etc.

After a lot of false starts and headaches we finally decided on our own product, uniquely called ‘little cakes’, with recipe cards to match. After breaking the news, gently, to our respective mums, that we needed to make over 100 little cakes, the rest of the planning was plain sailing.

The branding of our business incorporated a colour scheme for our stall – pink, of course, with a modern black and white twist reflecting our quality and style.

The day went brilliantly; we were busy all day and sold out of everything, even our table decorations, despite the bad weather! It was a great challenge and to make £102 profit for the Young Carers charity was a fantastic achievement.

here, third Year pupil Sophie Zgraja tells of her enterprise experience.

Sweet success

‘The branding of our business incorporated a colour scheme for our stall - pink, of course’

Pet projectRecently, four of our fifth Year and lower Sixth pupils joined forces with gavan Jassi from khViii to raise more than £200 for the housing and homelessness charity Shelter.

11BABlAke SChool

Bablakenews

the brave band of ‘Bablake Bandileros’ captured here with their motivator and honorary ‘Mo Sista’ Mrs Alyson heath, undertook the task of growing some facial finery in order to raise money for the Movember Prostate Cancer trust. this involved a great deal of itching, a few fall outs with partners but a great deal of goodwill and humour.

Mrs Alyson heath said: ‘they have been a very willing group to organise and have been excellent sports to expose their hairy faces to pupils, parents and their fellow colleagues for the whole of the month. of course there is a very serious side to the campaign and, as well as a tremendous amount of money being raised, a lot of awareness has been created in school about Prostate Cancer.’

Many congratulations to the Bandileros as they raised a most impressive £3000.

Showing our spots for pudseyShells took part in a competition to design a Pudsey-themed bunting flag. We had several very original designs using all manner of materials such as paint, fabric, beads and crayons. each winner received a selection box.

in addition to this, Daniel Cox raised £40 by taking part in a solo ‘Readathon’, 2W held a Pudsey raffle and 4f carried out a “guess the baby” competition. Along with the weekly charity collection we were able to send a £600 cheque to Children in need.

charity total at the end of the Autumn Term was £6,848

Bablake’s Weather Station was an ideal place for a 20 strong delegation from the Chinese Meteorological Office to visit since it is quite unique, having existed inside a school for over 30 years, and is now recognised officially by the Met Office.

Together with his pupil volunteers, Mr Steve Jackson, Head of Geography and the Weather Station, greeted the delegation amid the traditional surrounds of our main staircase before taking the party to our Community Room for refreshments and delivering a brief presentation about the Weather Station.

Accompanied by former pupil, Jonathan Smith, the delegates then had a chance to travel to the games field to look at the Weather Station in greater detail.

The delegation was in the UK for 21 days on a fact-finding tour, so Bablake was very honoured to be included

weather for the world

in the itinerary. The delegates were particularly interested to learn how a school contributed to the Met Office’s climatological network and how we serve the public and the local community in Coventry & Warwickshire.

‘It is uplifting to speak with

weather enthusiasts

from the other side

of the world!’

As we have some students from China with us for two years in the Sixth Form, the delegation was greeted in Mandarin, so it was quite an experience for us all, especially the Weather Station’s pupil helpers.

Asked about the visit Mr Steve Jackson said: ‘Bearing in mind the tight schedule of their itinerary, it was certainly a privilege to be included in it.’

Charity news

Will Power: An Evening of ShakespeareAt the end of March, the Junior Dramatic Society presented two abbreviated versions of Shakespearean drama. Mr Pease directed Henry V; and Ms Ewart made her directorial debut at Bablake with A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It has been really encouraging to see our younger pupils handling Shakespearean text with confidence. A full account of the productions will be given in the next edition of The Lion.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011 Sadly our venue of many years in Edinburgh – Diverse Attractions – is being refurbished, and so our play this year, our 25th consecutive year in Edinburgh, will be taking place in a new space! As yet, not all details have been confirmed, but as soon as all pieces are in place we will be looking forward to this exciting milestone.

Bablakearts

12 the lion Spring 2011

‘What good is sitting alone in your room?Come hear the music play’

At the end of last term the Dramatic Society presented Cabaret in the school theatre. There were over 100 people involved in all aspects of the production from beginning to end, and it was good to see them being rewarded with excellent audience numbers and enthusiastic comments. The atmosphere was set from the beginning with the stage footlights and smoky background of the Kit Kat Klub. As soon as Dan Wye as the MC led into Willkommen, and grabbed the audience, he had them looking forward to his every other appearance. The story of Sally Bowles (Hannah Elsy) meeting with American ‘novelist’ Clifford Bradshaw (Alex Hoare) is well known, but the play’s concern with the Jewish Herr Schultz (Chris Starkey) and his German fiancée Frau Schneider (Emily Lewis) has no part in the Liza Minnelli film, but in the play they have many of the best songs.

It was definitely an ensemble piece: without the chorus of Kit Kat Girls, club goers and background of growing Nazi sympathisers, the play would not have had the stage presence and atmosphere it achieved. With strong singing and dancing, great songs, and a darkening mood leading to the removal of the MC, led away by Nazis to a certain fate, this was a production that was both entertaining and moving.

‘Auf wiedersehen, à bientôt, good night…’

Africa comes to Bablake!The music department is celebrating this term, following the purchase of 16 djembes and assorted African percussion. Bablake Parents’ Association has very kindly provided the funding for us to develop our world music learning by buying and using the djembes with our lower school and Junior School pupils. African drumming is a very accessible, community-based experience that anyone can take part in, and our Shell classes are currently learning about the history and culture surrounding African drumming and developing their rhythmic skills by drumming, along whilst learning some traditional African songs.

‘life is a Cabaretold chum’

13BABlAke SChool

Bablakesport

Anyone FoR polo?trying to hit a small ball with a four foot long stick five feet below shoulder height is an absurd pursuit. it is also great fun as 29 pupils and three members of staff found out when visiting Rugby Polo Club for a polo taster session. the Club ensured we felt welcome from the start of the session and provided expert tuition and well-humoured banter throughout. “this is awesome”, “i love it”, “Can we come back next week?” are just some of the individual quotes that sum up the collective experience. look out for the Bablake Polo team in the programme for the national Schools tournament this time next year!

AShleigh-dAnielle gReenAshleigh-Danielle green, an important member of our excellent U16 netball squad that is one step away from another nationals appearance, is celebrating after receiving a £500 donation from the Mars Refuel Drink fund.

Ashleigh started playing netball aged seven and is now a member of the Warwickshire County Academy. She has also gained a place on the West Midlands Regional excel programme, as well as playing regularly for Coventry’s henley netball club and Bablake.

Asked about the award, Ashleigh said: ‘i’m so excited to have received the funding from Mars Refuel. My ambition is to make it into the england U17 or U19 team. i now train every day, which is a big commitment to fit around my school work.

the funding from Mars Refuel will help me to pay for the fees for regional, county and local training. it will also help with the travel costs for getting to training and matches all over the country, as well as contributing to paying for the four different netball kits i now need!’

the junior teams have continued to make progress and have had a number of netball and hockey matches over the last half term with many pleasing results. the U13 netball team participated in the foremarke hall invitational tournament on the first weekend of the term, where they played outstanding netball throughout the day, winning their pool and semi final. however, in the final their opponents, Bromsgrove, proved too tough for them but this was an excellent start to the term and we congratulate the team.

the U12s have continued to be committed and enthusiastic with their sport and numbers in both netball and hockey club are high. the girls have made good progress with their individual skills and through playing numerous fixtures they have begun to apply the skills in match play. four netball teams played Princethorpe during a sunny games afternoon, and all four Bablake teams were victorious – an excellent achievement and well deserved after all their hard work.

once again thanks should be given to all the staff who give their time in coaching practices and teaching games lessons; the excellent achievements in girls’ sport are testament to this hard work.

girls’ Sport the girls’ teams have continued to have great success both on the netball courts and hockey pitches this term.

the term started off on a high note, when the U16 indoor hockey team represented the Midlands at the national indoor finals in Southampton. the team captain, Beth Jepson, had the following to say about the weekend away: “We were all really excited to get to the national indoor finals after coming runners up to Repton in the Midlands round. there was enthusiasm throughout the team knowing that we were the first ever Bablake team to be playing at the indoor nationals. After narrowly losing our first two games, we pulled ourselves together to win the third 4-3. on the final day we lost by one goal, but our team spirit was still high. We really enjoyed the experience and were proud to represent Bablake!”

in netball the U16s have continued their winning ways, as they and the U19 team both qualified for the netball national finals. in the West Midlands round of the tournament, both teams met tough opposition throughout the tournament. the U19s were involved in a particularly close competition with the final pool results being decided in the last match. in the end the U16 team beat king’s Worcester 15-14 in the semi final, before losing 10-15 to Bromsgrove in the final. the U19 team beat king edward’s lichfield 12-9 in the semi final, before losing by 3 goals to Wrekin in the final. Both teams are now preparing with lots of effort and enthusiasm in training, and will no doubt do the school proud in Southampton.

the U15 netball teams have also been successful of late; both teams won their respective Coventry Schools Competitions, by winning all of their matches in the round robin tournaments. Well done, girls!

Bablakesport

14 the lion Spring 2011

the defence and scoring in the first half, the U16s were unable to score again, hitting the post twice and having a ball cleared on the goal line. final score: 1-2. With two schools qualifying for the next round, Bablake needed to win their last game against hosts newcastle-Under-lyne by 4 goals to go through in second place on goal difference. the U16s started excellently and played their best hockey of the season, scoring 4 goals in the first half. in the second half Jack Webber and Mark Best continued to be ruthless in front of goal; an emphatic 7-1 victory secured passage into the Midlands round of the national Cup. the boys should be congratulated for their achievements and hard work.

2011 has also begun excellently for Bablake’s 1st Xi hockey vice-captain Will kenney-herbert. We are delighted to report he has been selected to represent Wales at U18 level for a second season.

last year Will played seven matches for Wales U18 and he is now looking forward to playing more internationals this season; these would, of course, include the euro nations championships in the summer.

2-0 winners. this meant the U16s finished top of their pool and faced a strong ke Birmingham side in the semi-final.

Bablake U16s pulled out a tremendous performance, playing some of the best hockey of the season. A convincing 3-0 win meant Bablake progressed to the final, safe in the knowledge they had qualified for the Midlands zonal round of the cup. familiar opponents Rugby School lined up to decide who would emerge county champions, and after a closely fought 25 minutes of hockey the game finished goalless. Penalty flicks decided the winners, and unfortunately the U16s narrowly lost out 3-2 despite a couple of fantastic saves from Jake Basra in goal.

the Midlands Zonal round was hosted at newcastle-Under-lyme on 1st March. the U16s faced their toughest opponents in the first game against oundle. Conceding an early goal, the team fought back valiantly to level the score at 1-1 with 5 minutes to go. however, oundle scored two late goals in the closing minutes to clinch victory. in the second game Bablake faced Adam’s grammar School. Despite constant pressure on

Boys’ Sport Rugby Bablake 1st XV completed their season with a fine win against king henry Viii in the annual derby held at Coventry Rugby Club’s Butts Park Arena. in front of a large vocal crowd the match was fiercely competitive but assured goalkicking by henry Chamberlain and penetrative solo runs resulting in tries for Chuka ogbuneke, kilian kleine and David Dwyer proved decisive in the 25-16 win over a courageous and talented khViii side. this fixture is a splendid opportunity for both teams to play in front of a four figure crowd and the partisan support for both teams is much appreciated. We look forward to the next encounter in 2012.

this win sealed a fine season for the 1st XV who have won 13 out of their 16 fixtures with one of the remaining results being a fantastic draw away to Sedbergh Development in the Peter Bush Memorial Match.

the Under 15s can, however, boast an even finer record with just one loss so far this season, whilst the U15B team remains the only undefeated side in the school! elsewhere Bradley Pinkham and Matthew Bird should be congratulated for their selection for Warwickshire U14s as should Jamie Jack, Jake Dolphin, Daniel Smith, and Paul gascoigne for their selection to the Coventry U14 team.

hockey the U16 Boys’ hockey Warwickshire County tournament was hosted by Warwick School on Monday 24th January. the day could not have got off to a better start with Bablake scoring against Rugby School within 40 seconds. Bablake then soaked up continued pressure from Rugby to win their first pool game 1-0. in the second pool game, opponents lawrence Sheriff showed great fight and determination but Bablake proved to be the stronger side, playing solid hockey and emerging

Bablakesport

15BABlAke SChool

in the Shells, katerina Jackson came first in the individual league and City Championship Competition; eleanor Bonas finished second in the individual league and fourth in the City Championship Competition and Anna Price came fifth in the City Championship.

At U14 level, the girls won the U14 league Championship team event and in the City Championship race, lydia turner came fifth, grace harrold seventh and Daisy Williams tenth. the U14 girls were also first in the team competition for the Coventry league Championship. tom Betts was sixth in the City Championship race.

At U16 level, lewis Marshall, James faulkner and Richard Price won the Coventry Senior Boys Cross Country Relay Championship. Richard Price was second in the U16 individual Coventry league Championship. in the City Championship race, the boys were place as follows: lewis Marshall third, Richard Price fourth and James faulkner sixth.

At U19 level, Jamie Cozens came first in the Coventry league Championship and first in the City of Coventry Championship race.

A number of pupils also took part in the West Midlands Schools Championship and some are now eligible to run for the City of Coventry Cross Country team. Well done to all of our runners on some great performances.

TAble TenniSPaul lilley’s impressive performance at the recent U14 West Midlands regional table tennis trials has led to his qualification for the national finals in Doncaster later this year.

finishing in a three way tie for second place, Paul was eventually placed third overall on games countback and will now compete against the top 40 U14s in the country.

Bablake teacher Mr Shoyeb Memon, currently playing league table tennis in nuneaton’s first Division, is delighted with the progress Paul has made since joining the senior school. ‘We have concentrated on useful drills at practices and Paul has worked very hard at his game developing an aggressive top-spin attack. i wish him all the best for the nationals!’

congRATulATionShenry Chamberlain and Will thornhill, two of the five 1st XV players to have been selected for the Warwickshire squad this season, have received further reward as they have been awarded the 2010 Best Back and Best forward trophies respectively.

Congratulations also go to kilian kleine, who is currently training with the german U18 squad in preparation for the european Championships at easter.

finally, congratulations to 1st XV winger Chuka ogbuneke who, before the snow and winter freeze disrupted the Autumn term sports programme, successfully gained a place in the Midlands U18 rugby squad.

Chuka has been a stalwart of the rugby teams throughout his time at Bablake and the school is delighted that his ability has been recognised.

Cross country

bablakeupdate

16 the lion Spring 2011

Bablake School, Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AU

t +44 (0)24 7627 1200 f +44 (0)24 7627 1290e info@bablake.coventry.sch.ukw www.bablake.com

Design: by Mustard: www.mustardhot.com

Printed on paper sourced from sustainably managed forests.

As I write, half-term has been predominantly damp and dull, and stories of

economic gloom darken the pages of our newspapers. In such a ‘climate’, it would be tempting to succumb to a pessimistic outlook and to drink further from a glass that may already seem half-empty.

However, as teachers we are privileged to work in an environment where our glass is habitually half-full. We are surrounded by young people with enormous potential, and are very mindful of our responsibility in nurturing their unique talents and personalities. Despite adults’ nostalgic comparisons with days gone by and fears over society’s future, our children mostly see their glass as half-full. They should be open to the many opportunities of our age, curious about their place in life and determined in their belief that they can share a bright present, whilst working hard to build a promising future. This edition of The Lion is no different from any other in celebrating and bearing ample testimony to their numerous achievements – achievements which are the fruit of a strong bond of caring collaboration between pupils, staff and parents.

I spent the one sunny day of half-term in the garden, clearing away the soggy remains of last year’s colourful splendour, and heartened by the burgeoning buds and bulbs which are a foretaste of spring. And, like you, I have also been following the scenes of courageous and costly optimism as Arab states edge towards a reawakening of youthful hope and vigorous belief in a better future.

Spring is surely on the way, and we look forward to days which are full of positive, creative and determined endeavour.

We shall bid farewell to some highly valued and dedicated members of staff at the end of this academic year, and I shall write with further details next term. In the meantime, I am pleased to announce the following appointments for September:

Miss Alison Learmont, ChemistryMiss Learmont was educated at Stockport Grammar School and has degrees in Pharmacology and Clinical Veterinary Medicine from Jesus College, Cambridge. She worked for a short period as a Veterinary Surgeon, and is currently completing the Graduate Teacher Programme, teaching Chemistry and Biology, at Coundon Court and Caludon Castle, and under the auspices of the University of Warwick.

Miss Kelly Butler, Geography Miss Butler grew up in Scunthorpe, before studying Geography with Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham. She spent a year as a Teaching Assistant following SEN pupils at Merrill College in Derby, before enrolling for a PGCE, also at the University of Nottingham. She is passionate about outdoor activities.

DiaryHeadmaster’s notes

Staff news

Wednesday 27 April Summer term Begins

Friday 29 April Royal Wedding, School closed

Monday 2 May May Day, School closed

Tuesday 24 May Junior Music Scholar Concert eDM 7.00pm

Monday 30 May – Friday 3 June half term

Wednesday 15 June new Shells Parents evening 7.00pm

Saturday 18 June PA oBno and new Shell Disco

Tuesday 21 June Summer Music Concert eDM 7.00pm

Friday 24 June open evening 5.00pm – 8.00pm

Monday 4 July Sports Day

Wednesday 6 July Summer term ends

RAchel clARingbullOn one of the coldest nights of the year, Lower Sixth pupil Rachel Claringbull spent a night sleeping rough in Digbeth, Birmingham to highlight the problem of the homeless.

Working with the St Basils charity and facing sub zero freezing conditions, Rachel really felt braving the elements was worthwhile as she managed to raise over £750.

Postscript