14
Jodie Godfrey (10D 2015/16) and Neha Usmani
(10A 2015/16) reflect upon the Year 9-10 trip to
Rome and the Bay of Naples during Easter 2016.
Is this a letter which I see before me, begging to be signed?
Or art thou just a letter of the mind, a false creation?
Upon placing our hopeful eyes on the letter which heralded
our journey deep into the depths of the fallen Roman
Empire, it immediately became clear to us where we would
be spending our Easter. Never had we felt such joy at the
sight of such an early hour displayed across our alarm clocks
(our parents were less pleased). The 29th March, much to
Mr Wynne's delight, brought a herd of cackling, overexcited
teenage Latinists anticipating the 8,648 minute adventure
across to Italy.
On the first day we wandered around the streets of Rome,
backpacks on our fronts and purple t-shirt on our backs.
The exploration of the Pantheon left us in a daze; we were
struck by the complexity of the architecture and the massive
hole in the ceiling left us gaping in nothing but wonder. The
scorching sun on the day we walked to the Trevi fountain
conjured thoughts of nothing but gelato; the creamy, cold,
fresh, delightful, mouth-watering divine goodness refreshing
our troubled souls. We had to wait until the next day to try it;
however this made it all the tastier.
After a treacherous journey led by Mr Bevan and his trusty
map, we arrived at the Colosseum; its gargantuan presence
bringing all the photos and pictures we'd previously studied
to life. As we walked through the 'O2' of its time, we could
almost witness the jubilant citizens cheering the wild and
vehement - from the Latin 'vehementer' by the way - beasts
that savagely murder their victims. That's right. The Romans
enjoyed some pretty cruel entertainments.
On the journey from Rome to Naples, unfortunately the
coach driver and most likely all other citizens of Italy were
deafened by what we considered to be a beautiful rendition
of Sia's
Chandelier
. Also featuring on every other coach
journey on that trip, not to mention the plane journeys, was
Bastille’s
Pompeii
and many more of the thousand songs which
we are sure all the staff thoroughly enjoyed listening to.
Eventually we got to the National Archaeological Museum of
Naples and, although we saw it mostly as an excuse to stretch
our legs after a long journey, our guided tour turned out to
be one of the highlights of the trip. As we journeyed closer to
our next hotel, the sight of Vesuvius created a new outburst
of excitement across the coach. The fact that we were to visit
Pompeii the following day, left us buzzing so much that we
found it difficult to sleep.
Visiting Pompeii was like being thrown back in time in this
ancient yet beautiful city. The vast scale of devastation left
us in sadness and awe; venturing through the cobbled streets
Caecilius himself had once set foot on was pretty special. The
feeling of wonder was overwhelming, leaving us with nothing
but amazement.
The climb up Vesuvius wasn't for the faint-hearted. The gift
shop gave us false hope of nearing the crater. If ever you find
yourself in this situation, don't allow it to fool you. There are
still miles to go. At the top we were struck by the phenomenal
view of the city, yet we were greeted by troubles and woes as
we descended the mountain; many suffered with blisters and
fatigue. However, this experience only served to strengthen
our bond as Latin sisters and the achievement of the climb
was definitely worth the effort.
Despite the fact that we were reluctant to return to the looming
exams, the end of the trip not only marked the beginning of
new interests and passion, but most of all a desire to learn
more about the wonders of the ancient world. For us, this eye-
opening experience has made Latin all the more exciting (if
that were possible).
Roaming Roman Ruins
T
he British Biology Olympiad consists of two one
hour multiple choice papers taken online
under exam conditions. This year it took
place between 20th - 28th January
2016.
The British Biology Olympiad
challenges and stimulates students
with an interest in Biology, to
expand and extend their talents.
It enables students to demonstrate
their knowledge and to be suitably
rewarded and publicly recognised by
the award of medals, certificates and other
prizes. It is hoped that competing in the Olympiad will
encourage students already interested in this valuable,
wide-ranging and rewarding subject to continue
their study beyond A-level.
7,200 students from 610 schools took
part this year. Six WGGS 2015/16
Upper Sixth students sat the two
papers. Silver medals and certificates
were awarded to Mythiri Sutharson
13F, Jessica Baird 13H, Eleonora Vulpe
13H, with Mythiri and Jessica being
one mark off achieving Gold. Highly
Commended certificates were awarded to
Suba Gnanasapanthan 13G and Rachel Lindsay
13C and a Commended certificate to Zainab Zamani.
B
iology Challenge (Junior Biology Olympiad) is a
challenging and interesting competition open to all 13-15
year olds and took place online in schools between Monday
7th and Tuesday 22nd March 2016. It consisted of two 25
minute papers with questions set on topics covered in most
general biology courses for pupils of this age. The Biology
Challenge also rewards those students whose knowledge
of the subject has been increased by reading books and
magazines, watching natural history programmes and taking
notice of the news media for items of biological interest,
students who are generally aware of our natural flora and
fauna.
108 Year 10 students completed both papers this year.
Saanchi Sehgal 10F 2015/16 achieved the highest score
being one mark away from attaning Gold. The results
were 20 Silvers, 25 Bronze, 33 Highly Commended and 30
Commended.
Mrs S Durward-Akhurst
STUDENT REPORT
15
Biology Olympiad Competition 2016
Biology Challenge Competition 2016
In May four Year 8 students attended the Salters’ Festivals of Chemistry in London. Here are their thoughts
on this event:
The day was full of amazing but challenging activities and experiments. The experience was extraordinary because it
allowed us to take part in experiments outside of the school labs, with chemicals that we hadn’t used before. There were
fascinating experiments that led into tough tasks which included finding a murderer using chromatography and identifying
six bottles of clear liquid with no guide or equipment involved! It was also interesting to see the university that the event was
held in and it gave us a flavour of the life of a university student. The festival taught us how broad the subject of Chemistry
is and how enjoyable it can be. Overall it was a wonderful experience and we hope to do something similar again!
Hermione Peart 8F, Bou Merritt 8F, Maya Patel 8C, Jaya Raval 8A (2015/16).
TheSalters’ Festivals of Chemistry
CHEMISTRY
BIOLOGY
A number of students from Year 10 and Year 13 take part in the Biology
Challenge and Biology Olympiad each year. These competitions are run by
the Royal Society of Biology and are open to students around the world.
STAFF & STUDENT REPORTS
