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TWO GREAT NATIONS ONE GLORIOUS FUTURE
By Payal Dattani 11A and Nidhi Dattani 10D
On Friday, 13th November 2015, we had the opportunity to
go and see the Prime Minister of India, Mr Narendra Modi.
It was an honour to be present at such an event, where over
60,000 seats were filled, which was an astounding number.
The evening started with entertainment from over ten different
cultures. There was a sense of unity between the two countries
which was clear from the wide range of performances, from
Scottish to Hindustani, different styles from bagpipes to dhols
and from Kathak to yoga.
Mr David Cameron started his speech by capturing the attention
of the Indian crowd by commenting that they were “used to
meeting on a cricket pitch and it can be a pretty tense battle.”
He went on to speak about the value of the British-Indian
community, which he said is part of “putting the great into Great
Britain.” This made many British Indians feel appreciated and
proud. He also mentioned Modi’s past, referring to when he
was only a tea seller. “They said a chaiwallah can’t govern the
largest democracy and he proved them wrong.” This mention
brought pride to everyone in the audience. Modi had said that,
“Achchhe din ane wale hai” or ‘good days are on their way’
but Cameron added to that by saying, “Achchhe din zaroor
aayega” or ‘good days are definitely on their way.’ Hearing
Cameron speak in Hindi bought a smile to Modi’s face and
surprised us.
As the anticipation grew whilst engaged in the performances,
Modi finally took to the stage. He started off in English but
quickly switched to Hindi, saying “I have come to you after 12
years.” His last visit to the UK was in 2003. One thing we were
captivated by was how Modi expressed the great importance
of the unique connection between the two nations which brought
them together. For example, he spoke about how if you have
a watch set to British time, when you turn it upside down it
shows the time in India. A major announcement that Modi had
made was that from the 15th of December 2015, there will
be direct flights from London to Ahmedabad. After hearing
this, the audience was overjoyed by this news as it was much
awaited. Modi also says India can show the world the right way
to deal with two pressing global issues: terrorism and global
warming. He says Mahatma Gandhi’s life, his messages and
his non-violent path can help free the world from both of these
problems.
It was a great opportunity and experience to be at Wembley
Stadium welcoming the Indian Prime Minister back to England
after 12 years. We felt a sense of pride that the UK was
hosting such a grand event for such a prestigious public figure.
YEAR 7 AND 8 INTER-FORM CROSS COUNTRY
For the first time in a very long time the Years 7 and 8
inter-form cross country competitions were held at school.
The weather stayed fine and the girls attacked the course
with gusto, which began and finished at Main School. The
top three runners in the Year 7 A race were Maggie Fleet,
Keshini Emmanuel and Aaliya Ansari with the first three in
the B race being Amy Osborne, Leonie Chauhan and Rosie
Pettifer. The Year 8 race followed the Year 7 course with
an added loop to increase the distance run. The A race
was won by Sarah Nabney, followed by Amelie Graham
and Inuri Rathnaweera and the B race had Isla Usmani first
home with Avni Patel and Alice West hot on her heels. A
great run by every girl in the two year groups with everyone
making an effort to run their best performance – fabulous!
Gymnastics Master Class at Dolphina
Gymnastics Centre
A selection of girls from the
Advanced Gymnastics Squad were
given the opportunity to practise
their skills at Dolphina Gymnastics
centre on the 2nd March. Girls
enjoyed themselves practising
on bars, beam, floor and vault
and were able to run through
their floor routines in preparation
for the District Floor Competition which is being held at
Dolphina on the 18th March.
Gymnastics Floor Competition against
Habs - 4th February 2016
Each of our Watford Girls
Gymnastics team had to perform
an individual floor routine which
had a mixture of acrobatic moves,
strength,
flexibility,
balances,
jumps, spins and leaps. They
were judged on their ability to execute their moves in an
aesthetically pleasing manner.
Squad:
EllaWarren, Rosie Pettifer, Parmis Gharvan, Rianna Kansara,
Penelope Martin, Lucy Wang, Vislesha Vinjamuri
Well done to all competitors, especially Rianna, Rosie and
Parmis for being medal winners.
Miss Laffoley
Football
The U13 Football Team have had an impressive season,
winning every league game played. Their highest scored
game was against RMS where the team scored six goals.
There was some very impressive play from Sarah O’Brien
and Maggie Fleet. Ellen Harrison has been very influential
in every game with some excellent work down the wing.
The team have also beaten Bushey Meads, St Margaret’s
and St Joan of Arc, with just one game left of the season
against Westfield.
The Senior Football team have been undefeated this
season, scoring an impressive 17 goals and conceding
just 3. Alice Gibbons should get a particular mention for
both scoring and setting up a number goals. We have had
the opportunity to compete in a number of seven-a-side
tournaments, where once again the girls have proved
themselves to be strong opponents. The senior squad
displays impressive team work in every game.
HOCKEY REPORT MARCH 2016
The 1ST X1 have had some tough matches in the District
League. The squadhavetightenedup indefence inparticular
and should feel proud of their third place position at the
District tournament. There was much anticipation for the
Staff v 1st X1 match at the end of term which ended 0-0.
The U15 squad have been tremendously committed
throughout the season. Attendance at training has been
fantastic and subsequently performances in matches has
improved. One of the highlights of the season was at the
District Tournament where Mikhela Treon broke through
RMS’s strong defence to score a goal. This spurred the team
on to a victory against St Michael’s and a third place finish.
In the District league the U14 squad have only lost 1 match
to RMS There were some fantastic victories along the way,
including a 5-1 win against St Clement Danes. Attendance
at training has been outstanding and the squad have been
a pleasure to coach. The girls performed well at the District
Tournament; Kate Zamburlin has been a prolific goal scorer
throughout the season and she scored a hat trick in the 7-0
victory against St Clement Danes.
The commitment of the players has been fantastic and
many squad members have benefitted from joining their
local hockey clubs and playing for their clubs outside
school. Well done.
Badminton Report 2016
The Year 9 and 10 Badminton teams have been playing
in the Herts and Middlesex Badminton League.
The Year 10 team have had mixed results however they
enjoyed a convincing win against Northwood.
The Year 9 team have had some fantastic wins against
RMS, Queenswood and Northwood. The squad of Namia
Raby, Laura de Costa, Vihini Ragalage, Sophie Cheung
and Sarah O’Brien have played exceptionally well.
In addition to their success in the league, these girls won
the first round of the School Games and qualified for the
Regional round in Cambridge where they finished fifth
which is an excellent achievement. Well done!
Gym and Dance Display 2016
On Thursday the 10th March we held our annual
Gymnastics and Dance Show. This year approximately
140 students performed in 25 different pieces. There
was a large variety of dance styles including Kathak by
Deeva Shah and Tanaya Singh, Hip-Hop by Mya Odunuga
and Simi Shah, Gymnastics from Abbie Marin and
Isha Thakar, along with larger groups pieces from the
Advanced and Beginners Gymnastics Squads, Year 7 and
8 PE classes and a piece based on the Holocaust created
in a recent Dance Masterclass. All performances were
excellent and the girls worked incredibly hard.
