College Magazine September 2015

Transcription

College Magazine
September 2015
JCG Foundation
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Contents
Page
Page
Page
Editorial
Science
The Foundation
Foreword
4
An AS Student’s Journey to Bristol University’s School of Chemistry 14
Employability and Careers: My Journey
Editor’s Note
5
Meteors and Monica Grady
15
Why I Became a JCG Foundation Girl
39
Physics: An Adventure
16
Can EY Shape Your Future?
40
The Journey of a Red Blood Cell (A Poem)
17
What it Means to be Foundation Girls
41
College Life
35 - 38
Journey Through India
6
A Journey for Charity
7
Humanities
Journey to Year 13
8
Life After Death (Poems)
18
Is This the End of the Tiger’s Journey?
42
The Journey of the Conquistadores
19
Jenna’s Journey: A Harvard Application Essay (‘The Second Day’)
43
Sustainable Tourism
19
Languages
The Journey of Ageing (Poems)
9
The Locker
Illustration for ‘Boule de Suif ’ by Guy de Maupassant
10
Creativity
French Haiku
10
My Creative Journey
Medicine is its own Language
10
The Seafood of Jersey: A Journey from the Sea to our Plates
Philip Larkin’s Journeys
11
Voyage of Discovery
Liberation Poems
44 - 45
20
Travel Writing: New York
46 - 47
21
Travel Writing: Morocco
48
There is an Island (Short Story)
49
22 - 23
Performing Arts and PE
Mathematics
A Journey of Nothing
12
A Mathematical Journey: ‘Snakes and Ladders’
13
The Composers’ Concert and the Journey of Composition
24
JCG Prep
The Journey of Writing: Reception to Year 6
3
Creative Minds
25 - 34
Foreword
List of Contributors
Art
Front Cover by
Alice Jeacock-Fewtrell
Alice Langlois
Angelique Ison
Celine Willing
Florence Balderson
Georgia Haworth
Georgia Whitehead
Hannah Patel
Hannah Trigg
Hollie Donaldson
Holly Garnett
Jasmine Le Maistre
Laura Costard
Lauren Berry
Lucy Byrne
Lucy Garton
Mhari Mackenzie
Naomi Ryan
Phoebe Johnson
Rebecca Willing
Rochelle Merhet
Sienna Major
The artists of JCG Prep
Hannah Patel
Words
Abbie Cardy
Abbie Le Marquand
Adam Sykes
Alex Colston-Weekes
Alexander Lincoln
Aliyah Buesnel
Amelia Oldridge
Amiy Mabbs
Anna Edelenbos
Charlotte Le Gresley
Charlotte Woodside
Chloe Swetenham
Ciara Hayes
Clara Ashton-Barnett
David Jones
Ella-Mae Turnbull
Emilie Edelenbos
Emillie Thomson
Emily Bain
Emily Frost
Emily Warren
Emma Richard-DitLeschery
Esmé Layton
Fraser Hamilton
Giorgia Coupland
Grace Nolan
Grace O’Regan
Hannah Esnouf
Hannah Fennell
Hannah Owens
Hannah Willing
Heather Orpin
Holly Morel
Ieva Belova
India Sutton
Jasmin Gooch
Jenna Volpert
Jessica Hair
Jessica Winch
Julia Russ
Katie Bastiman
Katy Peggie
Kelly Gomes
Kenya Smith
Leia Harrison
Lily Carter
Lizzie Cornish
Carl Howarth, Principal
Lucas Le Cornu
Maddy Cameron
Matilda Phillips
Max Le Vesconte
Misha Le Claire
Molly Pallot
Molly Webster
Morgan Surcouf
Nadia Vernaglione
Naomi De Gruchy
Nina Blampied
Oliva Messervy-Gros
Olivia Bastin
Ruby Morrison
Sarah Ferraby
Sophia Mackenzie
Sophie Franckel
Stephanie Skiming
Storm Rothwell
Susannah Humphrey
Tay Buesnel
Teigan Purkiss
Vaishali Shah
Violet Summerfield
The Human Race has been making journeys ever
since we learnt how to walk and think. And now
our journeys go beyond the physical realm of our
planet and extend out towards the limits of our
universe as shown in the recent photos of Pluto.
Yet, and as many people have commented, wisely,
it is not the destination but the journey that really
matters. I would also add it is the partners along
the way that matter most. It is with this in mind
that I reflect on the words of Eusebius writing in
the 3rd century on the journey through life:
May I be no one’s enemy, and may I be the
friend of that which lasts for ever.
May I win no victory that harms either me or
those who compete against me.
May I help those who have quarrelled to be
friends with each other again.
May I, as far as I can, give practical help to my
friends and anyone who is in need.
May I never fail a friend who is in danger.
When I visit those who are grieving may I find
the right words to help heal their pain.
May I respect myself.
May I never quarrel with those nearest: and if I
do, may I be quick to restore the friendship.
May I always control my emotions.
May I love only what is good: always seek it and
work to achieve it.
May I train myself to be gentle and not allow
myself to become angry.
May I wish for everyone to find happiness and
not envy anyone their good fortune.
May I never whisper about wicked people and
the things they have done, but rather seek to
spend my time with good people and to follow
their good example.
May I never gloat when someone who has
wronged me suffers ill fortune.
When I have done or said something wrong, may
I not wait to be told off, but instead be angry
with myself until I have put things right.
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I hope you enjoy the words and images of our
students as they reflect on what ‘journey’ means
to them.
Editor’s Note
Simon Milner
Odysseus’s story shows us that journeys are not
always straightforward. It takes him years to
make it home and he faces many perils along the
way, not least the temptation of giving up and
forgetting about his destination. A book published
this year, written by influential education blogger
David Didau, helps us to think about learning
in a related way. The progress students make as
they learn can be thought of as a kind of journey,
from not knowing to knowing, but it is more like
Odysseus’s troubled wanderings than a simple bus
ride to school. Didau argues that ‘progress is, if
anything, halting, frustrating and surprising… the
linear metaphor in terms of movement from A-B
is unhelpful. The learner doesn’t go anywhere, but
develops a different relationship with what they
know.’ This is the sort of journey that is celebrated
in this issue of the College Magazine.
It has come to seem almost
inevitable that a participant on
a reality TV show, faced with
their own imminent return to
the real world, will comment on
their ‘incredible journey.’ The
journey metaphor is inescapable
because, in basic ways, it shapes
the way we understand our
lives. Phrases like ‘growing up’,
‘moving on’ and ‘taking the
next step’ all suggest physical
movement: they draw on the
language of journeys. This
fascination with the figure of the
journey is nothing new. Homer’s
The Odyssey, often presented
as a point of departure for the
‘journey’ of western literature,
tells the story of a journey home.
There is something comforting
about this, perhaps: we needn’t
always be ‘going places’ and, as
islanders like Odysseus, many of
our students will no doubt feel
the urge to journey home after
leaving us, for a time, to seek
their own adventures.
In these pages, our students and teachers do
reflect on literal journeys, to New York or through
India, and on the journey from one stage of life
at College to the next. Beyond this, though, are
implicit accounts of the journey Didau describes,
as learners explore new relationships with the
poetry of Philip Larkin, the concept of ‘nothing’,
or the nature of creativity. Contributions from
JCG Prep show the journey students undertake
Hannah Trigg, Artist
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as writers at the early stages of their education,
whilst the Foundation section charts the continuing
journeys of former students who remain part of
the College’s extended family.
As always, every contributor to this issue of the
College Magazine has my gratitude as well as my
esteem for their remarkable capacity to learn from
a diverse range of experiences and to communicate
that learning in ways that are creative, engaging
and insightful. We are better able to appreciate the
intriguing journeys our students have undertaken
because of the superb work of Adapt Design and
Advertising. During the process of editing this
issue, I have benefited from the patient support and
wise guidance of many colleagues; in particular, I
would like to thank Mrs Pateman at JCG Prep for
ensuring the learning of our younger students is
celebrated fully in this publication.
Writing in The New Monthly Magazine in 1822,
William Hazlitt declared that ‘the soul of a journey
is liberty, perfect liberty to think, feel, do just as
one pleases.’ Reading, too, can be a liberating
experience and I invite you to share the thoughts
and the feelings of members of the College as you
share in their various journeys.
College Life
Georgia Whitehead, Artist
Journey through India
Mrs Sarah Ferraby
Last September, my husband and I set out for
the sprawling metropolis of Chennai in South
India, to work alongside a local Christian charity,
which aims to promote sport in communities all
over India. We decided to set everything aside
and follow a calling to a very different life; one of
living by faith. We had no idea where we would
live, what the work would look like or even if we
would have enough money to support ourselves.
However, we soon discovered that moving to an
unknown area, with no income, no knowledge of
the local language and no jobs to return to in the
UK, was a risk worth every step of faith.
From our base in Chennai, we travelled across
South India and to Sri Lanka visiting schools,
orphanages, churches and businesses, where we
were invited to teach and coach sport, as well as
share our Christian faith. Travelling across South
India was like crossing Europe: each place had
its own language, food and climate. We soon
developed a liking for some places rather than
others, often those on higher ground such as Ooty,
where the cooler climate and lush surroundings
were an oasis from the dusty city of Chennai.
Teaching and coaching was suddenly a new
challenge, as we moved between English and
Tamil, as well as trying to measure understanding
from the ambiguous sideways head nodding,
which we couldn’t help but adopt too. However,
much of our time was taken up by journeys of up
to 20 hours on sleeper trains and buses, where we
simply had to lay our head down and hope for the
best; the train sometimes jumping up and down on
the track, the bus screeching to a halt, or swerving
around potholes, all to the sound of the constant
beeping of horns.
Amongst all our travelling between cities, through
paddy fields and into the hills, we sometimes
ended up in areas which felt like the ends of the
earth. Yet, despite the circumstances, we were
welcomed in each place by people who had so
little but who would treat us like the Queen of
England. After every coaching session or French
lesson, the children were so grateful - as though it
was the best day of their lives. We were humbled
by the generosity of those that hosted us, their
thoughtfulness and by their infectious love of
Jesus. They blessed us with so much more than we
could ever share with them.
Three months since our return, it now seems a
distant dream of a very different life. I am left
with the memories of the many mixed emotions
I felt during my time there: joy, bewilderment,
excitement, peace, freedom, compassion, guilt,
anger. It is a country of extremes that forces a
reaction, whether love or hate. You simply cannot
ignore what is around you. Life is stripped to its
rawness, exposing both its beauty and sadness
simultaneously. Working and travelling alongside
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people in India helped me to see what is important
in life, to put things in perspective and to
remember how much many of us have been given
and, therefore, how much is now expected of us.
College Life
A Journey for Charity
Lily Carter
Phoebe Johnson, Artist
You’ve heard of sponsored cycles. You’ve heard of
the Great British Bake Off. This year, 12 Inglis took
it to a whole new level. Of course, I’m talking about
The Great Inglis Bike Off. Twenty form members,
two exercise bikes and one goal: to cycle from JCG
to Paris. It wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth
it – how many other Forms can say they raised over
£700 for their House charities?
schedule for the day. On the day, everybody was
going to be cycling on the bikes, including Mrs
Taylor. It didn’t matter how slow at cycling a person
was, the point was that the whole Form would be
involved. Another important part of our organisation
was making sponsorship forms. Each member of 12
Inglis had a form to complete and we all rallied our
family and friends to raise what we could.
At the beginning of this school year, 12 Inglis, along
with other year groups, were given the task of doing a
Form fundraiser. We wanted to make our fundraiser
especially good, because the money would be going
to two fantastic charities: Teenage Cancer Trust and
Autism Jersey. Teenage Cancer Trust offers services for
young people who have been diagnosed with cancer
whilst Autism Jersey supports people with autism in the
Channel Islands. With these charities in mind, we set
about coming up with an idea. It was decided that we
would do a sponsored cycle; this way, the whole Form
could be involved, and our individual efforts would be
going towards raising money. Everybody in the Form
agreed this was a great idea, and we decided that “The
Great Inglis Bike Off ” would be an appropriate name
for the event!
On the 5th of February, the day of the Bike Off had
arrived and excitement was running high. We set up
our station in the College Dome; there were delicious
cakes ready to be sold, collection buckets for donations,
an incredible map made by Michelle Thérézien to
track our progress and, of course, the exercise bikes
on which we would be completing our journey. Inglis
members convened in the Dome, sporting green
t-shirts in support of our House colour. Up first on the
bikes were Mrs Taylor and Rachel Hayden, who put
on an admirable performance and set the bar high
for the following cyclists. If we wanted to reach our
goal of Paris, situated 409 kilometres from JCG, we
each had to cycle approximately 13 kilometres in half
an hour. All members of the Form were determined
and, with the music pumping in the background,
we all cycled hard to ensure we would achieve our
aim. Some members even stayed on after school,
to finish the last few miles. The cake sale was also a
great success. One thing I’ve learned during my time
at JCG is that students are always ready to donate
After deciding upon our fundraiser, the Form began
to organise the event. 12 Inglis worked together as
a team and everybody had a job, whether it was
making posters, baking cakes or arranging the
money if there’s food involved. Inglis Form members
were positioned with cakes and change at the stall,
as prepared as they could be for the mob of hungry
JCG students who descended at break time! By the
end of the day, every single cake had been sold. So, all
in all, the event was a great success, and the Form felt
a strong sense of achievement. Rhianna Donaldson,
12 Inglis member, said: “It was great to work hard
together as a team to finish with such an amazing
outcome. I’m so proud to have been a part of it!”
It’s incredible how much people are willing to give
for a good cause. In total, we raised £733.89! A
special mention must go to Victoria Barnes and Nina
Blampied, for their incredible sponsorship efforts,
raising £120 and £90 respectively. 12 Inglis were
thrilled to have been able to raise such a significant
sum of money for two fantastic charities. We had the
charities in mind when we were cycling, and it really
helped to motivate us. Shortly after the event, Inglis
Form Captain Sylvie Wilson remarked, “It was a
much harder challenge than we had first anticipated
but definitely worthwhile as the money raised is going
to such good causes.”
We hope that the Great Inglis Bike Off can take
place again next year. It was an event which the
whole Form could get behind and in which they
could feel that they were playing their part, both for
the House and for the charities.
7
College Life
Laura Costard, Artist
Journey to Year 13
Grace O’Regan
As a Year 13 student, I have now reached the
end of my school journey. The first car journey
to school as a Year 7 is a distant memory of skirts
being too large and not having a clue where the
elusive C16 is. (Most of us didn’t discover it until
the GCSE years anyway.) Lugging a basket or
carrier bag of food items in for Home Economics
lessons, and learning how to thread a bobbin
back in Year 8, is also largely forgotten, though
the skill of icing a ready-made chocolate log and
(unevenly) dusting icing sugar over the top is
remembered. The tensions of friendship groups
in Year 9 and stress of choosing GCSE options
is also a half laughable memory as the final A2
exams loom into view and show how easy GCSEs
were in comparison! We now can repeat what
was told to us, “Just wait until…” and say it with
the hindsight that comes with experience. Having
nearly completed my secondary education, I can
say that the journey through school has taught me
many things, but the end is not here as the next
‘leg’ of the journey is beginning.
I am 17 going on 18 but of course remember the
song from ‘The Sound of Music’ which naively
idealises this ‘milestone’ as marking you as an
‘adult’; in reality, we have been promised that
university will be the ‘time of our life’ but not told
that we will be adults. The journey is continuing
with the next three years working towards an
undergraduate degree which then will let us take on
the next ‘leg’ as we continue along an unpredictable
path. We can wonder whether the ‘journey’ ever
finishes and perhaps saying that it has really is just
premature, or wishful thinking. My school journey
is nearly over and the promised ‘longest summer
ever’ is just a few months away but, come autumn,
we have a whole new journey ahead of us.
Journeys are not so much about reaching the final
destination but instead about the experiences and
discoveries you make along the way. Come August,
I will collect my results which herald the completion
of this stage but they will just aid in the choosing
of the next direction in which I will travel. Onward
to university or, for some, into the world of work
or perhaps a year out of ‘finding yourself ’! The
journey isn’t over until you stop moving and so we
may say that our journey never really ends, even if
we reach pauses and bumps in the road.
Ursula K LeGuin said, “It is good to have an end
to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters
in the end.”
8
Languages
The Journey of Ageing
Esmé Layton, Clara Ashton-Barnett and Abbie Le Marquand
These poems, exploring the
journey of ageing, were written
by Year 9 students as part of
their learning in English (Ed.)
For each is as perfect as the next.
So, how can you say there is a perfect age?
Age Within Time
Abbie Le Marquand
The Perfect Age
We all age within time, entrance
exit.
We move and talk until we can no more, and watch the world before us.
Fate will take us through our lives and bury our heads in a chamber filled with questions,
We recall our best memories and deepest kept secrets.
I wonder when the best age was…You may ask yourselves in years to come.
All of us humans think a step ahead.
We realise great moments only when they have gone and run away
Too quick to notice them, too slow and gradual to realise that they’re happening.
Ages all have many different stories, all special in their way:
3 is an age with no worries, 21 you have your own freedom, 75 you are cared for by others,
The perfect age is hard to find, until you can fully make up your mind.
Clara Ashton-Barnett
How Can You Say there is a Perfect Age?
Esmé Layton
How can you say there is a perfect age?
How can you say there is a perfect rose?
How can the bud of youth,
(So innocent and gentle,
Untouched, apart from nature’s caring hand,
Yet to fully open and see the world),
Be more beautiful than the wizened rose,
(So serene and majestic,
The brown tolls of time slowly fraying her edges,
Though wisdom still lets her stand tall)?
How can you say the rose of adolescence,
(Fresh colour shining scarlet in her petals,
Eyes widened by her new experiences,
Although still slightly shaking in the wind),
Is more wonderful than the ageing rose,
(Complexion not yet crossed by wrinkles,
Smiling down, motherly, upon the buds,
Mellow and loving, kind and sweet)?
How can you say there is a perfect rose?
It is not possible,
Looking back on when I was three,
The world was like a jungle,
Creatures swinging from branch to branch,
And slithering across the ground.
I’d hide in bushes,
And swim in the ocean,
And jump from building to building.
ow
You will experience so much, blossom and gr
Make new lives and join with another.
Maybe you will leave out g a p s on the way, but just live in this moment and have no regrets,
Because you never know what is coming next,
Life is a rollercoaster, only going
The perfect age may be the next stop,
But for now let’s enjoy the age that we are, I’m sure the best moments aren’t too far.
We all age within time, entrance to exit.
I climbed up mountains,
I camped in deserts,
I rolled down dunes,
I was queen, every day, in my jungle palace.
Dinosaurs still roamed the land,
And crocodiles could fly,
When I decided, elephants were pink,
And camels: blue.
So three for me was a perfect age,
When my imagination ran wild.
And wild was good.
9
Languages
French Holiday Haiku
Medicine is its own Language:
Chloe Swetenham
Chole = Gall/Bile
Cyst = Bladder
Enter = Small Bowel
Gastr = Stomach
Hyster = Uterus
Lapar = Abdomen
ectomy = cutting something out
stomy = artificial union
tripsy = fragmentation
pexy = anchoring of a structure
plasty = surgical refashioning
Chloe Swetenham, Emilie Edelenbos, Katy Peggie,
Hannah Willing and Misha Le Claire
J’adore les vacances
Normalement je me détends
C’est toujours super!
Emilie Edelenbos
Belle plage, sable fin
Les vagues coulent vers la plage d’or
C’est tranquille et calme.
Katy Peggie and Hannah Willing
Je vais à Calais
Il pleut des cordes tous les jours
Je déteste Calais!
La mer brille come les étoiles
La vie est super!
J’aime les vacances chaudes
Je passe le jour à bronzer
Je suis en bonne forme.
Misha Le Claire
On ne peut pas oublier
Les bons souvenirs
A Linguist’s Journey through Medical Studies
Jessica Hair (former JCG Deputy Head Girl)
On arriving at Medical School 5 years ago, I
was given a chapter to read for my first anatomy
demonstration. Between the anteriors, posteriors,
plexi and rami, there were very few words that I
understood. On chatting with fellow first years, I
realised I was not the only one with this problem.
Whereas many of my friends decided to attend
the demonstration somewhat in the dark about
what we were about to see, as a passionate linguist
I decided to make a ‘vocab list’. On starting my list
I realised that the chapter was not as complicated
as I thought and, once the code was cracked, I was
able to read the passage with ease.
a solid understanding and ability to recognise
patterns in language is one of the most useful
things I took with me from school. Even now, I
use the roots of language I learnt at school to try
and work out what different drugs might be used
for and why different diseases have the names that
they do.
Being able to communicate with patients in a
different language has also proved very useful.
Providing a distressed Italian lady with a simple
explanation of what was going on whilst we
waited for the Interpreter to arrive made a very
frantic situation somewhat calmer and made me a
favourite among the nurses and other patients who
were grateful for the peace!
It’s fair to say I wouldn’t have been offered a
place at Medical School without the compulsory
A Levels in Chemistry and Biology. However, I
couldn’t have succeeded as I have so far without
my A Level in Italian and AS in French. They
have given me an understanding that no subject is
too difficult if you speak its language!
Nothing can prepare you for the volume of
scientific knowledge you are expected to learn
in your first term of Medical School, but having
10 Laura Costard, Illustration for ‘Boule de Suif’ by Guy de Maupassant
Languages
Philip Larkin’s Journeys
Emma Richard-Dit-Leschery
Angelique Ison, Artist
One thing that happens when you study a poet
for an entire year at A Level is that, regardless of
whether or not it actually matters when it comes
to the exam, you form your own personal opinion.
I vividly remember, when asked, “do you like
Larkin?” for the first time, replying, “I don’t dislike
him… I just wouldn’t necessarily have him round
for dinner.” That’s a reply that I’ve since revisited.
I’m at the stage in education where I’ve started
to think about the path I’ll be taking when I leave
school, as everyone does at some point. In all
honesty, it’s scary because, as much of a cliché as it
may sound, the next stage in life is a journey.
Philip Larkin has a lot to say about journeys
and not all of it, contrary to popular opinion,
is pessimistic. Take his poem, ‘The Whitsun
Weddings’, for example. It’s a poem about a
train journey on which the speaker encounters
numerous wedding parties on his way to his
destination. That, in itself, highlights that there
are two kinds of journey: physical and emotional.
‘The Whitsun Weddings’, though it might not be
immediately obvious, offers words of wisdom that
apply to both. The lines, “Struck, I leant more
promptly out next time, more curiously, and saw
it all again in different terms”, serve as a reminder
that it’s important, on any kind of journey, to keep
an open and inquisitive mind because there’s more
to any situation than can be seen at first glance.
Something that people aren’t always open minded
about, which goes hand in hand with embarking
on a journey, is the concept of change. Larkin
also addresses that in this poem where he writes,
“…and what it held stood ready to be loosed
with all the power that being changed can give”,
portraying change as something empowering
rather than daunting.
Another poem of Larkin’s, entitled, ‘Here’,
follows a different train journey and observes the
changes in landscape along the way. “Here, leaves
unnoticed thicken, hidden weeds flower, neglected
waters quicken” are a couple of lines that speak
volumes about discovery and possibility. When
you think about it, for any potential path in your
life, there are places, memories and opportunities
(good and bad, as with everything in life) that go
along with it. When you leave a path undiscovered,
all those things attached to it go undiscovered too.
The idea is not to let them.
that you might even be able to find yourself better
elsewhere than on familiar territory.
‘The Importance of Elsewhere’ is a poem that
is, amongst other things, about finding yourself.
“Since it was not home, strangeness made sense”
and “Here no elsewhere underwrites my existence”
are perfect examples of this. The first, put simply,
means that by going somewhere else, you can
make sense of things that you don’t yet understand
and the second, I think, is another way of saying
It’s likely that not all of these poems were written to
encourage people to travel and make the next step
in their lives. They might even have been written
with completely different intentions. However,
when looked at from that perspective, they all say
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things that everybody should hear before making
that step and, incidentally, I’ve changed my mind:
before going on any kind of journey, I think I’d
definitely invite Philip Larkin round for dinner.
Mathematics
Rebecca Willing, Artist
A Journey of Nothing
Hannah Owens
Journeys are something we all ‘do’ regularly. We drive
to the shops, we travel to Australia and we sometimes
even make long journeys to the moon! Without
maths, some of these journeys would not be possible.
With every system of numbers, most cultures and
ages have assigned symbols that ‘represent’ the
value of number. One interesting number is zero.
It was invented over 1,500 years ago, but has had a
fascinating and problematic journey to become what
it is today.
In around 2000 BC, the Babylonians left gaps
between wedge marks of clay, but didn’t think of it as
a number. Later around 350 BC, the ancient Greeks,
who were excellent mathematicians, hated the idea
of zero. The Greek philosopher Aristotle said zero
should be illegal! His reason was that it made a mess
of equations when you divide by it, and Aristotle did
have a point!
For instance, take this equation: 1 x 0 = 0
Then divide both sides by zero and you get: 1 = 0 / 0
But if you start with this equation: 2 x 0 = 0
... and do the same thing as above you get: 2 = 0 / 0
This means that 1 and 2 have the same value
which means 1 = 2: that’s impossible!
The Romans didn’t have a zero because their
counting system didn’t need one. After all,
why would you need a number if there is
nothing to count? In around 600 AD, Indian
mathematicians invented the modern zero. They
used a counting system in which the position of
a digit affected its value, like ours today. Similarly
to the Indians, we use zero to fill gaps; otherwise,
how could you distinguish between 11 and 101?
A circle or dot was used to represent zero in
India. Indians once used pebbles in the sand to
add and subtract. When they removed a pebble,
a circular shape was left and this gap was used to
become the shape of zero today. It became part
of our digits, 0 through to 9, and has, since, still
been causing problems, even in this age. When
everyone celebrated the new millennium at the
end of 1999, the celebrations were a year early!
Since there wasn’t a year 0, the new millennium
actually started on January the 1st, 2001.
Zero made its final journey to Europe in the
12th Century, when Indian numerals spread
from Arab countries. However, without this
complicated journey of zero taking place, we
would not be able to travel around our planet
and beyond with the ease that we do today.
12
Mathematics
A Mathematical Journey:
‘Snakes and Ladders’ Sophie Franckel
Alice Langlois, Artist
‘Snakes and Ladders’ is a simple children’s game.
Two or more players race to move from the start to
the end, with their moves controlled by the score
on dice that they throw. If they arrive at the foot
of a ladder, they move up to the top of the ladder.
If they arrive at the head of a snake, they fall back
down the snake’s body, to end up at the tip of its
tail. This makes the race more unpredictable; there
can be sudden changes of fortune as, for example,
the player in the lead suddenly finds themselves left
way behind.
The history of ‘Snakes and Ladders’ is rooted in
Hinduism, where it was originally used as a way
to teach people about reincarnation. It reflects a
belief in karma, where good actions in one life are
rewarded by an improvement in the next life, and
evil actions are punished. In most of these original
forms, there were more snakes than ladders as a
reminder that a path of good is more difficult to
tread than a path of sins.
In the late 1800s, the game made its way to
England, where it was adapted slightly. The
numbers of ladders and snakes were often made
the same. The game was still used to reinforce
certain moral teachings: in the image here, the
board demonstrates that “HONESTY” will lead
to “SUCCESS” and that a “BAD TEMPER” will
cause a great problem to the player.
In more modern versions of the game there is not
usually a moral lesson, and in one version from the
USA snakes were replaced by “chutes” (or slides) in
case children were afraid of snakes!
‘Snakes and Ladders’ can be analysed by
mathematicians, who consider it to be an example
of a Markov chain. We study Markov chains in
Further Maths A Level: we can calculate the
probability of a player reaching the end in a certain
number of moves given their current position. We
can compare different versions of the game and
estimate the run time or how long it is likely to take
until someone wins the game. So, mathematics is
part of the journey of ‘Snakes and Ladders’!
13
Science
An AS Student’s Journey to Bristol University’s
School of Chemistry Nina Blampied
Hannah Patel, Artist
Along with 22 other AS Chemistry students and
our teachers, I left Jersey early in the morning on
10th March and arrived at our hotel just outside
Bristol’s city centre. After familiarising ourselves
with the local area and taking in some of Bristol’s
prime sights, such as the Cathedral, we visited the
Bristol Aquarium where we saw the Giant Pacific
Octopus and learnt that this is one of the largest
Octopus species in the world, as they can reach
over 5 metres in length from arm to arm.
Later in the evening, we had a welcome lecture
from Professor Tim Harrison from Bristol
University and heard from a PhD student, who
told us about life as a PhD student at Bristol and
his research into sugar conjugated anticancer
drugs. This short lecture was very informative
as we learnt exactly what a PhD entails and the
amount of travelling available to those doing it, as
the speaker had recently spent 3 months working
in Japan, which he described as an excellent and
unmissable opportunity. Following that, we had
a lecture from Professor Tim Harrison about
‘Perfume Chemistry’, which was very stimulating.
On the Wednesday morning, we climbed the
where we saw the Organic Chemistry labs where
the PhD students were working, and spoke with a
student studying Theoretical Chemistry. We were
shown the university’s NMR machines and were
told about NMR spectrometry. To finish off our
day at the university, we had a final lecture with
Professor Harrison about Atmospheric Chemistry,
during which we were shown lots of fascinating
experiments with dry ice and liquid nitrogen,
including the melting of a polystyrene block after
being squirted with methanol.
hill once more to the Chemistry building at the
University, where we were fitted out with safety
glasses and lab coats. Our first session was the
‘Extraction of caffeine’ from a vat of brewed
teabags. We added distilled water to the teabags and
boiled the contents in the beaker vigorously, using
a hot plate. We then cooled the mixture by placing
the beaker in ice, and then added dichloromethane,
inversing and ventilating the mixture periodically
to relieve vapour pressure inside the funnel. We
repeated this a few times and the mixture split up
into 2 layers, with the dichloromethane layer sinking
to the bottom. We then drained the bottom layer
into a conical flask, because the caffeine then was
extracted into the dichloromethane layer, and then
repeated the extraction/separation twice more.
We added magnesium sulphate to the combined
dichloromethane solutions and mixed well, leaving
it for about 10 minutes. We then evaporated off the
dichloromethane solvent leaving yellowish green white crystalline caffeine. The melting point of the
extracted caffeine was determined using melting
point apparatus and, from here, we could tell the
purity of our caffeine sample.
During our final day, we had a look around the ‘At
Bristol’ museum and then went into the city’s main
shopping centre for some ‘retail therapy’ before
getting on a coach back to the airport and flying
home that evening.
I really enjoyed the Chemistry trip to Bristol as
I gained a really good insight into what it might
be like to study a science subject at university. I
really liked listening to the lecturers, in particular
Professor Tim Harrison, as he was very engaging
and passionate about his work at the University.
The practicals were really fun as we got to use
many (very!) expensive pieces of equipment used
by the undergraduates and we all got a taste for
Bristol as a very vibrant city.
Later, we used UV-spectrometry to determine
the concentration of a coloured solution via a
calibration curve, by carrying out a titration to find
out the concentration of the unknown solution.
We then had a tour of the school of Chemistry
14
Science
Meteors and Monica Grady
Heather Orpin
At JCG, we hold an annual Women of
Substance day. This year, many inspirational
women were invited to come and speak to us.
One of these was Professor Monica Grady
(CBE), professor of planetary and space
science at the Open University. Monica
Grady has curated the UK’s national
collection of meteorites. In 2014, she spoke
to BBC news about the aims and significance
of the Rosetta Spacecraft. She said: “The
biggest question we are trying to get an
answer to is: where did life on earth come
from?” The Rosetta Spacecraft is a robotic
space probe built and launched by the
European Space Agency. It is carrying out a
detailed study of Comet 67P/Churyumov–
Gerasimenko and performed flybys of Mars
and asteroids 21 Lutetia and 2867 Šteins. On
12th November 2014, it performed the first
soft landing on a comet and sent back data
from the surface.
Monica Grady helped to build one of the
instruments on board. Her tool, Ptolemy, is
a gas analysis instrument that took years to
build and is now out in space. This shows
us that if we persevere then we can be a
part of things that previously would have
seemed impossible. I found the talk extremely
inspirational and am inspired to try and
achieve something like that.
For more information, see ‘Monica Grady’
and ‘Rosetta (Spacecraft)’ on Wikipedia. (Ed.)
Laura Costard, Artist
15
Science
Hannah Trigg, Artist
Physics: An Adventure
Mr Adam Sykes
Physics is a lifelong adventure and it can start with
the challenges and rewards of A Level. Grappling
with interesting problems using maths knowledge
and basic principles often leads us to deeper
knowledge and understanding. Physics gives us a
clarity that other subjects find hard to attain.
maths, sport and finance. They study and have
careers in the United Kingdom, the United States
and elsewhere. For the JCG Women of Substance
day in 2015, we were honoured to be visited by
Professor Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary
and Space Sciences at the Open University (OU)
at Milton Keynes.
Professor Grady’s
Physics adventure
regularly extends
beyond the Earth
and she was part
of the successful
European Space
Agency Rosetta
mission to land
the Philae probe
on comet 67P/
ChuryumovGerasimenko.
This extraordinary
milestone in history
is a testament to the
power of teamwork
and the application
of Physics.
This modern
achievement has
been made possible
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Topics studied at A Level include Mechanics,
Waves, Quantum Physics, Electricity, Magnetism,
Matter and Nuclear Physics. These foundations
set Physicists off on adventures around the world
and beyond. JCG Physicists have gone on journeys
in medicine, radiography, engineering, science,
16
by scientists, engineers and policy-makers that
have gone before. As Isaac Newton wrote, “if I
have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders
of giants”.
So I’d like you to pause for a moment in your own
journey and consider this question: where can
Physics lead you?
Science
The Journey of a Red Blood Cell
JCG Prep Art
(A Poem) Charlotte Le Gresley
Life begins at the thigh
Top of the femur, very high,
I go to the lung
And up to the tongue
And the liver is where I die.
Bicuspid pulls me round,
Veins make the pulse of sound,
Diaphragm shifts
Each lung lifts,
And oxygen is found.
But first I go to the heart
Vena cava is the start,
Right atria fills
The vein pump trills
Right ventricle is the next part.
I bring this to the cells to respire,
A lack of me will make you tire,
You take a breath
I head to my death,
Becoming a platelet is what I desire!
Celine Willing, Artist
17 17
Humanities
Georgia Whitehead, Artist
Life After Death
Amelia Oldridge and Julia Russ
In these two poems, Year 8
Religion, Ethics and Philosophy
students reflect on life after
death. (Ed.)
Except for a bright light in front of me, shining.
The light was getting closer, it was illuminating
my face:
Would I finally discover what happens to the dead
of the human race?
Death Bound
I arrived in a beautiful garden, with ponds
and trees:
Rows and rows of flowers, buzzing with bees.
Lush grass that tickled my bare feet,
And the aroma of roses, so blissfully sweet!
Amelia Oldridge
I remember lying there on the hospital bed,
With an awful throbbing in my head,
A faint beeping of a monitor on my heart,
Knowing if it stopped, it would never again start.
I could feel my life ebbing away,
I never thought I would see the day,
My eyelids were heavy, they began to close:
Where was I going? No one knows.
But then, weightlessness came over me,
I could feel myself rising from my body: free.
My pain melted away, wow! What a feeling!
I kept on rising, up to the ceiling,
Suddenly, everything went black, I couldn’t see
a thing,
Life After Death Poem
Julia Russ
With every breath,
My memories are fading,
I’m closer to death:
Through darkness I’m wading.
I don’t know where
I am going to go,
So many beliefs
But how should I know?
Then I gasped, I couldn’t believe what I saw:
An angel, with wings as white as the robes he wore,
He glanced at me and said with a smile,
“Welcome to the afterlife, you’ll be here for a while!”
In the Eastern World
There are many returns,
To life on this Earth
With many concerns.
This was amazing! I had to go tell
My family and friends that all was well.
So I went to the angel and said to he,
“I really want to tell my family what has happened
to me!”
You have only one chance,
In Western beliefs,
To live a good life
And not be a thief.
But the angel said, with a sad tone,
“I’m sorry, but now you’re with us, you can never
go home...”
In Christianity
There is heaven and hell,
And when you leave Earth
Loved ones bid farewell.
18
Hell is a place
Of separation from God,
Some may think
That this belief is quite odd.
My eyes start to close
My body is shaking,
Falling down into darkness
My bones are all aching.
Goodbye to this world:
It’s my time to go.
Wherever I’m going,
Soon, I will know.
Humanities
The Journey of the Conquistadores Sustainable Tourism
Jasmin Gooch
In Year 8 History, one of our topics involved
learning about the Spanish Conquistadores. They
travelled from Spain, across the Atlantic Ocean
to undiscovered lands. It was a rough journey and
they did not have any maps to use. They were
learning navigation techniques. This must have
made the explorers curious and possibly scared
about their journey.
They wanted to be the first to get there as nobody
had done it before. They found land. When
they got there, they discovered that there were
native people who had created huge empires. For
example, the Aztecs had built their own homes
using their own knowledge and techniques.
Molly Webster
Have you ever wondered how you are affecting a
country when you visit it is as a tourist? In order
to keep tourism sustainable, the needs of the
environment, society and the economy need to be
balanced. When you visit some poorer countries,
like Kenya, it generates employment, improves
infrastructure, and increases the country’s
earnings. It also increases tax revenues, which
help local services to thrive. Finally, one of the
greatest advantages is the money can be applied to
development, such as construction and education.
For a poorer country, like Kenya or Puerto Rico,
this will help the county to thrive dramatically.
Tenochtitlan was a massive city built on a lake, so
that they could prevent enemies from attacking,
such as the Spanish Conquistadores.
However, the Aztecs didn’t have the same weapons
as the Spanish, so they were easily defeated. The
Spanish eventually conquered most of Central
and South America. Many natives were killed and
the rest were forced under Spanish control. This
was a dangerous but impressive journey that the
Spanish took, which gave them an important place
in history. On the other hand, the Aztecs suffered
greatly due to the loss of family members, friends
and their own culture.
However, you may not realise you are affecting
the country you visit! For example, in Dubai, it is
Sienna Major, Artist
Phoebe Johnson, Artist
19
inappropriate to wear clothes showing legs and
arms as this is disrespectful of the main religion
(Islam), which will affect the local people. Also,
by staying in chain hotels, all the money spent
on your stay does not go to the country you are
visiting: it goes to the foreign hotel companies.
In order to improve this situation, try to stay in a
local hotel or with locals. Also, if you visit a nature
reserve, obey the rules and respect the customs of
the locals.
Next time you visit a country, think about going
outside the hotel, visiting the locals, and exploring
the wildlife.
Creativity
My Creative Journey
Teigan Purkiss
For me, a creative process means the journey
from a blank canvas to a beautiful final textile
piece. My journey begins when I am given the
subject of my newest project, from which I must
‘brainstorm’ all my ideas surrounding that theme.
The theme of my last project was landscapes
and, after collating a collection of varied ideas,
I decided that flowers would be an interesting
and effective focus area. From here, I researched
several textile artists, such as Cas Holmes and
Michael Brennand-Wood, to gain inspiration for
my experimentation. From here on, I continued
to experiment and create various pieces using
different textile techniques, from simple hand
stitching to complex nuno-felting.
Through trial and error, I discovered the
techniques that worked best for me and began
drawing them together into one final piece. My
favourite technique has been plastic fusing with
crayons, which involves shaving brightly coloured
crayons into plastic wallets and sealing them
together with an iron. The flower shape was
then free-machine-embroidered onto the plastic
to produce an exciting and innovative flower. I
really love free machine embroidery because it
is like drawing but with stitch, and for me this
is an excellent way to express my creativity as I
struggle with drawing normally.
I initially designed a skirt made out of these
plastic flowers. To do this, I stitched the flowers
petal to petal and tried it on to check that I liked
how it hung on a human form. However, after
putting it onto a mannequin I felt that something
was missing, and I didn’t feel that the skirt fully
expressed my creative flair: so I redesigned it into
a dress.
The whole creative process stretched out across
several weeks with the creation of the final piece
taking a whopping 15 hours! After I had taken
the skirt apart, I began the process of rearranging
and pinning the flowers onto a mannequin in
various different designs until I found a look that
I was happy with. I tacked the flowers together
before taking it off the mannequin and stitching
it together using a sewing machine. As I wanted
my dress to be unique, I crossed the ribbon straps
around the back, leaving the dress backless and
more attractive to the eye.
I am very happy with how my final piece turned
out and I absolutely love how it looks on a
mannequin. I believe that it fully expresses my
creativity and ingenuity and that my sketchbook
shows an exciting creative journey.
20
Creativity
The Seafood of Jersey: A Journey from the Sea to our Plates
Hannah Esnouf, Storm Rothwell, Ciara Hayes, Giorgia Coupland and Leia Harrison
The beautiful island of Jersey
is world-renowned for its
unforgettable potatoes and
unparalleled milk, but what
about the overlooked produce?
Tonnes of fresh seafood are
delivered straight to our shops
everyday: many don’t even know
about the origin of their handpicked scallops or outstanding
oysters. So take a look at the
journeys of these succulent
Jersey delicacies...
Scallops
Every day in Jersey hand-gathered scallops are
loaded into bins in Bouley Bay on the slip way.
Recreational divers are also allowed to dive down
and catch their own scallops, but only if they
have a licence! Scallops are a traditional starter
either fried in butter, oil, garlic or lemon juice
and they are often served with black pudding or
garlic butter.
Oysters
Mussels
Jersey is renowned for its beautiful oysters and
hosts a 25.1 hectare oyster farm in Grouville Bay!
In Jersey partly grown oysters (A.K.A. half-ware)
are exported to the UK and France. Traditionally,
these beautiful creatures are mostly eaten raw, but
can be cooked; fresh lemon juice is squeezed on
top to add some extra tang! Oysters are meant to
be swallowed and not chewed!
Some mussels are grown from seeds on wooden
poles, a method which has originated from France.
However, lots of mussels are attached to rocks
and hand-dived. Mussels are yet another type
of seafood that Jersey is known for. Mussels are
traditionally steamed and applied to a broth made
of shallots, red or white wine with some Jersey
cream and a garnish of parsley. (A word of advice:
don’t eat the shells!)
Mhari Mackenzie, Artist
Crab
Interesting Facts
Crab is a refreshing food that can be eaten or
prepared in many different ways, such as pâté,
soufflé, a sandwich, salad etc. There are many
types to be found in Jersey but the most wellknown are brown crab and spider crab. Crabs are
fished by crab/lobster pots, which are mesh boxes
that are plunged into the sea with some dead fish:
crabs just take note of it as another meal for them
but, in fact, it will be one for us! Crab is generally
served with garlic or lemon butter.
Every year, about 200 tonnes of oysters are
produced in Jersey and almost 90% of them
are exported to France.
Ormer, from the French, “oreille de mer”
means ‘ear of the sea’.
The Beresford market has been selling
seafood to the public of Jersey since 1841!
‘Bouchot’ mussels never have grit as they
never come in contact with the sea-bed.
Fishing for Ormers may only take place
between 1st October and 30th April.
It is an offence to possess Ormers on the night
of a full moon and the five days following.
Jersey has the second highest tidal range in
the world.
21
Creativity
A2 Design & Technology: Product Design - ‘A Voyage of Discovery’
Mr David Jones and A2 ‘D and T’ Students
For Product Design, a typical
A2 coursework project requires
each student to embark on
a suitably challenging route
towards what is hoped will be
an innovative and marketable
outcome. This requires a brave
approach into the unknown,
with young designers using skills
of creativity, perseverance and
calculated risk-taking: not easy
when they live in a world of
rights and wrongs!
as I do not
come across
many difficulties
that need to be
improved from
day to day. I was
really pleased
with my chosen
design brief as
I know there is
a large problem
across the
whole female
population but, more importantly, women that
have debilitating conditions really want to paint
their own nails.’
Deciding on where you’re heading
When choosing a suitable design brief, it is best
to have a ‘prosperous outlook’. Searching for that
gap in the market - that will lead to an innovative
and useful product for the intended users - can
either be straightforward or frustrating.
Kenya Smith
decided to
design a Seat
& Storage
Unit for
a paddle
board: ‘I was
positive that
I had found a
good design
brief within
a context I
was interested in and was, therefore, keen to
start working hard on it; I was excited at the
prospect of creating a final design, although, at
first, I found it hard to envisage. I knew the more
research and work I put into it, the closer I would
get to success.’
Having fun in the sun with your ideas a prosperous outlook
Generating initial ideas can be the most
enjoyable part of any design project, with an
opportunity to have fun and to think around the
problem without too many constraints.
Susannah Humphrey explains: ‘At the beginning
of the project I felt excited, inspired and
overwhelmed by the volume of ideas that I had
about how to solve the issue in question. Once
I had sketched all of my initial ideas, I found it
Alex Colston-Weeks, who has created a device
to assist in fingernail painting, felt less certain: ‘I
did struggle with finding a suitable design brief
22
interesting to see the different ways I could tackle
this project.’
Forging ahead
Developing an ultimate solution requires hours
of experimentation - a trial and error approach
through research and modelling - to arrive
at a workable solution in enough detail for
manufacture. Typically, this is achieved through
sketching and experimenting with models.
Students learn to distil what they have learnt and
refine their ideas to achieve a working outcome.
Emily Warren felt quite overwhelmed to start
with: ‘I knew my problem, but struggled with
where to start. Therefore, researching some
existing products really helped me to work out
the design of my product and the innovative
features that I wanted to make.’
Stephanie Skiming designed and made a Beach
Equipment Trolley: ‘When I was faced with any
setbacks, I simply worked past them. I noticed
what had happened and worked towards fixing
whatever problem I had to face. Occasionally,
I found it difficult to understand what the
exact problem was and would spend some time
wondering why, but I did usually come up with a
good solution in the end.’
Creativity
When faced with a design dilemma, look to the East
– to embrace the Emotions you are feeling towards
the problem and, in particular, what Excites you so
far. Look to the West – what Worries you and may be
a weakness. Then look to the North – reflect on the
original Needs that were established at the start of
the journey and, finally, head South – make positive
and well considered Steps forward.
you are, manufacturing processes can fail to deliver
quality and inevitably need practice and refinement
before usable components are successfully realised.
Stephanie spent many hours in the workshop:
‘Learning so many new making processes, how
to use different tools, as well as the amount of
organising and time keeping skills that I had to
learn to make this product in the time available
and as functional as I had to, has certainly been
a struggle. However, I have found the experience
extremely enlightening, and I feel that I have
completed this project with more new or improved
skills, as a stronger problem solver and harder
worker and, for that, I am very pleased. This project
has been a very positive experience for me.’
Emily explains her approach: ‘When there was
an issue, I took a step back, used compass points
to come up with a solution, drew it out to make it
more visual and to work out whether it was possible
or not. After I did this, I spoke to peers about it to
get their feedback to see if they agreed, then I spoke
with my teacher to help work out how I would
make it and whether this would fix the problem.’
Completing your journey
Kenya explains: ‘Whilst making my product, I used
a combination of processes; some of which I am
familiar with and some of which I have never used
before. This was the first time I had worked with
aluminum and, therefore, the first time I had used
the sand casting process. This was a very skilled
process where I learnt the importance of taking
my time to create perfection as opposed to cutting
corners and having to redo it. This led to me also
doing further research into the boiling points of the
metal and the amount of de-gassing tablet required
per kilogram of aluminum.’
Modelling provided many of the answers for
Kenya: ‘Throughout this process, I created
models enabling me to see my designs in
perspective. This was very important as often
modelling in 3D made me spot faults in the
design and notice where I needed to make
alterations to develop the design further.’
To quote Sir James Dyson, ‘Embrace your
mistakes and learn from them, you can’t learn
from success.’
Using your compass
A strategy we have adopted to cope with
uncertainty at the design stage, and to help
provide a clear and justified route forward is
simply called ‘Compass Points’.
The latest technology can help
The rough water and turbulent times of
manufacturing
The efficiency of modern computer aided systems
has helped to streamline such trials and tribulations,
as carefully drawn graphics on a computer screen
can be sent to computer numerically controlled
machines to cut and form with incredible accuracy.
Without doubt, the most demanding and testing
stage of the design process is the making of a
workable prototype. However careful and skilled
23
The completion of a working prototype always
brings a huge sense of achievement and
the opportunity to celebrate what has been
produced through testing and marketing. Such
accomplishment brings with it the realisation that
you have designed a product that could impact
positively on the lives of others.
‘I feel extremely accomplished at the end of this
process as I feel I have gained invaluable knowledge
and experience which I didn’t have prior to this
project. Furthermore, learning and practising all
of the different elements which needed to come
together to complete the project has left me feeling
incredibly proud of how much I have achieved in
such a small place of time.’ - Susie Humphrey
As the saying goes – ‘The quality of learning is in
the journey not the destination!’
Performing Arts and PE
The Composers’ Concert and the Journey of Composition
Katie Bastiman
Monday 29th June saw the first ever ‘Composers’
Concert’ at JCG, an event made possible by the
work of students and staff throughout the year,
particularly our Composer-In-Residence Toby
Huelin, funded by a generous donation to the
JCG Foundation. Mr Huelin joined the school in
September 2014 and has become a much valued
member of the Music Department, helping
students with composition work during lessons
and also during his Composing Club, which ran
during lunchtimes. Mr Huelin also conducted the
Chamber Choir and wrote original pieces for the
College, including the beautiful carol sung by the
Chamber Choir at the Christmas service. Thanks
to his hard work, many students have been able to
develop as composers and create music of which
we can be truly proud.
To me, the concepts of composition and journeys
are inextricably linked: writing a piece, be it for
full orchestra or solo piano, takes time, effort and
thought. If you’re lucky, the initial process of
coming up with ideas can be simple (although
that is by no means a definitive rule), but the
exploration and development of these ideas is
often considerably less so. This year, most of
the AS Music class wrote pieces based on the
structure of “Theme and Variations” for the
composition element of the course. After deciding
on our original themes, we therefore had the
task ahead of us of developing them in exciting
and meaningful ways. From my experience, this
was made easier by the inspiration I gained from
listening to other works, including pieces from
Chicago and The Lord of the Rings soundtrack.
The whole process was very enjoyable, if timeconsuming, and I eventually finished my work for
the string quintet, which I called ‘Fairytale’.
When offered the chance to have my piece
performed in a concert by both students and
professional musicians, my answer was an
immediate (and possibly over-enthusiastic) - “Yes!”
At the end of this journey, being able to share
my piece with other people was a wonderful
thought. Equally, as a spectator at the Composers’
Concert, it was just as fantastic to listen to what
other students had achieved throughout the year,
either during their lessons, such as the Year Eights’
Garage Band arrangements, or independently,
such as Poppy Ginnis’s piano piece, ‘Clocks’.
These original works were complemented by
other pieces which had been prepared by students
for the performance aspects of GCSE and A
Level courses, such as a duet from Wicked and a
percussion ensemble, as well as our finale: ‘Short
Ride in a Fast Machine’ by John Adams.
24 24
Encompassing pop songs and clarinet concertos, it
was a truly fantastic evening. Seeing the progress
that everyone has made throughout the year, both
in performing and composing, was so inspiring,
and I know that I’m not the only student who was
left extremely grateful to the Music Department
Lucy Byrne, Artist
for all their hard work in putting the concert
together. We will all miss Mr Huelin as he leaves to
do his Masters in composing in September, but we
are all so grateful for the help he has given us and
wish him the best of luck for the future.
JCG Prep
JCP Prep - Journey of Writing
Reception Writing
Kathy Jeffords and Mrs Angie Pateman
Mrs Angie Pateman, of JCG Prep,
introduces our younger students’
‘journey of writing’ (Ed.)
From early mark-making with sticks in the sand,
fingers in paint - to writing elaborate creative
stories that activate your senses and stimulate
your emotions.
Kathy Jeffords
Celebrate this ‘Journey’ of writing at JCG Prep
by discovering each developmental step through
the year groups as you flick through these
pages. See how children progress from writing
short phrases and sentences in the early years
to exploring and playing with language and
imagery as they go up through the school. As
their reading develops, so does their writing. The
children gather ideas, collect words and create
worlds. They soon learn about the power of
words: the power of writing.
“I will write until not a single word remains in
my soul…until every story in my heart has been
told…until my mind’s well is bone dry…and
even then I will write on because writing is not
just something I do but part of who I am.”
Mrs Angie Pateman
Have you ever considered how complicated the
process of writing is?
Continues onto
page 26
Holly Garnett, Artist
25
JCG Prep
Reception Writing (continued)
26
JCG Prep
Year 1 Writing
Year 2 Writing
Continues onto page 28
27
JCG Prep
Year 2 Writing (continued)
28
JCG Prep
Year 3 Writing
Sophia Mackenzie, Molly Pallot and Olivia Messervy-Gros
The Trip ‘3 Walsh’ Will Never Forget!
Sophia Mackenzie
“Wow, I can’t believe it, ‘3 Walsh’ won the
competition! We were the most respectful year
group,” said Sophie.
“Your prize is…a trip around the world!”
exclaimed Mrs Walsh. Everyone was running
round like they were crazy! After ‘3 Walsh’ had
packed their bags, they went to the passport
office and got their passports stamped. The
passport lady was tall and kind.
At midday the next day, ‘3 Walsh’ set off on
the grand H.M.S Belong cruise. On the H.M.S
Belong cruise, there was a roller blading disco.
You had to put roller blades on and dance! On
the H.M.S Belong cruise, you had to hire a
cabin. In the cabin there were three big, comfy
beds, one lovely bathroom and a playroom with
a big telly. Sophia felt very excited! Soon after
the children had boarded the big ship, they did
a safety drill. The midshipman was a nice lady
called Olivia and she helped everyone onto the
orange lifeboats. They pretended to be in a storm
just in case it really did happen! That night when
the children were sleeping, the cruise hit a rock!
Sophia woke up and said to Mabel, “What was
that sound?” Just then the cruise ship began to
sink! Everyone was running around like mad!
Olivia had to get everyone onto the lifeboats.
There were seven people on the lifeboat. Sophia
brought a first aid kit, blankets and a mobile
phone but, on all of the lifeboats, there was a
flare-gun, food, water and an inflatable ring
in case anyone fell overboard. After about ten
minutes on the lifeboat a huge, ferocious storm
gathered and the lifeboat capsized!
‘3Walsh’ had to delegate jobs to help them to
survive. Isabel and Molly went to find fresh water
and Erin and Isabella went to find berries that
were safe to eat, and tropical fruits. Libby and
Sophie built a super safe shelter in the tall trees.
‘3 Walsh’ took turns writing S.O.S in the sand to
try to get rescued by passing helicopters.
Finally, a passing ship rescued ‘3 Walsh’ and
‘3 Moorhouse’. When they got back to school,
Year 3 felt relieved! Sophia and her friends had
survived their horrible nightmare!
Unfortunately, there was someone with a broken
arm on Sophie’s lifeboat! The little girl with the
broken arm was called Theodora. Theodora
asked Sophie,“Will I be OK?”
The trees smelt lovely and the sand was as soft
as wool, but I couldn’t go far because the jungle
is very tricky to get out of. I felt so tired. The
animals were by the pond drinking yummy water.
I heard the tall trees rattling because they have
cheeky monkeys in them! My friend and I were
delegated to get some water. But we really want
to come home now. I miss my comfy bed!
Please come and save us soon,
Love Molly
XXX
Letter in a Bottle
My Fairyland
Molly Pallot
“Of course you will be OK, you are with friends,
besides you have got a bandage on,” replied Sophia.
Everyone started to panic especially Theodora and
her best friends Lucinda, Gracie, Sophie.
Olivia Messervy-Gros
Dear whoever finds this important letter,
My name is Molly. I have dark brown eyes and
I love furry owls. I have yellow hair and I love
scrumptious chocolate.
Olivia the midshipman helped Theodora to the
sandy shore. On the island, ‘3Walsh’ could hear
the screeching of tropical birds. Also, Sophia saw
a dolphin jumping out of the water. Emily could
taste the golden sand as she landed on the land.
Sophia was full of lots of different feelings. Sophia
could smell animal droppings and she felt sick!
I was one of the petrified passengers on the
H.M.S Belong cruise. The red whistle went and I
was terrified! The boat sank and I thought I was
going to die! I swam and swam until I reached
the shore.
I can see in my lovely, beautiful fairyland... a
colourful rainbow with every colour inside it.
Did you know the colours of the rainbow are
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and
violet? Above the rainbow are some AMAZING,
GORGEOUS flowers hanging from the sky and
there are thousands and thousands of them.
Next to a purple flower is a flying cake (you
didn’t see that coming, did you?). There are two,
one of them is below the rainbow. It is flying
around like a headless chicken!
29
JCG Prep
Year 4 Writing
Around the land are colourful pieces of party tissue
paper. They are all the colours of the rainbow.
I can smell the gorgeous, luxurious flowers
floating in the air. I can also smell the popcorn
from the trees. Under the rainbow is a lake, it is
so amazing.
Holly Morel and Amiy Mabbs
I can hear the waterfall pouring into the lake. I can
feel the air floating around me. I can also feel the
grass tickling my toes. It feels like a tickle monster!
The Mystery of the Old Oak
Now this is getting quite annoying, there are two
fairies in their houses chattering like banshees! I
can feel the lovely breeze flowing across my face.
I never want to leave this land!
7th September 1892
The trees in the sunlit glade whispered gently as
I pulled my jersey tighter. The cluster of rustling
trees cast dark black shadows on the gold wheat
fields, loose wheat drifted into my open mouth,
its sweet ripeness penetrating my pink, sensitive
tongue. My ears caught the echoes of birdcalls in
the warm, calming breeze. I asked myself quietly,
where on earth is he? He told me he’d be here.
Typical George, being late.
Holly Morel
Hollie Donaldson, Artist
“BOO!” yelled a male voice that I knew so well.
“GEORGE, YOU WICKED BEAST!” I
shrieked back.
“So, Anna, did you bring sweets?”
“Yes I did, you arrogant person, but first a nice
hello would suffice.”
A few minutes later – and toffees! We climbed
a gigantic oak, its curling, dying, falling leaves
tumbling in great waterfalls of opals. “It’s so
beautiful,” sighed George blissfully, “just like
your sister.” I would have kicked him, but I was
halfway up a tree and would have met my death
doing so.
30
We neared the top of the oak and we flopped
down on the sturdy, inviting branches that
creaked a little as we sat. I reached for a loose
toffee and blinked; the toffee was gone!
“Is it my imagination or are the toffees
disappearing?” asked George suspiciously. He
shifted a few inches along the branch, only to
disappear exactly where the sweet had! I was
extremely nervous but, nevertheless, I leant
forward and plunged into inky blackness.
I tried to grab onto something so as to slow my
fall, but there was nothing to hold onto and the
wind rushing in my ears stifled my screams. A
minute (it felt like an hour!) later, I landed face
flat on a sticky jar of maple syrup. I must have
been twenty centimetres high! Anyway, I jumped
down, brushing my jersey down as I went. I
looked around where I was and my mouth
opened in mild astonishment. There were houses
in curvy lines, shades of coal-black dull grey and
burnt auburn brown. There was a colossal throne
in the middle of the cobwebbed floor. Garlands
of spiders, cockroaches and beetles were strung
up around the throne. “We thought we might see
you here, person,” a jeering, high pitched voice
cat-called from the shadows.
The thing stepped from the shadows, its cloak
billowing behind her. Her hair was decrepit and
JCG Prep
‘wonderful hotel’; we stayed for a fortnight from
December 20th – January 4th.
white, her dress was faded and mouldy, and from
her body, grey dilapidated spikes – blood-stained.
She spoke again, “You will suffer and die here. War
Skirts show no mercy! I will and can destroy you.”
I was frozen with utter terror. The only part of
my body that was moving was my eyes. My lips
smiled at her cheekily. The Queen (I reckoned
she was) stopped dead in her tracks and started
melting away. She screamed, “You haven’t seen
the last of me!” But just then…
8th September 1892
“I am so glad we got out of there,” groaned
George for the fifth time this morning.
“The Queen said she’d be back,” I replied, “so
there will be trouble soon. Very, very soon.”
I bit my lip. How long would it take for the
Queen to find us?
We were all in danger…
Letter of Complaint
Amiy Mabbs
Dear Sir/Madam,
I’m writing to complain about our recent stay
at the Bengal Hotel and how we were terribly
disappointed. Myself, my wife and my children
were not very pleased with your so called
Eventually, after dealing with the moody
receptionist, we walked in to be greeted by the
sight of old school lockers and unclean bedclothes.
The room was infested with itchy lice and sticky
spider webs. In your brochure, it stated that a
family room included a king size bed, a single bed
and a cot. But, when we arrived, we found that we
had to sleep in children’s bunk beds!
Secondly, after taking a fly from her tepid soup,
my wife became dreadfully ill. Also, to add to my
disappointment, my children ordered cheesecake
but, when it eventually arrived, it came out
looking like a large slice of icy, frozen cheddar
cheese! To add to that, when I talked to the Head
Waiter, he simply muttered under his breath
and walked away. However, when I finally got to
speak to the Chef, there was a cockroach on the
floor! This was extremely unhygienic!
Although in your brochure it said that the Jacuzzi
blew pearl shaped bubbles – in fact it was like we
were sitting on frozen cold gravel! It was like ice!
When my wife and I went to play tennis, your
brochure did not inform us to bring our
own equipment.
I hope, as a manager of this hotel, you will
give me a prompt reply and I hope you will
compensate us properly. In future, please improve
your hotel and we may return.
Yours faithfully,
Mr Mabbs
JCG Prep Art
31
JCG Prep
Depression
Year 5 Writing
Ruby Morrison
Naomi De Gruchy, Ruby Morrison and Maddy Cameron
Depression is stern grey, like storm clouds gathering, waiting to rain on you.
Depression tastes like cotton wool, choking you tortuously to death.
Depression is dead flowers in a vase; overflowing in an intoxicating stench.
Depression looks like a graveyard ready to suck you down like a malevolent whirlpool.
Depression sounds like morbid church bells chiming monotonously.
Depression is when you are trapped in a world where no-one exists and there’s no way to escape.
The Door
Naomi De Gruchy
This is Torture
Go and open the frozen-solid door to the magical, unpredictable country of Finland.
Maybe there’ll be energetic, howling Huskies skittering on ice,
Or the White Witch from Narnia, with malevolent eyes glinting like a valuable, appealing diamond,
Or even Santa with snow encrusted on the side of an opulent, dazzling sleigh.
Maddy Cameron
It was 1923, Tuesday 15th February.
Hearing the faint footsteps through my window,
I scrambled out of my ragged clothes.
I trudged along the tiny lane,
Entering the old, antique gates.
Hands quivered as they turned the icy, metal knob.
The machines boomed on energetically through my ears,
It was horrible!
CRASH! There goes a little scavenger stuck under the beastly machine!
BANG! The worker was eaten by the deep throat of the dangerous monster!
Cold, stuffy so taken aback,
Thick with cotton,
The taste was strong with fumes and nasty sweat,
Machines go back and forth monotonously.
It felt as if the air was closing in on me, almost like putting a lid on the box,
Salty tears seemed to stain my cheeks,
The sun was getting dimmer and dimmer.
It felt like the walls were closing in on me,
The day seemed to get longer and longer,
It was torture,
It was a nightmare waiting to happen.
Go and open the collapsing, crumbling door with roses clambering up it.
Could it lead to the long-lost secret garden?
Or to a vicious swarm of bees?
Or even a lonely deserted graveyard with your family’s name engraved on a stone;
Only you can find out.
Go and open the door to the Underwater World; it is summoning you with an overwhelming splash.
Will there be an obliging, dancing dolphin?
Or a starving, vicious shark, with teeth like razor blades, as yellow as lemons,
Or possibly, just possibly, a killer whale with blood dribbling rhythmically out of its stone-cold mouth.
Go and open the padlocked door that leads to the chaos of the zoo.
Even if there’s a brutal, fiendish cobra hissing like Medusa,
Even if there’s a menacing tiger getting ready to pounce on its petrified prey,
Even if there’s a ruthless alligator swiping his tail like a powerful windscreen wiper…
At least there’ll be an adventure.
32
JCG Prep
Year 6 Writing Anna Edelenbos, Emily Frost,
Matilda Phillips, Ruby Clarke and Saskia Tye
A Long Walk to Water: Chapter NineSouthern Sudan 1985
Anna Edelenbos, Emily Frost and Matilda Phillips
I stub my toe on the pitiless rock. The agony lets
a stray tear drop down my hollow cheek. I wipe it
away. I can’t be weak: they won’t want me. I must
stay strong! My Uncle wants me to stay strong.
Walking…Walking for life. My monotonous journey
drones on…everlasting. The oppressive breeze swirls
the dust around my face. If I find my family, if I keep
on walking, if I stay with my uncle, then I will be safe.
Three men stride past me and tie him to the tree.
Three men snatch his gun.
The silence is crying out desperately, crying out
because I need comfort. The tears are melting down
my face like wax sliding down a candle. Daunted, I
cower at the back of the group: I am waiting for hope
to come to me. Everlasting thorns perforate my feet.
There is no hope any more. What is the point of
looking for it with nobody by my side? My life is a
depressing song that will never end. It will haunt me
forever. For the sake of my Uncle, for the sake of my
family, I must stay determined. I cannot give in to the
doubtful thoughts running through my mind. They
would have wanted it.
Desolate. This place is isolated. It’s just my group
and me. My life is a never-ending piece of string
unwinding to a new adventure every day- I no longer
know who I am. Every step I take, a heartbeat of my
life is snatched from me.
Dust creeps through my cracked lips and tickles my
tongue; I choke! Glimmering, golden sand grains
betray my bare feet as I walk to nowhere. The majestic
sun scolds and blisters my pure skin. Despite the
burning sun, I shiver at the thought of walking away
from my poor family. Where are they? Are they safe?
BANG! My Uncle is gone…
I have to carry on. I’m almost there. I can do it. I can
make it. I stop for a minute and close my eyes. I can
hear my Uncle’s voice; “Salva Mawien Dut Ariik,”
and I know I can reach the end…
33
JCG Prep
Gazelle Began
Saskia Tye
Gazelle began.
She stole the song of angels,
She took the rumble of clouds
And made her voice.
For her coat,
She robbed the softness of velvet,
She pinched the ruffles of a blanket,
She grasped the warmth of a log fire.
From the racecourse,
She took the sprint of an athlete.
She grabbed the pounding of a sprinter
For her walk.
Then at night
Gazelle snatched the twinkle of stars,
She inherited the darkness of the sky,
To make her eyes.
Sticks and bones
Went into the strongness of her legs,
And for their shape,
She took the crispness of grass,
And Gazelle was made.
JCG Prep Art
JCG Prep Art
34
The Foundation
Employability And Careers
Mr Adam Sykes, Emily Bain, Jessica Hair, Lizzie Cornish and Vaishali Shah
Mr Adam Sykes, Employability Coordinator
completed 3 out of the 14 exams, which will take
around 3 and half years to finish in total. I would
say I’m at the beginning of my journey!
JCG often plays a significant
role in our journeys through life.
For some, it is for a lifetime, for
others just a fleeting moment.
JCG is often the springboard to
our career: the journey through
learning and work. With this in
mind, we asked some people
with links to JCG to complete our
questionnaire in order to learn
more about their journeys. Here
are their replies. Bon voyage!
What advice would you give to students
preparing for life after JCG?
When you are deciding what to do after leaving
JCG, I suggest you try and pick something
that genuinely interests you. If you get the
opportunity, apply to summer schemes or do
work experience to see if you enjoy the job/
career path. Don’t think you have to go to
university: it’s not for everyone and there are
some careers where it’s more beneficial to go
straight into the job. Most importantly, talk to
people – parents, teachers, friends’ parents –
they’ve all been through the same things, and
have lots of experience (as much as we hate to
admit it!)
Emily Bain
What’s the best job you’ve ever had?
The most rewarding job I have had is at Sanne
as it has opened up so many doors. The most
illuminating job was working as an “Artist Liaison”
backstage at Jersey Live. It was only for the weekend
and hard work but very interesting to meet all the
artists and see what they are really like!
What do you appreciate most about your
friends?
They put up with me when I’ve had a bad day!
What is your idea of happiness?
Not having to wake up to an alarm on the
weekend, watching Home and Away with a
packet of popcorn, or a big family get together.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
Dates at JCG:
September 2007 - July 2014
I guess the worst jobs have been some of the
things my Dad has asked me to do! We had a
Bonfire party at home last year and made a fire
on our drive out of wood with nails in and my
dad paid my sister and me to sift through all the
ashes to remove the nails!
Where are you in your journey at the
moment?
I am currently working at Sanne Group as an
administrator within Private Equity studying
towards the ACCA accountancy exams. I have
35
The Foundation
Lauren Berry, Artist
Employability And Careers (continued)
Jessica Hair
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
Dates at JCG: 2003 - 2010
Selling ice-creams in a beach cafe. I loved it until
I realised ‘99s’ did not cost 99p and almost got
the sack!
moment?
I’m currently coming to the end of my final year
at Cardiff Medical School. As I write this, I am
sitting in the sun in St. Lucia relaxing after a
day working in the local hospital as part of my
Medical Elective. If all goes to plan, I will be
starting work in the UK this August as a junior
doctor....scary!
The one I’m doing now: working as a final year
medical student in St Lucia. The sun is shining
and the people are delighted to have us here. The
first patient I saw was a young boy who had been
bitten by a venomous snake... not what I’m used
to seeing in Cardiff !
What advice would you give to students
friends?
Enjoy every minute and don’t worry. When you
finish school, everyone takes a different path and
it feels strange not to be doing exactly what your
friends are anymore. Whether you’re worried
about going to university, finding your first job, or
how to plan your gap year it will all work out in
the end. If some of your friends seem to beat you
there it doesn’t matter. Have fun along the way
and I’m sure you’ll end up somewhere great!
No matter where I am or what I’m doing, my
friends are always there. We’ve all gone our
separate ways since finishing school and are
working all over the world. Having said that,
whenever we do get the special chance to see
each other, it’s exactly the same. We’ve done a
lot of amazing things, met a lot of new people
and learnt a lot since finishing school, but our
friendship hasn’t changed a bit! 36
Sharing new adventures and opportunities with
the great friends and family I’m already blessed
to have!
The Foundation
Georgia Haworth, Artist
Lizzie Cornish
Dates at JCG: September 2008 to date
moment?
Year 13, confirming University choices and
getting ready for final exams. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
I didn’t get any of my preferences for Trident
and ended up at a trust firm. During my first
week, they forgot I was there and I spent the
whole week filing. The second week was better
once I reminded them of my existence!
friends?
Their ability to make you forget about anything
else and just enjoy yourself. What is your idea of happiness?
Sitting on the beach at St Ouen with my friends.
37
The Foundation
Employability And Careers (continued)
Vaishali Shah
Dates at JCG: 1983 -1986
I have never thought of my work as a job because
I love what I do, and although I work really hard,
I enjoy it. It is very important to love what you
do because then you don’t mind working hard. It
gives you a tremendous sense of satisfaction and
it keeps you going during times of challenge.
moment?
This year I am celebrating the 15th anniversary
of my graphic design and marketing consultancy
called Creative ID and next year I will be
celebrating the 10th anniversary of my greeting
cards and wedding and events stationery business
– Ananya Cards. I am also a Director and Group
Head of Marketing at Minerva, a trust and
corporate services business.
friends?
I am very lucky to have amazing friends who are
incredibly supportive. I can depend on them,
be myself with them, switch off from work
and relax. They are also a great resource and
sounding board for bouncing ideas, and I can be
sure of their honest feedback. What advice would you give to students
Have a clear vision of what you want to
achieve in life. Be prepared to study and work
hard towards your goal. Whether you work
for yourself or someone else, be diligent and
committed. Having a positive attitude will be a
great help when dealing with challenges.
I believe true happiness comes from within and
it starts with being grateful for all that is good in
my life. For pleasure, I like going to the spa for a
massage or facial, going shopping or just relaxing
with friends.
Vaishali Shah
[email protected]
38
Rochelle Merhet, Artist
The Foundation
Why I Became a JCG
Foundation Girl Kelly Gomes
The JCG
Foundation has
helped me so much
during my first
year of 6th Form.
Coming from
another school, the
Foundation really
helped me find my
place within the
College, and to be
able to participate
in events as if I had been at JCG since Year 7! I
first met Leanda when I was chosen to take part
in the Marketing Team for the JCG Hawksford
debate, whilst at Grainville. Ever since, Leanda
Naomi Ryan, Artist
39
has been so supportive, eventually convincing me
to join the College for 6th Form which is honestly
the best decision I could have made. I have taken
part in, and helped Leanda with, so many events.
My favourite has been an alumni lunch at the
College, where I got to meet so many inspiring
women who were part of the College. This is
what I believe the Foundation is about: bringing
together all these amazing independent women
who were once part of the College, and being
able to hear their stories from when they were in
school. It really goes to show that JCG is not just
a school but a community, and I believe that it is
all thanks to Leanda and her hard work that we
are all able to come together.
The Foundation
Can EY Shape Your Future?
What do we do?
Abbie Cardy
Where and when to start your career is one of
the most life changing decisions you’ll make but
it’s also important not to limit your options!
There is still a misconception that working in
an accountancy firm is all about working with
numbers but this is far from reality. You’ll learn
how businesses operate, how they control their
risks and how companies adapt in increasingly
complex and challenging regulatory landscapes.
The qualifications we offer are internationally
recognised and cover a broad range of subjects,
which include law, management, ethics, finance,
tax, audit and financial reporting.
options but will open a huge range of career
possibilities; whatever you go on to do in the
future, the experience you’ll gain with EY will
last you a lifetime.
Careers are often shaped by where they start, the
skills and experiences people gain, who they meet
and the opportunities they are given.
It takes three years of hard work and dedication
to become fully qualified but the commitment is
soon worth it. Our people go on to have varied
and interesting careers, some taking advantage of
our global secondment programmes, which allow
them to further develop their skills and build
their networks as well as to explore working in
different cultures and countries.
Don’t take our word for it:
come and see for yourself !
This summer Isobel Pedley, Molly Stein, Katy
Hughes and Maelle Smith, former JCG students,
joined our summer internship to gain an insight
into the finance industry, and to experience
firsthand if a trainee position at EY is the right fit
for them once they graduate from university.
At EY, we understand the importance of
investing in our people and that is why training
and development is part of our everyday working
life. The EY journey begins with our A Level
school leaver or graduate training programme,
where you study towards a professional
qualification but it’s much more than just
technical training: development is at the heart of
our culture and we give our people the freedom
to map their own career path.
Following the success of our summer internship,
this October half-term we are introducing the EY
Skills Academy open to local students in Years
12 and 13. This is a structured work experience
programme designed to give you the opportunity
to find out more about EY.
Everyday our people are learning new things,
whether it’s online, through coaching, talking
to their mentor or classroom-style learning. If
you join us you’ll learn business skills, how to
build relationships, effective communication
and leading people too — and those skills are
every bit as important as your technical training.
Starting your career with EY won’t limit your
The five day Academy will also help you learn more
about yourself, how you work with others, and what
an organisation like EY expects from you.
At EY, we don’t mind the subjects you’re studying
at school: we’re more interested in your strengths.
So, if you are a bright student with energy and
enthusiasm, and you are good working in teams,
why not explore your options now? The EY
Skills Academy will give you invaluable work
40
The Foundation
What it Means to be Foundation Girls
Charlotte Shaw, Lucy Howarth, Alice Ambler and Bella Grainger
experience and build a range of skills that will
help get you prepared for your career – wherever
it takes you.
If you would like to find out more or to apply
for either our EY Skills Academy or a trainee
position then why not contact Abbie today, as
places are limited?
Email: [email protected]
Visit us on Facebook:
EYChannelIslandsCareers
Follow us on twitter: @EY_CareersCHI
#EYfuturereadyCI
in marketing, design, PR, management and
communications. We enjoy helping to organise JCG
Foundation’s fabulous events. Being a Foundation
Girl is definitely worth all the hard work because it
helps you to not only connect with the College but,
also, to meet girls from other years.
Being a Foundation Girl is a brilliant opportunity to
help organise and support the College’s fundraising
initiatives. Since the start of Year 7, we have been
involved in the Foundation, which means that we
help Leanda and Karen.
We have helped to
organise Pride and Joy
- which is one of JCG’s
biggest events - the
Hawksford Debates,
Alumni Reunions and
much more.
As well as organising,
marketing, designing
and planning events,
we also get to meet and
communicate with some
inspiring people from all
walks of life. We have
always worked with
Leanda who is such an
amazing and fun person
and, over time, we have
developed a friendly bond
with the Foundation.
This opportunity offers
a career pathway
41
We have some very happy memories of being
Foundation Girls and we hope to make many more
as we journey on through the College.
The Locker
Is This the End of the Tiger’s Journey?
Grace Nolan
Grace is currently researching
the risk of extinction facing tigers
as part of an Extended Project
Qualification (Ed.)
At present, tigers are likely to become completely
extinct within our lifetime. The tiger will
be reduced to a story or a picture for future
generations - and for us.
The Balinese, Caspian and Javan Tigers are
already extinct. The Bengal, Siberian, Sumatran,
Malayan, Indochinese and South China Tiger
species still remain in the wild; however, not a
single South China Tiger has been seen in the
wild for 25 years. In 1990, there were 100,000
tigers in the wild. Today, there are as few as 3,200.
Unfortunately, this is the fault of humans and it
should be our responsibility to try to rectify it.
Tigers are killed by poachers who sell their skins
and body parts as ingredients for traditional
Chinese medicines. Parts from a single tiger can
be sold for £32,000, illegally on the black market.
The world’s rainforests are disappearing fast:
they are being cleared for palm oil plantations,
also putting the Orangutan at risk of extinction.
for the Tiger Conservation Protection Units
within Sumatra. This allows all injured animals
found in the Sumatran Forest to be rescued: it
ensures that the forest is patrolled and that local
communities are educated to reduce poaching.
Palm oil is found in half of all packaged foods;
it appears in soaps, cosmetics and fuel for cars:
it a very popular product due its low cost, which
appeals to a fast growing population. Forests are
lost at a rate of 36 football fields a minute. This
has forced tigers to live in isolated areas of habitat,
making it harder for tigers to reproduce, and
making them more exposed to poachers. By 2020,
it is likely that all species of Tiger will be extinct
in the wild: tigers will only remain in captivity and
the destroyed rainforests mean there will be little
hope of the tiger returning to the wild.
With our efforts, we hope that JCG can
contribute to saving the tiger and for the tiger’s
journey in the wild to continue.
The critically endangered Sumatran Tiger is
only found in the Indonesian Island of Sumatra
where there are as few as 400 left. This is
particularly due to the increasing number of
palm oil plantations; over 80% of the Sumatran
rainforest has disappeared in the last 20 years.
By the end of 2015, the UK government aims
to source 100% sustainable palm oil: whilst this
gives a hopeful message for the future, other
countries are yet to follow and we may face the
sad realisation that it is too late for the tiger.
This year, JCG Conservation Club has decided to
take action by adopting Spot the Sumatran Tiger,
from Australia Zoo, who was seen on the BBC’s
Tigers About the House. This will help raise
awareness for tiger conservation and raise funds
Florence Balderson, Artist
42
The Locker
The Locker
Jenna’s Journey: A Harvard Application Essay
(‘The Second Day’) Jenna Volpert
This past summer, I left the
golden beaches and leafy lanes
of my small island community
off the coast of France, and flew
6,000 miles to Johannesburg
in South Africa. As an aspiring
medical student, I wanted the
sort of hands-on, minds-on work
experience that could only come
from being part of front-line
medicine in a big city hospital.
Alice Jeacock-Fewtrell, Artist
Taking a break between rounds I slumped down
on a bench in the corridor, mentally and physically
exhausted. Across the hall, sitting in a wheelchair
pushed up against the wall, sat an elderly gentleman
in dusty green pants and jacket. His left foot had
been amputated above the ankle and was freshly
bandaged. I glanced across at him, my eyes drawn
to the missing limb: 26 bones and 33 joints, my
tired brain generated automatically. He motioned
for me to come closer. Heaving myself up, I moved
towards him.
“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their
strength,” he murmured softly, pointing at his
bandaged leg.
The early self-satisfied glow I had felt as a result
of organising a two week volunteer internship at
the 3,200 bed Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto
wore off quickly in the pressure cooker reality
of administering to the needs of the two million
patients who seek help every year. With shifts of 28
hours as standard, I was dispatched straight into
the wards to ‘help’. Whilst my academic knowledge
back home had resulted in a steady stream of
accolades from above and adulation from below, I
felt utterly exposed when faced with real people in
real pain. With my white coat and even whiter than
normal face, patients mistook me for a doctor and,
brushing my mumbled explanations aside, looked
to me for answers to their pain, suffering and fear.
“They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run
and not grow weary.” I responded without thinking,
shocking myself.
That verse comes from the book of Isiah: I learnt it
when I was 10 years old. I know where I was, who
I was with and even what I was wearing that day. I
did not know that a moment of learning would one
day help ease the anguish of another. The smile
that the old man gave me as I completed his verse
was brighter than any of the silver cups adorning
the bookcase at home.
43
Martin Luther King asked, “Life’s most persistent
and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for
others?’” That day, in that chaotic hall I felt I had
my answer. I am absorbing the full ambit of my
education so that I may focus it in the way that is
most meaningful. The learning opportunities we
are exposed to extend way beyond the classroom.
In the same vein, the application of our knowledge
is without boundaries.
There are two significant days in our education.
The day we set out on our learning path – and the
day we realise why we are making the journey. A
chance encounter in a township hospital hallway
was my second day.
Creative Minds
Liberation Poems
Hannah Owens, Hannah Fennell, Ieva Belova and Aliyah Buesnel (Grouville School)
The following poems were
amongst the winners of
the ‘Liberation 70 Poetry
Competition’. Hannah and
Hannah are currently students
at JCG and Aliyah is joining us
in September 2015. For more
details, visit the website of the
Jersey Arts Trust:
http://arts.je/2015/04/30/winnersof-the-liberation-70-poetrycompetition-announced/ (Ed.)
The Islanders received their parcels,
While rats we nibbled on.
Starving, dying of cold and disease,
How much for home do I long.
Tag der Befreiung – Day of Liberation
Hannah Owens
A thousand smiles I offer,
Yet what do I get in return?
Ten thousand glares and scowls,
All wishing me to burn.
By radio, we heard of their liberation coming,
But what would become of me?
Tossed, discarded, in the bin:
I certainly wouldn’t be free.
My hands hold out sweets to children,
But turn away do they.
Their cheeky smiles drop right down,
While scared they run away.
Allied forces marched on land,
The instrument of surrender was signed.
Overjoyed islanders crowded the streets,
While we waited silent, in orderly lines.
I thought we would hold their respect,
Though not a scrap do they give.
I hate myself for coming here,
Destroying that for which they live.
Herded onto the beach like cattle,
Left on the sand, wet and cold.
Not an inch of hope or glory remains,
Nor a smile does anyone hold.
We are holding them prisoner,
In their own homeland.
For it, they greatly resent us,
In their eyes, we are far from grand.
Now I am again a prisoner,
Held in this beautiful place.
I wish to break free from these chains:
Unlock the whole human race.
Yet I am a prisoner, too,
Held in this beautiful place.
I wish to break free from these chains:
Unlock the whole human race.
Sitting alone, watching the crowds,
Families dancing again.
Our flag is ripped down, a Union Jack goes up,
Our dreams did die then.
44
Sitting, longing, wishing for home,
Now only a prisoner of war.
When will I see my daughter or wife,
Or feel human again to the core?
After all, I’m worth nothing to them,
Only a German: a Nazi.
To be hated, despised and turned away,
But do you really know me?
I never wished to be the cause,
Of such utter despair.
But I am now a prisoner again:
Does anyone even care?
Creative Minds
JCG Prep Art
Contented
Occupation
Hannah Fennell
Ieva Belova and Aliyah Buesnel (Grouville School)
Red white and blue flapping,
A buzzing in the air,
Electric eyes, electric looks,
Petals and hats littered everywhere.
Scavenging for food,
In the Occupation.
Hungry and desperate,
Hoping for Salvation.
The booming of boots on pavement,
Long awaited and sorely missed,
The proud beating of their hearts,
Clad in green and adorned by metal.
Islanders shivering cold,
German domination.
Barely getting by,
Suffering population.
The streets full, stomachs full,
Teeth showing and arms wide open,
His helmet off, her hair down,
And hearts, once again, contented.
No news, no talk, no hope,
No communication.
Not a sound heard,
A life in isolation.
An island slowly dies,
Edge of starvation.
Bringing relief The Vega
Makes Jersey its destination.
Is it a dream,
Is this our jubilation?
Hoping for food and supplies,
Finally our Liberation.
45
Creative Minds
New York, New York
Tay Buesnel
Pushing the heavy door open, I stepped out
onto the balcony. Snowflakes had been gently
falling all morning and the railings were coated
in snow. I pressed my hands on the balcony and
peered over the edge, the cold, numbing feeling
spreading up my fingers. Glancing downwards I
gasped. The pavements were barely visible but
the layer of snow on the roads had gradually
been moved to the side by the ever busy New
York traffic. Grabbing my boots and winter
knits, I ran to the door, dragging my sister by
the arm behind me. The lift journey down
felt like an eternity: I had to get outside and
explore the so called ‘Big Apple’. As soon as
the doors opened, I was off like a shot, passing
the restaurant without stopping to look at the
pile of chocolate muffins which remained from
breakfast; such a delight would only be found
on holiday. The smell of bacon and eggs still
remained and it wafted around the lobby as I
dashed past the Christmas trees.
The glass doors slid open and I was immediately
hit by a wave of cold, crisp air. Skyscrapers
towered above me as snow crunched beneath
my feet. I’d never seen so much snow in my
life; New York was a winter wonderland worth
seeing. I’d only been outside for a moment or
two but my ears were already filled with city
sounds, like the beeping of car horns, the loud
chatter, and the Christmas music. In a New
York minute, I collided with a tall man in a
black suit. After a quick acknowledgement of,
“Sorry, I didn’t see you there!” he was off down
the street in a hurry, probably running late for
some meeting or another. That was something
I hadn’t gotten used to yet; the number of
people in New York seemed endless. No wonder,
because there are about 8.4 million people
living there today. Not over a minute later, I
embarrassed myself again by stepping on a
patch of ice and almost slipping over, stopping
my fall by gripping a nearby lamp post as tightly
as I could. I lifted my arm off the pole and
realised I now had a very wet glove: not much
use for keeping your hands warm. I turned to
see my parents sniggering at my misfortune in
the doorway, as I straightened up and walked
towards them.
One of the first priorities on our three day
holiday was to visit Central Park, as it is well
known as one of the best parts of the city.
Making our way there, I tried to take in as
46
Creative Minds
Jasmine Le Maistre, Artist
much of my surroundings as possible: the
glistening Christmas lights, the endless series
of extravagant window displays; everything
was bigger than I had ever seen before.
We eventually reached the park and were
dumbfounded by how big it actually was. As
it turns out, Central Park is a whopping 843
acres of land, and its popularity has made it one
of the most visited urban parks in the United
States. There was a long, muddy path which
seemed like a good way to go: so, with my
camera at the ready, we set off. Further down
the long dirt path, we spotted a huge lake, but
it had frozen over in the cold weather. As I got
closer, I realised that there were people on the
ice: a bunch of young adults. Despite there
being a proper ice rink just a couple of streets
away, these people didn’t seem to care about
how utterly ridiculous they looked, repeatedly
falling over nothing as they struggled to keep
their balance.
A little while later, after any sense of dignity
they had was out the window, I got bored of
watching them and decided to explore. As my
parents continued to watch these people making
fools of themselves, something caught my eye
as it bobbed around in the glistening snow: a
squirrel. My eight-year-old self had only seen
a squirrel once or twice, and this particular
squirrel was grey. The squirrels I had seen in
my time were red, so this new looking thing
excited me. My first thought was to be as quiet
as possible, but that idea was immediately
forgotten, as my younger sister was already
halfway up the hill, yelling at the top of her
voice. I was so caught up in chasing both her
and the squirrel that I failed to notice the thick
tree roots buried underneath the snow. Within
seconds, I found myself on the cold, wet ground
after tripping and falling face first into the snow.
I was more shocked than hurt as the excessive
amount of clothing I was wearing prevented
any scratches. By this time, the squirrel was
long gone so we ventured further into the park.
Upon doing so, we came across a delightful
Christmas fête, made up of dainty stalls and
selling a tremendous array of goods, from
homemade cookies to intricate jewellery and,
of course, the traditional Christmas cards. Each
stall was mesmerizingly decorated with lights,
bunting and little Christmas trees, each sporting
hundreds of colourful baubles.
We roamed the fête for half an hour, eyeballing
everything on offer, occasionally pausing
to purchase Christmas presents, since the
prominent day was fast approaching. With
sparkly gift bags weighing us down, we left the
fête and headed back into the main city by a
different path. About half way there, we saw
a long chain of people forming just beyond
the park so we decided to investigate. The
cause for the queue was that the biggest ice
rink in the city had just opened and everyone
seemed eager to get their skates on. There
were already hundreds of people waiting so
we made the decision not to join in today much to the disappointment of my sister, who
then proceeded to go in a huff and sulk in the
corner! To cheer her up, we went for lunch
47
and hot chocolate in a café with a gorgeous
view of the ice rink and the skyscrapers above
it. The sheer size of everything worried me,
as, if I got lost, finding my family would be
like trying to find a needle in a haystack. After
taking some photos, we called it a day and
left the park, the smell of fast food mingling
with the crisp air. Heading back to the hotel,
slurping hot chocolate from my paper cup as
the snow continued to fall around me, I stared
up the road. This was the biggest, busiest, most
bustling place I had ever been by far, and,
despite not being used to everything yet, I loved
it. This was a holiday I wasn’t going to forget
quickly. If New York isn’t enough to render
anyone speechless, I don’t know what is.
Creative Minds
Travel Writing: Morocco
Hannah Fennell
The pungent smell of rotting meat and rancid
leather stole my breath as I traipsed through the
souk. At least ten pairs of dark brown eyes were
glued to my face, as I struggled to keep up with
my guide in the sticky and sweltering heat. My
backpack was digging into my skin very painfully
due to the fact my best friend walking directly
behind me was yanking the straps backwards every
two steps so she didn’t get left behind. I could hear
her sharp breathing and feel her shaking hands
tugging at me.
“Hannah!” she shout-whispered in my ear. I turned
to look at what she was excited about. There, at the
back of an alcove, lying on a pile of cow skins was
what looked like a very dead little boy. The mound
wasn’t quite big enough for his body to fit on and
his head hung off the edge in what looked like one
of the most uncomfortable positions I had ever
seen. All of a sudden, a man who was probably
a relation of the little boy turned to see him lying
there and gave such a hard smack to the back of
his head his whole body fell onto the floor. The
boy, who had actually been asleep, leapt up and
promptly began to cry. Afraid of losing our guide,
my friend and I left the scene of horror, dragging
our jaws along the floor behind us.
and marry him! Thinking he was joking, she
agreed: turns out, he really wasn’t joking! Another
girl on the trip got to visit the inside of a Moroccan
A&E, when her hand got squashed between two
bowling balls. I admit I found it was quite difficult
to watch my friend get into a stranger’s van - even if
it did have the words
‫( فاعسإ ةرايس‬ambulance) written on the side.
This cheerful little story being permanently stuck
in my brain was a result of my best friend and I
deciding it would be a great idea to go to Morocco
for our school Activities Week. As a compulsory
part of the trip we visited a souk: a real ‘hard-core’
Moroccan market. It was a great experience to
learn about a completely different way of life but
slightly disturbing at the same time. It showed just
how cushioned life is at home. It was around 45
degrees the whole time, and I found it very difficult
to cope. I sweated like a pig and drank enough
water to sink a ship. I didn’t like most of the food
as there was icing sugar and cinnamon on literally
everything: as a result, my diet consisted of mainly
chicken, bread and water.
While we were in Morocco, we drove down to
the bottom of a massive canyon to have lunch
at a restaurant. It was amazingly beautiful and
very impressive. The vertical walls of the canyon
towered above us, over 100m tall. A scarily
home-made looking bridge, made of thin logs, led
straight across to the other side of a little stream
that bubbled right down through the middle of
the canyon. Locals sunbathed near the stream
and their little kids ran around in the water. They
picked the reeds growing by the side of the stream
to weave them together and then sell them to us.
The hallway of the restaurant was completely tiled
(even the ceiling!) and they were brightly patterned,
so it made me feel rather dizzy. However, in the
actual eating area it was quite dark and it seemed
every wall was covered in at least two Indian rugs. I
actually found the dark eating area quite a common
theme in restaurants, and I have no idea why, since
it is really not nice putting unidentified foods in
your mouth!
Since we moved hotel almost every night, the
coach that took us from place to place was our only
constant throughout the whole journey. It became
our home and after the first trip every friendship
group had their own little area of the coach. After
every exploration we would come back to our
beloved coach, collapse in our seats, worship our
air-con and down litres and litres of water.
The locals were very interested in us. They stared,
pointed, questioned and sometimes tried to sell us
some mega expensive fakes. One Moroccan man
even asked a girl in our group to promise that, when
she was older, she would come back to Morocco
48
One of the highlights of the trip was our 3am
camel ride to see the sun rise over the Sahara
desert. I really don’t function well in the morning
so, for me, it was a blur of dressing; seeing how
weird camels look; almost falling off a camel when
it stood up; getting lumbered around on the back
of a camel; almost falling off the camel when it
lay down; actually falling over when I tried to get
off the camel; trudging up a steep sand dune, and
then sitting on a towel to wait for the sun to rise.
I then got dragged by a friend up another higher
sand dune to see better and sat and waited there
for a while. We were sitting and waiting and then,
all of a sudden, the sun was there. It was absolutely
incredible. It lit up the desert, and woke me up
completely. There are not enough words to describe
it but it was one of the most beautiful things I have
ever seen. Too soon it was over and the sun had
risen. Our guides dragged us down the sand dunes
on towels, racing each other, which was incredible
fun for the few seconds we could manage to stay
on our towels but, after that, our whole world
became sand, as it entered every part of our being,
including our mouths as we laughed.
It also blocked our noses so at least we were spared
the aromatic smells when we returned to the souk.
Creative Minds
There is an Island
India Sutton
This is the opening of a longer
story completed by India, a former
student, as part of her university
studies (Ed.)
“A Spaniard, I reckon.”
Collin’s words swept up into the salty air, missing
Graham completely. His footprints coalesced in
the sand as he semi-circled a body that lay humped
and disfigured in a dark crevice between two rocks.
The figure was difficult to decipher, its arms hidden
beneath its torso, its head barnacled against the
rock; but Graham made no point of breaching the
shoreline to inspect it, as his brother had done. He
stood, rather, with his small, timid feet grating against
the parched stones, his eyes somehow falling on
Blackrock. It was half past eight and the boys were
late. Their great-aunt, Mrs Le Sueur, was an old
widow and a pedant when it came to timekeeping,
and she was expecting them.
“Relax, Gra. She won’t care about the eggs once she
finds out what we’ve found.”
Collin’s voice became audible as he marched, full of
importance, towards the line of crisping seaweed that
protected Graham from the murk.
if a plug had been pulled, every day the ocean
drained away to reveal an ostensibly lifeless and
barren terrain of brown jagged rocks and dank
sand. It was life between these rocks, no less, that
kept the parish of Grouville alive and their families
intact during the German occupation. From the
shallow rock pools and beneath the seaweed, crabs,
shrimps, oysters, and periwinkles were harvested by
the men, assembled by their wives, and distributed
by their children. Sea farming secrets transcended
the instruction of written manuals, passed down
from generation to generation, from father to son.
The fishermen’s skills, invaluable to both the locals
and the enemy, kept them safe at home, under the
obedient eye of Mrs Le Sueur.
“I’ll go back and tell Papa,” said Collin, “and you run
on to Blackrock; Le Sueur will know what to do.”
With a nod the two brothers parted, breaking into
a run once they reached the second tier of pebbles
that no longer threatened a rolled ankle. Collin ran
fast and with habitual dexterity, his feet pelting the
stones as if he were running on sand. He was hungry,
but the hollow sensation in his stomach diminished
with every stride; at last, another body, he thought.
Graham, propelled by the sea wind, ran just as fast.
He ran as he sometimes did going up to bed at night,
overwhelmingly convinced of an enemy stalking him
from the dark shadows of the hallway. Only now,
running towards Blackrock, he wasn’t entirely sure in
which direction the dark shadows lay. The men may have been safe from war but they
were not safe from starvation. Stifling demands and
regulations revealed themselves in the form of Fritz:
a sour-faced Nazi whose name the Grouvillians
did not know so took the pleasure of making up.
The German soldier, stationed on the adjacent bay,
threw an invisible net over the inhabitants, and,
like the moon, dictated the ebb and flow of their
lives. On Saturdays, the sea wind that whistled
between the cracks of the windowsills seemed to
carry a death wish. Graham would watch his father
on those days, before he would meet the Nazi;
ceremoniously, Mr Dessain would bathe, shave, and
dress with his wife’s assistance, as though he were
getting ready for Church a day early. He would
leave the house no later than ten minutes to twelve,
and without saying, “Cheerio”.
An ancient sycamore tree that hung languorously
from a black, rocky cliff-face marked the end of
Grouville Bay as it also marked the home of Mrs
Le Sueur. Blackrock, with its imposingly large
windows and fantastic height, seemed to belittle
the two-story houses that fringed the small, pebbly
bay on the eastern side of the island. Hitler’s dream
of turning Jersey into an “impregnable fortress”
was half-accommodated for by the unruly rocks
and zigzagging gullies; such natural fortification
encouraged the Nazis – hardly ever seen around
these parts – to place the bulk of their slave labourers
and cement on the western side, where the golden
sands sprawled and Great Britain glistened across the
sound, as both a threat and a destiny.
Blackrock boasted a marvellous view of the channel,
with St. Malo winking in the distance, and from a
single, triangular window at the top of the house
Mrs Le Sueur would sit alone, watching the bay
diminish and grow at the hands of the moon. As
At the top of Le Borg slipway, Mr Dessain would
stand in silence as Fritz pulled in with another
European labourer, who strained to lift the crates into
the truck. Their exchange – crates of crustaceans
49
for an equivalent load of grains and vegetables –
decreased as the war went on. As Jersey became
increasingly isolated, famine set in. The fruits of the
sea became scarce; the community’s wartime maxim,
the sea is on our side, lost force. Fritz became less
merciful and all the while the Grouvillians’ faces grew
thinner. Death whistled and whirled.
“What’s the point in being civilised, anymore?” Mr
Dessain would say, tearing off his tie as he walked
through the door.
At the top of Blackrock’s winding path, Graham,
out of breath and seasick, came to a standstill. He
resisted the urge to look upwards, towards the apex
of the house, welcoming the distraction of the
garden, which, picked and sucked dry by the parish,
had lost its Edenic gleam. Graham pushed through
the warning signals of the wind and with a quick
look over his shoulder, just to make sure, he began to
run again, his spindly legs taking him to the timberframed doors.
“Eight thirty-nine! You are late!” rasped Mrs
Le Sueur from the kitchen, emerging into the
sunroom with a wicker basket full of heavy fabrics,
“Where’s Collin? You won’t be able to carry this
by…” the formidable woman came to a halt, her
eyes firm on the child.
“We found another body on the beach,” Graham
exhaled in one breath, guilty, as though confessing to
a crime.
“Ukrainian?”
“It’s hard to tell, Collin thinks he’s a Spaniard.”
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College Magazine September 2015

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