Bank of England Target 2.0 Competition

On Wednesday 25th November four students represented Kingsbury High School at the Bank of England Target 2.0 national competition for schools in which they were required to set monetary policy and justify their decision for the interest rate they set.

The Kingsbury team acquitted themselves very well and finished as runners up in the London heat to the The Tiffin Girls’ School. Other competing schools included: The King Alfred School, Ashmole Academy, Sutton Grammar School and Tiffin School for boys.

English-Speaking Union Schools’ Mace Competition

Kingsbury High School students had the fantastic opportunity to showcase their debating skills at the first round of the English-Speaking Union Schools’ Mace Competition last Thursday.

On the evening of November 19th, Kingsbury High students from across years 7 to 13 attended the competition, which was held at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School. Teams from competing schools were well prepared and it was a tough round. Seasoned debaters, Iman Mohamed and Sakthy Uthayakumar, spoke passionately and convincingly against the motion this house would force the BBC to implement diversity quotas for casts of all their shows. Victory may have gone to the hosts, Habs Boys, but both girls showed great skill and received glowing feedback from the judges.

Keen debater, Sara Dehvari, received high praise too, as she formed part of the swing team debating the motion this house believes that the UK government should pay reparations to countries that suffered from the slave trade, making a strong case with just 15 minutes to prepare.

Younger debaters had the opportunity to contribute also. Both Xane Miles, in Year 7, and Nouh El-Ouaz, in Year 8, deserve particular praise for thoughtful points made in floor debate.

KHS Unplugged

The launch of KHS Unplugged, a series of lunchtime concerts, took place on Tuesday 10th November in The Hub, a new venue within the Kingsbury High Lower school building. The initiative, organised by Mr Dominé, provides an opportunity for students to perform live, in a relaxed environment to an audience of staff and students.

Head of Music, Mr Dominé said “The school have now got this fantastic space which I thought would be perfect for informal music performances. I wanted to give our talented students more opportunities to perform, to share their talents and to inspire others to get involved. There was a real excitement to hear some of our most talented musicians and there is already a sense of anticipation for the next event in 2 weeks time.”

The first KHS Unplugged event featured music from Ziena Idani, Laveen Chandnani & Gautam Dahale and was very well received by both students and staff.

KHS Unplugged will take place every week B Tuesday in The Hub. Students and staff are welcome to attend and anyone wanting to perform should contact Mr Dominé.

English National Opera

The dulcet tones of opera filled the corridors on Friday 23rd October as the English National Opera’s Opera Squad took over Kingsbury High for the day.

Students and staff were introduced to opera, as both spectator and performer, through a range of activities including assemblies, ensemble, choir and workshops. Pop up performances took place in unlikely areas around the school where lucky bystanders heard professional opera singers and viewed their performances at close range.

Head of Music at Kingsbury High, Matthew Dominé said “I was particularly impressed by the skill the English National Opera showed in bringing a challenging musical genre, like opera, to our students and to get them all involved and enjoying the opportunity to sing together. The pop-up performances throughout the school were amazing and the students were clearly inspired. There will be future opportunities for our students to experience opera and I, along with them, cannot wait”.

Year 10 student Livya Mathialagan was inspired to write a piece about her experience in which she said “Towards the end of the day, a few students from the school’s Guitar Ensemble, including myself and the school’s Choir, were able to perform with the English National Opera. This, to me, was the most memorable and enjoyable part of the day. Adding to my knowledge, I was taught how to work in an ensemble better and encouraged to learn (on the spot) new songs to perform just minutes after. It was great to be a part of a group known all over the world and I would consider myself and others, for a brief time, members of the English National Opera.”

Head of Faculty, Annette Woodrow said “The choir held at lunchtime with the English National Opera was brilliant. It was exhilarating to sing alongside such powerful singers. I thoroughly enjoy singing and had forgotten how uplifting it can be. The English National Opera team were very skilled in bringing together a random group and making us feel that we had achieved a great deal in a short time. The choice of music was excellent – looking around there was pleasure on the faces of everyone.”