P r e p Po s t Summer term House Headlines End of Term Green and proud! WORLD CHALLENGE O Thrilled to be champions! Celebrating our amazing victory in the Inter-House Quiz After months of buildup and planning the day ﬁnally came. 29 year 8s, 4 teachers and 2 World Challenge leaders headed to Colombo in Sri Lanka for 10 days of adventure, exploration and excitement. We were picked up from the airport by our bus driver Chandra Looking ahead with positivity and expectation and his fellow co-driver Santer who looked after us throughout the trip and put up with Mr Kenworthy's terrible taste in music for the whole trip! Day 2 was a very long day. We travelled to Dambulla. It took 2-3 hours to get there. We soon entered Sri Lanka's cultural triangle: a series of religious and cultural sites. We hiked up a very steep hill to see 5 remarkable caves set into the hillside. That evening we stayed in our ﬁrst guest house which was not quite what most of us were used to. We had to share our rooms with some creepy crawlies and faced our ﬁrst night without A/C. The guest House was owned by a very nice family who looked after us all very well. The food was delicious but deﬁnitely put us out of our comfort zone; breakfast was very simple. eggs and toast (which nobody really liked) and the classic curry for dinner along with some spicy coconut and other sides. We had that repeatedly but the ﬂavors were very succulent. Trekking in Sigirya the next day was very challenging. We had to climb 1200 steps up and 1200 steps down, along with long walks in between. After approximately 1 hour, we reached the top which led us to seeing the most amazing view of lush green valleys and mountains. I thought it was worth every drop of sweat and the sense of achievement was immense, especially as people had to overcome their fear of heights to get there. We ﬁnally left the bugs but we were not done yet. When we reached our next accommodation, Rafters Retreat, we settled into our tree houses. They were very pretty but there were lots of ants, spider webs, cockroaches, millipedes, ﬂies and most of all…… mosquitos. I know that everybody on the trip must have at least 1 mosquito bite. We enjoyed the raft wars and the rapids. The last one was very challenging. On the ﬁnal day we had a massive barbeque for everyone to enjoy which included a selection of modern food. We all left Rafters Retreat a lot braver, we had spent 2 nights in the forest and survived! I thought that the last 2 days were the most important days of the trip. The focal point of going to Sri Lanka was for the project phase. We went to a school called the Glenanore Tamil school. It was located in a rural place high up in the mountains. Before we left for Sri Lanka, we gathered some supplies and charity bags containing stationary, toys, books and clothes to give away. It was also the most memorable part of the trip. Some people helped with the painting and some interacted with the children. We even organized a cricket match (they let us win). They were quite shy on the ﬁrst day, However on the second day; they were so happy and cheerful. They made us smile back. I personally felt so grateful that I live in Abu Dhabi. They performed a huge ceremony and presented us with frames to thank us, there were tears all round when we left. Along with these activities we stopped at a tea factory, a monastery, a batik factory and other famous landmarks. To wrap up the whole trip we decided to go to the Pinawalla Elephant Orphanage. Here we were able to see the baby elephants being bottle fed and led down to the river to be washed and it also gave us the opportunity to meet up with the other group and share our takes of creepy crawlies! Overall, I felt that it was a very successful trip. We covered all our tasks and we managed to cope with a different lifestyle. We made new friends and learnt a lot about ourselves and how to work as a team and support each other. After all it's called World Challenge NOT World Holiday A huge thanks to Mr Kenworthy, Miss Robinson, Mr Hill and Mrs Wildash for taking us to Sri Lanka and giving us this amazing opportunity, I highly recommend it to all the new year 8s next year! - Zaina Doshan 8HRH- Scholar’s Cup in Singapore Scholar’s Cup Participants Liam Patell Nadia Balzani-Zamir Hanna Wu Taysir Barakat Tanishq Kumar James Chisnall Oliver Rowland Alicia Reeves-Toy Eleanor Bridge Damla Ozdemir Ralph Amos Leo Jones Charlie Cooper Jaxson Dealy Caleb Patell On Monday 23rd June a group of 15 intrepid pupils from Brighton College Prep School set off to Singapore to take part in the World Scholar's Cup, along with Mrs Bradley, Miss Winston and their parents. They were competing against 2,400 other pupils from over 40 different countries. The group hit the ground running. On day one in Singapore our Brighton College scholars took part in the Scavenger Hunt which involved orienteering themselves around Sentosa Island. academic map. Day two saw the debating competitions take place. Our Brightonians put their oration skills to the test in three rounds of debating for which we won 11 out of 15 debates. The teams also completed their collaborative writing essays and tackled the Scholar's Challenge before heading to the Singaporean Night Zoo. As day three came around our teams were eager to partake in the Scholar's Bowl (a multiple choice competition) in the Star Theatre. The highlight of this day was when our very talented Hanna Wu took to the stage in the Scholar's Showcase and performed a piano piece by Chopin in front of an impressed crowd of 2,700 people. We were absolutely delighted on day four when we attended the Scholar's Award Ceremony and saw just how well we had done in the competition. Writing – 7th place Liam Patell Debate – 9th place Tanishq Kumar Debate Team 19th place – Liam Patell, Tanishq Kumar, Taysir Barakat Debate Team – Honor Roll: Charles Cooper, Leo Jones, James Chisnall Individual points score Honor Roll: Tanishq Kumar, Taysir Barakat Top scorer from each school Honour Roll: Tanishq Kumar Academic challenge Honor Roll: Liam Patell and Tanishq Kumar In an event with a total of 2,400 competitors we did exceptionally well as a Prep School to make the Honour Roll (top 25 scholars). On Friday night we ﬂew back to Abu Dhabi very Year 5 and 6 Production - Showtime! Our Year 5 and 6 show this summer term ended with a resounding chorus of “Revolting Children” from Matilda – but the children were anything but revolting. Everyone participated, acted, sang and danced with gusto, enthusiasm - and not a little talent. The show was a medley of well loved West End shows: Calamity Jane, The Wiz, Bugsy Malone and Matilda. Each and every one of the students worked very hard over the past couple of months to put together a performance that scintillated and sparkled from start to ﬁnish. Here are some quotes from our amazing children about what they liked best: “All of us getting a part.” “Everything – I love acting!” “Pointing our guns at people and running on stage and screaming Freeze!” “The costumes.” “The dancing and singing.” “Performing in front of everybody and knowing that all our hard work paid off.” The Music and Drama team are so, so proud of what our pupils achieved: it was an evening of tremendous entertainment and fun for all concerned. However, this could not have been achieved without the huge support and help of all the parents who provided wonderful costumes. Special mention needs to go to Sharon Plant, Isabelle Avenarius, Georgie Essen and Liz Rameshni for their enthusiasm and energy behind the scenes with makeup, costumes, hair and ﬁlming. What a team! Fun and Games with Equestrian Club! Over the last two weeks over 40 members took part in their annual assessment, involving riding and pony care. Various groups showed off the riding skills they have learnt during the year and practised grooming and tacking up their ponies; they also learnt how to look for signs of good health in a horse, recognise colours, marking and different points of the pony. This week the children enjoyed Mounted Games and a Handy Pony Competition against the clock. Memories from the Teachers and Pupils in Year 3 One of my most memorable times in Year 3 was Kayaking in the Mangroves. This was because ALL the pupils showed such determination in doing something that was quite difﬁcult & most of them had never done before. Getting stuck in the mud that day was also a lot of fun. Watching the pupils out in the open, learning all about the beautiful nature that surrounds us here will remain one of my fabulous memories in Year 3. Good times! A message from Vanessa, Head of the Prep School. I can hardly believe that today has arrived. The building is full of excited children, all looking ahead to a range of adventures. They have all achieved so much this year, whether it is in the classroom, on the sports ﬁeld, in the dance studio, on a golf course, with a horse or in the greenhouse. Your children embody all that it means to a true Brightonian, I am so proud of them all. Looking back, it is incredible what your children have ﬁtted in; their lives are busy and yet they still participate in more and they always do this with unbridled enthusiasm. Next year will be just as exciting, with even more to look forward to. It has been an honour and a privilege to lead the Prep School this year, to have your children entrusted to our care is truly humbling and the joy they bring to every work day is a gift. At the end of every year there are goodbyes and these are never easy. I would like to thank all our leaving staff for everything that they have given the school, each and every one of them is leaving a part of themselves behind; they have helped build and create a very special school and I cannot thank them all enough. To all the pupils who are moving on: travel safely and remember work hard and play hard – ﬁnd your passion and go for it! You will all be missed. We can't wait to see you all again on the 31st August, when you will meet up again with old friends and make new ones. You will be met by a fabulous team of new teachers who are already getting excited about joining our special family, and of course our incredible returning staff. There is lots planned and yet another busy and incredibly vibrant year that awaits. Have an incredible summer, Vanessa Robitaille Stars of the Week Prep Library Users of the Year 2013-2014 Awarded to Marie Kirby Y3 SE Nadia Balzani Zamir Y8 FES Francis Ritz Y6 JAH Congratulations for your outstanding library behaviour and performance!