On 13 November, Lower Sixth Business and Economics pupils embarked on a journey to Embankment for a captivating women’s networking event hosted by JP Morgan. The occasion proved to be not only insightful but also thought-provoking as we gained valuable perspectives from senior female leaders in the financial industry. Our first engagement involved listening to a distinguished panel of successful women in finance. This experience significantly expanded our understanding of the financial sector and illuminated the diverse roles within these institutions. The panellists shared essential life skills that transcend the professional realm and are applicable to our daily lives.

One of the key takeaways was the emphasis on breaking out of our ‘fear cages’ and seizing every opportunity that crosses our paths. Following this enlightening session, we eagerly participated in a dynamic speed networking event. This allowed us not only to connect with the panellists but also with other accomplished women from various sectors within the J P Morgan. In intimate groups, we gained valuable insights that will undoubtedly shape our future careers. These women graciously fielded our inquiries, showcasing a genuine willingness to provide effective answers.

“The calibre of the female role models showcased at this event left a lasting impression on the pupils, highlighting the exciting future opportunities awaiting our A-level Economics and Business students at Croydon High School”
Mrs Serradilla

In summary, the event was a both beneficial and fascinating experience. I look forward to attending more such events in the future, each promising to be a stepping stone towards personal and professional growth.

Beatrice P and Alisha F
Lower Sixth

Over the past couple of weeks our Year 7s have completed local fieldwork on Selsdon High Street, as part of their project to determine whether Selsdon is a ’20 minute neighbourhood’. The Geography Department is keen for our students in Year 7 to have several opportunities to undertake practical fieldwork, whether this be in the school grounds, local area or at Kew Gardens, which we look forward to visiting in the Spring. The highest number of pre-trip questions were about how to go about asking questionnaires, a new experience for most of them and one which they enjoyed the most. Our pupils represented the school fantastically, with a member of public even taking time to call up the school to comment on what a lovely group of pupils they are. Well done, Year 7!

“To determine if Selsdon is a 20 minute neighbourhood, we went to Selsdon High Street. According to our surveys, there is a good amount of public transport and access to green spaces. I liked writing the letters on the map, corresponding to what the building’s occupation was. The thing that surprised me was that there were lots of vacant buildings with signs saying ‘Moved here’ or ‘Moved there’ which made me wonder why. Overall, I thought it was a fun to do questionnaires and use our new geographic skills.”
Diya

“My experience on the trip was amazing – we had a fabulous time while surveying Selsdon!”
Salma

“I thought it was very interesting to see what Selsdon was like and what people think of it. I personally enjoyed hearing other peoples opinions and thoughts.”
Shreya

“What I found interesting about the trip to the high street is the access to everything. There were charity shops, interior design shops, local supermarkets and many more. The residents of Selsdon who filled in the survey said that public transport was very good and they also included that Selsdon was safe and a quiet neighbourhood.”
Gauri

Mrs Alice Mollison
Head of Geography

On a grey and damp morning in mid-November, our Year 6 students ventured via public transport to Tate Modern, one of the most important modern and contemporary art museums in the world. The purpose of the trip was to experience and respond to artwork within the context of an art gallery. Students and teachers broke up into small groups to explore the collection at their own pace and be led by their curiosity. The variety of artists, styles and medium allows all our students to see themselves reflected through the experience of visiting the galleries.

While some of our students are seasoned gallery visitors, others were stepping foot inside this world for the first time. We made notebooks to sketch and record ideas, as well as responding to the artworks physically and engaging in fantastic conversations about our connections and understanding of the art.

Some of the students highlights were:

^{Whaam! by Litchenstein}

^{Coal Sculpture with Wall of Coloured Glass’ Jannis Kounellis}

“I liked how everything wasn’t perfect or pretty.”
Suhani P

^{El Anatsu, Behind the Red Moon}

^{The Snail, Henri Matisse}

“It looked very sunny.”
Olivia

The eclectic nature of the gallery ensured all students enjoyed parts of the collection, but they also were challenged by the more conceptual works. Works by Duchamp and Yves Klein provoked discussion about ‘what constitutes Art?’. Some remarking that it is ‘lazy artwork… that shouldn’t be allowed or put up in a gallery.’ This is a great starting point for a class discussion. Anything can be art. The important question is what is good art? The answer to this is different for each of us. For me good Art gets us asking questions, thinking differently, and feeling. Medina reflected ‘Some of the artwork I found confusing, I didn’t understand, some left me inspired and some left me intrigued.’ That’s ok. We do not need to know the answer to an artwork. We’re building up confidence reading and relating to visual language.

I have been particularly impressed by the reflections of Antonia and Ava.

“…he thinks that everything doesn’t have to be amazing or anywhere close to being perfect because that is not what Art is about, it’s about pushing boundaries to see if you can go and pushing limits as far as you want.”
Ava (6M)

^{Yasmin Jahan Nupur: Let me get you a nice cup of tea}

“I found this exhibit really interesting because the room had so much detail and references to Yasmin’s Asian Culture which fascinated me. For example, on the table cloth it said ‘Map of the world. Seeing the extent of the British Empire’.. .the walls had the colour scheme of tea and sugar and in some bits the wall was painted with tea.”
Antonia

The student’s behaviour en-route and in the gallery was exceptional, impressing teaching staff, the public and the gallery staff. I couldn’t have been more impressed by the curiosity and confidence. Thank you for a fabulous trip.

Mrs Bird
Junior School Teacher of Art

This Tuesday, our French Lower Sixth pupils went to the British Film Industry (BFI) in London to attend a workshop on ‘The comparison of New Wave and contemporary French cinema’. They enjoyed a lecture in French on Cinema history and watched several clips from classics to more modern films, inspiring them to discover even more films. The day finished with a screening of the famous film La Haine, which they will later analyse as part of their A level study.

They all found their day eye-opening, especially as the speaker was very engaging and rather funny. His use of French idiomatic expressions made the workshop rather interesting… ‘chanter en yaourt’ was even a new expression for me!

We are all looking forward to discussing this further in class.

Madame Paris
Head of French

This programme was designed to help pupils develop their leadership skills to enable them to be real-world ready.

There were several exciting workshops that took place at this event.

Workshop 1: Karen and Cathy (GDST Trust): My Skills and Interests: Identifying your dream job and how to achieve it.

Workshop 2: My Purpose and Place: using the power of community to help you thrive in the workplace – Parisa Wright, GDST alumna and sustainability entrepreneur.

Workshop 3: My Decision Making – Karen Chu, GDST alumna and Finance and Business Consultant on how to increase your awareness of your own decision making and that of others, how to utilise tools and techniques to increase your own agility in decision making in ambiguity and support others.

Workshop 4: My World: What’s it like to be a woman in the 21st Century. This was a panel discussion with several female executives, from the worlds of marketing, HR, sustainability, finance and business. They used this talk to share their experiences and advice on how to thrive in the 21st century workplace.

The Panellists included:

• Claire Bale, Head of DEI, GDST
• Karen Chu, Leadership, Business and Finance Consultant
• Parisa Wright, Founder, Greener and Cleaner

Workshop 5: In the era of AI, how to make sure the real YOU shines through. This was a discussion led by Caitlin Ellis of education and careers organisation InvestIn on how our pupils can showcase their individuality and make their job application stand out.

Our GDST Lead team includes:

• Lucy M
• Lexi R
• Sofia G
• Alice C
• Milly C
• Beatrice P
• Prakruti S
• Isla M
• Aashka P
• Ananya V
• Anaya P
• Gisela C

Mrs Serradilla
Head of Economics and Business

Dr Bev Adams, Class of 1992

Congratulations to Dr Bev Adams, who was recently recognised as ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) female consultant of the year by Consulting Magazine.

As Consulting Director and Practice Leader at Marsh Advisory in London, much of Bev’s time is spent supporting the world’s largest organisations; helping their boards and coaching leadership to think through the “so what” and act wisely as they embrace climate, sustainability and ESG risk, resilience and adaptation. Bev currently chairs the Green Finance Institute’s Natural Flood Management programme and is a founding member of DEFRA’s property flood resilience roundtable.

Proud Mum to Joel – now 16 and a maths, physics and guitar fan – Bev lived in California before moving back to the UK. Before Marsh McLennan, she previously worked for the World Bank. She has PhD and MSc degrees in risk management and remote sensing from University College London (UCL), where she also earned a 1st class BSc in Geography.

We caught up with Bev recently for a Q&A session:

What aspects of Croydon High School did you enjoy and find most rewarding?

So many enjoyable and memorable moments…

Great friends – as I recall, we were class 1-7 (Dr Dorgan), 2-9 (Mrs Matthews), 3-13 (Mrs Edwards), 4-22, 5-22 (Mrs C?), 6-1-11 and 6-2-23 (Mrs Evans).

Great teachers, including Miss Robertson, Mrs Lee, Mrs Shermer, Mrs Gittins, Mrs Caseborne, Mr Woodley, Mrs Sharp, Mrs Young, Miss Plant, Madame Williams, and Mrs Wilsher. Miss Mark and then Mrs Davis as our head teachers.

Netball – winning the nationals twice (I was GS). And being selected to play for Surrey and then England schools.

Adventures and fun – fashion show, dance shows, ski trips to Austria and France including 80s disco, Mosel German trip and geography field trip to Slapton.

What did you aspire to whilst at school?

Sounds geeky, but I’m curious by nature and loved learning, especially geography – I was inspired by Mrs Lee, who remains a dear friend today. We both studied at UCL and I’m proud that my career relates to geography. Other than that, I wanted to be great at netball and unexpectedly discovered I enjoyed debating and public speaking, so wanted to do more of that.

How did Croydon High School empower you for your future?

CHS was the making of me academically – as well as learning the subject material CHS taught us how to study, revise and do exams well. The methods I learned at CHS carried me through Uni and influenced my early years at work. I learned critical thinking and the art of communication, which on reflection, have set me up in life.

I also think CHS helped us become confident, plus we learned how to get along with others. That’s just fundamental in life and super important work-wise for me, as much of my time I’m helping smart and switched on people get up to speed on tricky new topics like climate. I’d be the first to humbly recognise that I’ve become a lot more self-aware, appreciative, empathetic and understanding as I’ve gotten older.

And worth mentioning that through netball and sport more widely, I learned about the power of the team and the importance of hard work, commitment and emotional resilience. These days I’m truthfully doing more gardening than high impact sport but that’s an age/menopause thing.

What has been your proudest moment?

Wow, that’s a tricky question. Can I give you a non-CHS and a CHS one? First and probably because it’s quite recent, how happy Joel felt getting his GCSE results in August. He did himself proud. Another that has to be called out was winning the netball national final after three years of trying, with our brilliant CHS team and Liz Robertson. Oh, and perhaps memorable rather than proudest and to make you smile, in the Sixth Form, appearing on the TV show Blockbusters with my great friend Nat (Natalie Gale) who did have the chance to say “Can I have a P please, Bob?”.

What are your hopes for the future?

That Joel has a wonderful life, and I, my partner James, and our family and friends remain healthy and happy. Sadly my Mum Rita has Alzheimer’s, so I hope she continues to remember me and be my mum for as long as possible.

Professionally, I am passionate about helping my brilliant team of consultants at Marsh Advisory succeed and grow in their careers, while doing what’s in my personal gift to innovate and tackle the climate crisis, plus enabling my clients and colleagues to become fluent in the languages of resilience and sustainability.

Also, I hope to see more of the world and meet lots of interesting new people…

What would you say to your 15-year-old self?

Grow your hair – what is that 80s/90s bob all about? Nightmare!

We have really enjoyed interacting with Bev and thank her for her valuable time.

Mrs Karen Roe
Alumnae Relations Manager

Dear All

Re: Harvest Donations 2023

Once again, we write to thank all those involved in donating food to us this year.

This ongoing support helps us provide food parcels to families who are struggling to make ends meet. They are often referred to us by Social Services, G. P’s, and other such professional support agencies.

If any of the girls would like to come and see where and how their donations are distributed, we would be happy to arrange this. (We could facilitate 2 pupils)

We always like to give feedback and so far, this year we have distributed over 2,550 parcels. Once again, a heartfelt thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Mary Russell-Redman
Community Support

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