With its black and gold stripes, signature buzzing sound and furry body, the bee is a common sight in the warmer months. Often seen bobbing from flower to flower, it is as difficult to imagine the English countryside without bees as it is to envisage one without trees. These hard-working, winged invertebrates have been around for thousands of years, pollinating our plants and producing the sweet golden syrup we call honey. Bees are sadly dwindling in numbers and extinction is becoming more of a possibility. If bees were to become extinct the planet could be in serious trouble because these creatures are such an integral part of our ecosystem. They have an important role to play – whilst trees and woods are essential to filter our air, bees are vital to both pollinate the food we need to survive and pollinate many of the trees and flowers that provide habitats for wildlife.

With warmer weather on the horizon and to support the environment, Junior pupils are busy preparing for the arrival of our first two colonies of bees. Bees are like Croydon High Junior School girls, they have high-energy, they enjoy hands-on-work and like caring for the planet. That is why the Juniors started a Bee Club – the two go hand in hand. Members of the club will gradually become beekeepers to help care for the equipment, harvest honey and keep an eye on the health of the colony. In addition, the girls will also learn about bees and other insects, flora and weather patterns.

Through time they will have ownership of the bees and actively manage each hive. Our school apiary will consist of two hives which will house two queens (one in each hive) and over 100,000 bees. Bee Club has run for a few weeks now and we look forward to welcoming our bees at Easter.

Bee Club is just one way that we develop our pupils’ environmental awareness. Our stunning grounds are home to a huge range of wildlife, plants and flowers and are full of learning potential. With a recent study by the Royal Horticultural Society suggesting that homeowners should swap their fence for a hedge, particularly in urban areas, as it begins a study into which species are best for tackling the climate crisis and pollution, now is an ideal time to be teaching our young pupils about their role in protecting the world around us.

As part of British Science Week, Junior school pupils have embarked on a journey to achieve the RSPB Wild Challenge award. This programme of activities aims to develop children’s understanding and experience of nature and the environment. Each year group in the Junior school focused on either helping or experiencing nature. Activities were wide ranging and enabled pupils to take their learning beyond the classroom.

In Reception, pupils made a minibeast hotel with the aim of encouraging insects and creatures to increase the biodiversity of our Early Years outdoor area. Nursery planted flowers to create a wildflower garden to attract pollinating insects. Year 3 set up a compost bin to help reduce the amount of rubbish we create and to provide a good habitat for wildlife. Year 5 took the opportunity to do some ‘wild writing’. This involved using the environment around them and the inspiration that nature can provide to write poems, songs and even raps! We will soon be sending off our evidence and hope to write with news of our success before long and are hopeful for the future of the planet in the hands of our environmentally aware pupils.

Mrs Sarah Raja

Head of Junior School

This week we were delighted to welcome back girls who left the Sixth Form last summer – the Class of 2021. Prosecco, Croydon High’s famous brownies with an Easter twist and a good catch up were the order of the occasion. All the girls were very happy to see one another and staff alike; conversations centered on how much they love University life with new friends and new challenges. Several girls talked about how much they miss their Croydon High family and how glad they are to have opportunities to return. Non-stop chatting, joy and laughter continued even into the carpark when the event closed. We look forward to hearing of their progress.  Once a Croydon High girl… always a Croydon High girl!

Mrs Roe

Alumnae Relations Manager

The Ivy Link is a way of bringing together the alumnae, parents and other friends of our school to keep in touch with what is happening and to stay involved in the life of Croydon High School.

We are now looking for nominations for the GDST Alumna of the Year 2022. The competition was launched over ten years ago to recognise and reward the many varied achievements of our alumnae.

• Who, from Croydon High has been exceptional in some way?
• Who has inspired you?
• Has any alumna visited the school lately who’s made an impression on you?

If the person you nominate has succeeded in any of the following, they will have a good chance of making the

shortlist:

• Driving environmental or social change
• Championing a charitable cause
• Achieving outstanding academic or professional success
• Being a pioneer or achieving success in a challenging field
• Being an inspiration

Click here to nominate – closes Saturday 14 May.

The BPhO Experimental Project gives students the experience of planning an open-ended experiment, carrying out independent research, working in teams, and communicating their findings.

In this year’s experimental project, students across the UK had to construct a compound pendulum to investigate how changing some parameters of the setup affects the time period of the oscillation. The three students decided to investigate how the addition of mass affects the time period of a compound pendulum. The experimental project was carried out over 3 months. They overcame many challenges whilst carrying out the experiment and found methods to increase the accuracy of the data collected. Their key finding during this experiment was that as the mass increased, the time period of the oscillation increased too.

After a long wait, all three students were pleased to find out that they were awarded Bronze Award.

Mrs Karteepan

Second in Charge of Physics

This term’s informal concert was held on the evening of Wednesday 30^th March and proved to be a wonderful night of music. Around 30 students performed pieces from across all genres, from rock to Baroque, and jazz to songs from shows. The variety of instruments on show was also impressive, with an electric guitar solo followed by an oboe Romance, and an Elegie for cello followed by a song from School of Rock.  There was some marvelous piano playing as well as virtuosic violin playing and some beautiful singing.

All the musicians had worked very hard to give polished performances and it would be unfair to single out any one player for special attention as there were so many excellent pieces. Performers came from all year groups between year 7 and 13, with some giving their first solo performance in the school and others at the top end giving what is to be their last before taking their A levels.

I would like to thank all the instrumental and singing teachers who have worked so hard preparing students for their performances.  I would also like to thank Miss Warwick for her excellent accompanying skills which allowed all students to play to the best of their abilities. And finally, I would like to send a big “Well done!” to everyone who performed in the concert. It was a truly wonderful evening.

Mr Suranyi

Director of Music

For Amy Lawerence, an author and football writer, it was “100% football” that led her to journalism. Feeling “slightly unusual as a little girl in the 1970s” being a football fan, she enjoyed contributing to a fanzine (a “movement written by fans, for fans” where “everyone was welcome”). She then spent her later post-graduate years trying to find a career involving her passion for the beautiful game that had “enchanted” her. But with the changing landscape of journalist outlets, from social media to press offices, and the evolving game, one may wonder just how much times have changed.

And with her own love for football’s “unscripted theatre”, which has borne witness to changes within the sport and within journalism, Ms Lawerance acknowledges that her experience would be “quite different” to someone starting out today.

So, with the mass of opportunities football and diverse media offer today, how will you express your passion?

Anna K, Upper Sixth

This proactive group raised just over £198 on the day; a fantastic amount of money for a very important cause and all done in true Croydon High style.

A massive thank you to our fundraising and baking team and to all those who supported the event, both at home and in school.

So, well done to the following pupils from 8F:

• Isy P
• Sophie C
• Zoe S
• Charlotte S
• Poppy S
• Emily R
• Amy C
• Leila I
• Fitnet Q

and to Layla M from 8K

In addition to the bake sale, we had a couple of collection buckets positioned around the school collecting Change for Ukraine. During the last week of term, we raised £142.45.

Thank you to everyone who contributed.

Mrs Beck

Head of Community

On the 26th of April 2022, the Year 12 and 13 Drama A-level students embraced immersive theatre in Woolwich! We went to see ‘The Burnt City’ created and performed by Punchdrunk. It followed the promise of the fall of Troy, a mythical world of Gods, mortals rising from the ashes and secrets even the prophecies could not foretell. With over 100,000 square feet of performance space this was an astonishing act, with unforgettable images and striking scenes leaving us all impressed and speechless.

When we first arrived, we were given white masks to wear, therefore allowing audience identities to be hidden, which added to the curiosity of how immersive theatre would play out, furthermore allowing us to engage independently with the action around us. We were very quickly separated from each other and managed to investigate the astonishing set, including the fabulous performances held at the hidden bar!

There are three aspects to a Punchdrunk performance. First there are the incredibly designed sets, with astounding attention to detail, whether these be objects or minor hints as you wander through the building. One room that was particularly alluring was the room which was completely floored with sand to represent Ancient Greece and its deserts. There were also animal carcasses and bones that were on the floor, which the actors interacted with and even wore at certain points in the performance.

The second aspect is the music and movement that is used throughout the performance to signal and signpost where each actor needed to be at each time. Music is an essential part of a Punchdrunk performance as it is essentially used as their cues for how long they can stay in one place and when they need to make a move. There was music playing over the course of the entire show which built in suspense when intriguing and captivating moments were happening. Movement is key, as the actors do not use speech to convey the plot and events to the audience. The choreography works alongside the music and the movement flows and leads the characters to the room or place they are meant to be in next.

The final aspect to a Punchdrunk performance is the spacing. The actors weave in and out of audience members constantly (as the audience can stand and move wherever they want), which means the actors always need to be aware of their surroundings and spacing. As an audience member, the most common way of moving around and exploring the building is by following a performer, which means that the performers usually have a group of people following their every move as they move around the spaces. However, some of the actors perform on top of large structures positioned as part of the set, so it is always possible to see some action.

One of the most exhilarating parts of the Punchdrunk performance was watching a lady being killed and then her dead body being raised to the ceiling by her feet. Her dangling body was to represent death but with dimly lit candlelight and intense strobe lights, this created a chilling and terrifying atmosphere.

This trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity that we are so grateful to have attended. This is something we definitely recommend going to see!

Darcey and Yasmin 

Lower Sixth