Tapestry, Volume 2

NEWS AND REVIEWS FROM IN & AROUND THE BSB CAMPUS

I S S U E N ° 2 I 2 0 1 2

An educated approach to financial planning

Fulcra is Brussels’ leading independent financial planning firm, providing services to individuals and businesses for over 16 years. We recently became part of The Fry Group, further enhancing the depth of our expertise.

Our team of experienced advisers provides straightforward, sensible and honest advice on investments, retirement planning, pensions and tax planning.

We can help you manage your wealth and reduce the amount of tax you pay.

We can also help you with higher education funding and estate planning.

If you would like to discuss our refreshingly individual approach, please call us on +32-(0)2-639 4560, email [email protected] or visit our website.

www.fulcra-international.com

Fulcra is regulated in Belgium by the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA 23345 A-B).

Fulcra is part of

T A P E S T R Y M A G A Z I N E I N º 2 I 2 0 1 2

www.brit ishschool.be

‘Tapestry’Principal's Foreword

UpdateFirman, Goodman & Pantlin House

DramaHis Dark Materials

ReportageA Year in Photos

FeatureThank you for the Music

Focus on Primary Mathematics:A New Way of Thinking

FeatureDesign Technology Year Highlights

Sport at BSBHighlights

FeatureCreative Writing and Art Gallery

PrimaryDutch Language Lessons

AlumniTwo Personal Coups d'Oeil

Focus on Primary‘Appy Days - iPads in Primary

FeatureBreendonk

A New Book, A New WorldFrom the Amazon to the Arctic

ReportUnited We Stand

Primary School Production'What a Beast!'

Best of BothCharity Update

FeatureBuddies at The British School of Brussels

Year 9Debating

DramaThe Arrival

ReportYear 7 House Engineering Challenge

Support Staff MemberErik the Biking

ExaminationsResults Summary

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In this issue...An educated approach to financial planning

Fulcra is Brussels’ leading independent financial planning firm, providing services to individuals and businesses for over 16 years. We recently became part of The Fry Group, further enhancing the depth of our expertise.

Our team of experienced advisers provides straightforward, sensible and honest advice on investments, retirement planning, pensions and tax planning.

We can help you manage your wealth and reduce the amount of tax you pay.

We can also help you with higher education funding and estate planning.

If you would like to discuss our refreshingly individual approach, please call us on +32-(0)2-639 4560, email [email protected] or visit our website.

www.fulcra-international.com

Fulcra is regulated in Belgium by the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA 23345 A-B).

Fulcra is part of

We were delighted to celebrate our link

with the Belgian Special Olympics, with

our parents supporting them in their

summer charity ball and some of the

Special Olympians themselves performing

that same event as well as joining us on

our own Secondary Sports’ Day. We

continued the Olympic theme with the

arrival of a Paralympian silver medallist,

Mark Inglis, who was also the first double

amputee to climb Everest; his story and

presence with us was truly inspirational.

Further afield, as IKEA agreed to be

a main sponsor for our own, student-

led charity Best of Both, twelve of our

students made their first trip there in the

summer holidays, accompanied by Caron

Davies and Helen Sumner. These were

both momentous steps in the next stage

of our work. IKEA’s buy-in came with a

challenge to us to repeat the model and

recruit more schools to the Best of Both.

For our own students, to visit the area we

are supporting and help in the schools

there, and in a local orphanage, was life-

changing. However, in the last part of

the trip to Ghana they certainly put the

charity’s concept into practice, enjoying

the very best of Ghanaian life and travel

before they returned home.

Beyond these two highlights we welcomed

a member of the House of Lords, Michael

Bates, to talk about the Olympic truce at

the same time as our own students were

contributing to the Breendonk museum’s

renovations to make a lasting memorial

to those who suffered there during the

Second World War. Throughout the year

we also saw our public speakers shine, our

sports stars triumph, our musicians and

dramatists excel in performance and many

other departments encourage students to

challenge themselves, just as students

participated in a range of activities beyond

the School campus. And of course, as you

would expect, examination results and

international university applications were

excellent – again!

We have also seen a range of wonderful

campus developments, including new

state-of-the-art Food and Nutrition,

Textiles and ICT rooms - in addition to

the other new teaching spaces converted

or created. The Maintenance team have

been busier than ever this summer and

we owe them enormous thanks for their

tireless work to ensure that our facilities

are the best that they can be.

However, it would not be appropriate to

welcome you to this edition of Tapestry

without a reference to our increased

language provision in the School which

was a particular focus last year. The

introduction of a new bilingual French/

English stream in three years groups,

expanding to three more this year, is one

of the most exciting developments in

the School’s history. So is the expansion

of the teaching of Dutch, both mother

tongue provision throughout, leading to

a bilingual IB Diploma, but also second

language learning in the Upper Primary

School. All of this marks our commitment

to our host communities and also to our

desire to equip our students with linguistic

skills which are transferable in later life and

attractive to employers – they will stand

out in the market places of the future!

So, as you read this magazine, I hope you

enjoy all that it celebrates – knowing that this

is only a few selected highlights. But they

are highlights indeed, and, as a staff, we are

so proud of all that our students achieve.

Here’s to the next, equally exciting year!


‘ TA P E S T R Y ’

Principal's Foreword

Welcome to the second edition of Tapestry – a celebration of some BSB highlights throughout the past year when the School continued to grow and develop, achieving some amazing things in the process. This is the year when we celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and London 2012 Games, but we had our own triumphs and big moments, too!

Sue Woodroofe

Principal


PAGE 04➜05

U P D A T E

It’s not just about Sports Day!

This year has seen many exciting new

developments in the Inter-House

competition with innovative initiatives and challenges that

encompass an ever-widening range of skills and talents.

House Fashion Show

Rajinder Kaur,

Head of Goodman House.

The Houses at BSB held a Fashion Show on

Monday 29th April, 2012. One key aspect

was the launch of the House banners,

worked on with Primary and the Head of

Secondary Textiles, Helen Sumner. The

students had worked on their Integrated

Learning Theme of 'Recycling' in Textiles

to make their own House t-shirts, so the

idea of the House Fashion Show was born!

The initiative was to bring the three Houses

closer together, in an unusual but rewarding

way. The Houses in both Primary and

Secondary School celebrated the school's

flourishing House system.

BSB's fashion show also showcased

the costumes created and worn at the

school's lively production of 'My Fair Lady'

performed in December 2011. The Year 11

Textile students modelled their final product

design for their GCSE.

A parent commented: 'It is so wonderful

to see the younger children have the

opportunity to work with members of the

Secondary school.'

Overall, the show was a huge success;

the atmosphere was lively, with the kind of

buzz unique to BSB.


D R A M A

His Dark MaterialsIn May of this year students from Years 7 to 9, directed by Claire Williams of BSB’s Secondary Drama Department, put on a visually stunning stage production of part one of Philip Pullman’s hugely popular trilogy. Students operated puppets made and designed at school under the supervision of Simon Jones, Head of DT, to represent each character’s ‘daemon’ to astonishing effect.


PAGE 06➜07

R E P O R TA G E

A Year in Photos...

Captions from top left: September Sue Woodroofe becomes Principal of BSB I Paul Starkie joins as Vice Principal & Head of Secondary

School I October BSB students continue work at Carina Residence. November MEP David Martin invited to speak to students by the

BSB Amnesty Group. December Visionary plans will provide BSB with 21st century educational facilities.


September - December'11

January - February '12

January - February Launch of stunning new BSB website I Lord Bates visits to share his inspirational story of his walk from Greece to

London to promote the Olympic truce. March Belgium Special Olympic medallists join BSB gymnasts I English@work students present

at British Chamber of Commerce I Students and family support the environment planting trees I Year 3 production of Up, Up and Away.


PAGE 08➜09

March '12


April - May '12

Captions from top left: April - May Fashion Show I Year 9 Debating competition I His Dark Materials performance I Sam Thomas and

Laura Enevoldsen become School President and Vice President for 2012-2013 June - July DT Exhibition I Art Exhibition I Physics Factory I

Diamond Jubilee I Summer Concert I Awards Evening with special guests Mark Inglis, Mme Solvay and Johnathan Brenton, British

Ambassador to Belgium.

June - July'12


PAGE 10➜11

In the last few years BSB has introduced captains for every subject whose job it is promote and represent their specialist subject throughout the school. Here NATASHA NEILSON, BSB’s Music Captain for 2011/12, outlines a very busy year!

Thank you for the Music

F E AT U R E


PAGE 12➜13

A year in the life of a Music Captain

I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute

as Music Captain as there is always

something going on in the Music

Department! You are expected to set an

example to the younger students; to be an

inspiration to them and encourage them in

the subject; to be actively involved in the

life of the department and give up some

of your own time for extra commitments.

The Music Department runs a wide variety

of extra-curricular events every year.

This year, the Primary School took over

the Christmas concert, as the seniors

were busy preparing for a production

of My Fair Lady. The Music and Drama

Departments joined together in a display

of some of BSB’s finest actors, singers

and musicians. The orchestra provided

the music but it was by no means an easy

task! I think it is fair to say that all of our

faces fell the first time we saw it! Endless

hours were put into rehearsals after school

and at weekends but it all paid-off in the

delivery of four spectacular performances.

The Jazz Evening organised by the Music

Department every year was a great

success, showcasing the brilliant musical

talent to be found in BSB in a more

relaxed setting. With a variety of bands,

soloists, small ensembles and choirs, it

was an evening of endless entertainment,

good food and great company. The social

area was transformed into a jazz café

by the Music Technology Captain, Paul

Scarlett, myself and others in the music

technology class. A good few hours were

spent building the stage, setting up the

microphones, instruments and monitors

and when the evening was over, it all had to

come back down again (needless to say it

was a long night!) Between performances,

Endless hours were put into rehearsals after school and on weekends but it all paid-off in the delivery of four spectacular performances.


I had a hand in waitressing too and even

got tips! It was definitely a successful

evening and is always the event I look

forward to every year.

The Music Festival comes around every

March and enables musicians throughout

the Primary and Secondary School to

participate as soloists, in small groups

(duets, trios, etc.) and ensembles in a

more competitive environment. There are

a series of adjudication sessions in which

an external adjudicator invites the best

performers to play again in the final where

there are three prizes to be won. It is

always great fun to take part in the Music

Festival and always a pleasure to hear the

sheer amount of musical talent BSB has.

The final event, held every June, is the

big one: the Summer Concert! The

Summer Concert truly displays the

diversity of music found in the Music

Department at BSB, ranging from a vocal

trio to the school orchestra; from samba

drummers to concert strings; from junior

singers to senior choir. Endless hours of

preparation and rehearsals are put into

making the evening a success. As a

Music Captain, you are expected to be

involved in as many ensembles as you

possibly can, so I have quite an active

role in the performances on the night.

However, my biggest role has been

in concert band rehearsals. As Music

Captain and leader of the Concert Band,

I have been expected to set-up and tune

everyone, ready for Ruth to start rehearsal

when she arrives. Sometimes I’ve had to

take sectionals, which is when Ruth wants

to work with just brass and percussion, so

I’d take the flutes and clarinets to another

room and help them with the parts they

struggle with. I’ve also had to take all the

flute music home and mark on instructions

so that everyone knows exactly what they

need to do for our performance on the

night. The preparations and rehearsals

were a long and, at times, a tiring process,

but it all paid off on the night with one of

the best Summer Concerts BSB has seen

to date!

The academic subject itself has been

nothing short of a challenge. The leap

between GCSE and A Level Music was

huge but it definitely remained a truly

enjoyable subject (so much so that I am

going on to study Music at university!)

The Music A Level course is split up

into four areas: the exam which consist

of 12 set-works and aural awareness;

composition; technical study (harmony);

and a performance of 12-15 minutes.

The Jazz Evening, held by the Music Department every year, was a great success, showcasing the brilliant musical talent to be found in BSB in a relaxed setting. With a variety of bands, soloists, small ensembles and choirs, it was an evening of endless entertainment, good food and great company.

Through A Level Music, my performance

skills have been improved drastically

as has my understanding of music

harmony. This was definitely the area

that I struggled with the most but after

one-to-one time with Christi-Ann and

a pain-staking process of working out

many exercises, I finally gained an

understanding of music harmony and

delivered a confident performance in the

exam. I have never been naturally gifted

in composition either, but with time I’ve

become a lot more confident at exploring

new ideas and this is definitely down to

the encouragement I’ve received from

both Christi-Ann and Neil.

It has been an absolute roller-coaster ride

of a year with events here and coursework

deadlines there but it’s been one of the

best years of my life. It’s been an absolute

privilege being Music Captain and I would

like to thank Christi-Ann for giving me the

opportunity. There’s just one thing left to

say; as Music Captain, you will never be

bored!

by Natasha Neilson

Music Captain 2011/2012


PAGE 14➜15


Primary Mathematics:

A New Way of Thinking

F O C U S O N

During the last three years in the Primary School, curriculum development and review has placed significant focus on the integration of the foundation subjects. They are now delivered through an inquiry based approach to learning by our truly unique Integrated Learning Themes (ILTs). This substantial change has now been embedded into daily classroom practices across the Primary School and any BSB primary child should be able to confidently speak to you about their current ILT.


PAGE 16➜17

The implementation of an inquiry based

approach to another significant section of

our children’s learning in the Primary School

has now been directed towards one of

the core areas of learning: mathematical

understanding. Oxford Dictionaries online

defines mathematics as, “The abstract

science of number, quantity, and space,”

and I would assume that most of us

view it as a subject that is fairly black or

white; your answer is usually either right or

wrong, as well as one with a content that

has changed little over time. So, therefore,

why the need for any change?

Well, after spending three truly inspiring

training days in Hanover, four Primary

class teachers each returned to BSB

with a far deeper understanding and

enjoyment of mathematics. One of the

trainers on the course was Dr. Lesley

Snowball who has extensive experience

of leading educational workshops across

the globe. Therefore, we also arranged

for her to spend a day working with all

Primary class teachers at our school on

ways to increase our emphasis on creating

further mathematical opportunities for the

children in our classes that are more open

-ended and inquiry based. Both of these

workshops provided us with a collection

of great ideas. However, to successfully

deliver these ideas we realised the need

to radically alter our Maths curriculum

documentation and methods of planning.

After some debate, we decided on the

following essential agreement as a basis

for our new curriculum. We believe that all

learning will create opportunities to:

• Apply mathematical strategies

to problem solving

• Investigate and inquire

• Estimate

• Explain and justify answers

and thinking.

To align this new documentation to

our current approach with the ILTs, we

decided to create our very own central

ideas for mathematics. Each encapsulates

‘big picture’ understanding and ensures

opportunities for learning will be deeper,

broader, more meaningful and set within

relevant contexts.

Both of these workshops provided us with a collection of great ideas. However, to successfully deliver these ideas we realised the need to radically alter our Maths curriculum documentation and methods of planning.


Therefore, the big change is that instead of

having year group specific objectives, ‘pre

learning’ assessments will determine each

child’s current mathematical understanding.

This will ensure their teacher’s planning

then builds on what each student knows

and is then used as the starting point for

each new unit of learning. While at the end

of the unit, ‘post learning’ assessments will

determine their progress. Each of these

six mathematical strands includes a clear

continuum of skills linked to the National

Curriculum for England levels of attainment.

Each of these six mathematical strands encompasses and extends the objectives currently National Curriculum for England for Mathematics,

and also relates to children’s understanding at any stage of their Primary School career whether they are in Kindergarten or Year 6.

Number Calculations Measurement Shape and Space Data and

Probability

Patterns

Numbers are organised into systems to qualify and express value.

Calculations are used to interpret information, make decisions and solve problems.

Measurement is selecting what attributes to measure, units to use and level of accuracy needed.

Space can be described and defined by shape. The inter-relationships of shape allow us to understand, interpret and appreciate the world.

Data handling allows us to make a summary of what we know about the world and make inferences.

Probability is used to express the likelihood of an event.

Patterns help to infer one thing from another. Identifying repetitive patterns enables us to make rules and predictions.

Sub strandsWhole numbers Addition Non Standard measures Shape Collection Number

Decimals Subtraction Standard measures Position Interpretation Geometric

Fractions Multiplication Time Presentation

Division Probability

From reading through these emphases,

we are sure you will agree with all or many

of them. Certainly, since considering more

of these approaches while planning,

delivering and assessing our lessons, we

personally enjoy teaching Maths even

more and believe learning for the children

in our classes or groups has become more

practical, relevant and meaningful.

Finally, to ensure we make parents more

aware of these changes we plan to hold

a series of workshops after the half term

break in Term 1. During these sessions

we will talk through these changes as well

as provide some ‘hands on’ experiences

for parents by taking part in a range of

mathematical investigations. However,

don’t worry as we’re not planning to assess

your mathematical capabilities during these

sessions but just let you try out some of our

new resources and manipulatives! We hope

we will see you there.

Dr. Snowball spoke about the need to reflect on our current approaches to learning to ensure we create sequences of lessons that

ensure a greater emphasis on an inquiry based approach:

Decrease emphasis on: Increase emphasis on:Treating mathematics as isolated concepts and facts Connecting mathematical concepts and applications

Rote practice, memorisation and symbol manipulation Manipulatives, to make mathematics meaningful

Word problems as problem solving Real life problem solving

Instruction focused on what students do not know Instruction built on what students know

One answer, one method, emphasis on answer A variety of strategies for possible multiple solutions - emphasis on process

The teacher as the sole authority for right answers Students being encouraged to speculate and pursue hunches

Computational mastery before moving on to other units A broad range of units regardless of computations skills

Teaching mathematics for its own sake Mathematics as a means to an end

A primary emphasis on pencil and paper computations The use of calculators and computers

A textbook driven curriculum Multiple sources and resources for learning

The use of worksheets Students investigating, questioning, discussing and justifying

A chalk and talk format Practical activities, with flexible groupings

Assessment for the sole purpose of assigning grades Assessment as an integral part of instruction

Short-answer, multiple choice assessment A broad range of assessment strategies


PAGE 18➜19

AboveUseful manipulatives used for support with counting.

Design Technology

Year HighlightsF E AT U R E


BSB’s State-of-the-art Design Technology workshops have never been busier! Here are some of the highlights from a very productive year. All the items shown are taken from the coursework of GCSE, A Level and IB students whose work was exhibited at this year’s technology exhibition.

LeftOtt Karro:Boom box

RightFederico Bongiorno: Sleigh

LeftJustin McCreadie:Weights storage unit

RightBoudewijn Welten:Air hockey table

GCSE

A Level


PAGE 20➜21

LeftBence B Nagy:Adjustable seating

RightErik Persson:Coffee table for Laptop Users

Top leftMarcel Vrolijk: Spice box

Bottom leftSam Pears: iPad storage system

Top rightYoussef Bakr: Guitar accessories box

Students were set the task to design and make a luxury box for a chosen product.

Sam Sibley produced a display box for Ice Wines, Max De Ville De Goyet stored a collection of designer watches, Denis Uzdil produced a cylinder storage device for shaving equipment.

A Level

AS projects IB collection


HighlightsS P O R T AT B S B

There have been many sporting highlights this year at BSB with students achieving success in various sporting competitions, and it has been very satisfying to see the increased level of participation by the students in sports offered by the school. This success is due to the tireless efforts of BSB staff and parents who have coached, managed and supported the students in their various chosen sports.


ISST

The International Schools Sports

Tournament (ISST) provides BSB with

the chance to compete against its fellow

International Schools from around Europe,

United Kingdom and Africa in Cross

Country, Girls' Hockey, Boys' Football

(November) and Rugby and Swimming

in March.

The Cross Country team travelled to

Frankfurt for the ISST Competition. The

Junior Boys achieved stunning success

to win their section with a performance

that was arguably the best ever seen in an

ISST Cross Country event. Not only did

Euan Campbell win the race comfortably,

but four more of our runners (Stefan

Snyders, Rian Cook, Connor Pearce and

Matt Cook) came in within the top 12

finishers. Overall the team performed well

obtaining 6th place overall. Thanks to Ben

Carvell for his time and commitment as

coach of the team.

There was also an exceptional performance

by Connor Pearce at the Belgian National

Cross Country Race held in Oostende on

Sunday 11 March. He achieved a 3rd place

in his age division, out of 103 competitors,

covering the distance of 1.64km in a time

of 5min 35 seconds.

The Football Division 1 ISST took place

in Munich with the team accompanied

by experienced coaches, Colin Belfield

and Caron Davies. They performed well

to end the tournament in 8th place, in the

process beating both their local Belgian

rival schools.

In addition, the Girls’ Hockey team

travelled to The Hague and finished 4th

overall. Well done to Katie Durack and

Stephanie van Doninck for making the All

Stars team

In March, 20 swimmers from the BSB

Dolphins senior swimming team travelled

to Dordrecht, Netherlands where the ISST

was held for the second consecutive

year. They finished 9th overall with many

swimmers achieving personal best times.

Karel De Paepe performed exceptionally

well and won silver medals in all three

of his events (200m freestyle, butterfly

and backstroke). He also broke his own

Dolphins records in the butterfly, with a

new time of 1.00.12 and in the backstroke

with a time of 59.51 seconds.

Finally, and arguably most notably, a

young BSB Rugby team successfully

defended their ISST title in Paris winning

4 out of 5 matches and achieving bonus

points in four out of five of them. Five

BSB players were selected for the All

Star team: Jack Hyde, Savenaca Vocea,

Josh Emerson, Jack Morgan Jones and

Rob Sehmi. Congratulations must also go

to Caron Davies whose coaching record

in ISST Rugby remains the envy of other

school coaches.

PAGE 22➜23

Finally, and arguably most notably, a young BSB Rugby team successfully defended their ISST title in Paris winning 4 out of 5 matches and achieving bonus points in four out of five of them. Five BSB players were selected for the All Star team...

Tennis

On the tennis front, the BSB Tennis Academy

has continued to grow and this year saw

new coaches added to look after the BSB

Teams. The coaching staff are as follows:

Joanne Davies: Born and bred from the

homeland of tennis, Wimbledon, London,

UK. Centre court Wimbledon ball girl,

county junior player and international

adult competitor. Qualified Tennis Coach,

Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) - Level 1,

Level 2 and Level 3. Qualified in disability

tennis coaching. Qualified Cardio Tennis

Instructor and the Belgium representative

for the LTA Mini Tennis Awards Programme.

Kevin Larock: Started playing tennis at the

age of 6 and is still enjoying a very successful

competitive tennis career. In 2003 he was

on the tennis ATP World Tour with a world

ranking of 900. Kevin currently holds the

highest tennis ranking available in Belgium

and is ranked in the top 30 players in the

country. Kevin has been coaching tennis

for 8 years and specialises in competition

coaching for 14 – 18 year olds.

Nicolas Jacques: Started playing tennis at

the age of 6. He played in the International

Federation (ITF) under 18’s world tour,

winning many of the major titles. Nicolas has

been coaching for 6 years and is currently

completing his University degree in Brussels.

Daniel Pieters: One of Belgium’s greatest

tennis players of the 80’s. In 1985 Daniel

started his coaching career and in 1991

he was selected by the Belgium Tennis

Federation to coach the very best of

Belgium’s under 14’s in the International Tour.


The Cross Country team travelled to Frankfurt for the ISST Competition. The Junior Boys achieved stunning success to win their section with a performance that was arguably the best ever seen in an ISST Cross Country event. Not only did Euan Campbell win the race comfortably, but four more of our runners came in within the top 12 finishers.


PAGE 24➜25

The new school year is set to be an exciting and challenging one for Sports at the BSB. The School will be co-hosting the 2013 ISST Swimming event and we expect that work will commence on the new building project next year.

Gymnastics

The highlight of our Gymnastics season

is undoubtedly the GISGA competition.

GISGA is equivalent to ISST and is

hugely popular with our gymnasts who

participate regularly with great success.

In March, the team, led by injured captain

Anna Woodroofe, worked really hard to

achieve some excellent results: the Over-

13 team finished 8th in their group and

8th overall; the Under-15 team finished

1st in their group and 2nd overall; and

the Under-13 team finished 3rd in their

group and 3rd overall. Linda McNally

is to be congratulated for her fantastic

commitment to Gymnastics at BSB,

running training every weekday after

school, travelling to competitions and also

running holiday stages.

The Future

The new school year is set to be an

exciting and challenging one for Sports

at the BSB. The School will be co-hosting

the 2013 ISST Swimming event and we

expect that work will commence on the

new building project next year.

A Moment in TimeI still don’t really believe it happened; I didn’t tell anyone else. They

wouldn’t have understood, or believed me for that matter. It was a

while back, maybe four or five years. It’s always been a mystery to

me and will remain so. It is hard to explain what happened; I never

really got over it. I was eleven if I remember rightly.

I was living in London in England. I went to a lovely school where

I was popular and had a fun school life. I loved the house we lived

in. It was huge! I had a really big bedroom, though the size of the

house did sometimes freak me out, especially the drawing room.

The room was dark, kind of cold, and it had a really high ceiling.

Apart from that, I loved the house. This house had been in my

family for generations. My room had been my dad’s room and my

grandad’s. After my parents died, Grandad moved into the house

to look after me.

I’m Jamie by the way.

Money was tight back then and we were looking at every possible

way to get a little bit of cash in. Life was good, except for the

money situation.

It was a normal day and Grandad was telling stories about when

he was a child. Suddenly the doorbell rang. It was a woman, who

had come to pick up the old sofa. Like I said, we needed every

possible bit of money going. Grandad and I helped lift the sofa

into the woman’s car, then she realized she had left her handbag

in the drawing room. Of course I had to get it.

I hated going into the room alone, but ever since my parents had

died, Grandad had been asking me to do everything. As I walked

Creative Writing

and Art Gallery


F E AT U R E

by Shitika Agrawal, Year 11


PAGE 26➜27

into the drawing room, I noticed the obvious space where the

sofa had been.

It was then that I saw it.

I remember thinking to myself, “Was that door always there?”

It was a small pitted oak door. I had never noticed it before

because it had always been behind that old sofa. At this point I

had forgotten all about the woman’s handbag.

Now if I had been a sensible child, I would have just ignored the

door and fetched the handbag. But guess what? I was a curious

eleven year old.

The door stiffly swung open. As I entered the small room, I felt

this strange feeling inside. Something was telling me to get out. I

could hear a sort of whispering sound. Maybe it was from inside

my head. Whatever it was, it was freaking me out.

The room was pitch black and I could not see a thing. I could also

smell something, but I could not quite make out what it was…

Gas!

It was gas! At this point I knew I had to get out. As I started

making my way back to the door hastily, I heard heavy breathing.

Where was it coming from?

I quickly scanned the floor, and was horrified to see the

unconscious body of a boy about my age. I could not make out

who it was but he looked familiar. I tried pulling the boy out but

he was stuck. I then noticed his leg was jammed under an old

rotten wooden beam. I tried lifting it, but I lost my grip and it fell

back on his leg. Then with all my strength I heaved the beam and

managed to drag the boy out of the room.

I was only just in time.

Seconds later there was a massive explosion. I could see

smoke and fire. I could also hear bell-like sirens coming from all

directions. All was in total confusion. Everyone looked so strange.

Their clothes were strange. The fire engines were like nothing I

had seen before. It all started swirling before my eyes!

I think I must have blacked out because the next thing I knew,

someone was shaking my arm. I opened my eyes to see my

Grandad’s wrinkled face staring down at me in a concerned manner.

Once we had got rid of the sofa woman (her handbag had been

in her car all along) we sat down and Grandad, smiling strangely,

began to tell me another story about when he was a child. This

one would change the way I saw the world forever.

When he was my age he found this old door hidden behind

some old tapestries in that very drawing room. I stared at him

in disbelief, feeling my mouth becoming dryer. He went through

the door to explore. The house had apparently taken a blast from

a nearby bomb the previous week. It was the time of the Blitz

you see, so he knew that there might be some damage in that

part of the house. He said that the room was very dark and full

of cobwebs. He fetched a lit candle and returned to the room

thinking, with the wild imagination of an eleven year old, that he

might find some long lost treasure.

Standing in the semi-darkness he suddenly heard an

overwhelmingly loud creaking and groaning. Frozen in fear he

watched, while, as if in slow motion, a large wooden beam

crashed down upon his legs, pinning him to the floor, whilst

ripping gas pipes away from the wall. As he was thrown to the

ground, he had smashed his head against the cold brick floor

and was knocked out.

He continued to tell me how he gained semi consciousness to feel

the heat of a fire, a strong stinking smell of gas, the overwhelming

noise of people and vehicles, but most of all to see the young boy

hero who had saved him.

Grandad said that he was covered in soot, but that the strangest

thing about him was his clothes. He said that there was something

very familiar about the boy, though he had never seen him before

or again for that matter.

He suddenly stopped speaking and started to stare at me with

his old, wise questioning eyes. I stared back and a strange

understanding formed a bridge between us. We both knew.

by Henry Richards, Year 8


by Isabella Badini, Year 11

3R wrote a poem for performance based on Michael Rosen’s Classic ‘We’re Going on A Bear Hunt’. The chorus was written as a class and the verses in pairs.


PAGE 28➜29

3R are Going to a Theme ParkWe’re going to a theme park,

It’s going to be great fun.What a wonderful place!

We’re all excited.

Uh Oh… traffic!A long queue of traffic.We can’t go round it.

We can’t go through it.Oh No!

We’ll just have to wait!BEEP! HONK!BEEP! HONK!BEEP! HONK!

Finally… (by 3R)

We’re going to a theme park,It’s going to be great fun.What a wonderful place!


Yippee… a roller coaster!A fast twisting roller coaster.We’re going to get in line.We can’t wait to ride it.

Yes!It’s our turn!

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Fab! (by Emily & Epp)



Yummy… candy floss!Sugary, sweet candy floss.

It’s got stuck in my hair!It’s all over my face!

But…It’s still delicious!

MUNCH, CHEWRIP, CHEW

MUNCH, CHEW!Sweet! (by Dylan & Ted)



Woo hoo… a log flume!A fast drifting log flume.We can’t wait to ride it

Wish we didn’t have to queueGreat!

Now it’s our turn!WHOOSH, SPLOOSH

PLUNGE, SPLOSHSPLASH, GLIDE

I’m soaking wet! (by Sho & Eren)



Uh Oh… a haunted house!A dark, scary haunted house.

We can’t go round it.We can’t walk past it.

Oh No!We have to go through it!

WOO! ARGHHHH!BOO! ARGHHHH!HOO! ARGHHHH!

Phew! (by Anna & Yash)

We’re going to a theme park,

It’s going to be great fun.What a wonderful place!

We’re all excited.Yippee… bumper cars!

We can’t wait to drive them.Wish we didn’t have to queue.

Hooray!It’s our turn!

BOOM, CRASHBASH, BOSHBUMP, BANG

Ouch! (by Nicholas & Evan)



WOW… a gravitron!A twirling, whirling gravitron.We’re getting fastened in.We are starting to spin.

WOW!We’re lifting off the floor.

TWIRL, WHIRLROUND and ROUND

TWIRL, WHIRLUrgh… I feel sick! (by Emma & Alara)



Urgh… exhausted!Really, extremely exhausted.We can’t go on more rides.

We’re tired of all the queues.So…

It must be time to go home.PLOD! DRAG!PLOD! DRAG!PLOD! DRAG!

Where’s the car?! (by Max & Ian)


Beast at DuskPerched atop her tropical throne

She overlooks her kingdom.

This majestic presence reduces all stirrings

To an ominous hush.

The last of the day’s light trickles through the leaves,

Dancing on her flawless coat of ebony.

She yawns, a flash of white,

The deadly beast is glimpsed.

Suddenly, the snap of a twig awakens her senses,

Ears twitch, liquid gold eyes sharpen;

Let the game commence.

She rises out of her lazy slumber,

Transforming into a sly predator

Her muscular build flexes as she slinks surreptitiously

In the cover of the shade.

With target in sight,

And lingering promise of divine pleasure awaiting,

The thrill of the hunt rushes through her being.

At once, she emerges from the thicket,

A vision of terrifying and awesome power alike

As she bolts towards the tragically hopeless victim.

Futile dodges and twists condense into one failed escape.

In a matter of seconds,

The frenzied chase is over

And she retreats into the night feast.

The kill is hastily devoured,

A content purr escapes her lips.

The resemblance of calm settles once more

Since hunger is satisfied, thirst quenched.

For now.

by Rebecca Zerihun, Year 11

by Mathieu Greenslade, 2L


PAGE 30➜31

It is there; it is not When darkness lights the world,

And strange voices start to play.

When all you see starts getting hazy,

It comes to life, and lies awake.

Its touch can leave a scar,

Which burns in dancing flames.

It devours light from the brightest stars,

And leaves you writhing in your pain.

It can’t be touched, nor can be seen.

It can’t be talked to, but only heard.

It drinks your tears and builds up fear.

Deep inside your mind and soul.

This strange creature is within,

Without consciousness, control or consent.

It grows stronger by the minute,

To make you do things you regret.

You can’t escape, when it seeks for you,

But only hope for an angelic hero

To save you from the darkest creature,

Living deep within you, without wanting you to know.

Hansel and Gretelby A. Witch

Look I don’t know about all this locking children in cages. I’ll tell you the story.

I had just put a broccoli pizza in the oven when some children knocked on the

door. I let them in then they wrecked the house so I locked them in the kitchen

and tidied up the house then I had the nasty feeling they would eat the broccoli

pizza!

I unlocked the door just in time to see the children fall into the fire in the oven.

The broccoli pizza was still there and it was finished. I took it out and put it on

a plate and cut it and ate it. That is the true story.

Jack Wiles, Year 2by Ben Powell, Year 13

by Jessica Toppo, Year 11 by Rutuja Gandhi, Year13


Year 6 Poetry in French

Si je savais volerSi je savais voler,

Je volerais avec les oiseaux,

Qui mangeraient un gâteau.

Nous nous amuserions,

Avec les papillons.

Je volerais au-dessus de la Tour Eiffel,

Elle doit être très belle.

Je volerais plus haut que les nuages,

Et descendrais jusqu’ à la plage.

Cleo

J’irais dans les pays tropicaux

Je ne voudrais pas entendre de gros mots

J’aimerais être un perroquet

Je ne volerais qu’en mai

Ewan

Si je savais voler,

Dans le ciel, je voudrais danser.

Je regarderais devant moi,

Je penserais « J’adore faire ça ! »

Moins de temps sur mon ordinateur,

Je ne volerais jamais avec ma sœur.

J’irais partout quand je veux,

Parce que je saurais ce que je peux

Nicole

Si je savais voler

Je m’amuserais avec les oiseaux

On s’arrêterait sur un château

On mangerait des pâtisseries

Jusqu’à ce qu’on les ait finies

Je chanterais avec le soleil

Et on volerait jusqu’à ce qu’on ait sommeil

On dormirait sur le Mont Blanc

Je me réveillerais avec un flanc

Elisa

by Ruth Tyrie, Year 11


PAGE 32➜33

Si je savais voler,

J’irais manger les pommes dans le ciel,

Je regarderais les oiseaux,

Je chanterais la plus belle chanson

du monde,

Je regarderais le ciel, très bleu,

Le plus beau ciel du monde.

Jill

Si je savais voler

Je partirais de ma maison

Pour aller voir ma

Grand-mère et lui apporter des bonbons.

Si je savais voler

Je me lèverais au dernier moment

Pour dormir encore plus longtemps et

D’un coup d’aile je partirais et jamais

Tard je n’arriverais et tout le monde serait

content.

Si je savais voler

J’irais en Angleterre visiter mes amis

et manger des sushi.

Et pour finir je pourrais toujours

M’enfuir au cas où à l’occasion,

Je n’aurais pas appris ma leçon !

Sarah

SI je savais voler j’irais au Canada

Les Lac seraient jolis

Je voudrais nager dans la mer,

pourquoi pas ?

Pour regarder les poissons, oui !

Moi j’irais à Paris

Pour regarder les spectacles

« Mmm » manger du pain, oui

Ben

Si je savais voler

J’irais au bout du monde

Je volerais au-dessus de l’océan

Au-dessus des montagnes

J’irais au fin fond de l’univers

Je découvrirais des planètes, des étoiles

Et jusqu’à l’ infini

Tancrede

People laughing Men and women joggingCars roaring, beeping Traffic stopped, move alongOverhead in the sky Private jets Airplanes Luggage or animals Maybe an elephant Going to the HospitalPeople cycling going to a shop to buySome shoes for a present The smell of new carsAnd smell of footballs. The smell of fuel from a hotdog stand “Hotdog, hotdog come and get Your hotdogs It is good for you and good for me so Come And it’s 5 Euro for small size and 8 Euro for a Large size and come and get your Hotdogs Hotdogs, Hotdogs…I am going to the street to see someone.

The Street by Chiku Chibwana, Year 8

by Mariel Rutherford


Danger or Endangered?I am a creature… strong and ravenous,

But still very mysterious,

Millions of years in the seas, looking for meals,

Fishes, big and small or even better, seals!

I am armed with curved, sharp teeth,

In rows, above and beneath,

Nothing can escape my bite gridlock,

Death comes quickly, what a shock!

When you see my dorsal fin,

Out of the water, nice and thin,

I’m just telling you that I am there...

But I wonder why it gives you a scare

You see, I don't have very good eyesight,

and I might give you a big bite,

A little of your comfort I will take,

But I hope you realize it’s only by mistake.

Is revenge really necessary…

Revenge for salary?

Turning me into food,

Now isn’t that very rude?

The dinner plate, you will agree,

Isn't the best place for me.

by Smaran Ranjit, Year 6

by Shizuka Takao, Year 11

by Isabel Fisk Baruque

PAGE 34➜35


P R I M A R Y

Dutch Language Lessons

In April 2011 a new and exciting development in the Primary School Curriculum was announced: the introduction of Dutch language lessons for Years 3 to 6 from September 2011.

For me, Sophie Van Meerbeeck, the

months following this announcement

found me busy making preparations for

teaching children younger than I had

previously had the opportunity to work

with at BSB. As September approached

I grew more and more excited about

meeting all the “little children” in Upper

Primary. In September I was delighted

by the response from both students and

teachers, all enthusiastic and eager to

learn this new language.

The children’s Dutch lessons take place

in their classroom, with their class

teacher sharing their learning journey.

We started with a catchy song “Wie

ben jij” that the children still know off by

heart. Through songs, humorous skits

which often involved props and costume,

rhymes, games, TV programmes like

‘Koekeloere’ with Moffel the Mole and

Pier the Worm, as well as various other

differentiated activities, we learned lots

of new words and expressions in Dutch.

I was astonished by how quickly the

Upper Primary children absorbed this new

language and how they were always so

motivated to learn.

It is a privilege to be in the situation I am in

now, teaching and working with children

from Years 3 to Year 13. This is a fantastic

opportunity for any teacher to see the

growth and progress these children are

making. I am very grateful that BSB gave

me this opportunity which has turned

out to be one of the most extraordinary

experiences of my life.

I would like to take this opportunity to say

a big thank you to the Primary School

Staff who were all part of the learning

and who I consider as my colleagues. My

biggest THANK YOU undoubtedly goes

to a person who has always supported

me and made it possible to make this

initiative a success. A person who not

only became a highly valued colleague

but also a good friend: Ursula Maley. Her

knowledge and experience of the Primary

School have been invaluable.

Dutch took off a year ago and is now

spreading its wings, “learning and

inspiring success”. After a thrilling and

extremely successful year, I look forward

to continuing this exciting development

during the 2012 – 2013 academic year.


Two Personal Coups d’Oeil

A L U M N I

BSB alumnus, RICHARD BAKER, now a successful photographer, reflects on his time at the school in its very early years and JOHN BAXTER, a BSB trustee and former Governor, gives his personal recollections.

An example of Richard’s work Richard Baker

If you had told me as a 16 year-old that I

would become a photographer and father

– I wouldn’t have believed you.

Apparently I was the 13th pupil to be signed

up to the new British School in September

1970, still growing from the quagmire.

In the first months of the school’s life,

buses brought us from all over the city to

converted offices in central Brussels and

at lunchtimes we were marched to play in

the Parc du Cinquantenaire.

School was so exciting! Amazingly we

called the teachers by their first names

and after every holiday there were new

buildings to explore; our uniform was

universally shoulder-length locks and

flared cords. It’s a cliché and although I

didn’t appreciate it then, I do think my time

at the fledgling BSB were my glory days.

It took some years to know what I might

achieve. The darkroom run by Physics

teacher John Spivey in the basement of

building three’s new gym wasn’t the place

I wanted to hang out in with sunshine and

athletics outside. I didn’t even do art.

The eureka moment came when I realised

how amazing the world looked through a

camera lens, the pictures reproduced in

magazines, books, billboards. I found the best

course, left home and life was never the same.

Nowadays, my photography is on various

visual themes for clients around the world,

publishing and exhibiting too. I also watch

my own teenage children going through

school as I did. This is truly weird.

School was so exciting! Amazingly we called the teachers by their first names... It’s a cliché and although I didn’t appreciate it then, I do think my time at the fledgling BSB were my glory days.

John Baxter

I first heard of The British School of Brussels

in 1970. I was teaching in New Zealand and

was about to take up a post at Westminster

School in London. My uncle, Leslie Firman,

was anxious to share the news of an exciting

educational venture and I was fully informed

of all the early developments, the provision

of a site, the first building, the royal opening

and, most intriguingly, the appointment

of the first Principal, Alan Humphries. I

suspect the three founders, Dick Pantlin,

Mike Goodman and Leslie Firman were

rather conservative in upbringing, and

found the new Principal’s insistence on

teachers being called by their first names,

and the absence of any uniform, radical

innovations.

I visited the school many times in those

early days and was quickly impressed

with the warmth of the atmosphere and

the quality of all that I witnessed. When

my uncle died in 1979 a lecture was set

up in his memory and the first lecturer was

the distinguished historian Professor Asa

Briggs. I vividly remember the opening

words of his lecture, ‘I am very fond of

people who are founders.’

The principal aim of the founders, the Board

of Management and the Academic heads

was to provide high quality education

based on the curriculum in England for the

children of the increasing number of British

expatriates posted to Brussels. It was

important to provide continuity as most

children spent only a few years in Brussels

before returning to the UK to re-join a school

as seamlessly as possible. Such was the

reputation of the school that nationals of

other countries quickly took note and the

current blend of nearly 70 nationalities is

testament to the high regard in which the

school in held throughout the world.

The principal role of a Governor is to

be of support to the School’s Senior

Management Team in its day to day

responsibility for all aspects of teaching,

learning and administration. One of the

most important duties of the Governing

Body is the appointment of Senior Staff,

particularly the Principal, a responsibility

that always engenders much interest.

There seems to be no limit to the eclectic

range of issues brought to the attention

of the Governors including the safety of

pupils and the security of the site, the

possibility of boarding, the opening of links

in Ghana, the International Baccalaureate

and swimming pools.

As a Trustee, my 42 year association

with the school will continue. If there is

one memory I cherish it is the moment

when the prestigious HMC accepted an

invitation to hold a Committee Meeting

at BSB. Nearly 20 Heads of well-known

UK independent schools assembled in

the Examination Hall and all expressed

appreciation, even wonder, and admiration

at all they had experienced at the School;

delightful pupils, courteous and helpful

staff, working in the most handsome and

generous facilities, qualities we tend to

take for granted, but clearly of a standard

envied by the heads of distinguished

schools.


PAGE 36➜37

If there is one memory I cherish it is the moment when the prestigious HMC accepted an invitation to hold a Committee Meeting at BSB. Nearly 20 Heads of well-known UK independent schools assembled in the Examination Hall and all expressed appreciation, even wonder, and admiration at all they had experienced at the School...

John presenting the prizes at the 2011 Awards Evening


Primary:

‘Appy Days - iPads in Primary

F O C U S O N

By CHARLES MYERS, ICT Subject Leader for Primary

This year has been an exciting one for ICT in the Primary School at BSB. We have been trialing iPads in many areas of the curriculum. Students have been creating, editing and reviewing work in the classroom through the use of this technology. Not only has it altered how students work but also many teachers have moved their pedagogical models and adapted their approach to ICT in the classroom to embrace it.

Students have been creating videos,

which when filmed on these devices

allows them to instantly review, revise and

even redo where needed. As can be seen

from these pictures, students use them

for literacy sessions, mathematics and

their ILT lessons.

Looking forward, there has been exciting

news for the staff and students in the

Primary School at BSB. This coming

school year the staff have received

their own iPad which will assist them in

integrating and improving their own skills

on these devices. Even bigger news is the

addition of iPads in every year group from

Years 3 to 6. There will also be shared

boxes for Lower Primary. This means

even more opportunities for students to

use these devices in their learning.


PAGE 38➜39

Not only has it altered how students work but also many teachers have moved their pedagogical models and adapted their approach to ICT in the classroom to embrace it.

Students’ Personal Responses


BreendonkF E AT U R E

The ‘Fort of Breendonk’ was part of a defense belt of fortifications built around the city of Antwerp. Its construction was begun in 1909 and it served as a Belgian military base during the First World War. The Fort surrendered to German forces on October 9th, 1914.

After 1918, the Fort was used from time to time by the Belgian

Army until September 20, 1940 when Philip Schmitt brought

the first prisoners to the Fort. Breendonk became a so-called

‘vezammelkamp’ or transition camp where both Jewish

and non-Jewish prisoners were held until their departure

for the concentration and extermination camps in Germany,

Austria or Poland. From 1942 onwards, Breendonk gradually

became a camp not for Jews but rather political prisoners and

members of the Resistance.

The average stay at Breendonk lasted about three months and

there were around 3500 victims of the camp, including 30 women.

‘ After visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau (the main concentration camp during the Holocaust) and now Breendonk, I feel that

I have better understood the emotional and physical torments that come from genocides. There are over 70 countries

with concentration camps still in operation today. This strikes me as horrific and throughout the visit I could only think

how people were undergoing the exact same treatment in this century.’

Morgan Rees

‘ Pictures taken by Otto Kropf of the Jews and resistance prisoners undergoing the recklessness of the Nazi treatments

such as standing nose-against-wall or hours digging up the equivalent of 14,000 trucks in the first two years of the

concentration facility were a strong means for me to visualize and grieve for the estimated 3,600 prisoners.’

Andrei Ionescu

‘ For someone who has no historical or emotional background of the Holocaust, the events of the genocide, the death of

millions of people have always been merely words and numbers, usually found on the pages of textbooks. The visit to

Breendonk will perhaps be the closest I will get to emotionally understand the burdens shouldered by the victims of the

Holocaust and the feelings of authorities who placed it upon them.’

Rachel Kyaw

‘ The testimonials, both on video and through our guide, provided valuable insight to life within the camp and interpersonal

relationships. The image of the torture room was terrifying in its simplicity, one hook that could break even the strongest

men, physically and mentally.’

Dieter de Corte

‘ We, as an upcoming generation, cannot let such situations and events occur in the future ever again.’

Thandile Dludlu

[The content of this article differs slightly from the printed magazine]


PAGE 40➜41

F E AT U R E

Kazerne Dossin is a ‘place of remembrance’ and a very special

and emotional place to visit. The kazerne – or barracks – is

associated with Belgium’s Shoah or Holocaust. Between 1942

and 1944 the Nazis used the barracks as an assembly camp,

transporting over 25,000 Jews and more than 350 gypsies from

here to Auschwitz-Birkenau. The museum tells the story of the

persecution of Jews and gypsies in Belgium. Kazerne Dossin used

to be a former Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance. It

was founded in 1995 by a number of Jewish survivors. There are

a number of galleries within the Museum and the second gallery

is called ‘Their names’. Within this gallery hundreds of young

people from schools in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels took part

in the ‘Naming Names’ project and The British School of Brussels

was one of those schools. Between January and May 2012 the

names of Mechelen’s almost 26,000 victims were recorded in

Dutch, French and English. The list of names can be heard from

28 loudspeakers in the gallery. BSB was proud to have been

asked to provide readers to record the names of the victims of the

camp which will be part of the new visitor exhibition. The Year 12’s

visit to Breedonk was incredibly moving, but to be able to give

something positive back in return by participating in the Naming

Names project was particularly poignant.

" Naming Names" Project - Kazerne Dossin Museum


Yet being overly emotional about such

things does not necessarily imply a

complete and rational understanding of a

subject. In understanding this quotation, it

is important to keep in mind the definition

of the concept of being horrified and what

we mean by the word genocide. In terms

of genocide, something that is deemed

horrifying can be defined as something

dismaying or greatly shocking; the term

genocide itself was coined in 1943 by a

Polish lawyer of Jewish descent by the

name of Raphael Lemkin, who used it to

describe the killing of a race, family or tribe.

Later, the United Nations would adopt this

term in their United Nations Convention

on the Prevention and Punishment of the

Crime of Genocide, giving a legal definition

to the term. In discussing this issue we

will examine the Areas of Knowledge of

History, Ethics and the Arts. Additionally

we should include the Ways of Knowing of

reason, language, sense perception and

emotion. I will focus on perhaps the most

well known case of genocide, certainly for

the Western world, in which millions of

people lost their life, the Holocaust.

6 million deaths due to the Nazi

persecution of Jews and an additional

5 million deaths due to the attempted

extermination of homosexuals, the

disabled, political and religious opponents

and other minorities. This is how ‘rational’

history usually portrays the events that

took place in the Third Reich between


Knowledge is Power

The Theory of Knowledge is an integral part

of the IB Diploma Core Curriculum, and

addresses how we know and understand,

rather than what we know and understand.

Through the consideration of various ‘ways

of knowing’, students are asked to consider

some of the ‘big questions’ that we face as

global citizens. The fundamental knowledge

issues considered are summarized in the

graphic opposite, designed by BSB’s TOK

coordinator Ann Kronbergs.

In this essay, Dieter de Corte addresses

the question of how we can understand

genocide, in particular the Holocaust; he

focuses on historical and ethical matters,

showing how we come to experience,

through a combination of language,

reason and sense perception, one of the

darkest episodes in human history.

The quotation above clearly attempts to link the ways of knowing of emotion and reasoning. This link is certainly not out of context when one deals with such topics as genocide. The number of deaths involved can cloud objectivity as the horrific stories of persecution speak to our imagination and emotions.

‘ If you are not horrified by genocide then you have not understood it’ – To what extent is it possible to understand genocide?

copy

right

(© K

azer

ne D

ossi

n, M

eche

len)

1933 and 1945. A statistical analysis of the

atrocities committed in merely a decade.

History can show us the events that

occurred during this period and provide

an excellent starting point in coming to an

understanding of how we can understand

this period. History is also often seen as

a method of self-improvement, that is to

say that if we remember the past, we can

avoid such things in the future. Yet when

we look at the world around us, we see

that this goal has certainly not been met.

In the last 20 years, around 1.4 million

people were killed in three separate

acts of genocide alone. The Bosnian

and Rwandan genocide and the acts

of genocide in Sudan and Darfur have

shown us as recently as 2003 that similar

events to those in the Second World War

are still continuing despite widespread

opinion that these are things of the past.

We find understanding of these real

world situations through history but also

language and an extended form of sense

perception, the media.

But pure history cannot fully convey these

events and certainly not allow fully for the

development of being horrified. Further

and better emotional insight into the

question can more easily be conveyed

through the use of the Arts and the ways

of knowing of emotion, complemented

by the other ways of knowing of reason,

sense perception and language. Many

works of art have been created on the

topic of the Nazi genocide. To take just

one example, the comic book ‘Maus’ by

Art Spiegelman is a wonderful example of

how later generations have tried to come

to terms with and process the information

passed on directly as well as indirectly from

the 1940’s. Spiegelman’s book is unique in

its way of representing the issues at hand.

With the portrayals of all nationalities as

different animals, for instance the Jews

are represented as mice and the Germans

as cats and all the characters are drawn

alike with only small differences between

them, he attempts to show the absurdity

of dividing a particular race, religion or

nationality on the subjective factor of

appearance. The way of knowing of

language can again be applied to the

Arts in aiding our way of understanding

this act of genocide through for example

works of poetry or literature by well known

Holocaust survivors.

Equally, the Way of Knowing of language

can also be used to examine the other

side of the story. In her book ‘Voicing the

Void: Muteness and Memory in Holocaust

Fiction’, Sara Horowitz tells us that ,

“of all the weapons in the Nazi arsenal,

the most deadly by far was the spoken

word.” She goes on to support this claim

by stating that “Nazi jargon galvanized

a nation, often overriding personal

conscience. Filtered through the screen of

catchphrases and abstractions, the most

heinous acts acquired an aura of heroism.”

This can again provide us with increased

understanding of how ‘normal’ human

beings just like the ones we know today

were able to commit what today seem

like horrible atrocities. But even though

these ways of knowing can provide us

with a sense of being horrified of these

events through pieces of literature such

as personal testimonies, the emotion of

being horrified is not directly linked to the

actual understanding of the topic.

The Way of Knowing of sense perception

might at first glance seem less important

or less useful than the others due to the

distance in time between the present


PAGE 42➜43

In the last 20 years, around 1.4 million people were killed in three separate acts of genocide alone.

Breendonk Fort


and events of the past. But sense

perception is rather of great importance

in understanding genocide as it is the

first and foremost way of knowing that

allows for a direct knower’s perspective,

as we experienced in the visiting of the

Breendonk camp. As you walked down

the cold, dark and concrete hallways lined

with cobblestones, you can only begin

to imagine what a prisoner might have

felt on his way to a cell, packed with 47

other people. This Knower’s Perspective,

along with other works of art and historical

sources, can once again lead to a deeper

understanding of this particular act of

genocide.

Lastly, it is important to highlight the

problem many face when faced with such

a tragic incident. It is easy in these sorts

of events to let emotion push away the

objective reasoning, giving a distorted and

biased view of events. To illustrate this, it is

near to impossible to understand why Nazi

officials and soldiers followed these horrific

orders. We easily allow the fact that we

feel that we are not capable of committing

such a crime overtake our emotion,

leaving no room for open-mindedness.

As we saw in the documentary about the

Second World War, the Nazi hierarchy

used specific language and feelings within

society to convince these people to act in

a way which they thought was correct and

acceptable for the future.

In conclusion, the Ways of Knowing of

language and sense perception guide

us through the Area of Knowledge of the

Arts to gain a better understanding of

genocide. But so being horrified by certain

events or in this case acts of genocide

does not automatically link to having a

good and grounded understanding of

the subject. Even though the emotion of

being horrified might often go along with

this process of understanding, the two are

not in a cause and effect relationship.

Dieter de Corte

copyright (© Kazerne Dossin, Mechelen)

‘ of all the weapons in the Nazi arsenal, the most deadly by far was the spoken word... Nazi jargon galvanized a nation, often overriding personal conscience. Filtered through the screen of catchphrases and abstractions, the most heinous acts acquired an aura of heroism.’

Breendonk Fort Breendonk Fort


PAGE 44➜45

From the Amazon to the Arctic

A N E W B O O K , A N E W W O R L D

At time of going to print, The British School of Brussels’ biennial Book Week beckons. Two years of preparation will come to fruition when 16 guests visit the School during the course of the week, 15 -19 October, to give us a Book Week to suit all tastes. The selection of authors this year, with experiences ranging from the Amazon to the Arctic, reflects the theme ‘A New Book, A New World’. Students in all year groups at BSB will be inspired by the wealth of talent visiting the School.

Book Week in the Primary School

Authors and illustrators join us to inspire

and help the children to make their

own class story books. Local talents

Gillian Muir and illustrator Delphine

Frantzen open our week. Chris Riddell,

one of the most popular illustrators in

the UK, has illustrated over 100 books

and draws weekly cartoons in the

Observer newspaper. Adam Bushnell,

an experienced author and storyteller,

will develop story ideas with the children,

and, of particular interest to our bilingual

classes is Jeanne Ashbe, a local French

picture book author, Paul Johnson works

with children on book-making skills.

Book Week in the Secondary School

For those with an interest in history there

is a first visit by Bettany Hughes and a

welcome return by Marcus Sedgwick with

the strong historical context of so many

of this novels. For those who like their

maths puzzles we have Alex Bellos with

his hit ‘Alex’s Adventures in Numberland’.

Alex’s first book was his definitive tome on

Brazilian Football, entitled ‘Futebol: The

Brazilian Way of Life’, a must for every

sports fan.

UK author, screenwriter and dramatist,

Nicky Singer, comes to us fresh from her

recent success at the National Theatre

with her Canadian Arctic story, Island.

Our headline guests for the Wednesday

performance evening are the intrepid

Belgian explorer, Dixie Dansercoer and

the immensely successful Alex Scarrow

with his ‘Time Riders’ series. And then of

course there is the doyen of Book Week

– Adisa!

Adam Bushnell Alex Scarrow

Dixie Dansercoer

Adisa

Model United Nations is a time when

students from across the globe come

together to debate, challenge, and

speak for the country they are allocated

to represent. With THIMUN over for this

academic year, and the students back

from a fantastic week in the beautiful

Hague, it is undeniable from the feedback

what an eye-opening experience this is.

One student exclaimed ‘the week was

mind blowing; I feel like I understand how

the world works that much more. Along

with the vibrant social life at THIMUN, it

is a week that I have thoroughly enjoyed’.

Approximately three thousand five hundred

students participate in the event, each part

of a delegation representing a country (or

even part of organisations such as Amnesty

International) in the United Nations.

This year BSB was fortunate enough to

represent Ghana, a country which we have

very close affiliations with due to the ‘Best

of Both’ charity set up by students.

The process of representing such a

country at a momentous event begins

long before the week that takes place in

January, as there is plenty of research to

be done. Students begin by researching

Ghana as an entirety; the culture, politics,

public relations, economy and so on. Once

the research begins, students get caught

up in it, and begin to know the country

very well. Then the essential job occurs of

allocating each student to a Committee.

A Committee is a small assembly in the

United Nations which focuses on a certain

aspect of the world. An example would

be ‘GA5’ which is ‘general assembly 5’.

‘General assembly’ shows that members

of this committee are allowed to partake

in the large debates in the biggest

conference hall at the end of the week,

whilst ‘5’ shows that it is the committee

of ‘Budget and Administration’. A student

remarked ‘I never thought I would be

interested in the topics GA5 covered, but

it truly opened a new area of education

that I have not really considered before

to me, I ended up thoroughly enjoying

the debates on Budget that took place’.

So once a student has been assigned to

his/her committee and completed their

basic research they will begin to create a

resolution which aims to resolve the topic

which will be discussed. An example


United We StandR E P O R T

Every year BSB send a delegation to the The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN). Here, two delegates, SAM THOMAS and OLIVER BARLOW, reflect on their experience.

copy

right

(© T

HIM

UN

)

copy

right

(© T

HIM

UN

)


of a topic is ‘Question of: The Hague

code of conduct against Ballistic missile

proliferation’. As you can imagine, it takes

extensive research to find a solution to

such a topic.

An average day at the THIMUN conference

is a long, tough but rewarding one.

Students get up at 6am, suit up and head

to the conference hall via tram, literally

just as if they were employed members

of the United Nations. This gave students

responsibility that they have never truly

experienced before, as they could not be

late for the ‘roll call’ that took place at 9am

precisely, where your country's presence is

registered. Debate on a resolution that has

been approved by other countries and the

‘board’ (officials who control debate and

choose appropriate resolutions to be put

forward for discussion) then takes place

until 1pm where there is usually a break.

After the break debate then continues until

5pm, where students return to the hotel and

have a briefing to share their experience.

One aspect that was certainly appreciated

and enjoyed by the students was the United

Nations ‘language’. Students had to address

each other in third person at all times if

they wished to participate in discussion,

and address other delegates as ‘fellow

delegate’, ‘speaker’ or by the country's

name. Another unique process that occurs

is the ‘note passing’ system. This is where

a delegate who wishes to share a comment

or question with another country, writes it on

official delegation note paper and holds it in

the air for the admins to pick up. ‘When I left

MUN to return back to school, it certainly felt

peculiar using the first person, and having no

admins to take your notes and ensure your

needs are met. It was certainly a highlight of

the debates for me,’ one student pointed

out when asked about the experience.

One of the main reasons that any student

gets involved in the MUN CAS group is

to improve their public speaking skills.

Whether a student is very shy and wishes

to be able to stand up and talk to a small

committee, or a student is a confident

speaker and wants to address the general

assembly with a thousand people within,

MUN raises the confidence of anyone

wishing to speak publically. Students are

fully prepared to speak in public before

they arrive at the big event, via speaking

lessons in CAS and practice using a

microphone.

To further increase the confidence of

students, BSB also partakes in a MiniMUN,

which is the same concept as the larger

THIMUN but on a much smaller scale.

This lets students get an idea of what life

is like in the United Nations and increase

their confidence. At MUN the amount of

input is directly affiliated with the student,

thus a student can talk throughout the

whole day, or just get the courage to talk

once. Both are large achievements.

Finally to top off the extraordinary week

is the vibrant social life at THIMUN. Every

night of the week students are allowed

to go out and mingle with the other

delegates. This is an essential part of

THIMUN, as with each student being on

their own in committees, making friends

is absolutely crucial, and rewarding.

‘I still keep in contact with many

of the delegates I met, it was great that

so many people from different walks of

life were brought together in such a way,’

remarked one student.

MUN CAS option and the THIMUN

conference truly does aid a student in

many ways. Whether that be improving

confidence, making new friends or

improving one’s CV, all students leave the

conference feeling a little different, a bit

more aware of the world around them and

what is happening in it. Most of all, MUN

makes a student think, 'how can I make

a difference?' during the conference; a

thought that certainly goes home with

everyone who attends.

By Oliver Barlow and Sam Thomas

MUN Delegates for Ghana:

Sam Thomas (ambassador)

Alexander Ashley, Aman Shah,

Andrei Ionescu, Ayako Fuijhara,

Celine Thomas, Christopher Cockshaw,

Dieter De Corte, Elenora Moro,

Oliver Barlow, Sankalp Soni,

Sophie Belfield, Vangelis Trikoupis,

Vikram Sehgal, Youssef Bakr, Zoe Sands


PAGE 46➜47

Students at the miniMUN October 2011


P R I M A RY S C H O O L P R O D U C T I O N

'What a Beast!'The children in the Reception and

Kindergarten took to the stage in June

to perform their mini-beast themed show

'What a Beast!' which was written by the

staff. The show centred around two school

children who were trying to find out about

different kinds of mini-beasts in order to

help them decide which mini-beast they

wanted to dress up as for an Ugly Bug

Ball. Their mother and father took them

on a mini-beast hunt to help learn about

the tiny creatures that can be found in our

gardens and parks. As their investigations

came to an end their decision was no

easier to make as they liked something

about all the little mini-beasts. Then Mum

had a fantastic idea - the children could go

dressed as BSB’s - Brilliant Super Bugs -

and design a costume taking their favourite

features of all the mini-beasts!

The children learnt songs, lines to say and

very much enjoyed performing their dances

on the stage, and indeed, continued to ask

to do their dances and sing the songs again

for some weeks afterwards. The costumes

and make up were dazzling, with thanks to

Kate Pritchard and a team of parents.


PAGE 48➜49

The children learnt songs, lines to say and very much enjoyed performing their dances on the stage, and indeed, continued to ask to do their dances and sing the songs again for some weeks afterwards.


PAGE 50➜51www.brit ishschool.be

13th Jan 2012

Another breakfast of cornflakes with four

cashew nuts for protein; a few more days

of this and I will start to need to use a belt.

Taxi to Zuarungu Moshie was quick at 30

minutes and we arrived at 08.10, just before

most of the teachers. The school consists

of two blocks facing each other. One is for

Years 1 to 3 and includes the office and

store. The other is for the other classes

up to Year 6 and has at the end what will

become the computer room. In the office

the television was put on for us – Ghanaian

breakfast TV, which was a step up from

Adrian Childs. Moli Isacc, the head, arrived

on his motor bike and we talked about

what we wanted to do during the day.

We walked across to the other block to

look at the computer room. It was not what

I was expecting, or at least hoping for. As

we pushed open the broken door we had

to take care as behind the door was a

baby goat. The room was split into two

separate rooms by a divider, again with

no door. The windows all consisted of just

frames with no shutters. Also absent was

any power or any preparations to receive

power. We were told that this part of the

building had been built with EU funds but

for some reason the work stopped before

it could be finished.

A guy turned up on his motor bike. He was

introduced to us as Elijah, an executive

committee member of the PTA. He was

joined by Isaac, another PTA committee

member. We said that nothing could

be installed in the room designated for

the computers until power was brought

across from the other block and the

room was made secure. Elijah said that

he would arrange for a PTA meeting to be

held. It was agreed that this should be on

Monday when we could also attend after

our visit to the Dachio school.

The assembly man, Moses, also turned

up on his motorbike. We told him the

same story about what needed to be

done to prepare the rooms. We agreed

that probably the best way to get power

to the block was an overhead cable. He

asked how quickly all the work needed

to be done. Heather was quick with, ”We

need it in two weeks.”

Moses looked at her and said, “I must be

frank with you, it is difficult to get things

done quickly.”

Heather was on a roll with her response

of, “And I must be frank with you, no

computers will be installed until the work

has been done.”

B E S T O F B O T H :

Charity UpdateIn the last edition of Tapestry we told you about the school’s fantastic, student-led charity project ‘The Best of Both.’ This year has seen real progress with the completion of boreholes at the Duusi and Dachio schools and a shipment of computers being sent out and installed in Zuarungu Moshie School in the Bolgatanga region of Ghana.

Heather (a former teacher at BSB) and her husband Trevor went out at the beginning of 2012 to Ghana to deliver and install the computers and to see the completed boreholes. The project was not without its difficulties however, and we pick up the story from Heather and Trevor’s blog, with the computers held up at Ghanaian customs, and a new computer room that might need some work…


We all agreed that the PTA meeting on

Monday would be a good ‘‘next step.”

The good news was that the computer

room got its power supply, but the bad

news was that the computers didn’t quite

make it out of customs for Heather and

Trevor to see them installed. Fortunately,

an intrepid BSB IT technician, Ed, was

able to go out to Ghana in April to make

sure the job was finished. Some Year 12

students who help to run “The Best of

Both”, now affectionately known as BoB,

interviewed him about his experiences...

BoB: When and why

did you go to Ghana?

Ed: I went a couple of weeks ago, and it

was to set up some computers that got

held up at customs, as they were initially

sent there with Heather (ex-BSB music

teacher) and her husband in February, but

there was a problem with DHL as they

did not have the correct documentation.

Unfortunately, they were not able to get the

computers out of customs before they had

to leave, so I had to go a few months later.

BoB: Can you describe

what you did there?

Ed: The main thing was setting up the

computers; there were a few minor issues,

but in the end we got them all working.

The second thing was training the staff, as

many of them had never seen a computer

before and I had to teach them simple

things, such as double-clicking. A lot of

the kids had also never seen a computer

before. It was interesting to see how they

picked up computer skills, as part of their

curriculum is to write about computers in

their exam to graduate to the next school,

which they had to learn from a blackboard

before now.

BoB: Did you participate in any local

cultural activities?

Ed: After the computers were set up there

was an opening ceremony. They really

wanted it to be a handing over from BSB

to their school. They did some dances

which I recorded and which will be on the

website and Facebook page soon!

Heather was on a roll with her response of, “And I must be frank with you, no computers will be installed until the work has been done.”

Recently the headmaster of Zuarungu Moshie School wrote to the Assistant Head of the Secondary School, John Knight to express his gratitude.


PAGE 52➜53

BoB: Are you planning on

returning soon?

Ed: I wouldn’t say soon, but I want to

go back someday. I was quite friendly

with a few of the teachers, and we have

been talking and exchanging e-mails, so I

probably will go back and give them some

more training.

Zuarungu-Moshie Primary School

Post Office box 11,

Bolgatanga

Upper East Region

Ghana - W/Africa.

Dear John,

APPRECIATION

On behalf of myself and staff of the school, I wish to express my

profound gratitude to the B.S.B for the final arrival of the beautiful

modern computers sent to us.

Trevor and Heather must be commended for their courage in

the difficulty they went through before the computers were finally

released from the customs in Accra.

Edward did a very wonderful job and I wish him the best of luck.

As we look forward to receiving Mr. Daragh Comerford, I promise to

take good care of the computers.

Thank you and God bless you

Moli Isaac

(HeadMaster)

And the story continued this summer, Daragh, BSB's Director of ICT went to train the

teachers in Ghana to use the computers, and, for the first time, a group of students made

a trip to Ghana to lend a hand with the continuing good work of 'The Best of Both'.


F E A T U R E

Buddies at The British School of Brussels

Buddying is an opportunity for Students from the Senior Section to provide support and mentor younger students. Here, the volunteers reflect on a year of hard but rewarding work.

The Primary & Secondary Buddy

programme was established quite recently

in the British School of Brussels. It has only

been running a year, starting off with only two

volunteers buddying children in the Primary

School. However, in a year it is clear to see

how far we have come, with six students

now participating in the programme. The

children in the Primary School consist of

four students in Year 6, one student in Year

5, one in Year 3 and one in Year 2. These

children are all paired with students in the

Senior Section (Years 12 and 13).

The year started off with an afternoon training

session where we all learnt various skills and

tactics to be able to effectively communicate

and develop a relationship with each other

and how to address certain issues with them.

This was run by two school psychologists and

our Buddying coordinator, Malle. We found

this really helpful as it’s hard to know how to

act around someone who is depending on

you to be a role model to them.

Next, we were each paired with a Primary

School child. This was done by finding

common interests, such as football or

drama, and deciding which two would be

best suited to one another. As BSB is an

international school, languages we could

speak was a good deciding point as this

helped children who were a bit lost or lonely

to communicate in a language in which

they felt comfortable.

The programme was used to help children

that the teachers decided could use a

friend or some guidance. It was also

put in place to help children struggling

with school work. This could be due to a

language; the child Gabriella met with was

struggling as English wasn’t their mother

tongue; or due to a general problem, such

as Philippa who entered the class and

helped a young boy with any work he was

finding difficult at the time.

The meetings with the Primary children

take place once a week depending on

when both parties are free. The activities

range from playing football outside to

helping with homework. My Year 6

student likes art and drawing, so we spent

quite a few sessions playing games like

Pictionary, whereas Harry’s was an active

boy, so they spent many sessions playing

sporty games outside. The point of the

programme was to form a friendship

where together we decide what to do

– not the coordinator; this was entirely

positive as it let the all of us find out what

we have in common and spend the hour

or so having fun.

Evidently with any sort of project like this,

there are always difficulties; these were

mainly based at the start. Establishing a

relationship with a child much younger

than yourself isn’t easy. It’s hard to know

what is and isn’t appropriate to talk about


PAGE 54➜55

VAB-Driving School

You can reach us in Tervuren Paardenmarktstraat 48

3080 TervurenPhone: 02/767 18 25

Mobile: 0494/50 61 [email protected]

driving school

www.vabrijschool.be

We are pleased to help you. Driving lessons in English.

as they aren’t in your age group and it’s

not likely that they’re interested in your

A Level exams or the new TV show you’re

watching. On top of this, maintaining a

relationship was hard as each week you

had to come with new ideas to keep it fun

and interesting. It was quite a challenge

coming up with activities to not let the

meetings become boring.

However, the positives far outweighed the

negatives. Although it was a challenge to be

on your toes and be inventive every week,

it was a fun challenge brainstorming ideas

that they would enjoy. It was a really good

experience as well, being able to develop

a friendship with the child. Interacting with

the children and playing games we hadn’t

played since we were young was also

really fun. We all agreed unanimously that

the biggest reward from this programme

was when the child opened up to us

and trusted us with something personal.

It was crucial to the relationship as once

we realised their biggest trouble, we could

help them move on.

All the volunteers this year are hoping

that the programme continues to be so

successful and that more people will want

to take part in this valuable experience.

We’d like to say a big thank you to Malle

for organising everything and being a

helpful hand throughout the whole year.

Sophie Belfield and Buddying volunteers,

The British School of Brussels,

2011-2012

Artwork provided by Reception Class

ING Belgium SA/NV – Bank – Registered office: avenue Marnix 24, B-1000 Brussels – Brussels RPM/RPR – VAT: BE 0403.200.393 – BIC: BBRUBEBB – IBAN: BE45 3109 1560 2789 Publisher: Inge Ampe – Cours Saint-Michel 60, B-1040 Brussels – 705656E – 06/12 © Editing Team & Graphic Studio - Marketing ING Belgium

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705656 An Expat guidebook Tapestry Mag.indd 1 26/06/12 13:27


9D proposed and 9J opposed. For 9D

Eadaoin Fenlon and Rhiannon Pritchard

both marshalled their arguments well and

spoke with conviction; for the opposition

in turn Sian Latham and Disa Greaves

wrestled well with their opponents’

arguments and answered rebuttal with

rebuttal. Summary speakers Georgia

O’Neill and Aristide Arnulf helped to make

this a very close contest before the verdict

of the audience with 35 votes cast for the

proposition and 27 against the motion with

12 abstentions or ‘undecideds’.

But in this form of debating the judges’

decision is final and their verdict was that,

for their passion and their confronting

the arguments more, the overall winners

were 9J.

Thanks to our timekeeper, Jacob Ward

and to our excellent chairperson, Frankie

Brown, who all went to prove that the

Olympic dream is still alive, as is the art

of debating in BSB.

PAGE 56➜57www.brit ishschool.be

The best debating final ever! The final of the fifth Year 9 debating competition was held on Wednesday 16th May in the Horta Drama Studio to a packed house. The teams had battled through the semi-final stages the previous week and it was 9D and 9J who were the chosen finalists in the opinion of the judges. 9N had the role of chairing and timing the debate. The motion on this occasion with the clock counting down was: ‘This House believes that the Olympic dream is dead.’

Y E A R 9

Debating


D R A M A

The Arrival

This February, BSB hosted the International School’s Theatre Association’s Festival. Director of Drama, ROB MESSIK, reports.

Over the course of four, bitterly cold

days, where the temperature barely

rose above -15 and snow lay frosty on

the ground, a warm shining beacon

of light called theatre was created

round the school as 170 students

and teachers from ten international

schools as far afield as Ethiopia and

the Middle East gathered together at

BSB. This was ISTA. And it was Mighty.

ISTA is the International Schools Theatre

Association and its remit is to create

immersive theatrical experiences for

students from all over the world. The

theme of the festival was The Arrival, a

stunningly beautiful piece of graphic art

created by Shaun Tan, about the trials

and tribulations of immigration. It was a

starting point that enabled the students

the most freedom to create their own

memorable pieces of theatre.

The festival began with an expert

example of storytelling by our own Year

12 and 13 students that culminated in

thousands of feathers descending from

the rig in the Brel. The tone was set for

challenging, risk taking theatre and the

days that followed didn’t disappoint.

Whatever the Brussels weather tried to

concoct was met with a brief, derisory

laugh by theatre before it turned its back

and continued to sweep through BSB.

The festival saw work on Shakespeare,

puppetry, gymnastics, comedy, stage

fighting and three dimensional art to

name but a few; visits to the Atomium

and the Moof to give a flavour of

Brussels and a further comic book vibe;

music and stage technology and with

each experience the students were

drawn closer and closer together in

their quest to share a truly life changing

experience.

The festival began with an expert example of storytelling by our own Year 12 and 13 students that culminated in thousands of feathers descending from the rig in the Brel.


PAGE 58➜59

The parents of BSB showed themselves

to be phenomenally supportive as they

opened up their doors to the students

and kept them fed and watered and

warm over the days of the festival. And

I once again saw what a fantastic team

there was in the Drama Department

and indeed in the rest of the school as

staff and support staff all got on board

to help create a festival that ran, on the

surface at least, effortlessly.

As the students and staff bade tearful

goodbyes on the Sunday and the snow

began to thaw, what was left was yet

another world class BSB experience.

The festival saw work on Shakespeare, puppetry, gymnastics, comedy, stage fighting and three dimensional art to name but a few;

The First Challenge – Paper Tower

We were given 5 pieces of paper and

a 30cm long piece of tape. We got 15

minutes to build the tallest possible free-

standing construction. For our groups, we

were in our houses then divided up into

little groups of 3 or 4. When 15 minutes

were over, the towers got measured

then when the results got announced,

Goodman had the highest tower with 1m

55cm. Sebastian

Our tower was the second or third tallest;

for ages it was the biggest. Jordan

I worked well with my group. We thought

we should make an origami base, which

Alex did. Then the rest of my group made

paper tubes and stuck them on the base.

Our tower was 148cm tall until it got

knocked over and got shorter. Zia

The Second Challenge – Spaghetti

Bridge

We used 200g of dry spaghetti and 1m of

masking tape. It was very funny! I thought

we had to use cooked spaghetti so I

didn’t believe it was true! Miruna

In this challenge, we had to make a

spaghetti bridge, the longest wins but it

had to be able to hold 300g. Hakim

With our resources and the rules it was

hard to make the structures stable. Our

plan was to make a thick middle and

expand it but there was too much weight

in the centre. Alexander

At first we made a good base, which was

shaped like a triangle. Everything went

well until Will accidently threw the bridge

on the floor. But it was still in shape,

thankfully. Our bridge was quite good

though not good enough to beat the other

groups, but as the group that won was in

also in Pantlin, it didn’t really matter. Tabea


R E P O R T Year 7 House Engineering

ChallengeOn Friday 8 June we had a STEM activity. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Year 7 students report on their experiences.

' The whole of Year 7 got together in Rubens Hall. We were put in groups with people we don’t normally work with, most from different classes, but who were in the same house as us. We then had to work as a group to complete two different tasks.' said Tori and Khilna from Year 7.

We did not have enough masking tape to

let our plan work so we were thinking of

something else but time was running out

so we used our base and laid spaghetti

over the top. We had to put on 300g

mass for one minute. It worked but at 51

seconds our chair was knocked and our

bridge fell to pieces. Willemijn

First we randomly stuck all the spaghetti

together and made a dismal bridge; then

we got another chance. This bridge was

much better with a length of 45cm but it

only held the weight for 25 seconds. Rhodri

We could have planned it first and got a

better result. We all argued over whose

idea was the best rather than putting

them together. Can

In the spaghetti challenge, our group

worked really well because... we won! We

felt wonderful. Tara

Pantlin just managed to overtake Firman

by 1cm at the end. Matthew

I enjoyed working as a team in building.

Ingmar

What was fun was to see how other groups

were so enthusiastic and furious to win;

some groups were very competitive. Jemina

At the beginning of the challenge, I

thought it would be impossible to build

a bridge out of spaghetti; at the end I

realised it wasn’t. I also realised you need

to save your materials. Thomas

We did OK but we always had things to

change to make it better. It was really fun

and I enjoyed it. As a team, we did have

quite a few arguments but we always

ended them quite quickly. It was strange

because why would I ever want to make

a bridge out of spaghetti, but I would still

like to do it again. Emily

So well done to Pantlin who came first

with a bridge 34cm long, to the close

followers-up, Firman and also to all in

Goodman. And well done Year 7 for the

enthusiasm with which you entered into

the challenge. Sarah, Ruth and Rajinder.

Heads of House


PAGE 60➜61

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call and make your appointment now with Russell, Rady, Kara or

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S U P P O R T S T A F F M E M B E R

Erik the BikingHe may be more familiar to us as supervisor of the Maintenance Team, but ERIK VAN DER HULST has an intriguing hobby as a motorcycle rider, providing “live feeds” for some for some of the world’s most prestigious sporting events. Essentially he’s the guy riding a motorbike perilously close to professional cyclists and runners, with a camera man riding pillion.

It all started seven years ago, when a

friend of Erik’s, who works for Belgian

broadcasters VRT, and who knew of Erik’s

passion for motorbikes, approached him

as they needed more motorcyclists to

follow and provide live coverage of a local

bike race. Almost a decade later, and Erik

has just come back from covering the

Tour of Turkey and is setting off to follow

the Tour of Austria in July.

The Tour of Turkey runs for 1174km and

this year 25 teams and 200 cyclists took

part in a race that spans two continents…

and Erik was there to help broadcast it to

the rest of the world.

Past credits also include Triathlons in

London, Madrid, Berlin and Hamburg, as

well as The European Championships in

Barcelona, where Erik followed the Marathon

and the speed-walking. According to Erik

this last sport is the toughest to film as “they

go so slow.” He was involved in the testing

of equipment for the London Olympics,

visiting the British capital twice in the last six

months to perform tests at the Velodrome

and marathon courses. His ultimate dream?

To cover the Tour de France.

For Erik, who has ridden since the age

of eighteen, it’s the perfect combination

of his interests – riding motorbikes and

watching sport. As part of a team of forty

to fifty people (including two helicopters)

Erik is one of usually three riders who will

follow a race. One biker follows the leader,

another the chasing group, and another

stays at the back. The riders wear an

earpiece through which the director, who

is nearby in a car, can communicate.

Of course it can be dangerous, and Erik has

seen his fair share of crashes as you might

expect, but for him the fun comes from

being so close to such intense competition.

“The hills are the best” apparently, as “that

is where you see people having to push

themselves to the limit.” He also finds the

whole process very relaxing, “as you can’t

afford to think about anything other than

what you’re doing at that moment.”

Erik may well be in need of relaxation as there

are, of course, some big building projects

in the pipeline at BSB, but he is “looking

forward to the challenge” .



PAGE 62➜63


E X A M I N AT I O N S

2012 once again saw some outstanding results in A Level, IB and (I)GCSE. Well done to all the students who took exams and received results this summer and best of luck to all the students heading off to continue their education in the wider world. The year also saw excellent results in The Primary School as well as in other exams in Music and Drama.

Results' Summary

pass rate for Rock School and ABRSM

(Practical) exams.

students who passed IB Diploma

(worldwide average 78.1%).

students achieved A*-C at GCSE

(UK national average 2011 69.8%).

students are going to first choice university

(close to 100% for first & second choice

combined).

students taking IB

who scored 30 points or more.

of exams taken for LAMDA were passed

with merit or distinction.


PAGE 64➜65

‘ These results are all the more impressive because BSB is a non-selective school, taking students from all abilities and all national education systems, regardless of their prior school experience, BSB students continue to achieve some of the best results in Belgium year after year.’

Sue Woodroofe, Principal

students taking the AQA Baccalaureate

received at least a merit.

Year 6 students achieved a Level 4

or above in reading.

Year 6 students achieved a Level 4

or above in maths overall.

students who achieved an A*-C

at A Level

(UK national average 2011, 52%).

of first cohort IGCSE students achieved an A* or A grade

in Triple Science.

The British School of Brussels vzwLeuvensesteenweg 19, 3080 Tervuren, BelgiumTel: +32 (0)2 766 04 30 - Fax: +32 (0)2 767 80 [email protected] - www.britishschool.be

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I S S U E N ° 2 I 2 0 1 2

Thanks to the Tapestry Committee for all their hard work I Helen Beck, Kim Burgess, Andrew Clarke, John Doy, Clare Gunns, Kelly Messik, and Linda Ochsenmeier, as well as all our contributors.

Belcrownlaan 23 | B-2100 Antwerp – BelgiumT +32-3-360 55 00 | T +32-2-772 34 87 | F +32 3-360 55 79

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