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DUBAI COLLEGE eBulletin
A tradition of quality in education
Academic Creative Philanthropic Sporting
Dubai College Chamber Choir
were delighted to be featured in
Gary Barlow’s recent concert in
Dubai, which closed his ‘Since I
Saw You Last’ tour. 16 students
were selected to perform “Sing”,
with Kiara Whittle being the
soloist! “Sing”, co-written by
Gary Barlow & Andrew Lloyd
Webber, was especially composed
for the Diamond Jubilee of HM
Queen Elizabeth II, and draws
on influences from around the
Commonwealth. First performed
at the Jubilee Concert by a massive
group of musicians from across the
globe, it has since become one of
PINK DAY!
Thursday 9th October
Raised over 7000 Dirhams which
will be donated to Breast Cancer
Research.
DUBAI COLLEGE
U.A.E.
Issue No. 38 23th October 2014
his most loved hits.
Kiara Whittle describes her
experience:
On Friday the 17th of October
2014, I sang as part of the Chamber
Choir in the Gary Barlow concert
and performed one of his songs,
"Sing". The day before we had a
sound check where we stood on
the stage for the first time and
saw just how huge the arena was.
Then, I had no idea that the entire
space would be filled with people,
and it was estimated that nearly
10,000 attended the concert! It
was strange to meet Gary Barlow
and then a few moments later
sing at his concert. Once we all
stood up there, and I think I speak
for everyone when I say, it was
incredible. Singing in front of that
many people whilst I'm only in high
school is an opportunity I don't
think I could have gotten anywhere
else. It's an experience I will never
forget, and I just hope I get to do
something like that again.
YouTube link http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=E_1cVJAkz90
Headmaster’s Foreword
Headmaster’s Forward
Term Dates for
As I said in our Whole School Assembly this week, the pace of the last six weeks
has been quite phenomenal. The feel at the moment is that we are in a sprint
rather than a marathon. Seamlessly talking of which…. I’m sure we all wish Mr
Jones (DT) all the very best in the Iron Man Triathlon Championship in Spain
over Half Term which he has qualified for after successfully competing in the
UK Triathlon. He will be very grateful indeed for any donations to the Hope
Foundation for Cancer Research.
2014
The Chamber Choir will remember their stunning performance at the Gary
Barlow Concert for the rest of their lives and I know the Music Department, and
the school as a whole, are tremendously proud of them.
It is not very often that a school can boast that a leading Classicist from Oxford
University popped in for a chat but that is certainly what happened last week.
Dr Armand D’Angour, Classics Fellow from Jesus College, very kindly agreed to
deliver a lecture on ‘The Influence of Classics in the World’ to our Year 9, 10 and
11 Latinists and Sixth Form Classicists and our sincere thanks to him.
It is fantastic to see the entrepreneurial, creative and philanthropic spirit
is thriving and these three threads were captured superbly well at our first
Enrichment Day of the year. It was a real privilege to see the whole DC
community actively engaged in developing new - and deepening existing - skills.
This spirit is also at the core of the F1 in Schools competition. I’m sure our F1
Team, Fusion F1, who are about to represent the UAE at the World Finals in Abu
Dhabi, would certainly appreciate any financial assistance you can provide. As
part of the competition they must source their own sponsorship.
Continuing the philanthropic theme, the annual Music Charity Love Concert
is taking place during the late afternoon and early evening of Thursday 13th
November and I would urge as many as possible to attend this traditional event
organised by the Student Charity Committee. I hope to also welcome back to
the College a large contingent of our ever growing group of locally based Alumni
and their families. I’m sure they will have a great time and they could even take
the opportunity to have a quick tour of the campus to see how it has and has not
changed over the years.
To quote from Rohan Padmanabhan and Alice Lovett (our Head Boy and Girl)
Assembly Speech ‘although as a school, we should look externally to help those
in need, we must also look internally to help those closest to us. For a moment,
think about your 5 closest friends. You would probably help them if they needed
it, but what about those a little bit further outside your social circle? Assisting
someone in need, a kind gesture to a person you don’t normally talk to or
cheering up a depressed individual could have a far deeper impact and change
their life more than you might imagine. I hope you realise that in one way or
another we all have a duty to help each other from putting the team ahead of
yourself on the sports field to teaching someone through a peer mentoring
scheme’.
So ends a Headmaster’s Forward which has ranged from Gary Barlow to Classics
at Oxford and from Ironman to Music Charity Love – simply reflecting the
superb spread and depth of talent which is the DC community.
Dr Armand D’Angour, Classics Fellow from Jesus College
2014-2015
Half Term
Sunday, 26th October – Thursday,
30th October
National Day Holiday
Tuesday, 2nd December
Term Ends Thursday, 18th December
2015
Term 2 Starts
Sunday, 4th January
Half Term
Sunday, 15th February – Thursday,
19th February
Term Ends Thursday, 26th March
Term 3 Starts
Sunday, 12th April
Ascension of the Prophet
Friday, 15th May (tbc)
Staff Training Day
Sunday, 24th May
Ramadan commences
Thursday, 18th June (tbc)
Term Ends
Thursday, 2nd July
Approved by KHDA 27/4/2014
Holiday and Other
Absences
Sustained learning is important
so parents are asked to avoid
arranging holidays
during term time. There may also
be other unavoidable reasons for a
pupil to be
absent from school apart from
illness. In all cases of proposed
absence during
term time, parents must seek
the Headmaster’s permission in
writing at least
ten days before the proposed
absence (email headassist@
dubaicollege.org) . Where
permission is not sought absences
will be unfortunately recorded as
unauthorised.
Information
Recently Polly Jones 9DV
completed her Baden-Powell
Challenge Award (The BadenPowell Challenge Award is
the highest award a Guide can
achieve). She was presented with
her award at the British Embassy
by Gill Slocombe (Chief Guide)
watched on by her proud parents.
A fantastic achievement Polly!
Polly is the third guide from left on
back row
Bounce Trip –
Gymnastics and
Trampolining Club
Gymnastics & Trampolining Club
students from Years 7 – 11 took
a trip to Bounce on Thursday
16th October. All had a lot of fun
practising their skills & learning
new flips, tricks & wall running
with some of the Bounce referees.
Sport
The new DASSA website is now live as a main portal for all sports leagues, competitions and tournaments.
www.dassasport.org
The site will allow you to see how all DC teams are doing across the many sports we compete in. From dassasport.org you
can still access our school sport site at dcsport.org by clicking on the schools tab.
Sailing Success
Matthew Hardie from 7MB has
recently been selected for the GBR
Intermediate Squad. Matthew
finished 36th out of 249 sailors.
An excellent achievement!
Sixth Form
of a multi-stage process designed to determine an applicant's suitability for
highly competitive courses and is often the determining factor in their success.
As such we are determined that, as far as possible, all of our students who will
be interviewed get to experience a demanding subject specific interview by an
expert in their field. Can you help? We are looking for experts in the following
areas who would be willing to give our Sixth Formers a rigorous and demanding
interview at our Practice Interview Day on Saturday 15th November. If you are
willing to help, or know of someone else who is, please contact the Sixth Form
office on [email protected].
Volunteer
Interviewers
Needed!
Dear Parents,
Over 40 of our Year 13 students
can expect to be interviewed as
part of their university application
process this year. For those students
applying to Oxford and Cambridge
universities as well as those applying
to study Medicine, Dentistry and
Veterinary Medicine the subject
specific interview is the culmination
Many thanks in advance for your support. Who knows? Next year it may be your
offspring who will need to call upon this valuable experience.
Mike Lambert
Head of Sixth Form
Medicine
English Literature
Human, Social & Political Science
Law
Psychology
Classics
Computer Science
Mechanical Engineering
Biomedical Sciences
Mathematics
History and Economics
Dubai College students met with
General Practitioners, Osteopaths,
Physiotherapists and Nurses to discuss
pathways into their professions and
the daily challenges and benefits of
their particular careers.
Up and Running
Clinic Visit
On Monday 29th September, Dubai
College Sixth Form held its first
“Insight into Careers” evening, hosted
by Up And Running Clinic on Al Wasl
Road. The objective of this evening
was to invite any Year 11 and Year 12
students interested in Medicine and
Sports Medicine to meet face-to-face
with professionals in the field in their
own working environment. Thirty
Dr Anna Zickerman, owner of Up
And Running Clinic and current
Dubai College parent, highlights
the importance of such evenings to
help inform students. “A Careers
Evening is about helping students
have the opportunity to see us in a
work environment, demonstrating
more realistically how we function
and what our jobs truly entail on a
day-to-day basis before they commit
to very expensive university courses.”
Headmaster Peter Hill also underlines
the importance of prior research
before making university choices. “By
opening students’ eyes to what may
come in the future, it can cement their
decision to pursue a particular career,
or more importantly ascertain that it
may not be their ideal line of work.”
Ancient and Modern History
Engineering
Economics and Management
Natural Sciences (Physics)
Linguistics
Economics
Land Economy
Chemical Engineering
Veterinary Science
Philosophy, Politics & Economics
Fine Art
We hope to organise many more such
evenings in a wide range of industries.
Dr Zickerman appeals to local
businesses to “get on-board and help
our students gain some real insight
into the working environment to help
them prepare for their future and
gain insight to make the right career
decision”. If any readers think that
their place of work could host such
an evening, please email Mr Trivic
([email protected]).
B Trivic
Deputy Head of Sixth Form
Academic
Dubai College Economics Newsletter
The Dubai College Economics Society began last year and it has been growing ever since. This year, we have started a new
initiative and we would like to share it with you. We are excited to introduce the DC Economics newsletter - a monthly
newsletter compiled of articles written by students regarding different economics/business topics that have interested them
that month. We hope you will enjoy reading them as much as we have enjoyed making them"
Ashna Gupta 12BC
Link to Economics Newsletter. October 2014 Edition
Women’s Health
Magazine
Photo-shoot
On 8 October the usual busy
backdrop that defines Dubai
College was enriched with new
sights and sounds as a team
from Women’s Health Magazine
completed a photo-shoot for their
next issue. We were pleased to
welcome back former student
Yi-Hwa Hanna who is now Editor-
in-Chief for the publication. Under
her direction, based around scenes
from the movie “Clueless” and
using the college buildings as a
backdrop, 3 models completed a
90’s fashion themed event. I have it
on good authority that 90’s fashion
is on its way back … so it’s time to
dust off your ripped dungarees,
knee-high socks, Fresh Prince
neons and preppy plaids.
Several of our sixth form students
interested in careers in fashion,
photography, design and
publication were able to observe
and assist through the day gaining
valuable insight and an experience
not usually available at DC! Yi-Hwa
and her team also made time to
discuss the elements of the photoshoot and the fashion/publishing
industry in general making their
day even more valuable.
Do look out for the “finished
article” in the November issue of
Women’s Health Magazine.
Academic
!
WHAT IS F1 IN SCHOOLS?
The F1 in Schools Competition is the world’s largest STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics) challenge and it spans 40 countries. It involves the designing, manufacturing marketing and
project management of a miniature Formula 1 car using the latest engineering and CAD software. Each year
teams compete with a view to participate in the World Finals which will be held in Abu Dhabi this
November.
!
WHO ARE WE?
We are a non-profit team from Dubai College who has vast experience in this competition with many
awards to its credit. In 2014 alone we achieved a 2nd-place overall finish and won the Best Pit Display Prize
at the Professional Category UAE Finals. As a result of our huge success, we have now been selected as one
of the two teams to represent the UAE in the World Finals in Abu Dhabi this November.
The Dubai College team are collaborating with a team from Ireland to create a joint team called FUSION
F1. We hope that by combining the skills of two teams, we will be able to realise our vision of becoming
the F1 in Schools World Champions 2014.
!
WHY SUPPORT US?
As we are representing both the UAE and Ireland on an international platform we will require
approximately AED 75 000 per country to compete in the World Finals 2014; such a contribution could
represent a valuable asset to the CSR program of any firm.
This budget covers our expenses for high quality materials for our car manufacturing, team merchandise
and uniforms, competition fees, transportation costs and accommodation.
!
TIERS OF SPONSORSHIP
We offer 5 tiers of sponsorship ranging from AED 20 000 to AED 1 250 and depending on the package
your company chooses your logo will appear on our car, uniforms, website, portfolio, social media pages,
pit display etc. We would be pleased to send you a sponsorship proposal that further details this or
schedule a meeting.
!
BENEFITS TO THE COMPANY:
• The event is televised on Sky Sports F1
• Logo can be included in various aspects of the competition including the uniform which will be seen in
all media interviews.
• Thousands of viewers at the event will be able to see your logo on the Pit Display, Car and various other
aspects of our branding.
• At the final and events we run throughout the year your branding can be on brochures and business
cards which are widely distributed.
• Print and audio media will be covering the event all over the world.
• Coverage of the event will be in the ‘Shamal’-the college yearbook; which is distributed to key players
within the Dubai and UK community.
!
More benefits for your company can be found in our sponsorship proposal.
!
Thank You
!
If you would like to find out more about sponsoring FUSION F1; please do not hesitate in emailing us at
[email protected].
!
!
FUSION F1
[email protected]
www.fusion-f1.org
www.facebook.com/f1fusion
Enrichment Day
Enrichment Day –
Monday 13th October
2014
Another year and another set of rich
experiences have been planned for the
students at Dubai College. The first
Enrichment Day of the academic year,
according to student feedback, was
one of the most enjoyable they have
had. Thiswas down to the work and
preparation put in by the staff for the
activities they led, the support from
senior students and the way in which
each of the activities was embraced by
the student body. There were a plethora
of activities and new skill sets open
to the students within each section
of the school and, for the lower and
upper school in particular, the visual
representations of their work on the day
are truly amazing.
Lower School
The Lower School had a theme of
Challenge & Inspiration which was
started by a motivational talk from
Lee Hurford. His tales of his own drive
to be involved in charity work, his
personal sacrifice in pursuit of helping
others, sharing money raising ideas
and question and answer session were
enough to motivate them all into action.
The students in years 7 – 9 and sixth
former charity group helpers developed
some amazing fundraising ideas for
the charities they were assigned which
were Al Noor, Breast Cancer, Pancreatic
Cancer, Testicular Cancer, Tusk, Adopta-Camp, Dubai Centre for Special
Needs, Raey, Children of the Mountain
& Harmony House. The team building
activities were also a big hit with the
students who liked the vertical structure
of their groups and being able to get to
know students in other years as a result.
The lower school winning mood boards
are shown in the pictures and these were
announced and shown in the whole
school assembly by Mr Hill:
The Charity Committee now have the
huge headache of choosing which of
the ideas they will run with for this year
for their particular charity – I certainly
don’t envy their task but hope that we
will all do what we can to support their
ventures.
Enrichment Day
Middle School
The team building activities were also
a part of the offerings for the middle
school section along with some more
gritty sessions including:
Year 10
HIV/Aids, Team Building, Money
Management, Human Rights & Memory
Techniques.
Year 11
Team Building, Stereotyping, Stress,
Logic & Citizenship.
All students in the Middle School section
were also involved with a ‘Life in the
UAE’ quiz and information session
which consisted of mixed Y10 and Y11
teams who battled it out to see who had
the best knowledge to be crowned ‘good
citizen of Dubai. There were some very
competitive teams and the students were
confident in sharing their knowledge
with each other.
Upper School
The upper school, as a whole, were
involved in resurrecting the school
newspaper. Their activities involved
brainstorming, designing, researching,
collating, producing and distributing 9
possible formats for the newspaper to
meet the end of the day deadline.
They also had the opportunity to take
part in a mixed 12 & 13 quiz based on
'What the Papers Say' and 'Have I Got
News for You' which, like the newspaper,
was extremely beneficial in stretching
our students.
The newspaper results were amazing
and have been put on display for a
winning format to be chosen from those
submitted – see for yourself…
The enrichment days are an essential
tool for us to deliver some of the PSHE
elements required to enhance our school
curriculum and they are a powerful
way of combing staff expertise to give
our students a rich and rewarding
experience. They are also a compulsory
part of the school curriculum and one
which is relevant to ensuring we offer a
broad and balanced programme to all
year groups. The next enrichment day
is planned for January with an equally
varied activity line up for all sections.
A resounding success for all involved,
so thanks to all who went above and
beyond and to the students, who were
enthusiastic on the day.
Drama
Acting Workshop
This month our 6th form Drama students had
the fantastic opportunity to work with the British
actor James Gaddas, developing their acting
and characterisation skills. James will be a
familiar face to many of you as a leading actor in
numerous British TV dramas including Bad Girls,
Doctors and Waterloo Road. He is also a highly
successful star of the West End, performing in
Mama Mia, Billy Elliot and Spamalot!
During a two hour workshop he taught the
students some of his ‘insider’ acting tips.
Using improvisation strategies, non-verbal
communication and status games the students
explored how a role can be developed for
performance, developing the intricacies that help
an actor embody the character they are playing.
Peppered with numerous funny stories of his
time at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and his
life as an actor working around the world, much
enjoyment was had by all. A fantastic workshop
with so many ideas for the students to take away
and use in their examination work this year!
West Side
Story
Rehearsals for Dubai
College’s 2015 production
West Side Story have
started with a bang and
our talented students have
embraced the challenging
characters, music and
choreography of the
Broadway classic!
With over 60 students
now cast roles it’s time to
introduce you to some of
our leads…
Mia Bazzoui & Zahid
Siddiqui as Anita &
Bernardo
Jo Summers & Matthew
Laven as Velma & Riff
Holly Jhoolun & Ethan
Ebdon as Maria & Tony
Sport
Visiting Teams
Dubai College v
Sharnbrook Upper
School
Wednesday 22nd October 2014
You should always save the best things
until last, which is why Sharnbrook
made playing DC the last fixture of
their Dubai tour! The Cats were to
go head to head with Sharnbrook A
team and the Kittens were to battle
it out with Sharnbrook B team. The
competitions were due to be an intense
affair, not necessarily all down the
play, as the weather made the playing
conditions somewhat challenging –
who turned up the thermostat on the
courts?!
From the outset of the matches, the
challenges were clear and the Kittens
made great headway with their
Sharnbrook B team opposition. They
were disciplined throughout the court
and denied the visitors countless
shooting opportunities due to the
tenacity of the defence from the front
to the back end. They continued their
dominance in every quarter, making
many team changes, exposing players
to new positions, and still managed to
come away with a convincing result
of 31-4. Mrs Kelly was particularly
pleased with the attitude of the girls
and the way they kept their composure
in spite of the score line, making this a
clinical result and resounding win for
the Kittens squad.
The Cats had a rougher ride with
Sharnbrook A who were not happy to
affect their tour winning streak. They
had played 3 previous games, coming
away with wins from each of those,
and were going to challenge the Cats
team every step of the way. The Cats
were impressive in some passages
of play, showing individual flair and
gritty defensive play. The first quarter
score was evenly matched and they
headed into the second quarter at 6-6.
The second quarter proved to be a
strong one for the Cats and after some
superb interceptions and controlled,
patient feeding, we found the shooters
in good form to take the half time
score to 13-11 in our favour. The third
quarter changed the nature of the
game, with changes for both teams
being made, and the fresh legs for
Sharnbrook really made a difference to
their performance. They capitalised on
errors made which eventually sealed
the overall result in their favour. Cats,
determined not to give up, fought
hard to claw back the score line, but
the relentless pressure placed on each
ball that was passed saw Sharnbrook
through as eventual winners at 24-16.
The girls had a great time and the
camaraderie was evident at the post
match event – you’d got to love sport
for that!
Dubai College v
Wycliffe College
We were pleased to welcome Wycliffe
College to the school to play our U18
netball teams. It was a great afternoon of
enjoyable and competitive netball with
some great play from both teams. It is
always lovely to play overseas teams to
broaden our playing experiences and
to benchmark ourselves against UK
standards. We were very pleased to be
successful in all 3 games.
Desert Cats 24 vs Wycliffe 1st VII 13
Desert Cheetahs 24 vs Wycliffe 2nd VII 12
Desert Cougars 22 vs Wycliffe 3rd VII 9
Alumni
Dates for the calendar:
Dubai Social / Networking Event - Wednesday
17th November
You may be aware that we are holding an Alumni Networking event on Wednesday
19th November from 7.30pm – 9.30pm. As well as providing an opportunity to meet
with teachers and old friends we hope to provide a networking opportunity for our
Alumni.
We have run for many years the ‘Journeys’ programme for our Sixth Form students
where Alumni come in to talk to them about their journey since leaving DC – the good
and the bad! After the success of this programme, we would like to extend this service
to our Alumni. At this initial event we will be asking 3 key Alumni to spend 5 minutes
talking about their own journey.
Alumni London Reunion – Saturday 29th
November,
Slug and Lettuce, Leicester Square (venue to be
confirmed)
Past v Present and Social – Wednesday 17th
December
The DC Past vs Present competition is an annual event which welcomes all past
students to compete against the present students in friendly sporting fixtures. This
will be followed by a Social where all Alumni welcome (not only Sporty ones!)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/DC-Past-vs-Present/1497390683848377?fref=ts
Proposed London Networking Dinner – late
January 2015
We are considering holding a DC Networking event in London. The plan is to organise
a Business Dinner between UK based alumni firmly and succesfully embedded in their
career field and more recent DC leavers looking for advice and networking opportunities within particular business fields. This is based on a very effective Business Dinner
model we trialled last year between our Y13 and Alumni working in Dubai. The dinner
is likely to be in late January in a central London location and will be structured so
that you will have significant contact with relevant alumni. The dinner will be a three
course meal with drinks. The College would partially support this event but there
would still be a charge to assist in covering costs.
We are in our early stages of considering this initiative and to help us evaluate demand
it would be really appreciated if you could confirm your interest to headassist@
dubaicollege.org if you have not already done so.
Alumni Facebook page
Dubai College Linkedin page
https://www.facebook.com/
DubaiCollegeAlumni?ref=boo
kmarks
https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=4
427888&trk=anet_ug_hm
Philanthropic
DC
WINTER
BAZAAR
To help support the School’s Charities, The Dubai
College Winter Bazaar is the perfect way to spend a
Friday afternoon with the entire family.
Come along to find yourself amidst stalls selling an
endless array of objects from jewellery and
handicrafts to home-baked cupcakes, pastries and
fresh juice whilst children of all ages can enjoy
themselves with any of the other activities.
Join Us:
Friday 16th January 2015
at Dubai College from 3pm - 7pm
For table bookings please contact:
Mona
T: 050 6255703
E: [email protected]
Philanthropic
Physical
Philanthropy
In order to help raise funds for
the HOPE FOUNDATION for
CANCER RESEARCH, Mr Ian
Jones (Design Technology) will
attempt to complete the Ocean
Lava three quarter ironman race in
Lanzarote on 1st November.
This is a 3 km swim, a 120 km
bike ride (over some stark windy /
hilly volcanic landscape) followed
by a 30 km run (with no rest in
between). He hopes to complete
the race in around 10 hours or at
least before the 13 hour deadline!
Any donations you can make to
help fund this vital research will
also help Mr Jones to get around
the course.
If you can sponsor his attempt
then go to his charity page on the
Virginmoneygiving web-site using
the following link http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/
ianjones100
OR you can give him a cash
donation directly to be passed on
to the charity
As in the words of Mr Hill …
“This should be
a good example
of challenge &
stretch”.
Music
Sounds of Italy
surrounded by a heart.
On the 24th June a group of us from
Year 9, 10 and 11 left Dubai to go to
Italy on a GCSE music trip. After two
very long flights we finally landed in
Milan and took a bus to our hotel in
Sirmione. La Paul Hotel was amazing
and supplied breakfast and dinner for
us every day. It was situated on Lake
Garda and even though it was near a
lake, it still had its own pool.
Another well-known Opera that we
watched was Rigoletto, which was
performed in someone’s very large
house. The performance was very
interactive as after each interval the
audience went to a new room for a
change of scenery. For a lot of the time
the audience surrounded the stage.
It was an amazing performance with
an interesting story line and powerful
actors.
During the week spent in Italy we
visited many different places which
included Venice, Verona and Murano.
When we were in Verona we toured
around the beautiful city. A tour guide
took us around Verona and shared
some really interesting historical
facts, such as the fact that Verona
used to be significantly lower and
due to earthquakes they had to raise
and rebuild it. Part of old Verona still
exists and some of us managed to take
a private tour below ground to see
it. We were told that during our tour
there had been some earth tremors,
but we didn’t feel any of them! One
part of our tour showed us all the
significant time periods of Verona’s
history in one square. These four time
periods were Roman, Gothic, Medieval
and Renaissance. Each time period
had its own style so this particular
square in Verona was extremely
interesting because it showed one style
on each side of the square. A famous
building in Verona is the Coliseum.
The Coliseum was an amazing building
and we learned that it once had an
outer section and another level above
it, but earthquakes in 1117 and 1183
destroyed most of them. One of the
most well-known Italian Opera’s is
Carmen and during our stay we had
the pleasure of going to the Coliseum
to watch it. The only unfortunate part
of the Opera was that it was 4 hours
long and the performance started at
about 9pm! The bus journey home
from Verona was subsequently very
quiet, which pleased Mr Zambonini
and Mrs Hughes a lot!
A highlight of Verona was visiting
Juliet’s balcony and the statue of
her. It is rumoured that if you hold
a certain part of Juliet, you become
lucky in love. A handful of us did
that In that same area there were
two walls covered with lover’s names
From Venice we took a ferry to
Murano where we watched some glass
blowing which was fascinating, and
even though it was about five degrees
outside we all took off our jumpers due
to the heat being generated in the fern.
After watching a horse being made
from glass we went to the gift shop and
we all went a little crazy!
In our concerts, we might not have
attracted the same number of people
as the professionals but we attracted
more than we expected. Both of our
performances were performed in
magnificent Churches.
The trip wasn’t all hard work and we
still found time to have fun. We went
to a water park, a theme park and up
a cable car. At the top of the cable car
it was freezing, so we only stayed up
for a couple of minutes. Shopping was
also on the list!
If you’ve never been to Italy then
it’s somewhere you should go. We
absolutely loved it. Our thanks to
Mr Zambonini and Mrs Hughes for
putting up with us for week, and thank
you to Mrs Lee Foster for organizing
it all.
Kim Sparrow