Art in the Big Apple

On Friday 16 October, Ms Hope, Ms Tizzoni and Mrs Cade departed for New York with 13 Year 11 Art students. We spent five days exploring the city, including Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey. We visited the Guggenheim Museum of Art and the Metropolitan where we watched an amazing street performance outside the gallery. The Museum of Modern Art allowed pupils to see works they had only ever seen in books, gathering ideas for future works of their own. We spent a few hours in Central Park, taking photographs against the skyline of the city. All of which should support the boys’ studies when they return to School. A lot of time was spent exploring the city itself with the boys taking many photographs. We were fascinated by the amazing architecture, the pace of life and the huge meal sizes in restaurants! We spent time at Coney Island where the boys played football on the boardwalk, visited the sea lion show at SeaWorld and enjoyed some fresh sea air. The boys found time for some retail therapy with Abercrombie benefiting from their hard earned dollars. They explored the Fifth Avenue shops, Soho and the area around Broadway. Since returning, the influence of the trip is already evident in the ideas being produced to support the final body of their coursework.

Ms Lorna Hope, Head of Art & Design

Year 13 Biology Field Trip

In the early hours of Monday 19 October our 18 A2 Biologists and three members of staff left School for Somerset. Our destination was Nettlecombe Court which is run by the Field Studies Council as a centre for environmental field courses. After arrival and lunch, it was straight down to work and we were out on the grass slopes sampling the local flora using quadrats before an evening spent in the lab analysing our data. The next day we braved the elements to sample invertebrates in a nearby freshwater stream and we then studied our findings using statistics. On the Wednesday, an A2 practical exam was carried out. The percentage coverage of a named plant species was estimated, and we returned to School later that afternoon knowing that important marks had been secured for the final A2 grade. It was a very enjoyable and successful trip. Thanks go to all the staff at Nettlecombe Court, especially to our excellent Tutor, Holly Walker.

Dr Louise Clayton, Head of Biology

Year 13 Geography Field Trip

Over half term the A2 Geography set went on a field trip to Mount Etna, Sicily to study the volcano first-hand so we could experience in real life what we were reading from the book. The trip proved to be very informative with a tour round the National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology, and guided hikes to places of interest on the volcano including visits to recent eruption fissures and lava tunnels. Breathtaking views and local specialities for lunch made the two days on the mountain unforgettable. What you notice first is the contrast between the green vegetation and the bleak, almost Martian landscape created by the lava fields. An Italian cooking lesson on the last night added a humorous twist where it took all eight of us two hours to make pasta with tomato sauce and aubergines; the result was....interesting. After two brief trips into Catania to experience the local culture and mad Italian driving, it was back to London. The trip was a great success and could not have been done without the hard work of Mr Matthews and Mr Durbridge.

Lawrence de Leeuw, Year 13

Year 9 Visit Kew Gardens

To complement their studies on plants and photosynthesis, all Year 9 pupils visited the stunning gardens at Kew on 4 November. Not only does the 300 acre estate maintain the largest plant collection in the world, but it is also a leading centre for advice and action of aspects of conservation and research. Scientists at the gardens work on expanding our basic understanding of plant diversity and seek new uses for plants. We were shown around the magnificent glass houses by the experts and saw plants from different habitats growing in climate controlled environments. Pupils learnt how cacti are adapted to life in the desert, why plants grow so well in the rainforest and where many medicines and foods originate. We also toured the grounds and thought about why and how photosynthesis slows down for plants at this time of year. All were amazed by the giant water lilies and the day finished as we braved the 18m high ‘Xstrata’ walkway to get a bird’s eye view of the gardens! Then it was back to School to discuss plant adaptations and why they are able to survive in almost all environments on Earth.

Dr Louise Clayton, Head of Biology

Sport Report

On 4 November the combined Year 10 and Year 11 inter-house basketball event commenced. The competition is split by the years resulting in a combined result. Luke Roach Christie, Year 10 powered his team to victory with outstanding accuracy on his passing and shooting, leading Butler to win the inter-house basketball competition for their year. The Year 11 team is due to play later on in the term. The John Lyon U13A football team played St Ignatius on 7 November. The game resulted in a draw, with the final score being 1-1. This was a fair result as it was a true reflection of the game played by both teams. John Lyon opened the score line with a cracking goal by Myles Jordan Senior-Campbell who took a shot from 20 yards out, placing the ball in the bottom right corner of the net. We held this lead until St Ignatius scored their equaliser in the final few closing minutes of the game. The JLS U13 A’s came off the pitch with their heads held high and delighted with their draw, considering they lost dramatically the last time they played against this team.

Asantha De-Alwis, PE Department

Commemoration Concert

On Saturday 3 October, boys from Harrow School and The John Lyon School collaborated once again to perform in the annual Commemoration Concert, commemorating the death of John Lyon, founder of both the schools. The concert commenced with the combined orchestra performing Mendelssohn’s Overture from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This piece was delivered brilliantly and received rightful applause. It was then the turn of The John Lyon Male Voice Choir, who inspiringly performed And Can it Be? and Marc Cohn’s hit single, Walking in Memphis. Harrow’s String Ensemble then performed Britten’s Simple Symphony which, contrary to its name, is a very demanding piece of music. After a brilliant performance from the joint Big Band, the New Music Ensemble then performed a moving piece by Mozart. Following this was the combined choir, directed by David Woodcock. They performed Handel’s Coronation Anthems which are very well known and went down really well. The concert finished with the combined orchestra performing The Great Gate of Kiev from Mussorgsky’s famous Pictures at an Exhibition. This was a brilliant end to a fantastic concert. Well done to everyone involved.

Luke Rao, Upper Sixth

Poetry Day Celebration

John Lyon Boys from all year groups gathered in the library on Thursday the 15th October in honour of National Poetry Day. Pupils joined members of staff from the English Department, the Library and the Drama Department in writing, reciting, reading and even performing poems. The staff marvelled at the quality of the poetry written. Everyone congregated to watch Miss Levinge’s Drama Club perform their own version of William Blake’s ‘Tyger’ poem and listen to a guest reading by JLS’s very own Mrs Brown, who gave the group a taste of her soon to be published poetry for children.

Charlotte Harrison, English Department

Photograph by Graham Ryder

Congratulations to Mr Rana as he welcomes a new addition into his already hectic schedule!

Baby Autumn Hansa Rana arrived on Friday 9 October. Weighing in at 7lb 5oz, she is a very beautiful and wiggly baby - of course, as her parents we are not biased at all!! Autumn appears to be a very happy baby and she has already wrapped Mummy and Daddy around her (very) little fingers. Although she doesn't seem to like night time very much at the moment, she is sleeping which is more than can be said for me or my wife! This picture of Autumn is when she was 4 days old.

Mr Saaj Rana, Head of Science

Recent Art & Design Trips

On Thursday 17 September Ms Lorna Hope and Mr Rodney Stratton took Year 10 art students to the National Portrait Gallery to prepare for their “Figure and Identity Project”. We had an educational tour where students explored the work of portrait artists, from Queen Elizabeth 1 by Marcus Gheeraets the younger to the contemporary “Blood Head” by Mark Quinn. Students produced a series of excellent direct observational studies of works of art of their choice to help them develop ideas for future work based on the theme of portraiture. The Gallery commented on the outstanding work and behaviour of our boys. We had a very enjoyable and rewarding day. The work will lead to an exhibition of Year 10 pieces in March 2010, which will include sculpture, print, paintings and mixed media.

On Friday 2 October Ms Lorna Hope, Ms Daniela Tizzoni and Ms Vicky Levinge took Year 11 students to Regents Park and The Wallace Collection for a day of observational drawing and art appreciation. Students began the day in Regents Park, making a series of studies using photography and drawings to capture the essence of the park. We then went to The Wallace Collection where we had a gallery educator take us on a tour of the museum, exploring the work of the many famous landscape artists. Students worked from the great masterpieces to produce a detailed tonal study exploring composition and theme. This work will link to the ‘Environment’ project in which students have been exploring a variety of different environments, from Harrow on the Hill to Regents Park to produce a body of personal work. On Friday 9 October, Ms Lorna Hope and Mr Stuart Miles took Lower Sixth students to Aldeburgh for a day of photography and drawing to support their AS coursework. The boys explored both the coastal landscape and the architecture within the town. They made many studies - sketches, paintings and photographic - all of which will be developed into a series of works based on the theme of boundaries.

Sport Report

On Monday 28 September the U13A team played against St Martins Preparatory School in the first round of the Independent Schools Football Association (ISFA) cup. This was an epic game, which ended up in a JLS victory, with the final score being 4-1. We took the lead in the first half following a cross by Joseph Barter into the box from the left hand side of the pitch which Jake Lamour-Johnson tapped into the back of the net. Robert Gibbons and Alex Aristides scored a goal each, adding to the score line. Then some beautiful built-up team play through the centre of the pitch leading to a smashing finish from a shot outside the box as Jake went on to score a second goal in the last minute of the game. The U15A team was also successful in the ISFA tournament with a victory in the second round of the cup on 24 September against Charter House School. The final score was 5-3; goals came from Bobby Gardiner, Adekaye Adewale and a smashing hat-trick from Anthony Jeffrey.

Asantha De-Alwis, PE Department