tapestry magazine, 3rd edition

NEWS AND REVIEWS FROM IN & AROUND THE BSB CAMPUS

I S S U E N ° 3 I 2 0 1 3

An educated approach to financial planning

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

Fulcra is part of

Fulcra is Brussels’ leading independent financial planning firm, providing services to individuals and businesses for over 17 years. Being part of The Fry Group further enhances the depth of our expertise.





T A P E S T R Y M A G A Z I N E I N º 3 I 2 0 1 3

www.brit ishschool.be

‘Tapestry’Principal's Foreword

ReportageA Year in Photos

FeatureCalifornia Dreaming...

PrimaryiPads in Primary: A Class of Their Own

MusicRhapsody in Schools

Secondary DramaA Dramatic Year at BSB

FeatureDesign and Technology

Sport at BSBJolly Good Sports

FocusGirl Power!

FeatureCreative Writing and Art Gallery

Year 6 ProductionDancin’ in the Street – BSB style

PrimaryCelts, Cartoons and Côte D’or!

SpotlightThe Social Network

Staff MemberHappy Families

Language UpdateBilingual Reaches Secondary

AwardsThe Duke of Edinburgh's Award at BSB goes from strength to strength

BSB AlumniWhere are they now?

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BSB AlumnaThe Beginning of a World Class School...

BSB Alumna'A Festival of Life'

Friends of BSBFriends will be Friends

FeatureAmnesty Action

FeatureThe Write Stuff

School Trip'Berlin ist immer eine Reise wert'

BSB Film FestivalLights... Camera... ACTION!

Textiles Fashion ShowRole Models

Early Learning & Development Centre (Kindercrib)Cultural Creativity

CampusVision of the Future

LearningBTEC @ BSB

CampusReady, Steady, Cook!

AdmissionsFamily Focus(ed)

UpdateA Look to the Future...

ExaminationsBSB Results' Summary

CompetitionPrimary School

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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.





www.fulcra-international.com

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

Fulcra is part of

Fulcra is Brussels’ leading independent financial planning firm, providing services to individuals and businesses for over 17 years. Being part of The Fry Group further enhances the depth of our expertise.





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Canon_singlepage_BritishSchool_CS5.indd 2 03/06/13 13:09


www.brit ishschool.be PAGE 04➜05

Welcome to the latest edition of Tapestry – another celebration of some BSB highlights from the last year. Undoubtedly one of the proudest moments for me was the tremendous CIS report. The school was rated so highly against exacting international standards and it was wonderful to see the hard work and developments of the recent years validated externally. As I write, we have been short-listed for the award of British International School of the Year 2013 which is further testament to BSB’s growing reputation beyond Belgium.

This year, as you will read, we became the first school in Belgium to sign a special charter with the Belgian Special Olympics. In addition, our FoBSB ball raised €13,550 which is the latest figure over and above that quoted in the annual report for the charity, as our parents enjoyed a night’s masquerade. Coupled with the re-launch of Super Saturday to begin our own Charities Week we saw further developments with Best of Both who succeeded in bringing

along another school in Belgium to unlock more external funding. Added to that the BSB Talks initiative, the work of Amnesty International and, more locally, our CAS students, and you can see that this has been as busy a year as ever thinking of others before ourselves.

Movingly, a personal highlight for me came when we planted a tree in honour of Nathan Ramet, an Auschwitz survivor who was always such a good friend to BSB, speaking to our students from first-hand experience about the Holocaust. Planting a tree at the heart of the campus, with his wife and one of his daughters, will remain with me as a particularly special moment in my career and we hope that the family will come back to visit each year when it blossoms.

Of course last year also saw our biennial Book Week with a busier programme than ever that encompassed illustrators and publishers, as well as authors and TV historians. Students were able to learn about the power of the written word in fiction and non-fiction, and in Primary School they created their own books from scratch – a really exciting initiative!

This year, we also celebrated a crop of superb results from our most recent alumni. In April we heralded two Cambridge blues for Rugby and Football, plus another BSB alumnus who played for the England U21s Rugby team. We saw three former BSB students graduate from Oxford and Cambridge this summer just as we sent

two to take up their places! One of our Cambridge students graduated with a first, but in fact it was a bumper year for first class honours degrees; at least seven including three Masters in Engineering from top 10 UK universities and a Historian from LSE who also won two departmental prizes before heading off to Oxford to study for an MPhil.

As our ‘technology for learning’ developments unfold, we have purchased hundreds of iPads too, with more to follow in the next few years as we add variety to the learning processes and journeys for our students. Investment in the campus beyond technology also continues, not least as we edge ever closer to our dream of being able to build a new, state-of-the-art sports’ hall and swimming pool. BSB is a School that does not stand still but is always looking ahead and seeking recognition as world class in every area.

However, the best way to celebrate the year is not to read what the Principal says, but hear from the students themselves! This edition of Tapestry includes some wonderful creative writing and art work alongside some inspiring stories and profiles of students (and staff!) who are making a real difference. The real testament to this wonderful school is theirs, and so as you turn each page, I hope you are as encouraged and inspired as I am every day to work with such talented and energetic people. Happy Reading!

‘ TA P E S T R Y ’

Principal's Foreword

Sue Woodroofe, Principal

R E P O R TA G E

A Year in Photos...

Captions from top left: September 2012 Radio Swoosh is launched I Pauline Markey, VP & Head of Primary School joins BSB. October

Adisa is back for Book Week 2012 I STEM Day. December Freddie Sleiffer – BSB’s very own tennis star! I Opening of Food Technology

rooms I Veterans' Reception.

September '12 October

December


January 2013 BSB celebrates outstanding report from Council of International Schools (CIS) I BBC’s Nick Robinson visits BSB.


PAGE 06➜07

January '13


Captions from top left: February BSB’s key client event and the signing of the official Charter with the Belgium Special Olympics I Year

3 Production I Charities Week I Medea Years 9 & 10. March GISGA I Students visit Palais du Congres I Amnesty group welcomes Mary

Honeyball MEP on International Women’s Day I Music Concert I Students visit Model United Nations I Primary School Council visits

European Parliament I In honour of Nathan Ramet I Year 5 drama production of Robin Hood I BBC telenet public speaking success,

Andrew Muir I Year 13 A Level Practical 'Teacher, Tuba, Tea'. April Alumni sporting successes Paul Mallaband & Simon Court (featured) I

February

March

May


PAGE 08➜09

Lars Vogt visits BSB I iPads use across Primary School huge success. May Debating Competition I Baskets being made in Ghana to

support Best of Both I Before and after installing computers in Ghana. June Summer concert I Year 6 Exhibition I Kindergarten lets the

butterflies free! July/August BSB celebrates another amazing year of superb results. September Gary Minnitt, VP & Head of Secondary

School joins BSB.

April

June July/August Sept.

Director of ICT DARAGH COMERFORD has an exciting trip planned for October 2013: a tour around the high-tech industries of Silicon Valley, California.

California Dreaming...F E AT U R E


In just a few weeks’ time, a group of twenty

Post-16 students studying computing at

BSB will travel across the world to visit

the anecdotally-named Silicon Valley:

a label coined in the 1970s because of

the high number of blue chip companies

which were incentivised to set up their

headquarters there. It was the birthplace

of the first commercially viable computers

and is still the base for the central offices

of companies such as Facebook, eBay,

Google and Apple.

BSB students will explore many different

aspects of the town. They will visit a number

of different large IT organisations in order

to gain an understanding of the industry

overall as well as looking more closely at

the ways in which these new companies

operate individually. The schedule will

involve visiting companies such as: CISCO,

the largest networking company in the

world; Google, the biggest global Internet

service based company; and world games

company leader Electronic Arts. Students

will see the real-life application of the skills,

knowledge and qualifications acquired in

their BSB Computing course, and gain a

greater understanding of the long-term

opportunities presented by studying ICT-

related courses.

Students will also be able to soak up the

atmosphere of the town by visiting several

of the museums which attempt to illustrate

the dramatic rise of the Information age,

including Intel’s processor museum. And it

won’t be all work and no play: students will

also have the chance to relax and see some

of the famous sights of San Francisco,

from the large sequoia tress to the golden

beaches, which should (hopefully!) be

glistening in the autumnal sun.

We are positive that this trip will be an

inspiration to our students currently

studying computer programming and

encourage them to consider setting their

career sights on this incredibly interesting,

powerful and lucrative industry.

Students will see the real-life application of the skills, knowledge and qualifications acquired in their BSB Computing course, and gain a greater understanding of the long-term opportunities presented by studying ICT-related courses.


PAGE 10➜11

“A number of years ago BSB embarked

on an ambitious strategy to integrate

new technological advances into the

classroom. This is in recognition of the

ever-increasing importance and influence

digital technology has on our daily

lives. A WiFi campus, more advanced

computer suites, Apple TVs and iPads

are all examples of how we are striving

to meet our original aims. The Primary

School has been at the forefront of this

with a significant investment in iPads from

Kindergarten to Year 6,”announced Chris

Dodge, Deputy Head of Primary School in

a letter to parents last term.

Previously in Tapestry Charles explained

about iPads in the Primary School being

very much at a trial stage. “Teachers had

just been given their own iPads to help

them become familiar with the technology

and to develop the skills that would

become absolutely necessary as students

got to grips with the devices, their various

functions and their apps – although,

obviously, many young people in Primary

were already familiar with this particular

type of technology!”


iPads in Primary: A Class of Their Own

P R I M A R Y

Tapestry caught up with CHARLES MYERS, ICT Subject Leader for Primary and CHRIS DODGE, Deputy Head of Primary for an update on how increased access to iPads means that children are taking charge of their learning.


PAGE 12➜13

Since then, the use of iPads in Primary

has grown at a phenomenal rate in

accordance with our Technology for

Learning plan. As of September of 2013,

Primary has access to 1 iPad to every 2

children: an astounding ratio. Every year

group from 3-6 now has access to 25

devices, and Lower Primary also has a

store of 20 for their exclusive use. Years

4 and 5 are trialling a one-to-one system,

and Year 5 students will be allowed to

bring the device home with them this

academic year. As our Technology for

Learning plan continues to develop, we

envisage that even more year groups will

join the one-to-one system and be able to

benefit from the creativity and enrichment

these devices can bring to learning.

Teachers who have engaged in this

scheme so far agree that the iPads

are ideally suited to the classroom

environment where, used thoughtfully and

with careful planning, they help to capture

the students’ interest and motivate them.

As a result, teachers have been busy over

the last year creating movies, cartoons,

documents and using the iPads in many

other ways that help the students learn

creatively and in a hands-on manner. As

well as all of the obvious benefits of using

them – student engagement, access

to texts and educational apps, easily

accessible and portable - students are

also able to demonstrate their learning in

a huge variety of creative ways. They can

share their work effortlessly with their peers

or even with the rest of the class, and invite

constructive comments. It is important to

note that the integration of the iPads into

the classrooms and beyond is to enhance

learning and does not replace key skills

children need, e.g. writing.

We have many plans in place to support

both students and teachers in this new

development. Amongst these plans is

the creation of our iSwoosh club, in which

Primary students from the current ICT extra-

curricular activity club have been given iPad

minis. This has allowed Year 3 and 4 students

to test the devices and ascertain what they

want and need from them. Consultation

with this sample of group of students has

ensured that we are more aware of students’

preferences and requirements, and this has

helped us to select apps to purchase. These

students have shown real commitment, and

will become ambassadors for ICT, helping

to train younger students in the use of these

devices.

All in all, it’s been a fantastic and very exciting

year for the Primary School, trail-blazing this

initiative.

“ This is an exciting time for the School community as we aim to utilise 21st century technology to engage our children in critical thinking, collaboration and communication,”

Here we see students filming a science experiment showing how light travels. They recorded and annotated a movie which was then shared with others in their class to review and comment.

confirmed Chris Dodge, Deputy Head

Primary School.


Rhapsody in SchoolsM U S I C

Concert pianist Lars Vogt gives a new dimension to passion and learning. By FIONA HICK, Head of Primary School Music at BSB.

“What actually is music?” asked Lars Vogt

of his young audience.

With this profoundly philosophical question

concert pianist Lars Vogt addressed

The British School of Brussels’ (BSB)

youngsters after having given them first a

spellbinding impression of his pianistic art,

performing the deeply moving cadenza of

Edvard Grieg’s piano concerto.

“Music is expression!”, “Music reflects our

moods and how we feel” and “Music is

passion!” were just some of the answers

from the inspired 9 – 11 year olds. Indeed,

Lars managed to convey changing

moods, explaining how every note has a

life and how crucial it is for notes to be

interconnected within a musical phrase.

You could almost hear the piano sing!

Recent research has proven that learning

an instrument at a young age enhances

language acquisition and develops areas


PAGE 14➜15

of the brain, which stimulates memory

capacity and the ability to learn. Asked

how he manages to learn so many long

and difficult works, Lars explained “regular

and progressive practice builds up

stamina, both physical and mental, similar

to an athlete who develops skills when

engaged in an on-going sporting activity.”

Lars is an internationally performing artist,

born in Germany and now living between

Berlin and London and giving around 90

concerts a year, travelling all around the

world.

“How and why did you start playing the

piano?” was one of many questions.

There had always been a piano at Lars’

grandmother’s house and this is where

he had his first encounters with the

instrument. He started learning at the

age of six and spoke very warmly of his

first teacher, who always encouraged him

and taught him how to believe in himself

as well developing his technical skill.

Lars emphasised how important it is to

have faith in oneself, saying “It is normal

to have doubts. Learning an instrument

can teach us how to overcome moments

of discouragement and helps build

confidence and character.”

Rhapsody in Schools is a project which

Lars created and is already widely known

in Germany. He believes strongly that

all children and teenagers should have

exposure to classical music despite their

backgrounds and interests. Together with

other world class fellow musicians, Lars

visits schools and familiarises his young

audiences with the often elitist world of

classical music, breaking down barriers.

“I am a bridge between the audience

and the composer,” Lars told the BSB

students. “My job is to communicate

wonderful music written centuries ago

by my favourite composers, Mozart,

Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Haydn

or Schubert, to name just a few!”

Lars led his young audience into the rural

world of Bartok’s children’s pieces, based

on Hungarian folk songs; into Brahms’

dark and gloomy sounds of the Paganini-

variations; and the virtuoso, sparkling

cascades and trills of Beethoven’s first

piano concerto cadenza, which was

greeted with thundering applause. Lars

made new fans very quickly, not just

thanks to his terrific playing but also

because of his wonderfully natural,

engaging personality and the manner with

which he interacted with the children who

asked questions relentlessly throughout.

He was indeed a bridge between the

music and the audience and stirred many

a soul in the audience.

The British School of Brussels teaches

music through the medium of English,

French, Flemish, Polish and Spanish

and boasts 25 instrumental teachers, 24

different instruments taught, 350 lessons a

week and 12 music rooms for instrumental

teaching to complement its fully equipped

recording studio, music technology suite

and 240 seat theatre. The Department

organises and celebrates with 10 concerts

a year across all age groups.

Recent research has proven that learning an instrument at a young age enhances language acquisition and develops areas of the brain, which stimulates memory capacity and the ability to learn.

A Dramatic Year at BSB

S E C O N D A R Y D R A M A

Never one to shy away from controversy, ROB MESSIK delivers Spring Awakening. Here, he reflects on the performance as well as the stunning Years 9 and 10 production of Medea.

Performing Spring Awakening was

actually a student’s idea. Thank

you, Philippa Roberts. I had read

other plays by Wedekind, but not

Spring Awakening although I knew,

of course, about its reputation. And

it has quite a reputation. Written

in 1891, it didn’t receive its first

performance in Germany until over

fifteen years later. The run didn’t last

long, being forcibly removed from the

stage due to its scandalous content.

1917 saw the play arrive on Broadway

where the Supreme Court shut the

play down after one performance

on charges of offending public

decency and stating that it had “no

proper place on the stage of a Public

Theatre.” The play wasn’t allowed to

be shown in London until 1963 where

it ran for two nights, and only then in

heavily censored form.

Theatre students could be forgiven

for thinking that pretty much every

play ever written was first condemned

as being utterly scandalous, and that

if a performance didn’t cause riots

then it really wasn’t worth the price

of admission. However, in the case

of Spring Awakening it’s easy to see

why it caused the outrage it did.

The play is dangerous.

Teenagers buried under an avalanche

of work to prevent them from ever

thinking for themselves; wanting

to break away from the status quo;

wanting answers to questions ignored;

and when the truth is not forthcoming,

they search for it themselves. In

Wedekind’s day, and for a good while

afterwards, these were terrifying and

potentially revolutionary concepts.

But a play should not be a historical

document. What place does it have in

today’s society? Our teenagers might

be getting younger, might have access

to more information than ever before,

but are they any more sure of their

place in the world? Are they any more

able to deal with the pressures heaped

upon them? Can we not still remember

that recoil from authority; that energy,

power and potential; and do we not


all have a responsibility to handle

that delicately? Is not the pursuit of

answers part of growing up?

Years 11 – 13 tackled this work with

energy and vigour, fully embracing the

dreamlike nature of the text. The Brel

theatre was transformed into a forest

with branches covering the back

of the stage and leaves blanketing

the floor. We added state-of-the-art

pinhole cameras attached to parts of

the set in order to project their view

onto the back wall; the most notable

was to provide a gun’s eye view in an

integral suicide scene. The Year 13

art students added to this dreamlike

atmosphere by building grotesque

head masks to show off the true

horror of the authoritarian figures in

the piece. All of this was accompanied

by the piercingly haunting music of

Tiger Lillies which created a powerful

and moving theatrical experience.

The cast were dedicated from

the start and created thrilling

performances, whether it was


PAGE 16➜17


Ally McDermott’s Melchior Gabor,

Philippa Roberts’ Wendla Bergmann

or Isabelle Trentesseau’s nightmaric

headmaster. They were given an

incredibly demanding text and rose to

the occasion magnificently.

“Spring Awakening” is a dangerous

play: not because of its content, but

because it raises so many questions

and doesn’t attempt to answer a

single one. It’s funny, it’s tragic, but

it will never be gracious enough to

tell you what you have to think. Our

hope with the production was always

to follow Wedekind’s aims; that is

to make the audience leave the

theatre with questions. Why did she

do that? Was he right? Who are the

villains? What’s the significance of…?

Because if the cast can ensure that

the audience leave asking questions,

it also means they leave thinking. And

then the legacy of this marvellous

play continues to shock, appal and

ultimately move the next generation

of theatre goers.


PAGE 18➜19

The Year 9 and 10 production of Medea

followed hot on Spring Awakening’s heels;

another troubling and powerful piece. The

Horta studio played host to Euripides’

troubling tale about a mother taking the

ultimate revenge on her disloyal spouse

by murdering their children. The play was

performed in an arena style with audience

on three sides and the cast worked far

beyond their years to produce a genuinely

troubling piece of theatre that made the

very most of choral work, gymnastic

skills and incredible focus and discipline.

Georgia Crowe in the titular role was

terrifying but also managed to convey her

point of view; a fact that made the whole

piece that much more effective.

As well as this there were over twenty

exam performances taking in scripted

work from John Godber to Mike Leigh;

devised storytelling to the Primary

school; five original plays from the year

11s that saw every single student - thirty

of them - gain an A* and A level pieces

that transformed the costume store into

a prison and the studio into a functioning

suburban house in an exploration (and

ultimately celebration) of the Theatre of

the Absurd. Throw in trips to London, in

its original language and it’s been a pretty

packed year. Well done to the many, many

people involved.

“ Our hope with the production was always to follow Wedekind’s aims; that is to make the audience leave the theatre with questions. Why did she do that? Was he right? Who are the villains? What’s the significance of…? Because if the cast can ensure that the audience leave asking questions, it also means they leave thinking.”

Design and Technology

F E AT U R E


From left to right:James Thomas I X Box games storageHolly Wilson I Storage boxDuika Smit Sibinga I Cello chairStephen Snyders I TableRodrigo Hochschild I TableJulien Martin I BarbequeRyan Cook I Desk

Right:Youssef Bakr I Sun lounger

GCSE

A2


PAGE 20➜21

A2 from left to right:Marcel Vrolijk I Computer deskSam Pears I Bike trailer

AS from left to right:Victor Samyn I Guitar chairSean Brown I ChairRhodri Richards I Chair with speakersJames Tommey I Gaming chairJosh Cunningham I Outdoor bench

A2

AS projects

Trains, Planes and Automobiles

This year BSB were joint hosts to the

ISST Swimming Tournament in March

and hosted the ISST Tennis Division 3

Tournament at the end of May. Our athletes

and coaches have travelled all over Europe

to participate in sporting competitions:

Milan for ISST Football; Zurich for ISST

Cross Country; the Netherlands for ISST

Hockey and London for ISST Rugby.

In addition to the ISST Tournaments there

were many other sports trips including a

rugby trip to Buckinghamshire, a netball

tournament in Kent, swimming in Paris

and multiple gymnastics trips to the UK

as well as to the Netherlands.

ISST

Our cross country team travelled to Zurich in

November with the challenge of defending

their Junior Boys triumph from 2011. They

proceeded to do so in fine style, with Euan

Campbell again winning the Junior Boys’

race. Not to be outdone, our Junior Girls’

team put in a magnificent effort to win the

Junior Girls’ title as well. Stefan Snyders

placed second in the Senior Boys’ event

in his first year at the Senior level, helping

the Senior Boys’ team to finish 5th. Lastly,

the Senior Girls’ squad put in a solid

performance to finish 8th, which was an

improvement from the previous year. A

superb team effort, and just reward for

the dedication of the runners and the hard

work of coach Ben Carvell.

ISST Football was held in Milan this year.

Despite only losing one match at the

Tournament, the team ended in 5th place:

a good indicator of how closely contested

the matches were. Nevertheless, the

team left the competition in good spirits

with plenty of enthusiasm for next year.

Our hockey girls once again headed off to

the Netherlands for the ISST Tournament

and played some fine hockey to finish in

second place overall. Steph van Doninck,

Pippa Forsyth and Danni Moore were all

selected for the Tournament ‘All Stars’

team.

BSB has an outstanding record in rugby

at ISST and were looking to win the

Tournament for the third consecutive

time. Despite playing some quality rugby,

the hat-trick eluded the team with a final

position of 4th overall perhaps not a fair

reflection of the team’s true potential.

Nick Gaskell, Quinten Koster and Alex

Uyttenhoven each received individual


Jolly Good SportsS P O R T AT B S B

We are fiercely proud of our sporting track record at The British School of Brussels, both at ISST and other competitive forums around Europe. RICHARD MACLEAR gives us a run-down of another outstanding year in sport at BSB.

recognition when they were selected to

take part in the ‘All Stars’ team.

One cannot discount the positive effect

a home ground advantage can have on

any team, and as such our Dolphins Team

were determined to achieve a number of

victories at the ISST Tournament held at

Sportoase in Leuven. The team finished

6th out of 12 teams despite not being

able to train regularly due to renovations

at the Evere pool. There were outstanding

individual performances from Karel de

Paepe (3 gold medals), Elliot Sodemans

(1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze) and Maya

Shannon with (1 gold and 1 silver). Notable

achievements indeed, but even more so

when the calibre of the competing teams is

taken in account; Cairo American College

even had an Olympian athlete who had

participated at London 2012 in their team!

Gymnastics

And, finally, onto BSB’s most flexible

athletes: the gymnasts. The highlight

of the year for gymnastics is, of course,

the annual GISGA competition. As usual,

there was huge competition to gain a

place in each team, which encouraged

each group to perform harder and with

more determination than ever before. The

Under-13 team did particularly well to

gain 6th place team medals. Similarly, the

Over-13 team performed well and gained

6th place medals in Group Sequence, and

they were also awarded the Improvers’

Trophy for their overall performan ce.

This year’s big success story, however,

was the Under-15 team. This is a new age

group and our team qualified in 4th place

to take one of the five places available

in their competition. As a new team,

this group surpassed all expectations.

Rhiannon Pritchard gained individual 6th,

Nina-Jo Buttigieg gained individual 3rd

while the team finished 3rd in the group

and an amazing 2nd in the overall team

event. Well done, girls!

Tennis

Tennis at BSB has continued to grow under

our elite coaching staff of Joanne Davies,

Eduardo Masso and Nicolas Jacques.

This year saw the selection of both a senior

and junior training squad and participation

in the Tennis ISST Tournament for the first

time. Despite many of the senior team

being unavailable for ISST due to exams,

the team still performed well with captain,

Andrei Ionescu in the singles and the

mixed doubles pair of Nic Coenen and

Francesca Moore winning silver medals.

Our boys team placed third overall. Our

annual fixture against the British School

of the Netherlands gave us the chance to

unleash our talented juniors who justified

their selection by winning comfortably.


PAGE 22➜23

“ It’s been another fantastic year for sport at The British School of Brussels. Our students have achieved astonishing outcomes in a wide range of individual and team sports.”

“ Here’s to a continuation of sporting success at The British School of Brussels next year!”


Girl Power!F O C U S

Despite the significant gains made in terms of gender equality over recent years, sport is one area that is still stereotypically a ‘man’s domain’. Sponsorship for male athletes and male sporting events is substantially higher than in women’s, for example, and in many sports women struggle to gain recognition whether at local, national or international level. LINDA McNALLY, PSHCE Coordinator & advocate for girls' sport, explains why this is simply not the case at BSB and highlights some recent girls’ sporting success.

Sport for girls is alive and well, with

significant numbers of female students

taking advantage of a wide range of active

opportunities - from golf to gymnastics

and from weightlifting to hockey. Let me

list just a few ‘stand out’ female successes

at our school: Olivia in Year 5 plays rugby

with the predominantly boys’ team; Katie,

Rhiannon, Nina-Jo and Amber made it

into the individual medals at the GISGA

Gymnastics Nationals; Ellen, Mathilde,

Issie, Ava and Juliette all represented their

province in club gymnastics this year; and

Nina-Jo was also selected for Vlaams

Brabant Basketball. Meanwhile, Stephanie

is the undisputed star of Year 7 soccer, and

that’s taking the boys into account too!

Our girls’ sports teams are growing

steadily in strength and numbers.

The minimes girls’ hockey team has

completed an undefeated season thanks

to their tenacity and application to training.

A special mention should go to Captain

Steph, who not only carried out her duties

for the hockey team but also participated

in the swimming competition at the ISST

International tournaments.

The U15 GISGA gymnastics team

finished 2nd at Nationals, demonstrating

a real commitment to excellence. Head of

Design and Technology Simon Jones has

also started a girls’ football team. As such,

uptake in girls’ sport is not just limited to

Primary and the younger year groups, but

many more girls in the upper year groups

are also getting involved in competitive

activities.

There have been a multitude of glorious

moments for our female athletes:

Francesca Moore was delighted to make

it to the finals of the ISST mixed doubles

tennis finals, while Libby Ward and

Rhiannon Pritchard have represented BSB

in three international competitions this

year. Meanwhile, In May, Minseo, Verity,

Carolina, Islay, Sophie and Alice completed

the gruelling Brussels 20km with smiles on

their faces and, more importantly, raised

lots of money for the School charity Best of

Both. Nina-Jo wanted to take on a slightly

different challenge, and participated in a

16km Gladiator Run with 26 obstacles.

Despite waiting time at several obstacles,

she managed to finish in under 2 hours


PAGE 24➜25

(1:54:27) and placed 102 out of over 350

women (there was no junior category since

the minimum age for competitors was 14).

And then we have a number of students

who are competing at a national and

international level. Dilara Uzdil in Year

13 is a Belgian champion and record

holder in -63kg category in Weightlifting.

Maxence Corman in Year 12 plays golf

off a handicap of zero and she is the best

golfer in the School, with a number of our

male teachers queuing up to challenge

her (and boast about playing someone

with a world ranking!)

Let’s not forget, however, our adult

runners and walkers who inspire BSB

girls on a daily basis. Marika Vernon and

Charlotte Lemaitre regularly train with the

cross country team, while Ursula Maley

will undertake a 24 hour relay for life in

mid-June. Claire Williams, Katrina Farlow,

Tamara Jones and Laura McDonagh were

marvellous examples to their students

as they also participated in the Brussels

20km… and did you know Sarah Jones

plays cricket for Belgium?

International honours are also within the

reach of two of our tennis players. Sophie

Beech in Year 10 is playing tennis for Great

Britain on the 16 and under International

tennis tour. Furthermore, Freddie Sleiffer

in Year 13 has just signed a letter of

intent to take up a tennis scholarship

at UC Davis in California. The coach at

the university, Bill Maze, said ‘She’s just

the type of student athlete we look for:

bright, athletic and hard-working’. Freddie

already has a Belgian women’s ranking of

58 and a world junior ranking of 609, and

we wish her the very best for her future in

sport and beyond.

So to everyone contemplating getting

involved in female sport, my advice is ‘do

it’! It’s fun, it’s social and, of course, it’s

good for you. What are you waiting for?

“ Sport for girls is alive and well, with significant numbers of female students taking advantage of a wide range of active opportunities - from golf to gymnastics and from weightlifting to hockey... So to everyone contemplating getting involved in female sport, my advice is ‘do it’! It’s fun, it’s social and, of course, it’s good for you.”

What are you waiting for?


Creative Writing

and Art Gallery

F E AT U R E

FreedomI was the king. I was free. I planted my paws in the carpet of sand

that stretched to the horizon. It was all mine. The glazing sun

scorched my golden mane, turning it into a ring of fire, burning

fiercely around my face. I could run, chase after prey. Strength

coiled like a spring, muscles rippling beneath my sand-coloured

fur, I attacked my prey, leaving it hopeless. My almighty roar could

be heard from five miles away, shattering the serene atmosphere

of the savannah. I could taste freedom and power from every kill,

repeatedly proving my strength. Adrenaline coursed through my

veins. I lay on the soft sand under the sun, piercing my skin with

warmth, surrounded by my pride. I lay in my happiness, watching

the sun splash hues of pink, orange and red across the horizon,

and the stars litter the sky. We rested until the sun rose out of the

horizon, giving life to a new day, spreading its light to the corners

of our land. I was free.

That was my life before I was killed.

Now I spend my days glaring out of the glass case that is trapping

me in this museum. Each day I watch as countless visitors and

children come to stare and point at my helpless form, giving

squeals of excitement and awe. I am forced to watch as they

examine me with their merciless stares. I am forced to listen to

their constant chatter and laughter. I have no choice. The stale

air chokes me, the glass case suffocates me and the darkness

consumes me. Not a single ray of sunlight has managed to

infiltrate the dark hallways of this prison. I have been reduced to a by Eliska Vojakova, Year 12

weak and fragile existence, my power diminished - I am no king.

I am the spectacle of the museum. People come to see me,

poised in the centre. I receive admiration and pity. I am constantly

under scrutiny, leaving the other animals with a quick glance.

I can see the other animals around me, with an expression of fear

frozen on their faces. There are no species that have evaded this

fate, the high, cold walls restraining us from freedom, fabricating

our sense of dread that chills us to the core. The memory of the

day I lost everything scarcely leaves my head, forever haunting

me. I will never forget my last moments of freedom…

I was separated from my pride. Fences surrounded me. I attempted

to break free, however I found my body convulsing on the floor from

the shock of the fence, the bite of the wire leaving its mark in my

flesh. There was no way out. In desperation a roar leapt out of my

throat, the panic and fear mirrored in my eyes. Pacing around the

perimeter of the fence, the realisation that I was alone and helpless

dawned on me. Men approaching in a vehicle loomed in the

distance, bringing with them the horror of impending death. Death’s

cold clutches gripped my heart. My body radiated confusion and

disbelief. I was lured away from the fence with an animal carcass.

I spun around in time to see the rifle that shot me. The shot rang

out, violating the peaceful atmosphere of the savannah. Pain

exploded where I had been shot. Fury ripped through me as the

second bullet punctured my skin. Severe numbness took over my

body, as I desperately attempted to retain the image of my home.

I could see my home behind the wires of the fence, stained with the

crimson of my blood, and my predator looming over me, gloating.

My last expression of rage has been frozen onto my face forever.

My menacing glare portrays the horror of being gruesomely

skinned and stuffed, only to be left in a museum. I have been

placed here as a trophy, depicting the strength of the humans;

humans that are egotistical, cruel and callous. This brutality has

been lost to the many visitors that come to see me. They do not

understand the truth. All they see is the shell of what I used to

be, the dulled fur, the vulnerability in my eyes and the diminished

expression. Their ignorance is what brought us in here, and what

will keep us in. Our looming future in this museum leaves us

heavy with horror. None of us will ever leave. I am trapped.

by Daphne Kyriakaki, Year 10

PAGE 26➜27

by Shannon Girvan, Year 13


It seems as if my sole purpose is to act like some sort of trophy for people

to look at inside this museum and this is deeply upsetting. All of the other

animals here were also wrenched away from their homelands just to be

constantly gazed upon. Is this all that has become of our lives? Will we

remain here to be looked at until our bodies entirely rot away? I was the king

of the jungle, but that feels like a century ago. Now I’m the king of nothing,

all I can do is think whilst stuck inside this confined space, enduring the

infinite amount of time, waiting and waiting for peace to finally arrive. But it

never comes…

Extract from Ceri Rees, Year 10

The life of a wild, living Springbok is entertaining for people to watch. There is a lot

more to it than the eyes of a human can understand. Living in the wild, exposed

to nature’s elements, enhances the feeling of freedom. At night the stars become

bright, lighting the night sky and the moon smiles upon nature. The wind whizzing

by, ruffling our fur, combines with the other sounds of the night. On a summer day

the sun overwhelms us with heat whilst during the winter it can be quite chilly. Food

is scarce when it does not rain enough, forcing us to walk long distances every day

in search of something to eat.

Extract from Jano van der Merwe, Year 10

They think they know who I am. They think they know what I was. But they are

all wrong, entirely astray. Those petty signs are a knife to my dignity, a stake

to my heart. They speak of me as a heartless lion, a cold blooded killer, one

that has no soul. That I am not; everything has a soul except for the humans. A

cold race with no trace of empathy or meaning of life, they only leave a path of

destruction and barren emptiness. They should know my royalty, my dominance

and eminence. The fact that they are nothing to me, of how I could rip them to

shreds and devour them in seconds. I am the apex predator, not them. They

have sly minds; cunning and inexorable. Their young have no discipline or

restraint. They're just overgrown monkeys; weird hairless ones.

Extract from William Willson, Year 10

by Mariel Rutherford, Year 13

by Lauchlan Mackenzie, Year 12


PAGE 28➜29

I miss the bygone days where I would wake up to the baboons chattering and the swallows producing soft, mind-

cleansing tones. The sight of the warm, damp fog rolling over the untamed African Savannah. I would perch at the edge

of my nest, spread my wings and let the golden rays of the sun seep through them. Then leap from my platform and hurtle

towards the ground at eye-watering speed, pulling up before I impacted with the lion's domain beneath. The thermals

would help guide me towards the crimson coloured sky. I would gaze upon the cradle of life and watch the baby gazelle

concealed in the bush awaiting its mother's return in vain.

Extract from Ceri Rees, Year 10

by Gaby Hyde-Tetley, Year 12 by Isobel Wain, Year 12

PapegeiParadies wo er wohnt

Anpassen in seiner Wohnung

Plappern mit den anderen Papagei

Attraktiv mit vielen Farben

Grün, Gelb, Gold und Grau

Elegant wenn sie fliegen

Intelligenter als Menschen

by Yannick Queffelean, Year 10

Drawings from top left to right by Daniel, Year 2, Virginia, Year 2, Murphy, Year 2 and Amy, Year 2

Maine beste FreundinMaine beste Freundin

Attraktiv wie eine Blume

Elegant wie ein Engel

Viele schöne Wörter

Eine Freundin für immer

Talentiert

Hat nette Augun

Oft lächelt

Macht mich glücklich

Auch intelligent

Sehr fruendlich

by Henry Richards, Year 10

by Sophie Corrigan, Year 11


KnutKnut war gut

Er hatte sehr viel mut.

Er war ein lieber Eisbähr

Er wollte leben sehr.

Sehr berühmt war er

Aber er lebt nicht mehr.

by Florien Smit Sibinga, Year 10

by Sophie Corrigan, Year 11

➜31

Y E A R 6 P R O D U C T I O N

Dancin’ in the Street – BSB style

TRACY DE BELDER tells Tapestry about the great success of Year 6’s all-singing-all-dancing 2013 production of Dancin’ in the Street.

Inspiration for The Beatles’ legendary

hit ‘Yesterday’ famously struck Paul

McCartney in a dream. Tracy de Belder was

similarly hit by a flash of creativity, although

the idea for the Year 6 production came to

her as she was sitting in her car during her

long commute to Kapellen. “Dancing in the

Street came on the radio,” she explains,

“and I just knew I wanted to write a

production about street music from around

the world; music that represented peoples’

cultures and backgrounds. Once I had the

song, I had to build the story around it.”

And so the seed was planted. Tracy set to

work writing the script that would become

Dancin’ in the Street and the story started

to take shape. “The story centres on a

teacher who used to be a dancer as a child

and was devastated when her best friend

abandoned her. She was so heartbroken

she decided that music couldn’t play any

part in her future,” Tracy says. “Many years

later, as a teacher, she refuses to let her

students enjoy music too. The students

decide that they must give the gift of music

back to their teacher, and so set off on a

quest to find music from different parts of

the world to convince her to fall in love with

music all over again.”

As well as plenty of singing, dancing and

fun, Tracy is keen to point out that Dancin’ in

the Street also aided students’ knowledge

and understanding of international diversity.

The entire production linked to the Primary

School’s Integrated Learning Themes

(ILTs), with students making connections

to books they had read, themes they had

studied, songs from the past, different


cultures and popular music from today. As

well as carrying out detailed research, they

also developed a huge range of different

skills. As Tracy explains, “Teamwork was

vital. The students had to work together

as a huge team to make the production as

smooth and professional as possible. They

had to work on their organisational skills in

order to deal with quick costume changes,

as well as be where they were supposed

to be on time and with the right energy to

entertain the audience.”

Of course, a large-scale, high-profile

production takes lots and lots of work.

“It’s particularly challenging for everyone

involved to put together a piece that

involves many children and a complex

story line full of singing and dancing,”

Tracy admits. “But when the actual

performance happens and the students

and audience love it, it’s simply euphoric.”

Tracy has a lengthy list of people to

thank, for example Lisa, Ishbel, Charles,

Karen and Dan for turning her sudden

moment of inspiration into an enormous

hit. The biggest thank you of all, though,

belongs to the Year 6 students: “We, as

teachers, set very high expectations of

them and they met those expectations

and exceeded them with ease. Each and

every student did their part to make the

production wonderful and they deserve

recognition and praise for that.”

And Tracy’s plans for this Year 6

production? “It’s still hidden in the depths

of my brain!” she laughs. “I’m just waiting

for the song that will spark the story.”


The entire production linked to the Primary School’s Integrated Learning Themes (ILTs), with students making connections to books they had read, themes they had studied, songs from the past, different cultures and popular music from today...

➜33


Celts, Cartoonsand Côte D’or!

P R I M A R Y

Primary teacher FIONA CHRISTIAN summaries a most exciting year in 2012-2013 for Year 4 in their ‘learning by doing.’

It is difficult to pick out a particular

highlight, what with trips to the archeosite

where we experienced life as a Celt, a visit

to the Côte D’or chocolate factory where

we saw chocolate being made and, of

course, the Herge museum where Tintin

really did come to life!

To conclude our year of events we travelled

to Malmedy for our School Journey. We

had the chance to visit a wind farm and

stand inside a wind turbine – exhilarating

stuff! We visited Hidrodoe, the science

museum dedicated to water, where we

saw model dams, displays showing the

power of H2O, Archimedes’ screws and

water fountains (where we ended up

getting completely soaked; all in the name

of science, of course!)

Our sensory walk in the woods was

particularly memorable. Being blindfolded

and led amongst the trees was both scary

and liberating, as it gave the children time

and focus to really listen to the sounds

of the nature. Add to this a dash of folk

dancing, plenty of discoveries at the mine,

a sprinkling of wonderful food and all of

the friendly people we met, and you have

a recipe for a perfect week.

The children had some wonderful

experiences and will have memories they

will talk about for years ahead.

“ Our sensory walk in the woods was particularly memorable. Being blindfolded and led amongst the trees was both scary and liberating, as it gave the children time and focus to really listen to the sounds of the nature.”


The Social NetworkS P O T L I G H T

“ Social media has become an integral element of our everyday lives. The endless flow of information from, for example, Facebook and Twitter, has allowed us to connect with people and organisations across the globe.”

Since the summer of 2012, BSB has

been building its social media presence to

communicate with students, parents and

potential families. The External Relations

Department is responsible for managing

the various social media sites where BSB

has a presence and includes Facebook,

YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr and Twitter.

“Social media is crucial to keep in touch

with our communities and to see what is

happening in our world,” says Chui Hsia

Yong, Web editor at the School. “It’s a

really great way of building relationships

with our audiences and showing off our

world class facilities.”

One of the exciting elements about utilising

all these different platforms is the varied

audience each receives. The Flickr account

allows current students and families to

view photos of past events, with the ability

to share them on Twitter or Facebook.

BSB’s global community of families are

able to send pictures to relatives with ease.

In addition, the LinkedIn profile makes it

very easy for BSB alumni to connect; they

can chat with their fellow classmates and

continue those connections long after they

have left BSB.

As the BSB’s social media presence

continues to grow, with over 500 likes on

Facebook and 300 followers on Twitter,

we are mindful that keeping abreast of

new developments in technology will

be essential in the future. Social media

provides futuristic-seeming opportunities

for BSB parents, such as the opportunity

to see their children learning and playing

in real time. The students are also given

the chance to explore new technology

and communication channels as well,

with iPads now available across the

school. Social media is an innovative and

exciting part of life at BSB, and as Chui

Hsia points out, “such services make it

easy for people to see what a great school

[BSB] is!”

“ Such services make it easy for people to see what a great school [BSB] is!”

Deciding to move to Belgium was a

relatively easy decision to make, although

we were very happy in the UK and

originally had no plans to live abroad. My

husband, however, needed to be located

more centrally in Europe for his job, we

already had some family here and it would

be easy to get back and forth to London

with the Eurostar and Channel Tunnel. We

came for a 6 month trial in 2004 and are

still here over 9 years later! Along the way

we have acquired our own house, a dog,

countless experiences and many, many

friends – some still with us in Belgium and

others scattered around the world.

BSB has always been, and is even more

so now, a pivotal focus of our lives. Our

children - Tara is 13 (Year 9) and Oliver 11

(Year 7) - settled quickly into the School,

made friends from diverse cultures and

countries and quickly took advantage

of what the extra-curricular programme

has to offer. Both children regularly go

away with the School on extra-curricular

activities for sport, music and drama –

between them last year they visited the

UK, Paris, Luxembourg, Norway and Italy!

There are so many opportunities for them;

it’s amazing really, and they are very lucky.

My nature is to be involved in things around

me, and my relationship with BSB is no

different. Initially I was a Class Rep, and

then I became more actively involved with

the Friends of BSB. Having spent most of

my career as a Management Consultant,

I then started working at the school four

years ago in the Lower Primary office. It

couldn’t be a more different type of job

from my original career, but I find working

with the younger children in the School

truly delightful. I get involved in whole

School initiatives such as Book Week

and Charity events, and they provide a

different perspective as well as being great

fun. My husband is also engaged with the

School, for example through sport and

his commitment to the under-11 Rugby

team. Although we as a family are very

involved, the atmosphere at BSB is one

of inclusion and welcome for all, whether

you want to do a little or a lot.

Many of the people around us at BSB

are much more seasoned travellers and

expats than we are. The benefit of this is

that we, children and adults alike, have

acquired a network of friends around the

world from New Zealand to Charleston to

Loch Lomond.


PAGE 34➜35

Happy FamiliesS TA F F M E M B E R

AMANDA NOBLE made the move to Belgium nine years ago. Four years ago she started working at BSB, and therefore has an unusual and valuable perspective as parent, employee and active BSB supporter.

“ BSB has always been, and is even more so now, a pivotal focus of our lives... Our children settled quickly into the School... There are so many opportunities for them; it’s amazing really, and they are very lucky.”

The bilingual programme was and still is a

fantastic opportunity. As a teacher, I had

very high expectations in terms of academic

standards and linguistic abilities. However, I

knew that with a mixed group of native and

non-native speakers (for some students,

French was actually their third language),

I would have to choose my resources

carefully and provide for different abilities.

The planning involved was extensive. My

Science colleagues and I had to choose

which topics would be taught in French in

Year 7 (and for Years 8 and 9 in general).

I was faced with an interesting challenge:

I could either translate all the existing

worksheets, textbooks and tests into

French or look at French textbooks.

The way Science is taught in the French

system is very different from our teaching

style at BSB. A very simple example to

illustrate this point: at BSB, the chapter on

Cells and Human reproduction is taught

in Year 7, but to prepare my lessons

in French I had to use different French

textbooks ranging from upper Primary to

the equivalent of GCSE.

The cultural differences between the

two languages often affect the approach

to the topics: in the French system, the

content of a topic can be quite wordy and

theoretical whereas it is far more practical-

based in the British one.

It was also interesting for me to see how

similar topics were taught in the French,

Belgian and French-speaking Canadian

systems. It was very eye-opening and I

learned a lot… and I’m still learning!

When planning my lessons, I had to

be very careful about the quality of my

French. My French speaking colleagues

and I believe that there is a significant

difference between talking in French about

the weather or other current affairs and

teaching Science in French. The grammar,

the spelling and the level of the language,

including the technical words, have to be

carefully chosen and thoroughly checked.

One of the high-points so far this year

was when the class were facing their

first end-of-unit test in French: some of

them were very stressed and anxious.

Who wouldn't be? Having taught using

my second language (English) for many

years, I can certainly empathise with the

challenges my students are facing. After

a few words of encouragement, however,


Already in its second year in Primary, it’s now the Secondary School’s turn for a bilingual curriculum. Science teacher DAVID DOUHERET tells us about his experiences teaching the new Year 7 French/English bilingual cohort.

L A N G U A G E U P D AT E

Bilingual Reaches Secondary

“My bilingual students have a natural curiosity and are always happy

to share their views and ideas with the rest

of the group... Their confidence is

growing and I am very proud of them.”


PAGE 36➜37

they all got on with their work and most

of them achieved A or A*. Actually, so far,

they tend to do better in French than in

English. Isn't that just amazing?

My bilingual students have a natural

curiosity and are always happy to share

their views and ideas with the rest of the

group. I am always impressed to see the

quality of their group presentations, in

English or in French. Their confidence is

growing and I am very proud of them.

Would it be fair to say that my bilingual

group is my favourite group? They are

keen and interested in learning new words

or new topics. They are very enthusiastic

when it comes to practical work. I also

enjoy observing them, working in groups

and speaking French and English together.

They seem to switch from one language

to another without thinking about it.

All in all, I have thoroughly enjoyed the

experience and look forward to more

bilingual teaching and learning next year.

And from the students themselves:

“ Je pense que la classe bilingue est

très intéressante. Je pense aussi que

c’est amusant d’apprendre des choses

en français que je ne connais pas en

anglais.” Polly

“ I think that, as a bilingual scientist,

learning in two languages helps

understanding Science more easily.”

Youssef

“ Learning Science in both French and

English is a very exciting experience.

Being a bilingual scientist is amazing!”

Nicole

“ Fun and enjoyable, lots of practical,

a fun teacher. This way, science is

awesome!” Jill

“ Dans la classe bilingue, on a un grand

avantage: celui d’être scientifique

bilingue.” Marta

“ The bilingual science programme is

an amazing chance for students to learn

Science in both English and French.

This also expands their knowledge

about French and Science.” Sera

An internationally recognised award for

young people aged 14-25, participants are

required to show commitment to a sporting

activity, a skill and a service for a period

of between 3 and 18 months and take

part in two expeditions. Gold participants

additionally take part in a residential activity.

Not surprisingly the section students find

the most exciting is the expedition. An

impressive 50% of Year 10 is working to

complete their Bronze and in Year 11, a

small but determined group have almost

completed their Silver, having had two

rather wet expeditions in Belgium! BSB

Gold participants were the most intrepid

as they headed to the Brecon Beacons in

Wales last June for an extremely challenging

journey. We look forward to a film of advice

and tips made by some of these Gold

candidates in the near future, helping all

candidates to go from strength to strength!

strength to strengthA W A R D S The Duke of Edinburgh's Award

at BSB goes from

Sarah Jones gives Tapestry an update

Camille Henrot

Graduated from BSB: 2011

Studying: Mechanical Engineering

at Massachusetts Institute

of Technology (MIT)

So, Mechanical Engineering. That sounds

fascinating. What got you interested,

Camille? As a dancer I've always been

fascinated by movement and the human

body. My long-term goal is to be able

to work in prosthetics and find a way to

create a human-like mechanical device

that could recreate and rehabilitate

natural movement. In light of recent

tragic events here in Boston I've never

felt stronger about my goals, and I know

that MIT is the place where I will be

able to accomplish them. Mechanical

Engineering is such a broad field but the

fact that I've found my niche within this

science is very motivating.

Alongside the likes of Oxford, Cambridge

and Harvard, MIT enjoys a reputation as one

of the most prestigious Higher Education

and Research facilities in the world. Does

it live up to its reputation? Absolutely.

The professors here are phenomenal,

and the research opportunities are so

broad. I think something that makes MIT

really unique in this respect is the close

interactions that undergraduates can

have with incredible professors, and the

willingness that professors and graduate

students have to teach and train the

younger students. I find it admirable that

they find the time to help us understand

what research academia is really like.

And how have you found the social side

of University life? It has been surprising.

You tend to hear a lot of things about

MIT before you get here. We are ‘nerds’;

that's true, but we're not the typical

sort. Sure, we spend hours discussing

physics, computers and anything in

between but it's not just work all the time.

There are always events and interesting

things to do on campus. What's even

better is that if campus life is getting

stressful, Boston is just across the river

and there's always something to do in

the city, and it’s always interesting to meet

students from other colleges.

How did your gap year in China prepare

you for independent living at MIT? China

was my greatest learning experience to

date. High school does not necessarily

prepare you to be on your own, or to grow

up; it's still a very nurturing environment.

I think it was good to rip the bandaid off

and jump into a situation that really was

unknown; it's made my transition to

university much smoother.

Finally, could you sum your entire University

experience so far up in five words? Well,

that's quite difficult. By no means is it easy

here. Everything fluctuates so rapidly. I

have so much to do, so much to learn and

it seems almost impossible sometimes.

But I know throughout all of this that I

made the right decision to study in this

demanding environment.

Five words? I have found my place.


Where are they now?B S B A L U M N I

BSB has an enviable record of helping students to achieve their aims, and is enormously proud of the fact that 90% of students last year were accepted at their first choice of Higher Education establishment. We caught up with some of BSB’s most recent alumni to find out how they’ve found their first year at university.

“ In light of recent tragic events here in Boston I've never felt stronger about my goals, and I know that MIT is the place where I will be able to accomplish them.”


PAGE 38➜39

Caterina Soave


Studying: English at York University

How did you decide that English was

the subject for you, Caterina? Studying

English has always been what I wanted to

do due to my love of reading and writing.

English at Sixth Form was stimulating, but

I knew that it didn’t quite satiate my love

of literature. Studying English at university

would enable me to explore the relationship

between Tolkein and Tennyson, as well as

further my knowledge about the various

schools of literary criticism briefly brushed

upon at A Level.

What have been the highlights of your

course so far? One definite highlight

has been interacting with and being

taught by some of the world’s leading

academics in English Literature. It’s

extremely reassuring to know that you are

being advised by those at the forefront

of literature and literary criticism. Also, it

has been invaluable to cover such a wide

variety of texts and literary genres already

within First Year. It’s been a learning curve!

York has been named the number one in the

UK in new Times Higher Education world

rankings of universities less than 50 years

old. How does it live up to its impressive

reputation? York has a stellar academic

reputation, with its English department

ranking number four in the UK. The facilities

at York are second-to-none, with an

impressive library located in the centre of

campus. The campus itself is beautiful, with

the majority of colleges positioned on the

central lake (although you do have to mind

out for the ducks!), and is situated only ten

minutes away from the historic city centre.

Perhaps most importantly, the individual

academic staff are supportive and always

willing to help, which is incredible for a

university with over 15000 students.


of University life? As a collegiate university,

there is never a dull day at York. Freshers’

Week was a definite highlight, as it

introduced us to the college rivalries and

allegiances within the university, as well as

showing us the exciting nightlife of the city.

On campus, there is always an opportunity

to make even more friends due to the

sheer amount of activities, societies and

sports run by the Student Union.

Did BSB prepare you adequately for making

decisions about Higher Education? BSB was

very supportive and informative in terms of

preparing me for Higher Education. The wide

range of academic and social opportunities

BSB offers allowed my confidence to grow

immensely and ensured I was well-equipped

for university life. The English Department,

in particular, was invaluable. My teachers

encouraged me to read a wider range of texts

than prescribed for my A Level syllabus, and

always expressed a real interest in helping

me achieve the top grades needed for entry

at York.

And five words to sum it all up? Lots of

reading and ducks!

“ BSB was very supportive and informative in terms of preparing me for Higher Education. The wide range of academic and social opportunities BSB offers allowed my confidence to grow immensely and ensured I was well-equipped for university life.”


Joe Harding


Studying: Medicine at Sheffield

University

How are you finding the course so far, Joe?

Well, I'm really enjoying it all. I've just finished

a two-week placement in Doncaster

General Hospital that was really interesting

and informative. The early mornings and the

long commutes were gruelling and my social

life died a sudden death, but I'd happily do

it again (which is good, as that'll be my

job one day). We're also very privileged

because we do human dissections in small

groups, which is strangely great fun and an

excellent ‘hands on’ approach to teaching.

And the biggest challenge you've faced?

Managing my time. It's very easy to lose

your head in the first two weeks and join

every society doing all those things you've

never got round to doing or haven't had

the opportunity to try. I'm also not very

good at saying "no" to people, so I'm

now in four hockey teams, two climbing

groups and many other societies that love

putting events on at the same time.

In 2011 Sheffield was named as Times

Higher Education's University of the Year.

What‘s your view? This university is superb.

The main site is very close to the city centre,

where there’s a vast array of club, pubs

and bars. The Peak District is also only a

ten minute bus ride away. Apart from the

hockey pitch, the facilities are very good

and most people seem to find their courses

interesting, so I couldn't ask for more! (a

new pitch would be lovely, though).


of University life? Making friends was

amazingly easy because everyone turns up

in the same friendless state. As far as going

out is concerned, I could do it every day of

the week for the whole year with one group

of friends or other if I wanted to. There's

always a baffling array of events going on

at places I've never heard of. It's great!

Did BSB prepare you adequately

for making decisions about Higher

Education? My preparation by BSB was

very good. The friendly and informal

ethos of the school is very similar to that

of a university environment. For example,

there's no dress code or calling lecturers

"Sir" or “Miss”. Also, the liberal nature of

the 6th form - like being able to leave for

lunch and having time for private study -

made the transition to complete university

freedom much easier for me than for other

people from more traditional schools.

Finally, those magic five words? Best time

of my life. I'm lucky that's five words long.

“ Making friends was amazingly easy because everyone turns up in the same friendless state... There's always a baffling array of events going on at places I've never heard of. It's great!”

Forty years ago as a recently-qualified

teacher, I applied for a job advertised in the

Times Educational Supplement. Following

a successful interview in London with Alan

Humphries, the then Principal, I travelled

over to Belgium during Easter 1970 to

visit the School site. Looking around now,

visitors are confronted by an amazing

array of buildings and facilities set in a

magnificent woodland setting. Was that

what I saw, you may ask?

Well, we drove along the Leuvensesteenweg

and found the entrance path. We managed

barely two metres, got stuck, abandoned

the car and crept cautiously down to the

entrance on foot – only to be confronted by

the most enormous hole with diggers and

bulldozers weaving their way around like

Matchbox toys! Was I perturbed? Perhaps

a little…

The seven starting members of staff were

invited to a weekend of planning. BSB at

this point was essentially a blank canvas,

and my colleagues and I were shaping

the future. For me, it was tremendously

exciting as everyone’s opinions (even the

opinions of those with little experience)

were valued. This inclusive ethos extended

to the sort of relationship we wanted to

have with our future students and their

parents, and the use of first names was an

integral part of this envisaged relationship.

If the staff, students and parents worked

together in a respectful manner, we knew

we could move mountains!

We all returned from the weekend

impatient and excited about the future.

However, the infamous Belgian weather

delayed the build, and so in September

we started in some offices on Rue de la

Loi (Wetstraat). Parc du Cinquantenaire

served as our makeshift playground. One

morning, while my class of lively six-year-

olds was waiting patiently in line for the

shuttle bus to the park, one student began

to fiddle with a button on the wall. It was

a fire alarm with a direct link to the fire

station! Pandemonium ensued as the siren

vibrated throughout the building and street

and office workers vacated, piling out onto

the busy street outside in a panic! Then,

in the following months, we all managed

to pack up and move to Tervuren by mid-

November in anticipation of the Grand

Opening on 9 December by the Duke of

Edinburgh; a very memorable evening.

As I reflect on my time at BSB, I realise

that it has been one of the most important

aspects of my life. Over the years I

have worked with numerous brilliant

staff members: teachers, maintenance

and administrative staff. I have taught

hundreds if not thousands of talented

children, and I have reams and reams of

fond memories stored up in my mind. But

most of all, I know I have been so very

privileged to have been nurtured by two

inspiring educators: the visionary Alan

Humphries (the first Principal of BSB) and

Peter Saunders (Former Leadership Team

member).


PAGE 40➜41

“ As I reflect on my time at BSB, I realise that it has been one of the most important aspects of my life. Over the years I have worked with numerous brilliant staff members: teachers, maintenance and administrative staff.”

World Class School...B S B A L U M N A

BSB Almuna HILARY VERVAECK reflects on her experience of the very early days of The British School of Brussels...

The Beginning of a

An explosion of life. Streams of bustling

commuters battle through shouting traffic,

herds of goats and squawking street

vendors. Beggars and businessmen scurry

between the wanderings of restless street

dogs and the tired limbs of the homeless

stretched out across the pavement. The

dust that thickens the air adds to the

heavy shroud of pollution overhead. Under

the smog, the oppression of open sewers

is only momentarily avoided by the sweet

aroma of road side chai. It’s easy to get

swallowed whole in India. I certainly did.

I fondly remember the time when waiting

by ‘the flags’ at the end of the school I

used to feel crowded. Or when the

appearance of yet another dreaded

‘omlegging’ road sign seemed like an

inconvenience of mammoth proportions.

That was before I had to re-work my

definition of chaos. I was part of the BSB

old guard, graduating in 2012 with an

IB Diploma and fourteen years of BSB

schooling under my belt. Still, something

was pulling me to better understand the

context in which I lived. Could I put a face

on poverty? No; not within the shelter of

my comfortable expatriate life. How then

could I understand or begin to appreciate

all that I was and had if I couldn’t relate

to the lives of those who had been dealt

a harsher hand? The answer was simply

that I couldn’t. So, I signed up for a

new adventure. I decided to spend a

year before university volunteering with

different social welfare projects, including

six months in Kolkata (Calcutta), known

affectionately as ‘The City of Joy’.

The gap-year programme I chose with

BMS Action Teams was no holiday. It

consisted of one month of overseas

training, six months in India and two

months raising awareness with a small

team of total strangers. I always suspected

the streets of Kolkata to be bombardment

of the senses but I didn’t know it would

be such an assault on the emotions. In

one stretch of sidewalk you would see

all extremes: life, death, despair, delight,

glamour and destitution. I couldn’t even

claim a breath without my lungs being

filled with that distinctive, sharp tang

that the air in India somehow produces.

There was no Tervuren Aboretum in that

concrete jungle to find solace; there was

nowhere to hide. At first, I was appalled.

Slowly though, things began to change.

My very wise supervisor said: ‘If you only

look at Kolkata through your eyes you will

be disappointed by the filth; if you see it

through your soul, however, you will see a

festival of life.’ After a time I began to relish

Kolkata’s fullness of character and its

rugged honesty. That was when I began

to love it.


'A Festival of Life'B S B A L U M N A

Former student SARAH DOBSON fills us in on her gap year in India.


One of the main reasons for this was that

the projects I was involved in were simply

fantastic. Three days a week our team

would work in a school for street children:

‘The Good News Children’s Education

Mission’. We would pick up around eighty

kids from the pavement where they lived,

and take them to school on a yellow minibus

(ordinary capacity: 20 adults). The bus

ride to school was thus quite a spectacle;

the overpopulated streets mirrored our

overpopulated vehicle. What’s more, the

driving itself was like a life-sized game of

Mario Kart, complete with wild weaving and

overindulgent beeping. It always made me

laugh when I saw the message printed on

the backs of buses: ‘Obey the traffic rules.’

I certainly didn’t discover them.

The children I worked with are real

treasures; not the kind with pre-packaged

halos, mind, but rather the kind with bitten

feet, nits, thick skin, feisty energy and

ragged clothing. They ranged from ages

two to ten but all of them seemed a lot

more responsible than their chronological

age would suggest. Plastic baby dolls

were replaced by animated and squirming

baby siblings. It was always a strange

phenomenon to see some of our four year

olds cradling new-borns with an expression

of complete nonchalance. During the course

of the school day, the kids have access to

washing facilities, breakfast and lunch; all of

which might be difficult to obtain back on

the street. We helped teach some English

and boosted the number proportion of staff

to children. Really, it was just a privilege

show these little ones some love. Being

there for six months also meant we were

able to build significant relationships. They

spoke volumes about true community and

they knew that life was in the living. I can

say without a doubt that they gave back

more to me than I could ever give to them.

Was the experience hard? Well, of course.

It just so happens that food hygiene just

isn't quite the same in much of Kolkata

as it is in Belgium. I'm still haunted by

one memory in particular: on arrival at my

local curd shop, I discovered the owners

showering in the same area that they

completed the manufacturing process.

Between soap suds they casually asked

me how many grams I required. In utter

shock, I automatically replied that 100g

would be just fine. Not that I could stomach

it afterwards. Nevertheless, I still have my

suspicions that my purchased curd may

have been cleaner after communal shower

time than it ever was before. Delhi Belly

was thus a notorious and frequent visitor,

and it was during bouts such as these

that Google-earth became a torment.

Searching my old home address and

longing for a bowl of my mother's chicken

soup became a terrible indulgence.

Was it worth it? A thousand times yes. I

learnt a lot about myself that I probably

didn't want to know. However, it was only at

these moments of vulnerability that I began

to grow as a person. I was able to befriend

some of the bravest and most hilarious

individuals I have ever met. I discovered

aspects of faith that I didn't expect. I

learnt new and exciting skills from another

culture; I can now head wobble with the

best of them. Most importantly, I found that

investing in people can be costly, but then

the personal gain is unimaginably great.

Even though I've left India, sometimes I still

wake up with my head spinning amongst

the colour, noise and energy of its memory.

I may not have come back significantly

tanned (unfortunately what I thought was

browned skin was actually just dirt), but I

learnt in six months what I couldn't have

gathered in three years.

PAGE 42➜43


Friendswill be Friends

F R I E N D S O F B S B

JANICE WIGGINS, previously Vice Chair of Friends of BSB, reflects on the unique and highly valued relationship between BSB and the Special Olympics Belgium.

Serendipity – a ‘happy accident’ or

‘pleasant surprise’ - is the first word that

comes to mind when thinking about the

Friends of BSB’s connection with Special

Olympics Belgium. However, although

our original introduction may have been a

‘pleasant surprise’, it is no ‘accident’ that

our relationship has grown into a rewarding

and mutually beneficial partnership.

The Friends of BSB (FoBSB) first

approached the Special Olympics

Belgium (SOB) in autumn 2011 with the

simple idea of matching our 2012 Charity

Ball theme of “Olympics” to a local sport-

based charity. We immediately realised,

however, that as a parent body we could

play an important role in the support and

development of this organisation which

receives limited government funding

but assists over 12,000 Belgians with

intellectual disabilities.

Last March, with the support of BSB

Gymnastic coach Linda McNally, we

invited three Special Olympic Athletes

from La Clairière gymnastic programme in

Watermael-Boitsfort to participate in the

year-end gymnastic display at the School.

This event was a resounding success

because it illustrated something that the

BSB and Special Olympic gymnasts have

in common: the love of their sport.

The Special Olympic Association’s

objective is to give men, women and

children with an intellectual disability

the chance to reach beyond their limits

and to feel proud of their achievements.

Although this is done primarily through

sport, the Association also promotes

their objectives through art. In April 2012

BSB had the opportunity to view over

400 pieces of art created by people with

intellectual disabilities and select pieces

for an art Vernissage which was held in

May. The Vernissage, hosted by Enoteca

per Bacco in Tervuren, was attended

by the British Ambassador Jonathan

Brenton, members of the Board, parents

and special guests. We not only sold

paintings with the profits going to SOB

and the artists, but we also helped raise

awareness of the Association.

Our largest event in 2012 however, was

the “Going for Gold” Charity Ball held

in June at the Sheraton Airport Hotel,

“The Special Olympic Association’s

objective is to give men, women and

children with an intellectual disability

the chance to reach beyond their limits

and to feel proud of their achievements.”

Zaventem. One hundred and eighty

guests including parents, staff and friends

enjoyed an evening of good food, drink

and dancing in aid of the Special Olympic

Association. In total, the raffle, live auction

and sponsorship contributions raised

€8000, doubling the amount raised at

past Charity Balls.

In February of this year, the €8000

cheque was presented to Eddy Beckers,

Director of Special Olympics Belgium

during a VIP event at the Comic Strip

Museum in Brussels. On the same evening,

Sue Woodroofe signed a Charter with

the Special Olympic Association formally

recognising the relationship between the

School and Special Olympics Belgium for

a 5 year period. BSB is the first School in

Belgium to have made this commitment

and SOB is now using BSB as an example

for other Belgian schools to follow.

FoBSB have committed to continue to

raising money and awareness for SOB

and we plan to work together with the

School to play a role in the European

Games, which will take place in Antwerp

in September 2014, bringing together

2000 athletes from 58 countries. And

to think that all of this began almost by

chance… now that’s serendipity!


PAGE 44➜45

“ BSB is the first School in Belgium to have made this commitment and SOB is now using BSB as an example for other Belgian schools to follow.”

Mark Inglis presents awards to Special Olympics' competitors


F E AT U R E

Amnesty ActionBSB‘s BARRY SAYER reviews a busy year where some campaigns have involved core Amnesty work and some of our action reaches out into the local and global community.

two organisations – one an orphanage in

Pretoria in South Africa and the other a UK

charity in Manchester. Over five hundred

red ribbons were sold by our team during

the fortnight leading up to the occasion

and our thanks to Shevani Murray and

to Dorian Varga. Our thanks also to the

students and staff who supplemented

the money raised by their work at the

Christmas Bazaar.

Our other focus is the Write for Rights

campaign which Amnesty runs on behalf

of Prisoners of Conscience. This year the

group had selected six causes from the

long list unfortunately that is available.

Thus we were focusing on human rights

abuses in South Africa, Azerbaijan, Syria,

Afghanistan, Kenya, and Japan. Students


PAGE 46➜47

The academic year is busy and fulfilling

for everyone at BSB, but especially so

for the Amnesty group. The year we

have commemorated two key dates:

World Aids Day and International Human

Rights Day. A dedicated team of students

excelled themselves in these spheres.

This year in the lead-up to World AIDS' Day

we were able to explore in our assemblies

how there is hope in terms of the this year’s

UN report and its statistics, in particular

the number of people worldwide who are

now receiving treatment.

Memorable and outstanding was the

testimony of our own Year 13 student,

Callum Scott, who spent his summer in

Tanzania working with people who had

contracted the disease. It was Callum’s lot

to administer the test to patients in his daily

work and on two occasions tell people

that their lives had inexorably changed.

In four assemblies to five different year

groups students fell silent as to how this

moment must have been for this ‘rookie’

medic and his patients. Well done, Callum,

for your work and your testimony.

Our approach has always been to raise

awareness and funds. So this year we

are delighted that we again raised over

€1,000 to be able to send money to

in Years 10-13 were asked to address

and sign cards to the authorities in these

countries. This was the very essence of

Amnesty’s work when Peter Benenson

founded the organisation in 1960. Over

eighty letters and faxes were dispatched

to land in embassies and consulates in

these countries.

We also marked International Human

Rights Day with the visit of Phil Lane and

Miet Vandebroek of Stop the Traffik who is

an old friend of the School and who on this

occasion spoke to Year 11 on the work of

his organisation here in Tervuren. Stop the

Traffik is demanding that at commune level

Tervuren becomes a commune free from

human trafficking which is both at times

very visible and invisible in our midst.

Lastly, we renewed our contacts with

the refugees of the Reception Centre in

Rixensart and, to this end, ten of their

number attended and enjoyed the school

production of ‘Spring Awakening’. How

appropriate with this play’s title that it was

refugees from Afghanistan, the Middle

East, and North Africa who should be our

honoured guests!

A very big thank you to all those students,

staff and parents who have supported the

work of Amnesty this year.

“ Peter Benenson, the founder of Amnesty, was inspired by the proverb

‘better to light a candle, than curse the darkness’

and we hope that we live up to this challenge in all our work at BSB.”

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BA (HONS) IN BUSINESS STUDIES 3-YEAR BACHELOR DEGREE• The opportunity to study Business in Brussels or Luxembourg.

• Small classes (±25) taught in English by business professionals.

• Strong academic course of study plus practical training.

• Yearly in-company internships arranged for undergraduates.

• International environment.

• A perfect preparation for a Masters abroad.

• Program offi cially accredited.

OUR VERY PRACTICAL BACHELOR WILL CHANGE YOUR FUTURE!

UNITED BUSINESSINSTITUTES - BRUSSELSAvenue Marnix, 20B-1000 Brussels - BelgiumTel. 02 548 04 [email protected]

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PAGE 48➜49www.brit ishschool.be

I’ve lost count of the number of writers’

talks I’ve attended over the years. The

best leave you with a ‘can do’ feeling at

the end; a sense that you, too, have a

novel in you trying to get out. Then what

happens?

A while ago a friend and I went to a series of

writers’ talks at Charleston, near Lewes in

Sussex, a place rich in Bloomsbury Group

associations. On a clear day you can look

out across the South Downs landscape

and trace with your eye the nine-mile

walk Virginia Woolf used to make from

Monk’s House to visit her sister, the artist

Vanessa Bell, at Charleston. It was at this

place that my friend and I decided to stop

listening to the words of other people and

to make a start on our own writing.

On a monthly basis we emailed drafts to

each other for comment and this was how

our separate stories began. Mine seemed

to come from the merging together of two

strands of history: one the true story of

a love affair with a sad ending between

a German officer serving on the Eastern

Front and a young Latvian woman. The

other strand was the German occupation

of a small wine village in the Burgundy

region of France. The story is told by a

French woman looking back and coming

to terms with her buried past.

The Good Housekeeping 2012 Novel

Competition helped to impose a deadline

on us at the end of February last year, and

I submitted a whole-novel synopsis and

5000 words of the first chapter. For a while

I more or less stopped writing, and even

forgot that I’d entered the competition.

Then in late April, when routinely checking

my emails, I was astonished to read the

following message from the Features

Editor at Good Housekeeping:

“ Thank you so much for entering the

Good Housekeeping 2012 Novel

competition. Our judges (a panel

including a literary agent, two publishers

and the writer Kate Mosse) met last

week and I am happy to tell you that,

while you didn’t make the top four, we

have singled out Diamond Edelweiss as

highly commended... We received over

7,000 entries so to have reached the

top 10 is no mean feat...”

So it seemed my story missed the slush

pile after all! In the May 2012 edition of

the magazine, while the winning entry was

given the double-page spread, there, in

small font on the bottom right of the page,

was the title of my work and my name in

print. A 250-word extract was published

on the magazine’s website. A source

of hope for me and other struggling

wordsmiths perhaps?

I’ve learned it’s better not to say too much

about your writing and to keep ideas to

yourself. Always have a pen and notebook

ready. Write regularly even when you think

you don’t have the time. Try not to think

that you’re writing a novel: you’re just

trying to connect one word to the next

until about 80,000 words make sense as

a whole.

F E AT U R E

The Write StuffWe have a budding author in our midst at BSB ANN KRONBERGS, one of our Secondary School English teachers, is penning a historical novel with a dramatic twist...

Newly widowed, Elisabeth looks back on her love affair with a German soldier in occupied France...“ I never told Sid when I married him that I had killed a man...”

Diamond Edelweiss by Ann Kronbergs


' Berlin ist immer eine Reise wert'

S C H O O L T R I P

HEIDI MacNAUGHTON, Head of German, reflects on over thirty years of BSB trips to Germany, during which time students have witnessed this fascinating country’s recent history.

BSB’s first visit to Berlin dates back to 1982

and undoubtedly this initial visit and those

until 1990 highlighted the “other” Berlin:

Berlin Hauptstadt der DDR, providing

students with a glimpse of life behind the

Iron Curtain. In the years following the

reunification and in our more recent visits,

it is with some nostalgia that we visit the

remnants of the wall, the East Side Gallery,

monuments and museums that stand as

reminders of its shady history, particularly

the unknown soviet secret prison for

dissidents the Hohenschönhausen. Once

there, we follow the outline of the wall as it

threads its way through the centre of Berlin.

In the 1980s while West Berlin was

to all intents and purposes an integral

part of the BRD (West Germany), it was

unequivocally located in the heart of the

DDR with an American check point (Alpha)

at Helmstedt. We would spend a tense

hour or two waiting while East German

and Soviet personnel carefully scrutinised

both the bus and us. It was always a relief

to hit checkpoint Beta and enter West


PAGE 50➜51

Berlin. On the transit road, the bus was

not allowed to stop for fear of picking up

any DDR citizens and a motor cycle track

ran parallel to the road the length of the

journey; an extra security measure by the

East German Volkspolizei.

Until the reunification of Germany we were

quite privileged visitors, with the BRD

subsidising our visit and assisting with the

programme which provided lectures and

visits and lunch in the Reichstag. Later,

this money was used for the Berlin Bear

Award and today it is still used towards

the annual Languages Award.

Of course, a visit to East Berlin – exciting in

its drabness - was a highlight of the week.

We had to change our currency in advance,

swapping the Deutsch Mark for the East

German equivalent, as well as declaring all

other currency and running the gauntlet of

close inspection of passports and faces

before making our way into the long

avenue of Unter den Linden. Everywhere

we went, we beheld the lack of colour and

traffic, the omnipresence of soldiers and

a general sense of depression behind the

appearance of order. Contact with East

Berliners was limited, but it was cheap

and easy to eat in the Palast der Republik

(the East German Parliament).

Today Unter den Linden is a vibrant,

colourful and modern avenue and students

probably no longer feel that much of the

Berlin trip is far removed from their own life

experiences. However, they continue to

gain an insight into this important aspect of

Germany’s past, as well as enjoying some

lighter activities such as a visit to the world

famous Berlin Zoo, shopping and a visit to

a German cinema. A Level students today

do much of their research for the Unit 4

Paper whilst in Berlin; IB students focus

more on different types of writing while in

Berlin, which is important for their Paper 2

examination. Year 10 students compile a

diary in German every evening, which is an

excellent opportunity to practise the past

tense and expressing opinions. With iPads

today, of course, filming and audio diaries

are sometimes the more popular option.

The Berlin trip is the longest running trip

at BSB and one can say “Berlin ist eine

Reise wert” (Berlin is worth a trip) as much

today as yesterday!

“ In the years following the reunification and in our more recent visits, it is with some nostalgia that we visit the remnants of the wall, the East Side Gallery, monuments and museums that stand as reminders of its shady history, particularly the unknown soviet secret prison for dissidents the Hohenschönhausen.”

“ Until the reunification of Germany we were quite privileged visitors, with the BRD subsidising our visit and assisting with the programme which provided lectures and visits and lunch in the Reichstag.”


B S B F I L M F E S T I V A L

Lights... Camera... ACTION!Forget Cannes, Sundance and Toronto; MARK ANDREWS is putting Brussels on the Film Festival map with the first ever BSB Film Festival on 3 October, 2013.

As part of this innovative celebration of

film at BSB, all 17 short films made at

the school since 2008 will be screened

to an invited audience and acclaimed jury

members. This gala occasion in October

will be the first time that they are viewed

together in public. However, cinema fans

will be pleased to know that they are also

all available to view via the BSB website.

All of the students’ offerings had already

been highly praised by the International

Baccalaureate and will go head to head

in competition against each other. There

will be the usual technical and acting

categories, with "Best Film" (or should that

be the "Swoosh D'Or"?) as the ultimate

accolade.

The Jury will be led by Professor Ginette

Vincendeau of King's College, London

and featured John Rowe, Head of Visual

Effects at the National Film and Television

School in the UK, amongst others. At the

time Tapestry went to press the winner

was not yet known.

"Hunter & Mason" (2010) trailer

This Is Not An Apple

BSB’s Film Festival Line-Up

"I Am Undefeated" (2008): Is boxing his

way out or just another cage? The fight

isn't just in the ring.

"Dead Man's Hand" (2008): Poker for

the highest stake of all. Even though he's

hit rock bottom, he still has something left

to lose.

"Sick Building Syndrome" (2008): White

collar crack-up by the Parc Cinquantenaire.

Is the workplace conspiring against this

stressed salaryman?

"Martha" (2009): Has his ex-wife hired

a private investigator? If she hasn't, then

who’s in that car?

"Nocebo" (2009): Don't ever tell the

director "It's sooo Fight Club." It's not

who you run from, it's who you turn to.

"8:03" (2009): Life is a circle on the mean

streets of Antwerp. Death is not the end.

"The Doll" (2009): Two sisters learn about

the meaning of family. And so does their

mother. But only two of them are alive.

"Trick or Treat" (2010): "Halloween"

played for laughs. And some scares.

Pumpkins, masks and a terrorised

babysitter - all present and correct.

"Hunter & Mason" (2010): Who is rich

and who is poor: the business woman or

the cleaner? And which one will survive

until dawn?

"Three of Nine" (2011): Lost soul seeks

a place to rest. Watch out for the kiss of

death. And roast chicken.

"This Is Not an Apple" (2011): Bitter-

sweet romantic comedy. Contains a

glorious, fully choreographed song and

dance routine, but could this still be more

bitter than sweet?

"I Love Your Eyes" (2012): Do not go

down to the woods today. A touch of gore

from the Sisters Grimm.

"Lilikoi" (2012): Can a mismatched father

and son close the gap between them?

Music, nature and the imagination are ways

to escape. And ways of coming home.

"Birthday Girl" (2012): When you wake up

in the woods with a hangover, what do you

expect to find at the end of a trail of balloons?

"A Sweet Little Thing Like Me" (2012):

Meet Liberty, an assassin on the rampage

against Time itself. Taxi Driver meets

Descartes.

"The Romeo Complex" (2013): Amanda

is looking for love. In all the wrong places.

With all the wrong "Hot Guys".

"New South Man" (2013): An allegory

about immigration and social acceptance

or a flirtatious tale of self-discovery? You

decide.

These films were made as part of the IB

Diploma in Film by students from the UK,

Belgium, Denmark, South Africa, Sweden,

Latvia, Estonia, France, Australia, Taiwan,

Mauritius, the Czech Republic and Japan.

Their influences were equally wide-ranging,

from Kafka, Dante and Magritte to Mean

Girls, Rocky and Marvin Gaye. There's

something for everyone, with a shot of film

noir, a splash of German Expressionism

and a dash of Surrealism. There is also lots

of love, a ukulele, donuts, togas and an

exorcism. Not all in the same film, I hasten

to add.

May the best film win!


PAGE 52➜53

Trick Or Treat (2010)

Nocebo (2009)

Three Of Nine (2011)

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Helen Sumner, Head of Textiles, launched

a very exciting project in September

2012: the Textiles and Year 2 Best of Both

Design project. She announced that we,

the Year 10 Textiles students, would be

working as designers with lower primary

students, and our work would culminate

in a fashion show attended by staff and

parents. We would be paired with Year 2

students, and have a set amount of time

to design and produce an outfit for each.

What is it they say about never working

with children or animals…? Well, we

certainly found the experience to be very

positive – from our viewpoint as budding

designers it was very useful, but it was

also simply a lot of fun!

Helen provided very clear guidelines for

the project so that it was as ‘real’ a design

experience for us as possible. The Year

2 boys and girls were our clients, and it

was our role to work with them to help

them envisage and then to create the

outfits they desired, rather than dictate

to them. These outfits had to be created

in a Steam Punk style, which means they

had to incorporate recycled products. Our

brief also required us to use denim and

Ghanaian fabric, to tie in with Best of Both

charity efforts which helps fund BSB’s

partner schools in Ghana.

The Year 2 students were very specific as

to what they wanted; in fact, there was

little room for persuasion! We had to be

realistic, however, and some of the more

adventurous ideas had to be reigned in

due to the limited time period we had to

produce the finished garments. For some

designs, details had to change during the

production process; yet each time the

Year 2 clients were consulted and involved

and the partnership between the two

Year Groups grew. The Year 2 students

loved visiting us in the Secondary Textiles

classroom; they enjoyed the ‘privilege’ of

walking around the Secondary School and

sharing their ideas with older students.

The production room was frequently filled

with the giggles and singing of the Year 2

students as they tried on their new clothes

and posed for the camera.

The most challenging part of the project

was overcoming the embarrassment

of having to parade in front of the adult

audience. To be honest, though, this

was more of an issue for the Year 10

students than for the Year 2s, some

of whom treated the catwalk like their

personal dance floor! We were all put to

shame by one young boy in particular:

he didn’t let the adults faze him at all and

threw outrageous dance moves at every

possible opportunity!

On the day everything went without a

hitch, with speedy outfit changes in the

corner and practised catwalk struts Naomi

Campbell would be proud of. The Year 2

students’ excitement was infectious, and

the booming music and the expectant

faces of the audience created a fantastic

atmosphere.

All in all, both groups of students had

tremendous fun. The parents loved seeing

their children enjoying themselves with the

older students, and there were plenty of

cameras and camcorders at the ready. The

experience helped bring Lower Primary

and Secondary School together - and,

best of all, it was all in the name of charity.


PAGE 54➜55www.brit ishschool.be

T E X T I L E S F A S H I O N S H O W

Role Models

The British School of Brussels’ charity, The Best of Both, received a boost this year with a collaboration between the Secondary Textiles Department and Year 2 Primary students. Student Sian tells Tapestry about the fashion-based project.

“ On the day everything went without a hitch, with speedy outfit changes in the corner and practised catwalk struts Naomi Campbell would be proud of.”

As part of BSB’s ongoing commitment to

raising awareness of and sharing different

cultural occasions and festivities, The

Early Learning & Development Centre

celebrated the Hindu festival of light,

Diwali, in November 2012. Kyra and her

mother wore their beautiful saris and

shared Diwali snacks. Gillian made chicken

tikka and vegetable curry to stimulate the

children’s senses and all enjoyed a range

of colourful activities, including making a

collage of an Indian lady in a sari, making

Diwali lights, cooking hand biscuits to

decorate with mehndi, dancing to Indian

music and making rangoli patterns.

The celebration of Diwali is just one of the

many cultural events that children have

enjoyed this year. The Early Learning &

Development Centre staff pride themselves

on the fact that they make parents and

children feel welcome, and this includes

speaking to them about important cultural

and religious festivals and other events

which they might be keen to share with

other children. “As we get to know the

parents, we start to talk about these

things,” says staff member Laura Maguire.

“They’re thrilled to realise that you want

to make the effort to celebrate a date

that has special significance for them. A

lot of the children have never lived in their

parents’ country of origin, so it’s a lovely

way to make sure they remain aware of

the importance of their background.”

And with around fifty children attending

BSB’s Early Learning & Development

Centre each year, there are always a host of

different events and festivals to learn about.

“We do all of the ‘usual’ festivals: Mothers’

Day, Fathers’ Day and St Valentine’s to

name a few,” explains Laura. “But before

Christmas, for example, we celebrated

the Swedish feast of St Lucia. A parent

brought in traditional bread and biscuits

and the children made their own advent

crowns to wear. For Chinese New Year, a

parent brought in a paper Chinese dragon

and the children were able to dance and

weave underneath it. We also made stir fry

with the children, which they loved!”

Of course, all of these craft and creative

activities benefit children in a number of

ways as well as helping them to become

aware of cultures other than their own. The

celebrations also help them learn language

through singing and story-telling, fine motor

skills and sensory awareness through

artistic work and confidence through

dance and other types of interaction. With

such a dedicated team, it’s clear that the

children are in good hands.


E A R LY L E A R N I N G & D E V E L O P M E N T C E N T R E ( K I N D E R C R I B )

Cultural Creativity

“ Parents are thrilled to realise that you want to make the effort to celebrate a date that has special significance for them. A lot of the children have never lived in their parents’ country of origin, so it’s a lovely way to make sure they remain aware of the importance of their background.”


PAGE 56➜57

C A M P U S

Vision of the futureBSB is about to embark on a building programme that will see the campus expanded and improved to create a learning environment fit for students of the 21st century.

The renovation and extension of the

School’s main building is the largest

single infrastructure project that BSB has

undertaken in its 44 year history. When

complete, the new building will form the

heart of the campus as well as becoming

the focal point for visitors to the School.

World class facilities

Works to be undertaken include the

construction of a new building which will

contain a brand new gym, sports hall,

swimming pool and offices. Existing rooms

will be rationalised throughout to form a

range of multi-purpose open spaces that

will provide teachers and students with

state-of-the-art learning facilities.

A first for an international school

in Belgium

The addition of a swimming pool will

provide the School with a world class

suite of health facilities. The six-lane, 25

m indoor pool is a first for an international

school in Belgium. It will sit alongside

the School’s new sports hall (1,450 m2),

gym (660 m2), fitness room and dance

studio. The new facilities will ensure that

the BSB’s students can develop both a

healthy mind and healthy body.

Flexibility and mobility have been key

considerations during the planning of

the new facilities. All areas of the new

building will be connected and can be

used for multiple purposes. Access will

be improved for all with the addition of

lifts that will connect all floors of the new

building. Ramps and wide corridors will

ensure access for students, staff and

visitors with decreased mobility.

Light and space

The new main entrance to the School will

be situated in this new building area. Walls

in this space will be constructed from

glass, ensuring that natural light can be

optimised. On the first level, there will be

views over the main entrance and into the

sports hall and swimming pool. Vehicle

access to the BSB campus will also be

improved as part of the rebuilding work.

A car park for 120 vehicles under the new

building will exist, and elevators will link

the car park to all floors of the building.

Work will commence in summer 2014 and

total construction time is expected to be

about 17 months.

To ensure that school life can continue

while the works progress some existing

structures on the campus will be

demolished. This includes the current

sports barn, which will be removed to

make more open space and provide a

visual connection with the forest behind

the School.

Eco-friendly options

Although details are still to be finalised, the

architects are exploring a range of green

options for the new building. Rainwater

will be collected and reused for sanitation

and alternative heating systems will be

analysed.

To reduce power usage, all technical areas

of the building have been designed so

that they can be shut down independently

of each other. In this way, a section of the

building can be utilised (for example, the


“ The addition of a swimming pool will provide the School with a world class suite of health facilities. The six-lane, 25 m indoor pool is a first for an international school in Belgium.”

“ The new facilities will ensure that the BSB’s students can develop both a healthy mind and healthy body.”


PAGE 58➜59

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“ Flexibility and mobility have been key considerations during the planning of the new facilities... Ramps and wide corridors will ensure access for students, staff and visitors with decreased mobility.”

“ The result is sure to inspire a new generation of open-minded, outward-looking and healthy young people.”

sports hall at night) while other parts of the building are ‘closed

off’ to conserve energy. Double-glazing and insulation will also be

installed throughout to minimise heat loss during winter.

A new standard in educational facilities

An extensive consultation process has been carried out with the

people who will utilise the different spaces in the new building.

Known as the ‘soft landing’ approach, the aim is to ensure that

the new facility will meet the needs of the students and staff and

that any issues are ironed-out before construction begins. BSB

has also developed a ten-year plan for the management and

maintenance of the new facility. This will ensure that the world

class building is maintained to the highest standards.

Once it is completed, the building will set a new standard in

educational facilities. The result is sure to inspire a new generation

of open-minded, outward-looking and healthy young people.


L E A R N I N G

BTEC @ BSBPersonalised learning is at the heart of The British School of Brussels’ ethos. We regularly scrutinise our curriculum and tailor it to best fit the needs of our learners. The recent introduction of a number of BTEC courses in Years 10-13 perfectly exemplifies this endeavour to teach to individual strengths. WILL BOHANNA, Head of Economics and Business Studies, tells Tapestry more about the benefits of these new courses.

Learning by Doing

We pride ourselves on having a course for

everyone. We absolutely recognise that

different learners have different learning

needs, and therefore two years ago

the Economics and Business Studies

department introduced a new course

which places emphasis on ‘Learning by

doing’: namely, BTEC National Business.

This course allows students a coursework

approach to a Post-16 Business

qualification. However, to suggest that this is

merely a coursework qualification would be

doing a huge disservice to BTEC National

Business. This course actively encourages

students to learn in an interactive way:

through investigation of business issues,

practical business situations and work place

simulations. The current cohort of students

has studied modules including Market

Research, Business Accounting, Creative

Product Promotion and Event Management.

In all of these units, the focus has been an

investigative approach based on business

practice or, in other words, ‘learning by

doing’; so much so our first Year 13 group

organised, promoted and managed a charity

dinner dance which raised over 4,000 euros

for the BSB charity Best of Both.

At the end of the 2012-2013 academic

year, we saw the first cohort of students

graduating with a BTEC National Business

Diploma. We are, of course, extremely

proud of the success of this trail-blazing

group. We can now say that, in addition

to the options of an IB and A Level route,

we now offer a vocational route which

comprises BTEC Double Award Business,

BTEC Single Award Business and new

for September 2013 BTEC Single Award

Hospitality which will be run by the Food

Technology Department. A common

misconception is that these courses are

not a route to a university education,

whereas in fact these courses carry the

same equivalent UCAS points as their

IB and A Level counter-parts. The BTEC

qualification is also highly regarded by

employers because it provides learners

with the opportunity to develop a range of

practical skills and techniques, personal

skills and attributes essential for successful

performance in working life. Given the

runaway success of BTEC in Years 12 and

13, we have also decided to extend the

BTEC provision to years 10 and 11 and

are offering a BTEC Business qualification

to Year 10 from September 2013.

From the perspective of staff, parents and

most importantly students, BTEC @ BSB

has been a resounding success and I am

sure with the continued dedicated work of

the teachers it will continue as such. In the

words of one of our graduating Year 13

students:

“ I have loved BTEC Business. I have learned so much and the assessments have allowed me to be successful because it is the way I work best...”

George Davies 2013


PAGE 60➜61

The programme will be taught by Head of

Food & Nutrition, Frances Hyde-Tetley, and

coincides neatly with the opening of new

facilities that will allow students to learn in

a state-of-the-art cooking environment; a

“home from home,” as Frances calls it.

And she should know. Frances was

instrumental in the design and installation

of the new facilities which opened in

November 2012 from initial conception

to realisation. For the six month period

beforehand, Frances “lived and breathed

kitchen planning.” She had a clear vision

for the new professional-standard suite

of food technology rooms and didn’t rest

until it was delivered.

BSB employed a local kitchen company

to give life to the designs, with the BSB

maintenance team working tirelessly

too. And the results are, quite simply,

stunning. The department now has floor

to ceiling store cupboards with sliding

doors, stylish granite worktops, overhead

spot lights creating a calm and relaxed

working atmosphere, the very latest

induction hobs and steam ovens and, of

course, large industrial fridges for storing

students’ work until they take their supper

home at the end of the day!

The kitchens, named after celebrity chefs

Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver, not only

have the ‘wow’ factor but also provide

a world-class teaching environment for

16 students in each room. The obvious

beneficiaries are clearly BSB students,

but even the teachers have got in on the

action; members of staff from all over

the School have signed up for cooking

lessons after school hours! “We are so

proud of these fabulous facilities,” said

Frances.

“This is a very exciting opportunity for all

students, but especially for those who

choose to continue their further education

at chef schools,” said Sue Woodroofe.

She added that all students now have the

opportunity to learn how to cook healthy

meals on a limited budget: “a great life skill

for university and beyond.”

C A M P U S

Ready, Steady, Cook!As part of BSB’s expanding range of educational programmes, this coming year sees the start of the BTEC in Hospitality for the Post-16 students.

“ All students now have the opportunity to learn how to cook healthy meals on a limited budget: a great life skill for university and beyond.”


A D M I S S I O N S

Family Focus(ed)Admissions Officer DEBORAH LOCHTMAN is a story-teller. And, after spending sixteen years at The British School of Brussels, she has many stories to tell. Debbie has met, quite literally, hundreds of families from across the world, including Japan, USA, Iceland and Africa. “That’s my favourite part of the job, meeting the families because no family is ever the same,” Debbie enthuses.

Her warm smile and love of socialising

comes in handy. Debbie is quick to tell

you she loves her job as Admissions

Officer, especially when she is able to help

a family join the extensive BSB family. “It

gives me a lot of satisfaction to know I’ve

shown them around the School, they’ve

had all their questions and concerns

answered and then chosen us.” Every

tour is different and each comes with its

own story.

In the many years Debbie has been giving

tours to prospective families, she has

encountered some interesting requests.

One tour, she recalls, a smile on her

face, began as normal. Five minutes in,

she noticed the young child was paying

little attention. When asked if there was

anything he wanted to see, he replied

“Can I see the cafeteria where I have my

lunch? Lunch is what I’m really interested

in.” So that’s what they did. Debbie

bought him lunch and it was decided.

The young boy informed his parents of

his wish to attend BSB. “You need to be

flexible with visiting families,” says Debbie.

“Sometimes visitors have travelled for

hours to arrive and might have visited 3

other schools before us.“

Once a parent brought a video camera

on the tour, as his partner was unable to

attend. Debbie received a call shortly after

from the father who explained that he had

an hour’s worth of footage of the floors of

BSB. “He’d set the video camera wrongly

and had videoed the carpets!” she recalls

with a laugh. “We promptly arranged

another tour, of course!”

Debbie focuses on the personal touch

and no one tour is the same. Families

compare many schools and choose the

one which suits their needs the best.

“With over 70 nationalities and a range

of technical courses to choose from, it’s

very easy to fall in love with BSB,” says

Debbie, speaking as a past BSB parent

herself.

But the Admissions Office isn’t just about

recruitment; it’s also a support system, a

relocation agency and being friendship

facilitators. The Admissions Office is

the primary contact for new families,

bringing new challenges each new term.

For Debbie, it’s important to remember

coming to BSB is just as much about the

parents as the children. Familiar faces

and friends help make the transition to

“The Admissions Office isn’t just about recruitment; it’s also

a support system, a relocation agency

and being friendship facilitators.”


PAGE 62➜63

Belgium easier and Debbie can empathise having grown up in a

military family herself.

Debbie has always worked in schools, beginning her career in an

international school in The Netherlands. There, she met her first

linguistic challenge: a German boss who spoke no English. But she

says the linguistic difference wasn't a huge issue for Debbie, who

jokes, “I could do all the work because he couldn’t check it!” From

there, she came to Belgium. All of her work at international schools

has confirmed the importance of languages. Debbie, who is fluent in

Dutch and English, and speaks conversational French, has picked up

more than her fair share of languages. Korean is the next language

Debbie hopes to learn in light of the increased number of Korean

families joining the School. “And Japanese too, if I have the time!”

Debbie’s life at BSB is busy, but this doesn’t stop her from

continuing her busy schedule and passion for travel. This summer,

she went on a road trip with her family from Las Vegas to the

California coast and San Francisco. Her passion, both in her

professional and personal life, is infectious. It is safe to say that

BSB is in good hands while Debbie is around.

Families join in the fun at BSB's Music Concert


Starting a new school is as exciting and

intriguing for a headteacher as it is for

a new student. In some ways, I know a

good deal about BSB already. I have a

long association with the School from

my years at the British School of the

Netherlands and I have been working

here since January 2012 for sixteen days

in five blocks of time on release from

my previous school: planning, learning

about procedures, analysing how well the

School is doing, appointing new staff and

working with existing colleagues.

Yet there is much I do not know and so part

of the excitement will revolve around getting

to know the School in depth and the people

who make it special as well as understanding

what makes it unique. In short, I have to learn

and absorb a whole culture! What I do know

is this: BSB is an astonishingly impressive

and remarkable School.

Speaking of culture, I look forward to living

in a country which has been a second home

to me for many years. My wife is Flemish

and my children are bilingual and enjoy dual

nationality. Having lived and worked in five

countries, we understand the importance

of community in an international school

and we can empathise with the difficulties

that some children and their families face in

moving schools and countries.

I am tremendously excited about starting

at BSB and I look forward to working

positively and productively with the whole

community in the years to come.

Gary Minnitt

Vice Principal and Head of Secondary School

And so I begin this piece, perhaps seemingly

incongruously, with some reflections. I’m

sure that many of you will be currently

engaged in the process of reflection as you

look back on the academic year of 2012-

13 and celebrate your child’s progress and

achievements.

This year, mine and my family’s first

in Belgium, held many challenges.

However, although we have made it to

the end of the year relatively unscathed –

and for that we owe our thanks to the

School’s staff members for their expertise

and commitment, as well as to the

parents for their advice and support - we

have certainly been changed, in the most

positive of ways.

My personal highlight? Getting to know

the children, of course. Their infectious

enthusiasm, their international outlook

and their love of learning has made every

day feel like a privilege. Sometimes, I

admit, I get a little carried away, so if I have

on occasion laughed too loudly, cheered

too vigorously or been overcome with

emotion too easily, I do apologise - and

I have promised to pay for any repairs to

the Reception tricycle after the infamous

‘Bike Day incident’. A special apology is

probably due to my own children; I can

only imagine the embarrassment a 10

and 13 year old feel seeing their mother in

the guise of Captain Underpants wearing

a giant pair of Y-fronts for Book Week.

However, I can’t promise to ‘do better’

next year; sadly, I know myself too well!

And now, a glance to the future. In all

seriousness, I look forward to many

more action-packed years as part of this

wonderfully vibrant School community.

I hope that together we can continue to

live up to the School mission statement of

learning together and inspiring success in

all our children.

Pauline Markey

Vice Principal and Head of Primary School

U P D AT E

A Look to the Future...


PAGE 64➜65

E X A M I N AT I O N S

BSB Results' Summary2013 once again saw some outstanding results in its three pre-university qualifications, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, A Levels and BTEC. 48% of students passing the IB Diploma were awarded the Bilingual Diploma, confirming the success and strength of languages at the School. Well done to all our leavers, we are so very proud of you. The year saw excellent results in Primary School as well as in other exams in Music and Drama.

“ 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 with 24 points or more

at IB Diploma

Students who

achieved a

distinction in

BTEC Business

Students who achieved A*-C grades

at A Level

Average IB Diploma

pass rate last 5 yearsStudents who achieved a merit grade

or higher as their final summative grade

in BTEC business

Of all A Level grades

came in at A* or A

Students going to the prestigious

Russell group universities

Students going to their first choice

university

Obtaining 40 points or more

in IB Diploma

(against a worldwide average in 2012 of 6.6%)

Students obtaining bilingual

IB DiplomaRock School and ABRSM

examinations were also excellent

with 96% and 97% pass rates.

LAMDA examination results were

excellent. From 48 exams taken,

4 Passes, 22 Merits and 22 Distinctions.

In 2013 in Primary School, 100%

of children in Year 6 achieved Level 4

and above in Mathematics

Percentage of students taking

IB Diploma with 30 points or more

Students who achieved an A* grade

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 ° 3 I 2 0 1 3

Thank you to all our contributorsPublisher: Sue WoodroofeEditors: Kim Burgess I Laura McDonagh

Beth Thomas who designed our front cover

C O M P E T I T I O N

Primary SchoolThis year the European Patent Office are

celebrating 40 years of the European Patent

Convention. As part of their celebrations

they invited students from BSB's Primary

School to enter a poster competition to

show which European invention is most

important to them. We would like to

congratulate Brona Lee and Lina Sataar

for being 'highly recommended' as finalists

from the 3000 entrants from 110 schools

throughout Europe. Their Posters will be

on display at a special 40th anniversary

exhibition in Munich this October.

BERNIE MILLAR, BSB's Primary Art Specialist sent Tapestry this message.

Brona Lee Lina Sataar

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