International Arts Festival 2018

Every year at the International section we celebrate the beauty and arts of all cultures. This year was no different with the International Arts Festival, filled with international traditions, arts, songs and foods from around the world.
Hosted by the ever energetic Federico and Shannon, we celebrated the diverse communities of our school within the newly built, wonderfully decorated Cohen Hall. The gathered audience, host parents, Principal, Deputy Principal and teachers of the school enjoyed numerous performances, along with intervals to indulge in the wonderful international recipes crafted by each house group, and cooked by Sue and her catering team. Points were awarded for all performers with our judges selecting a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for each performance. Well done to Cooper House for winning with 335 points and a special congratulations to Walter who was awarded with two first place entries! Morris House followed with 197 points, with Austin closely behind at 178 points.

Ivan, International Section student

Ivan, currently in Year 11 at the International Section, entered the ‘Under 17’ category at the British Youth Weightlifting Championship this year.
Through sheer determination and willpower, fighting through his illness at the time, Ivan was able to win a Silver Medal in the competition.

Training three times a week whilst conducting his role as a House Captain, he is well on the way to achieving his dream to compete in the 2024 Olympics.
Ivan is thrilled about his achievement and had this to say:
“Firstly, I would like to say that British Youth U17 Competition was an exciting event for me, I thoroughly enjoyed and gained very useful experiences from there. I would like to say a big thanks to both of my coaches, because if not for them, I would not have made it this far. I am very happy with my results from the competition, I won the Silver Medal with the sum of 171kg in two movements (76 snatch, 95 clean and jerk).
In our team of three I felt our sense of teamwork was very strong. We all supported each other intensively, so this is the reason, I believe, we did so well.
For the future, I think I need to make sure I stabilise my training routine and go to the sessions regularly in the next season. Also, the site of the competition was beautiful and well decorated which added to the experience. I liked the atmosphere and the people, especially the Scots who supported their athletes with flags and great enthusiastic shouts!!!”

Well done, Ivan for this very impressive achievement!

Inter-house competitions are part of the International Section traditions. Upon entering our school, each student is assigned into one of the three houses of the school: Austin, Cooper and Morris.

There are plenty of opportunities for House points each term, with weekly house competitions and activities.

Last term, Austin, Cooper and Morris houses went head to head in a Mario Kart Wii tournament.
House points were awarded to the top places, all going towards the end of term house prize.

In March we had a dedicated “Healthy Lifestyle Week” during which we promoted healthy eating and sports with various daily activities/challenges. This week was also connected to Sports Relief week! Our Pastoral Guide and teachers supported the healthy lifestyle week by doing exercises with the students every morning in the school’s garden.

At the end of February, our International Section students had a brilliant time celebrating the Chinese New Year with dance, martial arts and acrobatic displays at the Oxford Playhouse.

They even had the opportunity to go on stage with the performers!

In March, chess heads among us took part in an in-house chess tournament. Safe to say we had lots of intense moments and focused students!
International Section students practise their chess skills with Sixth Form students every week during their Chess Club.

As we go down memory lane, we look back at some of the activities and adventures our students have enjoyed this academic year.
At the beginning of the year our International Section students had a Humanities educational trip to Britain’s only surviving 19th-century operating theatre – the Old Operating Theatre Museum in Oxford.

The students found the presentation and the museum fascinating!

What have our International Section students been up to this academic year?
Apart from preparing our students to develop excellent academic skills, we always make sure they get to experience British culture.

We believe the best way to experience the United Kingdom is through visits and trips, and this is why we have a very busy schedule of trips and activities all throughout the year.

Have a look at some of the photos from their latest trip to London!

During this trip, Han, one of our International Section students, took advantage of each moment to pursuit his passion for photography. We hope you enjoy his photos as much as we do!