The Qatar Shirburnian Issue 1

THE QATAR SHIRBURNIAN 2017
The Qatar
Shirburnian
2016-2017

Respect, Honesty, Kindness, Perseverance,
Responsibility and Teamwork
Our Values
Well-educated, well-rounded individuals who have high
aspirations and achieve their potential,
in a happy and nurturing school.
Our Mission

Contents
OUR HISTORY. ...................... 4-5
FROM THE PRINCIPAL. ................. 6
SUMMARY OF THE YEAR .......... 8-9
REFLECTIONS....................10-16
FUTURE SENIORS .................... 17
SCHOOL LEADERS ................... 18
YEAR GROUP PHOTOS. ..........21-33
ACADEMIC – REVIEW ................ 35
SUBJECT ARTICLES. ..............36-65
SHERBORNE EXCHANGE.........66-69
THE HOUSES. ....................71-77
EVENTS.............................. 80
1ST DAY OF SCHOOL............... 81
GREEN DAY......................... 81
QATAR NATIONAL DAY. ............ 82
SCIENCE WEEK..................... 83
SPORTS DAY........................ 84
BOOK WEEK........................ 85
YEAR 11 DESERT SAFARI. . . . . . . . . . . . .86
YEAR 13 LEAVERS’ DINNER.......... 86
MEDICAL FORUM................... 87
LITTLE PRINCESS TRUST
HAIR DONATION ................... 88
MIA AMBASSADOR’S PROGRAMME... 89
WORK EXPERIENCE..............90-91
TRIPS.............................94-97
DRAMA PRODUCTIONS........ 98-103
MUSIC RECITAL.............. 104-105
ENRICHMENT................ 107-113
THE ENRICHMENT TEAMS ... 114-115
SPORT SUMMARY............ 116-122
THE CHAMPIONS ............ 122-125
TEAM PHOTOS............... 127-141
YEAR 13 – OUR JOURNEY..... 142-143
FROM THE BURSAR. .................144
WITH THANKS
THE QATAR SHIRBURNIAN WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE OUTSTANDING CREATIVITY AND HARD WORK OF MANY PEOPLE
IN THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO ALL PUPILS AND STAFF WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS EDITION.
BOOK DESIGNED & PRODUCED BY SHERBORNE QATAR MARKETING.
PRINTED BY ASPIRE PRINTERS, QATAR. – © SHERBORNE QATAR 2017
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Our History
Sherborne School is an independent boys’ boarding school re-founded in 1550 under a royal
charter granted by King Edward VI. It has grown into a modern school of nearly 600 pupils
and about 100 teaching staff. Surrounded by the bustling market town, the school attracts
pupils from across the world. Shirburnians follow a diverse range of careers at the highest
levels and include diplomats, bishops, politicians, journalists, actors, poets, and musicians.
Sherborne Preparatory School is an independent co-educational school for children aged
3-13 years. The school has a long and distinguished history and an enviable academic reputation as a
feeder to many of England’s leading independent schools.
Sherborne Qatar was founded in 2009 and is a joint venture between Sherborne School and Sheikh
Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Thani. Members of the Qatari royal family such as the Emir, HH Sheikh Tamim
bin Hamad Al Thani, have attended Sherborne and Sheikh Abdullah and his wife Sheikha Amal have
sent some of their sons there too.
Sheikh Abdulla was keen that Sherborne should join him in a partnership to bring to Qatar education
opportunities and values that he had seen and liked at Sherborne. He says: “Ahmed our oldest son was
transformed by Sherborne. The school’s approach helped him to discover different talents in himself
and he was greatly nourished by the experience. We are extremely grateful for what a Sherborne
education has given him. Sherborne has history, culture, discipline and a willingness to transform a
child. That is what it did for our child and that is what we want to give to Qatar. We need to bring a more
structured educational experience to our country. Qatar needs Sherborne’s culture, experience and
tradition.”
Sherborne Qatar is a founding member of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Outstanding
Schools Initiative and is overseen by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Private Schools
Office. Sherborne Qatar is a self-financed, not-for-profit school with its own Board of Governors,
of which Sherborne School has half of the appointed membership. Its ethos, brand and educational
standards are overseen by and aligned to Sherborne School.
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Photo courtesy of M. Weston

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From the Principal
Nick Prowse MEd FRSA
“I encourage you to surround yourself with people who challenge you, teach you and push you to be your
best self”. This quotation was written by Bill Gates in an open letter to graduates around the world. To
the pupils graduating from Sherborne Qatar at the end of this year I hope you find this a useful piece
of advice but I also hope you feel that you are leaving a school that has provided you with a challenge, that
taught you well, pushed you and gave you the confidence to be the very best of yourself.
Looking at this wonderful edition of the Qatar Shirburnian, I am struck by the huge variety of events
and activities our pupils have the opportunity to be involved in. I hope all of the leavers took advantage
of these opportunities and depart with a sense of pride in what they contributed as an individual to the
whole school community.
One of the original aims when Sherborne Qatar was established in September 2009 was to educate the
future leaders of the country, and here I mean leaders in their chosen profession, whether it is medicine,
architecture, finance, business or even education. Future leaders need to be responsible; they need to
respect and understand all of the people around them, whatever their culture, religion or background.
International schools, such as Sherborne Qatar, with its 50+ countries represented within their pupil body,
are an ideal starting point in teaching young adults the importance of respect, teamwork, responsibility
and kindness, just four of the school’s values but all vital attributes for successful leaders.
Bill Gates’ quotation was aimed at pupils leaving schools or colleges but I feel it is just as relevant to the
pupils who will be returning to Sherborne in Sept 2017. You should want to push yourself, to challenge
yourself and as I believe all children not only want to learn, they need to learn and I hope it follows that all
children want to be taught. Sherborne Qatar gives you all the opportunity to be challenged, to be taught
and to push yourself in all aspects of your development, academic, social, the arts and physical. I trust the
following pages will encourage you all to take on these challenges, to be proud of your successes. Never
be put off by failure but persevere until you achieve your goal.
In September 2016 I gave a presentation to the whole staff and I quoted an article written by Tony Little,
the former Headmaster of Eton, where he challenged the idea of excellence: “why should we be afraid
or even embarrassed to strive for excellence or to say we are excellent at something.” In society today
we celebrate excellence, the greatest footballer, or the best actor or a bestselling novelist; yet at school
pupils are often too embarrassed to say they are the best, the best mathematician or the best singer. I
understand pupils might not think it is ‘cool’ to be academic; perhaps they fear peer pressure to conform
to the norm, but this cannot be right, and I truly hope that all pupils at Sherborne Qatar will feel they can
celebrate their successes and be proud of their achievements, in whatever area of school life they are
awarded.
Finally, I encourage all pupils, wherever you are on your educational journey, to read this and be inspired to
be your “best self”.
Nick Prowse
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Three Countries
The first country is the land of Solidarity,
of Beauty, and battles and natural rarity.
Where the crowned eagle spreads its wings,
where the sound of sirens still rings,
over a History of red and white,
still glowing against all spite.
Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski,
z ziemi Włoskiej do Polski.
The second is the land of Dignity,
of poppies and lions and afternoon tea.
Where the scent of Valour clings to an old oak,
where Robin Hood’s identity hides beneath a cloak,
over lands filled with roses of red and
white,
London dances in the moonlight.
Poppies grow in Flanders Field,
their remembrance forming the
national shield.
The third is quite a Surprise,
a city of Development, and sand and
Enterprise.
Where golden stardust and deserts
rule,
where summer days are hotter than
flamed red jewels,
over a sea paced by blue waves,
and beneath lanterns and lamps,
flicker flames.
A mixture of old and new,
strange how my affection grew.
Emily Jane Cross (Year 10)
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Summary of the
Written by Stephen Spicer
Each year is special in the life of a school and the aim of the Qatar
Shirburnian is to celebrate our achievements and to provide a
memento which we can all fondly look back on. This is hopefully
the first of many Qatar Shirburnian’s and I am confident that it will be
well-received by the school community.
Sherborne Qatar is a young school, but we are a good school. We are
ambitious and determined to provide the very best opportunities
for our pupils; we strongly believe, as Benjamin Franklin once said,
“If Better is possible, Good is not enough”. There is no place for
complacency in education; every child deserves the best that we can
possibly give. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the
committed and caring staff at the school, and to express my gratitude
to all the parents for their continuing support. It is when schools and
families respect each other and work closely together that children are
given the best platform for academic success and happiness.
Our mission is to cultivate: “Well educated, well rounded individuals
who have high aspirations and achieve their potential, in a happy and
nurturing school.” We are proud of our pupils’ academic achievements,
but we are also proud of our pupils’ many other outstanding
achievements in areas such as sport, debating, IA awards, drama
and music. An education is so much more than just achieving good
examination results. The pages of this Qatar Shirburnian are filled with
so many memories and images of happy and successful times spent at
Sherborne Qatar. It would be unfair to single out a handful of examples
from the many successes. Looking back over the 2016/7 academic year,
there have been so many times when our pupils have shone so brightly;
I have been truly humbled by the achievements of our pupils.
We must measure ourselves against the core values of the school:
Honesty, Kindness, Perseverance, Respect, Responsibility and
Teamwork. Thank you to all those pupils that continue to do everything
they can to follow these values. To achieve our mission we must all have
these values and the heart of what we do. This year one of our priorities
has been to embed these values in the Senior School and this will
remain our focus next academic year. Our pupils are caring, enthusiastic
and engaged in the world around them. We want to give them more
opportunities to help those less fortunate and one way this will be
realised is through our commitment to supporting the United World
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Year
Schools (an EAC Implementing Partner) charity from September. We are
hopeful that this will provide opportunities for service as well as charity.
We want our pupils to develop and explore a wide range of interests,
which is why we value our enrichment programme and encourage our
pupils to embrace the opportunities on offer. We aim to continue to
expand our enrichment programme and we hope that the re-organised
school day from September 2017 will help pupils take full advantage of
the activities provided.
As is the nature of international schools, we say goodbye to a number
of staff and pupils at the end of the year. The Year 13s have seen many
changes in the school and have faced many challenges. We wish our
Year 13s every health, happiness and success in the future and it is
great to hear of the myriad of university courses that they shortly be
embarking upon at excellent universities around the world. The number
of teachers leaving us this year is relatively few, but they will leave a
void in the school. Each of the departing teachers has made a massive
contribution to the school and we will really miss them. Change is
however a part of life and I am delighted to say that we have recruited
some excellent colleagues for September and I am confident that they
will play an equally crucial role as we move on to the next stage of our
journey.
Finally, on a personal note, as my first year as Headmaster of Sherborne
Qatar comes to a close I want to thank everyone from the Sherborne
Qatar community for their support. It has been an incredible, and
incredibly busy, year but it has been a privilege to be able to work with
such wonderful pupils.
Stephen Spicer
Headmaster
9

Reflections
My transition from Year 6 to Year 7
When I went from Year 5 to 6 I felt
amazing! I knew I would be top of the
school and it would be my last year in
primary school, but time quickly moved on and I
found that I was on my way to secondary school.
Adults tell you ‘You’ll be fine; it’s almost the same
as primary school’ but deep down I felt as if it
would be completely different to primary school
– I was going to come from being top in school
to being at the bottom. How different could it
be? These thoughts came to my mind and made
me as nervous as ever: How will I keep up with
all my homework? Will I get lost looking for my
classes? And the most nerve-wracking of all, will
I be teased? These thoughts, being absolutely
ridiculous, can’t be helped, regardless how
confident I may be. However, on the fateful day of
my transition from Year 6 to 7, I learnt something
that helped me feel much better: I wasn’t alone!
There were people my age, with the exact same
look of nervousness on their faces as mine!
Now I’m more than halfway through my first year
of high school and I couldn’t be happier but I learnt
a few things: When you see those films with those
kids in their first year of high school where they
get their heads dunked down the toilet, they are
completely exaggerated and aren’t true! Nothing
is as bad as you think it will be; it might even be
better!
Here’s a top tip: Enjoy your time in Year 7 because
it won’t last forever!
Aliyah Muhammed (Year 7)
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Reflections
Year 8 has personally been a very interesting
year for me. Every year holds new
opportunities, and the ones I was given
this year never disappointed, and the new friends
I made always managed to make my worst days
better, which brings us on to the next subject.
Our six Sherburnian values are kindness,
honesty, teamwork, perseverance, respect
and responsibility. I think Year 8 as a whole has
demonstrated every one of these values, for
example, when Hamad House
performed a short play about
kindness. Not only did this teach
us the value of kindness, but also
showed how much teamwork Hamad
had put into the play to make it
work. Another time our year group
showed teamwork skills was when
all the English groups came together
to perform different scenes from A
Midsummer Night’s Dream. Every
single actor and actress took on their
roles responsibly and the outcome of
the play was brilliant.
Speaking of responsibility, at the
start of the new year, Mrs. Hamlin
gave Year 8 a gift, of which was the sponsoring of a
5 year old Bangladeshi girl called Tania. Mrs. Hamlin
had donated a sum of money to a charity on behalf
of Year 8, which meant the young girl could have
an education without her parents worrying if they
would have enough food for the next day. Tania
has been doing very well in her classes, and thanks
to Mrs. Hamlin’s generous donation, will be able to
get a good education and be able to provide better
for her family than she could without her studies.
Year 8 have been keeping in contact with Tania
and her teachers, checking up on her progress and
sending our support through email. I personally
think it’s very important to help those who are less
fortunate than us in whatever way possible. There
are millions of children like Tania, and millions of
families struggling to put food on the table. I feel
it’s our responsibility to help them, and give them
and their children a better future. It’s the least we
can do. The privileged should always do their best
to help the underprivileged.
A few weeks ago, an assembly was delivered by
Mrs. Hamlin about the little things we can do
to improve our lives at school and at home. She
challenged us with reflecting back on the year
and with the help of our tutors we were able to
evaluate what we could be better at, and to write
it down in a one percent gain wheel the things we
believed we could do to achieve that.
We are learning to set small targets
and with these small steps, and the
encouragement of our tutor, we would
like to make a difference to ourselves
and to the people around us.
Sherborne focuses largely on sport,
and Year 8 did quite well, coming
4th overall, and the girls coming 2nd
in football, 3rd in netball and 5th in
athletics. The boys also came 3rd in
Netball. It was a very good trip, with
some pupils saying it was ‘‘the best
sports trip I’ve ever been on’’. Sports
overall has been very good this year for
Sherborne.
Other events, such as trips, have helped add the
fun and humour into this year. In October, we had
the trip to New York, where myself, Laura Cadenas,
Nadeen Khalil, Amy Hamilton and Lisa Shweiderman
were on. It was an incredible experience. Another
trip, this time in January, was the ski trip. Myself,
Guy Kitson and Hamish Morrison were all able to
go. There have been other trips, such as the drama
trip for Year 8 to see “Into The Woods” at ASD.
Another trip includes the MUN (Model United
Nations) trip where a group of children went to
Dubai to speak in the MUN conference. The Year 8
Executive Committee included Amanah Badurdeen,
Aaron Swindell and Sahar Ali.
It has been a great year, and I hope next year is
even better!
Abigail Smith (Year 8)
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Reflections
I
found Year 9 to be one big rollercoaster ride. It is the
year where Key Stage 3 ends, but that is not something
to be worried about. In fact, it’s something to be proud
of, since you are finally given some freedom over what you
want to study and become in the future, because it’s when
you choose your options for your GCSEs. It’s also the year
where you ask yourself do I want to make a living from doing
sports, caring for patients, or building a spaceship? That is
why it’s important to choose wisely.
This year has been amazing for Year 9. With pupils taking
part in a range of activities, everyone had something to do.
For example, the geography trip to the Corniche, Sheraton
Park, and The Pearl. The sports teams have shown dedication
and commitment in sports like volleyball, football, netball
and rugby and despite not winning every competition, skills
like teamwork and communication were built.This was also
my first year in the school production - The 39 Steps, a thriller
with a daring hero, beautiful heroines, underwear salesmen
and a dastardly villain. I was given the role of the protagonist,
which I thoroughly enjoyed and received great comments.
Adithya Jaganthan (Year 9)
Many pupils have taken part in debating and it was a
wonderful relief to find out that Sherborne came
first in the Junior debate league which includes
pupils from Year 8 and 9. Also, The Princess Trust came to
Sherborne at the beginning of May, and many girls donated
their hair to create wigs for young children stricken by illness.
It was outstanding to see how so many girls in Year 9 were
willing to give. A lot of pupils in Year 9 have received bronze
awards and better for their achievement in gaining merits.
However, 10 pupils were rewarded for having the most
merits out of the whole year with a trip to the Cheesecake
Factory for lunch. All in all, this year really has been amazing,
despite having its ups and downs, and we all hope that Year
10 will be just as good and perhaps even better!
Now it’s time to prepare for bigger challenges yet to come.
Oluwafolawemi Moyosoreoluwa Olowu (Year 9)
12

Reflections
Starting our GCSEs has been a daunting task, yet
full of memorable experiences that we can all
enjoy. Year 10 has ploughed through this year with
full effort, completing essays and tests that have been
thrown at us. Some of the pupils took time out of their
weekends to complete their ‘Bronze’ achievement for
the Duke of Edinburgh Award, which involved many
hours of hiking through sand and rocks. Of course, this
proved difficult for some of us, but it was extremely
rewarding to complete our journey.
For those of us who are studying geography, a trip was
organised to the Souq which involved many interestingbut
slightly awkward- encounters with tourists and
locals alike, who seemed fairly willing to fill out our
surveys. We spent time counting people, drawing maps,
and drinking karak during our breaks, which was a tasty
addition to our trip.
Work experience was also a large event for us all
this year, as we spent a week out in the ‘real world’
encountering situations that were completely different
to our life in school. Whether you worked for a
construction company or a doctor, I think most of
us can agree that it was extremely beneficial for our
understanding of what we are to expect after finishing
our education.
Being in Year 10 is a big responsibility, it’s not just about
focusing on doing your best in classrooms and tests,
but about encouraging ourselves to build up our CVs
by participating in extracurricular activities, such as
volunteering and practicing our own hobbies at home
or in clubs. As we get older we have to develop our
social skills and learn not just the subjects in school, but
also about the world around us, which helps us create
our own personality. It just simply makes us unique, and
sets us apart from the crowd.
By Aisha Al Hajri and Emma Skelhorn (Year 10)
13

Reflections
Year 11 is such a huge change from Year
10… it soon dawns on you that this is the
year that you have worked so hard for all
your life! It’s hectic, frightening and even scary
but you have to step up to the challenge and
produce the best you can. You know your future
depends on doing well so there is an added
pressure on doing well; it helps in focusing the
mind, being sharper, mature and inquisitive.
We worked hard all year, being constantly
pushed by our teachers to achieve the very best
that we can, but it’s not all about academia.
Extra-curricular activities, competitions abroad
to debate, sailing and taking part in the
international award meant that we had different
avenues of pursue what we enjoyed and
progressing in different spheres of life.
With the exams now upon us, we have been
working diligently and hope to achieve the
results that we all deserve due to the masses of
hard work that we have put in. After the exams
we can look forward to well-deserved break
from our studies before looking forward to Year
12 at Sherborne Qatar, where we are sure to
build on the solid foundations that we have built
at school. Being mature pupils and in a position
to look after the younger pupils at school is a
responsibility and one that we are all looking
forward to also.
Joseph L. Williams and Anas Larabi (Year 11)
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Reflections
On the precipice of adulthood
As we head into the final stages of the school year it
feels good to reflect on an incredible year packed full of
memories. We feel like we have both grown immensely in
Year 12 and earning more independence from our teachers and
parents has made this year feel very different to previous years.
It seems just yesterday that we started this intense but very
rewarding year. Year 11 was busy with ten subjects and all the
various exams, but even though our chosen subjects have reduced
down to four the intensity and focus has been staggering in Year
12. It has been great to have our own Year 12 and Year 13 study and
common rooms and we have found that group study has led to
new ideas, new ways to study and enticed debate between pupils
that we would not normally mix with.
One of the key elements to Year 12 has been self-reliance
and the need to be organised, this is because we have had to
independently manage our own workload and time. The constant
juggling of school studies, sports commitments or extra-curricular
activities felt very much like how we imagine university will feel like
in a few years’ time.
The school has been very helpful in giving us the tools to prepare
for university, things like Bridge-U, various university roadshows
we attended and new apps and websites to help us with this big
decision. It has been fantastic to get a variety of ideas of courses
that are offered worldwide and locally here in Qatar. We have
already started with our personal statement drafts in preparation
for the mammoth task of applying for university next year.
One of my highlights was working with the newly formed Charity
Club run by Sara in Year 12. It was pupil run and extremely well
organised. The breast cancer awareness campaign was highly
successful and well received by pupils, teachers and parents alike.
In addition to this, we both volunteered to become prefects. We
both found this role extremely worthwhile in terms of leadership
development.
We are both looking forward to Year 13 with further leadership
opportunities and finally becoming the heads of the school. We
feel we have a great insight into what is required from us next year
and look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.
Ashton Deanne Bolt and Jasmine Yosif Khalil (Year 12)
15

Reflections
Leaving school is an odd feeling. You’re leaving something
that is familiar, comfortable and the norm. However,
you’re moving on to something different and a new
adventure.
I came to Sherborne Qatar as one of the founding pupils back
in 2009 along with my parents, who were founding members of
the staff. I was 10 and had only lived in the middle of nowhere
in the countryside in England; I’m now 18 and have been to
many different places and had some unique experiences.
Recently, I have found myself thinking back to the earlier days
and how many different people I met in one week. In my very
first class in Year 6, there were 22 different nationalities – quite
a contrast to previously having one or two. I think that’s one
of the greatest things about being at this school; you meet
so many different people and experience so many different
cultures that I now have friends from all over the world. People
come and go from Qatar; they arrive you make friends, and
then they move on. But, as I said, you get to meet them and
learn about how they live their lives and how different it is to
your own. It now means that I need to save up my money in
order to be able to go and visit these people all around the
world!
I have been very lucky at this school and I have managed
to experience lots of new things. I took a lead role in one
of the school musicals (Honk!) and experienced the use of
professional stage facilities. I learnt to sail (not very well), walk
a very long way on the Gold International Award expedition
trip, be part of the Prefects team and become Deputy Head
Girl. All of these things have shaped me and made me who
I am and have also helped me to make the choice of where
my life leads me on from here. I have tried to embrace
every opportunity thrown at me and fully immerse myself in
school life, getting to know as many people across all years,
as I possibly can. If you give your all to something, you will
most certainly get something back. Support from teachers,
friendships, experiences, these are what make your school days
and they are what are remembered.
So, I want to say thank you to everyone I have crossed paths
with.
Written by Rachael Williams – (Year 13)
16

Future Seniors
Some of our future Senior pupils currently at our Prep School
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School Leaders
L –R: Aimen Makki, Russell Aggus, Thomas Kiernan, George Keefe, Samuel Corfield, Fatima Abadi, Fatema Hassan, Umayr Sidat, Danette
Sitorus, Thai Silvera, Dylan Alexander, Victor Wilson, Alejandro Cadenas, Syakir Mohd Najid, Rachael Williams, Louis Hollamby, Mariam
El Sheikh, Areeb Syed
18

Curley’s wife, written by Jai Martin (Year 9)
In the book, “Of mice and men”, by John Steinbeck, we are introduced to a character
known only as Curley’s wife. She is discriminated against in the book, and I am going
to go over why we feel pity towards her, and why she is the character to be the most
pitied.
To begin with, Curley’s wife is known only as Curley’s wife, she is never given any other
name, showing that she is the property of Curley. This also shows that she is to be
perceived as so insignificant that Steinbeck never names her throughout the whole novella.
The only other nameless character in the book is a dog; perhaps Steinbeck is using this as a
comparison to show that she is as insignificant as an animal.
Curley’s wife is also the most highly discriminated character in the novella, she is excluded
from all of the activities and she is left at home to be nothing more than a housewife. The
stable buck, Crooks is also another highly discriminated character due to the colour of
his skin, but Crooks is still included in activities like horseshoes, whereas Curley’s wife is
excluded from everything. Hence the reason she should be pitied.
Another reason we feel sympathetic towards Curley’s wife is that she had her dream
crushed by her mother; she dreamt of becoming a movie star in Hollywood all her life.
But her one and only chance of that coming true was kept away by her mother, further
suggesting that Curley’s wife was not cared about, even by her mother. In the book, she
has already gone too far to go back and fulfil her dream as she has already got married
to Curley and is in a life of regret, as Curley cares about nobody but himself and probably
sees his wife as a bragging right: a trophy wife. Another person that has had their dream
crushed was George, after killing Lennie; as he was what made the dream real for George.
George now doesn’t feel as though the dream exists, but he can still pursue it if he wants
to. However for Curley’s wife, she has gone too far, it’s never going to happen as she has
already got married, and eventually dies.
Furthermore, Curley’s wife eventually dies at the hands of Lennie. We feel a lot of sympathy
because of the age at which she died. She had just been married, so we assume that she
was quite young when she died. The only other main character to die in the novella is
Lennie, at the end. However we don’t feel as much sympathy towards Lennie due to some
of his actions throughout the story, such as killing Curley’s wife and his dog. But Curley’s
wife seemed innocent, we don’t see her doing anything particularly bad; the worst we
see of her is her causing trouble, but this could just be because she is lonely and wants
somebody to talk to. So is she really the “tart” that we all think her to be?
To conclude, I truly believe Curley’s wife to be the character that deserves the most
sympathy due to the fact that she didn’t deserve the horrible turn her life took, and
even though she was seen as being mischievous she really just wanted someone to talk
to because of how she is treated by Curley. She is always being dumped, ditched and
abandoned. She is always alone, and that is why she should be the most pitied character.
19

Year 7...............
20

........................
21

Year 7.............
22

Year 8.............
23

Year 8...............
24

........................
Fatema Hassan (A-Level Art)
25

Year 9...............
26

........................
Maya Abou Jalala (KS3 Art)
27

Year 10.............
28

.......................
29

Year 11.............
30

.......................
Sculpture (KS3)
31

Year 12...........
32

Year 13...........
33

Pounamu
Viridescent, weathered by hands of those
long gone, who passed the stone as I do now -
enthralled by its beauty, yet it is more.
More than alluring, it whispers to me:
Come child, would you not wish to know the fate
of those that are long gone, who passed by me
as you do now? Come child, I’ll tell you all
of what wonders I have chanced to witness.
I shall tell you of your whānau, your kin –
Those who walked the Earth centuries ago.
And the rain, like feathers falling freely
upon slopes of evergreens, swaying proud,
dancing to the rainfall’s placid rhythm.
Sun-drenched despite the clouds, the trees told
tales to the streams of silver and fields of gold
Of a man of legend who once harnessed
That which is eternal - the noble sun.
My child, perhaps you have heard of his acts
in waitatas sung to this day. Yet none
but I can bear witness to Maui’s deeds.
So child, do not leave me in vain. Promise
that you will keep Aotearoa always
in your heart. Cherish all the summits
of the South, verdant valleys of the North.
Remember always snow-capped glaciers,
the rolling fields like waves of the ocean
the fluttering tui in the forest,
and the kiwis endlessly foraging.
Since that day, when I happened upon its
green depths, like an endless pool,
I keep a piece of pounamu always
close to my heart on a string.
So now, with every heartbeat, I recall
the pounamu in the museum that
reminded me of who I am and where
I belong. Aotearoa - my homeland.
GLOSSARY OF MĀORI TERMS:
Pounamu Greenstone. Very significant in Maori
culture, and often worn in traditional
necklaces.
Whanau Family
Waiata Traditional Maori song, often tells of an
important event.
Maui An often referenced figure from a Maori
tale where a man named Maui harnesses
the sun as he believed it was setting too
early.
Aotearoa New Zealand in Maori. Literally
translates to ‘Land of the long white
cloud’
Tui A bird native to New Zealand
34

Academic –
Review
This year at Sherborne Qatar we have
undertaken a review of both the
Key Stage Four and Key Stage Five
curricula, looking at the changes within
the UK and at what is appropriate for
our pupils and the region in whch we work. This
has led to some changes being implemented for
the upcoming year, from September 2017, for
those pupils starting the Key Stage anew.
In Key Stage Four, pupils will follow the new 9-1
curriculum rather than those results that were
designated by grades. This system, stretches the
more able pupils to reach the highest level of
a 9, traditionally the very top scoring A* grades
whilst differentiating between a good pass and a
strong pass at what was the C grade, with levels
4 and 5. This has required a slight change in
some courses but overall most subjects remain
the same, or very similar, with the content being
covered, it is the use of numbers not grades in
the marking that changes.
The larger change is with that of the Sixth Form.
Those pupils entering Year 12 will be following
the international style of A Levels as opposed
to the linear, UK based style. This has seen
some courses changing examination boards
and courses to accommodate the change which
essentially gives far more flexibility for the pupils
and the region in which we operate. Pupils will
therefore now follow a course of 4 AS levels,
culminating in examinations in the summer
term before proceeding into the Year 13 with
either 3 or 4 A Levels. The usual requirement for
admission into university is 3 A Levels.
In terms of achievement this year it is pleasing
to see that the vast majority of our pupils
across the year groups are on track to meeting,
or exceeding, the targets set for them at the
beginning of the academic year. This is always an
area of discussion and pupils should be taking an
active interest in their termly reports to discuss
with teachers, tutors and parents what the next
steps should be to reach these.
On another pleasing note, some members of
Year 13 have been busy last term completing
their EPQ presentations on topics such as gene
therapy as a cure, depleting fossil fuel, nano
particles reducing pollution and the impact of
anti-depressants on depression. All of the pupils
worked hard on both researching and presenting
their findings and it is pleasing to note that all
have done very well in their endeavours, with
some expected to achieve the highest grades.
Following from this the Sixth Form have also been
involved in the Medical Forum, as mentioned in
the section on events, and the Medical Review
Conference. University offers are another obvious
area to comment upon as our pupils apply to
a variety of regions predominantly in the UK
and US. Most pupils are already in reciept of a
number of offers from high ranking universities
including those within the Russell Group, to study
in areas such as medicine, dentistry, engineering,
biomedical sciences, as well as many more. In
particular, it is exceptionally pleasing to have
pupils receiving merit scholarships for the US and
also two unconditional offers for the UK, a great
achievement as only 2% of applicants receive
unconditional offers.
Both the Sixth Form and all our Year 11 pupils
have worked hard this past term, completing
courses, organising revision plans and speaking
with staff following the mock examinations
in January. It is with this effort, perseverance
and sheer determination that our pupils have
embarked upon the last phase of this academic
year, with clear pathways ahead of them.
Stephanie Oldridge, Deputy Headteacher
35

English
In English, we like to keep things interesting,
relevant and lively. As such, we have had a
plethora of successes this year, with many
pupils producing academically impressive
analytical responses, as well as displaying talents
in the arts. We have a strong group of creative
writers in the upper school, who produce prose
and poetry with distinction. The COBIS poetry
competition received many entries and it was
difficult for us to narrow it down to the final
few that were submitted. We eagerly await the
results.
In the lower school, there has been a keen focus
on drama in performance this year, bringing the
texts that we study from page to stage:
In the first term, Year 8 impressed the audience
(in the first of a series of performances throughout
the year across the KS3 curriculum) in their
well-executed comedic display of A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, exploring the themes of order
and disorder, reality and appearance, and love and
marriage.
Year 7 communicated on stage the damaging
physical and psychological effects of political
ambition in the tragedy of Macbeth. The props
and costumes produced were impressive and
enhanced the eerie and, at times, sinister
atmosphere.
Finally, the Year 9 pupils wrapped up the KS3
productions with the world-renowned tragedy
of Romeo and Juliet, portraying the star-crossed
lovers’ untimely deaths and the subsequent
reconciliation of the Montague and Capulet
families with fervour.
Continuing with the study of Shakespeare, many
of the upper school pupils visited the Abdul
Aziz Nasser Theatre in Souq Waqif to take in an
energetic performance of Twelfth Night, a play
that is currently studied at AS Level.
On March 1st, our World Book Day celebrations
included: Teachers (and some prize-winning
pupils) coming dressed up as book characters;
a reading café at lunchtime; a mini-saga writing
competition; a book treasure hunt and many more
reading-related activities within English lessons
that week. Things got competitive amongst the
teachers and their pupils with the ‘Decorate your
Door’ competition. Despite everyone’s best
efforts, Mrs Hamlin’s Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
themed door was a clear winner.
The highlight of the day was taking the whole of
Year 9 to Sherborne Preparatory, where pupils
expertly performed Roald Dahl’s Revolting
Rhymes in front of EYFS, KS1 and KS2. Every
Year 9 pupil in the school did us proud when they
were assigned to a Prep class to take on the role
of the teacher, coaching the Preparatory school
pupils in their respective performances. The
maturity and commitment towards fulfilling their
assigned task was remarkable.
Overall, it has been an eventful year for the
English Department as we endeavour to provide a
varied, dynamic and inspiring education for all of
our pupils.
Stacey Mate – Head of English
36

Stumbling across desert sands,
I look up.
A flowing river of fabric churns before me
one that twists and turns,
sluggishly wandering in the one direction it knows;
away.
I resume my forced march and look down
at my son, who in turn looks at me.
Sunken, sallow skin sags and droops,
cheekbones protrude and lips crack.
I find myself overwhelmed with guilt, and once again
I look up.
His eyes used to twinkle with childhood joy,
but now they are hard and impassive, like city guards.
His hands used to reach for his hopes and dreams,
but now they can barely hold on to my own,
so I grasp tightly.
Stumbling across beach sands,
I look up.
Our river has reached the sea
and we flow into the flotsam meant to carry us
far from this place we once called home.
Far, far away.
This is our only chance, I tell myself,
to free ourselves from this life of constant fear.
Yet dangers roil in my head like storm clouds,
reminding me of what we may face.
As I revel in this thought of the unknown,
I find myself grasping my son tighter.
The sight of the glistening ocean gives me a glimmer of hope,
and I look down at my son,
whose eyes now reflect the shining waves,
and he smiles back.
By Emma Skelhorn (Year 10)
37

Alone
I wander through the neglected ruins,
familiar stacks of stone,
familiar sands,
and then I remember;
the sanguine pillows on the benches,
we washed down a day in the mountains with tea,
holding hands with my siblings,
running down hills.
Laughing without a care,
now all I know is haunted and bare.
My youngest brother, his favourite toy;
a porcelain camel,
now it lies in the dust, in a billion pieces,
scattered like family.
Alone
Isabella Loej (Year 10)
38 38

My Country – How I see It.
Scuffing the torn toe of my weary boot,
ignoring the rowdy hoots behind me,
sludge of snow stomped on loudly, only soot
marrs its white remains, leaving it to be
with dimmed cigarette ashes, flickering.
I glance at the empty bodies of slumped
buildings, banditis pass by snickering –
A woman and her son, sat closely as if lumped
turn a flushed cheek against winter’s breath,
howls in the ears of those who care to hear
once more the beautiful chaotic death
of one’s nation, a mother to all near
fell on her knees, the greatest sacrifice -
her love remaining as an edelweiss.
Lauren McShane (Year 10)
39

Freedom
It’s our right. They don’t harm people. We harm people.
Innocent tools shoot innocent people.
Lies like sermon, shouted from the steeple.
It’s our right. It protects the people.
Words of few pierce the minds of many,
Bullets of many pierce the bodies of few.
Now put that down, before you kill any.
Now we are mourning him in the church pew
The right to bear, turned to the right to die.
The family weeps, society cries
“It’s a symbol of our freedom” they shout.
Now merely a symbol for those without.
Christopher Williams (Year 10)
Outside Art
NIBRAS AL RUKABI – ARTIST
HEIDI KEEFE
GEORGE KEEFE
40
PIA MACKEY
The new mural outside the Atrium
ALI AL RUKABI

Poetry competition - My country: How I see it
Like two lovers forcefully ripped apart,
my home and I never saw each other.
I shall always hold her close to my heart,
because to me, she is like a mother.
Bittersweet distinct faces come back to
haunt me in every nostalgic daydream.
No matter how I try or what I do,
the memories are marked in my bloodstream.
I yearn for her comfort when I’m awake,
then in the night-time I crave her embrace.
In need of her love, my body will ache;
she gives me a hope no one can replace.
I must stop now, before it is too late.
And before my fervent love turns to hate.
Haya Abdel Rahman (Year 10)
THE sun is an orange clock
ticking on a royal blue wall.
It is a yellow book
resting against a sapphire blue
shelf.
It is a shiny gold Sherborne logo
emblazoned on a navy blue
blazer.
It is a rich yellow curtain
hanging against a pale blue
window.
It is a flamed submarine
swiftly flowing in deep blue
waters.
Fawaz Shaik (Year 7)
WHAT IS THE SUN?
THE sun is orange sprinkles
gently drizzled on a blue iced
doughnut.
It is a gold clock face
ticking on a pale blue desk.
It is sliced red chillies
scattered on a royal blue plate.
It is a yellow circular post it
note stuck on an electric blue
bedroom wall.
It is an orange pumpkin
rolling on a pale
blue window sill
on a Halloween night.
Sofia Waiter (Year 7)
THE sun is a yellow firefly,
levitating in a pitch black sky.
It is a gold fleck of dust
floating in a pale blue cave.
It is creamy yellow batter
baking in a sapphire cake tin.
It is a crimson burning burger
sizzling on a jet blue stove.
It is a ripe yellow lemon
sitting in a dolphin blue fruit
bowl.
Finn Bennett (Year 7)
41

Creative Writing
Dear diary,
Something terrible happened today. Something
I’ve been hearing about happening to others in my
hometown. Something disgusting. Something so
unfair, that I don’t know what to say. Something
no ordinary twelve year old girl should have to go
through.
This afternoon, I lost my voice. I lost a big part of
me…and a lot of other things.
They came in at 2:22. They barged right in: didn’t
even knock. I was sitting at my easel painting
with my new birthday oils. I absolutely adored
them. I loved how they could capture how an
image reflects against the sun. I was working on a
masterpiece I had been working on for two months.
It was a portrait of Masjid al Aqsa my favourite
place in of all of Jerusalem. My grandmother was in
the kitchen cooking my favourite dish: rice wrapped
in vine leaves. My father was on the sofa reading
the newspaper and my sister was upstairs in her
bedroom. My brother was playing on the floor with
his plastic model cars and airplanes. They kicked
down the door. The same door that Baba had fixed
the week before. The door that he had so carefully
screwed in and tested a million times, now lying on
the carpet floor splintered and destroyed.
Words. That’s all I heard when they came. Words
in Hebrew. Shouting. Screams. I suddenly felt a
hard gun being pushed into my back with force.
My mind was a blur. I saw my grandmother being
pushed to the floor and my mother confronting
these strangers that had just burst so rudely into
our home. My brother’s tear stricken face gave me
a pang in my heart. The men’s huge black boots
crushed his toys. He was holding on to my mother’s
leg for dear life. I took a quick survey of my living
room that seemed so peaceful and normal a few
minutes ago. The man that was pushing the barrel
into my back had turned his attention to the man
that was dealing with Baba. Baba was wrestling,
fighting against the man that was pushing him out
the door, a waterfall of Hebrew words coming out
of his mouth. I picked up on the words ‘ours’ and
‘leave’. My mother and grandma were being forced
to abandon the vine leaves. Still on the floor I
quickly grabbed a toy car figure that didn’t seem as
destroyed and shattered as the rest and shoved it
into my paint splattered jeans. My father started to
push them out the door. These men were physically
42
fit and were armed. I suddenly felt a rough hard grip
grab my shoulder and shove me to the door. I took
a quick glance around my living room and caught
sight of my painting. There was no use. I saw the
man bring out a pocketknife. My mouth opened but
no sound came out. Before I could protest the man
had slashed my work.
I broke free and ran to my easel, tears streaming.
I didn’t know what I was doing but I desperately
felt the expensive canvas and tried madly to fix the
slash. But it was too wide. My senses were out of
control. I fell to my knees sobbing. The man was
dragging me out of the door and I was kicking,
hitting and lashing out in anguish. I saw the man
sit down comfortably on OUR sofas. I was ready
to kick him again but then tears blinded my sight
and anger numbed my ability to use my common
sense. I screeched and wept. I felt him discard me
onto the dusty floor outside their- OUR -home. I felt
my mother’s comforting arms coil around me but
my tears wouldn’t stop flowing. I felt so fragile. So
vulnerable.
It was as if I was shattered into a hundred tiny
pieces of glass and if someone attempted to put
me back together they would get cut. I couldn’t
stop weeping and wailing. Baba was at the window
shouting angrily, red in the face. My sister was
with him trying to unlock the lock on the window
with some clips. My grandmother was calming my
brother by telling made up stories about the bees in
their -OUR- garden. I wiped the tears from my face
with my soggy sleeve. They just took everything.
Everything I’d ever known gone in a few minutes.
I snuggled my face into the crook of my mother’s
arm. “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered into
my hair. My eyes wandered to their- OUR- window.
Inside the men were watching TV and in the kitchen
I saw a man helping himself to the vine leaves. Baba
had given up on banging on the window. He came
up to us looking defeated and weak. He helped
my grandmother to her feet .Then he picked my
brother up and wiped his runny nose with a tissue.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said, his mouth set in a
hard, defiant line.
Everyone seemed to be saying that same thing …
but what does it really mean? I’ll stop writing now.
It’s time to sleep... but tonight it won’t be in my
bed.
Sara Al Bakri (Year 7)

Art &
Design
Doha’s flourishing art scene continues to
grow and develop with the expansion of
Doha itself. As Sherborne Qatar opened
its doors in 2009 so has the art scene thrived. The
art department has taken pupils many times to the
different art galleries and exhibitions to inspire and
encourage them to develop their own artwork and
creative style. This year was no exception when
in October we took KS4 to the MIA to look at the
impressive collections of traditional arts & crafts from
the Middle East and Asia. This provides an integral
part of the course both for GCSE and A level. Pupils
must look at different artists, cultures and movements
to inform their own work, after all art is not created in
a vacuum.
The Head of Art spoke to two pupils about their
experiences on their art courses and what art means to
them.
The Head of Art speaks to Sara Mohamed from
Year 11 Ahmed House
Why did you take art for GCSE?
It is important to have a creative subject in your GCSE
selection and it is a subject that allows me to express
myself creatively.
Do you think the arts are important?
Yes, I think it is very important. Universities like to
see art on your CV and they see it as very important. It
enriches the whole person and you get to look at the
world in a different way, a new perspective.
What advice do you have for pupils wishing to take
art as an option for GCSE?
Know how to manage your time and you need a lot
of motivation. It is a lot of work. It doesn’t require
revision but you need to put a lot of work and effort in.
It’s not just quantity but quality as well.
The Head of Art spoke to Morgan Palmer, Year 12
Moza House about her A level course.
Are you enjoying your A level art course?
Yes, it is a huge difference from GCSE, I feel I have
more creative control and freedom and I can give my
artwork more meaning.
Why did you decide to take art A level?
A level art will help me on my way towards applying
for a position in the theatre and film industry: I want
to work in make-up. I find art very therapeutic and my
main goal was to really become a make-up artist so this
is why I chose it.
Is there any particular part of the course you like
more?
I enjoy experimenting with different media and I have
been able to take more risks because there is more
time available to explore and develop my skills with
different mediums. I feel my painting technique has
improved a lot and I am very happy with that.
What cross-curricular links does your art have with
your other A level subjects you are taking?
Art is part of the expressive arts and this links in very
well with my English course. I am able to express
myself freely within my creative writing and poems
and this helps me with my annotations and with my
personal study I will have to do in Year 13 in my art A
level.
What advice would you give the Year 11s who are
preparing for their practical art exam?
Try not to stress or worry too much or you will
mistakes. It’s easier said than done but it is important
to keep calm. Go over everything the night before;
plan and run through the different stages of
preparation; don’t leave anything to the last minute.
43

Head
Head
Ioanna Enache
44 44
ART&DESIGN

Danette Sitorus (GCSE)
45

A R T & D E
Emily Bird (GCSE)
46

S I G N
Sara Mohamed (GCSE)
Morgan Palmer (GCSE)
Pop Art Collage (KS3)
Molly Lashley (KS3)
47

Drama
48
Out with the old and in with
the new
The drama department has been
developing its teaching with a focus
on schemes of work this year. Year
7 are now learning how to use their voices
effectively for public address, leading teams
and demanding respect. More emphasis
has been placed on their accountability
in group work through learning lines and
their creativity and inspiration. They also
experience learning through gamesizes,
combining games with learning exercises.
Year 8 now have a strong focus on the
history of drama from Greek theatre to
melodrama. We introduce them to the skill
of applying stage make up, and the pupils
can experiment using our new professional
make up stock in their summer term
improvisations.
Year 9 continue the History of Theatre
studies with Commedia dell ’arte, using
genuine Commedia masks to complement
their learning. We then leave the classroom
behind and explore street theatre,
promenade theatre and spontaneous
improvisation, allowing for the pupils to take
charge of their learning based on continual
feedback and discussion to adapt teaching
to what the pupils want to learn. At the end
of the year each Year 9 class will work on a
play text together, demonstrating the skills
they have learned across the whole of Key
Stage 3.
The developments to the drama curriculum
have been influenced by drama and dance
practitioners contributing to new schemes
of work. The changes are designed to bring
a higher standard of learning, covering
a variety of important aspects of drama
exploration, whilst highlighting the inherent
fun in the subject. Skills such as listening,
communicating, cooperating, teamwork,
leadership, concentration, awareness,
inspiration and creativity remain central to
everything we do. We have already seen a
massive boost in numbers of pupils opting
for GCSE drama. Pupil achievement at GCSE
is at the highest it has ever been, and our
first A-Level cohort is predicted to achieve
very good grades this year.
Written by Edward Arthur Hake –
Head of Drama

Economics and
Business Studies
We Live In Interesting Times
As the saying goes “we live in interesting times”. We began the
new school year in 2016 in somewhat of a state of disbelief.
The unthinkable had happened. The UK had voted to leave the
European Union. Bad news for some, good news for others, but pure
gold for case study material for business studies and economics.
Could there be anything more dramatic and thought provoking than
that? So much to think about; will the United Kingdom be able to
make its own way in the world without the cosy comfort blanket
of the EU? Will the falling pound make the UK the world’s favourite
shopping destination? So much to discuss!
Then just when you thought it was safe to think you were back
to normality, the USA election took place. For months we had all
watched with disbelief as Donald Trump went from fringe nomination
candidate, to unlikely republican candidate to President of the United
States. Curiouser and curiouser.
A Level economics pupils took a closer look at one of President (say it
again), Trump’s flagship policies. Which policy? The wall of course!
The Question; Just how high does Trump’s wall have to be to keep
migrant Mexican workers out?
The Answer; Just a little bit higher.
It is the differential in wages that tempts Mexicans over the border.
USA farmers get labourers at a discount, Mexican workers get a
premium wage compared to staying home. With the wall, Mexican
labour gets a bit scarcer, and USA farmers are prepared to pay a little
more. So the ladders get a bit taller and the tunnels a bit longer.
IGCSE pupils took a closer look at manufacturing, setting up their
own production line creating high quality folded paper products. The
classroom was transferred into an up to the minute lean production
environment. KAN BAN, Total Quality Management, Kaizen, Teams and
all the trimmings!
The results; plunging average costs, slashed inventories, “Right First
Time” production and quality output at competitive costs.
Or, to the less trained eye…a room full of people making paper
birds.
Up to date now, and an enterprising team of Sherborne pupils
took part in the 2017 Qatar Enterprise Challenge. Promoting their
innovative “e-locker” Giacomo Foppoli, Anas Larabi and Omar Salem
were up against competition from over 40 other Qatar schools. Sadly
they did not make it the to the last eight. However, failure is just
another step on the road to success. So watch this space.
Finally A level economics pupil Mubarak Al Naimi combined his
economics and computer studies skills to create an interactive
teaching resource covering introductory demand and supply.
Working closely with teachers and pupils in both specialisms, this
resource is now being used as part of the economics and business
courses.
Written by Ian Bisby – Head of Economics & Business Studies
49

Geography
It’s been an exciting and innovative
year for geography at Sherborne
Qatar. May 2017 will see the
first ever Sherborne Qatar
pupils sitting AS and A Level
geography examinations.
The department has been
fortunate to teach groups
of very talented A Level
geographers, many of
whom are going on to
study geography-related
courses at university. The
department has helped pupils
to complete applications for
institutions such as Cambridge
and SOAS (School of Oriental and
African Studies, London).
However, it’s not just about A Levels. During
the autumn term Year 8 pupils spent a lesson in the
school grounds investigating the local microclimate. Year
11 completed fieldwork preparation for their impending
IGCSE when they headed to downtown Doha to collect data
on an urban transect of the city.
The Year 10 pupils had their fieldwork opportunity in
January 2017 in Souq Waqif, where they collected data
to help them investigate the customer use of this famous
tourist location. The final trip of the year was to the
Corniche and Medina Centrale, The Pearl, where Year 9
pupils investigated the impact of globalisation and rapid
development on the environment
and culture of Doha.
Geography continues to
be a popular subject at
Sherborne Qatar, with
50 pupils currently
following the IGCSE
course in Year 10, and
almost 50 Year 9 pupils
opting to follow the
course in 2017-2018.
Geography is not only
up-to-date and relevant,
it is also one of the most
exciting, adventurous and
valuable subjects to study today.
So many of the world’s current
problems are linked to geography,
and need the geographers of the future to
understand them.
Global warming, sustainable food production, natural
disasters, the reasons for migration, the future of energy
sources and the destruction of ecosystems are just some
of the challenges facing future geographers, and the
Sherborne Qatar geography department prepares pupils to
face these challenges.
Written by Sharon Loxton – Head of Geography
50

History
Year 7s have been
immersed into the
world of history. We
have challenged their skills to
the limit with anachronisms,
inferences and deciding if they
can trust sources. They have
had to use evidence to find out
the cause of the Tollund man’s
death, investigated Roman
times, recruited men for the
Roman army and explained
why William won the Battle
of Hastings.
Year 8 started the year with
of a visit to the ‘Horrible
Histories’ production
“The Best of Barmy
Britain’. They have then
investigated the world of
the Tudors and Stuarts
with its constant turmoil,
civil war and executions.
They have questioned,
reasoned and dramatised historical
events to ensure they have a thorough knowledge of the
period in its entirety with its reputation for blood, guts and
gore.
Year 9 have looked at the darker side of the life with an indepth
study of the Industrial Revolution with child labour,
terrible housing and crime and
poverty. They’ve explored what
it was really like to work in a mill
and given press conferences on
the ‘Jack the Ripper’ murders.
GCSE pupils have grappled with
the aftermath of World War
One. They have taken on the
role of the ‘Big 3’ at the Treaty
of Versailles and discovered how
hard it was to meet both the
expectations of your country
and to construct a lasting peace.
They have investigated the
impacts of the war and explored
how we subsequently ended up
with World War Two and the
Cold War.
Our A level contingent have
looked at the long road taken
in the twentieth century in
the USA and South Africa to
establish peoples’ rights and
freedoms. They have debated,
questioned and poured over
events ranging from the Charge of the Light Brigade to the
stalemate of World War One.
Written by Gillian Gregory – Head of History
51

ICT and Compu
Alan Turing, the great computer scientist and
mathematician was an influential person
during World War Two, who devised
unique algorithms on cracking hundreds of coded
messages at once. It becomes even more interesting
for Sherborne Qatar pupils who study computer
science, when they begin to realise that he was part
of the Shirburnian family. Pupils in Year 10 learned
about the Caesar Cipher Encryption, a symmetric
encryption method, which is a very old method of
encrypting and decrypting data. This works with a
single key, which if known, can be easily hacked.
The world of online shopping and online banking
works with an asymmetric method of encryption,
which is based on a private and public key. Prime
numbers play an important role in this type of
encryption. Consider two very big prime numbers p
and q multiplied together to get r. The value r is used
as a public key, known by everybody, but the private
key is either p or q, which is almost impossible
to work out! This algorithm is called the RSA
developed by Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman.
Computational thinking is about breaking down
a problem into subproblems and expressing the
solutions in a way that computers and humans can
understand. Algorithms, a set of instructions to
follow, play a great part in computer science, which
is taught all across Key Stage 3 and 4. We teach very
simple algorithms at Key Stage 3, where we start
with a problem, such as guessing a number between
1 and 50. The problem of guessing a number
between 1 and 50 can be solved by decomposing it
into three subcategories of less that 15, between 15
and 35 and more that 35. Drawing flowcharts and
showing respective outputs for each subproblems
is an easy way to present this algorithm, which then
leads to writing a computer program in Python.
Python is a great textual programming language,
which is taught at Year 9 upwards. We also teach
programming at Year 7 and 8, where we use Scratch
and Snap Programming. These are great platforms
that pupils get to use to make classic games like
pacman. Pupils at Key Stage 4 have been busy
writing more advanced programs. One such program
is the “Card Game”, where a person plays against
the computer and points are scored depending on
the type of card drawn.
The GCSE computer science (current Year 11)
pupils have been intensely working on their
controlled assessment, which was about writing
programs in Python to solve a given task. The
52

ter Science
internet was cut off during that time and pupils had to
independently work on their tasks.
ICT is about learning how to use different software
applications and computer science is about how
computers work. At Key Stage 3 and 4 this year, we
have tried to focus a bit more on data representation.
People encounter numerous digital screens with
images, text and videos. However, we have started to
teach pupils the true meaning of these representation
and how computers only understands 0 and 1. Binary
conversions and calculations have been taught in
Year 8 and 9 and that lead to simple logic gates,
which are the main building blocks of our processors.
At Key Stage 4, we have recently looked at how the
Von Neumann’s architecture developed in 1945 is
still the same design block used in all of our current
computers.
A level pupils have been also very busy project
managing, designing and developing their own
multimedia applications. The end product is as
important as the different stages of planning,
designing, meetings with client and users,
implementation, testing and evaluation. Thomas
Keirnan developed a user friendly application on
periodic table, Mubarak Al Naimi developed an
educational application on supply and demand
and Cameron Millar developed an application on
teaching pupils Moments. The most fascinating parts
of all three multimedia applications are interactivity
and user friendliness. The interactivity was down
to writing some ActionScript, which has been very
challenging because of the limited support and
resources. The projects were a real life experiment on
what goes on behind the scenes when an IT product is
developed.
To top it up, we got the chance to visit QITCOM,
one of the most eagerly-awaited IT conferences in
Doha. Pupils in Year 10 and 12 got the chance at
experiencing the latest developments in IT and the
business side of it. They were able to witness how a
product is at a very early prototype stage and how they
are marketed to make it big.
This has been a great year so far and we envisage
starting computer science at A Level from September
2017, which will be another milestone. We are a
thriving department, where pupils are challenged and
are given the resources and guidance to succeed.
Written by Krishna Ranglall – Head of ICT &
Computer Science
53

Head Mathematics
Head
We are a busy bunch in the
mathematics department.
Not only are we working
on your fiendish maths tests and
marking your algebra homework but
this year during term 1 we introduced
the genius maker activities at the
Mathemagic Club. Mrs. Burns and
Miss Higgins solved murders with
algebraic clues, code breaking Mr. E.
Nigma would struggle to crack and
constructing enormous 3D shapes that
can be seen from space . . . well, from
the end of the corridor at least.
Our term 1 was punctuated with the
highly anticipated New York trip.
With a mixture of KS4 and KS3 boys
and girls Miss Clayton, Mr. Oldridge
and Mr. Peters boarded a plane in
Doha and landed in the Big Apple.
With visits to the usual tourist spots
including the Statue of Liberty and
Times Square, the pupils struggled to
pick their highlight but they all agreed
that riding a square wheeled bike at
the Museum of Mathematics was an
experience in itself.
Pi Day is one of the favourite days in
a mathematician’s calendar. March
14th or 3.14 is now being celebrated in
Qatar with the invitational competition
to Carnegie Mellon University. The
annual Pi Day competition pits the best
of Doha junior mathemacians in tasks
ranging in challenge and complexity.
Even our best and brightest were
scratching their heads at some of them.
The school recently received their
results and attained a highly creditable
6th and 9th place in Doha. With the
wealth of competition, this is highly
commendable. When asked about
the day, one of the quotes was “The
questions were hard but the breakfast
was good!”
For the rest of the school there was the
Pi Day interhouse competition. Big
congratulations to Year 7 Copeland for
scooping the housepoints by solving
questions like this:
54 54

We have the UKMT Junior Challenge to plan for
in our summer term. This is where our Year 7-8
pupils get to stretch their cerebral cortexes. We are
looking forward to some Bronze, Silver and even
some Gold certificates from this. Good luck.
Paul Pogba isn’t the only one who is dabbing his
way to fame. Mr Coppenhall is bringing dabbing
to the maths lessons before the summer. You have
been warned!
It has been a great year and we look forward to
seeing what 2017-18 has in store for the department.
I leave you with this thought.
There are only 10 types of people in the world
those who understand binary and those who do not.
Written by Carolyn Clayton – Head of Mathematics
55

Modern Foreign
Anne-Marie Long – Head of MFL
Speaking
in foreign
tongues:
Numerous physiological studies sing
the praises of the benefits of language
learning to the cognitive process as
language acquisition challenges the brain to
recognise, negotiate meaning, problem solve and
communicate effectively. I like to call it “intellectual
gymnasium”, which, to me personally, is far more
appealing than summoning up the courage to go to
the actual gym to work out! Obviously, both workouts
would be the ideal scenario! The benefits of
second and third language learning have been
researched in earnest by the academics for many
decades now. Such research makes for a fascinating
read. To begin with, pupils who study a foreign
language tend to score better than monolingual
peers in standardised tests; particularly in maths,
vocabulary and reading. Indeed, learning how a
foreign language works teaches the pupils the
actual mechanics of the English language so there
is a double reward. Furthermore, not only will
studying a foreign language help brain memory and
power, but several studies have shown promising
evidence of language learning as a possibility for
staving off dementia and Alzheimer’s – so it is a winwin
situation for all concerned!
Aquí se habla español/ On
parle français ici
Here in Sherborne Qatar, like the honey bees
searching for nectar, the buzzing of the Sherborne
pupils around the MFL corridor and indeed around
the whole school can’t be missed. The excitement
of learning two foreign languages for the Year 7
pupils upon joining Sherborne Qatar is palpable
in the classrooms. Little do they know that their
teachers are even more inspired as there is arguably
no work as satisfying as watching and hearing
children mastering languages. Strolling into a KS4
and 5 lessons, where debate and discussion in the
foreign language are the order of the day, a sense
of pride radiating from their teachers is visible.
How wonderful to see adolescents speaking in
56

Languages
foreign tongues, fast becoming the polygots of the
future. And how much fun is had on this pleasure
packed linguistic and cultural adventure! At the end
of January this year, KS4 and 5 pupils were lucky
to have the opportunity to visit and practice their
Spanish whilst exploring Southern Spain. Another
exciting trip to Madrid and Barcelona is on the cards
for next year’s pupils! A fantastic way to practise
linguistic skills acquired in the classroom!
Latin Proverb
Laughter and learning a modern language go handin-hand
as true learning can only take place when
pupils acknowledge that making mistakes without
feeling ashamed or embarrassed is all part of the
ride. Audentes fortuna iuvat (fortune favours the
brave) is a perfectly inspiring quote to inspire our
pupils to be brave and bold during their linguistic
journey. When learning verbs and vocabulary, or
preparing for speaking examinations, our pupils
know not give up on sight of the first hurdle, but
rather accept with an open mind that the path to
fluency is strewn with irregular verbs and faux amis/
amigos falsos! Acceptance is our motto and bravery
and a measure of good humour serves as our
armour for we are the language warriors of SQ!
“The limits of my language
means the limits of my
world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
The fine art of effective communication is the
language of leadership. Why limit ourselves to
speaking only language? Excelling in communication
is the top rated consistent trait of distinguished
leaders. The ability to communicate well with
others, solve problems and utilise language
convincingly and effectively is our mission with the
MFL classroom. It is a challenge which we relish.
Si j’étais un papillon
Si j’étais un papillon, je serais coloré.
Aussi, je serais beau comme un diamant,
Si j’étais un diamant je serais spéciale,
Je serais jolie et délicate comme une fleur.
Si seulement, j’étais un papillon!
Ecrit par Ella Haddad (Year 8)
57

Arabic and Islam
Arabic and Islamic Studies
continue to flourish at
Sherborne Qatar with more
choices and courses available to
choose for pupils than ever before;
pupils can choose to study the courses
as a first or second language option
from Year 7.
In Arabic in first language pupils
have been concentrating on reading
and comprehension of texts on
various topics including, for example
handmade Qatari artifacts and the
importance of working together
in society, in addition to learning
grammar rules and spellings through
dictation. Pupils have been presenting
their topics through speaking tasks
and had projects to complete for their
written tasks.
In Islamic Studies in Arabic pupils
have learnt about the rules of
recitation for reciting the Holy
Qur’an, in addition to memorising
and understanding selected sections
from it. Pupils have also learnt
about the practices of the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him)
and memorised at least five of them
over the course of the academic year.
Other topics covered include learning
about Aqidah - the main tenants
of belief in Islam, the relationship
between man and Allah, Fiqh - Islamic
jurisprudence, Seerah – the life of
the Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) and Islamic morals and
etiquettes.
In Arabic as a second language the
focus has been on learning simple
grammatical rules which allows the
pupils to put the Arabic together for
themselves. Pupils acted out role
play scenarios and have been set
challenging work on creating projects
on various topics with the emphasis
on speaking the language.
In Islamic Studies in English at Key
Stage 3 pupils have studied about
the five pillars of Islam, the pillars
of Iman, and discussed in detail the
importance of putting faith into
practice. In Years 10 and 11 pupils
have been working towards their
IGCSE examinations by studying and
analysing some chapters and verses
of the Qur’an in detail, in addition
to covering the life of the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him).
58
“
Hanna has made a remarkable achievement in my class since she started in September
in Year 9 second language class (Mr. Adam’s class). She didn’t know any prior Arabic, and
now she is achieving level 5 in Arabic writing, as well as being able to do Arabic calligraphy. I
believe she can be a role model for non-native Arabic speakers.
”
Ibrahim Adam

ic Studies
Written by Jamil Rahman
On the last day of the first term the
Arabic department organised the
Qatar National Day celebrations;
camels, horses, traditional majlis tents
and historical artifacts were on display
for the pupils. Delicious food was also
provided by some of the Qatari pupils
for everyone to enjoy!
A small group of pupils went on
the Umrah trip in the last week of
the second term. Pupils visited the
Ka’bah and the Prophet Muhammad’s
mosque in Madinah as well as visiting
other important historical Islamic
sites.
We are all looking forward to the holy
month of Ramadan and would like to
take the opportunity to say Eid Seed,
happy Eid to you all and we hope that
you have a restful summer break!
Winners of the Quran Competition
59

Music
Music at Sherborne Qatar is growing in leaps and bounds.
The PTA Winter Fair was the first opportunity this year for our senior pupils to perform
outdoors to a wider audience.
In January, pupils from Year 6 and senior pupils attended a fun filled day where they watched
a performance by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and then had the opportunity to meet the
musicians.
The Senior Spring Music Recital was well attended and all pupils performed with flair and
enthusiasm.
Yazan Muharram (Year 7) wrote the following after the Spring Music Recital:
“Music is a very big part of my life. As they say, music is food for the soul. My guitar
is my friend and playing it gives me so much joy. I enjoyed sharing my passion with
my fellow pupils and my teachers in yesterday’s concert. I appreciate the support
I have been getting from my teachers and the school, which has given me so much
encouragement and provided the perfect environment to nurture my love for music.
I would also like to thank my parents for motivating me to follow my dreams.”
Pupils from Year 7 and 8 had the opportunity to learn and watch The Carnegie Mellon string
quartet in March.
A highlight of the musical year was on 28th April when Sherborne hosted a Rhythm Explosion
event, directed by Mike Pigneguy, one of our peripatetic staff. Pupils from Sherborne, ASD and
ISL demonstrated their percussion skills. Patrick Dilley organised an African drumming ensemble
and Rockschool repertoire was performed by Sherborne’s senior pupils who played alongside
teachers. It was an amazing event and an exciting afternoon. We aim to further develop this in the
near future.
In May and June we have had four music recitals for our prep pupils and we are looking forward to
meeting all these talented pupils when they join the senior school.
The Prep Choir this year has also taken part in its first ever competition.
The Prep and Senior music departments are working very closely to increase the opportunities for
our pupils. We are looking forward to continuing to inspire our pupils to become young musicians
and create more platforms for them to play and perform.
We are also very fortunate to be working with established organisations such as Yamaha, Katara
and other music organisations.
We would like to sincerely thank all the parents, pupils and the staff of Sherborne Qatar for their
continued support.
Written by Sam Arts and Razwan Sarwar – Sherborne Music
60

61

Poem
I speak of a country,
That I do not belong to.
And here I am sitting silently on
the window sill, and I close my
eyes, drifting elsewhere.
And here I am observing : a little
boy.
Four year old Shams,
clutched his little backpack, and
stared out at the widespread terrain
in front, a scarred land
A mirror : of those still alive.
And yet, little Shams walked forward,
and sat down, on the spot,
which to him, was home.
“Mama,” he said,
“Today, Miss Saima said I was the
best boy, in the class. She offered
to take me home for lunch,
but I told her I have someone
else to visit, and here I am.
I love you, Mama. No one else
gives me their sandwich, and no
one else saves me a cookie. You
always saved me a cookie.
Why did you have to leave me,
Mama?”
But little Shams was met with no
reply. Only a deafening silence
in the soft wind.
“They say Martyrs never die, and
I know you can hear me, Mama.”
Said the little Syrian boy, as he
sat down on his mother’s grave,
and narrated the tales that his
little heart only ever knew.
And here I am once again, sitting
silently on the window sill, but
this time my eyes wide, wide open
: thinking.
Because how can I be
Breathing
Flying
While they are
Screaming
Dying
and allow my happiness to ricochet
off the walls of this world,
whilst people like little Shams
sit hunched, next to those they
loved most in their lives?
It is true, I am not Syrian,
But here it is:
I do belong.
Their happiness is my happiness;
Their pain is my pain
And as long as every tear that
stains the ground
Is the same, Is a result of pain
or sadness, Is not differentiated
from one race to another
Then we remain one humanity.
We all bleed : Red.
Jannah Abdallah (Year 10)
American
62

Science
It has been an exciting year in the science department
with lots of changes with a new Head and Deputy
Head of Department along with the addition of a
new member of the science team, Mr Fletcher. During
enrichment pupils have enjoyed participating in the
Science Club enjoying a wide range of activities and
challenges covering biology, chemistry and physics.
These activities have included
• Microscopes – looking at a variety of things under a
microscope including insects and sweets
• Eyeball dissection – extracting the lens from
an eyeball and using it to examine some text,
observing the magnifying effect of the lens
• Heart dissection
• Mentos and fizzy drinks
• Homemade sparklers
• The lifeboat challenge – pupils were given a 20cm
x 20cm section of aluminium foil, some straws and
tasked with making a boat that could stay afloat
whilst carrying masses inside it
• The spaghetti tower challenge – pupils were
challenged with making the tallest tower possible
using only spaghetti and marshmallows
The Year 7 pupils had great fun making model specialised
cells. The models were so good they received a
Headmaster’s award from Mr Spicer!
10th -19th March was British Science Week. Staff
from the department got involved showing a range of
spectacular and amazing scientific phenomena. These
included: Mrs Williams dissecting a brain; Mrs Prichard
becoming a flame thrower using only Angel Delight; Mrs
Outram making hot ice with the finale being a session on
pyromania with Mr Tracey and Mrs Dobison. Pupils were
enthralled and are certainly looking forward to the next
Science Demo week.
27th March saw some of the Year 13 pupils from Science
Medical Club taking part in the annual competition
against Park House School. This has involved the pupils
carrying out research from an area that interests them and
presenting their work to an audience from both schools.
It proved yet again a highly successful event.
Amanda Dobinon – Head of Science
63

PE
Written by Simon Gough – Director of Sports and PE
The PE department at Sherborne Qatar aims to give all
pupils access to a range of interesting and engaging
activities to promote a lifelong love of physical activity
and the values it embodies. All pupils are encouraged to develop
the acquisition and application of practical sporting skills, in
addition to numerous and varied interpersonal skills. Pupils
are actively encouraged to engage in sport through a range of
pathways, including performing, coaching and umpiring to
maximise their learning experience.
In both A Level and GCSE PE this year, the groups have adhered
to the key values of the subject. This has included the promotion
of interpersonal skills (organisation, co-operation, initiative
and responsibility) to heighten self esteem, whilst encouraging
tolerance of and respect for other groups and individuals. They
have also been encouraged to develop personal qualities of
commitment, fairness and enthusiasm and an appreciation of
honest competition and good sportsmanship.
The A level pupils set should be commended for their efforts
over the last two years. The subject can be challenging from a
theory perspective, but also the key practical elements.
64

Senior pupils helping out at the Prep Sports Day
65

Sherborne
Exchange
In September 2014, an exchange was set up
between Sherborne Qatar and the schools in
Sherborne Dorset, UK: “Sherborne School”
and “Sherborne Girls’”. At the time, plans were
made and put in place with the aim of involving
an exchange of culture and experiences for
pupils of Sherborne Qatar, Sherborne School
and Sherborne Girls. It was also envisaged that
the exchange provide a link between Sherborne
School and Sherborne Qatar, to instil in the
pupils a feeling of “Sherborne community”.
In the first year of the Exchange, twelve Year
9 Sherborne Qatar pupils visited Sherborne
Dorset, UK. Six of our Year 9 girls boarded and
took part in the daily school life at Sherborne
Girls and six of our Year 9 boys did the same
at Sherborne School. Mr Mahmud Khan and
Mrs Kym Prichard chaperoned this group to
Sherborne Dorset and were there to help our
pupils accustom themselves to the routine and
ways of boarding life. It was a huge success; our
pupils found the Sherborne girls and boys very
welcoming and supportive, helping them to get
used to being at school 24 hours a day!
During the second year of the Exchange, things
were taking on a more detailed programme.
Instead of one exchange trip there were three
separate exchanges which took place involving
boys and girls from all three Sherborne schools.
The visit by Sherborne Qatar to Sherborne
Dorset involved Mr Simon Gough and Mrs Kym
Prichard where their experience enabled them
to develop stronger links with Sherborne School
and Sherborne Girls through a variety of areas,
as well as support our Sherborne Qatar boys
and girls in their very new albeit temporary
boarding environment. Once again, all three
exchanges were seen by parents, pupils, staff
and the schools as a great success.
This year, the third year of the exchange,
helped to make the Sherborne Exchange a real
link between Sherborne Qatar and Sherborne
Dorset.
From our part, the Sherborne Qatar parents
and families who hosted Sherborne School
and Sherborne Girls pupils for these past
two years have been extraordinary in their
warmth, support and generosity towards
their UK guest or guests in some more than
generous instances. The Sherborne Qatar
parents took on a significant role in showing
their visiting Sherborne UK guests the culture
and experiences of Doha and Qatar such as
Souq Waqif, Museum of Islamic Art, dhow
trips, the shopping... to name a few. There was
one instance where, in collaboration with the
school and a Qatari family, one Sherborne Qatar
parent helped to make it possible for the visiting
Sherborne School party from Dorset to be
guests of a Qatari gentleman and so experience,
at first hand, the generosity of Qatari hospitality
and culture through a visit to this gentleman’s
majlis. An amazing time was had by all, thanks
to our parents in taking up this unique situation
and making it an unforgettable and treasured
experience for our Sherborne UK guests.
Next academic year will represent the fourth
year of the Sherborne Exchange. It is envisaged
that there will again be three exchange trips,
one of which will be Sherborne Qatar visiting
Sherborne UK. The current Year 8 pupils are
already signing up to take part in next year’s
exchanges as Year 9 pupils and to take on the
enriching role of contacting and supporting their
Sherborne UK exchange partner.
Written by Kym Prichard,
External Relations Co-ordinator
66

DOHA
“
The exchange
was really different.
It’s really different
to living in a house
here in Qatar with
your family. There in
Sherborne Dorset
you live in a big
house with pupils
and some of them
are friends.
”
Q
DORSET
“
It was a
wonderful
experience for
me where I got
to meet fantastic
people and strike
up new friendships
that wouldn’t have
happened without
the exchange.
”
“
Everyone (in
Sherborne Dorset)
was extremely nice
and definitely happy
to lend a hand with
anything which was
a relief for most of
us.
”
“
You are not
separated from your
Sherborne Qatar
friends. I thought
I would be but we
weren’t, we could
still see each other
in the day.
”
DOHA
Q
“
We left behind
some very happy
friendships and
some wonderful
memories. The host
families were also
incredibly generous
in the way they
looked after the
girls.
”
DORSET
“
I thought the
whole week worked
very well and
particular highlights
were the Mosque
and the Camping
(thank heavens the
weather was fine
for the camping!).
The whole thing is
such a good cultural
experience for both
sides.
”
“
When learning about, looking after and sharing
experiences with their Sherborne UK partners, our
Sherborne Qatar pupils showed that they could do
this with maturity and generousity – nicely done
Sherborne Qatar!
” Kym Prichard
External Relations Co-ordinator
67

Sherborne
Exchange
68

Sherborne
Exchange
69

70
Fatema Hassan (A Level Art)

THE HOUSES
Cook House – written by Rgizlaine Khayari Head of Cook House
I
would like to express my happiness by sharing the
highlights of Cook House to date. Last term, Cook
House successfully participated in the whole school
interhouse competitions dedicated to sports which
included handball, volleyball, netball and football. With
a strong winning record in the sports competitions, I
was pleased to see how the pupils demonstrated great
teamwork which helped reach the top position in the
senior boys’ handball competition, top in the junior
girls’ volleyball competition and second in the juniors
boys’ handball competition. We also came top in the first
interhouse academic competition dedicated to Modern
Foreign Languages.
Furthermore, it was thrilling to see how hard-working and
committed each Cook House tutee was in preparation
for the Celebration of the Qatar interhouse event. Pupils
prepared to recite poems in Arabic and learn the Qatar
National Anthem. We also had some brilliant 2D and 3D
artwork produced, a great documentary about traditional
art as well as some terrific theatrical role plays. I look
forward to supporting them in their next big senior
interhouse competition dedicated to debating, where
I will judge the debates alongside Dr Lieven from
Georgetown University and adjudicators from Qatar
Debate (member of Qatar Foundation).
During our first term, we successfully elected our two
House Captains, George Keefe and Mohamed Salem
(both in Year13) and our two Vice-House Captains,
Aysha Abdul Atti and Fidan Najafova (both in Year 11).
This was done through a whole house voting system.
Other positions such as Cook House Sports Reps,
Pupil Council Reps, Class Reps, Photography Reps and
Charity Reps were filled by pupils through the voting
system. I look forward to helping them enhance their
leadership skills further.
In February, Cook House hosted a series of charity
events as part of our House Charity Week and as
ever Cook pupils were eager to help with the charitable
activities planned. All were led by our house pupils who
truly highlighted their commitment, leadership and
creativity. During the week, one of our pupils Khalifa
Al Thani (Year 8) organised the sale of Johnny Rocket’s
burgers; our Year 10 girls organised and led the sale of the
cookie dough raffle, homemade lemonade stands and the
bake sales; our Year 7 planned the ‘beat the goalie’ activity
and our Year 9s arranged the Fifa competition.
We anticipate 2017/18 is going to be a great year for
Cook as we compete in sporting, academic and cultural
activities and work together to be a team that is to be
reckoned with! All pupils have the opportunity to earn
House points on a weekly basis as they are all invited and
encouraged to take part in all events. At the end of the
academic year all of the House points are added up and
one House wins the overall trophy. Finally, I would like to
thank all the pupils in Cook House for their commitment
this year so far.
71

THE HOUSES.................................
Ahmed House – written by Jaime Louise Outram – Head of Ahmed House
Ahmed House has enjoyed an eventful year. The
spirit has been one of teamwork and determination.
There is never a shortage of volunteers to get stuck
in and support the team effort when required to do so, and
there has been lots of things to do this year, from sports
day to charity week to our termly interhouse challenges.
The school values have been evident in abundance with
interhouse events and competitions bringing out the best
in everyone.
Our most notable success was a massive improvement in
our sports day ranking this year, coming second overall.
The girls’ U15 gave a superb and solid performance
throughout the day, remaining largely undefeated in all
events. There was a great feeling of House spirit and
comradeship all day long and with every victory came a
great sense of pride.
Charity week was a fruitful but labour intensive week with
the ‘Ahmed Craft Bazaar’ the showcase event. We had
a great deal of support throughout the week, including
some parents which added a fantastic boost to the feel
of the week. A huge thank you to Mrs Al Rukabi, Huda
Al Rukabi, Sara Syed, Molly Mathers and Heidi Keefe
for displaying resilience and reliability beyond anything
imaginable. There was an amazing array of art work
produced for our Celebrating Qatar Creative Arts day
at the end of the winter term. The time put into these
exhibitions reflects the dedication pupils in Ahmed House
have to their House.
During our debating interhouse competition we were
very privileged to be represented by one of Sherborne
Qatar’s youngest debate team members, Turkia Al Thani,
who is a true inspiration to the rest of the young women
of the Sherborne community and further afield. Overall
though, it appears there was a fondness for the languages
and maths quizzes, with a great air of competitiveness
surrounding the events.
As we entered the final weeks of the sports interhouse
competition, Ahmed House found their game, fielding
a very strong mixed rounders team and putting on an
impressive open match against Cutler House. Well
done to all the sports captains: Ottavia Martinz, Anas
El Gammal, Eilidh Bonthron and Matteo Franceschi,
this year, for all their hard work organising teams each
week and to our House Captains, Heidi Keefe and Molly
Mathers, for their support in ensuring we field our
strongest teams for each event. Special thanks have to
go to Hamad Al Thani, Ghanim Al Kuwari and Benayah
Sitorus and the vast majority of 7 Ahmed for their
unyielding turn out practically every week to support the
success of Ahmed House.
A fabulous foundation on which to build and we’re all very excited for an even better 2017-2018 year.
72

......................................................
Copeland House – written by Donna Ketteringham – Head of Copeland House
When I found out that I was to be Head of House
for Copeland, I was delighted. We have some
superb characters in our house and a great mix
of talents. What a privilege it has been to work with such a
wonderful group of pupils this year.
Although our sports performance has been inconsistent,
I have been impressed by the positive attitude and
commitment shown by Copeland pupils. In particular, the
senior girls, many of whom have never participated in
sports before. Bella Shepherd-Evans, Danette Sitorus,
Ayan Najafova, Lucia Duran and Harini Sockalingam
have been terrific role models, giving it their all at every
game. Rose McMahon’s dedication and enthusiasm in
interhouse every week as part of the juniors is highly
commendable.
Playing our rivals, Moza, in interhouse football this
year proved to be challenging and tense for the boys.
Both the junior and senior teams reached the final. The
juniors triumphed lead by our brilliant Sports Captain
Daniel Eite, and whilst the seniors came second, both
games were very exciting and enjoyable.
Sports Day was another occasion where Copeland
pupils excelled, showing excellent sportsmanship and
team spirit. Many events were oversubscribed and
pupils were full of encouragement, cheering from the
side with our Copeland banner. The day was full of
ups and downs, moving from last early on, up to third
position and then finally to fifth.
Another highlight was our success in the Qatar National
Day celebrations. Our fantastic model of a fort, complete
with turrets, sand effect and a map inside, came first. A
huge amount of dedication, creativity and hard work went
into this piece, which was led by our Arts Captain, Jasmina
Ali. This was supported by some superb artwork showing
the Doha skyline in three different styles, completed by
Abigail Smith, Maryam Al Helou and Jumana Al Anizi.
Although at a slight disadvantage being drawn last and
having only 4 days, pupils showed great creativity in their
fundraising ideas during our charity week. Few of these
made it to fruition but pupils showed commitment and
enthusiasm for those that did. Our staff versus pupils’
Sports Day was most memorable, with many pupils
participating in three legged race, egg and spoon race and
wheelbarrow race against their teachers.
A huge thank you, to all those pupils who have been
involved in house activities this year. Let’s make next year
even better!
73

THE HOUSES.................................
Cutler House – written by Graham Robey – Head of Cutler House
Cutler House have shown commitment and
perseverance all year in all aspects of the house
system. From the first week in interhouse sports
we have shown up in our number to either participate and
support.
In the first round of sports fixtures we dominated in all
forms with senior girls’ volleyball leading the way and the
senior boys’ handball team making light work of their
opposition and our star player and House Captain Thai
Silvera.
We then topped the second round of fixtures, in slightly
less convincing form however our strength in depth shone
through as we were able to consistently give our opposition
a good run for their money in the boys’ football and girls’
netball.
A big thanks to our Sports Captains; Jessica Bird and
Thamerunn Sockalingam for juniors and seniors Russell
Aggus and Laila Salem who have consistently managed
to motivate the pupils to give up their lunchtimes to
participate.
We had an excellent charity week with perhaps the biggest
cake sale Sherborne Qatar has ever seen. The pupils
once again outdid themselves by giving up their own time
in break and lunch time through the week to organise
dodgeball events, making popcorn and cotton candy.
We came second in both the Qatar National Day art
competition and were unlucky not to clinch first place in
the mannequin challenge.
Sports day was a day of ups and downs. We led for most
of the morning but fatigue must have set in as we slipped
further down the order but eventually ended up with a
respectible 3rd place.
I have been blown away by the commitment, responsibility
and perseverance shown by all of Cutler House and
have made myself a very proud Head of House and our
achievements this year should be celebrated loudly.
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......................................................
Moza House – written by Ibrahim Adam – Head of Moza House
It has been a very successful and eventful year for Moza
House. As the first house to lead charity week (in early
September) we had challenge of setting the bar for the
rest of the houses, which we did with style! Highlights of
the week (amongst many others) included: a bake sale,
a clarinet performance, the much anticipated penalty
shootout, the silent disco, the pizza sale and the FIFA
competition.
Many pupils gave up their time and used their skills as well
as their contacts to provide a variety of events during this
week. Buthaina Al Thani and her family provided a visit
from Fat Burger, which was a hugely popular addition
to the offerings of the week. On behalf of Moza House, I
would like to huge thank you to all pupils who got involved
in the organisation of the events and also an extended
thanks to all of the pupils and staff in the school who
donated money to R.O.T.A, our chosen charity.
The highlight of the year has to be our astounding success
on Sports Day. This is the accolade that we have been
striving to achieve over the past 5 years. Only this time, we
won! Our grit, determination and resilience finally paid
off, proving us to be, undeniably, the best House in the
school.
As Head of Moza House, I would like to thank all of the
Moza tutors who have encouraged their tutees in fostering
the Moza House spirit and also Mr Mate for his support
and guidance. Finally, I would like to express my extreme
gratitude for all the hard work and effort that Moza pupils
have put into the interhouse events as well as all of the
merits that have been gained in our tireless mission for
glory as we defend our current title of House Champions!
75

THE HOUSES................................
Hamad House – written by Angela Nightingale-Smith – Head of Hamad House
Without doubt, being Head of Hamad House this
year has been an experience and a privilege. It’s
been a fantastic chance to get to know a much
wider range of pupils, as well as see them accomplish tasks
and activities outside of their day to day lessons.
Some of my fondest
memories are definitely
from charity week;
the baked bean eating
competition proved very
popular (and frustrating)
with the younger years
who battled it out with
cocktail sticks! We also
welcomed the return of
The Amari Hotel who
provided the buffet again.
This was a fabulously
successful event with all
tickets being sold out.
My special thanks goes
to the 6th former (who
wishes not be named) for
organising, setting up
and running this event,
ably assisted by the
wonderful Mr Ranglall.
Finally, Hamad’s
cake sale was also a
resounding success,
with a large number of
pupils bringing in cakes
and other items. As
always though, Ameena
Al Bader’s red velvet
cupcakes stole the show and were the first to sell out.
Whilst our success in the weekly interhouse competitions
has been somewhat sporadic, I have been extraordinarily
proud of the fact that every week we have enough players
for a team for boys and girls in juniors and seniors. We
certainly finished the spring term on a high after taking
first place in the mixed cricket. There are several pupils
that deserve a special mention for their commitment and
enthusiasm, but none more so than Moya, who has not
only turned up to all the sporting fixtures, but is one of
the first to always take in part in any of the competitions;
as a House, we couldn’t do
without her.
As mentioned by other
Houses, Sports Day was
an extremely competitive
and thoroughly enjoyable,
if tiring, day. Again, senior
girls stood out for their
sheer determination and
constant participation.
Having only six girls
available in this age category
meant that they all played
every single game; I would
like to say that my joining
in half way through the
day helped to improve the
situation, but my netball
skills were somewhat rusty!
There were two people that
did make a big difference
though, one of whom was Mr
Saleh, who was exceptional
in the staff tug of war event.
The other was Dylan, our
House Captain, whose smart
and tactical approach to the
House relay event saw our
team absolutely run away
with the win.
I want to end the year with a massive thank you to all
those pupils who have participated in any of the events;
I hope that next year even more pupils get involved and
that Hamad continues to be one of the best Houses in the
school.
76

77

An analysis by Amir Khattab (Year 9)
Disabled - by Wilfred Owen
Owen was an officer in World War I. Whilst being injured
and convalescing, he wrote war poetry. Owen’s poetry
wasn’t the normal ‘jingoistic’ pro war poetry; he wanted
to portray the horrendous realities and stark horrors of war which
were shown in his poetry.
The poem ‘Disabled’ is one such poem that shows this. It’s about a
young man who enlisted in the war for the wrong reasons; he did it
to impress the “giddy jilts” and he did it for the glory of a victorious
war without having a single idea about the real consequences of
war. This mindset was brought about by the likes of the pro war
poet Jessie Pope, who wrote about how war was a glorious and
patriotic thing to get involved in.
Owen begins by telling us about a young man who has lost his limbs
in the war. The man is described as ‘He’ and remains nameless
throughout the poem. This makes him seem as if since he has been
severely injured, he has lost his identity and no longer feels he is a
young man. “Now he will never feel again how slim girl’s waists are
or how warm their subtle hands”, which tells us that he will never
have the normal life of a young man and that life before the war was
much happier. “Tonight he noticed how the women’s eyes passed
from him to the strong men that were whole “. ‘He knows his life is
over and he will never marry and have a family life which would have
been possible before his injuries. Quite simply, his old self is gone.
Now that the man is disabled and has lost his limbs he has become
dependent upon others; this has caused him to lose his will to live
and he begs for death to take him. Owen shows this here: “He sat
in a wheeled chair, waiting for dark”. The word ‘waiting’ shows
that he is waiting for someone to come and help him and that he is
dependent on others, revealing that he has lost his identity and that
everything is done for him. In addition “wheeled chair” means that
now he has lost his arms, he can’t push himself on a wheel chair and
needs someone to push him – again highlighting his dependence
on others.
It is clear to see from Owen’s first stanza that war is not the
wonderful thing the pro war poets made it out to be.
78

Morgan Palmer (GCSE Art)
79

EVENTS
Visit from Mark Evans MBE, FRGS
Pupils were given the opportunity to
attend a talk at the school from renowned
explorer, Mark Evans. It was inspirational
to say the least, and gave the pupils an
insight to what one can achieve by sheer
determination and focus.
80
Based in Muscat, Oman,
Mark Evans is an
experienced desert and
polar explorer and guide,
writer, speaker and wilderness
advocate.
He acts as a consultant in the
fields of expedition logistics,
risk mitigation and fund-raising.
Twenty years spent living and
travelling extensively in Arabia,
backed up by 80 day camel
expeditions, a 49 day crossing
of the Rub Al Khali, a 55 day
1,700 km solo kayak journey
from UAE to Yemen, and remote
4×4 journeys throughout Saudi
Arabia and Oman, give Mark an
unrivalled knowledge of the area.
Mark’s entrepreneurial spirit has
seen him play a leading role
in raising more than 26 million
GBP funding from corporate and
government sectors in the past
ten years for exploration and
education. He is currently the
Executive Director of Outward
Bound Oman, the first and only
Outward Bound school in an
Arabic speaking country.

EVENTS
1st Day of School
Green Day
Sherborne Qatar Green Day turned out to be even bigger and
better than previous years with pupils turning up in green
coloured clothes to mark the occasion in the preparatory and
Senior School. In the Senior School Carillion Qatar LLC helped
pupils understand how to make and plant their very own planting
boxes made from recycled material. The idea was to set aside one day
where pupils could learn about everything ‘green’, focusing on ways
to sustain our environment for future generations. Education is the
key in achieving this.
81

EVENTS
Qatar National Day
Winter Fair
82

EVENTS
Science Week
British Science Week (BSW) 2017 was a ten-day
celebration of science, technology, engineering
and maths - featuring fascinating, entertaining and
engaging events and activities across the UK for people
of all ages.
BSW provides a platform to stimulate and support
teachers, STEM professionals, science communicators
and the general public to produce and participate in
STEM events and activities.
As part of BSW, there is a national science demonstration
day. Not wanting to let a few thousand miles get in the
way of a good demo and miss out on all of the fun, the
Sherborne Qatar Science Department decided to hold a
science demo week for its pupils at the senior school.
Every lunchtime through the week, one of the science
teachers held a demonstration in one of the laboratories.
The demonstrations started off with Mrs Prichard and
her amazing Angel Delight flame thrower, followed
by Mrs Williams dissection of a real brain, Mr Fletcher
making a jelly baby scream. The week culminated with
the Grand Masters of Fire, Mrs Dobison and Mr Tracey,
demonstrated some of the favourite fire based tricks.
Pupils spent their lunchtimes being enthralled and even
asked if there could be science demonstrations every
day! The highlights were uploaded to Twitter and were
re-tweeted by the British Science Association. Needless
to say the science department is looking forward to next
year’s BSW.
Jason Fletcher – Science Teacher
83

EVENTS
Sports Day
84

EVENTS
Book Week
On Thursday 2nd March
pupils from the preparatory
and senior schools came
together for a whole host of
activities to celebrate World
Book Day. Year 9 pupils created
a hilarious performance of Roald
Dahl’s Revolting Rhyme ‘Little Red
Riding Hood’ and then went on to
coach prep pupils in anticipation
of their own performances. Many
books were awarded as prizes
through the various competitions
that the English department ran
throughout the week. Much fun
was had by all involved and we look
forward to another fun-filled day
next year!
85

EVENTS
Year 11 Desert Safari
Year 13 Leavers’ Dinner
86

EVENTS
Medical Forum
Health and medicine will
always be a worldwide
challenge and Qatar
rightly places this important
sector as one of its pillars
within the 2030 National
Vision. Healthcare and ICT are
identified as one of Qatar’s
grand challenges and the
commitment to meet this
challenge can be seen with
the state of the art facilities at
Sidra Medical and Research
Center.
Sherborne Qatar has a
relatively new Year 13 and for
the first time this year we have
had pupils applying to study
medicine and medical related
subjects at university. As such
the school has a role to play
by inspiring and equipping
pre-university pupils to begin
their medical careers. Medical
universities in particular
expect to see evidence of
how pupils apply themselves
outside the curriculum and, in
interview, pupils will be asked
about recent developments in
science.
Last academic year we
entered into a partnership
with Park House English
School to offer pupils the
opportunity to research and
present topics of their choice
related to new advances in
medical science.
87

EVENTS
Little Princess
Trust hair
donation
The Little Princess Trust provides real hair wigs free of charge to
boys and girls across the UK and Ireland that have sadly lost their
own hair due to cancer treatment and other illnesses.
Sherborne Qatar senior girls decided to help with this very
deserving cause, donating their hair. Big thanks to Desert
Princess Salon & Bellezza Salon for turning the drama room
into a mini salon during lunch for this amazing cause.
88

MIA Ambassador’s
Programme
Sherborne Qatar was one of 14 schools across
Doha who took part in the MIA Ambassadors
programme, which saw our pupils get
immersed in Qatar’s art, heritage and
creativity. In a statement, MIA said the programme
under the patronage of Qatar Museum’s Chairperson
Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad
bin Khalifa Al Thani, sought to introduce young
generations to the culture of museums and promote
their creative skills through active participation in
cultural programmes.
Following an in-depth introduction to museum
operations, each school chose a department within
MIA that they wanted to research and get involved
with through further meetings, library visits and tours
of the museum. Sherborne Qatar chose the library
section as their topic. The pupils worked tirelessly
creating an outstanding presentation which they
had to present to a panel of judges, which included
representatives from the Ministry of Education and
Higher Education, and MIA. Our team finished a
commendable fourth in the competition and are
already getting excited for 2018 and how they can
improve.
Our MIA Ambassadors:
Jamila Badis, Tom
Quinn, Tariq Weiss,
Lauren McShane,
Jake Lloyd, Aatikah Al
Thani, Laila Salem and
Mr Ibrahim Adam –
MIA Programme Coordinator.
“One of our key priorities is to align with the school
curriculum in Qatar and find creative ways to inspire
pupils to consider the impact of art on their cultural
heritage and daily life,”
Salem Al Aswad, Deputy Director, Learning and
Outreach at MIA
89 89

Work Experience
The Year 10 pupils went out on work
experience to various locations throughout
Qatar and beyond. They got a taste of what
life might be like when they become a doctor,
teacher, blacksmith or hotelier – to name just a
few of the professions that pupils chose to do. The
whole process should serve to make our pupils
better employees or indeed, employers in the
future. They have a better appreciation of how
hard full time work can be. The feedback from
employers has been fantastic – it just goes to show
how amazing our pupils are both in and out of
school!
QUOTES FROM THE PUPILS:
“My work experience week was amazing! I went
to Honda and the staff we so welcoming. They
really took the time to explain how the company
operates and teach me different aspects of
business – I thought I would just learn about cars
but it was so much more than that!” Mohammed Al
Khayarin (Year 10)
“I didn’t realise how hard work would be – I
thought it was just sending emails and stuff all
day.” Daniel Shepherd-Evans (Year 10)
“At Qatar Cool, we were all put into departments
that suited our specific interests. I was working
on the business aspects but other pupils looked at
engineering or health and safety. It was fascinating
to learn about way to market a new idea. I
cannot wait to start up my own business.” Essa Al
Mohannadi (Year 10)
QUOTES FROM THE COMPANIES:
“Jake has spent a week observing the role of a
Radiologist at Aspetar which is a specialist sports
and orthopaedic hospital. During his week he
has sat alongside the Radiologists watching and
learning how we interpret the images medically
and then compile a report for the referring
clinician to then decide on the next stage of the
patients’ pathway. Jake has been able to point
out different areas of anatomy and identify some
abnormalities on the images. He has learnt how
Pupils displaying their certificates of recognition from staff at Qatar Cool.
90

difficult it can be to interrupt images in the 3D plane
and the importance of communication between
departments within the hospital.
This week has given Jake an opportunity to
understand the role of the Radiologist and to see
how he would enjoy forging a career in the medical
field. Jake’s positive and enthusiastic attitude made
it a pleasure to have him in the Medical Imaging
Department.” - Dr. Al Musa – Aspetar
“Thank you for involving Qatar Academy Doha
in Sherborne’s work experience week. We have
thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this experience
and commend you on your organisation and
communication with us. Sharifa Al Attiyah and
Aisha Al Hajri have been wonderful pupils to have
and have represented your school well. We wish
them all the very best in their future careers and
feel sure this experience has been of benefit to
them.” - Joanna Mathison, Assistant Principal, Qatar
Academy Doha Primary School
“We enjoyed having Haya. She is a great student
and was so helpful in the school.” - Maryam Alhajri,
Principal, Qatar Academy Alwakra
“It was a pleasure having Leo with me at the
Healthcare Robotics Laboratory of Qatar University,
where he was immersed in social robotics, virtual
reality, and 3D printing, among many others.” –
“Lara has had quite a diverse week sitting with HR,
PRO, Recruitment, Architecture and Marketing
teams. Today she is with Marketing so I have
managed to take a quick picture of her at work with
Joe our Bid Manager.” - Jemma Capaldi, AECOM.
“It was incredibly daunting and exciting to send all
our Year 10 pupils our on work experience and I am
really pleased with the response from the pupils
and the companies – I think everyone involved
would agree that it was extremely worthwhile.”
Mrs Welch, Head of Year 10
Written by Emma Welch, Head of Year 10
A huge thank you to all the organisations that were involved in our Work Experience Programme. – AECOM, Al Asmakh Real Estate,
Al Baker Archeticts, Al Qassar Station, Al Sailiya Sports Club, Amari Doha, Al Diwan St, Aspetar, Aspire Zone, ASTAD, Blue Salon,
Calgary International Pre-school, CAMHS, Canadian Veterinary Hospital, CML International, Crown Dental Centre, Evolution
Sports, Future Qatar for Business Development, Georgetown University, Grand Hyatt, Hamad Medical Corps, Al Saad, HONDA,
Hot-Hed LLC, ISLQ, Jacobs International, Jensen Harris, Leighton Contracting, Maersk Oil, ORO Interiors, Qatar Academy Doha,
Qatar Academy Al Wakra, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Qatar Computing Research, Qatar Cool, Qatar Environment and
Energy Research Institute, Qatar Mining Company, Qatar University, QDVC, Sherborne Preparatory, Sidra Medical, St Regis Hotel,
The International Physiotherapy Centre, TiME Qatar, Weill Connell Medicine.
91

92
Fatimah Ahmed (GCSE Art)

A SESTINA
It was verdant here in a distant time
The trees are gone - now stands concrete and glass
Roses once turned their heads towards the sun,
but have faded to nothing in Time’s flow
which makes all that is vibrant turn to grey
and dulls even that which once had been light
Here, steel now glints – a different kind of light
It is a reminder of the first time
they came with machines, cloaked in charcoal grey
Maniacal smiles behind darkened glass
Oblivious to beauty in the flow
of the stream, glistening in the midday sun
One man had cast his gaze towards the sun
Squinting hard in the perpetual light
He wiped his brow interrupting sweat’s steady flow.
He was old, and was alive through the time
when this place was a jewel, not merely glass
Its joy faded - as did his hair to grey.
It was no fault of his that green turned to grey
in this valley, once blessed by the bright sun
which won’t be outshone by pillars of glass
dark during the day, but at night they light
A mockery of true passing of time
A jarring intrusion to nature’s flow.
Smoke has begun to consistently flow
Painting the sky in melancholy grey
As far as wars go, it took them no time
to destroy what thrived - now even the sun
is naively attempting to shine light
through the smoke. Not one beam reaches the glass.
No matter, for curtains cover all glass
and concrete has set where streams used to flow
Garish neon signs are the only light
A sickening contrast to the stifling grey -
colouring landscapes secluded from sun.
Pale phantoms of what has been lost to Time.
They turned the lush valley dead and grey
made feeble and weak the glorious sun
the beauty of nature, ravaged by men and by Time.
WRITTEN BY JAMILA BADIS (YEAR 10)
93

TRIPS–
Skiing
94
I
really enjoyed the skiing trip this
year. We had so much to do in only
one week, and when it was time to
leave we were all heartbroken!
On the first day when we arrived
in Italy we were all exhausted from
the plane trip, but we were looking
forward to the next day to start skiing.
On the second day the ski groups
were sorted, we were raring to go and
we all had fun!
Every day was a new adventure for
each one of us. We went ice skating,
completed an obstacle course at the
park, and we went to the cinema.
Usually after lunch we would go to the
shops in groups.
The small town of Madesimo had us
smiling around each corner. The town
is beautiful and even though we didn’t
have great weather on the first few
days, we still went skiing and had fun.
One of my favourite things that we did
was ice skating. We all enjoyed it and
for some of us it was the first time ice
skating on real ice; some of the pupils
told me it reminded them of Villagio!
We went on an amazing night walk
from the slopes back down to the
hotel. We started off with a hot
chocolate at the top of the mountain,
which was yummy, and told stories all
the way down.
Another one of my favourite things we
did, was when we went skiing and had
a go on the slalom course – it felt like
we were professionals!
But my favourite thing on the trip
was when the teachers trusted us
to go to the town and shopping by
ourselves with our friends. I loved this
year’s trip, and it taught me how to be
responsible. I also enjoyed getting to
know other pupils from other years.
Camilla Maggi (Year 7)

TRIPS
Spain
Written by Lauren McShane & Jeyla Guliyeva (Year 10)
Travelling to the south of Spain for one week at the end of January, a group of thirteen
pupils experienced the history and culture of the four cities they visited had to offer.
First, Sevilla, where hundreds of orange trees scattered along the roads. Taking a cruise
nearby, the pupils were able to go down the Guadalvivir river and made some Spanish
canoeist friends. Furthermore, in the evening the group went to the Plaza España, a
beautiful and huge half-circle square with canals. ‘’As soon as Mr Robey and Ms Cobo went to meet us after our free time in the
square, we started to walk away as a joke because they were 2 minutes late – a bunch of teenagers hiding inside the palace was
probably not the most assuring sight for other tourists! ’’ This impressive plaza has been used for filming several movies, such as
Star Wars and Lawrence of Arabia too.
From Sevilla we were taken on two day trips: Jerez de la Frontera, usually called Jerez, and birthplace of the famous drink sherry
and the charming city of Córdoba. We walked through Córdoba’s old Jewish quarter (Judería) with our favourite tourist guide
–he would tell us to ‘follow daddy!’- and given that Spanish people tend to eat quite late, we stopped in the morning to enjoy
a typical Spanish appetizer such as croquettes from the city whilst sitting under the sunshine at a terrace bar. In the afternoon
we visited the sacred site Great Mosque-Cathedral in which it holds an original copy of the Koran and a bone of the prophet
Mohammed’s arm, making it a major Muslim pilgrimage site. After this, a traditional Spanish meal consisting of a variety of tapas
and gazpacho gave us energy to continue.
Lastly, the group, accompanied by our Spanish guide for the week, Elena, travelled to Granada and visited the famous Al Hambra
(the complete Arabic form of which was Qalat Al-Hamra, the red one) palace and fortress. Behind its austere appearance, since
in Islam one should not show off about their possessions, the Alhambra hides wonders inside. Its stunning patios, gardens and
chambers did not leave anyone indifferent.
As a nice ending to a long and busy week, we all dressed up and went to a ´tablao flamenco´ to experience an authentic night
of flamenco dancing with a view of Al Hambra outside the flamenco bar, of which during the night was lit by purple and green
lights, making it even more surreal. The art and passion with which the bailaores (dancers) and cantaores (flamenco singers)
95
performed gave most of us goosebumps.
On the last evening the pupils were also taken to a karaoke bar to test their vocal skills (with most struggling to reach the high
notes of Freddie Mercury’s Bohemian Rhapsody), where we discovered some hidden talents within the group.
In a nutshell, it was a very successful trip full of activities where we had the opportunity to soak up the Spanish culture, language,
traditions, food and lifestyle. Due to it being such a positively received trip, another trip to Barcelona and Madrid is already being
planned in October. We can’t wait!
¨Fue una semana increíble de no parar. ¡lo pasamos bomba cada minuto! Nos hicimos amigos de estudiantes con quien nunca
habíamos hablado antes y también, aunque al principio fue difícil la regla de ´no móviles´ en la mesa, nos acostumbramos
rapidísimamente y cada desayuno, comida y cena estaba llena de risas, bromas, ¡incluso profundos poemas y canciones!
It was an incredible non-stop week. We had a blast every minute! We became friends with pupils to whom we had never talked
before and also, although we found it difficult at the beginning, the ´no phones´rule at the table is something we got used to
quickly and every breakfast, lunch and dinner time there were laughs and jokes, even deep poems and songs!
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TRIPS
After a seemingly endless
journey from Doha to JFK
airport, we finally arrived,
bleary-eyed, at our hotel, the
Hotel Penn – directly across from
Madison Square Gardens. That
very night we took the short walk
from our hotel to Times Square,
and it was incredible. The lights
illuminated the area so well that
the night seemed to turn to day.
Without an ounce of exaggeration,
the difference in light level would
have been indistinguishable.
Day two was as packed as every
other day, beginning with our
first subway trip to Wall Street
where we took a tour of the many
interesting sites – although the
practical financial district has in fact
moved to Midtown. Then, just a few
blocks from the hotel we ascended
one of the most iconic sites in the
city - The Empire State Building.
We gazed across the city and saw
those iconic yellow cabs, seemingly
ant-sized from our new perspective.
Around about half way through the
trip, we took the boat ride to Ellis
Island and the Statue of Liberty,
another iconic site. Fighting through
the bitter cold winds on the ferry,
huddled together for warmth,
we eventually broke through the
waves and landed at the island.
Well, it wasn’t that dramatic but it
was cold, and the clouds behind
Lady Liberty framing the view were
frankly breath-taking.
On the sixth day of the trip
(a Saturday, which becomes
relevant later) we saw Matilda on
Broadway, and it was stunning.
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TRIPS
Expertly written, choreographed
and executed, the whole show
came together superbly, and many
of us had the songs of the play
stuck in our heads for days after
the performance. Now, Times
Square is astonishingly busy every
night, and of the regular days of
the week, Saturday is the busiest.
Any given Saturday though,
walking would still be possible.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t any
given Saturday. This was the last
Saturday before Hallowe’en, and
the streets were heaving.
Our trip concluded with a very
emotional journey to the 9/11
memorial. On matters like this I
can’t pretend to fully understand
the plight of those affected, and I
can barely formulate a sentence
to express how I felt simply being
in the vicinity of the attacks, so I’ll
just say what exactly happened.
We walked through the fountains
at Ground Zero, then through to
the underground museum. The
overwhelming emotion of the
museum brought many of us to
tears. Within around five minutes, I
felt tears streaming down my face,
and the mix of emotions that we felt
in the museum was shocking.
That day, it was time to leave our
New York life, and we used our
preferred mode of transport –
buses and planes – and two Burger
Kings later, we touched down in
Doha, returned home and at least
in my case, slept for two days
straight.
Written by Thomas Quinn, (Year 10)
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Drama
Productions
Extra-curricular drama
Extra-curricular drama can take the form of scripted performances, spontaneous improvisation
events or practical examinations which take part outside of the classroom. Any work which is
rehearsed for the purpose of presenting to an audience. Pupils learn the importance of practice
makes perfect.
LOWER SCHOOL
The 39 Steps
Year 7-9 lower school production. The 39 Steps was written by John Buchan in 1915 and made into
an Alfred Hitchcock movie in 1935. It’s a shocker of a play, with daring and dangerous situations
unlikely to happen in real life. The actors had fun exploring the lead character Hannay and his
exploits tracking down the secret of the 39 Steps. Performed in May.
UPPER SCHOOL
The Dinner Party
Year 11 Unit 3 mock practical assessment scripted performance. The Dinner Party is a one-act
comedy written by Neil Simon and first presented in 1999. It’s a classic comedy full of mistaken
identities, misunderstood situations and comic timing. The actors used dramatic irony and
developed fascinating characters to create a wonderful A-Level standard performance which kept
the audience laughing throughout. Performed in December.
The Cells
Year 13 Unit 3 practical assessment performance. The pupils this exploration of the effect of prison
and questioned the suitability of the justice system. This was the last public performance created
by our first A Level drama cohort who have been studying theatre for two years. Performed in
December.
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SICC (Sherborne Improvised Comedy Club)
The ground breaking original and daring SICC club debuted their work to an audience of parents
and friends. With a rostra of crazy drama sports style spontaneous improvisation games, the group
presented their work. Never have an audience laughed so much in a school production until now.
SICC will return. Performed in March.
GCSE Unit 3 Performance – Ripper
The GCSE Unit 3 final practical performance was based on the historical character ‘Jack the Ripper’
The group created this original devised piece focusing on his victims and performed it for an
external examiner. Each of the class member contributed to researching, planning and devising in
lessons. Performed in April.
Trips
Teaching groups see at least one production each year to support their studies in drama lessons. By
seeing productions the pupils are given either an example of professional work or a measuring stick
by which to judge their own work. These opportunities develop the pupils learning and creativity
through varied and fun experience
Year 8 – Horrible Histories Theatre Company – Barmy Britain
Year 8 – American School of Doha – Into the Woods
Year 9 – Doha British School – We Will Rock You
Year 11 – Qatar Academy – Alms for the Poor
Year 13 – Doha Players – Hamlet
STAFF
Winter Pantomime
Our second staff winter pantomime. Traditionally this devised performance is delivered to an
audience of Years 5-13, and is a chance to see the teachers perform to the pupils. This year the staff
presented fairytales, dance routines, physical theatre comedy and even mixed martial arts fighting to
the school. Every member of the senior leadership team supported and a large number of staff were
involved. A highlight of the piece was the dance routine to ‘What does the Fox say?”.
STAFF PANTO CAST
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DRAMA PRODUCTIONS
A Sherborne Performing
Arts Production
Year 7-9 Production
May 2nd, 3rd and 4th,
starting at 6.00pm
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It’s Great...
It’s Grand...
It’s Glorious!
TICKETS:
Child 30QR per ticket
Adult 50QR per ticket
AVAILABLE from the Finance Office

THE 39 STEPS
Photographs courtesy of David Brown
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DRAMA PRODUCTIONS................
BACKSTAGE – THE 39 STEPS
COMEDY CLUB
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......................................................
Year 13 Unit 3 Final Performance – The Cells
Year 11 Unit 3 Mock Practical – The Dinner Party
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Music Recital
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105

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Head
ENRICHMENT
Head
year ranging from cooking classes through to
This year has been a breakthrough year for
Enrichment at Sherborne Qatar. We have
offered over 40 different clubs throughout the
photography. This year we wanted to try and improve the
variety of clubs that we have offered in the past and have
been extremely successful with many of the pupils opting
to take part in at least one enrichment activity. We have
also started to invite outside providers in to help enhance
the enrichment program on a Wednesday when staff have
their meetings, giving pupils even more opportunity to try
something outside of the curriculum, including molecular
science and robotics club.
Most of the new clubs this year have been very successful,
including cooking club with Miss Cobo, science club with
Mr Fletcher and Jui Jitsu with Mr Ali. Model United Nations
and Debating continue to be outstanding clubs giving pupils
the opportunity to compete not just on a regional
level but on a world level and many of our pupils have
won awards for the school in these clubs.
The Medical Club in Year 13 has yet again been a
success with some of our A Level pupils showing
that they have the ability to understand and research
science beyond the curriculum.
We have had high turnouts for volleyball, badminton
and table tennis clubs for the more social sports
players and we had our very first e-sports club ran by
Mr Rahman who started a FIFA club.
One of the revelations this year has been the charity
club which was set up by Mrs Prichard with the aim
of getting pupils involved in voluntary projects but
allowing them to decide how they raise money for
good causes.
We have continued our partnership with Regatta
Sailing Academy and our pupils have continued to
make progress with their sailing skills, Mr and Mrs Bisby
have shown the way and hopefully have given the pupils a
very useful life skill.
Girls’ fitness has continued to be a popular choice amongst
the younger year groups and have been made to sweat their
way through the year by Miss Ketteringham who has been
making them work hard to improve their overall health and
fitness.
Drama and dance clubs have joined forces to use their time
to produce a play The 39 Steps which has required a lot of
commitment by the pupils involved and has required a lot of
additional time given up by members of staff.
At Sherborne Qatar we believe in the importance of
enrichment and understand the benefits it can have in the
development of our pupils. Enrichment is there to enhance
the experience that pupils have at school and it teaches
them to use skills that they will need later throughout life.
Looking forward to next year we want enrichment to be
even bigger and better than it has ever been and we are
working hard behind the scenes to design a world class
enrichment program for the pupils so that it can help them
develop beyond their academic abilities and reach their true
potential.
Graham Robey, Enrichment Co-ordimator
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ENRICHMENT
MUN ( MODEL UNITED )
NATIONS
MUN HIGHLIGHTS
It was the beginning of the school
year and the MUN club in Sherborne
Qatar was trying to recruit new
people. Prospective members might
ask: “Why should I do MUN?”
Everyone asks a question like that
themselves before starting a club
like MUN. I checked it out, and at
first, it just seemed like a fun way of
learning history and the world. I soon
realised that I really enjoyed meeting
people and making speeches. I also
got a rush when sharing my point
and debating in conferences and as
I gradually contributed to every club
session I developed a passion.
Looking back on my experience, these
are my top three reasons for someone
to do MUN:
• It’s a fun way of learning about the
world. In this era of globalisation,
being globally aware is more
important than ever. Also, having
fun makes it easier to learn
something and more likely to stick.
• It develops leadership skills.
MUN is an exercise in research,
public speaking, and teamwork.
These are skills that you will need
throughout your career, and MUN
gives you a chance to practice
them while you’re a pupil.
• And... for the older pupils, you can
leverage your MUN experience
and network to get into college
and find jobs. Admissions Officers
and job interviewers look for
examples of leadership, and your
experiences as a delegate or
conference organiser will be good
examples. You will also develop a
network of alumni from your MUN
club and people you’ve met at
conferences.
Trips:
There have been many trips over the
course of the academic year. The
Leadership Conference, the Doha
College Model United Nations, The
Hague International Model United
Nations and the Dubai International
Model United Nations.
The Qatar Leadership
conference 2016
The Qatar Leadership Conference is
a joint project between Northwestern
University in Qatar and THIMUN
Qatar. The conference is designed
around the concept of developing
pupil and teacher leadership within
schools specifically in MUN and
leadership. The Qatar MUN and
Media Leadership Conference has
two main objectives:
• To provide high school pupils
and teachers with high-quality
workshops designed to provide
them leadership skills and tools
to run successful MUN & media
studies programmes.
•To provide an annual meeting
place for MUN and media leaders
to exchange ideas and develop
partnerships.
Doha College MUN 2016
The DC MUN was aimed at the
younger generations, for example
Years 8 and 9 and maybe a few
mature Year 7 members. Doha
College held its 9th Annual Model
United Nations Conference during the
half term holidays. It was at the Doha
College Al Waab Campus for the first
2 days. The last day was held at the
conference rooms at The Radisson
Blu Hotel.
THIMUN (The Hague
International Model United
Nations)
The THIMUN Qatar was created
as a project. The MUN conference
brings pupils together from around
the world to learn and share ideas
from a diverse set of experiences
and backgrounds. The conference
attracts around 1400 participants from
Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle
East. The conference venue is the
Qatar National Convention Centre. It
was truly an experience to remember
as there were so many meaningful
topics and so many different schools
with cultures. It was amazing and one
of the best conferences.The Dubai
conference was held by the Dubai
International Academy. It was truly
phenomenal. There was a group from
as young as Year 7 to as old as Year
10. We discussed relevant topics in
the world and had fun whilst we were
doing it.
DIAMUN 2017
During the MUN trip, we were
surrounded by a lot of different
and interesting topics. Some of
which were: the issue of misused
but legalised small arms and light
weapons (SALWs) and redressing
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the firearm law infringements, the
formation of a global extradition treaty
and the question of human smuggling
and illegal immigration in Central
America. A few of the solutions we
had come up with for the SALWs was
to have one person designated to
watching over the sales of SALWs.
Another thing was to ban the trade
of SALWs for all the countries and to
have stricter laws and punishments
for the misuse of SALWs. Turkia Al
Thani (Year 8)
The Executive Committee:
At the beginning of every year, the
club selects a very small group of
individuals to represent the club as
well as run the sessions. This year
we had a very willing and determined
group of individuals to run the club:
Cem Hamal as the Club President,
Michael Lieven and Cheah Yung
Vern as the club’s Secretary General,
Amanah Badurdeen and Shahd
Ashawesh as the Deputy Secretary
General as well as Sahar Ali as the
Head of the Press Team.
Every Wednesday lunch time the
Executive Committee holds a meeting
to discuss the plans for the next club
session, pass a resolution or edit the
MUN billboard in the atrium. During
these sessions, the members also
assign jobs for any upcoming debates
within the club such as who will be the
Chair, admin etc.
Even though the Executive members
may seem not really important but
they actually manage what happens
during the club and most of the time
they are running it not any teachers.
From Utku Cem Hamal, President
of Sherborne MUN Executive
Committee
Qatar Leadership Conference was
a three day event that we attended
through THIMUN Qatar. The
conference had numerous workshops
on a variety of subjects, from women
in the business world to the dark web.
Although this wasn’t an official MUN
conference, it was still beneficial as it
gave us an introduction into the world
of MUN. (Molly and Heidi Year 12)
THIMUN is a great opportunity to
make new friends and learn new
skills, enhancing your leadership and
communication skills which are vital
in MUN and life. Getting 1700 people
to Qatar every year isn’t particularly
easy, but when it does happen it
creates a magnificent experience for
both the pupils and staff organising
it, and the participants that spend
their precious study time to attend
the greatest conference in the Middle
East. Many important people like
Ambassadors from the EU arrive
at the closing ceremony to meet
and guide the leaders of the future
Their outstanding speeches inspire
many individuals and drive them
towards achieving their personal
goals. Moreover, resolution writing
benefits delegates by increasing their
knowledge about world problems
and cultures, which is very important
for pupils who wish to study human
topics such as; history, politics and
law. I personally believe that THIMUN
should be attended by everyone, even
if it does not correlate with university
courses that they choose, because it
expands one’s knowledge about the
great planet that we live in. - (Utku
Cem (Year 12)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej-
KqF5CJes
Main article written by Amanah
Fathima Badurdeen (Year 8) – Deputy
Secretary General Sherborne MUN
Executive Committee
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ENRICHMENT
DofE Int. Award
Bronze
The IA Bronze Award kicked off well in September
with the largest group of candidates the school
has ever had, made up of 6 groups from Year 10
with a few of the older Year 9s; we were even able
to create a full team of Muslim girls, a first for
the school. Weekly training sessions on Sunday
afternoons were eagerly attended in preparation
for our practice Adventurous Journey in November,
among the rocky outcrops and desolate plains of
the western peninsula of Qatar, near a small town
called Zekreet.
Whilst the Adventurous Journey training was going
on and the few shops in Doha that carried any kit
saw their stocks rapidly diminishing, the candidates
went about organising placements for the other
aspects of the IA. Most of the Physical Recreation
involved team games in school; the Skills section
involved activities ranging from cooking through
to fencing; and the Services provided by the
candidates covered activities such as babysitting,
dog walking, tutoring, and helping out at the local
hospital.
Spring term saw 25 pupils and 3 staff flying to Oman
to complete the assessed Adventurous Journey.
The teams were met by a local guide and whisked
straight out into the mountains for orientation and
acclimatisation workshops before picking up their
kit and, quite literally, walking off into the sunset.
The following two days were spent purposefully
wondering around the fantastically rugged terrain
of the Al Abyadh Desert region, with all participants
meeting, and generally exceeding, the numerous
conditions that must be met in order to successfully
complete the expedition.
Silver Adventurous Journey
Four groups of candidates from Year 11 & Year
13 signed up for their Silver Award this year with
the majority being last year’s successful Bronze
participants. The Adventurous Journey was decided
upon well in advance as the teams had already
decided to try something that the school hadn’t
attempted before; an expedition at sea, sailing
around the Arabian Gulf.
Throughout the winter term the candidates spent
several hours per week ‘learning the ropes’ with a
local RYA sailing academy getting ready for their
expedition, whilst working towards their Level 2
Keelboat qualification as an added bonus.
Plans were made for each group to set sail, in turn
over several weekends during the Summer Term,
across the Arabian Gulf to Abu Dhabi. Unfortunately
the most unseasonal weather since records began
and some confounding visa restrictions prevented a
few of the trips, so rapid re-planning was called for
and new courses set. Thankfully, all of the trips were
completed successfully before they encroached
on too many GCSE exams, with all of the teams
returning windswept and exhausted but with many
a seafaring yarn to bestow upon anyone prepared to
listen.
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Gold Adventurous Journey
This year’s Adventurous Journey
took our team of 7 intrepid explorers
back to the UK where they joined up
with teams from Sherborne Girls.
The first few days were spent on
Exmoor where the team brushed up
on their navigation and camp craft
skills in the beautiful, green, rolling
countryside of England, as opposed
to our usual quite flat and rather arid
surroundings in Qatar. It didn’t rain..!
After a refreshing stopover in
Dorset, hosted by the boys and girls
at Sherborne, The team moved up
to the Yorkshire Dales to complete
their assessed Adventurous Journey.
A few more days spent lugging their
packs around the equally stunning
Dales of Yorkshire, working together
to survive the much colder weather
and testing environment saw the
team successfully complete their
task.
The discussion for much of the
journey home revolved around
the realisation that The Duke of
Edinburgh’s International Award
had provided the team with some
invaluably memorable experiences
and given them opportunities to
do things that they wouldn’t have
imagined doing individually. Many of
the team feeling that it had brought
out the best in them, making them
more focused and resilient when
necessary and giving them the
confidence to share aspects of their
personalities that they would not
normally have the opportunity to
within the school environment.
Written by Steve Peters, IA Award
Co-ordinator
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ENRICHMENT
Boys’ Debating
The Sherborne Qatar Debating
Society enthusiastically meets
every week to discuss current affairs
on global issues. Pupils are encouraged
to speak their mind in a structured and
sophisticated manner on motions ranging
from economics and politics to social
issues. Ms. Rgizlaine Khayari (Sherborne
Qatar Debating Co-ordinator) believes
that developing critical thinking at a
young age is a key to academic success.
Over the last five years, Sherborne Qatar
has been actively involved in the Qatar
Schools Debate League, organised by
Qatar Foundation, and is very proud to
be crowned National Champions two
years in a row. Our debaters also excel
internationally with pupils qualifying for
the Tournament of Champions of the
World Scholar’s Cup at the prestigious
Yale University, USA every year.
Ms Rgizlaine Khayari,
Debating Co-ordinator
112

ENRICHMENT
Girls’ Debating
113

The Enrichment
DEBATING
Back row l-r: Ahmed Sellami, Thomas Quinn, Huda Al Rukabi, Emma Skelhorn, Navjot Saroa, Christopher Williams, Janine Obiri,
Aysha Abdul Atti, Folawemi Oluwu, Jana Elbanna
Middle row l-r: Ms. Rgizlaine Khayari, Ella Johnsen, Emily Bird, Ahmad Awada, Adithya Jaganathan, Michael Lieven, Omar Marmoush,
Lauren McShane, Ioana Enache, Thai Silvera
Front row l-r: Antoine Brunelle, Sohaila Marmoush, Rawan Ammar, Hiba Shah, Thwayba Hussain, Leen Abou Jalala, Sara Syed, Sheikha
Turkia Al Thani, Lolwa Al Kaabi
MUN (Model United Nations)
Back Row l-r: Turkia Al Thani, Molly Mathers, Thomas Quinn, Christopher Williams, Leo Cabibihan, Utku Cem Hamal, Heidi Keefe, Huda Al
Rukabi, Michael Mathews
Middle Row l-r: Ms Gregory, Tariq Weiss, Hussain Al Jabir, Ahmad Awada, Rawan Ammar, Harini Sockalingham, Aaron Swindell, Aisha Yusuf
Abdi, Mrs Hamlin
Front Row l-r: Thwayba Hussain, Zahra Rashid, Fathima Amanah Badurdeen, Shahd Ashawesh, Sahar Ali, Antoine Brunelle, Majd Al Sawaf,
Lolwa Al Kaabi
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Teams
INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
1st Row: Tariq Weiss, Brandon Lopez, Christopher Williams, Ali Abdul Atti, Cameron Van Eck, Benaya Sitorus, Emma Skelhorn, Daniel Shepherd-Evans, Thomas Quinn, Jake Lloyd.
2nd Row: Jessica Bakker, Jack Oldridge, Jeyla Guliyeva, Eilisha North, Zein Karodia, Lauren McShane, Matilde Chiodi-Brisinello, Ottavia Martinz, Isabella Shepherd-Evans
3rd Row: Naresha Fuady, Muhammad Rafay Khan, Lucas Oldridge, Maram Mahmoud, Jamila Badis, Haya Adbel Rahman, Amna Mustafa, Baraah Haytham Ali, George Gough, Laila Salem
115

SPORT Summary..
WHAT an outstanding year it has been for Sherborne
Qatar Sports. Congratulations to all the teams and
individuals who have given it their all to achieve such
success. You should all be very proud of yourselves
U12 Boys’ Football – Barnaby McKendry
The 2016-17 season has been an enormously successful
and enjoyable one for the Under 12s team.
With the strong defensive spine of Jack Tobin in goal
behind Simone Franceschi and Ahmed Shah in defence,
the team established themselves early on as one who were
going to be difficult to break down as they played 4 games
in the cup group stage and didn’t concede a single goal.
The league progressed very well through the winter as the
side went unbeaten to top their group and the goals from
exciting strikers Ghanim Al Naimi and Toto Guliyev fired
the side to some memorable wins over CIS (7-0) and QIS
(4-2).
One of the hallmarks of the team has been their collective
desire to work hard and put 100% commitment in to every
game they played. The tireless running of Saul Saunders,
Oscar Loej, Kareem Darwish and Sean O’Neill in midfield
meant there were no easy games against us as we fought
through to the finals of both the League and Cup.
A questionable last minute equaliser against us, followed
by a cruel penalty shootout loss in the Cup meant the
boys had to show great mental strength to come back for
the league final the following week. All season long they
listened well and worked hard in training and were richly
rewarded when in difficult conditions, inspirational captain
Diogo Deslandes led the team to a memorable victory over
ACS.
They are a very talented squad and provided they show
the same application and team spirit, there is no reason
to suggest they will not continue to achieve success in the
years to come.
U14 Boys’ Football – Graham Robey
The U14 boys’ football team have had a good year with
successes on the pitch. The season started with a bang
and a demolishing 7-1 win against ACS. The team played
fantastically and utilised their superior speed and strength.
The second match was tougher but the boys still came out
2-0 victors against QIS. The team carried on their fine
form by making it a hatrick of victories by beating Qatar
Academy 3-0 away from home. They carried on the next
two games unbeaten with a draw and one further win
putting themselves in a good position to progress into
the semi-finals. A loss away to Dukhan and another match
which had to be forfeited halted the progress through the
group. However, the team captained by Mazin Elawad, can
be proud of the performances this season, finishing 2nd in
the group and it was circumstances beyond their control
which stopped them going further.
There were some standout performances from Robin
Peters, Ahmed Al Thani and Faisal El Anazi as well as
Mohammed Al Mesallam who moved up an age group to
compete. Overall it was a positive season and the boys will
make good additions to the U16 team next year.
U16 Boys’ Football – David Mate
This year was always going to be a difficult year for the U16
footballers as many of our team were made up fromYear
10 who still have another year in this age category. Having
said that, the team spirit was evident from the beginning of
the season, and with outstanding contributions all season
from Angus Bonthron and Abdulla Al Azawi, we managed
to give a great account of ourselves once again.
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.............................
We were unfortunate to get knocked out in the semi-final
of the Qatar Foundation League by ACS, who then went
on to win the league outright. We also came 3rd in the
QUESS 7-a-side tournament, with an phenomenal final
game from Omar Salem who came on as our super-sub and
transformed the game.
Although no trophies this year – watch this space!!
First Team Boys’ Football - Simon Gough
The effort and commitment of this years’ 1 st X1 cannot be
faulted; but alas in terms of results this seasoned proved to
be one that did not quite fulfil expectations.
Well captained by Thai Silvera, the main players of the
side were the survivors of the team that won the first Qatar
Foundation League in 2014. However despite some
good play and the introduction of some younger players
results did not go in our favour and the team failed to make
it through the group stages of the tournament. Narrow
defeats to ASD and MIS left too much to do in the final
group game against ACS and, despite an excellent finish
from Hamad Al Thani, the team lost 2-1.
Special mention to Alejandro Cadenas, Russell Aggus,
Sam Corfield and Dylan Alexander, who along with their
skipper have represented Sherborne Qatar with great
dedication over the last four years in football.
Rugby 7s – Simon Gough
August seems a long time ago, but that was when the
first sevens training took place in preparation for a very
productive and exciting season.
All the players have worked hard during the season both at
School on a Friday morning and also, thanks to the Qatar
Rugby Federation, at Aspire during the week.
The School has been ever present at U14, U16 and U19
level during the various tournaments that have taken place.
Towards the end of the season the girls’ rugby team has
had the chance to take part playing also at Aspire against
the Qatar ladies team.
The U14 boys have played with great determination and
effort and have been greatly improved as the season has
developed. They became Plate Winners in the Doha RFC
Mini and Youth Tournament 2017 and also runners-up in
the Qatar Schools Championships.
The U16 Team have showed great potential and promise,
especially with over half the team still eligible next season
to play this age group. They reached the final of the Plate
Competition in Dubai, being the first Qatar school to
achieve this and then followed this up with a win in the
final of the Qatar Schools’ Tournament. Well done also to
George Gough and Cameron Van Eck on their continued
training and selection with the Qatar National Team.
Finally, pride of place should go to the U19 7s Team. Well
captained by Louis Hollamby, they performed consistently
well during the whole season and won the Doha RFC Gulf
Tournament at U19 level and also became champions of
Qatar Schools by winning that competition.
Girls’ Football – Brendan Burns
In September, a dusty sports hall greeted 45 girls filled
with a mixture of trepidation and excitement for the
season. With the usual blowing and complaining, the first
fitness session of the preseason began.
Lots of familiar faces dotted the landscape but the
impressive thing was the number of faces I hadn’t seen
before; the girls who had just joined the school or, from a
development perspective what was even better, were the
girls who had heard about the football from their friends
and wanted to give it a go.
Sadly we lost Mrs Gawith to Netball but we were ably
assisted this year by Mr Oldridge, Mr Bisby and in the
second term by Mrs Burns. A special thank you to the
Oldridge boys from Year 10 who gave their free time and
experience to help improve the training sessions and Mrs
Welch who happily gave up her free time to help supervise
the girls at fixtures.
What a season, what a season!! So many big matches, so
many shock wins and surprising defeats that I would need
the entire Shirburnian to describe them all.
I would like to point out some of my personal highlights.
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SPORT Summary...
THE U12 LEAGUE
I was told that we had gained a nice tight team from the
prep coaches but I didn’t realise how impressive they were
until the league. They narrowly lost their tournament only
to absolutely dominate the league. The ex-prep pupils
were made even stronger by outside additions and a
special mention to Norain who, for the good of the team,
volunteered to do nets and found a natural position for
her to succeed in the coming years. This team was that
impressive that they won the last and deciding game with
one less player due to unforeseen absences.
THE U13 GIRLS’ TOURNAMENT
A sprinkling of experience from the likes of Karima,
Hannah, Ellie, Jess, Genevieve and Laura dashed with
the raw talent of new girls Arwa, Janna, Rosie, Jawaher
made the perfect combination of devastating attacks and
uncompromising defence to win the U13 tournament
undefeated with one match to spare and only conceding 1
goal in the entire tournament. Awesome!
U19 TOURNAMENT
Last year, we could not even entertain competing in
the U19 tournament at ACS. The fact that we not only
attended but competed fiercely is a sign of how much girls’
football has grown at Sherborne Qatar and long may it
continue.
THE NEW GIRLS
Where would we have been without the injection of
new talent to the squads. Obviously the U12s but
predominantly in the U14 team we had girls who not only
came to make up the numbers but actually made significant
contributions throughout the season. It was a privilege
to see them develop and hopefully this will continue next
year.
So, with the highs and lows of this year’s roller coaster
over until September it is with sadness that we say good
bye to so many of our team members. There are too many
to mention by name but from legendary captains to crazy
goal keepers and ferocious tacklers, I will miss them all.
You have all made a grumpy man laugh, cry and scream all
season. All the very best wherever you go and the teams
you go on to play in will be lucky to have you.
See you all on TV in years to come and for the girls who are
staying, get ready because Doha College and DBS won’t
know what hit them next season. 1-2-3-SQ!!!!!
Coach
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cont.......................
U12 Netball – Kasha Smith
For the U12 netball we had a great league, we went all
out to all of our games confidently and positively yet a bit
nervously.
After our first couple of matches, and winning them all,
we were feeling really good about how we were doing in
the league. Days later, we had a well-deserved win against
Doha College, with us finishing in the thirties and Doha
College finishing in the teens.
We then went on trying harder and giving our all, winning
all our remaining fixtures. A few weeks and hard games
later, we were on the bus listening to loud music on our
way to our last game in the league. We were all sad it was
our last game in Year 7, yet we were all so excited. As we
left the bus heading to the netball court, we all started to
feel nervous.
The whistle went and from that moment, we all played
our best. Nava, Lucy and Alex defended amazingly well,
getting the ball back every time it went down our side of
the court. Mia played an excellent attacking game, always
getting the ball down to our amazing shooters Frances,
Norain and Abby, who scored goal after goal after goal.
When the final whistle went and it was all over, we realised
that we had won the league. We were all so happy and
proud of each other. It was an amazing way to end the
season and win the league.
U13s Netball Season – Jessica Bird (Year 8)
The under 13s netball season for 2017 was certainly
a thrilling and exhilarating season, testing the team to
their limits. Moreover, the team began the season with
enthusiasm and this feeling was elevated, as we were
taught new tactics and team work from Miss Smith and Mrs
Gawith.
We began on a high note as we won our first few matches,
which boosted our confidence and made our team even
more determined to succeed. The team then prepared for
one of our toughest games and we went into it with the
right mind set and encouraging words from our coaches, as
well as each other. With relentless perseverance and team
work, we won our most challenging game and made netball
history at Sherborne Qatar to be the first team to have had
success against Doha College.
After this victory, and with a positive attitude, we
continued to work well together and received extremely
constructive advice which we then took into play. This
carried on and we experienced many more favourable
outcomes before our big tournament. We then headed
to the tournament and took it by storm. As it was a
tournament, people were sent to the side lines for a rest
throughout the competition, but still proceeded to give
commendable support to their strong-willed teammates.
There was a mutual show of team work through every
member.
With unceasing work in defence, to prevent giving into a
goal, nonstop actions of agility on the wing and impressive
accuracy of scoring in shoot, the team took first place and
won by goal difference. Overall, this was the first netball
team in Sherborne Qatar to have been undefeated this
season and I am proud to say we worked well as a team and
continued to give support to each other. I and the rest of
my team-mates are grateful for the useful coaching from
Miss Smith and Mrs Gawith and we are truly proud to have
represented Sherborne Qatar in the under 13s netball
squad.
I have learnt efficient teamwork within my squad and
we have become great friends due to this season and
will remain friends no matter what teams or schools we
represent in the future. Thank you to my team mates
and coaches for making this season unforgettable and
enjoyable for everyone.
U14/U16/U19 Netball – Emma Welch
What a year for senior netball – From Friday mornings,
The Cheesecake Factory, broken collarbones, tears of
joy and frustration! For the first time Sherborne had
6 netball teams competing in the QUESS leagues and
tournaments. The U19s finished 3rd in their league which
was a huge achievement given that many of them had not
119

SPORT Summary...
played competitive netball for a long time. The player of
the season was Molly Mathers who put in outstanding
performances week after week and always worked tirelessly
in training. We bid a fond farewell to Rachael Williams
and Danette Sitorus – our Year 13 strike force and look
forward to resuming training in September.
The U16 team competed in the Qatar Ladies League in
the winter season and this extra court time had a huge
impact on their fluidity on court. The team really linked up
well and managed to get through the whole of the QUESS
tournament undefeated – a huge achievement. Captain
Ioana Enache and Bella Shepherd-Evans deservedly
shared Player of the Season and Lara Awada, who has been
tremendous both in training and in matches, was voted
Most Improved Player by her team mates. Ottavia Martinz
travelled to Dubai to play in the Intergulf tournament at
the tender age of 14!
The U14 team had a mixed year with a couple of close
games that could have been won ended in narrow defeat.
However, the strength and character shown throughout
the season by all the girls was very impressive. New to the
school, Lizzie Hudson was impressive throughout the
season and players like Jana Elbanna, Lucia Szucs and
Natasha Blaine emerged as stars of the future.
The enthusiasm that all the netball girls have shown
throughout the season has been staggering – training
on Fridays, evenings, break and lunchtimes. As a coach,
there is nothing more motivating than seeing these
teams developing and I cannot wait to see what next
season brings. I am incredibly proud of the way netball is
developing at Sherborne and that is testament to how hard
each individual pupil has worked.
Go Team Sherbs!
Rounders – Kasha Smith & Emma Welch
Sherborne Qatar acquitted themselves with aplomb in
this year’s QUESS tournaments winning 2 out of the
3 tournaments they entered. The U14 girls, captained
by Lola Datar, were first to bring back the silverware
when they were undefeated all day. Abby O’Keeffe was
voted Player of the Tournament for making a number of
impressive catches. The U13s were unlucky not to make
it to the final, narrowly losing the semi-final to the host
school. Jessica Bird was outstanding, both with bat and
ball throughout the day, and she was voted player of the
tournament by her team mates. The U12 team, captained
by Frances Rosiak, were crowed champions as they were
undefeated throughout the tournament. Sophie Smart
was voted player of the tournament due to her good
communication in batting and fielding. A fantastic start to
their first season of Rounders!
Cricket – Simon Gough
Building on the hard work by pupils in previous years,
the cricket programme has been in full swing with players
training regularly after school. Recent success has
occurred in the Dhukan Tournament, with Sherborne
Qatar beating Al Khor and Dhukan respectively.
Individual success in the past has come in the form of runs
and wickets. Ben Gough scored the first ever century by
a Sherborne Qatar player, Dylan Alexander being the
all time leading wicket taker and George Gough playing
representative cricket for Qatar.
Good young players have also shown potential, Darshan
Gangeni with his batting and bowling, Ibrahim Khan for
his bowling and Thaamerun Sockalingam developing his
spin bowling. These players will be ihe future of cricket at
Sherborne Qatar and hopefully progress to Qatar standard.
120

cont. .....................
121

THE
CHA
ATHLETICS
Qatar Schools Cross Country – 2nd Place Team
Qatar Schools Road Race – 2nd Place Team
Qatar Foundation Triathlon – 2nd Place Team
RUGBY 7S
U14 Plate Winners – Doha RFC Gulf Tournament
U14 Qatar Schools – Runners-up
U16 – Dubai Schools – Plate finalists
U16 – Qatar Schools Winners
U19 – Winners – Doha RFC Gulf Tournament
U19 Qatar Schools – Winners
BOYS’ FOOTBALL
U12 – Qatar Schools Tournament finalist
U12 A Team – Qatar Schools League Winners
U13 – Qatar Schools Tournament Winners
U16 – Qatar Foundation League Semi-finals
NETBALL
U12 Netball Qatar Schools – won league and won
Tournament
U13 Netball Qatar Schools – won league and won
Tournament
SPORTS ACHIEVEMENTS
ROUNDERS
U14 QUESS Tournament Winners
U12 QUESS Tournament Winners
VOLLEYBALL
U14 Boys – Qatar Schools Champions
U13 Boys – Qatar Schools Runners-up
U14 Girls – Qatar Schools Runners-up
GIRLS’ FOOTBALL
U12 Qatar Schools – League Champions
U12 Qatar Schools – Tournament Runners-up
U13 Qatar Schools – Tournament Winners
U13 Qatar Schools – 3rd in the League
U14 Qatar Schools – League Runners-up
U16 Qatar Schools – Tournament 3rd Place
U14 Rounders
QUESS Tournament
Champions
U14 Girls’
Volleyball Qatar
Schools runner-up
U13 Volleyball Qatar
School runners-up
122

MPIONS
U19 Doha RFC Tournament
Winners and Qatar Schools
Champions
U16 Dubai Schools Plate
finalists and Qatar
Schools Winners
U14 Volleyball Qatar
School Champions
REPRESENTATIVE PERFORMERS
Khubaib Barrow (Athletics)
George Gough (Cricket and Rugby 7s)
Cameron Van Eck (Rugby 7s)
Ayoub Arredouani (Football and Rugby 7s)
Meshaal Almahdi (Boxing/Athletics)
Radaa Al Nassery (Boxing/Athletics)
U14 Girls’ Volleyball Qatar
Schools runners-up
U12 Football Qatar Schools
Tournament Finalist and Qatar
Schools League Winners
U14 Doha RFC plate winners &
Qatar Schools runners-up
U12 Qatar Schools League
Champions and Tournames
runner-up
123

THE
CHA
U13 Boys’ Football Qatar
Schools Tournament Winner
Triathlon - 2nd place in
Qatar Foundation Triathlon
U13 BSME Boys’ Volleyball Runners
Up and Girls Football runners-up
2nd in Cross Country QUESS
U13 QUESS Football
Champions
Bella Sheppard-Evans
& Heidi Keefe - Bronze
in Cross Country
Championship
124

MPIONS
U13 Netball Qatar Schools - won
League and won Tournament
U13 Qatar Schools Tournament
Winners and League Winners
U12 QUESS Rounders Tournament
Winners
U12 Netball Qatar Schools - won
League and won Tournament -
Unbeaten all season
U13 Netball Qatar Schools - won
League and won Tournament
125

TEAM
PHOTOS

Girls’ Football......
U19 Girls’ Football Team
Back row: Mr Burns, Lucia Perez Duran, Isabella Loej, Ameera Elawad, Ottavia Martinz, Morgan Palmer, Fajr Elbanna,
Heidi Keefe, Anna Maria Panteli. Front row: Emily Bird, Isabella Shepherd Evans, Jana Elbanna, Eilidh Bonthron, Laila
Salem, Maya Al Badaree, Ana Cadenas.
U16 Girls’ Football Team
Back row: Lucia Perez Duran, Isabella Loej, Ameera Elawad, Ottavia Martinz, Hannah Bisby, Fajr Elbanna, Anna Marie
Panteli, Ellie Richmond. Front row: Emily Bird, Isabella Shepherd Evans, Jana Elbanna, Eilidh Bonthron, Laila Salem.
Maya Al Badaree, Ana Cadenas.
128

..........................
U14 Girls’ Football Team
Back row: Anna Marie Panteli , Halaa Saber, Hannah Bisby, Oluwafolawemi Olowu , Fajr Elbana.
Front row: Jana Elbanna, Eilidh Bonthron, Ellie Richmond, Jessica Baker.
U13 Girls’ Football Team
Back row: Karima Salem, Genevieve Jardine, Eleanor Richmond, Hannah Bisby, Rosie Bonner, Noor Al Emadi.
Front row: Emily Dobison, Jana Hamadeh, Arwa Larabi, Jessica Bird, Laura Cadenas, Margarita Macias.
129

Girls’ Netball........
U19 Girls’ Netball Team
Back row: Morgan Palmer, Ariel Hollamby, Heidi Keefe, Danette Sitorus.
Front row: Harini Sockalingam, Ashton Bolt, Rachael Williams, Molly Mathers.
130
U14 Girls’ Netball Team
Back row: Lara Awada, Matilde Chiodi, Ioana Enache, Ameera Elawad, Ottavia Martinz.
Front row: Bella Shepard Evans, Laila Salem, Maya Al Baradee, Ana Cadenas, Emily Bird.

..........................
U13 Girls’ Netball Team
Back row: Ellie Richmond, Noor Al Emadi, Karima Salem.
Front row: Hannah Bisby, Laura Cadenas, Rosie Bonner, Jessica Bird.
U12 Girl’s Netball Squad
Back Row: Amelie Jane Allan, Molly Lashley, Sofia Waiter Pintor, Alice Junor, Elysia Marie Brown, Maryam Ahmed Ali,
Sara Al Bakri, Alexandara Hudson, Abigail Van Eck, Norain El Gebely, Mia Wiess.
Front Row: Kate Imrie, Ayesha Akmal, Selina Bakker, Leen Al Badaree, Natalie Haj Bakour, Tunde Peter, Kate Imrie,
Frances Rosiak, Navashini Priya Surenthiran.
131

Girls’ Volleyball....
U16 Girls’ Volleyball Team A
Back row: Ameera Elawad, Ioana Enache, Ottavia Martinz. Middle row: Laila Salem, Isabella Shepherd Evans.
Front row: Maya Al Badaree, Ana Cadenas, Emily Bird.
132
U16 Girls’ Volleyball Team B
Back row: Emily Cross, Isabella Loej, Lucia Perez Duran, Emma Skelhorn.
Front row: Sohaila Marmoush, Lara Awada, Matilde Chiodi Brinsello, Lauren McShane.

..........................
U14 Girls’ Volleyball Team
Back row: Hannah Rowe, Lavina Jardine, Lily Smith. Middle row: Jessica Bakker, Halaa Saber.
Front row: Anna Marie Panteli, Eilidh Bonthron, Lucia Szucs.
U13 Girls’ Volleyball Team A
Back row: Hannah Bisby, Ellie Richmond, Karima Salem, Rose McManon.
Front row: Sophie Smart, Frances Rosiak, Rosie Bonner, Lucia Lang..
133

Girls’ Volleyball
U13 Girls’ Volleyball Team B
Back row: Kate Imrie, Mia Weiss, Norain El Gebely, Libby Wollaston, Camilla Maggi.
Front row: Navashini Priya Surenthiran, Jessica Bird, Laura Cadenas, Leen Al Badaree.
134

135

Boys’ Rugby
U16 Boys’ Rugby 7s Squad
Back row: Matteo Foppolli, Omar Salem, Cameron Van Eck, George Grosvenor, Tommaso Chiodi, Joseph Kilmartin,
Christopher Williams.
Front row: Conor Richmond, George Gough, Angus Bonthron, Salah Adam, Ayoub Arredouani, Jack Oldridge.
136
U14 Boys’ Rugby 7s Squad
Back row: Alexander Head, Daniel Eite, Harry Junor, Matteo Franceschi.
Front row: Liam Hill, Abdelrahman Hassaan, Daire O’Keefe, Daniel Ventorim, Robin Peters.

Boys’ Volleyball
U14 Boys’ Volleyball Team
Back row: Abdelrahman Hassaan, Daniel Eite, Darshan Ghangeni, Alexander Head.
Front row: Jonas Nearing Loej, Matteo Franceschi, Daniel Ventorim, Diogo Deslandes.
U13 Boys’ Volleyball Team
Back row: Ibrahim Khan, Jonas Nearing Loej, Diogo Deslandes, Mohammed Al Mesallam.
Front row: Daniel Ventorim, Alexander Christopher Head, Simone Franceschi.
137

Boys’ Football......
Boys’ Football 1st Team
Back row: Mr Gough, Aimen Makki, Mohammed Salem, Samuel Corfield, Kassim Abdulmunim Kassim, Russell Aggus,
Jack Oldridge. Front row: Alejandro Cadenas, Mohammed Mubarak Saad Al Naimi, Hamad Al Thani, Thai Silvera,
Ayoub Arredouani, Jassim Al Thani, Dylan Alexander.
138
U16 Boys’ Football Team
Back row: Jack Oldridge, Omar Salem, Matteo Foppoli, Samuel Stoddart, Lucas Oldridge.
Front row: Isaac Olowu, Ayoub Arredouani, Abdullah Al Azawi, Angus Bonthron, Daniel Shepherd Evans,
Muhammad Rafay Khan.

..........................
U13 Boys’ Football Team
Back row: Ibrahim Khan, Aaron Swindell, Thaamerun Socklingham, Ali Al Shawani, Alexander Christopher Head, Jonas
Nearing Loej, Ahmad Awada. Front row: Salahudin Abu Munshar, Mikyle Khalid Awan, Guy Kitson, Shaheen Thamir Al
Shaheen, Daniel Ventorim, Mohamed ElSayed.
U12 Boys’ Football Team A
Back row: Abdulla Seyam, Luke Bedgood, Diogo Deslandes, Jack Tobin, Zain Sharif, Simone Franceschi, Sean O’Neill.
Front row: Ghanim Al Naimi, Oscar Loej, Saul Saunders, Ahmed Shah, Majd Al Sawaf, Taltum Guliyev.
139

Boys Football.......
U12 Boys Football Team B
Back row: Ibrahim Syed, Bader Al Refai, Muhammad Abdullahi, Muhammad Adam Firdous Mohd Zahed, Edan Lord,
Mohamed Ali Kaissy, Malik Mahmoud, Rayan Haque.
Front row: Dylan Lopez, Ibrahim Al Azawi, Ibrahim Ahmed, Umar Ahmad, Ibrahim Elhams, Fahad Al Mumaiz,
Anas Abdelmoula.
140

..........................

Year 13 – Our
YEAR 10
YEAR 9
SAMUEL BAILEY
RACHAEL WILLIAMS
MEERA ABU SHEBAB
MARIA PEREZ DURAN
AREEB SYED
GEORGE KEEFE
FATIMA ABADI
SUHA KURER
AIMEN MAKKI
VICTOR WILSON
UMAYR SIDAT
THAI SILVERA
THOMAS KEIRNAN
AHMED AL SUMATI
MUBARAK AL NAIMI
AMEERA ABU SHAWISH
MUHAMMED MOHD NAJID
YEAR 8
142
YEAR 7
YEAR 6

Journey
YUNG VERN CHEAH
DYLAN ALEXANDER
MOHAMMED SALEM
DANETTE SITORUS
YEAR 11
LOUIS HOLLAMBY
MOHAMMED JAVED
SAMUEL CORFIELD
MARIAM EL SHEIKH
ALI IMRAN AHMED
HASSAN SOLIMAN
RUSSELL AGGUS
KHADIJA ERRADI
STEFAN IONASCU
FATEMA HASSAN
KASSIM KASSIM
ABDULLA MAKKI
AYAN NAJAFOVA
LOVRO KOVACIC
CAMERON MILLAR
ALEJANDRO CADENAS
JAAZIEL GOMEZ PULIDO
YEAR 13 2016-2017
143

From the Bursar
Pauline Puddicombe, BA (Hons), MSc
One of the most challenging aspects of my role as Bursar is to prioritise the school’s revenue and
capital expenditure. Central to decision-making is the priority to provide quality teaching and
learning experiences for our pupils. Our main focus in this regard to is to recruit high quality UK
trained teachers. As well as this, we have developed a premises improvement and development plan to
incorporate and coordinate the school’s long term premises and ICT planning and thinking.
Over the years the school has invested significant sums of money in creating more and improved
spaces for teaching and learning. This has included building of the annexe wing and the refurbishment
of classrooms, science labs and public areas. Most recently we upgraded the CCTV to help improve
security. Over the next few years we aim to accelerate development of the site. We have also listened to
your views and the following outlines some of the plans we have for improving our facilities.
• Refurbish the business studies area to include a conferencing suite with technology for introduction
of new sixth form courses
• Building of a swimming pool
• Landscaping front area of the school to provide more green spaces
• Improving the IT infrastructure
• Improving our signage
Our longer term plans, we aim to –
• Create outdoor performing arts area
• Build an additional sixth form block
• Increase dining room space
• Build a running track at the rear/side of the school
• Continue to improve teaching spaces (e.g. science, music and drama)
Some of these plans will of course be subject to planning and civil defence permissions and for this
reason it is difficult to predict a start and end date. Alongside the plans outlined above we must of
course continue to invest in upgrades for our central service requirements such as fire safety and air
conditioning. I hope that pupils and parents will continue to enjoy a positive experience at Sherborne and
look forward to continuing to help develop our facilities and services.
Bursar and Clerk to the Governors
144

www.sherborneqatar.org
2016-2017