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InvestIN is an organisation that provides career-experience programmes to school students who aspire to break into some of the world’s most-desirable professions. On their programmes, they aim to create the ‘ultimate work experience’ through interactive simulations, seminars, networking sessions, and career coaching guidance.
They offer experiences in investment banking, law, medicine, business leadership, architecture, psychology, computer science, engineering, politics and journalism in London, New York and Hong Kong.
Their career programmes are predominantly aimed at 15-18-year olds with a passion, ambition or curiosity about a particular career; the programmes are designed to both offer insight and give attendees a competitive advantage within that career field.
InvestIN has relationships with more than 2,000 schools across 72 countries. Presdales has qualified to become an InvestIN ‘Partner School’. These are institutions which have demonstrated a true commitment to their mission of bridging the gap between school and industry. There are many benefits to becoming an InvestIN Partner School, including entitlement to receive discounted places, bursaries, and in-school presentations.
To take advantage of these programmes please visit their website www.investin.org and use code PRESDALES19 to receive a 10% discount.
Any questions please email me on stephensonj@presdales.herts.sch.uk.
Julie Stephenson (careers lead)
Year 7 STEM Army Activity Days
STEM Army days
On 3rd and 4th October, Year 7 students spent a day with the Army, Capt. Charlotte Wilson, Sgt Noel Brooksbank, Cpl Lucy Moiwo and LCpl La-Toya Vernon from Sandhurst spent a day with the girls developing their STEM skills.
Friday 4th October 2019
On the 4th October, some soldiers from the army came to Presdales to do some activities with Year 7.
First, we had an assembly, in the lecture theatre, where they told us what it was like in the army. Some of the jobs that you can do in the army, include: being a scientist, an engineer, a teacher, a doctor, a dental nurse, a vet and many more. They also told us more about themselves. Noel is a sergeant and his job is to skydive out of planes. He enjoys cycling and was inspired by his dad and uncle to join the army. Lucy is an artillery officer; she hands out and organizes the weapons for everyone else. She went horse riding in the Rockies, in Canada, and, even though she is scared of heights, she enjoys rock climbing. La Toya is a dental nurse. She lived in Germany for 3 years; her sport is netball and she did the test to get a job in the army on her 17th birthday. Charlotte is a captain and is the pilot of planes that the other soldiers fly in. She is also a cross-country skiing instructor and she has a dog called Lola.
The first main activity was to design an army vest for soldiers working in the harsh environments, needing to keep cool, yet protected. They had to be light but strong so the soldiers could still carry all the other equipment they need as well as staying safe. This activity was quite challenging, although very fun to do as a team and to put all of our ideas together.
The next activity was to build a car with a working engine. We had to cooperate as a team to construct the car- without being given any instructions, apart from when we were given a clue on how to power the car. To make it move, we had to attach a rubber band to the bar connecting the wheels and twist it around to create energy so the wheels would spin, making it travel a short distance. Then, the other half of our team (on the other side of the room) had to swap the wheels onto their frame for the car and send it back.
After lunch, we were given some giant top trumps cards to put together of vehicles used in the army. We were told what they did, where they were used and who might use them. In the same lesson, we had a puzzle that we had to piece together. We worked as a class to follow the instructions to complete the task and found it quite hard but managed to do it in the end.
The next activity was to design a helmet suitable for all environments. We had to camouflage it and make it light but it also had to keep the soldiers safe and be easy to carry around. We were shown lots of different types of hats used in the army and how important they are as they keep lots of people safe; some people got to try them on.
The last activity of the day was outside. We played lots of games with the soldiers, took part in races with them and had a game of “tug of war”. We then worked in teams of three to try and build the image we had been given on the iPad. One person had to describe the picture to their teammates while the others were trying to build it. It definitely was a challenge as some of the images were quite hard, but it was really fun at the same time.
It was amazing having the army come to Presdales as they were really inspiring and interesting and we definitely learnt a lot. Overall, the day was really fun and informative and we would definitely love to have the army come visit us again soon.
Clara and Hattie
European Week of Languages
During the week of 23rd-27th September 2019, we celebrated the European Languages we teach in school with coloured bunting, a lunch menu with a European flavour and lunchtime activities including face painting, fan making and edible Russian bracelets. The bunting created by all students in Year 7-9, in both of their languages, became a House competition. The winners were
In tutor groups, we looked at languages which are not spoken such as sign language and ‘silbo gomero’ (made entirely of whistles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0CIRCjoICA). We thought about why learning a language is important (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txABk3q4aHk) and watched clips of Pep Guardiola. He speaks 5 languages and often forgets which one he is meant to be speaking! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtWDBEXVUts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJprf_72CXg
Russian
Monday lunchtime at the start of the European Week of languages at Presdales, Year 12 Russianists helped students make sushki bracelets.
Sushki are traditional Russian small, crunchy, mildly sweet, bread rings eaten for dessert, usually with tea or coffee. The word sushka has a common root with the Russian verb sushit “to dry”. Traditionally, sushki were strung on a string for selling on the street or at regional markets, so we made mini versions.
Congratulations to the Russian general knowledge quiz winners: Saffi Adams (Year 12) Daisy Reid (Year 8) and Zoe Puncher (Year 9).
Italian
Tuesday was Italian day. Pasta alla carbonara was laid on in the school canteen and some of our lovely Year 8 and Year 12 students tested their make-up artistry skills to decorate Presdalian faces and hands in the red, green and white of the Italian flag. The colours of the tricolore are said to represent the green of the Italian countryside, the white of the snow-capped mountains and the red of the blood shed during the unification of Italy in the 19th century.
French
The French Department has been very busy during the European Week of Languages considering various aspects of French culture. Year 7 focused on food and drinks in French speaking countries. In Year 8, pupils researched beautiful natural sites and monuments in France, trying to look beyond Paris and the Eiffel Tower. Finally, Year 9 were very keen to present French inventions and creations. Pupils created some stunning bunting on those topics which will be displayed in the Language rooms in preparation for Secondary Transfer Evening. On Wednesday 25th September, our Year 12 students organised a lunchtime activity and were very busy helping Year 7 creating Blue, White, Red jewellery with Hama beads.
German
In German, Year 7 researched facts about Germany. Year 8 researched facts about the 2 other German speaking countries, Switzerland and Austria, and Year 9 looked into fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, discovering that many of our well-known fairy tales originate in the German version and are translated. At lunchtime, the girls played on the Haribo ‘Gummi Bär’ slot machine and tried to guess how many were in a pack of Gummi Bär. The winner was Abbie Oldham of 7RM who guessed the closest with 150. There were 146!!
Spanish
The Spanish Department celebrated European Week of Languages by making cardboard fans in red and yellow (the colours of the Spanish flag). Fans have long been a symbol of Spanish culture, as a way to cool down in the heat of the summer and as a prop used in flamenco, the traditional dance of the southern region of Andalucía. In addition, the school canteen was kind enough to lay on some delicious paella as part of that day’s lunch.
Vietnam World Challenge 2019
World Challenge
Over the summer, I had the amazing opportunity to take part in the World Challenge expedition to Vietnam and Laos. My team was a mix of year 11 and 12 students, with 13 girls and one very lucky boy. Prior to the trip, none of us knew each other very well; however this swiftly changed as soon as we departed on a tedious 8 hour flight, with only each other for company.
Once we had finally arrived in Bangkok, we quickly got to the hostel, dumped our bags, and began to explore the lively city. It only took a five minute walk down the street to see things ranging from barbecued spiders to beautiful hand-stitched clothing. We decided to settle in a busy restaurant with upbeat, local music and an incredible view of the city at night. We took this opportunity to try some local food whilst admiring the string of neon lights that were suspended above the whole street. Here, we had the chance to chat about the trip ahead of us and assign people to different teams: accommodation, finance, food, travel and extra activities. Although our travel and accommodation had been pre-booked for our first few nights, it wasn’t always going to be like that… The next morning we took another flight from Thailand to Vietnam, to eventually arrive in the city of Hoi An, where we would spend the next three nights. In my opinion, this was the best city of the whole trip. It was an area brimming with culture but maintaining a relaxed energy. We were amazed by its stunning markets and quaint temples, whilst also having the chance to take a night boat ride along the river, surrounded by glowing lanterns.
Our next destination was Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. To get there, we took the overnight train, which was something I had never experienced before. As you walked down the train there were cabins with six beds in each compartment, three stacked up on each other. The next 24 hours went surprisingly quickly while we admired the Vietnamese countryside and talked to locals in the cabins next to us.
Our first day in Hanoi was exciting but hectic. This was the first day where we had to find our own accommodation and travel, which was a lot harder than expected. Despite this, we managed to find an amazing hotel to stay in, within budget, and began exploring the city. After walking, for what felt like miles, we finally found the perfect place to eat: a little restaurant right at the top of a high rise building, which had a stunning view of the whole of Hanoi. This was a lovely way to spend our last night before the trek.
The next morning, thankfully, the coach we had booked turned up and we started our journey to Quynh Son. The next three nights were a shock, but in a good way. The trek was very challenging, especially in 38 degree heat, whilst carrying a rucksack containing a lot of unnecessary kit. Despite this physical challenge, our team managed to keep up morale as we enjoyed many breath-taking views of mountainous peaks, sprawling rice fields and sweeping valleys. One of the best bits of the trek was the home stays. This was where we stayed in houses in small villages with local families. It was amazing to talk to the villagers about their daily lives and to bond with the families. By living like the locals in these villages, it allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in their culture. After a very tiring few nights, we finally got back to Hanoi to relax and discover more of the city. Additionally we booked a trip to Halong Bay, a beautiful natural UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we spent the day on our own boat, admiring the amazing caves and beaches.
Our next stage was a three day journey to Luang Prabang, Laos. On the second day of the journey, we celebrated one of our team member’s birthday with a karaoke night. The whole team, including the leaders, came together and performed songs for the whole evening.
Once arriving in Luang Prabang, we didn’t waste any time before we were out exploring their renowned night market. It definitely lived up to our expectations and possibly exceeded them. The food was incredible, with barbeques to buffets to smoothies to waffles; everything you could imagine. The markets are where we spent most of our evenings, after working at the bear sanctuary. Our community phase in Luang Prabang, was based at a bear sanctuary with the charity Free the Bears. In Laos there is a huge problem with people capturing bears and using them to extract their bile, which is used as a medical remedy. The charity takes in these bears and looks after them until they are ready to go back into the wild. We helped by cleaning out the cages, feeding the bears and even building a wall for a new enclosure. It was amazing to see the work they had done for the bears and that they were expanding their sanctuary to take in other animals, like monkeys or red pandas, which are also in danger. Additionally we visited another bear sanctuary at Kuang Si Waterfalls, and had the chance to swim in the beautiful waterfalls.
As we were coming towards the end of our trip, we went on trek in Luang Namtha. Using our previous experience, we packed at lot more lightly and were much more prepared. This trek was a lot cooler, as it was mainly based in the jungle and rice fields. We visited another village called Nam Ha Village and stayed with members of the Khmu tribe. We spent most of the second day with all the families and played games with the children. In the evening we were treated to a dance show put on by the locals and we even joined in towards the end!
To end our trip, we went to the Manda Lao Elephant Sanctuary, which also focused on taking care of animals. This was an insane experience to get so close to the elephants, stroking and feeding them all together, whilst knowing they were being taken care of.
Despite the challenges I faced whilst being there, I definitely would do it again and it has given me the confidence to go travelling in the future. I have also come out with a whole group of new friends and acquired skills that I would never have gained without going on this trip. I would definitely urge you to sign up to next trip to Nepal, you won’t regret it!
Alicia Fautrero-Sayer (Year 13)
Borneo World Challenge 2017
This summer two groups of students went on a World Challenge Expedition to Malaysian Borneo, accompanied by Mr Walker with Team One and Miss Chapman and Miss Gregson with Team Two. The expedition was a month long and everything from the itinerary to food to accommodation and accounting were all planned by us students. Throughout the month we did trekking in the Borneo jungle, a project in the local community, snorkelling and so much more.
Our journey started at 4.30 am at school, all packed and ready to set off. We then had three long flights into Borneo, flying into the capital city, Kota Kinabalu, and the other group flying into Miri, another major city in Borneo. The first couple of days were spent finding our feet in such a new environment and sorting out all of the money and accommodation for the next few days. At night we enjoyed exploring the famous night markets of Kota Kinabalu where they sold lots of interesting street food which some of us tried.
Soon after, we were travelling to the Crocker Range where we did our first trek. It was our first jungle experience and we found it hard carrying our massive rucksacks while walking for 5 hours in 35?C heat. However we were in the good hands of our three local guides Ed, Roni and Chris who helped us along the way. Soon our three day trek was over and we survived our first two nights in hammocks. We then arrived at the Adventure Centre where we stayed for the night and our guides told us stories about their experiences of the jungle, and about some of the local culture and traditions.
After a good night’s sleep in something slightly more stable than a hammock we waved goodbye to our guides and headed north to Sepilok Orang-utan and Sun Bear Sanctuary. We all found the orang-utans so beautiful, but the reason why the sanctuary had to be built got some of us thinking about the issues that the rainforest is facing. Logging, deforestation and the palm oil industry has meant that animal habitats are shrinking, evidently meaning that some of Borneo’s wildlife is decreasing in numbers and some species are even in danger of extinction. We all wanted to do our bit to try and combat these issues so after we travelled to an Eco Centre for a few days. Here we helped to plant trees after a forest fire destroyed lots of the rainforest a few years ago, and we cleared an invasive weed from their lake that had been driving away other species. Early each morning and every evening we had boat rides along the river. Here we saw loads of wildlife such as Proboscis monkeys, hornbills and crocodiles. Also we had guided night walks when we saw a very rare Western Tarsier.
We then made our way back to Kota Kinabalu where we spent a day snorkelling off the islands just off the coast of the capital. It was so nice to have a break from travelling to relax and explore some of the marine life that Borneo has to offer. But shortly after we started preparing for our main trek, and left in 4x4s to the start of our trek. Here we met the other group who had just finished their main trek. We hadn’t seen each other in a few weeks so we caught up about what both groups had been up to. That day we also met our guides Kenny, Petrus and Lian. It was a restless night sleep for most of us as we were so anxious and excited about what to expect. The next morning we said goodbye to the other group and started on our trek. There were far less hills than the first trek but a long day of trekking still took its toll, so when we arrived at camp we were ready for a hearty meal cooked on an open fire by the food team. After three more days at trekking we arrived at our guide’s house where we stayed for the night. They prepared us a wild boar and some people helped to kill and prepare a chicken. That night we had a celebration for my birthday and some of the team even sang me a birthday rap. It was nice to finally sleep in a building, even though there weren’t enough mattresses for everyone so it was quite cosy.
The next day we set off again for the final day of our trek to the village where we did our community project, Bario. Finally after 8 hours of walking we arrived at our homestay in Bario. The owner of the homestay cooked us a chicken curry, which some of us helped to cook. Our last week or so was spent at the primary school in Bario where we painted a mural and built a shelter for the children and parents to wait after school, because Bario is situated right in the middle of the rainforest so the weather is often terrible. After we had finished working we were able to play with the children. We were all so impressed as to how good their English was, and we taught them the hokey-cokey and ring around the roses. Unfortunately after five days in Bario it was time to say goodbye to the children and make our way to Miri. We boarded a tiny plane which took us over the rainforest and into the city. The next day we decided to visit the Niah Caves that were so beautiful and there were old paintings on some of the cave walls.
Our final few days in Borneo were spent exploring Miri, and buying gifts for family and friends, until we set off again for two long days of travelling back to London. It was very emotional coming through the doors into the airport lobby to see our families waiting for us after a month of little contact.
We all had such an amazing time in Borneo and made some great new friendships. People described the expedition as ‘life changing’, ‘Bewildering, slimy, tough, exhilarating, varied’ and ‘sweaty, muddy and eye-opening’.
Written by R Stewart, Year 11
