School_Matters_Issue_34

21

UK LINGUISTICS OLYMPIAD SUCCESS Congratulations to Nabil Elsayed, S7, Rodelia Weng, S7, Imogen Day, S8, Greta Romano, S8, Josiah Quartey, S8, Alexander Allen, S8 and Igor Elmanov, S9 for achieving Silver in this year’s UK Linguistics Olympiad. Imogen and Igor also managed the feat of achieving a Bronze at Intermediate level, which is usually aimed at pupils in Year 10 and 11. This national competition, which was the culmination of several months of regular in-school and online practice for the pupils, attracted over 1,000 participants at both Foundation and Intermediate levels. Our ‘Magnificent Seven’ took part in a gruelling two hours of linguistic data problem solving which required them to draw on examples from: Kabyle, a Berber language; two Bantu languages, Ditema tsa Dinoko and Waama; as well as Filipino and Latvian. A great achievement!

FRANCOPHONIE QUIZ 2021 This year’s Francophonie Quiz gave all Houses an opportunity to showcase their knowledge of the French-speaking world and win House points. The quiz comprised questions on the countries, demographics, gastronomy, music, and idioms of the Francophone world. The winning House was Findlay with 57 points followed by Paget, 50 points, Montefiore was close behind with 47 points and Brearley with 42 points. The quiz was a good way to celebrate the cultural diversity of the French-speaking world and the varieties of French spoken by 300 million people (most under the age of 30) on five continents. Francophonie Day, which takes place every year on 20 March, also celebrates the values it embodies: commitment to the rule of law, democracy, human rights, and equality between men and women. This year’s theme, selected by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), was “Francophone women, resilient women”, which coincided with International Women’s Day in the same month. It was heartening to see that every Tutor Group remembered the name of the Secretary- General of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie: Louise Mushikiwabo.

Igor Elmanov, S9

LSE’S MODEL UN – DELEGATE REPORT YouthMUN delegates attended a very different (digital) Model United Nations conference this year, which centred on ‘The Great Reset’. During the

the YouthMUN committees focused on wider themes such geo- strategic tensions and rivalries, protectionism, sustainable and inclusive development to mitigate economic damage and enhance economic stability. With 2021 marking the 6th Anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the delegates evaluated solutions to bolster global efforts to achieve the founding goals of global cooperation for peace and prosperity. This was one of the best weekends of the year and, if given the opportunity, I am looking forward to returning in person, in the prestigious London School of Economics, in 2022! Electra Vaitsas, LVI [We are enormously proud of all LVI pupils who participated in this event and should like to congratulate Electra, who won a prize for her journalism, and Alexandra Mortimer who received an honourable mention for her role as the Delegate for India in the Human Rights Committee. – Ed.]

course of the three-day conference, delegates from all around the world were tasked with debating and solving some of the most challenging issues confronting the international community today. From UK to China to India, delegates addressed the forum, setting the tone of global economic dialogue and presenting a call to action on turning goodwill into practical, tangible progress. With the ultimate economic and social disruption from the pandemic,