Amélie Be tt and Olivia Steele saw success in the UK Linguis ti cs Olympiad GLOBAL CITIZENS
Lower School pupils celebrated Lunar New Year
Mandarin pupils experienced a day of Chinese culture with Liverpool University
Model United Na ti ons This year saw Queen’s MUN programme con ti nue to fl ourish, empowering pupils to step onto the global stage and sharpen their diploma ti c and analy ti cal skills. A par ti cular highlight was QMUN 4 , our fourth in ‐ house conference, which welcomed 170 delegates from schools across the North West. With the theme of “interconnectedness” se tti ng the tone, keynote speaker Richard Walker , Director of Iceland Foods, opened the day with an inspiring address linking business, poli ti cs, and sustainability. Secretary General Maahi Chauhan in Year 13 led the student ‐ run event with poise, overseeing the day’s debates, the fi rst ‐ ever QMUN General Assembly, and the smooth opera ti on of commi tt ees. Supported by guest chairs, a skilled Press Team and a team of dedicated runners, the event showcased MUN’s unique blend of intellectual rigour, collabora ti on, and fun. Beyond Queen’s, our students represented the School with dis ti nc ti on at MGSMUN at Manchester Grammar School, ALTY ‐ MUN at Altrincham Girls Grammar School, KSCMUN at The King’s School, ShrewsMUN at Shrewsbury School, and WiMUN at Withington Girls' School . These events allowed students to debate global challenges in varied commi tt ee se tti ngs — from the ethics of cryptocurrency to interna ti onal criminal jus ti ce. With both seasoned MUNers and enthusias ti c newcomers involved, the conferences provided fer ti le ground for personal growth, public speaking, and peer collabora ti on. Leadership was also on full display, with several students invited to serve as guest chairs at mul ti ple conferences, and many others receiving awards for their contribu ti ons. Among them, Simran Sambhi , Zara Islip , Catalina Solan , Olivia Steele , Amélie Be tt , Gowri She tt y , Serena Alford , and Maahi Chauhan all earned commenda ti ons or special men ti ons for their skillful deba ti ng and insigh tf ul diplomacy. In June, a group of 12 pupils from Years 7, 8, and 9 travelled to Moreton Hall’s MiniMUN , an event specially designed for younger delegates. With a mix of fi rst ‐ti mers and more experienced debaters, the day o ff ered a dynamic introduc ti on to diplomacy, nego ti a ti on and commi tt ee procedures. Special congratula ti ons go to Abigail Vasarhelyi , who was Commended for her role as Afghanistan in the Youth Commi tt ee, and to Lucy Petrie , who was Highly Commended for her representa ti on of Sweden in the Youth Commi tt ee. MUN at Queen’s con ti nues to be more than a co ‐ curricular ac ti vity—it is a transforma ti ve experience where students build con fi dence, broaden their global awareness, and learn what it truly means to lead with voice and vision on the world stage.
Connec ti ng Cultures At Queen’s, language learning is about global connec ti on, cultural apprecia ti on, and real ‐ world communica ti on. This year, our Languages Department has once again created dynamic and immersive experiences that bring the wider world into the classroom. Pupils across the School took part in lively celebra ti ons of the Chinese Mid ‐ Autumn Fes ti val, learning about ancient legends, modern space missions, and fes ti val tradi ti ons. The girls created beau ti fully decorated lanterns, showcased their talents in a Chinese poetry handwri ti ng compe titi on, and solved tradi ti onal lantern riddles. Our youngest learners embraced Lunar New Year with energy and crea ti vity — making zodiac wheels, taking part in a dragon parade, and even learning to count to ten in Mandarin. Mandarin pupils also enjoyed a wonderful cultural trip to Liverpool, where they explored tradi ti onal Chinese calligraphy and learnt an enchan ti ng Chinese dance — culmina ti ng in a graceful presenta ti on performance. A ft er an energe ti c morning, they indulged in a delicious Chinese meal, tas ti ng authen ti c dishes and experiencing Chinese culture fi rsthand. Meanwhile, our Spanish students embraced opportuni ti es to prac ti se their conversa ti onal skills with visi ti ng pupils from the Canary Islands and Argen ti na. From ‘speed da ti ng’ style discussions to a friendly badminton match, girls in Years 9 to 13 explored culture and language in a fun, relaxed se tti ng. Year 10 also joined an interna ti onal video call with students from Ranelagh School in Argen ti na, exchanging ideas on school life and tradi ti ons in a lively bilingual conversa ti on that was praised as a meaningful celebra ti on of global friendship. We also celebrated individual successes in na ti onal compe titi ons. Year 12 linguists Amélie Be tt and Olivia Steel earned Gold and Bronze cer ti fi cates in the UK Linguis ti cs Olympiad , with Amélie qualifying for the second round. Year 9 pupils Elena Costambeys and Rebekah Shuler were named Area Winners in the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators — Elena for Mandarin and Rebekah for Italian. Fellow Year 12 student Annabelle Latham received a ‘Highly Commended’ award in the Immerse Educa ti on Law Essay Compe titi on , exploring interna ti onal data privacy laws — securing a par ti al scholarship for a summer programme. Whether sharing tradi ti ons, deba ti ng global issues, or earning na ti onal recogni ti on, Queen’s linguists con ti nue to grow as con fi dent communicators and global ci ti zens.
Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils at MiniMUN
QMUN 4 welcomed over 170 students
Pupils celebra ti ng the Chinese Mid ‐ Autumn Fes ti val
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