'Eternity' taking part in the Tycoon Entrprise Challenge
'Glossy Donuts' taking part in the Tycoon Entrprise Challenge
(Le ft to right) Noor Randhawa, Alexa Byrne, Zara Islip and Amy Turner took part in the GAIN Investment Challenge
GLOBAL CITIZENS
Business Brains Our business students have been extremely busy this year, pu tti ng their skills into prac ti ce through various na ti onal challenges, including the Tycoon Enterprise Challenge and the GAIN (Girls are Investors) Investment Challenge . Over the academic year, pupils in Year 9 took part in the Peter Jones Founda ti on Tycoon Enterprise Challenge . With the support of sta ff and A ‐ level business students, they generated new business ideas before pitching their product to a panel. Five teams of business ‐ savvy pupils submi tt ed their presenta ti ons, with the fi nal two teams, ‘Eternity’ and ‘Glossy Donuts’ progressing and submi tti ng their idea in the na ti onal compe titi on. Both teams were successful in their submissions and received business loans to start their enterprises in school, selling products including friendship bracelets, donuts and lip glosses during break ti mes and events. In January, Year 12 business students Zara Islip, Noor Randhawa, Amy Turner and Alexa Byrne entered the Girls Schools Associa ti on (GSA) GAIN Investment Challenge – a six ‐ week na ti onwide compe titi on aimed at giving girls an insight into the dynamic world of fi nancial investment management. Each team was assigned a company, and the girls were tasked with researching and assessing whether to buy, hold or sell the stock as an investment opportunity. With the support of their mentor, Krishan Parekh , an investor at HSBC, they put together an investment case which culminated in a fi nal investment pitch to a panel of professionals within the investment industry. Q ‐ MUN 3 Queen’s hosted another tremendously successful Model United Na ti ons (MUN) conference this year, with over 230 students from 15 schools across the North West, including one from Jersey, descending for a day of debate on geopoli ti cs and interna ti onal diplomacy. They tackled topics as varied as the use of Ozempic for weight loss, youth progression into gangs, and the repatria ti on of cultural property, in commi tt ees ranging from the Security Council to Human Rights and Health. As an en ti rely student ‐ led and student ‐ run event, organisa ti on of our conference was in the hands of the Q ‐ MUN Secretariat, made up of our most experienced MUNers. This included selec ti ng topics for debate, wri ti ng brie fi ng papers and skeleton resolu ti ons, handling communica ti ons with par ti cipa ti ng schools, managing the applica ti on process for guest ‐ chairing posi ti ons, alloca ti ng
countries to schools, and, crucially, developing the Crisis Scenario revealed on the day of the conference. The Press Team, led by Scarle tt Toovey in Year 13, included students from Years 8 ‐ 10 who recorded the brie fi ng video for the Crisis, as well as produced a newsle tt er and video of the conference ready for the Closing Ceremony on the day. The School was delighted to welcome Xenia Wicke tt to deliver the keynote speech on our conference theme of progress. Xenia is an execu ti ve coach, moderator, advisor and geopoli ti cal expert with a long career in geopoli ti cs and interna ti onal strategy. She has worked in the White House, where she led on South Asia policy and helped set up Homeland Security a ft er 9/11. Xenia also ran Harvard’s eminent interna ti onal a ff airs research centre and has held senior posi ti ons in business, NGOs and at the Chatham House think tank. A par ti cular highlight of this year’s conference was the introduc ti on of our Q ‐ MUN ‐ branded co tt on tote bags, which were given as prizes to all winners of awards at the Closing Ceremony. At the end of the day, Q ‐ MUN Secretary General Anoushka Paymaster Thatcher in Year 13 brought her gavel down on the sounding block to close what was an energising day that inspired all to venture forth to be agents of change in the world. King’s MUN In November, 22 students from Years 10 ‐ 13 a tt ended King’s MUN , the fi rst MUN conference held at The King’s School, Chester. Queen’s Sixth formers Cora Turner and Anoushka Paymaster Thatcher were invited to act as guest chairs of debate. Keynote speaker Nicholas Hercules , who has worked for the United Na ti ons in Afghanistan, Gaza and South Sudan, gave a thought ‐ provoking speech on the priority the UN places on bringing everyone to the nego ti a ti ng table while suspending judgement about the nature of a par ti cular regime. Throughout the event, Queen’s pupils seized the opportunity to throw themselves into diploma ti c debate and nego ti a ti on, with Daisy Wainwright and Cerys Fagan being Commended in their commi tt ees, Simran Sambhi receiving Highly Commended , and Olivia Steele, Maahi Chauhan and Catalina Solan being awarded Best Delegate in their respec ti ve commi tt ees. MGSMUN December saw 12 Queen’s pupils heading to Manchester Grammar School represen ti ng Saudi Arabia and Ukraine. Catalina Solan in Year 11 was invited to guest ‐ chair in the Health and Social Commi tt ee . This was the fi rst ti me
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