APS News 18

abingdon.org.uk/prep 7 Abingdon Prep In School Quickly Quickly the birds dived in the air, Quickly the rabbits ran back to their lair, Quickly the runner zoomed along the course, Quickly the rider got on his horse. Quickly the fat pig ate up his food, Quickly the toddler changed his mood, Quick is the cheetah, but quickest of all Is the diving peregrine falcon. Willem Silently Silently the ghostly wind passes through the air, Silently the morning mist sets on the windows, Silently the mice scurry around on their padded paws, Silently the deer creeps away into the bush, Silently life comes and goes. Silently the kite soars through the air, Silently the owl swoops down on its prey, But most silently of all, time and space goes by. Léon 4AP’s Adverb Poems Year 7 experienced an intriguing courtroom role play scenario in which Lynne was prosecuted for stealing two bottles of wine worth £100 each! Parent barrister, John Vater QC, was judge for the afternoon and he and his fellow co-workers led the proceedings. All 42 Year 7 boys got jobs including: an usher, eight barristers who had to cross-examine each witness and make their own speeches for the prosecution or defence of the defendant, four witnesses and a group of courtroom artists, plus two juries of twelve pupils. When the juries were sent away to consider their verdicts, they came to two different decisions. One jury found the defendant to be guilty by a majority verdict of eleven to one, but the other was hung at seven guilty to five innocent, (there must be a majority of ten or more for or against to move to a verdict). The judge’s sentence was confinement to Abingdon Prep until 6 July and then Lynne was free to go. This was a great fun experience for everyone involved, and thank you to the legal team who gave their time to run the event. Year 7’s Courtroom Drama Every wave that washes over the boat feels like the end of me. I have no idea how many miles away from Europe we are. None of us do. We are just normal people, wanting to find somewhere safe. I squeeze Ebo tight between my legs. He is whimpering; he is just as scared as I am. No one speaks, we just watch the waves. I think back to the day the soldiers came, when they took away Papa and my sister Amira. I tried to shout at the men and tell them to give my family back, but Mama covered my mouth. The next day Mama said I had to leave. I felt like I had a stone stuck in my throat. ‘Aren’t you coming?’ I said to her. She said ‘No Tariq, there’s only enough money for you, you’re 11, you’ve got a longer life ahead of you.’ She gave me 100 dollars. ‘I’ve already paid the smugglers, but you will have to buy food and water.’ I knew she was probably right but I couldn’t bear to leave her. The only thing that persuaded me to leave was seeing the house opposite us explode in a ball of fire. Mama said, on the brink of crying ‘I trust you, you can do it. You can get a nice life in Europe.’ Before I wasn’t allowed to walk to school by myself, now I was on my own, travelling to Europe. Just Ebo and I on the dusty road. Some men Middle School Creative Writing Competition My Journey by George shouted at me, knowing I would have money. I broke into a run with Ebo next to me all the way to the docks. The smugglers swore at me and told me to get on the boat. As I sat down I noticed a safety label, it read “certified RIB built in 1981 max capacity 10 people”. The boat already had 18 people in it and there were more to come. The last person to get on the boat was a lady with a crying baby. So here I am, in the middle of a Mediterranean swell, fearing for my life. The woman with the baby asks me if I am alright. At least someone cares about me, even when she’s got a tiny baby to keep alive. I see a massive wave looming and it crashes over us, sending us all into a panic. I lookaround wondering if everyone is alright and I see the mother screaming and pointing at her baby in the ocean. I don’t think, I just jump over the side and swim to him. The currents are pulling me all over the place. Ebo jumps in after me and gets to the baby first. He holds the baby up and I grab the baby and swim back. The mother is overjoyed. I am so happy. I feel like something has changed. I am part of a team now with someone I can trust. It gives me hope. I’ll get to Europe somehow . In May, we welcomed Mrs Bridgeworth, Head of English, and Mr Jamison, an English teacher as well as an award- winning author, both from Abingdon School as judges of our creative writing competition. We invited pupils to write on the topic of ‘journeys’ in 500 words or fewer. Although optional, more than a quarter of the Section entered. Congratulations to winners Tommy in Year 6 and George in Year 5, whose piece appears below.