Clubs and Societies
There are a huge range of clubs and societies to choose from at St. Helen’s, many of which are run by the girls themselves. Information on many of the clubs and societies on offer are listed below but the clubs available change each year to reflect the interests of the girls.
Book Club
Over the year girls from Years 7, 8 and 9 meet together to read the shortlists for a number of awards: The Booktrust Teenage Award; The Hillingdon Schools Book of the Year Award and the Carnegie Medal. We discuss the books and vote for the winner which does not always accord with the official winner of the award. The Hillingdon Schools Book of the Year Award is run by Hillingdon School Library Services and all the schools reading the books get together for a morning to vote for the winner. For judging the Carnegie Medal we meet with Northwood College and John Lyon School. Older girls will also have the opportunity to read Booker and Costa shortlists. Middle School Book Club also includes craft activities, the most popular of which is making book marks.
CAD CAM
CAD CAM stands for Computer Aided Design, Computer Aided Manufacture. Girls have the opportunity to use all the CAD CAM machines to make individual items. The club is open to all girls in Middle School.
Calligraphy
All are welcome to come along to this club where we learn about the beautiful craft of Japanese calligraphy. We practise drawing Japanese characters and discover more about Japanese writing.
Classics
Classics Club is open to girls in Years 7, 8 and 9. The girls learn about ancient Roman and Greek customs and way of life. Past sessions have included Roman clothing and jewellery, when the girls had the chance to handle some authentic Roman jewellery such as signet rings, Roman food and recipes. The girls have also prepared a play in Latin called 'the jewels and the thief' which they performed to Junior School.
Design & Technology
D&T Club is an after school club open to girls of any age where they have access to the Design & Technology facilities to work on any project they would like. This could include, for example, finishing coursework or making props for drama productions.
European Club
This club meets fortnightly at lunchtime from September until February. We celebrate various European traditions and taste different European foods, such as ‘tapas’ and ‘sugar coal’! We also practise the European languages we are learning through a range of games and learn more about Europe through conversation and quizzes. The club is an ideal way for girls to meet together, share experiences and learn or taste something new! The club is aimed at Year 7 girls, but anyone is welcome.
Football
Football Club is open to all girls in Years 7 to 10. We compete in the Hillingdon Schools Futsal League. Futsal is an indoor 5-a-side version of the game, with rules designed to encourage passing and the use of ball skills. We train outdoors during the week at lunchtimes, when the weather allows.
Fusion
Fusion aims to be a support network across the school. As St. Helen’s Christian Union, we meet once a week to have interesting and lively discussions, play games or watch a DVD and have fun! We also meet separately in smaller groups to chat about relevant topics as well as to build relationships with each other and support each other throughout the week.
History & Politics Book Club
The History & Politics Book Club meets once a month to discuss a range of books from historical fiction to books that have changed the world. The club is open to Years 10-13. Recently we have read Fatherland by Robert Harris, Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut, The Diaries of Che Guevara and Malcolm X's autobiography. We are currently reading Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie.
History & Politics Forum
The History & Politics Forum is a forum dedicated to discussing contemporary issues of History and Politics. The group is very much peer-led and is run by Sixth Formers who prepare the meetings and conduct the discussions. The lunch time forum is always lively and is usually a historical debate or a briefing session on a key issue on today's political agenda. Films and the occasional speaker make up a varied programme of activity.
Italian
The Italian Club is open to all girls in Years 7, 8 and 9. As well as learning Italian words and phrases the girls learn about Italy and Italian customs. They have a cookery lesson once a term in which they can sample authentic Italian food. Past cookery lesson have included bruschetta, spaghetti al pomodoro and almond cookies. They also play games and sing songs.
Japanese
Japanese Club is open to anyone who would like to discover a new language and to learn more about Japan’s fascinating culture. This is a great introduction to the Japanese language and an opportunity to expand your linguistic skills.
Manga
All are welcome to join us at Manga Club where we learn about the world of Japanese manga comics and manga-influenced animation (anime). Manga are extremely popular in Japan and, increasingly, worldwide and the club introduces this fascinating and entertaining element of Japanese culture. We look at a variety of stories from the manga genre and discover why it has become such a phenomenon.
Model UN
The Model UN is open to Years 11 to 13. It involves the girls preparing for a weekend course held every March at Haberdashers’ in Elstree. In teams of five, the girls are given a country to represent and they then investigate the position of that country on the major global issues of the day: climate change, debt, food distribution, arms proliferation and so on. At the Model UN weekend, the girls split up and sit on a specific committee with representatives of other countries to negotiate the passage of resolutions favourable to their country. The weekend ends with a sitting of the General Assembly to vote on the resolutions that have emerged from committees.
Origami
Origami Club offers the opportunity to learn about the traditional Japanese art of paper-folding. All are welcome to come and have a go at making your own pieces of origami and we learn all the different paper folds that are used to create some often very intricate designs.
Photography
The photography club is a recent addition to the many activities available for girls during school lunchtimes. Led by Sixth Form students, the club aims to teach a group of enthusiastic girls from Years 7 to 12 all about the types of cameras and photographic styles.
At each meeting, we hold a hotly-contested ‘photo of the week’ competition with a different theme.
Pro/Desktop
If you want to learn how to create virtual prototypes in CAD, turn your 3-dimensional design into orthographic and isometric drawings and render the final results in a variety of materials and effects, this is the club to you. It is open to Year 9 upwards.
Wow Club
Wow club is a fun science club for all budding Year 7 scientists. It offers the chance to carry out some experiments and activities that girls would not get the opportunity to do in their normal science lessons. Our activities include things such as making rockets, investigating what makes fireworks so colourful, writing invisible messages, dissecting fish and making volcanoes, among many more.
