Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96Economics, Business and History students from Years 12 and 13 took part in a packed series of visits to experience the most important European city of the last two centuries and a vibrant modern business centre. The wealth of history that Berlin has borne witness to is staggering, from the site of the bomb- damaged Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church – left as a memorial to the civilian losses in the Second World War (and twinned, through the cross of nails, with Coventry Cathedral), to the moving and thought provoking sight of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. The eerie remains of the Berlin Wall can be seen in various parts of the city, and our accommodation was close to the former East/West division. It seemed appropriate that our first visit was to the new Reichstag designed by Sir Norman Foster, and providing wonderful night times views of the city. The group paid a visit to the Olympic Stadium, famous for its use in two World Cup competitions and of course the 1936 Olympics with Jesse Owens. Afterwards we all got to see the TV studios of RBB, a public service broadcaster, very much modelled on the BBC. The building had an interesting past as it was used extensively by Goebels for propaganda purposes. Students enjoyed using the ‘blue screen’ and the strange acoustic effects of a studio used for radio plays. Business and Economics students were later able to see the BMW Motorbike plant where some 100,000 models are made annually. There were plenty of photo opportunities where we were allowed to sit on some pretty powerful (and expensive) bikes. A final late evening visit to the efficient printing presses of German media giant Axel Springer, where over half a million copies are printed daily, bought a busy day to a close. After a very moving visit to the Sachenhausen concentration camp in the morning, a tour of the Berliner Kindl Brewery provided a welcome distraction. Students and staff particularly enjoyed the post visit ‘quality control’ sessions, and were amazed at the scale of production, even though this was only a moderate sized brewery by German standards. We also found out that 2016 was the 500 year anniversary of the first consumer legislation – ‘Rheinheitgebot’ beer purity law! The evening was completed by a group meal at the Hofbrauhaus (the world’s biggest beer hall), with a German band playing ‘happy birthday’ for one of our students who turned 18 that day. All participants had an excellent time and found a great interest not only in historical elements of Berlin, but also in today’s modern and cosmopolitan city. On the final day students had some of the day to undertake their own visits on Berlin’s ultra-reliable integrated transport system. Many used this opportunity wisely and expressed a genuine sorrow that they had to leave with so much still left to explore. A return visit is clearly inevitable in many cases. The staff would like to thank all students for their behaviour, good humour and genuine interest shown throughout. Mr Meynell and Mr Huxford berlin Trip roCK ConCerT An undoubted highlight for many in the school year is the February Rock Concert, and it’s fair to say that this year’s edition didn’t disappoint. From David Bowie to Muse, there was a wide range of brilliantly performed songs on show in front of a considerable crowd in the main hall. Pupils from all years put in a performance to remember for each group after working from the very start of the academic year towards the evening, and it was clear to see that every single Friday night session had paid off. And if that’s not enough, the evening even had a rendition of Parklife and a whistling solo, so what wasn’t there to like? Of course none of this would have been possible without the tireless work throughout the year of Mr Ross and Mr Wagstaff, all of this was their vision, and they managed to get the best out of every single musician on show that evening, so the biggest praise has to go out to the two teachers behind it. Every group has already started work on songs for February 2017, so I’m sure that they can make it even better again. 2015 To 2016 | 29