Kind Hearts

Temi joined Queen Anne's in Lower 4 (year 7) as an academic scholar and full boarder; she describes life at the school as "one big family".

Ting joined the School in L4, from Beijing, China. She has now been at Queen Anne’s for almost five years, and is particularly passionate about music and art. Mary shares her perspective as an international student, and a friendly and valued member of Wilkins House.

Mamie joined Queen Anne’s from a local prep school in September 2021 and has settled in well to the busy life of a QAS girl.

Amelie joined Queen Anne’s in Upper 4 and applied for an Art Scholarship for Sixth Form. Currently in Upper 6, Amelie has always had a passion for art but being a scholar has enabled her to pursue her interest further. Amelie describes herself as “not a traditional artist, I don’t do detailed works, I like looking into more creative art forms”. When applying for the scholarship, she explained that experimental work was something she wished to pursue further, experimenting with mediums and exploring different artists. Amelie recognised that the art department has allowed her to explore her creativity and individual style, saying “no matter how weird your idea is, they’ll support you.” Recently, Amelie has been attending pottery classes outside of school to expand her artistic ability further. She has no intentions of stopping art and hopes to study history of art at university. Art scholars attend an art club each week, with junior and senior scholars having separate sessions. Amelie explains how each year the junior and senior scholars focus on a different area of art, with the juniors and seniors working on animation and printmaking, respectively, this past year. Amelia says, “there are trips available to art students and ones just for the scholars. The scholars visited the Van Gogh immersive experience and galleries. We take inspiration from these trips and relate it to what we are doing in our own individual pieces.” When asked about what she likes about the department, Amelia explained, “I really like the vibe of the department, it’s relaxed, and the teachers are open to any ideas you might have. I'm in the department all the time, their door is always open if you want to come and do work.” Our Art Scholars are creative, imaginative, and inspired by the world around them. Their deep connections between making and experiencing are intertwined at Queen Anne’s. This is encouraged through an experimental approach to enhance their development as artists. - Miss Ahluwalia, Art and Design teacher

Anna joined Queen Anne's as a day girl and music scholar from a local primary school in 2020, and since joining QAS has become a familiar face in the Scott Music Centre, as she can often be seen practicing her instruments or performing in a lunchtime concert or showcase. Upon joining Queen Anne's, Anna played the violin and piano, but quickly took up the oboe in Lower 4s and is currently working towards her grade 6. She currently has two lessons a week on violin and one a week for piano and oboe. “My main achievement since joining is that I have managed to learn a totally new instrument, achieving a grade 5 in my second year here!” “As a scholar, I am involved in a lot that the music department does, not because I have to, but because I really want to do it. Last term I performed in every concert I could; I find concerts good practise, especially for my exams. The performances give you that pressure to perform a piece as best you can.” “It’s everything that the music department does that makes me enjoy music here. Coming from a school that didn’t have much for music, compared to now, where I have everything I need to practise and perform and the support we get is amazing!”

Cesca joined as a day girl in Lower 4 from a local prep school. With a love for sport, music, drama and the arts Cesca says, “I was drawn to Queen Anne’s because there was so much on offer”. Cesca has taken to the stage many times in the past six years, involving herself in as many school drama productions as possible; most recently taking one of the leading roles, playing Warner in the Lower 6 production of Legally Blonde the Musical. If she’s not on the stage, you might find Cesca representing the school in a lacrosse match, perfecting her tennis serve or shooting goals on the netball courts.

Esther has begun her final year at Queen Anne's after joining in Lower 4s as a drama scholar.  "When I was younger, I had a passion for performing, but when i came here, there was a whole new variety of opportunities that awaited me." "As a scholar you are involved in workshops, which are a lot of fun, and a good way to spend time with the other scholars in other year groups. We look into a range of techniques in the workshops, for example Stanislavski. We are expected to be a part of each production that the school puts on, which could mean helping with lighting and backstage. We are also able to have Trinity Speech and Drama lessons, and complete LAMDA exams, meaning we gain a qualification on the side of our academic studies, widening our drama knowledge, meaning we can apply this knowledge to our lessons and performances for school."

Grace is a QAS alumna (2023) and Head Girl in her final year at Queen Anne's. Grace studied A Level history, geography and economics and is now studying International Relations and Politics at University. Starting at Queen Anne’s in Lower 4, Grace spent her time in the lower school and middle school as a day girl but began flexi-boarding in the Sixth Form, meaning she spent a few nights a week staying over at school. Joining in Lower 4, Grace says she was a very different person, she was unsure of her interests so threw herself into life at the school and tried many of the activities in the co-curricular programme. Grace attributed her trailing of all that was on offer to the encouragement she received from not only the teachers but also the older students, saying “I felt no judgment in trying activities, even if they weren’t for me”.

Hettie joined Queen Anne’s in Lower 4 as a day girl along with her sister who joined in Upper 4. Hettie found a love for science and lacrosse when she joined Queen Anne’s, and studied Biology, Chemistry and Psychology at A Level. Alongside her studies Hettie played in the Senior first team, representing the school in fixtures and tournaments.

Olufunmi joined Queen Anne’s as an Academic Scholar and full boarder last September and is heading into the 4s (year 8).   Since starting at Queen Anne’s, Olufunmi has seized many opportunities open to academic scholars, attending seminars, with the last year’s seminars focussing on the G20 Summit. Olufunmi found these seminars hosted by Head of Scholars, Miss Clarke extremely interesting and wrote a fascinating essay on ‘If the people who attend the G20 Summit, effect the outcomes’. The annual Scholars’ Essay Competition sees all the school’s academic scholars submit an essay on a personally chosen topic. Olufunmi’s essay on ‘The problems of banana production’ won her a prize at Speech Day in July 2022.

Scarlett is a drama scholar in Upper 5 and has aspirations of pursuing a career in musical theatre one day. Scarlett joined Queen Anne’s in Lower 4 and has been a drama scholar since Upper 4. Since joining the school, Scarlett has been heavily involved in the drama productions and has also taken speech and drama classes alongside her curriculum lessons. Scarlett’s interest in drama started long before she joined Queen Anne’s, as she joined a weekend drama school at the age of four. She has taken part in drama workshops over the school holidays and was always involved in her primary school’s productions.   Scarlett’s drama talents have gone from strength to strength since being at QAS; most recently gaining her grade 7 LAMDA qualification, she is now working towards her grade 8. “As a drama scholar you are encouraged to so as much as you can, whether it’s the plays or helping behind the scenes; even if you’re not in the production, it’s good to get a sense of all aspects that make up a show. Workshops are held by teachers for the scholars after school. We might look at Shakespeare or different types of drama through the ages. We are required to attend, but they’re so fun”

QAS Alumna Celine Kwan is taking the fashion world by storm at the age of 25! Celine left QAS in 2015 and attended Central Saint Martins in London where she studied Fashion Print and graduated in 2021. She is now the founder and creative director of her own label, Celine Kwan. Celine draws inspiration from her diverse, international upbringing in Hong Kong and the UK, which allows her to adapt her work to different themes and audiences. Her work presents a colourful and energetic take on classic womenswear. Celine aims to create wonder in her approach to design and frequently explores transformation and functionality in unexpected ways. Since graduating, Celine has gained the attention of major publications such as Vogue UK and Madame Figaro Hong Kong, as well as celebrities including Melanie Martinez and Lizzo who commissioned a custom piece. Celine’s goal is to develop a brand driven by ethical manufacturing, exploration of technology, and inclusivity. Most importantly, Celine wants to produce clothing that can be passed on from generation to generation and to consider the lifecycle of clothes from cradle to grave. Her label aims to bring Hong Kong fashion to centre stage of the industry. Recently, Celine has been sponsored by Hong Kong’s Fashion Farm Foundation to showcase her AW22 collection in Paris Fashion Week.