Sydenham High jumped right into the spirit of World Book Day this year as both Junior School and Senior School students and staff dressed up as their favourite literary figures and story book characters to the usual high and inventive standards.

Senior School celebrated on Thursday with everyone being invited to visit the World Book Day Wonderland, themed around Alice in Wonderland, which show cased dramatic monologues and book readings from students from across the school.  In the dimly lit atmospheric surroundings of Wonderland, otherwise known as the Westwood Theatre, students took part in books swaps, entered the fancy dress competition and had their photograph taken in character. Congratulations to the Senior School winners below:-

KS3 individual – Tylae Rae Fatoyimbo as an Oompah Loompah

KS3 Group – Elizabeth Cartwright and Tamina Boss as the prisoners of Azkaban

KS4 Group – Eleanor Hornby, Evie Newton, Sophika Uthiya Kumar, Neisha Smith & Abigail Smith as characters from the Harry Potter books

KS5 Individual – Kate Cobain as Blanche DuBois from a A Streetcar Names Desire

KS5 Group – Chloe Penfold, Isabelle Watson, Lola Cookman, Lauren Hare, Imogen Asser, Flora Lippa, Janna Landolt as Little Miss characters with Mr Batty as Mr Bump.

Congratulations to Abigail Heal and Beatrice Eades who ran the book swap, and to Kate Cobain, Lauren Hear, Liberty Monroe, Maisy Saville, Liliana Morgan, Sally Prifti and Sophia Michael for their performances.  Also well done to the Technical Club crew for creating a great Wonderland atmosphere in the Westwood Theatre: Rose Chaloner, Fuchsia Pontin, Denise Manbajood, Jessica Verri, Liberty Monroe, Tia Nasir, Aine Thomas, Jessica Whight.

Junior School, meanwhile, had a Book Week Bonanza. With author visits, buddy reading across year groups and reading workshops, it was impossible not to get excited about all things literary.

Girls from across the Junior School sampled new book releases, old classics and all that goes in between. World Book Day itself was celebrated with a book fair from Usborne and everything was rounded off on Friday with a costume parade with many inventive costumes and character creations on show. Thank you to Mr Hart for organising the week and to Junior School parent, Ms Vaughan (MM Vaughan – best selling author of Six, The Ability and Mindscape), for giving up her time to work with and inspire the students.

Buddy reading:-

Author visits:-

Costume character parade:-