At the beginning of the Michaelmas Term, students at Streatham and Clapham High School found a new subject added to their timetable: Kinza. Scheduled every Wednesday, it was promoted not as a lesson, but as a unique opportunity for enrichment, as ‘Kinza’ is an Arabic word literally meaning ‘hidden treasure’. For the younger girls, it has been an opportunity for them to develop a new skill, with activities including Mandarin, Stage Combat and Meditation all led by subject teachers throughout the school. For the older girls, it has also provided a well-needed break from the tedium of impending exams. Now, exactly halfway through the academic year, it seems that now would be a good time to pause, both for reflection and to look forward at its potential for the future.
Mrs Cath Garner, Head of Drama, has supported Kinza since its introduction, and has been particularly impressed by the “diversity of activities that have been offered to the girls”, and also, “the expertise of staff in addition to their teaching subjects”. Also, many of the girls have been enthralled by the opportunities provided through the introduction of Kinza. One of the most productive activities this year has been Debating, with over thirty girls (from the Upper Third to the Upper Sixth) opting to enhance their public speaking skills. Topics covered included the more serious ‘Feminism is as necessary today as it was in the 1800s’, to the inherently more festive, ‘Should Christmas be cancelled?’. Ruby James, a Lower Fifth student, especially found the topics “relevant to our age group” as they are “about us and what we experience” and “our own questions are answered”.
Miss Jessica Morrell, Head of the Upper Third, who also runs Debating, noted, “The Kinza programme has offered the pupils a range of extra-curricular activities which has enabled them to broaden their minds beyond the school curriculum. This is very important when the government are putting more and more emphasis on exams and exam-style teaching.” Towards the end of the Michaelmas Term, the opportunity arose for girls to partake in the annual Youth Speaks competition, hosted by Rotary International, which, according to their official website, ‘encourages speaking and presentation skills in young people’. Over half the girls in Debating expressed an interest in competing, and so, Debating became one of the only Kinza activities to continue for a second term.
During the Lent Term, Debating focused more on the competition, with SCHS entering four teams into the competition, two Intermediate and two Senior. The first heat was won by both the Intermediate and the Senior sections of SCHS, with both teams progressing to the District finals, held on February 23rd at the City of London School for Boys. Despite strong enthusiasm, unfortunately, both the Intermediate and Senior teams narrowly missed out on the National finals, being beaten by Beal High School and Chigwell School respectively.
However, Ella McLeod, speaker for the Senior team, won an award for Best Speaker at the event, with the judges labelling her as ‘exceptional’ for her speech on the aforementioned necessity and continual relevance of feminism. Ella herself described the event as “really interesting” and a “really good opportunity to practice […] and learn what makes you a better speaker by watching others”. Ella, a Lower Sixth student, aspires to be either an actress or a journalist, so “in terms of career path”, she feels that she has gained strongly through her involvement, especially through learning “what the judges are looking for”. She says that she would definitely participate again, if given the chance next year.
Callista Aikens, in the Upper Fourth, took part in the Intermediate level competition for the second year running, and has been particularly impressed by the extent to which Debating has progressed this year. “It’s not just a club,” she noted, admitting that Kinza is an opportunity for “actively taking part in different things.” Maddy Forster, in the same team as Callista, also in the Upper Fourth, says that Kinza has helped her speaking skills in general, making her opinion “more valued”, as “you gain a better understanding of what you speak about”.
When asked about the success of Debating as a Kinza activity, Miss Morrell added, “Debating encourages confidence and teamwork and it is an important skill to learn at school because it equips you for later life.” She continued, “I am very proud of our pupils at SCHS and their achievement at the national Youth Speaks competition.”
With Kinza now firmly rooted as part of the SCHS timetable, and continually proving popular across the school, one would hope that Kinza is here to stay for the foreseeable future.
