@TheRegentCollege Vol 2 Issue 3

@TheRegentCollege VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 FRIDAY, 13TH DECEMBER, 2019 EDITORIAL FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK Compliments of the season! We have successfully come to the Greetings from The Regent College. We would like to seize this opportunity to thank you for your end of Term One. We could not implicit trust in us and your support this term. We started university admission processes very have travelled this stretch of the early with our USA bound students. Come January, UCAS applications will be submitted to flag journey without your endless off university admissions this session. support, our dear readers. It is for The academic visitor, Mrs Alison Gautrey, from St. Andrew’s College, Cambridge, UK that we this that our hearts are full of were expecting was unable to come due to logistic reasons. However, St. Andrew’s College will appreciation. Thank you! I wish to send in a replacement in the new year. extend this appreciation to mem- Last session, we successfully placed students in Red Brick, Russell Group and top universities in bers of the editorial team, includ- various continents. This session, we are expanding our partnerships to enable us build a choice ing Mr IK and our student editor, bouquet of universities to meet your needs. Ms Jochebed Airede. Merci! University Preparation Processes This issue of our newsletter fea- Our main goal as a college is all-round preparation for life and academic success. We have built tures the College’s maiden Book into our curriculum key life skills acquisition processes, academic programmes, and co-curricular Bowl but also students’ own expe- activities to ensure we develop rounded, responsible and internally driven young women and riences since the start of the term. men who will do us, their families and the nation proud. In line with the second feature, Students are allowed to evaluate lessons and the generated feedback from their evaluations fur- we decided to step aside and ther guide the teachers in determining new areas of emphasis. This unique curriculum and its allow the students the opportunity excellent implementation stands our college out in Nigeria as observed and commended by our to share with you their journey various university partners. In the light of the above, every student of ours receives individual since either joining the College attention and their progress is charted and monitored weekly. Support is given where necessary fresh from secondary school, or and parents are carried along. starting their second year of A- Request for Parents’ Back-up Level. Look out for this under Stu- This holiday season, we would like to crave your indulgence to please encourage our students to dents’ Voices. These and others take the academic materials they will be getting through google classroom seriously. They are you will find for your reading aimed at keeping them engaged to build in them ethics of research, and independent attention pleasure. to academic work, so that we can look forward, in the New Year, to our plans of advancing the Mr. Tim Hyua academic developments we have initiated. IN THIS ISSUE: Newsletter Content This newsletter contains pictorial inputs of our students’ activities in the course of the term, e.g. From The Principal……...………….……1 our cerebral book bowl competition, messages from our alumni, as well as the students’ assess- Foundation Report….. ………............2 ment of the journey so far. Among other informative content, the term is presented to you in a Book Bowl Competition ………….......3-5 beautiful panorama that you cannot resist. Students Voices……………...…….…...6-11 We wish you all compliments of the season and a Happy New Year ahead. Fun to Fundraise.…………………….…..12 Best Regards, Alumni………………..……...……….….….13 Term I in Pictures ……..…………….14-20 C.I. Ebiai (Principal) Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 2 Page 2 FOUNDATION PROGRAMMES POPULATION The term closed with 55 students. This figure cuts across all our Foundation programmes. The figure is expected to rise in the coming term as we expect the January Starts to join our Foundation pro- grammes. Presently, we have the following courses: Art, Architecture, Economics, Humanities, International Rela- tions, Engineering, Science, Law, Business and Psychology Foundation. END OF TERM 1 EXAMINATIONS The end of term 1 examination took place in the month of December. The examination papers were set and will be marked by our franchise partner, St. Andrews College, Cambridge, UK. The scores are expected in January 2020. This was preceded by weekly tests that took place during the term. The weekly tests, which helped the students spend more time studying, will continue in the next term. LOOKING AHEAD Term 2 is noted for writing of research projects for all the humanities courses. The science students have been undergoing a series of science practicals. These are due for submission in the coming term. The research projects and science practicals have been found to be very useful for our students after leaving the College, as they have helped to prepare them for similar, but more rigorous tasks in their universities. Michael Monday HOD, University Foundation Programmes Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 3 Page 3 2019 BOOK BOWL COMPETITION On the 29th of November, 2019, The Regent College hosted its first ‘Book Bowl’ competition, where students from three broad academic categories – Science, Humanities, and Engineering Mathematics – battled it out, each group eager to answer their unique questions correctly and emerge as winners. At the day’s end, it was the Science students who claimed the gold, with the contestants from Engineer- ing Math and Hu- manities sharing a silver in a tie. The entire compe- tition was heated and extremely tax- ing, with questions answered rapidly in a meagre 20 seconds. It was, however, also very refreshing to be involved in an ed- ucation-based competition as I hadn’t been in one for a while. An- swering challeng- ing questions cor- rectly was also very rewarding, especially when we all knew that every answer – and subsequent point – was essential to a win. Frankly, competing that day remains one of the most exhilarating things I’ve done this term! Although the contest was, for the most part, smooth, there was some controversy when the issue of bonus points was raised. Bonus points were awarded to a group if they could answer a question the main group had missed. For the Humanities students, this posed a slight challenge: they could answer neither Math nor Science questions. Despite this slight conundrum, all students were rewarded for do- ing the best they could. The greatest competition was between the Humanities and Math students, who matched each other every step of the way. In fact, the students exhausted all questions, including extra ones that had been prepared in the event of a tie break! We were all very unwilling to lose, so fought until the Princi- pal declared it an overall tie. Overall, it was a hugely entertaining competition and I’m proud of all three groups. Hopefully, there will be another competition like this one – and I will gladly participate in it! Allison Christabel Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 4 Page 4 2019 BOOK BOWL COMPETITION (IN PICTURES) Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 5 Page 25 019 BOOK BOWL COMPETITION (IN PICTURES Continued) Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 6 Page 6 STUDENTS’ VOICES: 2019, THE JOURNEY SO FAR No procrastination. No daydreaming. Love Maths. Finish all your Literature books early. Work your life out. Above are a few of my ‘New-Term Resolutions’, inspired by the mistakes I’d made during my year as an AS student. This year, I told myself, would be different: there would be no scrambling for notes just before the exam, no anxiety attacks from last-minute reading, no struggling to remember what I’d just read in my notes – there would be nothing but a breezy calm influenced by the sound assurance that I was going to smash all my exams. Safe to say, things didn’t go exactly as planned. Academic drama, nerve-wracking leadership, and personal palaver were just a few of the things that, for a moment, stalled my A2 academic journey. It’s been far from perfect, with assignments delivered barely by the deadline and Literature notes all over the place, but I’ve learned to give myself a break and realise that not everything can be perfect. I want it to be, but I’ve understood that it isn’t perfec- tion that gets the A*s – it’s progress. All in all, I have emerged from these challenges slightly more experienced and definitely more deter- mined to face my academic, leadership and personal challenges head on. And, walking into this Christ- mas break and the New Year, I’m determined to make some progress, no matter how challenging it seems. Certainly, there is pressure, yes, but there’s enough of God’s grace to handle it – and I will handle it. - Jochebed, A-Level Student Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 7 Page 7STUDENTS’ VOICES: 2019, THE JOURNEY SO FAR (Continued) My name is Ruby Ogbuluijah D. and I’m a Humanities Foundation student at The Regent College. Honestly, my time here has been fascinating, enlightening and hectic all at once! I’ve come to experi- ence a lot of things that I’m not used to—and trust me when I say a lot! I’ve met fantastic teachers, who put their best into ensuring that I am at my best. The students are absolutely amazing; every sin- gle one of them brings something one of a kind, and in their individual ways, makes me want to be a better person: a happier, more interactive individual who studies even harder. As an individual, I often have a hard time balancing all the things on my to-do list and at the same time, staying calm under pressure. However, with the million and one assignments that I have to turn in at a set time and trying to stay consistent on my YouTube channel, life at Regent has taught me that there will always be things that I need to attend to; and if I keep fretting and panicking over every single one, I’m going to end up with a high blood pressure and a low percentage of work done. The best way to handle all of it, absurd as it may sound, is one at a time. I’m currently applying to lots of universities to study Media and Communications. I’ve gotten a few re- jections here and there and truthfully, they didn’t feel particularly good. However, these rejections have made me understand the value of fighting really hard for something you’re really passionate about, and actually attaining it: like getting into your dream university (still waiting on that one though). I think I’ve said way too much and you guys are probably already tired of reading. So, bye for now! Don’t forget to spread love and good vibrations! With lots of love, Ruby Desiree O. Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 8 Page 8 STUDENTS’ VOICES: 2019, THE JOURNEY SO FAR (Continued) Coming from Regent Secondary School - a very controlled environment - to the College, I felt the change was pretty drastic. From the bell ringing every hour informing us to go to the next class to teachers running after us to make us attend booster classes, it was quite a list of things to keep us in check – a list of things that are all absent at the College. I think the experience at The Regent College is almost similar to that in the university and, at the same time, far from it. I expected the College to be a lot less freer than it is: I didn’t expect a lounge and free periods, or for students to have the choice to leave school whenever they were done with classes for the day. On the other hand, I was shocked to hear that we had to be in school by 8.30 a.m. even if we didn’t have a class! Regardless, the College has definitely made me more open-minded, especially due to meeting people from different backgrounds and environments outside of our typical Regent bubble. Honestly, although I wouldn’t have picked the College as my first choice, I’m really glad to be here now. Daniel Oghenebrume Ajaifia Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 9 PagSeT9UDENTS’ VOICES: 2019, THE JOURNEY SO FAR (Continued) My name is Madihah Maruf-Lawal and I’m an A2 student, doing Eng- lish Language, Litera- ture-in-English and Business. As a second year A- Level student, I have found the programme both challenging and rewarding at the same time. In fact, the sec- ond year does not only get more challenging but also, I never get used to the workload. In all of this, adaptabil- ity, careful planning, a consistent positive atti- tude, and hard work, are key to attaining success. Yes, others before have done it, those yet ahead will do it, and so will I. Inter- estingly, one way I have tried to adapt and function more produc- tively is to tap into the myriad of relaxing and academically profitable co-curricular activities, like TedEd. Aside from the very good fortune of meet- ing new people this year, the wonderful ex- periences so far have been the ones out of the norm or the ones inspired by a daily dose of learning: the Independence Day celebration, community service programme (where we get the op- portunity to give support to less privileged pupils of neighbouring LEA Primary School, Mabushi) and the varied leadership activities, which are all invigorating and fun. Let’s not forget the recent Book Bowl competition (which I participated in) that was both educative and extremely heated (some of us don’t like to lose!) Madihah Maruf-Lawal Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 10 Page 10 STUDENTS’ VOICES: 2019, THE JOURNEY SO FAR (Continued) After the much-awaited and seemingly short summer following IGCSEs, it was now time for A-Levels. Some said you could fly through it, others that it was harder than Uni. But there was only one way to find out: to do it myself! I resumed school a week late, but thankfully there wasn’t much to catch up on. I chose to do the three sciences and Maths, and I quickly realised a lot of my classmates were struggling (if I may) to cope. Honestly, I didn’t quite see the “jump” to A-Levels everyone kept talking about, but most people cer- tainly did. Apart from more difficult subject content and less time to cover all of it, everything, such as the format of exams, was pretty much identical to IGs, maybe because of the same exam board. The relative freedom we have, however, is different. Unlike here, there were no free periods in second- ary school. However, it hasn’t been all candy and rainbows; it also means that we have to be very judi- cious with our time, since there’s essentially no one coming to herd us off to work. Two-hour classes were also new, and I really don’t know whether they’re a good or bad thing. We most certainly got more things done compared to our one-hour classes, but considering short attention spans… If not for those 10-minute breaks! All in all, sixth form so far has been a good experience, even though I wish we had more physical ac- tivity incorporated in our timetable - God knows how hard it is to work towards fitness after being mentally exhausted and getting home by 5:30! Shreya Jindal Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 11 Page 11 STUDENTS’ VOICES: 2019, THE JOURNEY SO FAR (Continued) My name is Amina Aden and I’m studying the first year of my A-levels (AS) at The Regent College, Abuja. I joined The Re- gent College on 2nd September, 2019. My experience at the College has been a wild ride in just 4 months! There have been lots of the good times and many ‘not so good’ times. The first day of college was excit- ing, yet terrifying. I clearly remember feeling nervous as the blue building came into view. As I stepped out of the car, clutching my very light bag, I could hear my beating heart and felt a lump in my throat. I wanted to go back home and read Harry Potter. Everything was alien- like and I didn’t even know where to go. I walked to the administration block where I was greeted by some familiar faces and some not-so-familiar ones. Everyone seemed so relaxed and I wondered why I was so tense. This made me feel better. We were asked to assemble in the library and to my utter delight I saw books! Suddenly my nervousness was all gone and I was frantically looking through the shelves, loving that book smell. Im- pressed is an understatement; the library was a little haven that called to me. By the end of my first few weeks, all my motivation had left me. I was not prepared for the huge gap between IGCSE and A-levels, 2-hour long classes and the depth of the subjects! I always lost my train of thought after one hour and started doodling on my notebook or hopelessly trying to understand what was going on. When I looked around in my Math class, I felt surrounded by people who seemed to understand everything the teacher taught unlike myself who couldn’t. I felt the same in my other two classes, Chemistry and Biology. After half term and my ‘beyond bad’ grades, I needed to bounce back and show everyone what I was truly made of. My teachers, were extremely understanding and they did their best to teach and to support us. I had all the resources I needed and the support from my parents. Then what was wrong? I looked in the mirror and realized that it was me all along. I kept comparing myself to others and realized that I was only making the situation worse. It took me a while before something made sense to me and I promised myself to do the best. After another few antagonizing weeks and many tears later, my grades seemed to be improving and I could finally answer some Math questions without feeling like dropping out. All along, it wasn’t the amount of hours of studying you did, it was the mindset you needed first. Believing in yourself, is something no one else can do for you. With the help of the excellent members of staff that have made this ‘rocky mountain’ easier to climb, I look forward to doing better in my studies, having a great time and of course completing my A -levels with the best grades. (Fingers crossed!) Amina Aden Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 12 Page 12 FUNDAY TO FUNDRAISE Every year, the student body of The Regent College raises funds as part of community service develop- ment effort. To do this, we take advantage of annual events such as Bonfire or Fun Day organized by the Regent Schools. And this year was no different. On Saturday, 30th November, 2019, we, stu- dents of the college, led by the Student Representative Council (SRC) banded together and rented out a stall in order to raise money for our charity project. Although things were rough from the get-go in a number of ways, including the fact that we were up against other groups scrambling for the same customers we needed to patronize our goods and ser- vices, we counted strongly on each other’s resolve, creativity and gen- eral support. Armed with our ice lollies, an assortment of candies, hair spray and face painting kit, we hit the ground running. At the beginning, business was very slow because the competition was intense as several other stalls also sold some of our items. By around 11:00 am, things still seemed gloomy and panic started setting in. We concluded that the reason for our poor sales was because our stall was tucked away in a corner. We decided that it was better for some people to walk around and advertise. Later, more hands joined in: Shreya and Afrah came, adding more vigour to the hustle. While some manned the stall, others walked around in the blazing hot sun. Jochebed, the SRC President, was also walking around selling the hair spray. With the coolers in our hand, we stationed at strategic parts of the field selling the ice lollies, screaming and trying to attract as many people as possible with our product. It took a lot of determination, walking and sweating but after a while we had sold a huge percentage of our ice lollies! When we couldn't walk anymore, we returned to our stall and by this time, it was time for both Shreya and Afrah to leave. It was down to two people; Jochebed and myself to see to the end of day. While she continued to walk around, I womanned the stand, too tired to walk anymore. It was by this time that another member of the student body, Amina, arrived. She joined Jochebed with selling the sweets and together both of them sold almost all the sweets! By early evening, what had seemed like a gloomy day was brightened up by the arrival of several boarders: Moyo, Chisom, Amir, Joseph, Christabel and Kabir who came and diligently sold the rest of our products. One thing that stuck with me was how hot and body- breaking the day was. It was a gruesome and tiring situation and we thank God for the several people that came and sup- ported us. Through our determination and hard work’ we managed to make double the amount we spent and to us that was a victory! It was a very exhausting day but together, we accom- plished our goal. PHINOLA ARUNA Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 13 Page 13 AND FROM OUR ALUMNI Aissatou Pindar, Class of 2017/2018, sent in this photo from outside her university. She is studying Software Engineering at the University of Bedfordshire, UK. Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 14 Page 14 TERM 1 IN PICTURES Arrival at TRC: Meet and Greet Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 15 Page 15 Orientation and Leadership Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 16 Page 16 SRC Election Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 17 PaSgte .17A n d r e w ’ s a n d T h e R e g e n t C o l l e g e P h o t o g r a p h y C o m p e t i t i o n Autumn Term 2019 Runner-up Fatima Umar El-Yakub Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 18 Page 18 National Day Celebration: Highlights

Page 19 University Visits: St Goerge’s University, Grenada Page 19 From Top  St George’s University, Grenada  Shorelight Group (USA)  University of Surrey, UK  University of Bradford, UK

Page 20 Page 20 Elected Officials of Student’s Representative Council (SRC), 2019/2020 JOCHEBED PEACE AIREDE SHREYA JINDAL PRESIDENT SECRETARY/P.R.O ANSH YADAV PHINOLA ARUNA FATIMA UMAR EL-YAKUB DIRECTOR OF SOCIALS TREASURER DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SERVICE Respect Responsibility Resilience