The Witch Trial
Azure pools drool, down the maiden’s sweet cheeks
As fresh as honey
Pouring like a fountain in the bounty of spring
Melody and melancholy
Odin`s omens scream from the tree to which
she is dragged
No hope in fighting or fleeing
Just taken
The bud of youth burned in the tranquil morning
The flames dance
Over her corpse, joyful as their life
Replaces hers
The fire yells louder than the girl
She drowns
In the flames, hope burns alive
Along with her soul
Odin`s bringer of death, the gallows god
The omen returns
Again, expect no warning brought this time
No he feasts on her forgotten soul.
Word: Tess Eve
Normality Returns
A vital aspect of life at Brookfield is extra-curricular activities: whether it’s football, dance or badminton, clubs are brilliant ways for kids to play their favourite sports while bonding with their friends. However, Brookfield students have not had this luxury this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This has negatively affected everyone from year 7 to 11, with the Y7s missing out on a perfect opportunity to make friends, while the Y10s and 11s who do GCSE PE have missed out on an entire year of practice to help their final grade. With Y11s not having had any GCSE PE practice since March of last year, that’s well over half of their GCSE without having worked on 40% of the grade.
For me - never the sportiest - I would play for fun instead of with skill. Despite being in top set PE throughout my time in lower school, I usually looked out of my depth. However, I still found much joy in the extra-curricular sporting activities, whether that be inter-form football or the dodgeball club: these bred some of my fondest memories of my time in lower school and it’s a shame that many the current crop have had to miss out on making similar memories.
However, in recent weeks, with the gradual easing of restrictions these clubs have returned, and I spoke to Brookfield PE teacher Mr Knight to find out about the return of sporting clubs at the school. He reiterated the importance of restarting these clubs with them re-engaging young people with formalised sport, and the importance of getting kids back to a healthy lifestyle with many missing the opportunity, during lockdown, to exercise as much as they would in school. He also talked about the turnout to practices, boosted by the announcement of a pending trip to Barcelona – including a tour of Camp Nou. We discussed the negative effects – social, mental and physical - of there not being such activities available. “Many of the students who do not do activities outside school miss out on what would usually be their only recreational source of sport apart of PE lessons which some see as a chore,” said Mr Knight, adding: “the kids have shown a very positive reaction - being happy to have back the normality of extra-curricular activities.” Finally, many people, myself included, might be surprised about the most popular choice: you’d be wrong in predicting it to be football. Badminton and dance come out on top, according to Mr Knight, going against the grain.
The return of extra-curricular clubs is very positive, too, outside of schools, restoring sports at grassroots level: many of the biggest stars of more niche sports having discovered their lifelong love through schools. Who knows? In year 7 we may have Britain's next badminton star about to discover the sport through Brookfield’s returning sports clubs.
Words: Dan Kellett
To Be or not to BCS …
Stratford comes to the Brookfield in our showcase event on Wed 7 July at 7pm NOW ONLINE) this event will celebrate all that is Shakespeare(ish). (
Head of Performing Arts, Caroline Ashley, explained, “well known speeches from Romeo, Juliet, Lady Macbeth and Hamlet spoken trippingly on the tongues of A Level drama students will give way to a dark, twisted Macbeth witches scene by GCSE drama students.”
Other acts will feature musicians working on contemporary pieces linked to themes from Shakespeare, as well as solo singers and dance pieces exploring the themes and magic, plus a battle of the Capulets and Montagues (year 9).
Mrs Ashley added: “there will also be special guest performances from some beloved staff members”.
If you would like to attend, please contact the school. We look forward to seeing you there to celebrate the talent of our young people and to feel a sense of normality on an evening of merriment, magic and revelry.