27 October 2023
Writing: Shubhan Selvaranjan (Year 13)
Photography: Mayur Magdani (Year 13)
Editing: Antara Agrawal (Year 13)
If you wandered into the social kitchen in the first week of July, you would have stumbled across a chaotic sight. "You look like you killed a smurf", I recall, was the common refrain. However, the real reason was far more exciting.
It all started with Charlotte Black. Both an ex-Challoner and the daughter of Mrs Black, she couldn't keep away from the school, taking up a side job here in a supporting role. As an artist and illustrator, Charlie was keen to make a mark and improve the school, to give back to an environment from which she gained so much. Settling on a mural for the Sixth Form Centre, she set about the logistics, enlisting senior prefects Cassie Emmanuel and Liv Penny for the job.
Partly inspired by Hokusai's woodblock print of ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa', the design was initially digitally sketched by Charlie, based on the ideas of students, namely Josh Tuddenham, Mayur Magdani, and input from the A-Level art artists.
With the green light from the Sixth Form team and the design settled, it was time to call in the troops - and we indeed rose to the challenge.
Over a dozen current Year 13s, myself included, contributed over the next few days. The project was over much faster than anticipated, taking under six hours to paint. It was great fun, and we are honoured to have given back to a community which has shaped us so much.
