This term, a group of our outstanding Year 8 students took part in University College London’s Ocean Health Challenge 2024, a prestigious national engineering design competition for secondary school and college students aged 11-18.

The Balkan and Eastern European Society hosted our first official charity fundraising event on Monday 25th November that brought together students and staff, raising over £130!

Our dedicated team members not only organised the event, but also got involved at home to prepare all of the homemade desserts and popular traditional dishes from our cultures. We want to thank everyone for their support - every purchase has a huge impact! It was amazing to see how well-received our efforts were, and the enthusiasm with which people were willing to try something new.

“The bake sale was genuinely excellent for discovering different traditions, because I’d never even heard of half of the things they were selling, but it was surprisingly good.”
Lou Annarumma

“I liked that there were lots of cakes that I wouldn’t normally have tried, but the honey cake I did have was very nice. There was a good selection of things to choose from.”
Mr Whittaker

“The B.E.E.S. events are definitely ones that inspire ACS. Their exponential growth having just started this year is commendable, and every society should take a note out of the BEES book”  
Ify, ACS Co-President

“Being able to share traditional desserts from my Bulgarian culture was an amazing opportunity, and I’m so glad everyone enjoyed all the delicious food all the B.E.E.S. members supplied!”
Deya Dimitrova

As well as this, I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved for providing an amazing representation of our diverse cultures and backgrounds, allowing us to offer a taste of the rich history and significance behind our recipes, particularly from Poland, Bulgaria and Romania.

We are currently working with Rubikus, a charity committed to providing aid to Ukraine in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by the war. Their motivated team of volunteers directly helps to evacuate and situate refugees most affected by the conflict into newer, safer homes. The money we have raised has gone towards covering transportation costs and lodgings needed for an evacuation, offering a lifeline to someone who is suffering. Rubikus’ purpose and dedication is inspiring for us all, and we are honoured to be able to assist them in their mission. If you would like to read more about their cause, find their website here https://helpua.rubikus.de/en/#survey, and they are welcoming any donations through paypal - https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=RX494MS6H29Q2

Every donation helps towards making a massive difference in the course of someone’s life.

For any questions about future events or getting involved, please feel free to email us at bees.bgs@gmail.com!

Victoria Karasimova, President and Founder (B.E.E.S.)

It’s a common misconception that economics is boring and too complex for the average person to understand. I remember speaking to my particularly talkative hairdresser about studying economics, to which she replied “I could never study that” and “It’s all just a bit confusing really”.  And while I don’t deny that economics can be challenging, I also believe that economics IS for everyone and that it can be applied to our daily lives much more than you might think.

Take choosing what to do on a Saturday afternoon, for example. You might decide to meet friends for lunch, but that means giving up the chance to watch your favourite TV show. In economics, this is called opportunity cost, which means that when you choose one thing, you’re giving up the next best alternative. Economists use this idea to analyse decisions on a much larger scale. For instance, when a government decides to spend more on healthcare, it might have to cut funding for education. Or when a government chooses to invest in improving roads, it might have to delay funding for expanding public transport. However, the same principle of opportunity cost applies on a small scale in our everyday decisions, even if we don’t realise it.

Imagine walking into a store and seeing a jacket marked down from £100 to £50. Suddenly, it feels like an incredible deal, even if you wouldn’t have considered buying it at £50 to begin with. This is anchoring bias, a concept from behavioural economics, which looks at how we fixate on the first piece of information we see—like the original price—and lets it shape how we judge value. Economists study anchoring to understand how it affects consumer behaviour, helping businesses set prices that feel more attractive. And we, as consumers, experience its effects every day, often without even noticing it.

Take eating chocolate, for example. The first piece might taste amazing, but by the fifth or sixth, the enjoyment starts to wear off. In economics, this is known as the diminishing marginal utility—the more of something we have, the less satisfaction we get from each additional unit. Economists use this concept to understand why people often prefer variety and why demand for a product may decrease as consumption increases. It also explains why companies introduce new flavours or limited-edition products to keep consumers interested. However, we experience diminishing marginal utility all the time, whether it’s scrolling through social media or playing your favourite game.

I hope you can see that economics isn’t just about numbers and theory: it’s something we experience every day. Whether it’s choosing what to watch or how governments spend billions, economics is constantly shaping our world in ways we don’t always notice.

If you're interested in learning more about economics, feel free to reach out to me or any economics teacher for further information.

James Orchard, Year 13

Bon Om Touk is celebrated annually between early October and mid-November in Cambodia.  This year, Bon Om Touk is taking place from the 14th to 16th November.

It marks the end of the Monsoon Season in Cambodia AND it celebrates the change in direction of the Tonlé Sap River. (It is the only river in the world that flows up and downstream seasonally and is viewed as a miracle). 

To celebrate, there are: boat races with boats decorated to represent the Hindu and Buddhist gods of the Moon and River, lanterns honoring the full moon adorn the riverbanks, fireworks, traditional costumes and special food such as Ambok, a rice dish served with roasted banana and coconut.

Caitlin Gorman, Year 10

Here are some of the lanterns made by students
on display in the MFL department.

The Balkan And Eastern European Society (B.E.E.S) is proud to announce our entrance into the BGS community!

We aim to raise awareness about our traditions, sharing our culture with the school community. It has been amazing to see how many students have interacted with our Balkan and Eastern European cultures, and learnt more about our countries! We are a team of dedicated Ambassadors, Creative Directors, including a Social Media Director, Finance Manager, President and Vice President, from a wide range of countries, such as Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Russia, Moldova, Serbia, Croatia, etc. 

I’d just like to say a big thank you to Victoria Karasimova for organising and forming the society and Ms Zotova for being our teacher representative!

As well as this, we aim to fundraise for many Balkan and Eastern European charities with our events. This includes our Bake Sale on the 25th of November. It will be a special opportunity to try our homemade Balkan and Eastern European desserts. We can’t wait to share this part of our culture with you. Make sure to look out for the posters and posts on our Social Media pages! @bees.bgs 

On the 14th October, we hosted a traditional dance session and learnt Bulgarian and Albanian dances. It was so great to see many people taking part in this and stepping out of their comfort zones. It was such a fun experience and a successful first B.E.E.S event! See the pictures below of this event. 

We hope to see you at the B.E.E.S Bake Sale, where all our proceeds are going to charity! For any further questions or ideas, please don’t hesitate to reach out at @bees.bgs on Instagram or email bees.bgs@gmail.com! 

Deya Dimitrova, Social Media Manager (B.E.E.S)

Last week, BGS Year 12 Senior Society attended King’s College’s annual Daniell Lecture. These are delivered by internationally renowned scientists and cover a topic of current interest or excitement in memory of Professor Daniell. 

First we heard from a PhD student who is exploring cutting edge nano medicine. I was particularly inspired by her masters project focussing on simultaneously diagnosing and treating diseases. We also heard from Professor Rebecca Goss, who was the first female professor of organic Chemistry at St Andrews in Scotland. It was amazing to see such an ambitious and successful woman in that position. She demonstrated to us how we can start building molecules sustainably, exploring areas of chemistry and biology. 

The Senior Science Society is a group of aspiring scientists in Year 12 who all come and meet every week. It is such a great opportunity to collaborate and fully embrace our subject. We took the initiative and booked tickets for this lecture and all attended together. It is so nice to work with like-minded students and I look forward to our meetings every week. 

Last week I had the opportunity to run a debate on the ethics behind stem cell research. I really enjoyed seeing everyone get stuck into the topic and discuss what science looks like outside the theory within our curriculum. I am really looking forward to seeing what else we will do within our society in the future… 

Matilda Jackson, Year 12