Viewing archives for

Five QE boys got to grips with cutting-edge aerospace technologies at a summer residential after triumphing in a spring competition.

The group headed to Shropshire for the Summer Time Advanced Aerospace Residency (STAAR), at RAF Cosford, near Shifnal, and the nearby RAF Museum, learning from industry experts in a packed five-day programme.

Head of Digital Teaching and Learning Michael Noonan said: “It was fantastic to see students take the initiative and independently apply for the STAAR programme. The five were amongst a wide cohort who applied for a place on this highly prestigious residential, and from speaking with them on their return from the holidays, I know it has only further ignited a passion in them for careers and study in STEM-related subjects.”

The organisers of the event included education technology consultancy Tablet Academy (TA) Education. After the camp, its Head of Training, Samantha O’Leary, wrote to Mr Noonan full of praise for the QE boys: “They are a funny, confident, thoughtful, and intelligent bunch who integrated incredibly well with the students from the other schools. So much so, you wouldn’t have known they were from different schools at all. They were fantastic representatives for the school, and it was a pleasure to work with them.”

The QE five were among only 40 winners of the competition, which was open to those in Year 9 in 2022–2023. They were Keeyan Shah, Kyle Goldband, Neil Kulkarni, Keshav Aggarwal and Ishaan Mishra.

Keeyan said: “The STAAR residential was greatly enjoyable. We had an action-packed week filled with fun activities from coding a drone to flying a plane simulator. It was an amazing experience.”

Neil said: “We did quite a few activities at the residential, most of which included extremely high-tech tools. These included some things such as flight ‘sims’ and wind tunnels. We also had a chance to see roughly what living in an RAF base was like, with the mess hall and gym and things like that. Overall, it was an extremely fun, informative and unique opportunity and a highlight of our holidays.”

Keshav described the camp as a “a hands-on experience showing aerospace engineering and aeronautical design”. It was, he said, an “an eye-opening experience which will stay with me forever”.

Neil added that it was not just the academic aspects of the trip that he enjoyed: “Meeting people from other schools who had won the competition was very cool, talking about their school and just meeting new people in general. And then the residency itself – living with our friends – was very fun and the responsibilities of living without parents to help was a big realisation.”

The competition to secure their places involved completing four STEM tasks relating to: decryption/encryption; reconnaissance; creating a CAD model, and creating a team presentation.

Organised in partnership with TA Education, the camp was sponsored by Northrop Grumman – a huge American defence and aerospace company formed by Northrop Aircraft’s 1994 acquisition of Grumman Aerospace, which built the Apollo programme’s lunar module.

The boys stayed with chaperones and followed a course delivered at both the RAF Museum and RAF Cosford by: the museum’s STEM Ambassadors; industry experts from Northrop Grumman; TA professionals and RAF STEM personnel.

Queen Elizabeth’s School today remembers Tim Edwards, Headmaster from 1961 to 1983, who died on Friday at the age of 98.

Timothy Bracey Edwards took over the headship from longstanding Headmaster Ernest Jenkins (1930–1961). After leading the School as a grammar for ten years, he then steered it through a major expansion as it became a comprehensive, which it remained during the rest of his 22-year tenure.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “After serving at Bletchley Park during the latter stages of the Second World War and then establishing a successful teaching career, Tim came to QE at the start of the 1960s – a period which saw huge change in the country and in the national education system. He had a long headship and was a figure of consequence, not only at QE, but also locally, serving on the Education Committee of Barnet Council.

“He played a significant role in the School’s modern history, and many will remember his courteous nature and kindness. I offer my sincere condolences to his family on their loss.”

The 1981 School Captain, Andy Porteous, also paid tribute to his Headmaster: “He was a man of great compassion and principles.”

Educated at Clifton College in Bristol, Mr Edwards joined the RAF after leaving school in July 1943. His early plans to become a pilot were thwarted when a problem with his eyesight was discovered.

Having taken German at Higher Certificate level at school (the precursor to A-levels), he was sent to Bletchley Park, where his work involved decoding German weather reports from Balkan airfields. Interviewed about his experiences in 2020 for a Bletchley Park podcast published the following year, he was characteristically modest: “I don’t think my contribution to the war effort was anything more than negligible, if as much as that!”

He served as an interpreter in Germany after the end of hostilities, recalling a 20-minute drive through Hamburg during which he did not see a single building that was untouched by Allied bombing.

On being ‘demobbed’ in 1946, he took up the place that he had previously been offered at The Queen’s College, Oxford, where he read German, with subsidiary French.

Following a brief period of teaching at Felsted School in Essex, he spent ten years as Assistant Master at Manchester Grammar School, before arriving at Queen’s Road, where he remained until his retirement at Christmas 1983. He is pictured, top, on his appointment in 1961.

Writing for The Elizabethan in April 1963, Mr Edwards paid tribute to his predecessor in describing the QE that he had taken over two years before: “Queen Elizabeth’s was a good school first and foremost because Jenkins had left it like that.”

In his new history of the School, Queen Elizabeth’s School: 1573–2023, Dr John Marincowitz (Headmaster, 1999–2011) describes Tim Edwards as “a man of his time”. An advocate of reform, he was an enthusiastic supporter of the national moves towards replacing grammar and secondary modern schools with comprehensives. QE’s first comprehensive intake arrived in September 1971 – six forms replacing the grammar school’s three-form entry.

Dr Marincowitz wrote: “It was to his considerable credit that Edwards virtually doubled the size of the School’s roll, the capacity of its accommodation and the number of teaching staff. Edwards praised the extent of government funding, stating that ‘nothing has been spared in equipping the school for its new role’.” The picture above shows Mr Edwards, left, at the opening ceremony of the Fern Building in 1974.

Dr Marincowitz described Mr Edwards’ management style as “consultative, participative and democratic”. The group photograph shows him with his staff in July 1983.

In the Bletchley Park interview, Mr Edwards explained why he remained at QE for more than half his career: “Having been myself interested in the comprehensive concept, I stayed on: I thought, you know, if I had advocated comprehensive education, I should stay and see it through, so I did.” Under Mr Edwards’ successor, Eamonn Harris (Headmaster, 1984-1999), the School reverted to a fully selective admissions policy in 1994.

Among other reforms Mr Edwards introduced was the abolition of school on Saturdays at QE; the establishment of an elected council to hear pupils’ views; and the modernisation of the curriculum. FQE (The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s) was established during his headmastership, in 1966. He also oversaw the School’s 400^th anniversary celebrations in 1973.

Married to Pat, who pre-deceased him, he had five children.

Headmaster Neil Enright today paid tribute to Diane Mason, a longstanding supporter of the School, former parent and retired staff member, who has died at the age of 88.

Diane’s association with QE extended back to 1985, when her eldest son, Andrew (Andy), joined the School, followed two years later by his brother, Chris. She quickly became involved in the work of The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s, serving as Secretary for some 35 years, until retiring earlier this summer.

Diane was also employed at the School from 1997 to 2011, fulfilling administrative roles in areas including the careers programme and the School’s liaison with FQE. She was also an extra-curricular tennis and swimming coach at QE, drawing on her background in Physical Education. She then continued to support the School as an exam invigilator.

Last December, in recognition of her work for FQE and other causes in the Borough of Barnet, Diane was among the guests at a special carol service at Westminster Abbey spearheaded by The Princess of Wales. The service was attended by The King and Queen Consort and The Prince of Wales, Prince George and Princess Charlotte as well as other members of the Royal Family and VIPs.

Offering his condolences to her family, Mr Enright said today: “Diane will be sorely missed within the Elizabethan community. Few have made such a broad and sustained contribution to the School and The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s.

“Over several decades, she brought great energy, vigour and dedication to all that she did, and my  colleagues and I are immensely grateful for her inspiring and steadfast support.

“Furthermore, Diane was liked and respected by everyone here at QE: occasions like Founder’s Day simply will not be the same without her. She embodied the best of FQE and its values, and I know she will be fondly remembered within our community for years to come.”

Having taken the decision to remain actively involved in supporting FQE after her sons left the School, she worked alongside her husband, George, who survives her.

Diane was a convener and recruiter who made things happen, rolling up her sleeves and leading by example. She also encouraged others to become actively involved in the Elizabethan community.

Those who have known her many years include Barrie Martin, the School’s longstanding former Chairman of Governors, who continues in his role as FQE Director. Speaking at a special event at this year’s Founder’s Day marking his retirement from the Governing Body, he credited Diane with getting him involved in the work of the Friends. This, he said, led to the then Headmaster Eamonn Harris (1984–1999) summoning him to the Governing Body.

Diane also served on the Governing Body, as a parent governor, campaigning in support of the School securing grant maintained status in 1989 – the success of which restored QE’s independence from the local authority.

Deputy Head (Pastoral) David Ryan and his former colleague, now retired, Colin Price (Second Master from 1999–2019) have both independently commented that the charity’s name, Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s, could have been invented for Diane: she was truly a friend of the School.

As well as The Princess of Wales’ carol service – for which she was nominated for an invitation by The Representative Deputy Lieutenant of the London Borough of Barnet, Martin Russell – highlights of her association with the School include her formally opening the Shearly Hall in December 2009.

New figures show that QE pupils received more offers from Oxford and Cambridge universities than those at any other state secondary school last year.

Queen Elizabeth’s School is the top non-fee-paying school in a table published by The Spectator magazine, which shows QE’s 2022 figure of 34 offers outstripping other grammar and comprehensive schools nationwide.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “It is always good to receive independent corroboration of our success, and this news is a testament both to the dedication and professional expertise of our staff and to the sustained hard work of our very able students, who come from a wide range of backgrounds. Our Sixth Form team are highly experienced at guiding pupils who aspire to places at the world’s leading universities and on very competitive courses, such as Medicine.

“It is also encouraging to note that, with our 2023 Oxbridge offer total having jumped to a record 47 [pictured top], we may now even have stretched our lead in this, our 450^th anniversary year.

“I should add that these offers are secured by boys who are usually heavily involved in the wider life of the School: in sport, music, drama, and other extra-curricular opportunities, and also in our volunteering programme, in mentoring younger pupils, and in serving as prefects. Our focus is not merely on examination results – important though those are – but on fulfilling our School mission to produce young men who are ‘confident, able and responsible’.”

The Spectator’s table is based on figures released by the two universities in the 2022 UCAS application cycle. It ranks 80 state schools, independent schools and sixth form colleges by the number of places secured.

QE is in 11^th place, ahead of 25 other grammar schools and three schools described as comprehensives or academies. The top ten places are taken by independent schools and sixth form colleges. First place in the table goes to Brampton Manor Academy in Newham – listed by The Spectator as a sixth form college.

QE’s figure of 34 offers means that very nearly a third (32.7%) of the 107 boys who applied last year were successful. This conversion rate outstrips all the sixth form colleges (many of which also have far larger Year 12 and Year 13 rolls than QE), and all but two of the independent schools in the table’s top ten.

Oxford and Cambridge have increased the proportion of acceptances from state schools in recent years. It is now 69 per cent, up from 52 per cent in 2000.

Deputy Head David Ryan (Pastoral) thanks all the parents and pupils who took the time to complete the online survey on eQE earlier this year.

He reports that while there were a few interesting gaps between parents’ and boys’ perceptions, in general, the current Personal Development Time curriculum tallies well with people’s biggest concerns, while the risks that boys in the younger years and their parents were most worried about are now being covered in the new Year 7 digital literacy curriculum. Work is being undertaken to improve resources in certain key areas of online risk, ensuring that the School educates pupils solidly in these before they discover them to be an issue.

The aim of the survey was to allow the School to evaluate the knowledge and understanding of both parents and pupils, giving them the opportunity to state what they feel are the biggest online risks and the areas in which they would like support.

Among the main findings were that:

• Despite smartphones not being allowed in the younger years at QE, it is clear that the majority of pupils do use them outside of School, particularly from Year 9 onwards;
• There is a stark difference between the proportion of students saying they own a games console that is connected to the internet (63%) and the proportion of parents who thought their son had one that was connected to the internet (42%);
• Parents largely agree (60%) that they would check usage of computers and smart phones, but very few (13%) said they would check a games console or tablet device. Similar results were reported for the setting up of restrictions, controls and filters;
• QE boys primarily use: YouTube (81%); WhatsApp (64%); Discord (37%); Snapchat (31% using it daily, or most days); Instagram (27%, but rising to a maximum of 63% in the Sixth Form) and TikTok (22%). They  have a good understanding of how to set up privacy settings and report content or other users on these platforms;
• Pupils in the younger years are primarily concerned about being targeted online by people with harmful intentions. They worry about being: bullied (57%); pushed into scams or dubious investments (55%);  tricked into clicking on fake links (51%), or simply being contacted by such people (50%);
• Students in the older years are more concerned by the risks posed in: spending too much time online (75%); having to feel perfect, popular and attractive online (39%), and receiving false information in the news (35%);
• Across all year groups, the overwhelming majority of boys felt confident that they could report an issue related to online safety.

The findings of the survey have informed the creation of a new eQE support page for parents and students, which signposts professional support and advice for online safety.

Online safety has been a key consideration in the planning of our 1:1 programme.

We are taking steps to protect boys from damaging or inappropriate material.

The rapid rise of AI adds another dimension: while it offers opportunities to enhance boys’ research and refine their thinking, it also brings risks of plagiarism, of pupils failing to acknowledge the use of AI, and of over-reliance, leading to a reduction in critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The QE curriculum – alongside public examination and course protocols – will educate boys about academic integrity and the responsible use of AI.

We have also undertaken measures aimed at helping our pupils avoid problems such as eye-strain and fatigue, both for their immediate well-being and to prevent any longer-term health concerns from arising.

One advantage of the Lenovo device selected for the 1:1 programme is that it offers more variety in the way it is used than a conventional laptop, with a stylus, touchscreen and keyboard all at pupils’ disposal. This encourages greater movement, with the physical benefits that brings. In general, tablets will be flat on the desk during lessons and used with the stylus. This means that, in terms of posture, using a device is similar to using paper and pen. (We expect that many homework tasks will involve pupils typing their answers, while classwork will generally be handwritten with the stylus.) In line with our emphasis on ‘blended learning’ – a combination of traditional and technology-dependent practices – QE boys can typically expect to be switching between their devices and pen & paper during the School day. The School will continue to monitor posture and ergonomics.

The Lenovo device is small and light enough to be easily carried, within the case provided, in pupils’ bags. For both crime prevention and road safety reasons, we strongly advise boys to keep their device both in its case and in their bag at all times when coming to School and on the journey home.

Whilst at School, the device is only to be used as and when instructed by a member of staff. Boys will not be using their devices unsupervised at break and lunchtimes, for example. It is important that there is time to socialise off-screen, run around in the playground and attend a range of extra-curricular activities.

The School is, naturally, concerned about online safety, too, and has taken steps to safeguard pupils and ensure that the devices are used only for appropriate educational purposes. QE has invested in monitoring and safeguarding software provided by education specialists, Smoothwall. Protections offered by the software include:

• The monitoring of pupils’ activity during lessons by teachers;
• The monitoring and retrospective accessing of pupil communications made through Microsoft 365 applications such as Teams and Outlook;
• An alert system, based on key words, that will automatically inform QE if a pupil has attempted to access inappropriate material, whether in or out of School;
• A block on pupils downloading additional programs to their device, such as streaming and gaming apps.

The devices should also prove useful in helping to maintain mental wellbeing: they can be used by the boys to organise their learning, thus helping them stay on top of their studies. And they offer access to personal organisation and self-reflection tools, as well as to the School’s online bespoke tutorial system, through which tutors monitor boys’ progress and wellbeing.

The curriculum will set out both appropriate and inappropriate uses of GenAI – Generative AI, a form of AI that uses prompts or questions to generate text or images which closely resemble human-created content. The former might include a pupil using AI to help brainstorm and explore ideas, or to provide feedback on his work, giving areas for improvement. Examples of inappropriate use might include: not asking teachers’ permission to use a GenAI; or, if permission is granted, not citing the use of AI when work is submitted, or not reviewing the work for inaccuracies and AI ‘hallucinations’.

• Further reading: the Joint Council for Qualifications recently published a paper entitled AI Use in Assessments: Protecting the Integrity of Qualifications. It can be accessed here.

QE pupil Hisham Khan has been named the UK winner of an international space competition and reached the top 5% of competitors from around 100 nations across the world.

In addition to taking first place in the UK, Hisham, who goes into Year 11 this week, won a Gold Honour in the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition for his performance internationally.

Other awards in the competition went to Shreyas Mone, who is entering Year 12, and to Queen Elizabeth’s School itself.

Assistant Head (Pupil Involvement) Crispin Bonham-Carter said: “Competitions are an excellent way of challenging pupils to give of their best and learn more about a field in which they are interested. My congratulations go to Hisham on his success – a reward for all the hard work he put in.”

The International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition (IAAC) is a science competition that attracts thousands of competitors annually.

To achieve his success, Hisham had to negotiate the qualification round (five astronomy problems) and pre-final round (six problems, two of which involve engaging with recent scientific research). These, he says, mostly involved Physics calculations relating to space.

The final round, a multiple-choice online examination with 20 questions, was more about astrophysics knowledge. To prepare, he looked at previous years’ questions and also read around the subject. The round was sat online at home, but recorded to prove there had been no cheating.

Hisham, who hopes to take Mathematics and Physics at A-level after his GCSEs next year, plans to maintain his interest in astrophysics.

In announcing the results, a representative of the IAAC team said Hisham had “achieved outstanding results throughout the tournament despite very fierce competition”.

Hisham himself was modest in victory: “This was a new topic, but one I find interesting. I was surprised to be the top performer in the UK, which went beyond what I was hoping for.”

The IAAC organisers also reward those who support the competition. Shreyas Mone, who is an IAAC ambassador, was the sole winner internationally of the Award for Most Finalists, while QE similarly took the sole School Award for Most Finalists.

QE musicians of all ages gave performances at iconic venues in the French capital during a summer Music department tour.

Fifty-two boys from Years 8­­–13 combined concerts with seeing the sights of Paris during their five-day tour.

Their performances included one at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, one at Disneyland Paris and a bandstand concert in the Jardin du Luxembourg.

Director of Music Ruth Partington said: “This was overwhelmingly a very successful and most enjoyable trip, and a great way for our musicians to celebrate QE’s 450^th anniversary year.

“The boys performed well, savouring this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

This trip was open to all pupils in Year 8 and above participating in two or more regularly rehearsing ensembles and to all boys taking GCSE or A-level Music, provided they were in at least one such ensemble.

Travelling by coach and ferry, the boys’ first visit was to the Chocolaterie Beussent in Normandy, where they were told on a guided tour how chocolate is made from cocoa beans and learned the history of the small company.

After arriving in Paris and a rehearsal on their first evening, day two saw the boys deliver a 20-minute concert at Disneyland Paris’s Videopolis Theatre, after which they had the chance to let their hair down. Their one-day tickets gave access to both Disneyland and the Walt Disney Studios.

On day three, the party walked up the steep hill to visit Sacré Coeur and enjoy the panoramic views across Paris.

Near the cathedral, they had the opportunity to stroll the narrow streets of Montmartre and see artists at work and selling their paintings.

On the same busy day, they went on a walking tour, seeing the restoration work going on at Notre Dame following the disastrous fire and visiting the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries and the Champs-Élysées.

They then gave their bandstand performance in the Jardin du Luxembourg – an historic attraction the origins of which can be dated back to 1612, when Marie de’ Medici, the widow of King Henry IV, constructed the Luxembourg Palace as her new residence.

The day’s activities concluded with ascending the Tour Montparnasse skyscraper.

Day four brought a cruise on the Seine, a visit to Versailles Palace and Gardens and a one-hour concert at the American Church of Paris on the Quai d’Orsay.

On the final day, they climbed the Arc de Triomphe before setting off home, where they experienced a four-hour delay – the only hitch in the packed programme.

Among the participants was Nikhil Mark, a pupil from Year 11, who said: “The experience was surreal: I absolutely loved it.”

QE’s Combined Cadet Force headed into East Anglia for their longest and most ambitious field exercise yet.

The five-day summer camp at the Barnham Training Area close to the border of Suffolk and Norfolk featured a wide variety of activities, from attacks on ‘enemy’ cadets to weapon-cleaning and administration.

Contingent Commander Mev Armon said: “This was a fantastic exercise, organised by QE staff, supported by Army Cadet Force (ACF) instructors, and with maximum effort and enthusiasm shown by all cadets involved.

“The sheer numbers of troops from the three schools involved made this the largest exercise for us since COVID, with a total number of 124 cadets and adult staff on the ground.”

The first two days consisted of further development of section and platoon-level tactics for those cadets who had already had training, together with a ‘recruit cadre’ for those who had not had field craft and tactics training. This brought the latter group up to speed for the 24-hour ‘tactical phase’ that began one night and continued through to the following evening.

It was during this phase that the QE group, (1 Platoon), and two rifle platoons from Forest School, Walthamstow, (2 Platoon) came together to form a ‘composite company’ and performed a ‘company attack’ on multiple enemy positions. The enemy platoon came from St Ignatius’ College, Enfield. The attacks were supported by the ‘recruits’, now trained, who formed ‘Fire Support Group’.

All the platoons then conducted ambushes on enemy patrols to complete the exercise.

The final day featured the battlefield first aid training and weapon-cleaning as well as general administration.

Cadets set up their own shelters and ate a mixture of operational ration packs and fresh food provided by nearby RAF Honington during the camp.

“The cadets administered themselves well in the field, maintaining their cleanliness and hygiene. We were very fortunate in not having the extreme weather conditions often found during UK summers,” said Major Armon, who is a Biology teacher.

Teams from QE and The Henrietta Barnett School aimed to turn science fiction into future reality when they planned for a settlement of the red planet in a space design competition.

Four teams – two from each school ­– battled it out in the Galactic Challenge, which was hosted by QE. Helping out on the Saturday of the competition were a trio of Old Elizabethans who are themselves veterans of space competitions.

Their one-day mission: to boldly produce proposals for an Earth–Mars cycler settlement – a future orbiting hotel which would ferry 1,000 people to and from Mars in six to 14 months following a ‘cycler’ trajectory that regularly intersects the orbits of the two planets.

QE Head of Physics Jonathan Brooke said: “The boys presented with great skill and confidence. The proposal from both QE teams were thorough, dealing carefully with key challenges from the RFP [Request for Proposal – which reflected a typical design brief in the space engineering industry].”

Galactic Challenge, which is for students aged 10-14, is the sister competition of the UK Space Design Competition (UKSDC), which is for those aged 15–18.

The 12-strong teams each formed fictional aerospace companies: Astrodyne Delta; Columbus Aviation; Infinity Airspace, and Solaris Flight Systems. They elected company officers within the team, such as the company president, and vice-presidents. The CEO roles in each company were undertaken by Year 12 volunteers, who were there to guide and mentor the Key Stage 3 teams, rather than to lead. The QE CEOs were Soumil Sahjpall and Haradhat Ramanathan.

Teams were transported 60 years into the future, to the year 2083, where space travel might be commonplace.

The RFP asked companies to deal with various challenges. These included:

• Critical systems – for example: how the settlement would be powered; how liveable conditions would be maintained; how passengers would be fed
• Emergency response, including an evacuation procedure for the settlement
• Workforce issues, including use of automation
• Marketing and ensuring that the venture could be an economic success.

Now in Year 13, Soumil said: “Volunteering as a CEO was both fun and rewarding. The students were very keen, creative and enthusiastic.” His group, had researched well and learnt quickly “to compile a great proposal and presentation for the judges, including a CAD (computer aided design) and a promotional film”.

The judges’ panel featured staff from the Space Science & Engineering Foundation, QE Head of Physics Jonathan Brooke, Dr Flore Faille, Head of Physics at HBS, and Aadil Kara (OE 2010–2017).

Aadil’s QE contemporaries, Sam Bayney and Harikesan Baskaran, were among those helping out on the day.

Aadil, Sam and Harikesan were all part of a QE Sixth Form team that won the regional heat of the UK’s Space Design Competition and went on to the 2017 national finals, where Aadil was selected to take part in the International Space Settlement Design Competition in Florida.

Aadil has for several years supported both Galactic Challenge and the UKSDC, and is a member of the UKSDC board. A Senior Analyst with the Cabinet Office, he graduated with a first in Physics from Imperial College London.

After the event, Mr Brooke reflected on the successful partnership event between QE and HBS and on the performance of QE’s teams: “I was particularly impressed by the meticulous attention to detail that Solaris applied to the financial side of their proposal.”

Once all the competition was done, however, final victory went to Columbus Aviation, one of the HBS teams.