Extracurricular Activities
A message from the programme Coordinators
At ESH Secondary our teachers see the potential in their students everyday and are keen to further develop their skills and talents outside of the regular lessons.
Bringing in experts
Not only have many members of ESH staff offered to guide you in these activities, experts in their fields are looking forward to showing you all the secrets you need to know to discover and develop your talents. This year we are again bringing in some talented musicians and artists to help support your musical and creative talents.
Get involved
If you would love to join one of the activities get in touch with the contact listed for the activity. Reach out as soon as possible, because some activities can only proceed with a certain number of students, so the sooner you register, the sooner you can begin! If you have any further questions, or would like to see an activity added that isn't offered yet, feel free to get in touch.
Arline Martens and Melissa Waterworth - Extracurricular Activities Coordinators
EMAIL THE PROGRAMME COORDINATOR
2020-2021 Programme
- Choir
- Orchestra/Ensemble
- Violin lessons
- Cello
- Brass lessons
- Clarinet lessons
- Drum lessons
- Guitar/bass lessons or rock band coaching
- ESH Jazz band
Choir
- Meets every Wednesday 14.30-15.15 and/or 15.15-16.00
- Cost: Free
- Interested? Contact Susanna Edixhoven s.edixhoven@eshthehague.nl
The ESH student choir performs on several occasions throughout the school year. The choir has performed at events like the Winter Concert, the joint ISH-ESH concert and participated in the International Choir Day at the British School. Their repertoire is a mixture of jazz and pop but also light classical songs. Students can choose their own songs. Motivated singers who like to rehearse singing, performance skills and listening skills are invited to join.
Susanna Edixhoven is a professional flute player who has been working as a freelance musician for more than 20 years in the Dutch orchestras; the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Residentie Orchestra, Metropole Orchestra, Radio Orchestra’s and more. She also teaches flute, plays chamber music and sings in different project choirs.
Orchestra/Ensemble
- Meets every Tuesday, 16.00-17.00
- Cost: Free
- Interested? Contact Ana García-Saguar Pérez a.garciasaguar@eshthehague.nl
Do you play an instrument and want to take part in an ensemble? Come join us to have fun playing your favourite tunes and improvising together! We will be playing at various school events throughout the school year and hopefully outside of school too!
Violin lessons
- Begins: On request. Frequency: To be arranged with Alba.
- Cost: Individuals €20/30 minutes or €40/60 minutes. Groups €20/60 minutes (min. 4 students). It is possible to rent a violin for €16/month
- Interested? Contact Alba Conejo Mangas albaconejomangas@gmail.com
The study of an instrument can contribute to the acquisition of habits in individual study, improving attention, language and memory. There is also a psychosocial benefit in musical practice, fighting stress and generating a feeling of satisfaction. The meaning of this course is the use of different technical and musical resources, expanding the capacity for expression and personal autonomy. With this subject the student will experience the approach to classical music by learning the violin. Secondary students of any age or ability are welcome to take violin lessons. If you want to learn with your friends, group lessons are also possible. In groups of 6-12 students, you can have a 1 hour lesson, once a week. Group lessons will be taught by Alba and her sister Angela.
“Teaching is one of my passions, I really enjoy doing it, sharing important values which everybody can apply daily; I offer you hard work, responsibility, love for what I do, respect, empathy.... Come and join, you will love the violin!” - Alba Conejo Mangas
Cello
- Begins: On request. Frequency: To be arranged with Cèlia.
- Cost: Individual lessons 30 minutes: €25, 45 minutes: €35, Duo lessons 45 minutes: €20 per person, Group lessons of 3 or 4 students 45 minutes: €15 per person
- Interested? Contact Cèlia Torres Ruiz: celia.torres86@gmail.com
After having finished her musical education in Barcelona, Cèlia Torres Ruiz studied cello at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague with the cellists Michel Strauss and Jan-Ype Nota and obtained the master in music education according to the Kodály concept. Currently she combines her performance activity with her teaching activity. She plays in classical and contemporary music ensembles and she often collaborates in Jazz, Pop and World music performances as well. She has more than 10 years of experience teaching music and cello. Currently is part of the teachers team of "Vivaldi Music Lessons", teaches cello and chamber music at the string school "Strijkdomein" and cello and orchestra at ESH Primary.
In her lessons, all levels and ages are welcome. You will play the cello in a friendly atmosphere, following clear steps, using personalised instructions and modern tuition materials, making music since the very beginning.
Brass lessons
- Begins: On request. Frequency: To be arranged with Rene (Mon-Fri)
- Cost: €26 / 30 minutes, €36 / 45 minutes; €46 / 60 minutes
- Interested? Contact Rene Sommer renesommermusic@gmail.com
Brass instrument lessons: Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Cornet, Trombone, Baritone, French Horn or Tuba. Secondary students of any age or ability are welcome to take brass lessons.
René Sommer studied at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague with Jarmo Hoogendijk, Eric Vloeimans, Beatrijs Korevaer and Gertjan Loot, and at the Fontys Conservatory with Martijn de Laat, Toon de Gouw and Willem van der Vliet. René has played with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw (featuring Benny Golson and Jimmy Heath); Denmark’s Tiptoe Bigband, DJ Maestro, Jon Tarifa, Jayh Jawson, Afro Bros, the Big Band, The Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, Southern Denmark (AMDA) and the Royal Conservatory Big Band of The Hague (featuring Branford Marsalis, Bert Joris, Jim McNeely, Peter Erskine, Ack van Rooyen and others). René currently works as a brass teacher, producer and live and recording artist.
Clarinet lessons
- Begins: On request. Frequency: To be arranged with Rani (Wed/ Thurs)
- Cost: €25 / 30 minutes, €35 / 45 minutes, €45 / 60 minutes
- Interested? Contact Rani Heymann 0645 740 980 ranihey@yahoo.com
The lessons are given individually in a relaxed and positive atmosphere, the emphasis is on the student’s individual progress and needs. In their lessons the students learns how to produce a beautiful tone and general clarinet technique as well as playing various music styles. Secondary students of any age or ability are welcome to take clarinet lessons.
Rani Heymann is a professional clarinet player and a clarinet teacher. He is a graduate of the Jerusalem Academy of Music (Israel) and the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, IN (USA). Rani has been teaching since the year 1990. His teaching experience includes individual clarinet lessons, chamber music and ensemble instruction as well as preparation for ABRSM and Trinity music exams. Rani performs a variety of styles, ranging from classical to contemporary. He performed in Europe, Brazil, the USA, and Israel. Rani performs frequently with various chamber music ensembles and continually works with his brother - the pianist Uzi Heymann. Together they perform the mainstream clarinet repertoire, and collaborate with various musicians in chamber music recitals.
Drum lessons
- Begins: On request. Frequency: Series of 10 lessons to be arranged with Jean-Clair
- Cost: 10x30min: €260, 10x45min: €389, 10x60min: €497
- Interested? Contact: www.jeanclairderuwe.nl
The lessons are given individually in a relaxed and positive atmosphere, the emphasis is on the student’s individual progress and needs.Lessons are mostly designed on developing, technique, sight reading, coordination, recognize styles and applying that to the drums, or snare drum playing. My lessons are suitable for every level, from beginner to advanced. It is my task to help you find your talent and to develop it without losing the pleasure of playing the instrument. My lessons are in Dutch or English.
Drummer Jean-Clair de Ruwe took his first drum lessons when he was 10 years old and played in a local marching band. In his early teens he began to practice seriously and he played in several orchestras.Jean-Clair played in Holland, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Poland, USA. Jean-Clair shared the stage with: Roy Hargrove, Joe Cohn, Charles McPherson, John Marshall, Howard Alden, Philip Harper, Ack van Rooyen, Bert Joris Orchestral collaborations: Millenium Jazz Orchestra, JazzArt Orchestra, JWF Johan Willem Friso Kapel JWF (Dutch Army Orchestra). Jean-Clair could be heard on cerveral records.
Guitar/bass lessons or rock band coaching
- Begins: On request. Frequency: To be arranged with Willem, (Mon-Fri)
- Cost: €35 / 45 mins, €50 / 60 mins. You pay for my time, so if you want to play with a friend, or rehearse as a band, you can all attend and split the cost.
- Interested? Contact: Willem Niehorster, 06 12636153, willem@buromarmelade.nl
My name is Willem Niehorster. I speak English, Spanish, Dutch and Italian. I was born in Mexico City, my father was Dutch, my mother German. I lived in Mexico for 18 years, then I went to USA to study music and architecture for five years. In 1986, I came to Holland to study at the Royal Dutch Academy of Fine and Applied Arts here in The Hague. I also took many years private theory lessons from Theo Ehrlicher and Clemens Wabra, two well know jazz guitarists.
I have been teaching guitar and bass guitar since 1988. The level of my pupils varies a lot, from beginners to advance. I first teach my pupils the most important guitar chords, the basic scales and the proper technique to be able to play better. A beginner is able to play some songs after a few months. I also like teaching them songs they want to learn, that way they’ll be more interested in learning. I can teach how to play electric and acoustic guitar.
What I also recommend is playing in a band or with other persons. That way you can learn how to play together and listen to what the others are doing. I have been coaching bands for many years, something I really like doing and a good way to keep pupils interested in music.
ESH Jazz band
- Wednesdays at 16:00. Price to be confirmed
- Interested? Contact: Jose Cervera, 0638486682, josesax95@gmail.com
A weekly lesson of one hour where you will have the chance to play music based on the jazz tradition, other improvised music, etc. The project is led by saxophonist Jose Cervera, who will personally arrange and prepare the music according to the band characteristics. Students who already have some experience playing instruments will experience the opportunity of playing in a big group/band and learn both about playing arrangements together (sight reading, rehearsal routines, music theory, etc.) and improvisation.
Jose Cervera started music lessons at the age of 7 and saxophone lessons at the age of 10 in the music school of his hometown. At the age of 13, he started his studies on classical saxophone in the Conservatory of Lliria (Valencia) with the teacher Jose Vte. Catalá and the Conservatory of Velluters(Valencia) with the teacher Angel Gimeno. On 2014, he started his jazz studies in Sedajazz with the teachers Joan Benavent, Alexey Leon and Francisco Blanco “Latino”. Graduated in Jazz Saxophone in the Conservatory of the Hague in 2019 with the teachers John Ruocco, Rolf Delfos and Toon Roos. He’s currently studying the master in Jazz Saxophone at the Amsterdam Conservatory.
- Magic club
- Photography club
- Art passion club
- Drama club (S1-S4)
- Drama lessons for young adults (S5-S7)
Magic club
- Advanced lessons meet Tuesdays 15.30-16.30, beginners meet Wednesdays 15.30-16.30. Minimum 5, maximum 15 students per class
- Cost: €15 per lesson. Materials: Everybody will receive a professional deck of playing cards, some rubber-bands and a wealth of knowledge about the Art of Magic
- Interested? Contact Aljaž Šon http://aljazson.com or email aljaz@aljazson.com
Studying the Art of Magic teaches us a lot of different skills. Problem solving, basics of psychology, tackling motor skills at a high level, public speaking and presentation, acting, hand eye co-ordination, focus, persistence in achieving the desired outcome and many more. In the Magic Club we’ll be learning and studying the basics of Magic, which includes prestidigitation (sleight of hand), mentalism (tricks of the mind), gimmick AND gaff magic. We will also take time to briefly learn about the history, psychology and different types/genres of Magic such as Close-Up, Mentalism, Comedy Magic, Parlor Magic, Stage Magic, etc.
Aljaž Šon is a world renowned Magic performer, creator and author with over 10 years of professional experience. In August 2011 Coin On Call his first original magic routine, was published in MAGIC Magazine ́s Talk About Tricks column, written by Joshua Jay. In the same month, he moved to Holland with his wife and two sons. He has published some more tricks in other magic publications and released one commercial release with Penguin Magic P3 Productions. For the last 3 years he’s been performing as the resident Close-Up and Parlour Magician of Amsterdam Magic Show. While regularly performing Close-Up and Parlour Magic, he is also busy inventing and perfecting his own tricks, routines and techniques, mostly for Close-Up Sleight of Hand Magic, which he shares at his lecture for magicians either for magic conventions or magic clubs around the world.
Photography club
- Dates and times to be confirmed
- A camera is required to participate (DSLR, point and shoot or a smartphone)
- Interested? Contact a.martineziniguez@eshthehague.nl
Would you like to participate in the ESH Photowalk? You don't need to be an expert - you don't even need a camera - just your smartphone and a passion for sharing photographic experiences. Once a month and weather permitting, we will walk around the school to take photos of the architecture and elements of the city. After each session everyone will share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #ESH_Photowalk. Join us!
Art passion club
- Date and time to be confirmed, based on our timetables
- Cost: Price of materials to be confirmed
- Interested? Contact Nicolet Teunissen n.teunissen@eshthehague.nl
The Art department is very happy to announce the second semester of the Art Passion Club! In the Art Passion Club students are offered the opportunity to get acquainted with materials and techniques they do not have space for in the official curriculum.
You can expect fun activities such as: painting with oil paint, etching and engraving, knitting and sewing, lithography, monotype printing, mixed media, and new media techniques (in cooperation with the ICT teacher if possible). So if you want to explore your artistic talents further, sign up for this fun club with your Art teacher. The Art Passion Club will come together once every week. The exact time will be discussed with the participants. Costs (for materials) will of course be communicated in advance.
Drama club (S1-S4)
- Meets every Tuesday 16.00-17.00
- Cost: €16 per lesson
- Interested? Contact María, dian_tre@yahoo.fr
This course is not about being the next Hollywood star. It is about having fun, making friends, expanding our cultural awareness, increasing confidence, developing creativity, improving communication and growing tons of other skills in an active and open manner. During this course you will be encouraged to be curious, honest, present, inquisitive and funny (or not!). Through improv exercises we will get to know each other and free up our minds so as to be more creative with choices and instincts. We will at a later stage and at our own pace focus on scripted drama techniques, such as emotional connection, character work or script interpretation. At the end of the course, we shall proudly raise the curtain on the result of our adventures and discoveries. Break a leg! No experience necessary.
Drama lessons for young adults (S5-S7)
- Thursday/Fridays 16.00-17.00
- Cost: free
- Interested? Contact Katja Sečen k.secen@eshthehague.nl
Experience the stage in a wide spectrum!
I am Katja Sečen, a professor of Slovenian language and literature. I work as Slovene teacher at both European Schools of the Netherlands. My whole life I've been in love with dance, literature and language and therefore the stage was where I felt at home since my early age. While dancing my whole life, I also directed, corrected and wrote some dramas, as well as hosted and (co)organized many events. During my studies at University of Ljubljana I deepened my literature knowledge in all fields, including Dramatics. During my internship at Gymnasium Brežice I co-mentored a Drama Club which I later took over for the next two years. I worked with the pupils and during three years of our collaboration we have had some successful school performances that were also performed outside the school. After that I moved to the Netherlands where I want to continue mentoring pupils and directing the drama performances. I would like to combine my theoretical knowledge that I gained during my literature studies, with experiences in drama, dance and cabaret. I was also a part of the Croatian movie industry scene for three summers as a VIP member of Pula Film Festival, where I connected with the professionals and learned a lot from them. I am looking forward to creating a wonderful school play together with the S5-S7 pupils of the ESH!
Book club
- Meets every second Friday 15.15-16.30
- Cost: free
- Interested? Contact Raquel Ruiz-Cecconello r.ruizcecconello@eshthehague.nl
Find a space to talk about books, your favorite fiction characters, fantasy worlds... As a group, we will read something at the same time and then we will meet regularly to discuss about it. It can be a book, a short story, an article, anything interesting to read! Members can make suggestions for books to read in the next session and prepare small presentations about them. Find other students who share the same love for reading and discover new books and stories in a fun way. All language sections welcome!
Yearbook club
- Meets once a month 15:30-16:30, dates to be confirmed
- Cost: free
- Interested? Contact Alice Eekman a.eekman@eshthehague.nl
At the end of each year the school creates a yearbook, full of photos and reflections from all of the activities completed over the year. Yearbooks are a great memento from your years in Secondary school, and we want your help to create the next one. We are looking for students who are interested in writing about their trips and school activities, taking photos of school events and helping to design the pages.
Under the guidance of the Student Council, students are invited to show their interest in forming new student committees. Would you like to see more social events at school? You could form a social committee. Want to see ESH do more for those in need? Form a fundraising committee to raise funds to support charities. If you have an idea, or want to get involved, speak to your class rep, the student leaders, or Mrs Byrnes.
Student newspaper
- Meets twice a month 15:30-16:30, dates to be confirmed
- Cost: free
- Interested? Contact the ESH Today editing team eshtodaynews@gmail.com
The students at ESH have created a student newspaper called ESH Today, and are looking for contributors. Passionate about something? Write an article. Love photography? Submit your photographs. Created some artwork? Share it with us. All content, design and editing decisions are made by the students. The students have the freedom to decide which topics their articles cover and which languages they write in. Students are invited to join the editing team meetings, or email their contributions in.
Green Club ESH
Green Club ESH is a student-run initiative, aiming to go down a path of eco-friendly sustainability and recycling for our school. Led by highly-motivated students, this ambitious project has the potential to transform our school environment, and stimulate a cultural change at the school. The club has already created a website and released a survey for staff and students to gather feedback and ideas on what actions can be taken to achieve their goal. Contact the student members in the club to see how you can get involved. https://clubgreenesh.com/
- Lego Club
- Science for the future (S1)
- International Mathematical Kangaroo
- MATh.en.JEANS
- Strategy board game club
Lego Club
- Meets every Thursday, 16.00-17.00 in the ICT room 1.22
- Cost: Free
- Interested? Contact Aggeliki Karsinou a.karsinou@eshthehague.nl, and Sofia Iakovidou s.iakovidou@eshthehague.nl
This year we offer the opportunity to apply your Science/technical, Maths and ICT skills in a team to research and find solutions to real-world problems, such as food safety, recycling and energy. Your team will also design and program a robot that is supposed to solve a set of missions. It all adds up to tons of fun while you learn to apply science, technology, engineering, and math concepts, plus a big dose of imagination, to solve a problem. Moreover, our aim is to participate every year in the First Lego League which is the most accessible global robotics competition.
Are you a student in S1-S4? Do you like to use your imagination and creativity in Sciences? Do you want to further develop your soft-skills such as teamwork? Do you want to work in a team to develop a solution to a real-world problem? Do you think you would enjoy designing, building and programming a robot using LEGO MIND STORMS technology?
Science for the future (S1)
- Meets every Wednesday 15.30-16.30
- Cost: Free. Places limited to 10 students. Runs for 10 weeks.
- Interested? Contact Christien Brouwer c.brouwer@eshthehague.nl
How can nature help us to survive in the future? And how can we help nature survive in the future? We could build an insect hotel and think about the function of insects in the school environment. We could measure the water quality of the ditch around the school by catching water organisms that indicate for quality. We could even experiment with growing plants under different circumstances. We could also pay attention to the rubbish that is left behind in nature: how long does it take before it is decomposed? In this club we will combine fun with scientific skills and knowledge. S1 students who are interested in science and the environment are invited to sign up. Participants should wear boots, trousers and shirts with long sleeves for our outdoor experiments.
International Mathematical Kangaroo
- Starting January 2021, one or two afternoons per week, 15:15-16.45
- Interested? Contact Ms E Palte e.palte@eshthehague.nl
On Thursday the 19 March 2021 the yearly International Mathematical Kangaroo or Kangourou sans frontiers or Wereldwijde Wiskundewedstrijd W4 Kangoeroe will take place. This is an international competition where over 50 countries are represented. There are twelve levels of participation, ranging from grade 1 to grade 12. The competition is held annually on the third Thursday of March. According to the organizers, the key competence tested by Mathematical Kangaroo is logical combination, not just pure knowledge of formulas. And of course it is fun to do maths...!
KANGOUROU [kãguru] est un Jeu de mathématiques créé en 1990 sur le modèle du concours national australien (d'où son nom).Il comporte 24 questions à choix multiple de difficulté croissante, proposées le même jour dans tous les établissements scolaires. Il a été étendu à toute l'Europe et ailleurs et réunit maintenant plus de 6 millions de participants dans le monde.
De W4Kangoeroewedstrijd is een reken- en wiskundewedstrijd die jaarlijks in maart op heel veel scholen wordt georganiseerd en door heel veel leerlingen wordt gemaakt. In Nederland doen er ongeveer 140.000 leerlingen mee op 2350 scholen. Er zijn vijf niveaus: wizFUN, wizKID, wizSMART, wizBRAIN en wizPROF. Het gaat om vierentwintig of dertig verrassende vraagstukken die stuk voor stuk een vonkje creativiteit, een flits van inzicht, vragen. Vijf antwoorden per opgave zijn gegeven, één is er goed. Welke?
The aim of the Kangaroo mathematics competition is to let students experience that math can be fun and challenging, for everyone at their own level and to let students discover that they can do more than they thought.
MATh.en.JEANS
- Pour participer: contacter Mme Benmamar : g.benmamar@eshthehague.nl
Qu’est-ce que c’est
Un atelier mathématique qui offre l’opportunité de travailler comme un chercheur !
Le principe
Un chercheur propose des sujets en début d’année. Les élèves volontaires travaillent en groupe sur les sujets, environ 1 période par semaine, jusqu’à mars/mai (en général période 8 ou 9 – jour à déterminer à la rentrée) Le travail peut se faire en jumelage avec une autre école : dans ce cas, deux équipes travaillent sur un même sujet et confrontent leurs résultats. L’année dernière, nous avons travaillé avec le lycée français Vincent van Gogh. Nous espérerons continuer dans ce sens cette année. Les élèves présentent ensuite leurs résultats lors d’un congrès annuel, entre mars et mai.
Le congrès
Il réunit les apprentis chercheurs, leurs professeurs et les chercheurs. Il est organisé dans une ville européenne, différente chaque année. Il dure environ trois jours. Les participants assistent aux présentations, à des conférences, et peuvent visiter des stands afin de découvrir les recherches de leurs pairs.
Video et liens
- https://mejeurope.wordpress.com
- https://www.mathenjeans.fr/
- http://www.mathenjeans.fr/mej_quoi
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsgRF2_dm4o
- To join: Email Ms Benmamar: g.benmamar@eshthehague.nl
- This activity is for students in S4-S7. If S1-S3 students are interested, contact Ms Benmamar and to discuss availability.
- The activity is free of charge. The participation to the congress will be paid by the families but is not mandatory.
What is it?
A mathematical workshop that gives the opportunity to work as a researcher!
How does it work?
A researcher proposes topics at the beginning of the year. Students who are interested in the project work in groups, about 1 period per week, until March or May (usually period 8 or 9, weekday to be chosen at the beginning of the school year). The work can be done in partnership with another school: in this case, two teams work on the same subject and compare their results. Last year, we had the opportunity to work with the French School Vincent van Gogh. We will try to continue this experience the coming year. Students present their results at an annual conference, in March, April or May.
The Congress
During 3 days, it brings together the apprentice researchers, their teachers and the researchers. It is organized in a European city, different each year. Participants attend the presentations, conferences, can visit stands or workshops to discover the work of their peers.
Resources in English
Strategy board game club
- Meets every Thursday 15.30-16.30 in room 1.40
- Cost: Free
- Interested? Contact Mr Wilkie j.wilkie@eshthehague.nl
Come along and play board games! Play as allies against games such as Forbidden Island, Forbidden Desert and Pandemic. Or compete as opponents in rich gaming landscapes such as the Lords of Waterdeep, 6Nimmt! or Champions of Midguard.
Got a different game at home that you want to play? Bring it along!
Football
- Teams meet every Tuesday (girls S3-S7) and Thursday (boys), 16.00-17.00
- Cost: Free
- Interested? Contact Stephen Osborne s.osborne@eshthehague.nl
Love football? We are looking for students who want to participate in football training. We can conduct regular training sessions, focused on developing skills and improving technique, with the aim of building strong ESH teams who can play competitively. Boys and girls of all skill levels are welcome to participate, and we’ll train in groups S1-S3 and S4-S7.