News
II LitFest 2025
Posted on: 16/05/2025Our II Festival of Literature at Mayfield School Library took place between the 28th of April and the 9th May 2025, and included an array of events to celebrate all our reading heroes and their achievements at Mayfield school, as well as inspiring the more reluctant ones to experience a glimpse of the fascinating world of books, and the lifelong perks of reading! And what a buzz was created, through exciting initiatives, challenges, prizes and surprises!
On the 29th of April, we had the pleasure to welcome to our school the award-winning author, poet, performer and hip-hop artist Karl Nova! He spoke to Year 8s and 9s in Assemblies, signed books, was interviewed by Library Ambassadors, delivered a creative writing workshop and helped us decide the winner(s) of the Rap Poetry Competition! Karl Nova inspired us with his live stories and how they impacted his love of reading, poetry, music and rap; his informal and humorous, and yet moving tales made everyone laugh and reflect on the importance of pursuing our dreams and remaining true to our core values and visions.
Karl Nova has also read every single Rap Poem from our entrants in the Rap Poetry Competition, and has generously listened to students performing whilst giving tailored advice to each entrant. Towards the end of the day, winners were announced, entrants received a Certificate, as well as a signed copy of Karl’s books, and everyone enjoyed themselves sharing Rhythm and Poetry!
| Aiza K., 8M4: Where Stars Sleep - Winner ex aequo |
| Madina F., 7M7: We are all Human - Winner ex aequo |
| Ali C., 9M8: Don’t give up! |
| Hafsah A., 7M9: Life in One |
| Linda N., 7M3: Your own Superstar |
| Zahraa A., 8M5: Letter to my Future |
| Abigail B., 7M7: Achieve your Dreams |
On Thursday, 1st of May, our Library Ambassadors hosted the first edition of The Reading Games in the Library. Pupils registered their team and were challenged to complete book-related tasks, such as riddles, code breakers, quizzes, puzzles, etc. It was extremely fun, everyone had a blast, and students insisted that we should do this more often! In the end, everyone cheered the winners, and all teams were awarded a bag with reading goodies to enjoy! The winning team was the Unnamed Girls, composed of Laraib and Sakshi, 7M7 – but everyone was a winner! Congratulations to all!
Tuesday, 6th of May, marked the day to celebrate our Reading Heroes! These are students who have excelled in reading and contributed to promoting books by submitting thoughtful, relevant and inspiring book reviews. Pupils were invited to come to the Library at lunch break, but remained unaware of the purpose of this invite. It was extremely gratifying to see how proud they were of their attainments, as a sense of fulfilment sparked as soon as we called their names. Awards included a Certificate, books, mindfulness stationary, and, as always, achievement points. Well done, everyone, and thank you for being such an inspiration to other students!
| Best Readers 2024/2025 | Best Book Reviews 2024/2025 |
|---|---|
| Zahraa A, 8M5 | Navya S, 10M4 |
| Bella N, 7M8 | Hafsah A, 7M9 |
| Dragos A, 8M7 | Advik K, 7M9 |
| Sehajpreet K, 7M7 | Hamnah A, 8M6 |
| Aayan Ud Din, 7M7 | Isha B, 12M2 |
| Iraj H, 9M9 | Abdullmuhaymin A, 8M9 |
| Nikhil J, 7M5 | Kundan C, 7M10 |
| Rizwan I, 8M1 | |
| Sabeen S, 8M9 | |
| Isra Noor, 9M3 |
Our Pupil Librarian Awards took place on Thursday, 8th of May, with a very special guest brightening up the event and announcing the winners (aren’t they all, really?) of the Shelfie Challenge: Mr. Iafrate, our Headteacher. The Pupil Librarians are a group of enthusiastic and resilient students, who positively contribute to the daily (hectic) life of the Library. The Shelfie Challenge is a fun factor added to their tasks, launched on World Book Day 2025, and consists of organising, displaying and promoting their allocated section/genre in the Library, aiming to vitalise the shelves, bring books to life, and inspire other students to a wide range of reading recommendations. Over the course of the challenge, Library Ambassadors and teachers were invited to cast their vote on their favourite(s) sections. The results reflect how hard all the teams worked, making it difficult for us to discern the winners. Mystery/Crime, Romance and Horror won ex aequo, Science Fiction and Fantasy were runners-up, and Adventure, Dystopian, Thriller, Historical, Sports and Humour were third place.
Congratulations to all for your contribution to the Library and inspiring reading for pleasure at Mayfield school. In our Library Newsletter “Mayfield Voice”, we will have extended reports, interviews, stories, poetry, pictures and other LitFest linked events. Our wholehearted appreciation to all students and staff who supported, assisted, promoted and engaged all (or some) LitFest events. A special token of gratitude to Mrs Scott, Mr Black, the Library Ambassadors and the Pupil Librarians for making Mayfield Library a welcoming and vibrant place, full of stories, life and love.
‘I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.’
- Jorge Luis Borges
Miss Ferreira
