Editor’s Note Contents
Experiencing Senior School 3 Art 6 School Life 12 Science 21 Story Behind the Picture 24 Year 12 Poetry 26
Descriptive writing This year has been a particularly interesting and busy one 30 for the Runnymede Times. Our team of journalists have covered every topic possible, coming up with brilliant ideas and fascinating articles, ranging from school life events Environment such as our very first Model United Nations trip, to the very 32 topical issue of the growing climate crisis. Photography I would like to thank our team for making this year particularly 38 successful for the Runnymede Times. Firstly, I would like to thank Gonçalo N for being our web designer and publisher. Reviews I would also like to thank Pablo L who kept the newspaper 40 running all year round, as well as Beatriz J, Camila G, Olympia B, Angélica O and Alvaro R, who contributed fascinating ideas and weekly articles. I would also like to Long Reads thank our team of wonderful illustrators and photographers 44 Victoria G, Victoria S, Olivia L, Maria V and Adriana R, who have ensured that the newspaper is as colourful and vibrant as possible. Finally, I would like to give a huge thank you to Ms Clague and Nicholas Powell who were always there with enthusiasm, support and advice, and made all of this possible.
You can read our weekly publications for The Runnymede Times at www.runnymede-times.com
Sofia C, Year 12
2 Experiencing Senior School
Experiencing Senior School: Year Seven
Year 7 students reflect on the move from Junior to Senior School
I had always felt excited about going to the Senior School because I saw seniors walking to their classes and that told me that they had responsibility and weren’t children anymore. My brother and sister had told me all about it; my older cousins too.
School life from Junior to Senior is a big change. Yet over the weeks, you quickly get used to it. It’s strange how after you have stayed in the same room with the same teacher, suddenly you don’t stay in the same class and you don’t have your own teacher, so you have to remember where the classes are, the teachers’ names, and all your equipment!
On a positive note, now that we are in different classes, we can spend more time with our friends because now we don’t only see them in the playground, but also in class. It makes us know people better.
Maya M, Year 7
3 Experiencing Senior School
Experiencing Senior School: Year Twelve
Are you curious to know more about the new students at Runnymede? Are you interested in any school activities or ways to balance academics and your social life? Do you have any questions about experiencing Sixth Form? If you said “yes” to any of these, keep reading because we have the answers for you right here!
With the great number of new students in Year 12 this school year, we decided to ask them questions based on their experiences at Runnymede so far. Likewise, we interviewed a few of students who were not new, but had some helpful advice for future A-Level students.
Please describe your experience when you first started attending this school this year and how Runnymede is different from your previous school.
“I was impressed by everyone’s high academic level and by their strong work ethic, which motivated me to get out of my comfort zone and work harder myself.”
“I was a bit intimidated at first, but soon I started to get to know the teachers and other students and am now enjoying the Runnymede experience.”
“I have found an amazing group of friends I feel very comfortable with! Runnymede is a bigger school than the last one I was at, but still a good size.”
In what ways do you think your teachers have offered support and given you personal attention for your studies? time with some of my friends from different year groups as “Teachers have arranged meetings with me in order to well as having the opportunity to act and to develop my help boost my progress and oversee the work I am doing. confidence and public speaking skills.” This has been a great benefit because I get one-on-one guidance to help improve on my weakest points.” “Because I would like to give back to the school community and to build an outstanding CV by the time we have to apply “Teachers offer a vast range of free extra reading, podcasts to university.” and presentations to push your learning to the next level, which is really helpful at A-level. It’s also reassuring to know What are some tips you would give younger students when that receiving help from teachers is simply one email away.” selecting your A-Levels?
“The teachers are always available to talk at any time and “Choose whatever you enjoy. Do not choose subjects they are all extremely good at paying attention and finding a based on their “importance” because there are hundreds of solution. Moreover, the teachers are available via email and different university courses and all university degrees have they always try their best to respond as quickly as possible the same value. If you choose what you enjoy and what you after school hours.” are good at, then you will find the work load much more manageable and the whole university process will be a lot Do you take part in any after-school activities? If so, why easier.” have you decided to participate in these? “Choose the A-levels that are required if you have a “Drama club is always extremely fun and I enjoy spending specific career in mind (e.g.: engineering). However, if
4 Experiencing Senior School
you are still unsure about you university degree pick what be completed and rewarding yourself with going out with you enjoy the most and what you’re genuinely interested your friends once you’ve finished what you have to do.” in — while keeping your options open.” “Most weekends I go out with my friends and do How is the workload of A-Levels different to IGCSEs? something during the afternoon. The rest of the weekend I do sports and study. During the week I don’t go out, but “IGCSE feels like more work in comparison to A-levels. do homework and maybe do some sport.” The fact that you have more study periods means that you have more time to do your work. However, you need “I make a schedule of when I will do work and when I to be a lot more organised about your work, deciding will complete my homework. For instance, on Fridays I what to do in your study periods and what to do at home.” normally do not plan anything so I can relax and maybe do small pieces of work, then if I plan something on “At A-Levels work is much more focused, but it is also a Saturday, I wake up early and do as much work as I can lot more work. Make sure you make good notes from the before the evening in order to be stress-free. I aim to start and are up to date with everything, because catching not leave much work, or any harder pieces of work for up is extremely complicated and having everything done Sunday so I can enjoy myself and prepare everything for avoids a lot of stress. Make sure you are organised and the start of another week.” on top of things.” Any other comments? “There are more things to do for each topic (for example, more essays), and you should be doing all your work in “I would recommend new A-Level students to stay on top an in-depth manner — do not just finish your homework of their work as much as possible because merely missing for the sake of it, truly understand the reason as to why one piece of homework can potentially accumulate and you are completing it.” overload you with work. However, keep in mind that it is completely normal for your grades to not be at their best How do you use your time during Free Periods? at the start of Year 12. The important thing is to maintain balance and take everything one day at a time. Good “Normally I go to the library or a semi-empty study room luck!” and do homework or any other things I need to catch up on (such as notes).” Camila G, Year 12 “I usually go to the library to study or to the art room to work on my art project, as the subject is extremely time-consuming and I have to take advantage of any free time.”
“Reading articles, doing homework, researching my personal interests.”
How do you keep a balance between academics and your social life?
“I prioritise my studies but maintain a healthy relationship with my academic life. I only go out one day a week as getting enough sleep is extremely important. I would recommend setting yourself realistic goals each day to
5 Art and Architecture
Art and Architecture: The Guggenheim, Consumerist Architecture or Seduction at its Finest?
For many, a weekend trip to the north of Spain to go see buildings does not sound like the most exciting way to spend a half-term break: however, if your parents have dedicated their lives to architecture, and have raised you among blueprints and books about the New York skyline, the prospect seems far more appealing.
Sitting in the front seat of my mom’s 4x4 as we entered the city of Bilbao was… underwhelming. The Basque city, famed for its wild, modern and contemporary art museum, couldn’t possibly be so drab and dismal everywhere else. There was block upon block of identical apartment buildings, placed there as if computer generated; unceremoniously disrupted by a vast asphalt highway— an industrial jungle, as grey as the water-charged sky above us, and lacking all of the verdant vibrancy of the landscape that surrounds it. I was confused.
It was only when the six lane road thinned out into four that the city came to life. As we drove out of an elegant ribcage-like tunnel I was finally able to see the edge of the water, of the Nervión River, and it was like entering another world. The tramway ran over a grassy emerald boulevard, clean, slick, and efficient. The bank of the river was lined by pristine walkways, paved in large uniform slabs, with obelisk-like structures framing granite stairways into the main sidewalk, and as we approached the Guggenheim— bridges— the closer to the museum, the more sleek and futuristic. The clouds even cleared as if to let the light shine on the titanium plating of Gehry’s gallery. It almost made me forget the city’s earlier view. Almost.
The building itself is magnificent. Seeing the Guggenheim in person is to travel into the future, a future built just over twenty years ago. The vast, plated monument, seems to jut out from the main bank like a peninsula just because of its sheer size, but perhaps also aided by the effect of a separated lake that divides two of its outer areas; connected by a dreamlike floating bridge. It’s hard not to marvel at the perfectly smooth metal undulations that compose it, how they catch the sun’s rays, and how they cast shadows onto themselves simultaneously— how they fluidly interact with the opulent ivory coloured, perfectly cut limestone which comprise the main foundation for the building, as well as a beautiful Italian stairway that leads you to the inner city entrance. You’re in an alternate reality when you see this metal and glass titan, but you’re on a Hollywood film set when you see the sculptures that so casually surround it; Jeff Koons’ iconic ‘Puppy’, a massive tiny dog made
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entirely of natural flowers, or Louise Bourgeois’ giant bronze spider: it’s a truly encapsulating experience.
One can’t help but wonder, however, how such a sublime and exquisite piece of architecture came to exist amongst such otherwise ordinary buildings; why this mass of fish- scale like, modern Deconstructivist curves of “mercurial brilliance” (Herbert Muschamp) was built here of all places— enter Thomas Krens.
Thomas Krens was the former Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, the non-profit organisation that runs the museums by that name; notice I’m talking about multiple museums— that was Krens’ plan— Thomas Krens, despite mayor criticisms and generalised outrage, wanted to build New York’s iconic Frank Lloyd Wright Guggenheim museum into a franchise; MacDonalds for the rich, dealing in million dollar masterpieces, loaned collections, names plated on gallery walls: instead of fries and a shake. Museums are a playground for philanthropists and the deep-pocketed, eager to make donations for culture and the arts: and that’s exactly what the Basque government did. How much are you willing to pay for a makeover? Well, José Antonio Ardanza, the Lehendakari at the time, spent over $150 million for one— a total transformation of the city of Bilbao.
It may come as no surprise, that at the end of the twentieth century, Bilbao was not in a good place. Worldwide it was known as a centre of terrorism, with ETA at large and visitors concerned for their own safety, it wasn’t what you would call a centre for tourism. What might seem more surprising was the predicament Krens’ found himself in. Despite being the director of one of the world’s most prestigious art museums, he was considered a joke; nothing more than a cheap art dealer. He couldn’t take this.
In Krens’ own words “Seduction is my business. (…) I seduce people into making 20 million dollar donations. Seduction is about making people want what you want without even asking. It’s about a transfer of desire. In a way, I’m the world’s greatest whore.” That’s exactly what he wanted to do with Bilbao; he wanted to seduce the world with a revitalised city: he saw it as an act of mutual heroism, he would fly in, and build, out of a decrepit port-side, a paragon of modern architecture. In turn, Bilbao would save him, the city would wipe his slate clean and improve his reputation; but most importantly, salvage his position as Director.
And it worked.
The investment in Gehry’s architecture definitely payed off, with a museum that generates over $500 million annually; a city with a renewed image and with a long and prosperous career for Mr Thomas Krens, whose idea of a franchise produced a third location in Berlin, and two planned additions to the family in Abu Dhabi and Helsinki. Its success was perhaps partly due to the controversy generated by every element at play in this entire transaction; including Frank Gehry himself, the architect, often criticised for his so called “consumerist architecture”, for designing buildings that are just for show, but serve no real purpose, extraneous in their role as anything but an eyesore. In this case it can be concluded that he proved the critics wrong. The final standing message is that it was successful, giving name to the “Bilbao Effect” a term used to describe the influence a particular building can have on reviving a city’s cultural and global influence.
All I can say is, Mr Krens, consider me seduced.
Beatriz J, Year 12
7 Art and Architecture
It is more than what some would call vandalism. Instead, call it expressionism.
Graffiti is more figurative, using images and colours akin to most street art paintings.
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Call Graffiti an appropriation of the wall, but some will argue the value of the wall will increase.
Some of these pictures are from Madrid, others from England, but they all appeal to the artistic identity of the region.
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Art and Architecture: How the 96 year old “Rainbow Grandpa” saved a Taiwanese village one brushstroke at a time
What comes to mind when you hear “Rainbow Grandpa”? Perhaps a fictional character? Or an all-powerful superhero? For all you know it could be a old man with a colourful sense of style… Despite what you may think, this person is not any of these, but in fact a 94 year old self-taught artist in Taichung, Taiwan named Huang Yung-Fu that has rescued his village from demolition by turning it into a work of art.
Huang Yung-Fu was born in China near the northwestern city of Guangzhou on January 16th, 1924. Before his artistic journey attracted 1 million visitors per year, he was involved in fighting the Sino-Japanese war and the Chinese Civil war, but he fled to Taiwan soon after the defeat of the Chinese Nationalist party. As a result of a large refugee influx, the only available housing possibility was to be placed in temporary military settlements until they could return to China. Undeterred by the years of waiting, the short-term accommodation eventually became permanent and it would soon be Yung-Fu’s future canvas for his illustrations.
As a result of Yung-Fu’s military background, the undiscovered artist was enlisted to fight in the Taiwan Straits Crisis where he eventually retired in 1978 having been shot twice and gaining a gold medal for “defending Taiwan” — but his years of battling against an enemy were far from over. Due to residents abandoning the area, he was finally left as the sole inhabitant. The Taiwanese government soon sent a letter threatening to destroy the 1,200 households to make way for new firms and renovated buildings. Yung-Fu’s first instinct was to conjure up ideas on how to save the village; he decided that the best solution was to use what his father taught him to do at 3 years old: draw. Gradually, the muralist reported for duty early each day, with 3 am painting sessions, saturating the walls with colour and images, from Yuang-Fu and his brother playing as children to his favourite teachers, and Yang when announcing prospective expansion plans for an hundreds of other captivating illustrations. establishment of an art school for children and transforming Yuang-Fu’s bungalow into a museum to inspire young Creativity. Motivation. Enthusiasm. Resilience. These are creators to pursue their passions. just a few aspects of Yung-Fu’s character that caught the attention of a Ling Tung University student and prompted him “Ten years ago, the government threatened to knock this to start a fundraising campaign to safeguard the 30 homes village down, but I didn’t want to move. This is the only real that were still standing through bringing awareness and home I’ve ever known in Taiwan, so I started painting.” selling souvenirs such as postcards with featured artwork. recalls Yung-Fu as his “Rainbow Village” hosts floods of Furthermore, a fraction of the money generated would go admiring tourists each year. Between the cameras flashing towards necessary supplies for the project, and what was and the variety of languages carried through the air, you can left would be invested into a charity for the elderly. Through search for a house featuring a soldier holding a paintbrush gruelling years of protest, “It soon became a national — Huang Yung Fu’s 37 year-old place of residence where issue” according to Andrea Yi-Shan Yang, Chief Secretary he can be seen painting the images of his experiences, of Taichung’s Cultural Affairs Bureau. Additionally, the but this time with words. Most importantly, Huang Yung-Fu mayor received an estimate of 80,000 emails demanding believes that “you’re never to old to stop painting,” but there the settlement be protected, to which he finally conceded is no denying the fact that this applies to all dreams, which in 2010. “It touches people’s hearts looking at this man’s must be chased with perseverance as well as zealousness! work and hearing his story. It wasn’t a violent protest. He wasn’t asking for any help. He just loved his home,” adds Camila G, Year 12
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Art and Architecture: Banksy
The street artist, Banksy, decided to pull a joke on one of his costumers last week. One of his spectacular paintings seemed to have been ruined after it had been bought for £1.4 million, an unexpected surprise which happened at Sotheby’s Auction House in London.
The painting, a girl with a balloon, a spray paint on canvas, was the last piece at Sotheby’s ‘Freeze Week’ contemporary art sale.
This joke was sold to an auctioneer, Oliver Barker. After it had been confirmed that he was the owner of the painting, there was a noise a bit like an alarm. After this noise everyone turned around and faced the painting . The picture had slipped through the frame .The painting was situated on a wall next to the Sotheby’s staff members, and it had was found to have been shredded by a mechanism behind the frame.
This art work has changed our perspective about how we act and our understanding of art. This beautiful prank has made history and will not be forgotten.
Olympia B, Year 7
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School Life: Browsing Berlin
This year’s Year 11s were lucky enough to participate One of their first visits was to the Berlin Wall Memorial in the customary trip to Berlin organised by the History in which they were able to observe the evolution of the Department. The trip offers a glimpse into the lives of Wall since it was first built in 1961. The fantastic guide those people living in the city during the Nazi regime also recounted the chilling stories of those people killed and, later, during the Cold War. This is especially while trying to cross to West Berlin or in accidents important for the students as it serves as a prelude for relating to the Wall. Later on in the trip, a visit to these periods, which they will study later on in the year. Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp gave insight into
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the terrible conditions endured by those imprisoned and the cruelty that characterised the guards. We were also able explore the inside of an original airplane in the Allied Museum and even lifted a sack of coal in order to get a sense of the struggles faced by the people of the city as they unloaded the planes during the Berlin Blockade.
Although the weather was not on our side, we continued to visit important locations such as Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie. The Olympic Stadium was a prime example of fascist architecture; especially interesting was the Jesse Owens Lounge and the anecdotes surrounding his stay in Berlin during the 1936 Olympics. The Bundestag Dome designed by Sir Norman Foster was a prime example of an environmentally-friendly construction and the desire for transparency in the government.
We ended the visit with a cruise down the Spree and a walk in the city centre.
By Angélica O, Year 11
Illustrations by Victoria S, Year 12
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School Life: Duke of Edinburgh Silver Expedition
Friday morning at 7am found us bleary eyed and weighed always high. So our journey began, everyone laughing and down by hiking bags full of an obscene amount of snacks and chatting enthusiastically. chocolate at the train station of Chamartin, where we would be taking the train up to Santander and embarking on one of The first day was fairly easy, as our route followed the coastline the most challenging but fun expeditions I’ve ever been on, along the cliffs and so it was hard to get lost. The views were the Duke of Edinburgh Silver expedition: three days of hiking absolutely incredible: the dark turquoise sea was always in along beautiful Northern Spanish coastlines, kayaking along view and hidden coves and secluded beaches stretched rivers and braving the freezing Atlantic sea. on for miles and miles, completely untouched by people. Interesting rock formations, eroded by the crashing waves, The train ride was exciting. We watched Spanish countryside sprung up here and there, and the geography students flash past in a blur, lulling us into a false sense of security prided themselves on being able to identify even the most until, before we knew it, we found ourselves suddenly at our obscure coastal landforms, and from particularly high points starting point. Our bags were heavy but we were feeling we could see all the surrounding rugged coastline and parts optimistic. We had enough pasta and quesadillas to feed of the more urban Santander. Our last checkpoint before an army and the amount of sugar and chocolate stuffed into heading to the campsite we would sleep at was next to the our bags was what would ensure energy and morale were beach, and some people were even brave enough to wade into the freezing water. It was almost dark when we reached the campsite, and after cooking some much needed pasta we decided to move all our sleeping bags outside in the open air and fell asleep, exhausted but content, and completely oblivious to the many, many mosquitoes circling around us.
Day two was the most challenging but definitely the most memorable one for me. The first leg of the route involved kayaks, which was a very fun and relaxing activity, as it was a beautiful day and we simply had to follow the river downstream, so we spent an entertaining hour and a half basking in the warm sun, letting the river currents take us
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along. Then came the impossible task: to climb a mountain called ‘La Picota’. We’d had a very successful trip so far, and had grown overconfident. “It will be easy” we scoffed. From a distance the mountain looked tiny and insignificant. It wouldn’t take us more than an hour or so to reach the top.
How completely wrong we were.
Feelings of confidence and optimism evaporated very quickly once we started climbing. The foliage was so dense and everything was covered in sharp, spiky blackberry bushes, so we were forced to keep to the path. But we couldn’t find a path up, as every one we found came to a dead end. This happened multiple times until someone found a tiny gap in the dense vegetation, and an impossibly small pathway full of thorns and almost vertical it was so steep. We didn’t even know if this was the right way, but it was our last chance- all our other options had been exhausted, and time was ticking. So taking a risky leap of faith, we began the climb. Morale lowered with every step we took. We were exhausted, hungry and frustrated, and the weight of the bags mixed with the very uneven, rocky ground were a very dangerous combination. It was one of the hardest, most physically challenging things I’ve ever done, but the most fulfilling one too. We reached the top and the incredible, breathless view we were met with was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. A full 360 view of
Santander- both the tiny city in the distance and its beautiful, untouched coastline- sprawled before us and left us all in awe. It was definitely one of those cliché moments when you realise how tiny you are in comparison to the world of nature surrounding you.
Although the third and last day wasn’t particularly challenging from a hiking or map point of view (the route was fairly easy to follow), it was definitely the hardest in terms of morale. Everyone was absolutely exhausted from having travelled non-stop for two days with heavy bags, constant sun, and very little sleep. We were all very irritable and cranky, and an incessant, thin sheet of rain really wasn’t helping. Our collective moodiness was one that no amounts of chocolate or sweets could fix. Nevertheless, we powered through, arriving at the last checkpoint (the square just outside the city hall) just in time to have a celebratory ice-cream before rushing to the station to catch our train back to Madrid.
Overall, the Duke of Edinburgh expedition was a wonderful experience. There were definitely challenging moments, especially when it came to map reading and making decisions as a team, but these moments of difficulty were nothing compared to the fun of spending three days hiking with your friends in the north of Spain without technology or the responsibilities and stress we all had back in Madrid.
By Sofía C, Year 12 Illustrations by María V.
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School Life: Model United Nations
At the end of January, a group of Year 12s had the amazing opportunity to attend a Model United Nations conference in Bilbao. This consisted of a three day conference, organised by a local school, where students from all over the world came together to discuss globally relevant and important topics such as international security, sustainable development and world poverty. Each person was assigned a country and a committee they would take part in, and had to both research their nation’s stance on certain subtopics within each committee as well as come up with potential solutions, discussing ideas and collaborating with other countries in attempts to put forward a resolution paper.
The whole trip kicked off with an opening ceremony in the Aside from the more serious aspects of the conference, beautiful main ceremonial hall of the University of Deusto, there were also moments of laughter and fun, like the gossip where speeches were made by the ambassadors of each box, where people sent anonymous messages which were country, as well as special guests such as Juan María read at the end of the day, or the embarrassing dances and Aburto, the mayor of Bilbao. After that, each delegate spent songs delegates had to perform if they arrived late to their the next few days in their individual committee made up of committee. The weekend was also a wonderful opportunity to around 40 people, discussing specific topics, and working visit the city of Bilbao and some of its major landmarks such alongside other nations to try and tackle the global problems as the Guggenheim. Overall the experience was very fulfilling raised, just like in the real UN. After some time debating, and some Runnymede delegates even won certificates passing amendments and altering resolution papers so they despite it being their first ever conference. would satisfy the needs of as many countries as possible, the topics were then discussed in the General Assembly, The Runnymede MUN club has many plans for the upcoming and this time everyone attending MUN was involved. years. After such a successful trip the club wants to continue hosting meetings where current affairs are discussed, and are hoping to organise another trip to a conference later this year. It also wants to find ways to involve more students in the school, especially those in the younger years, as they think all the skills developed through MUN such as debating and searching skills are very important.
CONSTANZA - I was in the Disarmament and International Security on behalf of Ghana. The three topics discussed were: the need for a New Iran Nuclear Deal, the Small Arms Trade
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and Proliferation, and Terrorism in sub-Saharan Africa. I found the Iran Nuclear Deal particularly interesting because it allowed me to get an insight on how nuclear armament is achieved and the importance it has for maintaining international peace. I even managed to pass my resolution about the Small Arms Trade and Proliferation!
Picking out my favourite part of the trip is hard to choose. On one hand, it was very exciting to be able to debate current issues and to feel like a member of the UN. However, travelling with my classmates and visiting the city with them was also so much fun!. Overall, MUN Bilbao has been an unforgettable experience.
I think people should participate in MUN for many reasons. Firstly, it’s an amazing opportunity that allows you to make friends from all over the world. Although it can get very tiring by the end of the trip, your hard work will pay off, whether it is by learning about current issues in the world, presenting your resolution in the General Assembly or receiving an award. Finally, MUN gives you great debating, research and public speaking skills and it’s a useful thing to have on your CV.
CARMEN - I was representing Iceland on the Arctic Council, and was of seismic exploration in the Arctic offshore. It is fair to say on the committee for the the Protection of the Arctic Marine that there is no other committee quite like it. In fact, there Environment. are only two MUN Arctic Councils in the world; the one at Bilbao and one in Norwich. It was a unique experience. We were discussing seismic exploration in the arctic offshore which was fascinating! It was really interesting to I specialised in broadband connectivity, which might see all of the different things each country wanted. Sadly bore some people, but for me it was rather interesting we weren’t able to pass any resolutions in the end, despite because my own father works in telecommunications. debating for 3 days! This was because the Arctic Council The issues discussed might be considered dull when operates by consensus; all of the states have to agree to compared to the exciting issues put forward in committees pass resolutions or amendments. This is extremely difficult like the Security Council, but it was not the issue itself to do as the countries have such different views. but the debates which followed that I found engaging. My favourite part of MUN was debating. Our committee Representing the AIA, we managed to pass both of our (Arctic Council) was more informal and we could voice the resolutions practically unscathed, but failed to reach total opinions of our countries easily. consensus regarding our resolution and, as a result, no final draft was approved - one of the things that makes I think it’s important for people to participate in MUN the Arctic Council so unusual is that resolutions require because it enables people to step outside of their comfort consensus on behalf of all Arctic States. zone. I was so nervous before the conference but by the end I got the hang of it and I enjoyed myself so much! It’s hard to say what my favourite part of MUN was. I decided to sign up because I wanted to experience Obviously the superficial aspects of it are always charming diplomacy and a glimpse of what the real United Nations - the gossip box (whereby delegates anonymously voice would be like (even though it is quite different from MUN). their opinions about their peers), the prizes, the formality and the fancy clothes you wear to the meetings - they ALVARO all add a certain glamour to the whole event, but for me, - the bread and butter lies in the round-the-table debates I was given the unusual privilege of participating in and discussions, in practising the subtle and evasive art the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental organisation of diplomacy. Sending notes back and forth to different separate from the UN which discusses matters concerning countries behind the scenes, trying to persuade them the nations and indigenous peoples of the Arctic. The to support your resolution, carefully wording your Council’s current agenda involved a discussion over the amendments to try and satisfy everyone - these were the development of broadband connectivity and the question things I truly enjoyed.
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School Life: Outstanding Learners Interview
Earlier this year, three of our current Year 12s (Alvaro R, Elena V and Sofia C) were awarded the Outstanding Learners Awards, for scoring an exceptional grade in one or more of the IGCSE that they sat last year. We sat down with them and asked them about their experience studying, sitting exams and dealing with stress.
What did you get your outstanding award for? this, quote banks also really helped me consolidate my annotations from books and plays, and something I did A: I had two - Top in the World for Drama, and Top in Spain which really helped me was to write out facts, figures and for Geography quotes on flashcards and hang them around my room so I could learn them whilst I did other simple tasks like clean E: Top in Spain for Biology and Chemistry, Top in the World my room. for Mathematics, and a High Achievement Award for Latin Do you have any overall tips about studying for IGCSEs or S: Top in Spain for English Literature exams in general?
What revision techniques helped you in those subjects? A: An essential part of studying, no matter the subject, is your organisation. It’s all very well to have written A: When I was studying lines for the plays in Drama, I would good notes, but you need to be able to find them after try and get them into my long term memory, because you two years, otherwise, it’s useless. I was fortunate enough really need to have a good grip on the lines when you act. to have had Mr Hornshaw as my History teacher in Y11, I would go scene by scene until I could recite them with no and he introduced me to his folder system. Folders with previous lines to prompt me and then, to keep them in my plastic wallets were a godsend for me. They are very memory, I would recite them at random moments. I found it neat; the sheets don’t crumple or tear as easily as they was a very effective method of retaining information. do in normal notebooks, and you can organise your notes in chronological order, or reorganise them entirely using In general, I was lucky to have been told by older students some other filing system. So my advice would be to invest from Y11 and Y12 that taking really detailed notes was in a set of folders to keep notes in, as they are particularly absolutely key, so I started quite early. I took pride in useful for subjects like History, Geography, Biology and my notes, spending a little time on them most days after Chemistry. school. Because I felt proud of my work, it helped me visualise my notes a great deal more clearly in the exam. E: I think the greatest tip is to start early and be very I began to value them more, which helped me when it organised. It really pays off at the end of the year. came to studying. There’s something very satisfying about Also, try to avoid stress as it does not help and is often having really well-organised, colourful notes. counterproductive.
E: I did revision notes and revised frequently. Whenever we S: I think an important part of studying and exam finished a topic, I would do the notes to make sure I was up technique is finding out what type or learner you are, and to date with my work. For Maths, I made mindmaps where whether you find it easier to learn through mind maps, or I had all the theory, and then did practice questions. I also flashcards, or just plain simple notes. The trick for exams used a technique called the Pomodoro Technique which is not necessarily studying extensively but studying is very useful to make your study sessions productive as it effectively- you’d be surprised by how much time you save breaks your study sessions up into 25 minute blocks, and by planning and organising your day, as well as prioritising you have a 5 minute break between each one. the essential knowledge you need for the exams, and finding how you learn best. S: I am a very visual learner so things like colourful mindmaps and flow diagrams really helped me. For English Stress is also a major aspect surrounding exams and specifically I ensured I took detailed, comprehensible unfortunately it is something very hard to control and notes consistently all year round so when I came back to reduce. Something that really helped me was distinguishing revise, I had everything there to study from. Apart from between the productive, low-level type, which encourages
18 School Life
you to work hard and study, and then the more serious, cumulative, counterproductive one. Ways of reducing the latter type for me included making sure I had a good night’s sleep, finding time to do sport even at busy and stressful moments, and talking about the pressure I felt if it became overwhelming.
What advice would you give anyone going through IGCSEs now?
A: The final tip I would give, to everyone, is to cooperate with your classmates. “Ego is the Enemy”, a book by Ryan Holliday, says everyone needs a “plus” (someone better than you whom you strive to emulate) an “equal” (someone whom you can compete with, who makes you work harder) and a “minus” (someone less experienced or knowledgeable than you whom you can teach).
This is not to say that you should give away all your hard work to some leech who’s relying solely on your notes to study - but I would say that you might be given some useful information from somebody else’s notes, something you missed which might be really important. The fact is, you are not competing against your school - you’re up against practically all of Europe. The school is a drop in the ocean, and you should realise that by helping each other, all boats rise with the same tide.
E: I would tell them to relax and enjoy the exams. You have been working really hard all year, and now is the time to show what you are capable of! (They also end up going better than you expect).
S: I would wish them very good luck in their exams. No one can deny that the IGCSE period is one of stress and constant studying, and its easy to have a very negative outlook on the whole thing. But everyone survives and is well prepared, often doing better than expected. Mocks are infinitely worse than the actual IGCSEs and something to keep in mind is the long summer holiday you will have once you finish, as well as the new freedoms you will have as a sixth former next year.
19 School Life
School Life: KUBUKA: pen pal exchange and interview
After the Christmas holidays, Year 7 received Christmas cards from Kubuka students. The Year 7s were asked to go to the gym and weren’t expecting anything important.
Each pupil felt touched when they each got there and were given a card addressed to them and in return given the opportunity to make a card for them. The cards could be how you wanted. Some decided to print images, draw, be crafty and a couple of people even decided to send a pencil remembering the speech that some Year 6 students gave during the Christmas concert.
Every card contained a letter with some information about the student and a big thank you for the wonderful cards.
As I was doing my card I felt so happy, as if I had known this boy for a couple of years. As we read the cards, the forms of the students at the Malota School were mentioned and we realised that many children from the ages 11 to 14 were in the same class! This shocked many of us and we couldn’t help but feel grateful for being in this school and also realise that maybe they could support Kubuka even more by raising more money.
Year 7 found the activity amazing and many would like to repeat it more than once.
Olympia B, Year 7
20 School Life
Science: Tiny Radio Telescope
What do you do when you’re bored?
Maybe you pick up your phone, scroll through instagram. If you’re feeling daring you might visit the discovery page— or you might even fire up your laptop and watch some YouTube videos, or binge a show on Netflix.
Do you know what Gonçalo N does when he’s bored?
He builds a radio-telescope. Runnymede’s own Gonçalo— ‘Gon’ to his friends— built a “tiny radio-telescope” in his room, and posted his creation on hackaday.io , a well known tech-sharing platform. Inspired by a YouTube video, he decided to think up his own design for a portable version of the device, using a lightweight satellite dish, a Raspberry Pi, and nine other components (which you can read about in detail in his post); including his own custom designed 3-D printed parts.
However, before I go any further, what even is a radio- telescope? Well, as the name suggests, it is a type of telescope which uses radio waves to locate objects in space; specifically, it picks up weak radio light waves, it amplifies them, and brings them into focus so they can be analysed by an observer. The main advantage of using radio, is it can pick up a far wider range of frequencies of light than those in the visible spectrum; so especially in the search of celestial bodies, it proves extremely useful.
The creator explains it far better than I ever could, which is exactly why, to finish off this feature, we have brought the tech savvy man himself in for a short interview.
What got you started in the world of tech?
I don’t really know. It was probably when I got my first iPod touch. I jailbroke it to download other types of apps and games, and I guess that’s what set it all off, it just sort of developed from there.
How did you come up with this idea?
I was encouraged to start this project because I have a really big interest in coding, but also in space— I was doing some research and I came across the concept of using radio to view things; I looked into it some more and radio just seemed to be the perfect combination of the two. I don’t know I just think radio is cool. It’s kind of weird.
How long did it take you to build the radio telescope?
I was working on it during the IGCSE period. I had the idea for a few months before I started working on it. To be honest, I would work on it whenever I had any spare time, in the weekends, after school… I sometimes wouldn’t do homework in order to work on it— I even thought about it during class… Sorry Mr Sowden… and Miss Ramos… I can’t really put
21 Science
Gonçalo‘s Radio-telescope
an exact time stamp on it, but it was probably a couple of Do you have a particular role model who inspires you in the months. world of tech?
What was the most difficult challenge you encountered I don’t think there is one particular person, more like while building this? a prototype of one. It’s just the type of person who is constantly innovating and focuses on advancing the world I wouldn’t say there was a specific part of the project I and creating a better place rather than just running a struggled with. It was a challenge in general to learn all successful business. That is the most inspiring thing to me. the skills I needed to build it; I was kind of researching everything as I went along. But the thing is that that’s And, finally, where do you see yourself in ten years? part of the process; you don’t really have to know how to do things, so you just need to figure it out as you go. I’m not sure yet, but I do want to make sure I’m working I learnt a lot. on something that I like. I don’t want to end up in a boring office job. I want to do something unconventional that I’m What’s the next step? passionate about, probably in the aerospace industry.
Right now I’m working on another radio telescope, a larger It really is remarkable to meet such a passionate, talented and more powerful one with which I’m hoping to get into and intelligent person and I have no doubt that someday real radio astronomy, receive signals from our galaxy we’ll see Gon on the news and tell our friends how we and make a map of it. I’m using hydrogen line emission; went to school with that guy, remembering his first radio- keeping it simple. telescope with a wistful smile.
What advice would you give to someone interested in tech? Beatriz J, Year 12
I’ve never really thought about it before, but I would say If you want to read about the project in full detail click here: don’t be scared to try new things. If you have an objective, https://hackaday.io/project/161556-tiny-radio-telescope. or a specific project the key is to learn how to do it; you won’t always know which path to take but it’s important to be open to the fact you’re going to have to figure it out as you go along.
22 Science
Science: Physics Nobel Prize 2018
Every year, science enthusiasts all over the world await finely tuned that they could, using the radiation pressure the moment the Physics Nobel prize will be awarded. of light, push physical objects on an atomic scale and hold Theoretical physicists debate with engineers; will it be them in place without harming them. This allowed him to abstract or applied? Conceptual, or in fact, a proof capture living bacteria without damaging the organisms; of concept? These are questions researchers hoping and since his initial discovery in 1987, revolutionise the to obtain this honour ask themselves daily; the Nobel field of studying the machinery of life. Prize is the highest recognition attainable in the world of science, and this year it has been awarded to three Ashkin’s discovery could not have been possible without groundbreaking individuals: Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Mourou and Strickland’s contributions; in 1985, they Mourou and Donna Strickland for their contributions to developed chirped pulse amplification, CPA: ultrashort the field of laser physics. high-intensity laser pulses, think of it as compressed light lasers, which are the basis for all Lasik eye correction What is laser physics exactly? Laser is actually an surgeries; and have innumerable other applications that acronym for “light amplification by stimulated emission of are yet to be discovered. radiation”; which more simply put, is a light source that can both be focused on a very tight spot, stay as a narrow These three researchers have created technology that beam while doing so, and emit very narrow sections of was previously a dream of science fiction, pioneering in the electromagnetic spectrum, which allows for this light a field that has the potential to change the way we live to be of a single colour. This might sound trivial, but it has completely. Congratulations to them! thousands of applications that are of incredible usefulness to us, including the revolutionary technology developed by Beatriz J, Year 12 Arthur Ashkin: optical tweezers. Ashkin invented lasers so
23 Story Behind the Picture
Story Behind the Picture: Winnie the Pooh
One day in late August 1914, Harry Colebourn, a Canadian vet and army volunteer, was heading back to Canada to treat World War I battlefield horses. On his way he stopped at White River, Ontario, where he found an orphaned bear cub tied to a chain. He bought the cub for 20$ and decided to call it Winnipeg (Winnie for short), after his home city. He brought her with him on his journey to Canada, eventually taking her with him when he went to England.
Over the years Winnie became the regiment’s mascot and pet, keeping up the soldiers’ morale through tough battlefield training and bleak, bitter weather, but when war broke out and the time came to deploy to France, Colebourn knew she wouldn’t be safe with the regiment so he brought Winnie to the London Zoo who agreed to look after her while he was away.
At the end of the war, Colebourn decided to let Winnie stay at the London Zoo, where she became well known for her playfulness. One of her biggest fans was A.A Milne’s son Christopher Robbins, who even renamed his bear Winnie the Pooh, and then went on to provide the inspiration for his father’s stories about the adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
Sofia C, Year 12 Story Behind the Picture: Legend of Nessie
The Loch Ness monster, commonly known as Nessie, This photo was taken in 1934, and often referred to as is a creature said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish the ‘Surgeon’s Photograph’. It was reportedly taken by highlands. It is often described as large in size with a long a doctor from London and published in the Daily Mail, neck and one or more humps. There are many stories and for a long time, was the main example of concrete about Nessie but the oldest report consists in the following: evidence that suggested that the Lake Ness Monster existed. However, after much research and investigation, Around 565AD, Irish monk Saint Columba was staying many have now dismissed it as a fake, claiming the photo near the lake with some friends when he saw some to have been cleverly manipulated. locals burying a man next to Lake Ness. Saint Columba immediately told his friends and approached the local Gonzalo O, Year 9 residents to ask what had happened. They explained that the man had been swimming in the water when he was attacked by a “water beast which mauled him and dragged him underwater” and that they had tried to save him but it was too late. However, Saint Columba didn’t believe them and so sent one of his friends to swim across the river. The beast approached him but Columba made the sign of the cross and said: “Go no further. Do not touch the man. Go back at once”. The creature immediately stopped and fled. Columba, his friends and the locals gave thanks, for they thought that what they had seen was a miracle.
24 Story Behind the Picture
Story Behind the Picture: The Migrant Mother
This is a picture of a mother and her children during the Great Depression. According to the photographer, the desperate woman lived on a farm where all crops had frozen over and there was no work for the homeless cultivators. He was told that the mother sold the tires from her car to buy food. This food was eaten alongside birds that had been caught by her children.The woman’s face clearly depicts great despair and misery as she looks into the distance vacantly, searching for hope.
The Migrant Mother became the most famous picture taken during the Great Depression. It raised awareness about the hunger and awful conditions in the encampments (in this case in Nipomo, California) often called ‘Hoovervilles’ after the president of the time, Herbet Hoover, where the authorities had to provide over 20,000 pounds of food for people living there. This image became a symbol of the need and suffering of people during this time.
A long time passed before Migrant Mother’s identity was revealed. In 1978, a reporter found her by tracking her down to Modesto, California. Her name was Florence Owen Thompson. In 1983, Thompson unfortunately had a stroke. Her family did not have enough money to pay for treatment, so her children used her identity as the ‘Migrant Mother’ to raise $15,000 in donations. Sadly, Thompson died soon after the stroke, but this photograph has been forever embedded into American history as a symbol of the poverty during the Great Depression.
Maria L, Year 9 Story Behind the Picture: Afghan Girl
The famous ‘green-eyed girl’ was the front cover of the June 1984 National Geographic Magazine. The photograph went viral as the green eyes the adolescent had, as well as the intensity with which she is looking at the camera, captivated everyone who looked at it. This picture has become one of the most famous photographs in history.
The identity of the girl shown in the picture was initially unknown, until early 2002 when, after years of looking for the ‘Afghan Girl’, she was finally found and it was discovered that her name was Sharbat Gula. The reason why the identity of this girl was unknown was because photographer Steve McCurry did not record her name when taking the photograph.
This photograph has been linked with Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Mona Lisa. It has been called ‘The First World’s Third World Mona Lisa’ and the girl has on many occasions been referred to as ‘The Afghan Mona Lisa’ too.
Gula escaped Afghanistan after her parents were killed during the Soviet Union’s bombing when she was only six years old. She walked across the mountains to Pakistan along with her grandmother, brother and three sisters. She was student at an informal school at the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in Pakistan when McCurry visited the camp (in 1984). She was hesitant to meet McCurry as she was wary about meeting a male from outside of her family.
American photo said that the photo has “an unusual combination of grittiness and glamour”. This photographic portrait was named “The most recognised photograph” in the history of the National Geographic magazine.
Flavia F, Year 9
25 Year 12 Poetry
Year 12 Poetry Blankian
This year’s English Literature students have written a series of poems, inspired by British poet William Blake whose famous poetry and carvings established him as one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement in the 18th and 19th century. He explored many themes such as nature, the detrimental effects of the Industrial Revolution and religion, and his work is often described as bleak and angry, all of which have been effectively depicted in the following poems.
The Swan I The Fallen One
In forest dark where trees droop low, I, the Fallen, cast in flame beneath a slice of half moon’s glow, Made prince of sorrow, sin and pain, Where through the rocks, shadows creep, The Old Fool’s shame, foulest mistake To mask a form that seemed asleep. The Eldritch King, the damned, the snake Lightning flashes, Thunder peals, I, the Fallen, bane of man A somber sight the light reveals, Who coaxed the truth to woman’s hands a swan, quite dead, in feathered coat, Who bade her sup forbidden fruit And scarf of death left on her throat. And struck mankind first at its roots His is the strike must make the death, I, the Fallen, of cursed fate Whose stroke will taste her hallowed breath, Who dwelt behind the Old Fool’s gates Who melts the rigour that rocks have bred, And basked in honey, milk and wine ‘Till flint will break upon a feather-bed. To speak the truth, my foulest crime Her soul, in death’s soft fetters bound, I, the Fallen , first to sin And straight, though softly waked, she found, Who dared to strike Him from within With her own cheeks her red adorning, Was driven out with flame and spear Risen, to heaven, the brightest morning. By cherubin and seraphim We owe her tears, true she is dead, I, the Fallen, once loved by all Though we shed not, but for ourselves we shed. Who heard the trumpets blast my fall And though the pity we owe we lack, Was cast to ash and cindered air The earth itself will mourn in black. To dwell among the sinners there And none so cold with heart of iron, I, the Fallen, forged in hate Whose ribs of horror all environ, Who tempted the Lamb in Holy Land Strung with wire instead of veins, Who bade the Roman wash his hands Than those who lie in the embrace of chains. And seal the ‘Savior’ to his fate As none we mourn, so too we see I, the Fallen, the ram, the goat No hint of nature’s hard-held plea, Must watch the Old Fool smirk and gloat Nor cotton tree nor mourning yew, As all the sorrow he plagues on man, No cedar near her coffin grew. Are said to come from mine own hands And all seemed unconcerned to be, I, the Fallen, Lucifer As if the nature there did strive, The sly, the foul, the sinister To be as pitiless as she In seventh circle remain restrained Was to her God - when alive. With fire and brimstone as my chains.
Ana P, Year 12 Pablo L, Year 12
26 Year 12 Poetry
Year 12 Poetry Modern
However, to contrast these, are some poems inspired by more contemporary, modern poetry with slightly more broader and abstract themes placed into a completely different context to the Romantic era, such as love, poverty and the inexorable qualities of time.
Youth Staring Back
In a few years we’ll be asking ourselves what we’ve done; what we’ve done with the greatest years we’ve been given— everything, and yet what did we give back? A blank stare— A glassy gaze— A roll of the eyes— Another problem to be dealt with. Another cause for concern: not unlike that time you climbed in through the bathroom window at three am and broke the sink falling. What had you (pl.) been doing? A blazing glare— A flutter of eyelashes— A stray tear swept— And it transcended to nothing. And those told they were thriving: like when you stayed long nights at home with only books and lamplight to be condemned to mediocrity. Were you (s.) satisfied? An eyelid drooping— A sight caffeinated— A look sleep deprived— And in the end it led you nowhere. We’re a youth that’s wasted; wasted on the young— from the ones who stumbling, erratic, find comfort in a chaos and a wilderness that’s as bleak as it is sad— to the ones who live no lives and stay alone wrapped up in pages, numbers and a schedule which leaves no time for air— it’s a fallacy! Of toxic behaviour and expectations and offhand (online) comments and whispered lies and then it stops. And starts again
Beatriz J, Year 12
27 Year 12 Poetry
Twenty Years past
Gambia River, Gambia In the sky A golden eye Which beats the barren, baked and broken earth. There was water here. A trickling, gurgling stream Of teeming plenty - its wealth is gone. The goats will graze on bone-bare soil.
California, USA Ashes on the bitter breeze Belch billowing smoke from ruined trees Who’ve lost their verdant elegance. Their naked paleness scorched A screaming effigy. The fire gorges itself, And the forests burn.
London, UK The pregnant waters of the Thames Do swollen creep and press Against the barrage, contracting furious Against mankind. The river bursts Unloading its sodden fury on the Smoke-choked city.
Beijing, China The pungent tang of smothering smog Hangs heavy in the morning air. The rain releases its acidic anger On a swarming populace which like termites Build their concrete nest. Twenty years past, and here we stand, And mutely see what we’ve done to our land.
Gadea V & Alvaro R, Year 12
28 Year 12 Poetry
A Cynical Love Song A Timeline of Half-Truths
In your arms; I miss the half-truths of childhood You walk with nobody in your arms. Beautiful lies for a beautiful time They placed stars up in your head Lied to for love, loving the lies And rose-tinted the iris of your eyes. Not just Santa Claus and Rudolph, the bigger An expert on romantic comedies who absorbs ones Dramatic formulaic finales as sickly sweet ‘You’ll go far’ and ‘You’re special’ As the outburst of love letters you nostalgically They say ignorance is bliss but believing is fold into your diary. better They serve as a crude reminder- enveloped in And we used to believe in anything perfumed tissue paper- Magical misled children in their private That your worth equated to the number of petals Fairylands adorning the flowers I envy you Bought by lovers in a cloud of impulsive, You’ll grow up soon and then you’ll get clever meaningless lust. ‘Of course magic isn’t real’ ’The tooth fairy’s silly’ You can’t remember the last time the vase on But the big ones stay with you the window sill was choked by roses. You still believe you’re special Where does that leave you now? Then you stop growing up and you’re a Yet you still swoon at strangers who whisper grownup eloquent words of Wilde, No one lies to you so you take up the job Bat your eyelashes when they boast of Byron, Lying to yourself, burying reality in an avalanche A hint of Hemingway, of half-truths The flutter of Fitzgerald... ‘It’s not my fault’ and ‘I deserve the promotion’ A true Romantic, dancing through the worlds of and ‘I still have time’ artists But you don’t believe like you used to Who fabricated love out of thin air for those It’s near the end now, but you’ve still got one left Who knew not how to create it themselves. in you So you go out, gulp down the starry night The biggest of all, the one we all know and love swirling in your wine the most As if it is a love potion designed for people like A deathbed comfort, a warm whispering blanket you ‘See you on the other side’ Who can’t seem to latch onto anyone. The world taught you loneliness comes only to Javier R, Year 12 those Who have no arms to fall into at night No lips to linger on at dawn. But then a glimmer of hope, a fleeting connection. Shy eye contact, the hint of a smile And you find yourself falling momentarily once more. Drunk in so-called love you twist and twirl, Synchronising with the syncopated pulse of ephemeral passion God! You don’t want it to stop, don’t let it be over. “But what will we do when we’re sober?” Sofia C, Year 12
29 Descriptive writing
Descriptive writing Dr. Hans
Dr Hans Kramer stepped lightly into the spacious room of bears had been the first to go, he remembered—they had his house, face nervous, hands gripped tightly together become extinct some thirty years ago, in 2054. The world until they turned white. He was a tall, gaunt man, middle had only gone downhill from there. aged, with a prominent, aquiline nose and high, imperious cheekbones. This, along with the streaks of fine silver hair Still, he thought with some relief, it could be worse. He which lined his temples, lent him an unmistakable air of could be living in one of the countless refugee camps out authority and respectability. The sound of his polished east, living like a rat in squalor and filth, penniless and black boots clacking on the gleaming white marble floor desperate. Poor beggars. There were so many nowadays, echoed around the walls of his palatial house, situated all either fleeing from the horrors of war, or, worse still, in Denver, Colorado—the SSA’s (Sovereign States of the advance of the ocean. Every year the sea level rose, America) military and research divisions’ headquarters. implacable, unstoppable, inexorably gaining ground; an He was currently on his way to work. enemy no amount of military strength could defeat. Almost all of the populous mega-cities of the past century— Kramer stopped at the large door which was the exit London, New York, Tokyo—had already been overrun. to his home, and reached over to a long silver cylinder The governments of the late sixties had tried, of course, which stood nearby, pressing his thumb to the scanner. It erecting huge dams and levee walls in a vain attempt to flashed briefly, illuminating Kramer’s angular face with its hold the swollen rivers of the Thames and the Hudson harsh red light. “This is Dr Hans Kramer, number 6931F, at bay. But, all too soon, the water had come bursting signing out,” he said in his dry, clear voice. “Destination is through, and the cities had been engulfed and swallowed the Facility. Priority Alpha.” There was a pause, and then whole. the door slid smoothly open with a soft hiss. —Clearance granted.— Kramer closed his eyes, remembering the footage he The dull, neutral, emotionless voice of the house’s had seen. Tokyo, a vast city of tenement buildings and computer rang out. skyscrapers, reaching high into the sky like weeds —Welcome, Dr Kramer. Have a good day.— straining for sunlight, gasping for air, emerging from the Kramer sniffed, then stepped outside. Overhead, the sky oppressive, poisonous smog which smothered them. All loomed, a drab, grey, featureless expanse which was of that was gone now; all had been washed away. All made all the more gloomy by the forbidding mass of clouds those rich, arable tracts of land, bursting with fertility, which gathered balefully on the horizon—the telltale signs mankind’s inheritance—gone. And then the war came. of another acid storm building. He hurried to his car, a Fire. Kramer saw fire, and death. He remembered the gleaming, glorious piece of machinery, a masterpiece of missiles, lethal, raining hell from above. He saw whole chrome and steel and glass. He didn’t want to be outside cities consumed in that fiery maelstrom, buildings long. The acid rain was coming, and nobody wanted to blasted to oblivion and people reduced to nothing but be caught in the open when it came—not, at least, if they crumbling ashes, their final piteous screams lost to the valued their lives. wind. He remembered the fetid smell of charred flesh, the unwavering heat washing over his blistered skin, which Earth, Kramer reflected solemnly, had become a very glistened with sweat. In his mind’s eye he could see the dangerous place. It was a planet choked by pollution, ruins, irradiated, empty, a monument to man’s stupidity. strangled by resource scarcity and burdened with horrendous overpopulation—it was a dying planet, There was a sudden jolt, and the drone of the computer ultimately doomed. The car door opened for him, and he snapped Kramer out of his reverie.
30 Descriptive writing
staining it with their sullen, purple anger. Kramer hurried past two guards, who were patrolling the walls with their dogs. Their fearsome, slavering maws widened slightly, the red pits they had for eyes boring into him as he stepped past. Nape prickling, he walked into the Facility’s lavish foyer.
A secretary was waiting for him there, sitting at a long glass desk, and speaking softly and surreptitiously into a mike. She looked up and, seeing him, her features swiftly reassembled themselves into an oiled smile. Her placid expression remained otherwise unchanged, however, and Kramer noticed her smile did not quite reach her eyes. She was pale and her skin perfect, giving the impression of being made entirely out of porcelain. “Good morning, Dr Kramer! It’s lovely to see you!” Her smooth, velvety voice, like liquid honey, was carefully modulated to sound as cheerful and pleasant as possible, but Kramer found her unctuouness irritating. “I was informed to tell you that you have a meeting with Roger Arnault at exactly 8:30, in twenty minutes. I have uploaded that data to your watch, just in case.”
At that moment, as if on cue, Kramer’s sleek watch beeped, its soft blue light flashing on. Nodding curtly, he walked briskly onward, boots thumping against the hard linoleum floor.
His starched white uniform was pressed and perfect, like freshly fallen snow, and the small silver plaque with his name and number gleamed in the artificial light of the building. He stopped at a large door, a monstrously solid slab of steel and reinforced titanium. He put his eye to a scanner nearby, which checked his retina, and pressed his pale hand to the wall. There was a pause, and then above him, Kramer saw some words flash across the screen.
Access Granted. Welcome, Dr Kramer.
The door creaked and groaned as it swung ponderously open, and stopped suddenly with a resonant thud, revealing a polished white interior, silent and sterile. The sharp scent of disinfectant hung pungently in the air. He hesitated for a moment, then stepped into the blinding light.
Álvaro R, Year 12
31 Environment
Environment 2018 Roundup
32 Environment
33 Environment
Environment Should We Ban Plastic?
As the world’s population continues to grow so does the amount of garbage people produce, which is something that has been a menace to the world for decades. However, in the past few years it seems like momentum has been building on the issue of plastic waste and its effect on the environment.
Around the world already dozens of countries have banned the use of plastic bags. Across Europe, new laws and policies are either being proposed or enforced, from plastic bottle deposit and return schemes, bans and charges on one time use plastic bags, to curtailing non compostable plastic cups, plates and cutlery. However will these proposals be enough, will they cause the change that is needed to save the world from plastic?
The negative impact plastic has on the world’s ecosystem is evident, and has been so since the first day it was invented in 1907. Just last year, in the series, ‘Blue Planet’, David Attenborough showed his viewers footage of plastic clogged oceans and the detrimental effect that it is having on marine life and left the UK in shock. Even industry bodies recognise that plastic waste is a pressing issue in the world at the moment and want to see more recycling and sustainable use of plastic.
Plastic pollution is caused by many factors, the biggest one being the use of plastic bags. Every year around 800 billion plastic bags are distributed all around the world, using almost 10 percent of the whole world’s annual oil supply. Meaning that not only is it a non-sustainable process, as they are made with fossil fuels, but also the pollution created by the transportation of plastic bags to stores all around the world adds harmful gases such as CO2 to the earth’s atmosphere, which in turn causes even more global warming.
Furthermore, the disposal of plastic bags leads to countless other problems including the destruction of both terrestrial and marine environments, the killing of millions of birds and sea animals and even more pollution. Some say that the solution to all of these problems is recycling, that this would both prevent all of the harm produced by the disposals of plastic bags and all of the harm created by using fossil fuels, as the same material would be used and the amount of new plastic needed would be minimal compared to the massive quantities used at the moment. However, only 5 percent of plastic bags are recycled. And the whole world has been warned multiple times of the catastrophic effects plastic is having in the world and yet very few people recycle clearly showing that it is not a viable solution.
The rest are thrown to rot in landfills, to burn in landfills or are disposed of in unethical ways such as throwing them in the sea. Landfills are extremely harmful to the environment, and most of them are filled with plastic waste. The biggest landfill in the UK covers 380 acres of former grassland and contains over 19 million tonnes of waste. This grassland could perfectly be used to farm or as an
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area for animals to inhabit. However when burning the death of over 1 million birds and 100,000 marine plastic, many malicious gases are released, which animals. once again not only results in more global warming, but also means that neither animals or humans are able Sea turtles, like many other marine animals such as to live in the surroundings. seabirds fish or sea lions, mistake plastic for food, which obviously leads to them trying to eat it. Most Many say that these landfills cause no harm as after of the time the plastic gets caught in their throat or they are full, they are covered by a non permeable their stomachs are not able to digest it leading to their layer of clay or plastic, followed by a layer of soil, in deaths. Additionally, billions of pounds of plastic can which grass will be planted. However, this is not a be found in swirling convergences that make up about 40 percent of the world’s ocean surfaces. In this plastic thousands of animals, such as endangered turtles, get caught, leaving them defenceless and unable to eat which once again kills them. What is more, a study claims that at current rates plastic is expected to outweigh all the fish in the sea by 2050.
In conclusion, plastic should be banned, not only because it is harmful for animals and humans in the long run, but also because it is something unnecessary in the daily life of a human, something that can be replaced. How many times have you seen someone throw plastic bags or plastic water bottles on the floor in your life time? I personally have witnessed it hundreds of times, so surely something which is so unimportant that you throw on the floor is not necessary for humanity. So are you really wiling to kill millions of animals annually, destroy marine life and help ruin our environment for plastic?
By Stefan L, Year 12
feasible solution either as during the time the plastic rots, which lasts around 1000 years, methane gas is released which is one of the main and most harmful gases that contribute green house gases. This could be solved by implanting pipes 15 kilometre underground which would siphon the methane out and use it to generate electricity. However, the process of burning methane to generate energy releases even more greenhouse gases meaning the whatever the process is, it will contribute to one of the most, if not the most, cataclysmic problems the world is facing.
In addition, all of the plastic thrown into the sea by either normal citizens, or illegally by waste management companies, causes unimaginable damage to the sea. Most of the plastic in the sea has gathered up in the Pacific Ocean into a massive plastic island known as the Pacific Garbage Patch. This patch covers an area of 1.6 million square kilometres, 6 and a half times the size of the UK. This plastic island is the cause of
35 Environment
Environment Madrid Goes Green
Whether you’re reading the news, scrolling through social media or taking a walk around Madrid, you will be observing a recurring and seemingly inescapable theme: climate change. This topic has appeared to gain increasing momentum in the past year and has even taken the form of worldwide student protests, a 16 year-old blonde girl with braided hair and confusing news about banning plastic. So, what is this all really about? Recent studies have estimated that we have around 11 years (at most) to reverse the damage we have caused to the planet over the past century. If we fail to achieve this, we will reach a point of no return after which a chain of catastrophic weather events will be unleashed.
Reading about climate change from a cynical (or even an over-optimistic) point of view can feel like everyone is exaggerating our current situation to make the future seem dystopian and fatalistic. But they’re not. Moreover, climate change statistics might seem distant; you might even believe that we are untouched by this global crisis, but the truth is that Spain is on its way to becoming one of the EU members most affected by climate change. Our summers are already 5 weeks longer than in the 1980s; during the past 50 years the temperature of our cities has increased twice as much as the global average temperature rise; 2/3 of the country is on its way to becoming a desert and the Mediterranean Sea levels increase by 1cm every 3 years, gradually eating away at our coastal cities. If we take these statistics into account, it seems logical for our government to take the necessary measures to minimise the impact of climate change; yet many of the measures adopted by the Community of Madrid have sparked resentment amongst people.
Considering Madrid’s high pollution levels and rising temperatures, the environmental impacts of our daily decisions should be a priority for us. Fortunately, measures have already begun to be implemented. The first measure I would like to discuss is the ‘Plan A’, which stands for The Quality of Air and Climate Change Plan. This measure is called ‘A plan’ because it is aimed at improving the quality of the heavily polluted air we breathe, and because there is no ‘Plan B’. By 2030, the Plan aims to have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 40% of those emitted in 1990. In order to achieve the ambitious- yet necessary- targets, the government has drawn up 30 measures, some of which I will be discussing.
One of the main changes that you might have already noticed if you love shopping around Fuencarral, or taking a walk around the streets near Sol is that, since June 2018, cars and motorcycles have been banned from the centre of Madrid, giving pedestrians, bicycles and public transport more space to circulate. However, the transformation of the centre of our city does not end there. The main streets and avenues that give access to the central areas of Madrid have also prioritised walking
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over driving, and this has been done by increasing the size of sidewalks and giving more priorities to public transport vehicles.
Another measure that I would like to draw attention to involves cycling. There is an ongoing expansion of cycle lanes, with the aim of increasing the use of bicycles to 5% of all transports in Madrid by 2025. More than 30km of new cycle lanes have been built in the past few years and there is a plan to build 30km more each year. Moreover, the public cycling system (BiciMAD), is being implemented in areas where there is great demand for it, and it has been made more accessible as the necessary card for it has been merged with the one for the subway and buses.
Furthermore, the incentives for the use of public or environmentally-friendly transport also consist of widely- resented restrictions such as the speed of vehicles in certain areas such as the M-30 road or government grants given to taxis who are eco-friendly, encouraging other taxi drivers to change their vehicles.
In conclusion, although there is a lot to be proud of in terms of efforts in Madrid to fight climate change, we are still a very long way from the necessary reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. We have 11 years to fight this crisis if we want to turn our fate around.
Constanza P, Year 12
A sign at the climate change student protest in Madrid (March 19th, 2019). The sign reads ‘Act as if the house was on fire, because it is’, referencing a speech given by Greta Thunberg- 16 year-old climate activist and now emblem of the fight against the climate crisis-.
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Photography Sunset Competition
Lucía L, Year 7 Antonio C, Year 7 Isabel L, Year 10
WINNER: Alex M, Year 7
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Eduardo M, Year 10 Moira H, Year 7 Nico M, Year 8
RUNNER UP: Lucía V, Year 12
39 Reviews
Review: Captain Marvel, Intergalactic Wars, 90s Nostalgia and Female Empowerment
Ever since DC Comic’s Wonder Woman shattered box our main character, Vers (pronounced Veers) already office records and won over critics and fans alike across possessing her extraordinary abilities, living upon Hala, the globe, a new path has been paved for women in comic- a technical utopia, as a member of the elite strike force of book movies. And whilst it may seem almost ridiculous to the alien race of the Kree, locked in a bitter war with the hold movies about superheroes in tights as an important shape-shifting alien Skrulls. Vers (played by Brie Larson) medium for representation, this could not be further from is plagued by constant nightmares of a past-life and a the truth. Once ridiculed as cinematic self-sabotage, violent accident, though is unable to recall anything comic-book movies are now billion dollar industries: Kevin other than her arrival on the Kree home-world. Aided by Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe all but rules the box- Yon-Rogg (Yes, the names are a bit silly), her military office nowadays. As superheroes in themselves have commander and confidant (played by the ever-brilliant become such a fundamental part of childhood, along Jude Law, who whilst charming hints at the arrogant, with Star Wars and Harry Potter, there is something very condescending holier-than-thou personality of the Kree satisfying in young girls having a figure to look up to on behind a veneer of friendliness), she is cautioned to the big screen, especially one devoid of stereotype, cliché, always keep her emotions in check, as they make her and who takes no prisoners. inherently weak, despite Vers struggling to control her pride and occasionally rage, flaws which thankfully make As an origin story for a largely unknown character (Marvel Larson’s protagonist human and fallible rather than a has worked magic with harder source material- they made bland ‘Mary Sue’. Ant-Man successful after all) Captain Marvel is refreshingly different from the rest. Rather than taking us through our The film’s first act (whilst admittedly confusing to those protagonist’s humble origins, the discovery of their new- who have not meticulously followed the Homeric saga of found powers (be it through nuclear waste, radioactive the Marvel Cinematic Universe) is a visual treat for any animals or other honoured tropes of the genre) and their science-fiction fan at heart. From the futuristic metropolis mastery of said powers, Captain Marvel begins with of Hala to sand-blasted ruins of alien planets that could have been torn straight from Frank Herbert’s Dune, the cosmic universe is stunningly portrayed and established, accompanied with hectic, flashy action scenes and visually striking presentations of both the Kree and Skrull factions (the CG used for the Skrull’s shapes-shifting effect in particular is quite unsettling). Yet the CG reliant first- act rapidly risks becoming bogged down in spaceships and often clunky exposition. It is only when Vers arrives on Earth that the story truly begins to pick up. Suddenly we are thrust away from intergalactic warfare and into the world of the 90s- a forgotten time when flannel was cool, Blockbuster still existed and bands like Nirvana and Salt N’ Peppa ruled the charts. There is admittedly a tingle of nostalgia exploited here, but the atmosphere fits with the often intentionally flashy and zany alien antics portrayed in the movie. Larson adapts well to the role of “fish-out-of water” as Vers struggles to piece together her very sense of identity, a task made all too difficult by the arrival of S.H.I.E.L.D- cue a satisfying cameo by Clark Gregg (as S.H.I.E.L.D agent Phil Coulson) and of course the arrival of Samuel L Jackson himself as the legendary Nick Fury, sans eye-patch.
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This is clearly a different Fury to the suave, grizzled spy- the person whom they most respect. The scenes within master we have met in previous movies, as Fury’s younger the Supreme Intelligence’s domain are some of the most self is much more easy-going, calm and humorous (Samuel entertaining of the entire movie. L Jackson’s limitless stores of charisma are perfect for the role) and the chemistry between Larson and Jackson as But how can we forget the eponymous character herself, comedic foils to one another bursts off the screen. The Captain Marvel? Larson outdoes herself in her role as Skrulls (long-time fan favourite villains in the comics) serve as protagonist, delivering a portrayal of a confident, at times entertaining villains, in particular Ben Mendelsohn as Skrull cocky and playful heroine who nevertheless is burdened General Talos, who brings an ironic, dry wit to the character with flaws and struggles and the emotional damage of that sets him apart from other cartoonishly megalomaniacal reconciling her memories as a Kree with her past life on villains so prevalent in films of the superhero genre. Earth. She can be funny and witty, and also impressive, and Furthermore the Skrull’s shape-shifting abilities at times when Captain Marvel takes flight, she does so explosively, add a sense of paranoia to the movie, of who to trust. One with a message of such infectious inspiration only the most is reminded of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. And without depressive cynic could ignore it. revealing any details, the more perverse and unexpected details of the true nature of the Kree-Skrull war serve to add Which brings me to one of the more important aspects of a layer of subtlety and intelligence to what is on the surface, Captain Marvel as a whole. Since the film’s release it has a black and white conflict. Add to this brief but fun cameos been bombarded and plagued by internet trolls frothing at from Djimon Hounsou and Lee Pace (reprising their roles as the mouth and whinging at the film’s obvious “girl-power” Kree warriors Korath the Pursuer and Ronan the Accuser message. And whilst at certain times the film does lose from Guardians of the Galaxy) and the universe ties itself its grasp on nuance a little, this is not Jane Austen. It is neatly together. a product aimed at children as well as adults in which a woman flies and shoots laser beams out of her fists. It is fine to be a bit goofy, as Captain Marvel is aware of not taking itself too seriously (the villains are called Skrulls after all) and when all is said and done, is there really something that inherently wrong in Captain Marvel, a female superhero, sharing the limelight that Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man and Thor have all basked in? Not at all. And at the heart of the matter, any critic so insecure that they are willing to damn and demonise a movie simply for having a female lead and promoting a message of female empowerment isn’t worth having their opinion considered remotely valid.
There are perfectly reasonable criticism to be levied against Captain Marvel (the first act can be confusing, certain characters are less developed than others, the script is at times weak and awkward) but the act of promoting a feminist message does not (in my book at least) merit criticism on a film as a whole.
All in all, despite a few hitches along the ride, Captain Marvel, whilst never outstandingly exceptional, is just plain fun. It is creative, visually breath-taking, action-packed and occasional gems of emotion truly shine, though not as Yet in a film led by women, it is important to shed light on bright as the performances of its talented and star-studded the amazing performances delivered by the female cast. cast, who give depth and dimension to the film as a whole. Lashana Lynch is on top form as Maria Rambeu, Vers’ (real Add to this genuine humour (Captain Marvel’s cat, Goose name revealed to be Carol Danvers) best friend, and not in particular steals every scene), an extremely touching only shies firmly away from the awkward and played-out series of homages to the late, great Stan Lee, and the sheer stereotype of “sassy black friend”, but delivers dialogues exhilaration of watching the cosmic Captain Marvel finally and monologues with powerful emotion and conviction take flight, glowing like a supernova to take on her foes, (even though to my surprise her role was smaller than the Captain Marvel as a whole remains a film that not only takes trailers had perhaps led me to expect.) Annette Benning major strides in empowerment, but is simply an all round stands out as Dr Wendy Lawson, Danver’s mentor whilst great time, and I look forward to see Larson’s heroine in she was on Earth as well as portraying the chillingly later installations go higher, further, and faster. autocratic and ruthless Supreme Intelligence, an A.I ruler of the Kree who appears differently to each individual as Pablo L, Year 12
41 Reviews
Slaughter-House 5
Kurt Vonnegut is known for his eccentric and darkly satirical home by his daughter but insists on telling the world the style; however, nothing can prepare you for this novel. A truth about what happened to him. strange blend of fact, fiction, an unreliable narrator and highly imaginative descriptions give a painfully striking Slaughter-House 5 is much more than a science-fiction depiction of World War II. Like many people of his generation, novel; it’s a living, breathing, account of the impact the Vonnegut describes the war and, in particular, the bombing war had on Vonnegut’s generation. The author has an of Dresden as one of the most important events of his extraordinary ability to introduce elements to the readers’ lifetime, which is also the cornerstone of the protagonist’s minds which will be later manifested in the text, adding to life; the event which starts to blur the line between reality the theme of non-linear time. Not only that, but, Vonnegut and imagination. The novel follows the life of optometrist even predicted Reagan’s presidency, (something Billy Pilgrim, as he recalls his wartime experience and completely anachronistic and extremely fitting due to attempts to write “his famous book on Dresden”. The non- Billy’s jumps in time) through a sticker on the Pilgrim linear narrative jumps from the bombing of Dresden to family’s car. This is especially surprising as it happened Billy’s experience (when he is captured by aliens) and the several years after the author’s death. The ingenious effects of war on the people who were deployed in Europe. mix of inter-planetary travel, jumps in time, humour, and dramatic descriptions of the war rightfully place it as one Billy serves as a chaplain’s assistant during the war, and is of the best science fiction novels ever written. captured by the Germans. The weak, inexperienced and fatalistic soldier is transported to an unused slaughterhouse Angélica O, Year 11 (Slaughterhouse 5) near Dresden. During his imprisonment Pilgrim becomes ‘unstuck in time’ and guides us through his life in fractured and sometimes unexplainable episodes. Billy survives one of the most tragic and unheard-of massacres of WWII, the firebombing of Dresden, after being hidden in a cellar by the guards. After being discharged, the character is taken to a mental hospital due to his post-traumatic stress. It is there where Vonnegut begins to weave in some of the more outlandish elements of the story. The soldier is introduced to science fiction by one of the hospital’s patients, which lays the foundation for his later extraterrestrial experiences. The protagonist is abducted by Tralfamadorians (extraterrestrial beings) and placed in a zoo. The creatures are extremely fatalistic and see death as inconsequential due to their ability to see their whole existence all at once, focusing on specific moments of their choice.
After returning to his normal life, Billy is put in a nursing
In Time, Andrew Nicole
In Time is a science fiction film about a world in which rich people live forever and the poor live 10 minutes. People in this world gain and lose time to live by earning money or losing it; you buy stuff and sell stuff by giving up some of your time to live. The story is about Will Salas, who rarely has more than a day worth of time. When he saves Henry Hamilton (a rich man), he gets a gift of a century but such a large transaction alerts the authorities and when Will is falsely accused of murder he must go on the run taking the daughter of an incredibly rich man with him.
Diego S, Year 7
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Heroes, Stephen Fry
The book I have read during the holidays is ‘Heroes’, by Stephen Fry. It is a retelling of the stories of Greek mythological heroes, an adventure and fantasy book that I couldn’t put down.
It is set in Ancient Greece, with Stephen Fry, a British national treasure, narrating in the third person. He describes famous myths, like the Labours of Heracles and the Argo, and writes about stories of lesser known heroes, like Oedipus and Atalanta. No matter which hero or heroine he presents, you are left feeling the same amount of compassion for each of them. Some heroes share their timeline, which makes it all the more interesting. It also gives you an insight into their real personality, beyond the boring texts that just state what happened. For instance, Heracles was in fact probably a lot more short tempered than we know him to be (he had the blood of about 100 people on his hands, 20 of those being family members).
But what I really like about this book is the mix of suspense and humour, how none of the stories are boring because of the way that he really makes them relatable and relevant to today. His use of vocabulary really suits the book, and the simple eloquence makes me wonder why he isn’t better known for his work.
I liked myths before I read ‘Heroes’, but you don’t need to have even heard of them to read and enjoy this book. Perhaps you could even argue that this might make them better. I would really recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys something that really bring the myths and heroes to life, rather than a long and interminable novel. The myths alone are great, but with Fry writing they are better.
Lorenzo N, Year 8 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J K Rowling
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is a book I really recommend to people who like books about magic and fiction. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is about a boy called Harry whose parents are killed by a very dark wizard and left to live with the Dursley’s (his uncle, aunt and cousin), the only family he has. But soon he finds out that he is a wizard and goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he meets his best friends, who will become his family throughout the whole book series.
Interesting Fact: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the second highest selling book in the whole of history, after the bible.
Anonymous, Year 7
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The Long Read: World War I Should Always Be Remembered
This past 11th November, 2018 marked 100 years since the end of the First World War. 100 years since the end of the horrific, unfair suffering that civilians endured during these years, 100 years since the end of global instability and chaos and 100 years since the end of the unimaginable number of lives that were lost around the world.
WWI must always be remembered. It is the least we must do in order to honour the people who risked, and lost, their lives for their freedom, and we must make sure history does not repeat itself. Kids lost their mothers, husbands lost their wives and parents lost their children.
We must pay homage to the dead and never forget them. They gave their lives for all of us. These people, mainly young men, are buried throughout Europe, in Britain, Belgium, Germany, France… if it weren’t for them we wouldn’t be here. They gave us their lives in order to give us all we have; our stability, our wealth, our values, our liberty, our democracy and our peace. 37 million people died.
WWI was supposed to be the war to end all wars. However, as we all know, that was not the case. The reparation costs imposed on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles were too harsh, ultimately leading to WWII. A lesson that we have to learn is that winners have to be generous to avoid another war. The Allied Powers humiliated Germany, and drained it of all it had, leaving it in a vulnerable, weak state which gave rise to Hitler’s power. We cannot be vindictive. We have to be generous in victory, and we have to learn to end wars properly as this cannot happen again.
Keynes anticipated Germany’s inability to meet war reparations, and wrote “the economic consequences of the war”, in which he argued Allied Powers were imposing too harsh of a compensation on Germany. After a draining defeat in the war, Germany was economically devastated and the the barbaric $33 billion that was imposed simply could not be paid because of the economic downturn. People starved and suffered under the shadow of the recession because they had no financial means. We should have been able to respond to that global recession to alleviate the pressure on Germany, who had no other ways of recovering, and Britain and France never should have been so severe in their punishments as they abused their new found power and victory. The most crucial reason we must always remember the First World War is so that we do not repeat the mistakes we made in the past. We cannot allow for the world to endure such suffering, pain and loss ever again.
People went to war thinking it was a good thing and that they would be honoured and heroic in their behaviour when coming back to their family, but war was horrible. People died in suffering, hundreds and thousands of them. War is pain, war is torture and war is death.
WWI shows us that poisonous gas, trenches, amputations and the horrors that it brings, must not be hidden behind the idea of nationalism, of supremacy of national values. For instance, look at the Iraq war, has the West been able to impose new values on the population of Iraq? Are they more democratic? Do they respect women beyond islamic values? Or has the country instead turned against their invaders? Is ISIS today a consequence of the West’s attack on Iraq? War is always bad and brings terrible
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consequences and it is about time we learn that and stop believing violence and agony are the answer.
Furthermore, WWI demonstrates that a unified Germany, after Bismarck, was a major power in Europe. Germany is a country with over 80 million people, located in central Europe. Its population is larger than France or the UK, with about 80 million. The rest of Europe is made up of smaller countries such as Spain, or Italy, with 40-50 million people. So one thing we must take into account from WWI is that, strategically, Germany is too large within Europe, and therefore, Europe has to find a way to accommodate a country that is much larger, and to do this peacefully.
We saw this in WWII as Hitler’s main aim was Germany’s lebensraum; living space. If we look back at history it can teach us what we need to do today. Today, the European Union is the framework with which Germany’s power is controlled within Europe. This is why the European Union is so important, and shows clear progress from the international situation back in the 1910s.
In addition to this, WWI shows us that the situation is very much how it was at the time. Germany is unified, and the largest and most powerful country in Europe. The US shows a clear lack of leadership and instability, as it was in the 1910s, and there is a huge deal of uncertainty and worry with their relationship with North Korea, and emerging powers like China, or Russia at the time, threaten the stability of the international order. WWI offers us a historical demanded to have a say, just like men. They wanted to example, not unlike the present situation, that can help us vote. They wanted to be members of parliament and they deal with current affairs. We have to be careful and aware wanted to be involved and recognised in society. The of the history that surrounds us everywhere we go. We all Suffragette movement in the UK was successful to bring know we cannot let these events occur again, which is why women to a situation of political equality with men. Women we must always remember the First World War. voting changed Western democracy which proves that war brings about extremely important social changes, and we Finally, as I mentioned before, it also shows us that war must never forget this. can bring about radical social change. During WWI women contributed to victory as much as men did. Maybe not To conclude, I think it’s important to stress that war is always with their lives, but driving lorries, working in factories and a failure, and that the main lesson that we can learn from as nurses. Victory would not have been possible without WWI is that the world failed. We must never fail again. In them, their hard work and diligence. After the war, women hindsight, we know that the mistakes after WWI are what led to WWII. The unbalanced size of Germany within Europe, is a reality WWI helped us manage better, and we must learn from that experience. The social disruption that war brings about should always be clear, as we can learn from events such as the Suffragette movement or even in Iraq recently.
One of the sad things about Brexit is that the UK seems to have forgotten that the EU is, above all, a project for peace. Peace in Europe requires the contribution of the UK, which is why its withdrawal from the European Union casts shadows of the project of peace for the whole European continent. Remembering the First World War is pivotal, especially at times like these. It is not a question. It’s a moral and social obligation.
Isabel R, Year 13
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The Long Read: Shoah: Remembering the Holocaust
On the 20th of January of 1942, Berlin, leading members of the Nazi administration and Schutzstaffel (SS) were gathered by Reinhard Heydrich to discuss what was named “The Final Solution to the Jewish Question” at Wannsee, Berlin.
This “solution” as it was so callously named was the first true step to what would soon become the most heinous act of hatred in living human memory. Though anti-Semitic persecution had begun far earlier under the rule of Adolf Hitler, with Reich Blood Purity Laws, which organised programs and attacks on members of the Jewish community (such as Kristallnacht: The Knight of Broken Glass) and mass deportations and allocations of Jews into ghettos, the Final Solution was the creation of a state of industrialised genocide with the ultimate goal being the utter annihilation of the Jewish people in accordance to the bigotry propagated by the National Socialist ideology.
Between the years 1941 and 1945, the Third Reich undertook the single most depraved and inhuman act of genocide ever perpetrated, with a death toll of an estimated six million human beings starved, gassed, shot, tortured, and incinerated. Gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally-challenged, the disabled, all suffered at the hands of the Third Reich, but none so more than the Jewish people, against whom Adolf Hitler unleashed his perverse and barbaric crusade for the fallacy of “racial purity.” Worse, the Nazis went as far as to steal the possessions of their victims, collect their hair for pillows, fashion soap from human fat, conduct human experimentation and similar acts so genuinely disgusting and unequivocally evil that it defies any comprehension.
The rest, as they say, is history. The Third Reich crumbled by the ends of 1945. The men (and women, for this was not a crime relegated to one gender only) responsible for aiding and abetting this act of genocide were tried and many hanged. Men like Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler, chose to take their own lives rather than face the enormity of their crimes.
Before the War came to a close, the Nazis had issued orders to eliminate all evidence of the Holocaust. Train tracks were torn up, thousands of documents burnt and destroyed, and camps evacuated in a desperate effort to escape the wrath of the approaching Allies. Yet they did not succeed. They did not silence the truth. And the annals of our history shall forevermore bear a mark we cannot (and must not) remove. The blood of innocents, six million innocents, men, women and children, mere names and numbers on Reich documents, but living, breathing souls slaughtered under perhaps one of the most infamous mottoes ever written:
46 The Long Read
“Work, shall set you free.”- Arbeit Mach Frei Now, 75 years after the end of the Second World War, we are at risk of forgetting the Holocaust. The enormity of that statement and its severity cannot be understated. Sixty-six percent of US millennials are ignorant as to what Auschwitz was. Forty-one percent of millennials believe that it was two million or fewer Jews murdered by the Nazis. And while there may be those that argue that in an age of Trump and political unrest there are more important matters to focus on, and others may be so ignorant as to claim that the Holocaust was a past event, and we should “leave it at that”, they are wrong.
George Santayana once said that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” And if we allow ourselves to forget the true extent of the horrors of the Holocaust, our greatest shame as a species, our darkest moment, then we have failed. We have failed ourselves, and failed the truth, but most importantly if we forget, we have failed the murdered millions who were never allowed a voice to cry out against their torment. would have us act as if this never happened at all, it If we forget, then those men whose names live on in is vital, vital that we continue to condemn, continue to infamy: Hitler, Eichmann, Himmler, Goebbels, Hoss, weep for the dead, continue to remember. Heydritch, Goering, those men are guaranteed a victory. Victory to gain exemption from their crimes, and Remember the Jews, stripped naked and shaved, dying. a victory which they must never be allowed to have. Remember the innocents who wasted away, walking skeletons in dilapidated and filthy barracks. Remember It is tempting, when discussing Hitler’s high command, the families hanged, buried alive, shot. Remember the and the Fuhrer himself, to refer to these men as millions denied a resting place, ashes scattered, bodies “monsters”. However, they were not monsters. To call bulldozed in the thousands. Remember the men in these men monsters is to evolve them into something their black leather uniforms and scarlet armbands who fantastical, fictional, unnatural, a dark bogeyman. These signed off name after name to death. Remember the men were not monsters, no. We must remember that soldiers, as they opened fire on helpless victims who they were humans. Humans fully aware of their actions, had done them no wrong. Remember the names of fully aware of the orders they gave, remorseless, Auschwitz, of Chelmno, of Dachau… merciless, human beings that perpetrated a genocide, knowing with clarity and absolute certainty what the And remember the sea of the dead, souls braver than result would be. Not monsters, no. Humans. Bigoted, you or I shall ever be; beautiful, human, innocent souls depraved, cowardly, vile thinking, sapient beings. Men stripped of their humanity, their identity, their pride, a who swayed thousands to adore them, to support them, galaxy of faded yellow stars all which read: to worship a cult of hatred, and who wished to rebuild the foundation of their Reich on the ashes of an entire Jude murdered people. That is the tragedy of human nature, the ghastly realisation of our worst excesses, how Remember the murdered. Remember the Holocaust. indescribably vicious and barbaric we are capable of being with our fellow man. For the living proof of how low “It happened, therefore it can happen again: this is the humanity has sunk look no further than the Holocaust. core of what we have to say. It can happen, and it can happen everywhere.”-Primo Levi Among the Jewish community, there is a propensity for referring to the Holocaust as the Shoah, Hebrew for Pablo L, Year 12 “Destruction.” And that is the tragic reality. Destruction. Annihilation. An act of heart-wrenching cruelty that will stain our history for centuries forevermore. And now with the rise of Neo-Nazi groups, alt-right anti-Semites, and the emergence of foul Holocaust deniers who
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