Welcome to the second 2021 edition of The Harlington Chronicle. Our school newspaper is written, edited and designed fully by students that wish to share their experiences and interests with the Harlington community. In this edition, we have a wide range of content, including articles on ‘beauty’ and its impact on society, COVID’s impact on the environment and racism in football. In addition, we have a section focused on the Art Competition that we recently ran, as well as other entries for the recent Poet Laureate Competition. Also, do not miss our feature on Red Nose Day which includes some of our students’ experiences in undertaking a Sponsored Silence! Finally, our newspaper concludes with a poem based on returning to school by our new Poet Laureate—Richelle Bekoe. Especially for Red Nose Day, our designers have gone with a ‘red’ theme in which all pieces of work in this issue are decorated with red—or similar colours—in some way. Our team of writers, editors and designers meet weekly (online for the moment) to discuss the creation of the newspaper. If you are interested in finding out more about joining, please email: [email protected] Also, if you would ever like to occasionally send articles through, feel free to send your work to this email and we will happily feature your work in the upcoming edition! I hope you enjoy reading the second edition! Francesca White—Leader of The Harlington Chronicle Many thanks to all those that contributed to this issue: Matthew Drummond, Abigail Flower, Rebecca Gendi, Fiza Hasnain, Xavier Hendicott, Olivia Jephson, Meshah Kuevi, Grace Lovering, Harry McArthur, Amaad Mehmood, Zara Morris, Alero Omishore, Tyra Origbe, Libby Smith, Olivia Tough. A special thanks also to Mr Smeath for his continual help in organising the group! Any ideas expressed within the following articles are representative of individuals’ opinions and are not representative of Harlington Upper School as a whole. Contents Red Nose Day Art Competition She Was Walking Home by Grace Lovering How COVID-19 Has Impacted the Environment by Olivia Tough Hope Poem by Rebecca Gendi Beauty and Its Impact by Fiza Hasnain How English Lessons at Harlington Upper School Inspired Me to Write a Story by Xavier Hendicott Hope Poem by Alex Greaves Are World & Club Champions in Elite Team Sports Really Champions on Merit? By Abigail Flower An Overview of Languages by Francesca White Hope Poem by Nathan Muwowo Racism in Football by Matthew Drummond Poet Laureate Poem: The Fear of Going Back by Richelle Bekoe Front cover by Jack Clayburn RED NOSE DAY What is Red Nose Day? Red Nose Day is a way of fundraising to tackle important issues like homelessness, hunger, domestic abuse and mental health. What has our school done? Our school raised money for Red Nose Day through some different activities: • Non–school uniform day • Face mask decorating competition • Sponsored Silence When I asked some of the students that participated in the Sponsored Silence how they found staying silent for charity, these were their responses: As someone who is talking non-stop, doing a Sponsored Silence was quite a challenge. Being silent has never really been in my nature and so I’ve never really taken the time to appreciate what it feels like to be silent, but this opportunity immersed me into the reality of being unheard. There were times when I didn’t have my whiteboard with me and so I couldn’t communicate with my friends and it frustrated me – very slightly in comparison to those who long to communicate but can’t because those with the power to help them deem them too insignificant to listen to. I realised over these days of being silent that many disadvantaged, suffering children and adults must feel this way. It’s over for me now, but it will persist in their lives forever. Those who are innocent, ill and lacking the facilities to save them, or those desperate to protect themselves and their families from bombs and bullets while fighting their own battle to stay alive in their state of extreme poverty, those who are starving, un-educated, homeless. Even the people in your own home town, drowning quietly in a state of depression. Millions of people unseen, uncared for, unheard. Millions of people in a state of perpetual ‘silence’ not because they cannot talk, scream, cry but because no one wants to hear. It doesn’t have to be this way for these people. There are people that exist, like those working for Comic Relief, that are going to help but only if we can help them. Now is the time to choose what type of person you want to be - one that puts their fingers in their ears and turns away, or one that listens, helps and donates. Rebecca Gendi Last week, I think I proved to many of you that I do not necessarily need to talk to communicate with others. Obviously, this was a challenge, but all of you that know me personally truly know how much of a challenge it was for me. (I am aware many of you were delighted in my silence, however all “good things” must come to an end). I am proud to have participated in the sponsored silence with other students within the sixth form, it was a great way to raise money and awareness for Comic Relief. I think it was an outstanding way to maintain morale especially in these challenging times that we are facing. Amaad Mehmood ART COMPETITION WE RECENTLY HELD AN ART COMPETITION AND ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE RESULTS IN THIS EDITION. WE HAVE BEEN VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE ENTRIES RECEIVED AND LOOK FORWARD TO DIVERSIFYING INTO OTHER AREAS OF THE ARTS FOR FUTURE CONTRIBUTIONS. WINNER JACK CLAYBURN RUNNERS UP ALEX MCLEAN ZAK ZAIDI She Was Walking Home Trigger Warning (TW)// This article will cover rape, sexual harassment & abuse A serving Met police officer has been charged with the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old who disappeared in South London as she walked home. The young woman’s body was found in woodland in Kent more than a week after she was last spotted on March 3rd. Wayne Couzens, 48, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court to be charged with her murder, receive his punishment and provide closure for Sarah’s family and friends. This tragic event has understandably sparked an outburst of furious and frustrated women sharing their own personal experiences with sexual harassment in an attempt to educate mainly men on everyday dangers that we as females face. We speak about how many women are raped each year, not about how many men rape women. We speak about how many school girls are harassed each year; not about how many boys harassed them. The passive voice has an impactful and political effect on shifting the focus off males and onto females. In Jackson Katz’s Ted Talk “violence against women: it’s a men’s issue,” he highlights the fact that female assault is a “bad thing that happens to women, but when you look at the term violence against women, nobody is doing it to them. It just happens. Men aren’t even a part of it!”. As soon as a situation occurs, such as Sarah Everard’s case, a plethora of questions are fired towards the victim. What was she wearing? Was she alone? What was the time? Where was she? Was she intoxicated? Did she have headphones in? None of the answers to these questions are an invitation for sexual harassment or abuse. Stop burdening women with the weight of other men’s actions. Stop blaming the victim rather than the abuser. The phrase “not all men” has been thrown around recently in response to women calling out all men on social media for their behaviour. On the surface, it is possible to recognise why seemingly innocent men may become defensive and offended by the claim, however I believe it is down to lack of education. In attempts to explain this ideology, an analogy between humans and wasps can be used: if a singular wasp hovers near you, you’re aware that the chances of it stinging you are pretty slim. However, if you become surrounded by a swarm of wasps, your immediate reaction would be to run away out of fear of being stung. The same goes for women’s fear of men in certain situations, there is no chance to differentiate between the “good guys” and the “bad guys”. Women know it’s not all men. But we don’t know which men. So we have to remain wary of all men. You’re not being accused; you’re being asked to support. According to the YouGov Survey of over 1,000 women in January 2021 by UN Women UK, 97% of women between the ages of 18-24 said they had been sexually harassed. Ninety seven percent. This statistic of virtually all women seems so extreme and absurd that many men have disputed the claims. It seems unfathomable to half of the population yet is a reality to the rest. Another metaphorical instance where we can compare the subject is that of being involved in a car accident. If you were to get hit by a car, sure, you’d probably not be scared of all cars. But, if 97% of the population were hit by cars, I can guarantee you’d be terrified of them. So, what do we do about it? This situation is in the hands of boys and men now.