It's Been a Wild and Wet Start to the Year!
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Contents: 2:Welcome 3-6:Hot Topic 7-16:Creative Writing Corner 17-18:Desert Island Discs 19: A Special Thankyou It’s been a wild and wet start to the year! 1 Welcome Hello and welcome to the fantastic fourth edition. We have a wide variety of creative writing from poetry to personal writing. In addition, we have a selection of articles about Christmas. It may seem ages ago but read them through and make your own decision. Is Christmas overrated? As always, if you would like to contribute come and meet the team – now on a Tuesday in Room 36A. Enjoy! The Test Valley Telegraph Team 2 Is Christmas Overrated? Ladies and gentlemen, I am here in front of you today to speak to you about the idea that Christmas is over-rated. Have you ever really thought about Christmas day itself? I bet that if you did all you would see is a stressful, crazy and manic time! I agree that Christmas is nice because some families are all together. There is the fact that some families are not all together, for a variety of different reasons, such as: some parents are in the military and are away over Christmas, some are without a family or have parents who have separated. Christmas has been around for centuries. When it first came around it was an act of kindness. A man called Saint Nicholas would give money to poor families every year so they could buy or do things they needed, but over the time more and more traditions from different places have been added, making it over-rated. Firstly, who agrees that Christmas starts way too early? Now, it starts between the middle and end of October which makes it collide with Halloween. This also makes people feel pressured into getting things ready for Christmas and start buying things that they do not necessarily need or have normally in their over-filled trolley! On the other hand, I can see that people may like this so they are organised and also so they have something bigger to look forward to. Alongside it starting early there is the music: Music is one of the other things that starts far too early. Every morning, on a weekday, I catch the school bus. Nearly every year we hear a Christmas song in October. As very few new songs are released at Christmas, the old ones are forced against their will to be played over and over again. Once you have heard the line, “snow is 3 falling” a hundred times you end up not being happy and jolly, but just wanting to get Christmas out the way and as far in the past as possible! Finally, before I make you fall asleep, there are the lies, disappointment and ungratefulness. Parents teach their children not to lie but ironically lie to their offspring for years about Santa. I can see that it brings magic to this time of year, but it is not meant to be based around magic, but kindness. Overall, the whole point of Christmas, as far as I can see it, is to over- pack you with turkey, gifts and pointless songs. If this has not opened your eyes and make you see that Christmas is over-rated then at least I got it all off my chest. Thank you for listening. By Shauna Hutchinson 11A 4 Is Christmas overrated? Ladies and Gentlemen. Christmas? The most wonderful time of the year? Dancing around a magical tree which bears all the toys and goodies you’ve ever wanted? However, have you looked deeper? Have you seen behind the mask of this “joyful” time? Firstly, the beginning of Christmas. It almost starts when it has just ended. Kids; thinking of what they want next year the second they get bored of the toys they opened 10 minutes before. Toy companies; thinking about new ways to sap money out of your banks with overpriced plastic models. But it really starts to get “festive” usually after Halloween. Personally, I think this is way too early and it should at least start 5-6 weeks before, but there is a positive side to this such as getting presents before they have all been sold out in the mad rush of these so called “Christmas Shops.” People panic and buy any old thing that may relate or interest the receiver! Secondly, on a more or less joyful note; preparation and activities... “Christmas Preparation” the most hated words of this most thrilling time. Endless hours of rummaging through all the junk you may have in your attic, searching for the old plastic tree you may or may not have, plus scouting the shops for cheap lights and decorations. In addition, you may need to prepare for visiting family. Ready the rooms, clean the house and provide enough food. Just a few things you need to cause stress and break downs. I can see why it must be fun to set up the tree with your family but does it seem worth it? All that effort for a tree. Next, the topic I will be talking about is a sensitive one... CHRISTMAS MUSIC! Where do I begin? This repetitive mass of unthought-of notes and words booming out of radios and shop PA Systems Really Terminates Christmas for me and many other people. These dull tones 5 of musical mush are more than likely going to drive you insane. Most Christmas music is made within a day to rocket the bands’ funds through the roof. Do you think you can endure months of annoyingly dull drones with basic rhythms? I can see the whole point of Christmas music (to get you in a “Joyful Christmas spirit”) but I still don’t get why it’s so repetitive. Another negative point about Christmas is the money. Money is the main reason that Christmas is a waste of time. Every year people spend all their money on gifts that people will only look at once. The joys and merry atmosphere suddenly dies when you take a first look at your bank account. So where does all this money go? Does it go to help the ones who need it? No. It goes towards companies making themselves richer, wider and stronger. Finally, I will be going onto food. Although the food may look and taste nice, don’t let its tasty demeanour fool you. Have you thought about what the poor animals on the farms go through each year? It must be some kind of turkey genocide. Moreover, have you been to one of those pick you own turkey farms, where you go and look through a number of live turkey and chose the biggest and fattest ones long before people have time to think about getting turkey at all? Sometimes I’ve seen people let their kids choose which turkey they want, but could you live with letting your own child condemn a poor innocent turkey to death? Well that concludes my speech. All in all I think that Christmas is one big over rated waste of time, but not all of it’s bad. So what do you think? Is Christmas Overrated? Sam Lloyd 6 In this edition we have a fantastic extract from Megan Brett’s latest work, ‘Ashes in the Ground’. Furthermore, we have an entry for the Rotary Club 500 word competition. We have even included a moving War poem! Finally, a super selection of poems from Year 7 inspired by William Blake poetry! Ashes in the ground Terror froze his limbs, and his mind reeled as Neave opened her mouth to say something, but only a horrific gargling, guttering sound escaped her lips as blood leaked from the corners of her mouth and seeped down her chin, dripping onto the collar of her school shirt and staining it from grey to red. With that, her knees gave way beneath her, and with a gasp Ash reached out his arms and caught her, dropping to his knees and holding her against him as they both fell to the floor. She looked up at him with her terror filled eyes, and tears tumbled from his own ashen grey eyes as he looked back at her with hopelessness. “Ash…” she spoke his name quietly and softly, sending protective urges and adrenaline souring through him. He shook away his tears, and covered her hands, which were still held over her wound, with his, and pressed down firmly. She cried out in pain and writhed for a second in agony, but he leant down and pressed his lips against her temple, shushing her and keeping his hands pressed firmly against her bleeding side. “Shh love.” He breathed, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “Keep the pressure on it, we need to stop the bleeding.” She stopped writhing, and shuddered to a stop, her breaths coming in shallow, irregular waves. He shifted his arm slightly to try and cover more of the wound, but the second he did, he only exposed more of it, and a small fountain of blood squirted up and into his sandy blond and gelled hair from the edge of Neave’s knife wound. He gagged and looked away, “George!” He turned to look at George, who looked like he was about to collapse himself. “GEORGE!” He bellowed again when he didn’t reply. George shook his head and swallowed nervously. 7 “Go and get help!” He ordered, feeling relieved when George shook himself and nodded, before turning and running as fast as he could back towards the school.