Sixth Form Mercury Wilson’s School’s newest student-run publication Volume 2, Issue 14, April 2013

Uni-d this Information!

For those of us in the Upper Skip the student finance talk. 6th, who don’t have an Ox- Do you want to spend half an bridge offer to make up our hour being told that this uni- minds for us, we are going versity has the same student on a final round of three- finance policy as the last 5 hour train journeys and universities you’ve visited by a horrendously boring stu- 45 year old bloke, who chuck- dent finance talks, trying to les after his half hearted find a uni we can stomach attempt at banter about ‘last giving £27,000 to. night’s game’? Just visit the student finance stall where his Many of you in the lower colleague will tell you all you sixth have not yet experi- need to know in about three enced the bleary-eyed 6:04 minutes. to Sheffield. It’s a bit rub- bish, but it has to be done - Go on a campus tour instead. and who knows, you may Uni open days are a valuable way to get an impression of Steer the conversation away even find it slightly worth- where you’re going to spend three years and £27,000 from management-approved while. So we’ve compiled a ‘interesting facts’ about the guide of ‘helpful tips’ and history of the Great Hall and ended up sounding worryingly like your Consider going without your parents. talk about the stuff you will actually care mum. Ever tried asking what the night life is like about at university. whilst stood next to your dad? Exactly. BEFORE YOU GO Go to a taster lecture. As well as being a Do your research. Look on university WHILST YOU ARE THERE last chance check that you care about websites. Look at the course and the aca- Walk around. If you are early, walk to the your course, it also gives you a chance to demics. Is it worth visiting? Make sure uni. Get a bit lost. Get a feel for the city. judge the teaching quality and will hope- you can ask more interesting questions Keep a look out for interesting shops or fully be quite interesting. than ‘what’s in the course?’ Even look at whatever else the area might throw at the waste of cyberspace that is The Stu- you. Could you live here for three years? Talk to the academics. Even if you don’t dent Room. In between kids fretting that have any specific questions about the their B grade at RE GCSE will see them Talk to the student ambassadors. Alt- course, ask about their speciality and see instantly rejected from LSE and lonely hough they are generally on the universi- if you would be happy to learn from guys crying their hearts out to the unin- ty’s payroll, they are often friendly and them. terested internet about the lack of fe- helpful. Just bear in mind that you may males in their lives, there is the occasion- not get a truthful answer to an awkward Speak to the other people on the open al worthwhile post on there. The ‘ask a question, especially if a member of staff is day. They are a cross section of the uni- fresher’ threads can give you a taste of in earshot. versity’s applicants and, at the offer hold- uni life, even if it is (probably) just one ers open day, the people you could po- internet nerd’s opinion. Visit the Student Union. The SU organise tentially be sitting next to in lectures. It’s Fresher’s Week, student societies and healthy to talk to strangers and if you can Get a student rail card. Dull fact of the many of your nights out. Have a chat and find a few like minded people at the open day: they only cost £28 but get you 1/3 see what’s going on. They will also be far day then you will probably fit in come off almost all journeys. more willing to tell you about any griev- September. ances they have against the university. Visit in term time. It isn’t always possible, but you don’t quite pick up a university’s Pick up the student paper. If there is any- atmosphere when the only people about thing wrong with the university, in true are the academics and a handful of lonely journalistic spirit, they will jump at it and students. blow it way out of proportion. By Louis Woodhead

2 Sixth Form Mercury, April 2013

Dear All, Article Page The time for exams returns after a measly six weeks of lurking in the Information uni-d 1 deep, dark recesses of our broken folders and crammed diaries. So, naturally, revision is driving us all to jump off bridges and pull that Message from the editors 2 trigger that looks ‘ever so tempting’. The monarchy question 2

Well, before you do, have a read of this. It’ll probably cheer you all Two nights of Twelfth Night 3 up a bit... Miserable sods. The logic of Lorenzo 4

Happy revising! Kane Walpole and Nikhil Vyas

The Monarchy Question By Nikhil Vyas

For those of you who follow the Chinese important is the unquantifiable influence from the truth: Britain has one of the Zodiac, 2013 is apparently the Year of the that the monarch holds across the coun- richest heritages in the world. Between Snake. Somewhat appropriately, the try, through patronage or charity, along Shakespeare, Newton, Darwin, Brunel, snake represents unscrupulous dealings with the Royal Prerogative that allows her Dickens and the rest of the pantheon of and cunning - perfect for any budding to declare war without support from Par- national figures, combined with every- politicians out there. My own zodiac sign, liament. thing this country has been through, we the Year of the Pig, doesn’t swing around have more than enough history to be until 2019, meaning I have to wait a Monarchists are fond of claiming that the proud of. whole six years before I can truly cele- lack of written constitution in this coun- brate my supposedly passionate and de- try, coupled with the ambiguity of having At the heart of it, however, the monarchy termined nature. a seemingly powerless figure as Head of is such a deep-rooted institution that State, represents the ‘perfect kind of gov- whose validity people are afraid to dis- 2012, however, was the Year of the Mon- ernment’, yet this is based on the as- cuss. It’s left to individuals like Morrissey archy. Between the glorified boat parade sumption that a monarch has less of a to deliver the occasional rant and be la- that was the Diamond Jubilee, the unbri- propensity to start a nuclear war than a belled deranged, or boring, or unpatriotic. dled jingoism of the Olympics and, re- democratically elected president. And if it cently, the wonderfully ‘unexpected’ comes to it, I'd rather have someone with Yet this is the greatest enemy of a free news of Kate Middleton’s pregnancy, the a popular mandate and experience with state - when an issue can no longer be Royal Family have had more than their their finger on the button. fairly discussed, then we must genuinely fair share of tax-payer funded publicity. question the values of our society. Espe- And there’s no indication that it’ll end: Other arguments are economic: the Daily cially when that issue is one that flies in what with the most titled offspring of the Telegraph smugly told readers that the the face of any democratic principle: the decade entering the world this year, as monarchy only costs 62p a year per adult, idea of having a political position that is well as the impending demise of our cur- yet this does not account for the royal unattainable purely because of whose rent Queen (we can be reasonably sure security detail assigned to royal figures, child you are. that this medieval institution will stay or expenses such as the Royal Wedding or around for a while longer). Diamond Jubilee. It’s not fair on us, it’s not fair on the roy- als themselves (face it: would you want to Yet why does the monarchy inspire such And whilst the monarchy may apparently live your life, from cradle to grave, with devotion? Almost all the institutional bring in more money than it costs the whole world watching you?) and it’s relics of Britain's past are slipping: House through tourism, this is also based on the not fair on the values of this country: of Lords reform is on the agenda, the false supposition that without a royal rationality, decency and pointlessness. Supreme Court is now the final court of family, we would automatically lose all Though, perhaps, it fulfils the last of those appeal and even the Church of England is visitors for royal houses and other sites. three. changing its traditional stance on gay Look at France’s Palace of Versailles: now marriage and women clergy - but the a proud symbol of the overthrow of a legitimacy of the Royal Family still goes tyrannical regime, and one of the coun- unquestioned. try’s most popular destinations.

Whilst it may seem that very little power Which leads to my final point: monar- is held by the monarchy - all the Queen chists pretend that without the royal fam- essentially does is sign laws and formally ily, there would be no focal point for appoint the Prime Minister - what is more British unity. This couldn’t be further 3 Sixth Form Mercury, April 2013

Two Nights of Twelfth Night By Marcus Bird Adam Ant, Madonna, The Human adding to the concept of misunder- League, Culture Club, David Bowie, standings that is pervasive in Twelfth Madness and ... Shakespeare. Night.

An eclectic mix of eighties legends and The costumes deserve a special men- the most famous playwright in the tion too: Barbara pulled out all the world came together in Mr Kavanagh’s stops in ensuring that every character unashamedly camp production of was a near perfect representation of Twelfth Night. the Eighties figure that was the inspira- tion behind their portrayal. When a shipwrecked Viola (Gabriel Agranoff) stumbles into the mad world The Eighties theme emphasised the of Illyria she becomes entangled in a hedonistic nature of the play as well as web of confusion, love and uncomfort- furthering the idea of confused gender ably convincing cross-dressing. Shake- Jack Taperell as Malvolio and identities – the androgynous disposi- speare’s Twelfth Night is based around Peter Chappell as Olivia tion of the Eighties being legendary - the Christian tradition’s twelve days of and the visual flamboyance of this Christmas and when the play was showed throughout. theme added even more to the party written these twelve days were a time atmosphere. of feasting, celebration and turning One of the most surprising elements, typical scenarios on their heads. perhaps, was the enthusiasm the cast Drama at Wilson’s seems to be growing showed for belting out Eighties classics more popular by the day and with per- Certainly this can be seen in the play as such as Madonna’s ‘Like A Virgin’ and formances like that of Twelfth Night women dress as men, a manservant David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’ which also and also The Madness of King George III makes a committed – if naïve – attempt led to some entertaining, if not totally (a production from earlier in the year) it at wooing his lady and Feste the fool choreographically perfect, dance rou- is an encouraging sign for theatre- (Conrad Jefferies, of course) encour- tines. lovers at the school. The drama group’s ages madness and mayhem every- production of Twelfth Night was bril- where. Harry Gower’s and Nikhil Vyas’s rendi- liant and no doubt everyone is looking tion of and choreography to the pain- forward to the next performance they Performing a Shakespeare comedy that fully catchy ‘Don’t You Want Me?’ had put on. is engaging for a modern audience is a everyone in fits of laughter – dancing is feat that is rarely achieved, yet this is definitely not their forte. Conrad, how- what the ever-growing drama group at ever, showed a particular flair for sing- Wilson’s has managed. Nikhil Vyas’s ing. His rendition of Culture Club’s ‘Do portrayal of Sir Toby Belch, a drunken You Really Want to Hurt Me?’ was the bumbling mess, had the audience in perfect background for the touching stitches with his antics, especially the scene between Alex Micallef and Gabri- friendly mockery of his slow-witted ally el Agranoff and it was impossible not to Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Harry Gower). be moved by the depth of emotion that both of these promising actors project- His performance was second only to ed. Kane Walpole’s Maria in comedic value. Looking unnervingly feminine in his Jack Taperell’s Margaret Thatcher- dress and high heels, Kane gave many inspired Malvolio blew the crowd away of us confusing dreams that night. as well. His comedic and moving repre- sentation of this reserved character Kane Walpole: “unnervingly feminine” Another worryingly convincing trans- really grappled with the deeper themes vestite in the play was Peter Chappell, of love, servility and ambition that playing the character Olivia. Peter’s make up the essence of Malvolio - expression of mistaken love for Gabri- where there is always the risk of com- el’s Viola came across as heartfelt and ing across as flat or unimaginative. genuine, and together the two per- formed several moving scenes for the Conrad Jefferies’ interpretation of the audience. This was made yet more witty fool Feste again provided further poignant by the obvious uncertainty in comic elements to the play, with the desire that Orsino (Alex Micallef) androgyny of his inspiration Boy George 4 Sixth Form Mercury, April 2013

The logic of Lorenzo By Lorenzo Wong The trio that helped transform British sport

It’s not difficult to come up with a list of named them ‘The Three Degrees’ after the Suddenly, kids of all ethnicities across Eu- prolific English black footballers. Rio Ferdi- U.S. soul singing trio. rope began to impersonate Cunningham’s nand, Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell, Ian darting runs and Regis’s powerful efforts Wright, and so on. ‘The Three Degrees’ quickly banished any on goal. The likes of Ian Wright and Paul sceptics as they became the core of one of Ince recall how it was the Albion trio which But there was a time when things weren’t the most exciting and talented sides in really got them believing in a career in that simple, where the terraces throughout England. Regis, a devastatingly powerful sport. ‘The Three Degrees’, from such hum- Britain were hostile and dangerous places and quick striker, made mince meat of ble beginnings, had begun a steady pro- to play in front of for those who didn’t opposition defences; Batson, a deft and gression towards equality in British foot- conform to the prevailing stereotype. Tak- composed full back, made sure that the ball. ing part in ‘the beautiful game’, therefore, same didn’t happen to the Albion defence. was never as attractive for black players as Nowadays, football, and sport in general, is it is today. But the man who truly shook the founda- a lot more accessible and embracing. Of tions of British football from its dormant the 30 players currently at the club I sup- Yet some did brave the inevitable adversi- perceptions was Laurie Cunningham. port, 23 are from outside the UK. But argu- ties in an attempt to express their talent ably the best example of equality in sport is amidst the racial discrimination. And sure This extraordinary left winger would go on right before our noses – our school, which enough, some began to flourish. to smash record after record. The first has always supported and encouraged black player to feature in an England U21 anyone with an interest in extra-curricular In 1977, , Leeds United legend game and an England senior competitive activities no matter one’s ability or circum- and then player-manager of West Brom- match. The first black player to play for stance. wich Albion, signed youngsters Real , and the first player to play for and Laurie Cunningham in an attempt to Real Madrid and Manchester United. Most So, if in the near future you find yourself continue his club’s rise through the First stunning of all, the first and only Real Ma- making your way to the astros or to the Division. drid player to receive a standing ovation cricket nets with your mates, perhaps from the Barcelona faithful at the Nou spare a thought for the individuals who Though Giles resigned in the same year, his Camp. A Barca fan once famously re- helped make such an arrangement so long-term replacement , who marked, “it was like seeing *Johan+ Cruyff harmless and ordinary through combating would go on to be the predecessor at Unit- but with black skin”. once harsh stereotypes. ed of the great Sir Alex Ferguson, signed Brendan Batson from Cambridge United. Cunningham’s life was tragically cut short (And if you’ve found this article uninspir- The quick-fire signing of three black players in a car crash in Madrid, aged just 33. But ing, then perhaps I can make up for it by was unusual for the period, and sensing an what he and his fellow Albion team-mates recommending to you the original Three opportunity for a laugh, Atkinson nick- would leave behind is a legacy which Degrees. Some of their songs are decent.) should last forever.