1 Gillingham School Virtual Sports Tour 2020 The PE Department recently set a monster of a challenge through our Instagram page for students, parents and staff to travel 3100 miles across Europe. By sending through evidence of their physical activity at home we collated the miles to replicate the travelling distances required. Originally we thought we would be looking at 3-4 weeks to complete the challenge. However, as always, our school community stepped up and rose to the task. In just 6 days the tour was complete, finishing in Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Prior to this we had visited Wembley, Johan Cruyff Arena, Parc des Princes, Allianz Arena, Stadio Olimpico, San Siro and Camp Nou. A big thank you and well done to everyone who contributed, we really were blown away by the quantity of people from our whole school community who got involved. You can find all the highlights of the ‘Tour’ on the Instagram page @gillingham_pe_department. We are taking a short break from the weekly challenges but will be back soon with another one for you, so keep your eyes peeled. PHOTOGRAPHY Some of our photography students’ creations using fused plastic 2 This month sees the deadline of the Royal Geographical Society 'Young Geographer of the Year' competition. This is a globally recognised prestigious competition which is entered by thousands of Geography students every year from across the UK. If their work is selected by the RGS they will be invited to attend an internationally recognised awards ceremony (currently planning to be held virtually this year). Zuzanna Jaroni This accolade is looked upon very favourably by the top universities as well as employers. This year's theme is ‘The world beyond my window’ which is an opportunity to explore the geography immediately outside their homes and beyond. These entries explore how the individual is connected to and influenced by their chosen place - Isabel Board Cai Sasaki-Evans be the connection physical, digital or emotional. Year 9 have still been busy collecting Bronze Awards and have risen to the challenge of online learning. They have continued to achieve and show the highest of standards. Teachers have been issuing Bronze Awards for the fantastic work that the students have been producing. We have three more students that have achieved their Gold Ties by receiving 50 Bronze Awards. Congratulations go to Ruby Stockley, Rae Bowden and Charlotte Berry and we will be making arrangements for them to receive their Gold Ties. https://www.facebook.com/ theDofE/ 3 Year 7 are completing weekly challenges at the moment. Their first two challenges were Bake and decorate a cake and Year 7 Wildlife Photographers of the Year! Well done to all those that took part. Mr Bignell 4 I think it is safe to say that this school year has been unlike no other! If you had said to me in September that school would be closed from March until the end of the year because of a virus pandemic, I wouldn't have believed you, but here we are and it all seems pretty real now. However, the thing I find really interesting about all of this, is how so many of us are missing school. When you spend so long, doing the same routine every week, being told that you have to do work from home and not go to school seems like a dream—but in reality, it isn't quite so. All the school trips, cancelled or postponed. All of the clubs at lunch, unavailable now. Seeing your friends altogether, and within two metres, it’s been a while. Having that reason to wake up in the morning. When school starts at 9 am, you have to be there, there aren't exceptions. But when your walk to school is just going down the stairs, or just to a table, it becomes harder to remind yourself that you still need to get your school work done. For some that don’t like change, this has also been an uphill battle. I didn't realise how much just being surrounded by people in a classroom changes the work atmosphere. When you get stuck on something, you can ask someone nearby. You can look around and see all the people that you know. Now, the only company you have is your family and pets (which I am sure has been a bit tedious for all of us at times!) This lockdown may have been frustrating every now and then, and I am sure lots of us wish it could all go back to normal soon, but there are some good things that we can get from it. I appreciate lots of things that I took for granted so much more now since I have been stuck inside. I went in a car for the first time in 10 weeks and I was amazed at its technology! It felt so strange to be in this ‘object’ that gets me from A to B so quickly! I also didn't realise how much noise birds make. It may seem so obvious and such a silly thing to say, but without the cars going by and the hubbub of people around me, all I can hear is the birds and the rain! I am definitely not going to take the ability to walk freely outside for granted again. The idea of ‘unessential’ travel and shopping seems like a fantasy! Having to be inside for such a long time has made me realise that being outside is so nice, especially when it is this time of year and you aren't having to wear thick winter coats and hats because it is so cold! I think it is a very strange situation as on the one hand, this is the most free time from school we are ever going to have so, (along with school work) we should try and make sure we are doing things we like to do and wouldn’t normally have time to do, now that lots of our hobbies and clubs are cancelled too. But also this is the most time we are going to have to improve at something and become better, to catch up on things we don’t understand to have better test results and do better in exams. What would you do? We have also spent the past year witnessing the increase of damage and stress to our world that we put on it. Particularly the factories producing the harmful gases and the plastic that can’t be recycled getting into the oceans and killing wildlife. Well, the lockdown meant that there were less factories being open, and it’s helped repair some of the damage! 73% of all fish have plastic in them, something we can’t fix, but now, not only were there dolphin sightings in the Venice Canals, but at Studland Bay, here in Dorset, Seahorses have returned. I personally didn’t even know we had seahorses here! It is the biggest population of them since 2008. So yes, this lockdown has been tough at times, and I really do just want things to be normal, for everyone, but knowing that staying and working from home helps our families and saves lives, as well as our planet, well, that makes it worth it, doesn’t it? 5 What have we been up to in lockdown? I asked some of my friends what they have been doing to pass time in lockdown. Here are some of their answers! “I have been dancing a lot and playing board games with my family.” “watching TikToks and Youtube videos.” “I have gone out on long walks with my family, have enjoyed going cycling and I have started an art project with my mum on an artist I am studying at school.” “I have taught myself the guitar, I’ve been running 20km a week and baking for my family, friends and neighbours most days.” “I have had socially distanced picnics with my friends and learning to drive on the local airfield” Have you been doing anything similar? Personally, I have made bread quite a few times and done some letters to my friends as I couldn’t see them. Thoughts about the future We have all had to adapt, even businesses. The fact that all businesses have coped doing their meetings at home via software like ‘zoom’, or, one that we all know and love, Microsoft Teams! Does this mean that in the future, all business meetings will be done online, saving people having to travel, seeing as they can easily do it on a computer? Being able to see someone in person is so different to online, I think it would be more intimidating! Who knows what the future has in store, but let’s hope it is not another virus! So that’s the student’s perspective of lockdown. I think lots of us are unsure right now as to what is going to happen, but we are all having to take each day as it comes. We have all been improving at something, whether that is baking or running. So, whilst we sit and do our school work now at home, we can know that in 100 years’ time, children our age will be learning about what are living through right now and just how crazy it was! Rae Bowden in Year 9 has been experimenting with her art and has produced this amazing piece! Isabel Board in Year 8 has been doing lots of baking and made this tasty– looking cake! ARTICLE BY MARISSA HERON 6 2nd June A working week in the life of lockdown 74 days, 10 hours and 16 minutes.