Barton Court Grammar School
CLARION!
WINTER EDITION—2017
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Contents Featuring Notes from Mr Nelson, Editor and Co-editors. 3. 4. 5 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Spanish Exchange Trip Spanish Exchange Trip Our Equestrian Team Our Equestrian Team Cross Country and Rugby Football Art Art Top Films of 2017 Top Albums of 2017
13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.
Recent News Recent News Christmas Quiz Christmas Crossword Trip to Le Chateau de Warsy Lessons from Auschwitz
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Lessons from Auschwitz
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Lessons from Auchwitz
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Creative Writing Competition
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Creative Writing Competition
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Is Feminism Sexist?
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Italy Trip
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Cologne Trip
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Cologne Trip
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Festive Recipes
28. 29.
International Day of Languages The Philosophy Challenge
30.
The Philosophy Challenge
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Trip to Shakespeare's Globe
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Trip to Shakespeare's Globe
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Microbiology Club
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New Build Update
Hello, `Clarion!` Readers! How far `Clarion!` has evolved is dependent on how far students and staff have accounted for the strange series of events that comprise our shared history. When you think you know what is `going on`, so they say, is just when you have to check that - carefully. It is not only fake news that makes you think twice about what is occurring. And, by reading through this `Clarion!`, it has only been a pleasure finding out about the strangeness and difference of what other people do. If we just worshipped our own way of seeing things, where would be our collective enjoyment in that? We would deny ourselves important perspectives. In this magazine, our student writers, creatives and thinkers are not tweeting spontaneous `diplomacy` – not always, that I can tell. From this edition of `Clarion!`, I gauge students are engaging in extremely diverse fields of expertise, and more often than not, enjoying their experiments. And to remind all potential and active writers out there, `Clarion!` is looking for new writers with each and every edition. Step up and have your say. Note from Co-Editors: Mr. Nelson Thank you for reading this edition of ‘Clarion!’. We hope you enjoy Note from Editor: the vast range of topics submitted by our fellow student and teachers who worked so hard to create fascinating articles, and This edition covers broad topics, from school trips, to successes, that you can take away something from reading this today. So to recent news and includes relevant articles compiled by the many events have occurred within the last few month that we team. Thank you to all of the students and teachers who have contributed great articles and photos to make this magazine what hope to share and celebrate, so pick up a copy an enjoy. Amy Chrysostomou and Ellie Aylward it is. Enjoy reading. Nicole Rumball
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Welcome To Clarion! Note by Mr Macaulay, Head of School Welcome to the Christmas edition of our School magazine, the Clarion! which contains a small selection of the fun and educational activities that everyone has been involved with since the summer term plus some very interesting articles written by our students. A huge thank you goes to Mr Nelson, Nicole Rumball, Eleanor Aylward and Amy Chrysostomou for all their hard work, time and commitment producing it this term. A record amount of money was raised last year, £11,260 by our fantastic students and staff, for the students chosen charities: Cancer Research, Porchlight, Pilgrim’s Hospice and SNAAP, as well as other charities supported during the year such as MacMillan cancer support, Comic Relief, Jeans for Genes and Children in Need This year fundraising has already reached new heights and we have already raised £6,192, £800 more than at this point last academic year. A whopping £798 was raised from the Christmas Fayre last week alone. Students and staff had a super time with festivities all abound. Students are constantly giving their time and energy to worthy causes, such as providing contributions to the Canterbury Food Bank, making cakes for the Macmillan Coffee Morning and entertaining patients and staff at Pilgrim’s hospice. Our Head Boy, Jack, and our Head Girl, Ella have been brilliant this year and are not only excellent ambassadors for the School, but are also fantastic role models for younger students. They have worked tirelessly for the benefit of the School and shown a huge level of commitment and professionalism when carrying out their duties and representing us. The Senior Prefect Team’s contributions to the School have been well received and welcomed by both staff and students. We thank them all for their efforts. Please do take your time to read the whole magazine, in particular the fantastic articles written by the students and some of the excellent enrichment opportunities available at the School, with details of some of the day trips and residential trips that have been offered to our students. My personal favourites include the festive recipes, the trip to Cologne and the philosophy challenge. Barton Court and our students have had an extremely successful year. Students achieved high grades at A Level again. The A* - B pass rate increased by 5% and the overwhelming majority of students who wanted to go to university won a place at their first choice. The results from the summer make us the only Grammar school in the local area with a 100% pass rate at A level – something we are very proud of. At GCSE our students excelled. As you may be aware the government now uses a progress score to measure how effective schools are. Our progress 8 score of +0.56 was the highest not just in Canterbury but also in East Kent. This means, on average, our students made more than half a grade more progress than similar students in the country. We are very proud of all of them and pleased to say an overwhelming majority of them are continuing this success story in our Sixth form. We are extremely delighted and proud of our students’ achievements at both KS4 and KS5 and we celebrate these with them and their families at the annual Awards Evening on Tuesday 19 December at the University of Kent. Over the last five years the School has renovated over 40 classrooms as part of our rolling programme of school improvement, creating a 21st Century learning environment with the latest technology, allowing us to deliver outstanding teaching and learning. We now have Interactive Whiteboards in every classroom and over 185 new computers across the school site for student use. Our Sixth Form Learning Resource Centre and biometric registration for Sixth Form study periods is proving very popular with students, as they appreciate the best resources we can offer them. I thank you all for your patience whilst we developed and installed SIMS and the SIMS learning gateway earlier this term, the potential benefits of this system are immense and we look forward to fully harnessing these in the coming months. It is an extremely exciting time in the development of Barton Court as we are on the cusp of opening our new build facility in January. This is a truly awe inspiring building and will give us 7 new classrooms, 3 state-of-the-art Science laboratories, additional washrooms, lockers, new kitchen, servery and dining area. The new dining area and adjacent outside eating area will boost lunchtime capacity enormously. I have now been at Barton Court just over 6 months. It is such a privilege and pleasure to be Head of School at Barton Court Grammar School. Every day when I walk around the School and talk to students I am truly inspired by our young people, their ideas and their enthusiasm. The School has evolved and is now a truly outstanding grammar school delivering high quality education to our young people. This is the absolute minimum they deserve and Barton Court is a lovely, caring and supportive community within which we all learn and improve every day. The wide range of activities offered and the fundraising events organised by the students is testament to the hard work and commitment of all staff and students in making our school such a special place to learn and develop. I have no doubt that you will enjoy reading our Christmas edition of this magazine and I would like to take this opportunity to wish our readers a Merry Christmas with best wishes for the New Year from everyone at Barton Court Grammar School.
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Spanish Exchange Trip By Mrs Richardson In September 2017, 30 students ranging from Year 8 to Year 11 travelled to Madrid from Canterbury, as part of a Spanish Exchange. This was the seventh time this successful partnership between Barton Court Grammar School and Institute Las Rozas took place. During the trip, each student stayed with a Spanish student and their families which enabled them to live the Spanish lifestyle and obviously practice their Spanish. It was fantastic!
Here is a breakdown of what we did when we were on the Spanish Exchange.
30 students, along with Mr Garcia and Mrs Richardson, went to Spain on a Spanish exchange. After a day of travelling we arrived at Madrid airport and travelled half an hour or so to the town of Las Rozas where the school is situated and the students met their families to spend the first evening with them. The first day we went to the school where they had put on a programme of events just for us. The Spanish students prepared an amazing presentation in both Spanish and English telling the students everything about Spain including the different regions, famous beaches and mountains as well as historical sites to visit. They also did a general knowledge quiz based not only on Spain but around the world. Our students were also fortunate to have a music lesson in Spanish where they learnt to play instruments and sing to a well-known tune. Finally, they were given a talk by the history teacher about Madrid as we were due to go the next day. Again, the students spent the evening with their families. On the second day both Spanish and English students travelled to visit the beautiful city of Madrid. During the day we visited el Palacio Real (palace), Museo del Prado (museum), Parque del Retiro (park) and the Centro histรณrico (historical centre). Again the students spent the evening with their families.
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The next day was a local holiday in the town of Las Rozas so the students spent the day with their families. The town had organised lots of festivities, including a funfair with live music and food to sample. Most of our students went with their families at some stage over the 3 days the festivities took place.
On day 4 we went to Segovia, up in the mountains and visited the beautiful palace which was modelled on the Palace of Versailles in France. Then, we walked into the historical town and saw the famous aqueduct. Afterwards, we had a stroll into the very historical centre and the students had time to wander around. After taking 140 steps up the spiral staircase at the castle, we saw stunning views of the town and surrounding area.
The final day was spent with their families and the students did a variety of activities and then we travelled back to the UK and were in school by 3pm. Overall students had a great time. A lot of them were nervous to meet their families for the first time, but after the first day they all settled down and embraced the challenge of speaking Spanish whilst with their exchange families. The weather was also amazing and reached an average temperature of 27 degrees so it was quite a shock to come back the cold of the UK!! Many of the students have already arranged to keep in contact with their exchanges and some will be returning next summer once the Spanish pupils have visited Barton Court. All in all a successful trip!
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Our Equestrian Team! By Mrs Nuttall
In June 2017, a Barton Court Grammar School Equestrian Team was set up by two parents. Their first competition was shortly after at Felbridge Showground in East Sussex. The team of 4 Year 7 & Year 8’s entered the 70cm Grassroots and won it with 3 team members qualifying individually: 1st, 2nd and 5th place. They qualified for the Regional Grassroots Championships as a team which took place on the 26th November 2017. It was a freezing cold day but that didn’t deter them and all 4 team members went double clear with fast jump off times. They won!!! The team became Regional Grassroots Champions 2017 which is a fantastic achievement against teams from all over the South East. One team member was so fast she gained a 5 th in the individual competition too! At the end of the day a Mini Derby Hickstead qualifier was hosted and one of our team members won that and has qualified for the 2018 NSEA Mini Derby which is something else to look forward to in 2018. The other team members came 3 rd and 4th, just missing out on qualifying but there is still plenty of time to get a place.
On the same day in June at Felbridge, the team also competed in the 75cm class where they came 2nd out of 22 very competitive teams. This qualified them for the National Championships at Addington in Buckinghamshire on October 20 th this year. The team headed up the night before as it is a fair distance and early the next morning were plaited up prepared for competition. First up - the 75 final! There were 44 teams of 4 people in each. Each team only needs to take 3 scores through to the next round and with one members’ pony out of action we were lucky that the other 3 went double clear with some fast times to put them in 8 th place. 8 teams (we just sneaked in) qualified for the National Final that evening in the main indoor arena with a commentary box, it felt like they were taking part at Olympia! The final consisted of a speed jump off so the fastest team won. We managed to increase our placing to 7th NATIONALLY with 3 fantastic rounds. The teams came from all over England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. We didn’t appreciate what a fantastic achievement to even just qualify was until we saw the team sheets! They also competed at the Eventers Challenge (mix of cross country and show jumping fences) on that day so that the ponies weren’t just standing about doing nothing all day and came a very respectable 5th place.
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Why not join?
There are lots of competitions throughout 2018 but we need more members – there is dressage, show jumping, eventers challenges, cross country & eventing for all levels. You would need to have your own pony / access to a pony and transport as some of the competitions are far afield, be prepared for team practices and be able to self-fund your entries. Even if you don’t have a pony but enjoy horse events, it’s a great spectators sport so please come along and watch. If you are interested please contact Jacqui Townsend on gobidy@yahoo.co.uk or Sam Cooper on mrsegg12@gmail.com
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Cross Country and Rugby By Mr White
On Wednesday 22nd November 32 Barton Court students travelled to Kent College for the district cross-country event. There were some strong performances from individual students in their race which means some of these students will go on to represent the district at the county event. In the Year 7 boys and girls race, Barton Court entered 12 students with all of these finishing in the top 50 for their race. For the girls, a very good run by Jessica saw her finish 17th, with Alex coming 8th in the boys category. In the junior boys and girls race, a number of Year 8 students were entered and performed exceptionally well against students a year older. Special mention must go to Felix (8th), Daniel (13th), Stanley (22nd) and Will (23rd) in the boys race, whilst Ursula (22nd) and Georgina (26th) had good runs in the girls category. There were fewer runners for the older category, however Elliot finished 9th in the Inter-boys competition with Lee-James not far behind in 16th. It was in the senior boys and girls races where Barton Court collected their medals. Rosanna had a very strong run to comfortably win the girls race, whilst Cole finished 3rd in the boys race. Overall, it was a very successful day for a number of students and we hope they are looking forward to future cross-country events. Rugby For the first time in the School’s history, Barton Court entered a rugby team into the National and Kent Cup. The under 15s team which were entered have had a good run in both competitions, playing games on a weekly basis against some of the top rugby schools from across Kent. In the National Cup, Barton Court were unfortunately knocked out by a very strong Judd School from Tonbridge, before being knocked out of the Kent Cup at the quarter final stage by Dane Court, eventual winners of the tournament. Despite winning the second half of this match 19-12, a very poor start left too much of a hill to climb by half time. Despite being knocked out of these Cups, the team have put in some very good performances, most notably the 43-5 win over Sir Roger Manwood and a 38-17 win against Kent College. Despite not making it further in these competitions, the students should be very pleased with their performances and use these as a foundation as they go into the District League after Christmas before looking to go one better at the Kent Sevens by winning the tournament after finishing runners up last year.
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Football By Mr Lintott and Mr Hellyar Year 7 The Year 7 boys played 5 fixtures against local schools in the first term. The team were in the top league (A League). Each game played was highly competitive with some great skills shown and a good team ethic. The boys played games against the Abbey school, Canterbury High, Langton boys and finally QE school. Although the boys had a record of 3 defeats and two draws, the games were very closely contested on the whole and there was not much between the teams. The two stand out games were against Herne Bay High and Queen Elizabeth Grammar School , where we gave an excellent team performance. It was also nice to see that the team were really starting to gel together and this bodes well for the future. A special mention to Tilly, who was the only girl in the team. She showed some fantastic goalkeeping skills and was key to a strong defence. Year 7 have some further games coming up in January in the District Cup and I am confident that we can do well in this competition and make some progress in this knock out competition. The Year 8 team only managed to play 2 fixtures in the first part of the year, where opposition were unable to make fixtures. As a result, a narrow defeat to St Anslem’s and a hard fought victory against Simon Langton were the only results that were achieved. The players worked hard and were able to show real improvement in their play from the first match to the last. It would have been interesting to see if the improvements had continued for the last 2 matches, as it might have been possible to have won the division if the matches had been played. Congratulations must go to Jamie who captained the side and also made the Canterbury District squad for a second season. Other honourable mentions must go to Luis for marshalling the defence and Liam for his tireless running up front. It was however, the numbers in the squad that created the pace and depth to the performances when legs became tired. Well done to the team – it was a pleasure!
Year 10 It was a pleasing season for the Year 10 football team, recording some good results in the district league fixtures and coming close to causing an upset in the Kent Cup. In the league, Barton Court played fixtures against St Anselm’s, The Abbey School and Community College Whitstable. Unfortunately, Spires pulled out of the league which meant there weren’t as many fixtures as expected.
In their first match, Barton Court put in a strong defensive performance to draw the match 1-1, although the result could have been different if it wasn’t for some great saves by Seb and a clearance of the line by Sam in the dying moments of the match. Barton Court then played Community College Whitstable, where two excellent goals, one from Elijah and one from Harvey, saw Barton Court win 3-2. Barton Court then travelled to Ashford to play John Wallis Academy and, despite a very strong performance and some year 9 players making their debut, Barton Court unfortunately lost the match 2-1. There was a strong finish to the season however, with Barton Court beating the Abbey School 2-1 with Koshis nearly scoring what would have been goal of the season. Basketball The Year 7 team have played and won all of their matches so far this term, beating The Abbey, Herne Bay High and Community College Whitstable. The matches have been quite tight in terms of scoring and have often come down to managing the clock and making the final few shots at the basket count. I have been extremely pleased with the development that they have shown and training has often attracted over 15 players to each session. The squad has performed admirably, ensuring that those on court have maintained the pace, passing and movement required to achieve the wins. Key players have been Matthew and Alex, who have shown that they are capable of creating space for themselves and others, whilst scoring important points at the right time. All of the squad have made valuable contributions in each match and we have all taken much pride in the successes so far. There are tournament style events after Christmas, which we are hopeful will lead to further success. Well done to the squad – I have really enjoyed the season so far. Let’s make sure that we continue this form after Christmas.
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Art By Ellie Aylward Art has developed so much over the years, from beautiful classical paintings to unsettling surrealist art, from photography to hyperrealism, whatever you’re into, an artist has most likely created it. Today, influences such as changes in the social and political climate have a huge impact on the pieces that artists are opting to create. Modern interests in psychology and mental health have inspired thought-provoking pieces that express emotions in a way that words could not. Here are some fascinating pieces of contemporary art from six creators dubbed the ‘Six Emerging Artists To Watch In 2017’ from Creative Boom.
DAVID WALLACE “Within two years, London-born photographer David Wallace has built an inimitable style that is recognised worldwide. He creates moody and surreal urban shots that often defy the laws of physics by featuring levitating objects. David does not use Photoshop to manipulate the images and his mysterious techniques have inspired continuous debate. David uses a Canon camera and his brand of photography magic has been commissioned by the likes of Adidas, Nike, Canon, Yeezy and Dr Martens.”
ISABELLA TIMOTHY
“Isabella Timothy is a London-based artist specialising in charcoal portraiture. After she was left bedbound by an operation on her knee, Isabella taught herself how to draw charcoal portraits in 2012. Inspired by people, emotions and intrigued by vanity, she has amassed quite literally a huge collection of work. After just two months of starting her practice, she held her debut solo exhibition in London, followed by her second exhibition in Mexico City in 2013. This rising star has also won the Harry Walker Young Artist Prize from the Bath Society of Arts in 2014.”
STEFANO MELONI
“Italian-born and London-based digital illustrator Stefano Meloni, also known as STML, takes inspiration from the world around him and his passion for obscure, computer-simulated TV commercials. Stefano develops his ideas drawing in a sketchbook and creates his digital illustrations using Photoshop. His work often features snippets of humour and metaphor that are distinctive to his identity ”.
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ANNE VON FREYBURG
“Mixed media artist and Goldsmiths alumnus Anne Von Freyburg, who is originally from The Netherlands, brings together both her background in fine art and fashion to create works combining raw canvases, embroidery, textiles and crystals. Anne takes subjective experiences as a starting point for her work and often applies cliché and symbolic Imagery of female figures. The featured characters give a sense of romance and are inspired by religious and mythological sculptures and paintings from the eighteenth and nineteenth century.”
ANDREW SADALGO
“Andrew Salgado is a Canadian artist who works in London and has exhibited around the world. His paintings are large-scale works of portraiture that incorporate elements of abstraction and symbolic meaning. Andrew’s figurative works explore concepts relating to the destruction and reconstruction of identity. Recent artworks include collage, mixed-media, and even hand-dyed and hand-stitched linen and canvas.”
BECKY BAIER “London-based illustrator, designer, photographer, and artist Becky Baier is inspired by Surrealism and serendipity. A graduate of the University of Brighton, Becky’s work often features collages with most of her creative ideas being developed when she is just walking around the city and taking in the sights. She has collaborated with the likes of Ninja Tune, Red Bull UK, H&M, Dr Martens, Selfridges & Co, and SkinnyDip London.”
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Top Films 2017 By Nicole Rumball 2017 has been a good year for film, and the year isn’t over yet. Here are just some of the top films at the box office this year.
Dunkirk is a film, written, directed and co produced by Christopher Nolan that depicts the true events of World War II’s Dunkirk evactuation from three perspectives: land, sea and air.Dunkirk stars Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Harry Styles, Fionn Whitehead and many more.
The highly anticipated Spiderman-Homecoming follows Peter Parker trying to balance high school life with being Spider-Man, while facing the Vulture and attempting to join the Avengers. It is based after last years Marvel move, Civil War which was yet another box office hit.
Wonder Woman is a superhero film based on the DC Comics. The film is directed by Patty Jenkins, making her the first female director of a live action theatrically released superhero film. The film follows the story of Princess Diana, who grows up in the Amazon islands and finds out about the World War after rescuing a crashed pilot and leaves her home in order to end the conflict. Gal Gadot plays Wonder Woman.
Get Out is a horror film written and directed by Jordan Peele. The film follows a young interracial couple who visit the woman’s parents, uncovering a conspiracy whereby young black adults are being captured. The film grossed an impressive $254 million worldwide on a $4.5 million budget.
Baby Driver is a black comedy action crime film written and directed by Edgar Wright. The plot follows Baby, a young get away driver who must work for a kingpin. Interestingly, the film features choreography in which the actors movements synchronize with the soundtrack. Blade Runner 2049 is set thirty years after the first film, and features Ryan Gosling, playing a bioengineered human who hunts rogue replicants, who is tasked with destroying a replicants child to prevent a replicant uprising. The movie also features Harrison Ford.
It is a supernatural horror remake film based on the novel by Steven King and directed by Andy Muscheietti. The film tells the story of seven kids in Maine who are terrorized by a clown, only to face their own personal demons and fears in the process.
Beauty and the Beast is a musical fantasy film directed by Bill Condon. The film is based on the well loved Disney animated film. Beauty and the Beast features an ensemble cast that includes Emma Watson, Josh Gad, Dan Stevens, Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson and many more.
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Top Albums 2017 Here is a range of albums listed on the official charts top 100 albums of 2017. Dua Lipa- Dua Lipa Gang Signs and Prayer– Stormzy Stormzy is one of the biggest rising stars in the grime industry and has received huge praise for his new album, contributing hits such as “Big for your Boots” “Blinded By Your Grace Part 2” and “Cold”. Reputation– Taylor Swift Swift’s highly anticipated pop album was highly praised by critics and fans. Her first single from the album, “Look what you made me do”, became the most streamed song in 24 hours of all time.
Dua Lipa’s self titled album produced numerous hits including “New Rules” “Be The One” “Blow Your Mind” and “Hotter than Hell” She became the first female solo artist to score a number once since Adele in 2015. Human– Rag’n’Bone Man After huge success with his single, “Human” this alternative album inspired by Soul and Blues became the fastest selling debut album (at time of release) by a male in the 2010s.
More Life– Drake
Harry Styles– Harry Styles
Canadian rapper released another good album including popular songs “Passionfruit” and “Fake Love”.
With his Debut solo album, Harry Styles went straight to number one with his soft rock album consisting of equally successful singles like “Sign of the Times” and “Kiwi”. America Teen– Khalid
As you were– Liam Gallagher From the legendary Oasis, Liam Gallagher shows a promising solo career as his debut album features great music including chart topping single “Wall of Glass”.
Yet another great debut album released this year, by artist Khalid, whose inspiration is R and B. “Location”, “18” and “Young, Dumb and Broke” are his top streamed songs.
Melodrama– Lorde The Thrill Of It All– Sam Smith Smith’s second album was also his second number one. Singles “Too Good At Goodbyes” and “Pray” charted highly.
Melodrama is the second studio album by Lorde. It received a Grammy nomination for Album of the year, citing hits like “Green Light” and “Homemade Dynamite” She was described by David Bowie as “the future of music”
Other successful albums released this year include compilation albums from Eminem and Elton John, “Damn” by Kendrick Lamar, “Crtl” by SZA, “Process” by Sampha, Humanz by the Gorillaz.
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RECENT NEWS By Ellie Aylward and Nicole Rumball Grenfell Tower Tragedy The awful blaze that broke out in Grenfell Tower in West London in June this year has been confirmed to have taken the lives of 71 people in total, according to the Metropolitan Police. Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy said that he had fears that “due to the intensity and duration of the fire, that we may not find, recover and then identify all those who died.” However, over the months following the tragedy there has been a large focus on recovering and formally identifying all of the victims, and then returning them to their families. Special efforts have been put into place among officials working inside Grenfell Tower and the mortuary to challenge scientific boundaries of identification and make this possible. Officers have examined roughly 15.5 tonnes of debris on each floor of the 24-storey building with the aid of specialist teams such as forensic anthropologists, archaeologists and forensic dentists and odontologists. Now, in the wake of such an awful tragedy that has claimed the lives of so many innocent people, what can our government do to ensure history does not repeat itself? Australia for All In Australia, government have begun debating a bill to legalise same-sex marriage after the nation decisively voted ‘Yes’ to marriage equality on the 15th November. More than 60% of Australian voters were in favour of marriage equality. The Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, has been quoted that he hopes the bill will pass before Christmas, allowing same-sex couples to be granted the same rights as straight couples after thousands of years of inequality. Dean Smith, a gay Australian senator, revealed to the Senate that he was glad that Australia “saw a glimpse of the country we all yearn for, a country that is fair-minded, generous and accepting.” It does beg the question, however, in a very modernised and third-world country, why are people still not granted the same rights as those around them just for the fact that they are “different”?
A Shaken up South Korea
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A magnitude 5.4 earthquake has hit South Korea. It hit 8km from Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea at 05:29am local time on the 15th November. This comes as a shock to South Korea, a country that has relatively low seismic activity compared to its neighbour, Japan. Residents in the country’s capital, Seoul, over 186 miles away from the earthquake’s epicentre have reported feeling tremors and shaking buildings. Although no deaths have been reported, an earthquake of such magnitude does not come without its effects. Over 1,500 people have been made homeless by the tremors and almost 60 people have been injured, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. There are large damages to the infrastructure making buildings uninhabitable and dangerous and communication more difficult. TRAGEDY IN EGYPT
The amount of tragedy the entire world has experienced this year is saddening. Since the attacks in Paris on the 13th of November 2015, the western world has been exposed to more and more disgusting terrorist attacks. Not only are we experiencing tragedies here, but terrorist attacks are happening almost daily elsewhere in third world countries which often don’t make it into mainstream media where we live. On Friday the 24th of November, a large group of Egyptians attended their Friday prayers in North Sinai at the Al-Rawda mosque. Their peaceful prayer was interrupted by twisted gunmen bombarding the mosque and killing at least 305 innocent people, in one of the deadliest massacres in Egyptian history. Attackers were to be seen wearing masks and military-style uniforms, with some baring the IS flag. They opened fire from four vehicles on worshippers inside, blocking escape routes from the area by burning objects and blowing up cars leaving worshippers stranded. Despite this, people continue to be brave and undefeated against hate, embracing love as “local people brought the wounded to hospital in their own cars and trucks” During July 2013 there was mass anti-government protests in which militant Islamists committed attacks in Sinai after Egypt's Ismalist President Mohanned Morsi was overthrown by Egyptian military. Since then, hundreds of police, soldiers and civilians have been murdered by the Sinai Province group which has ties to IS. They have mainly been operating in North Sinai, which has been controlled under a state of emergency since 2014. The Sinai Province is thought to want to impost control of the whole Sinai peninsula and turn it into an Islamist province run by IS. This attack is thought to be carried out as as an attempt of seizing control.
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Christmas Quiz! By Ellie Aylward and Nicole Rumball 1. How many reindeer names end with the letters ER?
2. Complete the opening line to Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas: It's Christmas time, there's..
3. What year was the Christmas movie 'Love Actually' released?
4.Unscramble the following word to reveal one of the gifts presented to baby Jesus: YHRMR
5. What city is the Christmas movie Elf based in?
6.True or false: Santa's original suit was red?
7. What number is the street in the classic Christmas movie "Miracle on ..... th Street"?
8. The famous song 'Walking in the Air' featured in The Snowman movie and later became a hit song for which singer?
9. What type of tree is typically used as a Christmas tree?
10. Which British band released a song called 'Merry Xmas Everybody' in 1973?
The Grinch
11.
Slade
10.
Conifer tree: typically fir, spruce or most commonly pine.
9.
Aled Jones
8.
34th
7.
False, its believed to have been either tan or green
6.
New York
5.
Myrrh
4.
2003
3.
No need to be afraid
2.
Four: Donner, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer
1.
ANSWERS
11. In which Christmas movie does Jim Carrey appear as a green coloured character?
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Festive Crossword
ACROSS 2
How many French hens feature in the song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas?
6
What is the name of the angel that visited Mary in the Nativity story?
7
How many sides does a snowflake have?
8
In the Bible, The Star of _________ guided the wise men to the birthplace of Jesus.
9
The lyrics, 'Holidays are coming, Holidays are coming', feature in Christmas adverts for which famous drinks company?
11
Complete the lyrics: 'Simply having a _________ Christmas time'
DOWN 1
What is the name of the Jewish religious festival celebrated during the month of December?
2
Which animal is traditionally eaten for Christmas dinner in Britain?
3
Which female artist released 'All I want for Christmas is you' in 1994?
4
In what North American country would you find a piĂąata filled with fruit on Christmas Day?
5
How many reindeer does Father Christmas have?
6
What European country does the Christmas tree originate from?
10
Complete the lyrics: 'Little donkey, little donkey, on the _____ road'
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Trip to Le Chateau de Warsy By Mr Luret In July 2017, about 70 year 7 students spent a week in Le Chateau de Warsy. We slept in hubs with four of our friends and despite the very hot weather, we managed to get some sleep! On the first day we went to a snail farm where we tried snail patÊ, snail in a biscuit and cooked snail. It was so delicious although not everybody liked it! We also had many sporting activities organised for us. One day we went to see a Memorial and we walked in the trenches – it was very interesting to experience what soldiers had lived during the war! The best day was when we went to Disney and on so many rides!! On the journey back to Canterbury, we stopped at Nausicaa, one of the biggest aquariums, in Boulogne-sur-mer. We had an amazing time!
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“Lessons From Auchwitz” Agenda By Sam Dawson-Dale On Monday 6th November we travelled to London for our first seminar, which involved a testimony from Rudy Oppenheimer, a survivor of Belsen Concentration camp. I found this eye opening and useful in preparation for visiting Auschwitz the week after. On Tuesday 14th we arrived at Gatwick airport for 3:30 am for the flight to Auschwitz, which took just over 2 hours to fly to Krakow in Poland. From there coaches took us to Oświęcim, the town nearby to Auschwitz concentration. The reason for this was for more than 300 years a Majority Jewish community had been established in Oświęcim and so served as an example to show that previous to the Nazis rise to power there had been communities of different cultures living together with no problems. From Oświęcim we travelled to Auschwitz Concentration Camp, which despite the number of people present was very quiet once inside except for the voice of the tour guide in our headsets. During our tour we were shown the living conditions of the prisoners of the camp, which had originally been built as barracks for the Polish army. Each barrack had different contents, but personally I found the most chilling to be the barrack which contained the shoes, crockery and suitcases of those who had been killed in the Camp or at Auschwitz-Birkenau. It showed the individuality of each person, as to what they believed would be important to bring with them for their time at the camp, as many at the time of going to Auschwitz were unaware of the Nazis true agenda, and so expected to be staying at the camp for a long period of time. Example of items brought were cheese graters, kettles and keys to their houses. This idea of individuality was a very important idea as it is near impossible to comprehend the scale of those who died in the camps combined and so one of the ways to come to terms with the events is to focus on the story of a few. From Auschwitz camp we took a short bus trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau, which was 22 times larger than Auschwitz Concentration Camps, having been built for the sole purpose of genocide. There were preserved and remnants of wooden barracks which stretched as far as you could see in all directions, with up to 800 people in each wooden barrack during its operational time. At the end of the day a speech was given by a Jewish Rabbi visiting with us from London. The speech took place on the Memorial steps at crematorium 1, 2 and 3, and included hymns, prayers and was a reminder of humanity at its worst. On Sunday 19th we travelled to London once more for our last seminar, which focused on reflecting on our experience of visiting Auschwitz and how we could share this with those around us. Overall the experience, though shocking, opened my eyes to the individual stories of the Holocaust and allowed me to look past the sheer scale of it.
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The “Lessons from Auschwitz” Programme By Eleanor Howland
At the end of Year 12, my A- level history class were presented with the opportunity to take part in the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ programme with the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET). The programme consists of a briefing seminar, a day trip to Auschwitz Birkenau, a debrief seminar and your further steps. After sending in my application, I was fortunate enough to gain a place on the programme. On the 6th November 2017, I attended the briefing seminar in London, in which we spoke about pre-war Jewish life and heard the testimony of Rudi Oppenheimer. Hearing Rudi’s testimony allowed us to comprehend the Holocaust on a personal level. The next step of our programme was the visit to Auschwitz Birkenau on 14th November 2017. We first visited the Oświęcim town square which was a gathering place for the local town with a 58% Jewish population. The point of this visit was to reinforce the idea that all individuals involved in the Holocaust were humans and had their own identity. Arriving at Auschwitz had an extremely strange atmosphere that was different to what I expected. We arrived to go through security checks and collect our headsets, which allowed us all to hear our guide clearly. Approaching the gate immediately affected us all in completely different ways. As I looked around, I could read a unique expression on each face of my group and I wondered what they were thinking. For me, the gate represented the realness of the camp. I’m sure you have seen pictures of this gate, just as I had before visiting, but I doubt you feel a real connection to it. I felt that missing connection as I read the ironic phrase “ARBEIT MACHT FREI” meaning “Work sets you free”.
The deception of planting false hope of freedom into the minds of those arriving made me stop and think.
Once inside the gate, our guide took us in to a few of the barracks. The most difficult rooms for me were the rooms on suitcases, shoes, hair and other personal belongings brought by the persecuted, that we now know they did not need. The hair was shocking to grasp. We associate our hair with our pride and appearance; it shows who we are and gives us creative freedom. But they had that taken away from them.
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The gas chamber is hard to think about. We were all silent as a small act of respect towards a huge act of horrific history. I looked up, to see the exact place where the chemicals would be dropped down into the chamber and I felt paralysed in my place. Seeing that made me speechless for the first time. I am still unable to find the appropriate wording that will justify how the gas chamber made me feel. By the time we arrived at Birkenau, the sun was setting and the temperature was dropping. I was wearing 4 layers, gloves and a scarf and I could just about say I was warm, but to think of facing this bitter cold in just a thin shirt and trousers was unimaginable .
The memorial was a significant moment for me because even though it was the coldest part of the day, I didn’t feel cold because we were all standing together as a group, listening to the words of testimonies and the Holocaust Educational Trust. It brought pride to each of us, to be part of such an important programme to raise awareness and understand the Holocaust in a new way that we can teach others. We all lit our candle and placed it on the steps next to the destroyed gas chamber, and I believe this service was important to reflect and conclude on an emotionally challenging but worthwhile day.
Now I must think towards my next steps for the programme. I plan to deliver a lesson with Sam, who also took part in the programme, to engage in an interactive discussion about what we have learnt and knowledge on the Holocaust.
I believe that many people will think it is a strange idea to want to visit somewhere like Auschwitz Birkenau, but I think the programme is beneficial in so many ways as it gets young people talking about the Holocaust and understanding it from a different perspective. I would strongly encourage anyone taking A level history, or considering it in the future, to apply to take part in this programme because it’s a rare opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding about an important part of history, which we cannot forget.
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Creative Writing Competition Thank you to everyone for your submissions to our creative writing competition. We had a very hard time choosing, as there were so many fantastic entries, with many creative takes on the theme of ‘a winter’s morning’. After much deliberation, we finally decided on Alice-May from 7C, as well as Calypso from 8A as our winners for this edition of the Clarion. Both wrote beautiful pieces depicting a winters day, but with two very different tones. Congratulations! The ice melted underneath my hand, slipping into the gaps between my fingers when I scooped a lump of snow off the windowsill. Ever since the heavy snow started this morning, my hands felt as though they have been frozen into ice statues. I woke up with the unwanted feeling of coldness, hitting my skin as I shivered under the covers. Snow fell from the grey blanket covering the sky, forming icicles on the roof of my wooden cabin. The crisp, white snow had smothered all signs of summer. It appeared that somebody had laid a sparkling white sheet over what was once summer and put it to bed. However, there was beauty in the winter too. The way the snow was sprinkled down from a grey, clouded sky and floated to the ground with grace and elegance. But spring must eventually wake up and pull off the pale blanket, revealing all the beauty it holds and melting away the snowy days. I sat by the recently-lit crackling fire, ember flames dancing. My knees were up to my chest, hands wrapped around my legs to try and keep the coldness away. It seemed that the freezing temperature was eternal; by the way snow kept falling from the sky and making my wooden cabin now white. I looked out the window, the naked winter trees lined the avenue. People’s breaths rose in invisible puffs to join the darkened, clouded dusk sky. That’s when I decided to finally go outside. I wrapped up in a thick, waterproof coat and a soft, woolly hat. As I stepped out of the door, there was a freezing chill in the air that brought crispness to the leaves, bejewelled with frost that crunched underfoot. Rosy cheeked, I stomped to keep warm, pulling my woollen hat over my reddened ears and tightening my scarf over my blue- tinged lips. My teeth chattered and the cold seeped into my gloves numbing my fingers until they cease to bend properly, stiffened and frigid. By Alice-May Barratt, 7C
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Congratulations!
The raw wind whipped through withered, blackened gnarly trees and the icy, flinty ground seemed to be trying to trip me up at every step. The bones of abandoned crow’s nests littered the ground among the half melted remains of snowmen from the day before. Back then, the forest had been a happy place, full of gleeful children, shrieking with laughter and skipping through the glacial air, their noses growing steadily colder as the day went on, until finally, as night enveloped the sky and dusk fell, they wobbled back home to the fireplace, dizzy with merriment. But now‌now the forest was a sinister place, with dawn not yet arrived and the unyielding cold biting into you with every goddamned step you take. A harsher wind had beaten and whirled and whipped the soft, fluffy snow into unforgiving, rugged ice, and dagger-like icicles protruded from every branch like ugly teeth. Bleak, bitter and brutal, the air seemed not light like yesterday, but heavy and evil like it contained some deadly secrets. Each tree, leaf, even cloud seemed menacing. I looked at a snowman and shivered. It looked like a half rotted corpse in the dim, morning light and its coal black eyes were bottomless voids that seemed to pierce my soul. As if possessed I slowed down and started to veer off the path towards it. My vision tunnelled and all I could think about was reaching that half melted monster. As I walked, the decayed branches of the trees contorted and bowed over towards me, brushing against me as if pushing me on. I stumbled forwards and some invisible force forced me to my knees. I closed my eyes and felt an icy breath on my cheek. That was the last thing I remembered. By Calypso Newman, 8A
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Is Feminism Sexist? By Amy Chrysostomou
Following Harvey Weinstein allegations, as well as many other sexual harassment situations coming to light within the media, feminism has becoming an even more prevalent and needed movement within the world. However, it is often depicted as being a man-hating cult of women whose main aim is to bash all men for the way they act, the way they behave during relationships, and even the way they sit on public transport. But, what many people seem to miss on the subject is that the goal of feminism is not to blame men for all wrong in the world, but to strive for equality of the sexes, and to save those that are discriminated against due to their sex. Many women have started coming forward after these events, talking of their own experiences. I believe this article is necessary at the moment in supporting these females, as well as educating on the subject in general. Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams stated that “we should stop calling feminists ‘feminists’ and just start calling people who aren’t feminist ‘sexist’ and then everyone else is just human”, which captures the main message of the movement.
Originally, feminism was formed in support of women gaining equality for the same rights men have and in modern times many other sexist issues are also being fought, as feminism is about both sexes having equality. For example, men’s mental health is only recently being accepted socially, with one in eight men being diagnosed with a common mental illness such as anxiety, depression or obsessive compulsive disorder. Before, this was a highly stigmatised topic for men, which many did not to talk about with others for fear of being judged and be termed as un-masculine. Recently, the BBC news interviewed a father diagnosed with postnatal depression, in which he spoke of how hard it was to be officially diagnosed by the NHS. Many are surprised to find that this form of depression can be found in men, as even the NHS don’t often diagnose this, and yet a study has found that 13% of fathers suffer from this during their partners pregnancy.
Although we have come far from the early 1900’s sexism, many inequalities still exist for women, and may I say especially for women, that many people seem to overlook. Lack of education for women as well as forced marriages are both still such prominent issues in developing countries. The wage gap still exists, though many choose to ignore it, as well as catcalling and other forms of sexual harassment that can cause some females to be scared to go out after dark, a thing that so many males take for granted. We have a list of unspoken rules that everyone seems to follow. So many casual sexist remarks go unnoticed in today’s society, and this needs to change. In conclusion, I believe feminism would be a more widely accepted movement if people were better informed about the premises and benefits behind it. Why can’t we have a world in which we want to support each other even if it does not benefit us personally? People who believe feminism isn’t needed just because it doesn’t affect them, or because they believe that equality has come too far for its use to be necessary, just prove how much feminism is still needed.
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Italy Trip By Mr Luret During Enrichment Week 2017, Barton Court students visited the picturesque setting of northern Italy.
During our visit, the students had the opportunity to take in the sites and sounds of Lake Garda, the maze like streets of Venice, the tranquil setting of Molveno in the Dolomites and the historical city of Verona.
Another really enjoyable Enrichment Week Trip!
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Cologne Trip By Emily O’Donnell As part of our German studies, Miss Croft organised a day visit for students in Years 9-12 to the German Christmas Markets in Cologne, Germany. Mr Luret, Miss Wharton and Miss Parker joined us too. We met outside Barton Court Grammar School late Friday evening on the 1st December 2017, with our pillows, blankets and warm clothes. We all tried to get some sleep so that we were prepared for walking around the Christmas markets in the cold, but some of us were too excited! Thanks to Neil, our coach driver, the journey was easy and we arrived just in time for a typical German breakfast in one of the many fantastic bakeries. As we slept on the coach, we travelled through France, Belgium and Germany. Those students who did not sleep the entire journey even got to see snow! When we arrived, it was still dark and the beautiful cathedral was partly hidden by the low-lying clouds. It was an amazing first impression of the city. We had a quick look inside, but had to be quiet as there was a mass taking place. It was magical with its huge palace-like walls and stunning stained glass windows. We then had some time to go shopping and buy presents for our friends and family. This is where I got to speak my first bit of German, which was a bit scary but I am glad I tried! The first Christmas market we visited is the oldest in the city, and this was the highlight of the day for many. It is called “Markt der Engel”, or ‘Angel’s Market’ and it was truly stunning! We had time to get lunch from one of the many stalls selling traditional German foods. You could also buy beautiful hand-made decorations and gifts. The highlight of the day for me was visiting Cologne’s famous Lindt Chocolate Museum. It was interesting to look around and learn about the 3000-year history of the cultivation of cocoa. We then had some time to look around the ‘factory area’, where we saw chocolate being made and we tried some directly from a 7-foot high and golden fountain. We also had time to look around other markets in the area and finish our shopping before making our way back to the main square with the cathedral. By now it was really busy, with all the locals coming to meet with friends and family. It was dark and getting cold, but so beautiful to see the Christmas lights twinkling and shining. By 5 o’clock, we were all tired and ready to meet with our coach driver. As coaches are not allowed in the city after 3pm, we had to get a shuttle bus to just outside of the city. It was very busy so we had to keep close to our teachers and squeeze onto the buses. It was certainly an experience, and Mr Luret almost got left behind! Luckily, he managed to jump on just in time! It was an amazing trip and I highly recommend it to anyone taking languages. It has been my favourite experience at Barton Court so far!
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“I found the Cologne trip exciting and enriching. The coach driver was amazing and the teachers even more so!” Jaden Dodds ‘I loved Cologne. It was amazing! The food was great and city was beautiful”. Jackson LawtonBarrett “It was an amazing experience for us all and I hope that the trip next year will be as amazing as it was this year”. Karl Koslowski “Just wanted to say a massive thank you for organising such a wonderful, fun-filled trip to Cologne! I had an incredible time, loved every moment, and cannot wait to go again next year. What an amazing experience, thank you all so much.” Bella Loeffler “I found this trip exceptional and would definitely go again”. Morgan Maxfield
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Festive Recipes By Hannah Robson Peppermint candy biscuits Preparation: 45 minutes
Method:
Cooking: 12 minutes
1.
Makes about 20 Ingredients: 175g plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting 100g butter, cut into small cubes
2.
85g caster sugar 1 egg yolk
3.
About 5 peppermint candy canes
4.
5.
Tip the flour and butter into a bowl. Use your fingers to squash the lumps of butter into the flour, then rub together until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the sugar and egg yolk and 1 -2 tbsp cold water. Mix together with a blunt cutlery knife, then your hands, until it becomes a soft dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and pop in the fridge for 20 mins to chill. Heat oven to 200 C. Line 2 baking trays with parchment. Put the candy canes in a resealable bag, then wrap in a tea towel. Use a rolling pin to crush them to smaller pieces. Dust your work surface with a little flour, then use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Cut out heart shapes with your big cookie cutter. Put them on the baking trays, spaced a little apart. Use your small cutter to cut out a little heart in the centre of each big heart. Re-roll your cuttings to make about 20 hearts in total. Bake for 8 mins. Remove the trays from the oven, then fill each small heart with a little of the crushed candy cane. Return to the oven for 4 mins more, until the biscuits are just starting to turn golden and the candy cane has melted. Once out of the oven, quickly sprinkle the gooey centre of each heart with a little extra crushed candy cane. Leave to set and cool completely on the trays. Once cool, the biscuits will peel straight off the trays. Enjoy!
Nutella hot chocolate Servings: 4 Ingredients: 4 cups of low fat/skim milk 2 tablespoons of Nutella, or any chocolate hazelnut spread 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract Optional toppings: Marshmallows Chocolate chips Extra Nutella
Method:
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Heat milk in a medium sized saucepan on medium, high heat until beginning to warm and steam. Add the Nutella, cocoa powder and sugar, and whisk until dissolved and combined. Bring to a gentle simmer while stirring, and take off the heat Serve with your desired toppings and enjoy!
International Day of Languages All students in Year 8 took part in the International Day of Languages, learning about various new languages and their cultural aspects, for instance: Mandarin, Albanian, Italian, Greek and German. Students also learnt about French cinema, performed plays in Spanish, created Chinese plates, researched recipes and cooked Croque Monsieur. The day was to give the students an initiation into different languages and immerse them in the culture of the countries.
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The Philosophy Challenge By Ms Cullimore Consider how you would respond to this situation:
A murderer comes to your door demanding to know where he can find his intended victim, who happens to be hiding in your home. Would it be wrong to lie to him? A survey was carried out in the first week in December, based on an idea by Isabel James (Year 11 RPE prefect). All Year 7-11 students at Barton Court were asked to respond to the statement ‘It is acceptable to tell a lie’. Students were encouraged to justify their reasons as to why lying was acceptable or not (no indications of identity was expected, apart from circling year group and M/F/prefer not to identify). The results of the survey revealed some interesting trends, and these were analysed by the Year 12 Philosophy A Level students. Before analysing data from the survey, some Year 12 students assumed that there might be a difference in responses between younger students and older students. Some hypothesised that Year 7s might be less inclined to lie than Year 10s and 11s. However, that assumption was quickly squashed… it appears that a greater number of students (over 70%) across the school accept (at least in theory) that lying is acceptable. (One of the Year 12 students pointed out that we cannot be certain of factors that might have influenced students’ responses… a friend looking over the shoulder and making comments). What was of significance in this research were the reasons given in support of lying in students’ responses: A majority of students across all year groups were clear that lying was acceptable in order to save a life, and/or protect someone’s feelings Although lower than the above reasons, a number of students accepted that lying could be used to avoid someone else getting in trouble Fewer students accepted lying to personally avoid getting in trouble.
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For students who did not accept lying, the most circled reasons were: ‘One should not hide the truth’ ‘What if everyone lied?’ ‘One cannot predict consequences’ What trends can be identified by this research (apart from teachers wondering if lying appears to be acceptable when students claim to have left their homework at home!)? Generally, Barton Court students are concerned about others’ wellbeing. Ethical approaches tend to be divided into ‘motives-based’ and ‘consequentialist’. Additionally, actions can be analysed according to one is acting in accordance to selfishness, or to support wellbeing/happiness of others. It appears that most students are concerned about the consequences of actions, and are particularly guided by ensuring others are protected from discomfort/harm. The ‘murderer at the door’ scenario was a ‘thought experiment’ used by Kant in his discussions about the moral problem solving. Sometimes ‘thought experiments’ are used; these “have been instrumental in the progress of both philosophy and science, and they constitute a powerful tool for understanding the world” (Pugliucci Philosophy Now 2006). In A Level Philosophy, students have been exploring a range of ethical approaches to problem solving. RPE Prefects have been discussing applications of these theories in everyday life. One of the key issues students have been debating is concerns the ethics of deception… in this case, lying. Sarah Leathwhite (Year 12 RPE prefect), summarises how Kant responded to the issue of deception. “Kant argued that lying is wrong, even if a murderer comes to the door asking where your family is.” One of the key guiding factors in Kantian ethics is imagining if your actions were to be universalised (became a universal law that everyone followed). Sarah explains Kant’s argument further: “If everyone lied, no one would know when someone was telling the truth”. Whilst it is easy to criticise the person who willingly tells the murderer at the door that the intended victim is inside your house, it may be more difficult to defend the practice of lying generally. In public life, those who are caught in deliberate deception when in employment are expected to resign when the lies are revealed. Some might accept a more pragmatic approach, arguing that lying for the right reasons may not be acceptable, but justifiable. What do you think? To explore this issue more, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/lying/lying_1.shtml
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Trip to Shakespeare’s Globe By Ruby Wood On Thursday 16th November, all the English Literature students went Shakespeare’s Globe the atre in London. It was an opportunity to not only enrich our knowledge about the key A-level text ‘Othello’ but it also gave us a chance to see the Globe in all its glory and learn about its history. We were also given the chance to learn abo but ‘Othello’ from the perception of an actor, which is something that is outside the norms our English studies. Our day on the Southbank in began with a short visit to the Tate Modern; our coach journey was extremely smooth meaning we arrived in London fairly early. To begin the day surrounded by something extremely modern was interesting, as when we arrived at the Globe itself, its history was evident. We were taken on an informative tour around the Globe by an actor. Interestingly, we learnt about how the Globe was rebuilt in 1997, due to the actor Sam Wannamaker being disappointed that the only memorial of the theatre was a simple plaque on a wall. The theatre was heavily reflective of the original one, it even still had a thatched roof – the only one allowed in London due to it being a fire hazard. It was noted that replacing the roof is an expensive process! It was also shocking to find out that the original theatre was not technically in Greater London, but rather it was on the outskirts. The theatre was seen as a more seedy form of entertainment, as it was escape from the rigorous rules of London. For me, standing inside the theatre was the most interesting part of the whole trip. Our tour guide allowed us to view the stage from all different angles. We were able to view it from where the lower classes would stand, on the floor directly in front of the stage. We found out that these people were known as ‘penny stinkers’ as it would only cost them a penny to watch a play (and the upper classes thought that they stank!) These pennies would be collected and locked inside a box in a room out the back, hence the term box office. The ‘penny stinkers’ did not sit down to watch the performances; unlike those who paid more to sit up on the benches, but they did have a much clearer view. Our tour guide also took us to the top floor, where the middle classes would sit. He also pointed out where the wealthiest people would sit and to our surprise it was the circle above the stage. From there, it would be difficult to see what was going on however, they would be in full view of everyone else watching therefore it was a status signifier rather than a practical choice. We were then taken to stand on the stage ourselves, which was quiet a bizarre experience. He asked us to stand where we thought would be the ‘power position’ would be, and shockingly it was either frontal points of the stage. This would be the position that soliloquies would be performed. We were even given the opportunity to recite a few lines on the stage, which was an extremely surreal moment.
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After this initial tour we were taken to the Shakespeare exhibition where we were able to look at a variety of artefacts that allowed us to understand more about Shakespeare’s plays and life. I was particularly interested in the miniature models of the theatre and locations in London as it meant we could really become immersed in what it was like during his life. A quote that stood out to me was one by Bernard Levin, as he spoke about the importance of the Shakespearean language. He claimed that if you talk about things like ‘’green eyed jealousy’ or ‘foul play’ then you are ‘quoting Shakespeare.’ We then were taken to a lecture theatre where we were taught about the tragic genre and what makes ‘Othello’ a tragedy. We discussed in detail the character of Iago and how Shakespeare cleverly used him in order to manipulate the plot. We were then taken to a studio, where we were able to do a bit of acting ourselves. It was interesting to be able to act out the scenes as before we had only really understood the words as they are on paper. Our guide taught us about the importance of emphasis, as the speech was one where Iago had to convince ‘Othello’ of his honestly. Eleanor and I were even asked to preform our part to the whole group. I think the most important thing that I learnt was about iambic pentametre as before, I had found the idea of it confusing. Our instructor turned the iambic pentametre into a hakka which made it much easier to remember. Overall, the day was one that I will always remember. I have collected a vast range of facts and ideas about Shakespeare that I can now incorporate into my A-level studies, but also things that I simply found interesting. The acting workshop was a great way to end the day as we were able to see what a Shakespeare play’s purpose was: to be performed.
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Microbiology Club: Antibiotics Unearthed By Mrs Hayles
8 students regularly attend the BCGS Microbiology club. They have been successful in their search for bacteria, which secrete novel antibiotics. It may sound strange but bacteria secrete antibiotics to kill off competing bacteria in an area. The students in yrs 11 to 13 have attended the first of 3 sessions at the University of Kent Biosciences dept with their teacher Mrs Hayles last week. They used the university facilities to isolate the colonies of interest and culture these bacteria of interest for the next visits on 8th and 15th December. We used the laminar flow hood to ensure we could open plates safely. The subsequent trips will allow us to isolate the DNA of our target organism and performing PCR. The organism will then be identified using genomic databases.
The students have been asked to prepare an abstract for publication and will be presenting a poster at the UK Microbiology Conference in Birmingham in April.
Harry Fox, Robert Abbott, Ellie Giles, Ella Louise Dickinson, Nicholas Horobin, Roisin Drake, Jiya Jacobs, Nina Szulc and Mrs Hayles
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New Build Update: November The School's new build is progressing with most of the work now happening on the inside and landscaping outside. It really is an impressive addition to our school and the canteen facilities and dining area will be fantastic. The science labs are state-of-the-art and staff can't wait to get in and make it their own. The flooring will be finished later in December and hopefully with snagging currently underway, we should have the keys for early January. Everyone is incredibly excited!
Forthcoming Events
12th December: Carol Service 14th December: Year 12 and 13 Parents Consultation Evening 15th December: Non School Uniform Day: Christmas Jumper Themed 15th December: Winter Concert 19th December: Awards Evening 30th Jan: Enrichment Day 4 31st Jan: 16+ Open Evening 9th Feb: Non School Uniform Day 22nd Feb: Year 8 Parents Consultation Evening 28th Feb: Year 8 Options Evening 7th March: Year 9 Parents Consultation Evening
23rd March: Non School Uniform Day