Woolwich Poly news by Woolwich Polytechnic School

Woolwich Poly News Issue #1

The news we write. The news you care about.

WPN Interviews Shaun-Wright Phillips!

March 2013

VS Which is better? You decide on page 4

Shaun Wright-Phillips draws his blinds, leans back on his sofa and asks if anyone fancies a game of FIFA in a surprisingly pleasant tone. ‘Today’s gonna be a good one,’ he declares and, whatever the day might bring, it feels like it’s going to be an interesting interview.

and it is fair to say that some, as naive as they can be, do nothing but enhance this notion. Arrogant, egotistical and in a few cases, deluded are some of the adjectives which are often used to describe our so called ‘national heroes’. However, the enigmatic figure that stands at a humble 5’4” is determined to paint a different picture. A picture which perhaps most people do not and sadly may never appreciate. A picture which shatters all stereotypes of footballers that have burdened the sport like a plague.

Inside his modest but extravagant mansion in the leafy and blissful area of Cobham, QPR’s England midfielder is flicking through the channels as he attempts to settle our nerves. We knew we were in a privileged position; not many professional journalists get this chance. We Continues on page 8... didn’t want to mess it up. Footballers are often misunderstood

2013 Bafta success! Read all about the nominees and winners on page 2

How often do you revise? More on page 6

Affleck wins it big at Baftas! Written by Adam

Ben Affleck, once known for bad action movies of the 90’s, has taken one of the prestigious awards available at this year’s “British Academy Film Awards”. Ben Affleck won Best Director at the Baftas despite not even being nominated for an Oscar in the category. The Baftas have offered some of the greatest moments in movie history, and last night was no exception; the Baftas have been around for decades and despite this there are still surprises in store for film fans.

Skyfall was awarded with the Bafta for best British film, and as you can see from Judi Dench’s face, the cast and crew were pretty surprised. Anne Hathaway was awarded for her performance in Les Miserables, and the performance for Actor in a leading role was given to British actor Daniel Day Lewis for his performance in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln.

Affleck won his award for the film Argo despite not even being nominated for the award in the Academy Awards. Argo is the story of how the CIA is trying to get six hostages about of Iran. It is the story of how they created a fake science fiction film and how they used this fake film project to attempt to save six hostages.

The British Academy Film Awards were fantastic and it was also a prestigious night for British film making. Many people assume that the best films are American and are all made in America, but last night the Baftas awarded the others just as much. Here are the awards given to foreign and British films.

Outstanding British Film Anna Karenina The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Les Miserables Seven Psychopaths Skyfall - WINNER Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer Bart Layton (director), Dimitri Doganis (producer) - The Imposter - WINNER David Morris (director), Jacqui Morris (director/producer) McCullin Dexter Fletcher (director/writer), Danny King (writer) - Wild Bill James Bobin (director) - The Muppets Tina Gharavi (director/writer) - I Am Nasrine Film Not in the English Language Amour - WINNER Headhunters The Hunt Rust and Bone Untouchable

Brother of Oscar Pistorius Charged with Homicide Written by Jt The older brother of paralympian athlete Oscar Pistorius also faces homicide charges in South Africa over a car crash involving the death of a female biker back in 2010. Carl Pistorius was charged with culpable homicide over the death of a female motorcyclist in a traffic accident. Although his younger brother Oscar denies murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, both cases have no relation.

His younger brother the Olympic and Paralympic superstar, Oscar Pistorius had denied murdering his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day. Oscar Pistorius was charged with premeditated murder, but Pistorius had claimed that he killed her accidently, shooting her after mistaking her for an intruder. There has been no word from the Pistorius family regarding the accusations that Carl is facing. The charges Carl Pistorius will face will be at the end of March, making it possible for his trial to end before

The incident took place in 2010 in the town of Vanderbijlpark. A small town just an hour’s drive south of the South African city, Johannesburg. Police had conducted several tests on Carl Pistorius’ blood during the time of the accident and he was found with no trace of alcohol in his system during the time of the crash.

his younger brother Oscar’s is due to begin with his trial on June 4th. Things aren’t looking good for the Pistorius family.

PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360? – You Choose! Written by Sachin As you may know there is a widespread debate on which gaming console is the best for our money. Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 have their good points and bad but let’s take a further look into these. The Xbox 360 was launched back in 2005 and has sold over 76 million units worldwide since then. The Xbox has a very powerful processor and fantastic graphics but unlike the PS3 it does not have Blu-ray support. However, Xbox Live users can stream movies in HD quality. The PS3 was launched at the end of 2006 in US and Japan, but delayed until 2007 in the rest of the world. Since then it has sold over 78 million units worldwide. The Xbox handles dark scenes very well in games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum which is based fully at night. Often it handles dark scenes better than the PS3. Despite this the PS3 is still a big contender in the graphics category with exclusives that are among the best looking games ever made such as God of War 3. The Xbox 360 controller is the larger of the two and the placement of the analogue sticks may take a bit of getting used to but it still fits comfortably in the hand. It also uses AA batteries which add weight to the controller. The PS3 controller is smaller and more symmetrical with the analogue sticks next to each other, it can also be charged via USB by plugging it in to the PS3 system which is more convenient. Yet the smaller size of the PS3 controller means that after long periods of gaming your hands can start getting cramps. The online experiences of each console are more or less the same with downloadable content, online gameplay with friends and access to the web but there are differences which change the overall feel of each one. Let’s start with the big gun that PS3 fanboys use at

the beginning of any PS3 vs. Xbox debate – PlayStation Network is free. Yes all you VS need to be able to get online with your friends is a good internet connection whereas the Xbox requires a monthly subscription which your parents may not like, seeing as they dished out £250 buying the console in the first place. Pricing aside both consoles offer pretty much the same experience although customizable avatars (suspiciously similar to the ones which could be found on the original Wii) adds a sense of personalisation on Xbox Live. The exclusives of each console are worthy competitors. The Xbox has Gears of War series and the crown jewel of Xbox, Halo. These are great games but it can be argued that in the exclusives category PS3 has the stronger arsenal with Uncharted, God of War, Little Big Planet, Killzone, Ratchet and Clank, the list just goes on. Following the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation brought their motion control contender with PlayStation Move using a stylish wand very similar to the Wii remote, but only a couple of months later Xbox showed off their new Kinect with a boom where the user is the controller without the need of a remote control. Both consoles have proved themselves very worthy of being called the best and with the PlayStation 4 just being announced to be released later this year who knows what they will pull out of the bag this time. So what do you think? Who wins, PlayStation or Xbox? I’ll leave that bit to you.

Do Smartphones have a smart price? chats with people that only aim to irritate you.

Written by Alex

Battery life on an average Smartphone lasts approximately 12 hours, but because of all the texting, calling, Are Smartphone's worth the money you pay for games, camera, etc. the number is reduced to a minithem? Should they really be taking over our lives? mal 7. This means you need to charge your mobile Smartphone's have surpassed almost every other every single day which not only can be an inconventechnology in sales like MP3 players, radios, recorders, ience but can have an unwelcome effect on your parcamera, and portable gaming consoles. They are great ents’ energy bill. Compare this to the average ‘candy pastimes for when you are bored or waiting for some- bar’ mobile that could last more up to 2 weeks after a thing. They are a great communicating device. They full charge! have a battery to last you just the right time, from If you were to drop a Smartphone on a concrete morning to evening. They have HD cameras and great ground then you better get ready to pick it up with a games available for downloading. But is the money broken screen or buttons whereas the old Nokia moyou pay worth all of that? biles that used to be ‘in-style’ would remain more or less completely fine. On the other hand you if you can afford a Smartphone you can most likely afford the additional costs it will charge you. The connection is often great for watching videos and making phone calls especially with the new 4G connection and Smartphone's as a whole are revolutionary products. So I guess it all depends on you.

It can be said that Smartphone's are taking over our lives with the numbers rising. Many people are using Smartphone's to kill time whilst waiting for food, drinks, others to get ready, everybody to arrive and so on. Instead of observing their surroundings, getting into little conversations about random things, or even getting to know somebody they’d rather look down at a small screen playing Temple Run. Smartphone's are fun but they have many things that can get really annoying such as: the painfully short battery life, bad connection, the endless emails you get from many different accounts all at once and the

Soundclash!

be able to come and watch the production; it will be shown several times and tickets are available now. The Recently Woolwich Polytechnic have started working performances will be at Woolwich Polytechnic and on a production written by Lenny Henry called possibly at other theatres in London. ‘Soundclash’. Despite it being a drama production, it also involves some dancing, and a bit of rapping mixed Tickets are available now in the finance office! with spoken word. The production is about a boy Times and Prices: named ‘Lil Kid’ who gets into trouble with a small gang led by another boy named ‘DJ Emperor’. However, Lil 6.30pm—Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th March Kid finds new friends who try to help him stay safe and keep out of trouble. The students acting in the produc- Woolwich Polytechnic School Activities Hall tion are working hard as they are soon going to be perTickets are free of charge. forming the play in front of an audience. Anyone will Written by Ceejay

How often do you revise? Written by Kwaku In school there is always a big rush before tests; you get people revising in the library, in classrooms, and let’s admit, on the bus. Yet how often do you hear about people revising at home? You can get the people who are always going on and on about how they are revising at home and how they will pass the test with flying colours but when it comes down to it how successful are they really? Talking the talk without walking the walk get’s you nowhere. Often taking that half hour a day to revise can mean the difference between passing and failing, when will people start to realise that?

As I said before just thirty minutes can do it; all you have to do is sacrifice some of your free time. I know some people will read this and think, ‘I don’t have time for that!’ but how time consuming is setting aside a few minutes to pass an important test that could determine your future? Tests can decide how you make the best of your future: will you go to a top university? Will you get a fantastic job that you enjoy doing? Will you get a good house and fancy car? Revising for tests and just in general always give a positive result however big or small it may be. So what do you say, will you be picking up that book anytime soon?

Activities Section

WPN word search, see if you can find them all!

Can you complete this Sudoku puzzle?

Riddle Challenge Think of words ending in -GRY. Angry and hungry are two of them. There are only three words in the English language. What is the third word? The word is something that everyone uses every day. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is. See if you can work this out and you can find the solution on the bottom of the page.

Oddballs Created by Simi Visit tamago2474 on YouTube for more!

The answer to the riddle challenge is ‘language’. I told you that there were only three words in ‘the English language’. The word ‘language’ is the third word. Don’t be angry at me I didn’t create the riddle!

It’ll be all-Wright on the Night!

Written by Aaqil Shaun has so far and is still enjoying a very successful career. He has played for Manchester City (twice), Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers (his current club) His rise to stardom began when he was released by Nottingham Forest for being ‘too small’. However, his hunger and determination to prove his doubters wrong, led him to play for his country and earn a respectable 36 caps. After a few games on FIFA which he lost to his agent over a bet about who would go to the letter box, the interview began.

SWP: I’d have to say players like Ryan Giggs and Paul Merson. Obviously I’m an Arsenal fan but I do follow City more now. Watching Ryan Giggs as a winger is something I would have liked to achieve. AG: What is the best moment of your football career so far? SWP: (He sits backs and contemplates for a moment before a reassuring smile lights up his face.) It would have to be for England against Ukraine at St. James’ Park. It was important and such a great feeling for me to score on my debut. As a kid it’s always been a dream to score and play for my country and at that moment, I realised that I was living my dream. AG: What is the best team you have played for? SWP: It would have to be Chelsea the first year I signed for them. For me it was obviously hard as a 21 year old signing for a team with such amazing players but for me that would have to be the best team I have played for. AG: Do you feel like you had an advantage with your dad (Ian Wright) being a professional footballer?

AG: Who is the best player you have ever played with or against in your football career? SWP: For me, I think the best players I have ever played against, are Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge before he got his bad injury. In my position if defenders go down easily then I have a chance for a goal scoring opportunity but they stand up pretty much all the time. AG: Who do you consider to be the best manager you have ever played under? SWP: Obviously as a kid coming into the profession, I would have to say Joe Royle. But as now I would say Jose Mourinho – he instilled a winning mentality in me that I had never experienced. AG: Which footballers inspired you to play professionally?

SWP: Not really. If anything it was harder for me because people always compared us even though we are two completely different footballers and always compared me with him and expected me to do things he did. So in a way I was in competition with him without even realising it. That itself brings unwelcomed pressure but I’m just used to it really. AG: Was it weird being in school and your dad being a professional footballer? SWP: To be honest I didn’t really pay much attention to it. I just wanted to hang about like any other kid with my friends. It wasn’t until I reached 12 or 13 that I realised how good I could be, so I took it serious then. AG: At 12 or 13 would you say you lost your way in school?

9 SWP: Yeah, 100 percent! As soon as I knew what I was capable of, school was not really an interest for me. I’m not saying that’s the right approach to take but for me that was just the way it went. I mean, I have a little boy now and I’ve told him that if he doesn’t do well at school he just can’t play football because education is valuable even with sport. Take languages, for example. Before you could play football and not worry about languages but now there are so many foreign players and managers in the game that you need to be able to communicate with them.

the less you’re at home, basically. When I signed for Chelsea, there was no point me even owning a house. I think I was at home maybe once or twice a week. Sometimes I would come back from an away game and the next day I would be packing to leave again. We don’t get Christmases either so we’ve never had a proper family Christmas. We’re always either training or away. I didn’t see my dad much when I was younger and I think my son’s used to not seeing me much either. When they have time off, I’m working and when I have time off, they’re at school. You just get used to it.

AG: So would you say that you appreciate education more now than when you were younger? SWP: Yeah. When you’re young, you don’t really think things through but now that I can see how football and the world are changing, I really do believe that kids need their education. I mean, I don’t put any pressure on my kids. I just want them to learn at their own pace and do things that they enjoy. Getting into football professionally has also become really tough now. You need a back up. Without that, you’re leaving yourself open. AG: Did you play any other sports when you were at school? SWP: Yeah actually my primary school teacher told me that if I didn’t play on the mixed netball team, I couldn’t play football either. At the time I didn’t really appreciate it but it really has helped me to become more aware of who’s around me when I’m on the pitch. Now I know if someone is coming up behind me without even having to look. I did try rugby but that didn’t go too well. They used to just give me ball and tell me to run. I wasn’t really into the whole tackling thing. AG: What sacrifices have you had to make in regards to your family being a professional footballer? SWP: You don’t see your family. The bigger you are,

AG: Do you think your kids feel pressure to be as successful as you? SWP: No, I mean, I’ve always told my kids that they can be whatever they want to be. I don’t expect my son to be a footballer, but if it’s what he wants I will do everything I can to help him succeed. Other than that, I would never force my children into anything. It’s like me, I was never pressured. Football was all I knew, I grew up with it. It was a natural choice and that’s how I would like my kids to feel. AG: What advice do you have for young people aspiring to play football professionally? Continued on the next page

10 I’m about. They know what’s right and what’s wrong about me in the papers. They also tend to focus on the negative stuff. I have helped some of my friends out and the media ignore that but I don’t care. I have good friends and we all look out for each other. AG: What do you do in your spare time? SWP: When I’m not training I either watch movies or play on my Xbox. And when the season’s off, I have a football academy in America where I go and help out. And I’ve got a charity in Guatemala so I spend some SWP: No matter how many knock-backs you get, nev- time out there. er stop trying. You need to be willing to learn from your AG: What’s your favourite kind of music? mistakes. I’ve been there, I’ve had a setback. I’ve been SWP: I would have to say house music and hip-hop to released before and had to deal with other difficult sitbe honest. I DJ as well so I listen to a bit of everything. uations in the profession. It’s about letting people see a positive side to your character. Showing them that you As the afternoon became intriguingly chilled, so did Shaun’s persona. The England international, son of a are determined and that you love what you do. footballing icon, feared by none but respected by so AG: What do you want to do after your footballing camany wore with pride the same smile on his face which reer? he wears each weekend on the pitch. There is no denySWP: At the moment I’m doing a lot of work with kids. ing Shaun’s ability and in an era where so many footI’m trying to set up more soccer academies because ballers are often scrutinised through their own actions, kids are the way forward if we want the English game he has done remarkably well to stay off the front pages to continue improving. for the wrong reasons. As he anticipates the final question, Shaun sits even closer to the edge of his sofa and AG: Do you ever feel pressured being a role model? with intensity in his eyes, awaits my final question: SWP: No. I think it’s important for young people to have role models who have come from a similar back- AG: Describe yourself in 3 words. ground to them. It means they can relate to me more. I (He insists on 2 words only and breaks out in an infecknow that I’m not doing anything wrong so there’s no tious chuckle.) pressure. I’m just glad that I can help and make a differAG: Ok! Describe yourself in 2 words, who is the real ence. Shaun Wright-Phillips? AG: How do you feel about the way that footballers are SWP: Laid. Back. portrayed in the media? Laughter explodes in the room and at that moment, SWP: They write what they need to so they can sell the ‘little man’ displays why he is loved by so many and papers. Some people should be more careful about for once, it is justified. what they do and how they come across to others. Unfortunately sometimes the media like to make things up and people just believe it. I’m lucky because I’m surrounded by good people who know who I am and what

Shaun Wright-Phillips holds up Poly jumper (from left to right: Mr. Amechi, Aaqil, Shaun-Wright Phillips, Damilola, Ms. Achall)

Woolwich Poly News Team From left to right: Jt 9B2, Alex 9S2, Michael 9W2, Tyrrell 9S2, Luix 9B1, Sachin 9B1, Simba 9S1, Simi 9B1, Ceejay 9B1, Kwaku 9B2, Aaqil 9B1, Adam 9W1, Damilola 9W1, Danyaal 9S1 The newspaper team not featured in this photo: Jason 9S1, Dylan 9T2 Ms Achall, Mr Amechi