Abbey Times Student Newsletter Issue 3 March 2021 by Abbey College Cambridge

ISSUE 3 | MARCH 2021

Abbey Times

In this issue: STUDENT

ABBEY TIMES

LIFE Clubs and Activities at Abbey Student Artwork Teacher Interviews SCHOOL MAGAZINE

TIPS AND ENTERTAINMENT How to Get Ahead Academically How to Make Survival Cookies

...AND SO MUCH MORE Festivals Around the World Politics and Current Affairs Music in Cambridge

Welcome Welcome to the 3rd edition of Abbey Times! Thank you for taking the time to read this edition! It’s been a challenging past few months for all of us, but we’re extremely proud of the performance and perseverance that the team has shown to bring you another edition of our school newspaper. As always, we have focused on a wide variety of issues including current affairs, “how to” guides and Abbey-related topics. During these tough times, we hope you all stay healthy and positive so that we can make this through together.

We hope you enjoy it! Editors-in-Chief, March 2021

CONTENTS CURRENT AFFAIRS 04

COVID IN THE UK AND HOW THE GOVERNMENT IS DEALING WITH IT

AMANDA GORMAN, THE PRODIGY BEHIND THE RENAISSANCE

RECENT SPACE DISCOVERIES AND FUTURE MISSIONS

FOCUS ON ABBEY 08 COMPETITIVE BADMINTON 09 COMPUTER SCIENCE CLUB 10 INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD DAVISON 11 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT 14 OLYMPUS CHALLENGE

GLOBAL FOCUS 15

TET HOLIDAY IN VIETNAM

FESTIVAL IN SLAVIC COUNTRIES - MASLENITSA

FOCUS ON CAMBRIDGE 18

MUSIC IN CAMBRIDGE

HOW TO.. 19

GET AHEAD ACADEMICALLY DURING LOCKDOWN

MAKE LOCKDOWN SURVIVAL COOKIES

ENTERTAINMENT 21 SPECIAL FEATURE: VALENTINE'S DAY 22 QUIZ

Covid in the UK and the UK's way to unlocking the future

Coronavirus deaths are passing their peak in many countries, while some appear to have mostly controlled the virus. There are millions of people who have been locked down for months who are venturing out of their homes on non-essential trips and events for the first time. Nevertheless, other countries are still taking measures, such as lockdown, restrictions on internal travel and closures of public places. Although the figures in the UK were worrying at one point, the UK is now leading the way with its vaccination programme and more than 27.5 million people in the UK have had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine more than 40% of the population. On 22nd February, a 4-step plan to ease lockdown in England was announced by the government in their ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021’, which sets out how the government will continue to protect the lives and livelihoods of citizens across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, whilst giving people more freedom in light of the success of the vaccination programme here. Let’s briefly see what these stages mean for us:

First stage: Since March 8th, all schools and colleges have reopened and you have also been allowed to meet a friend in a public place, such as a park. Care home residents are also now allowed one regular visitor.

Photo by Polina Tankilevitch from Pexels

Second stage:

From March 29th, the “rule of six” will return, and the stay at home rule will end, but the government have urged people to stay local as much as possible. The rule of six means that up to six people can meet, or a larger number as long as you all come from just two different households. Outdoor sport facilities will also reopen, including golf courses and tennis and basketball courts.

From April 12th, you will be allowed to sit outside at a restaurant or café. Non-essential shops and services, such as hairdressers, barbers and nail salons, will all reopen, along with gyms, zoos, theme parks, drive-in cinemas and public libraries.

Third stage

From May 17th, gatherings of up to 30 people will be permitted outdoors, and cafes and restaurants can serve people indoors.

Amanda Gorman,

the prodigy behind the renaissance ‘When day comes, we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never-ending shade? The loss we carry, a sea we must wade. We’ve braved the belly of the beast. We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace,

and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.’

These are just the first lines of the now memorized and the glorified poem - ’The Hill We Climb’ also known as the poem which stole the limelight at President Joe Biden’s inauguration recently. But who is the author of this sharp though elegant piece of art? If I told you, she is not much older or much different than us, how would that make you feel? A poet, an activist and a believer in the power of words. Her name is Amanda Gorman. Amanda is not only the first National Youth Poet Laureate, but also the youngest poet to be selected to read her poem at the Presidential Inauguration. Her work is undeniably influential and focuses on issues of feminism, race, oppression and social exclusion. Amanda believes that ‘unity without a sense of justice, equality and fairness is just a toxic mob mentality.’ Gorman studied sociology University and is also known as a non-profit organization called Page, which supports youth leadership.

she said: "Seeing the ways that I, as a young black woman, can inspire people is something I want to continue in politics. I don't want to just speak works; I want to turn them into realities and actions." Amanda is also famously referred to as a prodigy - a poet who has set the country - and the world - on fire. Her response to this was inspiring: ‘…write a poem that is worthy of a new chapter in the country. In everything you write, write something that is brave enough to be hopeful. In everything that you write, write something that is larger than yourself. I don’t think I would have been able to write that inauguration poem if I hadn’t lived every day of my life as if that was the place I was going to get.’

at Harvard the founder of One Pen One writing and

Furthermore, she is quite open about her aspirations in politics. In 2017, Gorman proclaimed that she intends to run for president in 2036, when she’ll be old enough to campaign. On being selected for Glamour magazine's 2018 "College Women of the Year"

Words can move nations and the person who wields this power is a poet…

Recent space discoveries and future missions Even under pandemic conditions, astronomers and scientists have kept up their work - from the discovery of water on the Moon to unusual exoplanets. This has provided hope and some of the exciting missions will launch or arrive at their destination in 2021. Hopefully this year we'll also see space exploration continue to expand across the Solar System with new incredible projects.

Lakes on Mars!

Water on the Moon!

Researchers have found three lakes burrowed under The Red Planet’s surface, in addition to the saltwater lake discovered earlier in 2018. These lakes are also thought to be extremely salty, which could pose challenges to the survival of any microbial life forms. These discoveries were made using data from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express satellite.

NASA has confirmed the presence of water on the sunlit surface of the Moon. This indicates that water is widely distributed across the lunar surface. In the late 2000s, hydration was already detected on the lunar surface – but these missions could not determine if the signals were hydroxyl (OH) or water (H2O). Plus, the results from the Sofia mission in 2020 confirmed that the molecules on the sunlit surface of the Moon are H2O. This discovery challenges our understanding of how water behaves on the Moon.

NASA’s Perseverance has landed on Mars!

rover

You probably heard recently on the news that on 18th February, Perseverance Rover landed safely on Mars. Perseverance is the biggest, most advanced rover ever sent by NASA and it’s the ninth spacecraft to successfully land on Mars. The main goal of the “Mars 2020 mission” is a deep search for signs of ancient microbial life, which will help NASA to investigate the habitability of Mars. The rover has a drill to collect core samples of Martian rock and soil for pick up by future missions and to return them to Earth for analysis in terrestrial laboratories. Here's a collection of some of the best images to come from Perseverance' so far.

Weird exoplanets and rogue planets

Astronomers have detected the smallest rogue planet in our Milky Way galaxy and it's between the sizes of Mars and Earth - a blip in interstellar space so tiny that it might seem insignificant. Rogue planets have no days or nights and they exist in perpetual darkness. Research has also found baby exoplanets forming around stars, doomed exoplanets (unusually named as 'cotton candy exoplanets'), Star Wars-esque planets, planets made of diamonds, and the hottest exoplanet.

Competitive Badminton For some students, they find the competitiveness that sports can bring enjoyable and participate in our sports teams, as many of our sports clubs have teams that compete in matches against other colleges. Below is an interview with one of the badminton team members:

So what are some of your thoughts on the team this year compared to last year’s team?

"Well, expectations weren’t as high for the team this year, considering all the year 13 students from last year have now graduated they were definitely one of the big reasons the team found relative success last year. Though, that’s not to say the team this year isn’t good, we’ve been getting progressively better as the training sessions continue."

That’s great to hear, any reason as to why the progression has been so good?

"I think it’s because we’ve got lots of new young players this year who are eager to develop and improve their skills at the sport."

How have your recent matches gone?

"We won a match against Jesus College, which was quite a tight game. So there’s still lots of room for improvement. A good performance from William and Jie, which is a sign for good things to come. I’m quite hopeful for this year’s team."

Do you have any words for any students who are possibly interested in joining?

"Feel free to come along on a Wednesday after school, we don’t have any expectations for students who join, all that we are looking for is students that are looking to improve at badminton and possibly play in a team." This club will restart after lockdown.

Computer Science Club Taking place at 4.45pm every Monday on Teams, the Computer Science Club led by Darren Woods has a lot to offer. By attending each Monday, students engage with each other to develop key IT skills which will be useful for their future careers and studies.

The students are currently looking at C# coding, specifically focusing on areas that will benefit them later on in their profession. They use the Visual Studio Code editor to edit their individual projects on their own devices and, whenever possible, their learning is contextualized with either a game (i.e. Pac Man) or a line of business application (i.e. payroll).

The material is based on the AQA A Level Computer Science syllabus, which Darren has a deep knowledge of. A current topic which the students are looking at is Object Oriented Programming, which is a paradigm that uses classes and objects to model a software solution in the real world.

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

“There is a broad spectrum of abilities and experience within the group. The students have impressed me greatly with their ability to learn and put into practice new ideas and concepts. They are engaging with a highly technical and complex subject. This is typically at the end of a long day of A level studies so they have my utmost respect.” - Darren Woods

“I've been attending the coding club throughout this academic year and it was my first coding experience. I think that it has given me an excellent opportunity to become acquainted with coding and helped me to develop a basic knowledge of C#. I find it very interesting as it makes you change your perspective and look at things from a different aspect. The atmosphere at our meetings is engaging and the material we are learning is presented in a comprehensive way so that everyone, even beginners, can understand it. Students are encouraged to ask questions and Darren is always ready to repeat or explain the information one more time if something is unclear. I'm personally very glad that I decided to attend this club and think that it would be a great experience for anyone interested in coding and computer science.” - Computer Science Club Student

Spotlight on Staff Interview with Ed Davison

How long have you been in isolation? "My family officially started our first lockdown last year on the 23rd of March 2020. That was the first Monday when neither I nor my kids went to school." What do you like most about quarantine? "I think lockdown has brought about a sense of selflessness and community that wasn't so prevalent before. I have had time for proper conversations with my neighbours (at a safe distance of course). Many households in my street have been planting vegetables, sharing seeds, cuttings, compost and advice. It's very frustrating to feel helpless, but I think a natural and very lifeaffirming response to this is to put your energy into acts of kindness and generosity." What do you miss most? "I miss the obvious things of course. I didn't see my parents, sisters, nephews and nieces for months (although we chatted on Zoom and Whatsapp). I also miss pubs - the British are often quite gloomy and pessimistic, but at the beginning of summer, pub gardens and terraces are full of life and positivity. I think that it's worse for my children, for whom physical contact with their mates is such a fundamental part of their development. I just don't think social networking sites can replace this. I also really, really miss watching 'Match of the Day' (the weekly BBC football program) with my kids on a Sunday morning."

Have you changed your habits / lifestyle? how? "I tried to record and share a song every day on youtube. I enjoyed the challenge of this routine, and it was a nice way to share something positive during this lockdown. I'm learning to enjoy the present more than I did previously. So much of our daily routines and habits are dictated by the many jobs and tasks that need to be done. Being in lockdown gave us permission to forget about all this." Anything you want to share with students? (any tips / books / movies) "I watch this movie every time I'm feeling down. It's a very unusual film, but it never fails to remind me of the sheer joy of being alive. It's also got a fantastic soundtrack, so the songs stay with you for days afterwards."

Student Spotlight

"This is a sketching of a boy, pointing his hand upward. The view is taken from above. This makes the hand and head of the boy much bigger and rest of the body smaller. This is called foreshortening."

“This is a picture of a farmer: Time leaves him nothing except his mature, experienced and calm face.”

"This picture is about a man doing shopping and is much more colorful."

“I like this one the most. I feel like this is an ideal place to live. It really creates a peaceful and quiet atmosphere and it is away from industry and high technology."

"This is a reinterpretation of a famous artist"

“This is background of sunflower and it’s really hard to draw so I am proud of it because there are so many details in it.”

“This drawing is made in the style of scumbling and Chiaroscuro where there are no smooth transitions between light and shadows. I drew these drawings as part of the natural forms project. I think this style of scumbling is the most relaxing, but my favourite style of drawing is graphic." This is a drawing made in the style of Chiaroscuro.”

Olympus Challenge From 14th January to 14th February, the students in the Abbey boarding houses took part in the Olympus Challenge. They beat the lockdown blues and earned achievement points by taking part in a variety of physical, mental and skill challenges from learning all the flags in the world to learning how to write their name in hieroglyphics to climbing the height of Mont Blanc (4,808 m high or 32,053 steps or 312 times up the Abbey Boarding staircase!)

Here are a few examples of the challenges that were completed by the student who managed to do the most challenges!

Tet holiday in Vietnam

For a long time, there have been lots of meaningful and significant festivals that take place in each part of the world. However, when it comes to Asia, there is a festival that not many people have heard of which is an annual event and an indispensable tradition. Can you guess what it is? That’s right, it’s Lunar New Year! Today, we want to walk you through one of the most boisterous Lunar New Years in a country with lots of friendly people and magnificent landscapes - Vietnam. The Lunar New Year isn't only observed in China; it's celebrated across several countries and other territories in Asia, including South Korea and Singapore. In Vietnam, Lunar New Year is known as Tết. Tết Holiday is the biggest annual celebration of Vietnam in the first days of the Lunar New Year. Throughout these days,, people welcome the coming year with good health, luck and success. Tết holiday is also very special for Vietnamese families, as they reunite and celebrate it together. Although Tết starts on the 1st day of the Lunar Year, its preparation starts long before that (from the 23rd day of the last Lunar month which is also the day that the "Ông Công - Ông Táo" (Land Genie & Kitchen Gods) ceremony takes place).

Ding - dong, ding - dong... Welcome aboard AbbeyAir Flight 021 bound for Vietnam. For your enjoyment, during our flight today, we have placed a complimentary copy of our in-flight travel magazine, which will guide you through a magnificent festival in Vietnam. If you wish, please feel free to take this along with you when you leave. Now please fasten your seat belt! If there is anything we can do to make your flight more enjoyable, please let us know. Thank you.

Trees and Flowers on Tết holiday Two typical flowers for Tết are peach blossoms in Northern Vietnam and yellow apricot blossoms in Southern Vietnam. People in the north often choose red peach branches to decorate their houses and altars with as they believe that peach blossoms have the power to protect them from the devil and its flower colour will bring luck and a prosperous new year to them. In addition, in North or Central Vietnam, locals also buy kumquat trees - a tree that is often placed in the living room during Tết Holiday. This tree is believed to bring fertility and fruitfulness to the owners. A common dish eaten during this period is made of glutinous rice with a bit of salt and pork seasoned with pepper wrapped in “Dong Leaves” that is boiled overnight for around 8 to 10 hours.

Tết Cuisine Chung Cake is a traditional cake in Vietnam that used to appear during Tết only. However, nowadays, you can find this special dish no matter the season . The main ingredients used to make this cake are glutinous rice, green beans and pork. Tết Jam is one of the special snacks which is used to welcome guests at Tết. It is made from many different dried fruits, such as coconuts, apples, carrots, tomato, etc. Its sweet taste and colourful look are believed to bring luck for the New Year.

Since the Vietnamese believe that the very first visitor a family receives in the year determines their fortune for the entire year, a person of good temper, morality and success is a lucky sign for the host family and they will be invited first into the house. This special activity is called xông đất or xông nhà, which is one of the most important rituals during Tết. According to Vietnamese tradition, if good things come to the family on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the rest of the year will also be full of blessings. Sweeping during Tết is a taboo since it symbolizes sweeping the luck away. It is also a taboo for anyone who experienced a recent loss of a family member to visit anyone else during Tết.

Ladies & Gentlemen, we are now approaching Vietnam where the local time is 16:15. At this stage, you should be in your seat with your seatbelts firmly fastened. Please ensure all electronic devices including laptop computers and mobile devices are turned off. We hope you have enjoyed the in-flight entertainment. Once again, thank you for flying with us! All the best from AbbeyAir!

Maslenitsa 7 days of Joy and Happiness

Spoiler alert: we burn a stuffed woman and eat bliny for a week! However, no party lasts forever. In 988, Vladimir “Red Sun” baptized Rus and the celebration of a pagan holiday became inappropriate. So some celebrations changed.

To start with, bliny are Slavic pancakes, traditionally made from wheat flour or, if you want to make them red in colour, with buckwheat. They are usually round and thin.

One specific feature of the fest which has remained though is the burning of a stuffed woman. Some people say that it is a symbol of the powers from Morana - the ancient goddess of death and coldness. According to legend, every morning Morana tried to watch over and destroy the sun, but every time she retreated due to its power and beauty. Burning Morana means that there will be no misfortune for a whole year. After she is burnt, people take the leftovers and scatter them in their gardens to make the ground more fertile.

Photo by https://v-2021.org/maslenica-v-2021-godu

Before Christianity, Slavic countries were paganistic and praised the sun. That is why they wanted the bliny to look a bit reddish. Maslenitsa starts on the day of spring equinox and lasts for the whole week. In the past, Maslenitsa was celebrated to praise the deity Veles - who was the patron of cattle breeding and fertility. People opened their doors for neighbours and guests for a whole week, because the scale of the feast was directly linked to the future harvests and overall wellbeing during the year. It was also important to have a surplus of treats because dead souls travelled around and were mischievous if they didn’t get what they wanted!

Photo by https://www.kp.ru

Nowadays, Maslenitsa also has another meaning – the celebration of the Lent, when it is forbidden to eat meat and dairy products. These days, people eat bliny with different toppings: smetana, meat, caviar, and many many more.

Music in Cambridge Music is one of the cultural aspects that is common among almost all human societies and,, in different cultures and climates, music has evolved in various forms. Music also holds great power and social influence nowadays, and forms the backbone of both pop culture and alternative culture. Cambridge is one of the most culturally significant cities in the UK and has been the birthplace of a few noteworthy artists over the years, such as Clean Bandit, Katrina and the Waves, Nick Drake and most importantly Pink Floyd - one of the most influential bands in history, with Roger Waters (bassist and vocalist) and Syd Barrett (early vocalist) both attending the Cambridge high school for boys (now known as Hills Road Sixth Form College) which is located next to Abbey College in Cambridge.

including the aforementioned Flying Pig and The Anchor. Cambridge also has notable musical venues as well namely, The Junction, The Cambridge Corn Exchange and The Storey’s Field Centre who have hosted performances over the years from several popular musicians, for example Oasis, The Prodigy, Jimi Hendrix and Black Sabbath to name a few. Cambridge is also host to the annual Cambridge Folk Festival which started in 1965. This festival is known for its diverse mix of what might be considered folk music. It is held on the site of Cherry Hinton Hall in Cherry Hinton, just outside Cambridge. Finally, music is a very important part of human civilisation and has brought people together in times of joy, hardship and depression ever since its emergence in the Paleolithic era up until present day, as we have seen during the recent pandemic across the world. Music gives artists the ability to share their thoughts and feelings on society, politics, religion or literally anything else with millions and millions of people all around the world.

Pink Floyd’s original lineup consisted of Syd Barret, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright (with David Gilmour joining the band shortly before the departure of Syd Barrett). They started out by playing in local pubs in Cambridge, such as The Anchor and The Flying Pig. Pub performances and open mic nights are common in Cambridge, with some notable pubs

And it’s the small shows in pubs and clubs such as the ones seen in Cambridge that give the artist their first audience and their first chance at becoming successful stars.

How to... maintain your academic performance during lockdown Lockdown might be a difficult event for some of us who might be finding it hard to get on with school work. Sometimes, it feels as though lockdown is indefinite and could happen again at any time of the year. Even after people have been vaccinated, you never know when something like this might happen again, so we need to adapt to this new way of living and studying.

exercise moves nutrients around the body, including the brain, for a better performance. In addition, keeping a healthy and balanced diet can be a lot more productive than just looking at a book for hours. However, there are things that you can do. One substitute could involve Teams - you could do circuit training or yoga sessions online. There are also a lot of activities in the boarding houses at Abbey to keep you fit and healthy, such as running, table tennis and the Olympus Challenge which has seen some students climb the height of Mont Blanc on the Abbey stairs!

Fortunately, we have so many options here to meet our academic needs and enough tools for survival! For example, Abbey Inspires can provide us with help and tips through revision sessions or introduce us to new topics and ways of thinking. Before signing in, always remember to make a list of the issues you have and pay attention when this topic comes up. Moreover, this internet era allows us to find material from many websites. However, you should always think critically about the articles you read and ask your teachers if you have any doubts about the material you find.

In addition, some people seem to struggle emotionally and mentally, which has a large impact on how we react, the stress we have and the way we operate. In order to avoid this negatively affecting your performance, find ways to deal with this stress and build relaxation into your daily routine. Furthermore, improvising is necessary these days and we shouldn’t forget easy ways to entertain ourselves. For example, walking around, listening to your favourite music or reading about a subject that you love.

However, the main issue that many students have is that they are unable to practise sports due to lockdown and we know that doing sports and keeping healthy helps with our academic performance. The reason is that

Finally, this is an ideal opportunity to learn how to study independently. For instance, make a schedule to help you use your time wisely and effectively. This should include a balance of study and relaxation. This situation also gives us the chance to develop skills, such as independence and resilience, which are key to any career. In fact, adapting and planning in this way can make you more ready for university life since you will need to be organised and independent both at university and later in your life in order to balance work, rest and play.

Valentine’s Day Initially, the celebration of the memory of St. Valentine was established out of respect for his martyrdom, without any connection with the red hearts that we see everywhere today. St Valentine was a clergyman who was killed on 14th February, which is why we celebrate this day. But at the dawn of Christianity, there were in fact three people with the name Valentine who were martyred for their faith. The custom which we recognise today started in ancient times, when young men sent gifts to their beloved on this day, as well as letters and poems in which they expressed their feelings and wishes. Valentines were very popular in the 18th century, especially in England, when they were exchanged as gifts. Lovers made postcards from colored paper and signed with colorful ink. By the beginning of the 20th century, with the improvement of printing technology, printed postcards replaced handwritten ones. Nowadays, approximately 25 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent every year in the UK! Italians see February 14th as a day for sweets and give sweets and candies. Valentines are mailed in a pink envelope with no return address so you don’t know who they are from! In Japan, it has been customary to give chocolate to men for decades on Valentine's Day. This is not so much a declaration of love as a sign of attention. Girlfriends exchange chocolate sets specially released for this day and many Japanese women buy "valentine" chocolate for themselves. In recent years, the fashion of giving chocolate has spread to elementary schools and even kindergartens!

" I have an Irish grandmother, an Italian great-grandfather, a French great-grandmother, and a Polish Jewish great-great grandfather. "

"At the age of 18, I did a sky dive from 14,000 ft during my time travelling around Australia for 3 months."

"When I was in Thailand, I appeared in a TV commercial for a brand of nappies, playing the role of the father."

"I did salsa dancing for two years at university and was in half a dozen stage shows."

"I am an identical twin.

"I am the oldest teacher in Abbey College"

"During lockdown, I bought myself a new trumpet and a pottery wheel to learn some new skills and keep myself entertained."

I played croquet with a former colleague and Nobel prize winner frequently. He once commented to others that my toddler aged son was a “small clone of …” me “… running around the place” when my son used to visit our work place."

" I was once locked in a cemetery. It was in the early night, so it was all…dark…”

Quiz Guess the teacher

“I was named after a dog (it was my sister’s idea!)”

“I have done the highest bungee jump off a BUILDING in the world (Macau Tower). I have also sky dived over the Palm in Dubai.”

"I have a Lego Minifigure collection that is specifically listed on my home insurance."

"As well as my secret life as an accountant over the last 35 years, and on and off finance director with some large international companies, I was for many years, a Cub Scout Leader with a local Scout Group in Stafford. For many years, 30 young people from the local community aged 8 to 11 called me 'Akela' (see The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling), and promised me every week to do their best, whilst I taught them how to build fires, tie knots and earn lots of badges! Sadly, when I became a teacher here at Abbey, I had to give this up, but in my heart I am still inspired to by the Scout’s Motto of 'Be Prepared'."

"This castle is in the village /small town where I was born."

OUR TEAM

Look out for the next issue of Abbey Times next term...