Channing School's Skipping Out 4 SS17

skipping out ISSUE FOUR SUMMER 17

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E F G N I F O O R S P K A E T’ SPE R U FUT ING OU P P I K ‘S

THE PUPIL VOICE MAGAZINE OF

Independent Day School for Girls aged 4-18

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4-5. FEMINISM 2017 Skipping Out explores what feminism means to us. With Una’s report on the ‘Women of the World Festival’, our personal views and Mrs Elliott’s refreshing take on how Channing girls really can have it all. *spoiler alert* it’s hard work but worth it!

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CONTENTS

8-9. PLAYING IT SAFE At Shakespeare’s Globe.

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10-11. BOOK REVIEWS Maya and Eden book in some reading time.

12-13. BREXIT- One Channing family’s view Leonie’s family tells eu their perspectives on the UK leaving the EU. 14-15. BEHIND THE SCONES/ SCENES Skipping Out dons a hairnet and ventures into Channing’s kitchen, and definitely doesn’t pinch a flapjack.

Skipping Out is a pupil-led magazine created by Channing School’s Press Pack. It aims to give all students in the Senior School a voice and freedom to express their opinions, passions and interests.

If you’re interested in getting involved- by writing, photographing, drawing, editing, designing or even advertising; come along to Press Pack, every Monday lunchtime.

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CONTRIBUTORS Imogen Moody, YEAR 8 Léonie Nöcker, YEAR 8 Eden Levy, YEAR 8 Maya Egerton, YEAR 8 Una Yates, YEAR 13

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Editor-in-Chief HONOR MUNDEN, YEAR 13

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ABOUT SKIPPING OUT

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MARKETING DIRECTOR

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PRODUCTION MRS H GETHING,

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Issue no. 4 FREE DISTRIBUTION

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Feminism in 2017

feminism noun the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. synonyms: the women’s movement, the feminist movement, women’s liberation, female emancipation, women’s rights; post-feminism, womanism; informal women’s lib “she was a great pioneer of feminism”

Some of ‘Skipping Out’s greatest conversations seem to happen over a sandwich, occasionally over a mini muffin, and a few weeks ago one such conversation occured.

We were discussing options for an article for this very issue - topics ranging from cats to charities, but the one topic that everyone had a very strong opinion on, is feminism. You’d think it was a given that a girls’ school would be crammed full of feminists, and we just had to find out.

Eden, Maya and Léonie undertook a fast straw poll in one class in Year 8, and the results were surprising.

16 girls said that yes, they considered themselves a feminist, 4 didn’t.

We had to find out more.

One of the strongest advocates for feminism is leader of Channing’s FemSoc (Feminist Society), Emily Oulton,Year 13. She told us that for her, It’s all about choice when it comes to feminism. Whether you want to smash every glass ceiling in the world or raise the next generation of children, feminism provides you with that choice and I love celebrating that.”

‘Skipping Out’s staff lead, Mrs Gething, Channing’s Director of Marketing, said “Over a century after the suffragettes fought for the right to vote, women are still behind men in many ways. Unfortunately, women still have to fight for their rights, until they are officially equal to men financially, socially and legally. Women also have to fight to change damaging stereotypes that girls have to look, behave and act in ways to please men. Strong feminist women before me have enabled me to go to university, pursue a career, own property, have a credit card (this ‘luxury’ was only afforded to women 40 years ago), have children and go back to work flexibly during the sleep deprived years, and has given me the voice to champion other women and girls, through advocacy and charity work, who do not have the same rights as I do.... who wouldn’t want that choice?”

Pupils were also happy to offer their opinions. A pupil who would consider themsleves as a feminist said: “Why wouldn’t you stand up for womens rights?” Martha, Year 10, said “There’s no reason why men and women shouldn’t be equal.” “Agreed.” said Leila, Year 10.

“The gender you were born with shouldn’t have any negative impact on our lives.” - Georgie,Year 11.

“I’m a feminist because I’m not sexist.” - Eloise,Year 11.

Author Fay Weldon was recently interviewed in the Mail on Sunday, saying that the feminist cause had essentially halved the male wage, so it no longer supported a family.

Weldon, 85, said that the cause had left two-thirds of British women worse off, as some women had to get jobs, even if they would rather have been at home with their children. “Women had to work to support the family. So for two in three women, it really was a problem.” She goes on to talk about feminism not being as relevant today as it was 40 years ago and that women should stop ‘playing the victim’, blaming men for their problems.

We’re not sure we agree, and although we’re sure that comments like these help bring attention to the launch of a new book, we also look beyond our own circumstances and at a wider world view. Whereas the situation for women has improved dramatically in the UK, there are many countries where women can’t vote, can’t drive, can’t work without permission from their father or husband.

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‘Skipping Out’ Editor in Chief, Honor, said “I am a feminist because I believe that we all have the responsibility to support and stand with women throughout their lives. If we can do this, the world will progress at a much faster rate.”

Head of Geography, Mr Boardman was clear in his views on feminism. “I’ve long been of the opinion that those who hold sexist attitudes towards women are not just a problem for women - the actions of misogynists shame us all. Men need to do more than complain that ‘we’re not all like that’ - we need to join the fight against misogyny and sexism wherever it occurs.”

The ‘Skipping Out’ team are committed to giving girls a platform to offer their opinions, beliefs and passions through our pupil-voice magazine. We hope that this inspires girls and young women to have confidence in their opinions, making sure that they demand a voice in the world for themselves and others.

Famous Feminists we admire Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights

Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Politician, Lawyer, Philanthropist.

1995 speech in Beijing at the United Nations Fourth World Congress on Women.

My mom raised me to be a feminist. My father raised me, he was a different generation, but he raised me to respect and defend everyone’s rights, and I deeply grounded my own identity in that, and I am proud to say that I am a feminist.

This virtuous equality will not rest firmly even when founded on a rock, if one-half of mankind be chained to its bottom by fate.

Mary Wollstonecraft. Unitarian British Philosopher, Activist, Scholar, Women’s Rights Activist, Educator, Journalist, 1759–1797.

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

Feminism is about giving women choice.

Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It’s about freedom, it’s about liberation, it’s about equality.

Emma Watson, British Actress, Activist, Advocate for the UN ‘He for She’ initiative

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“Young women today must be prepared to continue to be pioneers” ‘Skipping Out’ caught up with Channing Headmistress, Mrs Elliott, to ask for her views on feminism, and offer words of advice for the future.

“Some people say that in 2017

women and girls have never had it so good; that gender equality has been achieved; that women are able to sit on the Boards of top companies; that, if you work hard, you can do anything that a man can do- that you can have it all!

However, we all know that the reality is very different.

Women are still objectified, and many are still subject to intrinsic discrimination with women far more likely to be judged on their looks or age than men. Although many companies are working very hard to change that culture, women do still have to be pioneers, and women AND men must work to help the business world to adapt to the very different way we work and live today. For example, there are companies who champion parental leave, giving both mums and dads the ability to work flexibly and still be present and involved parents to their children. Other companies recognise the value of family-friendly

working conditions, with flexible hours, and networking opportunities during the day, rather than in the pub or on the golf course!

Young women today must be prepared to continue to be pioneers - to work hard and enjoy the resulting success, but also have the confidence to demand change where it is needed. Too much talent is being lost when a working environment is not “userfriendly” for women.

Channing prepares girls for life by laying down foundations of confidence, tolerance, kindness, generosity and, most importantly, encouraging girls to use their intelligence wisely. Many of these values can be seen as being very ‘traditional’, but they have stood the test of time, in times of change, and are the foundations for success, however you define it.”

Favourite quote:

“We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.”

Malala Yousafzai 6

Women of the World Festival: An audience with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

By Una Yates On 11th March, I was lucky enough to see Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talk at the Southbank Centre as part of the Women of the World Festival. As a feminist, and an English student studying one of her most acclaimed novels ‘Half of A Yellow Sun’, I was already familiar with her impact on the world of literature. However, hearing her talk gave me an even greater insight into the importance of feminism today. In the talk, Adichie reflected on what it meant to be a woman in 2017, drawing from her most recent publication ‘Dear Ijeawele, Or A Feminist Manifesto In Fifteen Suggestions’, which was originally a letter she wrote to her friend, who sought advice on how to raise her daughter to be a feminist.

After publishing her first two novels, Adichie came to popular attention when she delivered the TedTalk, ‘We Should

All Be Feminists’ in 2013, which was sampled in Beyonce’s song, ‘Flawless’.

Since then she has continued to be vocal about the world. In the talk, she asserted that ‘woman have been socialised to reduce themselves’. When asked about which angered her more, racism or sexism, she responded with sexism, because based on her own experiences - no one in her immediate social circles questions that legitimacy of racism, but she is often asked to prove how a situation is sexist.

On how men fit into the feminist picture, she said ‘we have to smash and dismantle the way we have constructed masculinity’ and that it is ‘terrible for men and women’.

She particularly criticised ‘Feminism Lite’, which asserts that the wellbeing of women is dependent on the benevolence of men.

She spoke about the danger of ‘likeability’, which girls are taught to aspire to and which prevents them from being assertive.

To me, the points she were making were basic truths, put candidly and eloquently by a talented author. However, the fact that these issues are still, by necessity, being debated and contested shows that, as feminists, we all still have a lot of work to do.

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Imogen Moody 8Z

PLAYING IT SAFE At Shakespeare's Globe Copyright Shakespeare's Globe

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Copyright Shakespeare's Globe

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By Eden Levy and Maya Egerton

BOOK REVIEWS Our favourite books to get reading this year!

Everything Everything by Nicole Yoon

MUST READS - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - The lies we tell ourselves by Robin Talley

A girl has not been out of her house for 17 years, because she suffers from a disease resulting in her not being able to go outside as she may be allergic to anything. She thinks everything is fine but soon she discovers someones not been telling the truth about something very important in her life.

Butterfly Summer by Anne-Marie Conway

Miss Conway teaches at Channing Junior School!

A girl moves to a small village despite her protests to moving. She wonders about her mum's past in this village, as people start talking about her time there. Soon she discovers a lie thats been kept from her for years and she has so many questions for someone who doesn't want to give answers.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella This humorous yet serious book is seen through the eyes of Audrey. A young girl who's anxiety causes her to stay inside and not leave the house. The book tells the tale of her comical family and how her brothers friend entices her to investigate beyond her comfortable room and see what lies beyond the houses walls.

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Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin This book follows the lives of simpleton Meshak, musician Alexander and abandoned Aaron. Aaron sets off to find his father and the tangled mess of secrets that is soon to get unravelled. This enticing novel captures your full focus and will keep you hooked with its dramatic twists and turns throughout the book.

MMUST U S T WATCH WATCH - ‘HIDDEN FIGURES’

- Hidden figures - ‘MOON- LIGHT’ Moonlight - ‘LA LA LAND’

- Lala Land

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr A young girl called Anna fears for her fathers life as he is a wanted man by the Nazi's because he is an anti-Nazi writer. The book follows her journey around Europe, escaping the Nazi's and the numerous comical and touching things that happen to her and her family during their treacherous journey..

One by Sarah Crossam This touching story captures the lives of Grace and Tippi, who are conjoined twins-joined by the waist.

They share everything and cannot imagine being apart. When disaster strikes, something unimaginable has to happen.

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Thou

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BREXIT

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This is my dad’s view.

“I am a partner of a firm with Irish partners and some continental Europeans – none of us are English, so none of us could vote in the referendum. We all strongly disliked the feeling of not having a say, so for the night of the referendum, we flew out to Barcelona and went out really late before welcoming the expected “In” vote. What a surprise when from 6am onwards, it became clear that the result was not what we had expected!

At 9am, we met in a Spanish breakfast bar and started to make plans for our post-Brexit strategy.

As an immediate result of our re-organisation, my collegues previously working in the UK and Irish markets become re-deployed into continental Europe, covering geographies like Central and Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia. Previously, these had been “my” markets, so I had to retrench and focus on German-speaking Europe only.

On a personal level, Brexit starts to feel like what happened when the Berlin wall came down in 1989 and the re-unification happened. We say that the Berlin wall “came down”, but really, it was the brave people who fled into the Hungary embassy in Prague, who demonstrated every Monday at Leipzig town square or who climbed over the wall from Yugoslavia that made that change happen!

Brexit undertakes to be the contrary of it: people voted to “take back control” as they felt that a foreign-controlled EU-behemoth had started to influence the laws and rules in England too much. It was a referendum, and a very clear majority voted for Leave. We will make some adjustments at the personal level, and for example get a permanent residence permit (but not necessarily an English passport). The real impact will be economic, starting with higher inflation and less growth, and this might eventually change my long-term prospects of staying in the UK.”

What I think is that Brexit will be bad for my studies when I am older as it can affect my decision for university or travelling. Unfortunately, it is true that if Brexit turns out worse than we thought, our plans for staying in the UK might differ.

By Léonie Nöcker, Year 8 13

BEHIND THE SCENES

Skipping Out took a trip to the kitchens to speak to staff about working at Channing J U D Y

For how long have you been working at Channing?

I have been Channing's Catering Manager for nine years.

Why do you like working at Channing?

It's a relaxed place. Everyone talks about community spirit and it's very much like that. I feel very supported by my boss, so that's the biggest thing for me. If I didn't feel supported I wouldn't have been here this long, and this is the longest job I ever had. Normally, I work somewhere for three to six years.

What is you favourite time of year to make food for the girls?

That's a hard one. I suppose themed lunches because it's different and it's enjoyable for everybody, but it also comes with more challenges because you have to make so much more stuff. One of the challenges is that you never know what people are going to have, so you're always trying to judge everything.

Christmas is a fantastic time, or when we do Chinese New Year and Founders' Day - everyone enjoys that.

What happens to the leftover chocolate Santas?

Normally we don't have any left! One year we even ran out!

The radio is always on in the kitchen during the day. What radio station do you like to listen to?

Down here, it is Heart. When the new chef started it was different - a younger kind of feel. I think that with Heart you can sing along to it more. We have it on in the background to soothe the staff!

E N R I C O For how long have you been working at Channing?

A year and a half as Chef at the Senior School.

Why do you like working at Channing?

Because I get to cook, which it was I love to do to. It was a career that I wanted to pursue.

Where did your interest in cooking come from?

I remember I could make Minestrone Soup from the age of five... my mum is the Head Chef over the road.

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Do you have any advice for Channing girls?

Keep studying and don't become a cook! No, follow your dreams, do what you want to do. I'm not old enough to be giving advice to people just a bit younger than me but from my limited experience that's what I would say.

The radio is always on in the kitchen during the day. What radio station do you like to listen to?

This week it somehow got onto Radio 1, but I will shortly be changing it back to Heart because that's where it's at.

What is your favourite time of year to make food for the girls?

I like Spring and Summer because there is lots more produce. I really don't like Christmas because that is the same-old menu - I think that is just a general cook-thing. However, all the girls get really excited for Christmas, and we get to enjoy the atmosphere whereas where I've worked in the past you are detached from all that. The family atmosphere I have experience at Channing is something that I haven't experienced elsewhere.

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How long have you worked at Channing?

24 years in September.

Why do you like working at Channing?

I have never had a problem coming to work, I can safely say that I have never felt bored about coming to work. I enjoy meeting the children. I feel very happy here - it's never felt like a job.

What is your favourite time of year to work at Channing?

I think the summer.

What sort of work do you do at Channing?

I work in the kitchen with the cooks. I help out with the food - I might cut the apples up for the children and do the snacks for break. I go outside at lunchtime and help the little ones and clean the tables. Spring is also nice, especially when everything is growing.

The radio is always on in the kitchen during the day. What radio station do you like to listen to?

Well, I like the 60s music. And I like Lionel Richie. The more happy music, nothing too sad.

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Independent Day School for Girls aged 4-18 Headmistress: Mrs B M Elliott MA (CANTAB) The Bank Highgate London N6 5HF T: 020 8340 2328

www.channing.co.uk

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