RVHS Exposed Winter 2018 final

E X P O S E D Issue 7

HOROSCOPES PANTOMIMES THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS Photography by Amy Lewis

December 2018

Hello everybody, and welcome back! I hope you enjoyed our last issue. We’ve had a very busy term, filled with debates and house competitions, amongst much, much more. We’re here again for the festive season, with some amazing new articles to ready you for the celebrations. Put on your elf ears, gather your candy canes, and sit back and relax with your warming beverage of choice. Learn about the crazy world of winter sports, read what events you can visit to get the Christmas spirit, and much, much more. Of course, any new writers and submissions are always welcome. Thank you so much for reading and I shall see you all next issue!

Top 12 Christmas events in December 1. Soak up the festive atmosphere at Hyde Park’ winter wonderland 2. See the Warner Bros. Studio decked out for Christmas with Hogwarts in the snow.

3. View beautifully illuminated silk installations at the Magical Lantern Festival at Chiswick House.

4. Watch classic Christmas films at Cinema in the Snow and Snow Kingdom.

5. Wander along an illuminated trail through beautiful botanical gardens during Christmas at Kew. 6. Experience Christmas as it would have been in Victorian times at Kensington Palace.

7. Take a romantic stroll through the colourful Enchanted Woodland at Syon Park.

8 . Skate in the shadow of the spectacular Tower of London.

9. See all of your favourite Disney characters during Disney on Ice presents Passport to Adventure at The O2.

10.Sip on mulled wine and look for gifts in a Nordic wonderland at Southbank Centre's Winter Market.

11. Watch a primary school's hilarious attempt to stage a nativity play at Nativity! The Musical.

12.Treat kids to a visit to one of London's top 10 toy shops.

Alexander Smith

Parliamentary Debate Competition.

On Friday 16th November 2018, Roding Valley competed in the annual Epping Forest Schools Parliamentary Debate Competition, led by our local MP, Rt Honourable Dame Eleanor Laing (taking a break from Brexit!). As current trophy holders, RVHS got to host the debating event of the year. The competitors from Roding Valley were Charlotte Copeman and last year’s champion, Florence New. They had the difficult task of arguing for the motion ‘This House Believes that Global Warming is a Myth’.

The main points from the proposition were that ‘Milankovitch cycles’ actually caused the heating of the planet and that recent cold winters prove that our weather isn't consistently heating up.

They also highlighted the influence that the media plays on what people believe. The opposition argued that CO2 levels are rising consistently, sea levels are rising at a larger rate than usual and that the majority of credible scientists believe in global warming. All teams gave it their all, but it was Debden Park who were victorious and gave a convincing argument as to why Global Warming does exist. Eleanor Laing praised all debaters, saying that the debate was of ‘very high standard’. Well done to Florence and Charlotte who did us proud. We look forward to competing again in 2019.

By Joseph James 8S

Christmas Horoscopes For you horoscope lovers, here are the Christmas songs best suited to your personality. Enjoy!

The signs as Christmas song: Aquarius (20th January-18th February): “Jingle Bells” Pisces (18th February-20th March): “All I Want For Christmas Is You” Aries (20th March-20th April): ”The Christmas Song” Taurus (20th April-21st May): “Santa Baby” Gemini (21st May-21st June): “The 12 Days of Christmas” Cancer (21st June-22nd July): “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” Leo (22nd July-23rd August): “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” Virgo (23rd August-23rd September): ”Baby It’s Cold Outside” Libra (23rd September-23rd October): “Jingle Bell Rock” Scorpio (23rd October-22nd November): “Winter Wonderland” Sagittarius (22nd November-21st December): “Carol Of The Bells” Capricorn (21st December-20th January) : “Silent Night”

By Erin Weeks 9U & Amelia Martin 9T

RVHS Food Bank Appeal In its biggest ever food bank appeal, RVHS has managed to collect 300kgs of food and household items!

The appeal was launched by head girl, Grace Cain and coordinated with RVHS house captains. Students from all year groups pulled together to raid their cupboards and support the local community.

House members got creative by decorating the large donation boxes with a Christmas theme. By the end of the month-long appeal, boxes were overflowing and extra provisions were brought in to store the copious amount of goodies!

Rendell house painted a life size sleigh; Murray impressed with a ‘Grinch’ fireplace scene and Churchill adopted a comical Santa falling into a chimney. Pankhurst house stuck with the Suffragette theme by opting for a purple box with gingerbread men and Hawking went with a winter theme of snowflakes on a blue background.

Each box was stored in the reception area so that all students could contribute to this amazing cause.

On Friday 7th December, Ms Dyer, along with house captains and student volunteers delivered the fruits of their labour to the local food bank appeal.

Students were in high spirits; forming a conveyor belt to transport the heavy good s inside. A delighted team of volunteers noted that it was one of the biggest donations they had ever had. This was a true testament to the hard work and organisation of all contributors. The pictures say it all!

The Origins of Christmas Traditions Celebrated all around the world, the popular festival of Christmas brings both family and friends together. Every year in December: gifts are exchanged, carols are sung, stockings are filled and trees are decorated. But, where did these traditions come from? Why do we send Christmas cards to one another? Why are Christmas traditions the way they are?

One of the most popular traditions at Christmas is hanging stockings over the fireplace. One explanation for this is that it is a variation of the old tradition of leaving shoes out on December 5th, the eve of St. Nicholas’s feast day. You would put hay inside of the shoes as well for St. Nicholas’ donkey. The next morning when they woke up, children would then expect to find that the hay was replaced by treats or coins. Now, hanging a stocking above a fireplace, and waiting for Santa Claus to fill it with treats, is something every child does.

Another tradition that is usually done during Christmas time is decorating an evergreen tree. Usually, decorations include tinsel, a star/angel on top or other objects like candy canes and baubles. It is thought that this tradition is because of Queen Victoria and her husband’s worldwide influence. Victoria had decorated a Christmas tree because of her German husband’s heritage. German members of the British Royal Family had previously decorated Christmas trees, but the tradition never caught on with the wider public. Before Queen Victoria had even decorated a Christmas tree, people used to decorate their homes with evergreen boughs to remind them that the plants will be abundant again soon. But, it was because of Queen Victoria that the tradition was made internationally popular.

Now, why do most children put milk and cookies out for Santa Claus every 24th December? Apparently, it is because of ancient Norse mythology influence this tradition. According to legend, Odin (the god of wisdom, poetry, war, death, divination and magic) had an eight-legged horse whose name was Sleipnir. Hoping for gifts in return, kids would leave treats for Sleipnir. This practice became popular again during the US Great Depression. Ever since, children have left milk and cookies for Santa Claus to hope for a gift in return. Did you know that Santa Claus was originally dressed in a green suit, and it was because of the Coca-Cola brand that the colour of his suit changed to white and red?

Exchanging holiday greeting cards is surprisingly a recent tradition. The first Christmas card was on the shelf in the year 1843. It was designed by an Englishman called John Callcott Horsley, and his card showed a group of happy people participating in a toast. The words beside it read, ‘A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you.’ In the first year, a thousand of them were printed and it amazingly only cost one penny to mail them. Today, over two billion cards are sent worldwide, spreading the holiday cheer.

Advent calendars. They have been a celebrated religious event since the 4th century. It is a fourweek period that starts on the Sunday closest to the November 30 feast of St. Andrew the Apostle. Advent calendars traditionally mark the time to prepare for Christmas. In Christianity, advent calendars are a time that builds up to the remembrance of the gift of the birth of Jesus on December 25th.

However, modern commercialised advent calendars simply mark the number of December days with little doors containing chocolate or small gifts.

Said to have been inspired by the gift his mother gave him, Gerhard Lang introduced this tradition in the early 1900s.

One of the last Christmas traditions, which most people practise all around the world, is carol singing. Seemingly to be an old tradition, it was only introduced in the 19th century. Christmas carols have been around for hundreds of years but they were never usually sung to neighbours. Before that, neighbours did visit each other to impart good luck and cheer but not usually in song. Now, since the 19th century, groups of both adults and kids have been going around houses and singing carols to spread the Christmas spirit.

Some people, like Charles Dickens, have had an influence on Christmas. By writing ‘A Christmas Carol’ in December 1843, he reminded people that Christmas doesn’t require money. Instead, it is the heart of a person that counts.

All of these traditions have influenced today’s Christmas culture. Everyone gets involved in them, bringing family and friends together. But countries in the Southern Hemisphere, like South Africa, Christmas is slightly different. This is because they have Christmas in the summer season. So some things that are generally associated with Christmas here, aren’t practised in countries like Australia, due to the difference in weather.

By Annie Mills

The Pantomime Pantomimes are great entertainment around Christmas as they are well known fairy tales that the actors and actresses transform into a great experience for the whole audience as they involve them in the show as well as being vibrant, musical and fun throughout. However it really came from very un-British traditions and nothing to do with Christmas. Pantomime really began as an entertainment for adults. It can be traced back to the ancient Roman 'Saturnalia' midwinter feast, at which everything was supposed to be turned upsidedown. Men dressed up as women and women as men.

Now even today everyone can enjoy these unique and brilliant shows.

Some examples of great pantomimes you can see this Christmas include:

The Kenneth More Theatre in Ilford is showing Aladdin this year from Saturday the 15th December 2018 to Saturday the 19th of January 2019.

The Kenneth More Theatre has been entertaining since 1974 and guarantees a sparkling production containing all the usual Pantomime ingredients; spectacular scenery, magical effects, dazzling costumes, and plenty of songs, laughter and adventure!

Another show on this year is Cinderella at the Civic Theatre in Chelmsford from Friday the 30th of November 2018 to Sunday the 6th January 2019.

It is described as another action-packed family show, featuring all the traditional pantomime ingredients; sparkling storybook sets, energetic song and dance routines, beautiful costumes, plenty of audience participation and the most important ingredient of all – a generous helping of pantomime magic!

By Bo Green

Winter Sports As the summer becomes a distant memory, lets look at some winter sports you can get involved in!

Ice Skating: Around this time of year, various temporary ice skating rinks open across the country to get us in the mood for Christmas. One of the most popular winter sports in England, Ice Skating is easy to pick up and, once you learn the basics, a lot of fun. Sociable and enjoyable, ice skating is an experience everyone should try at least once!

Skiing: Skiing is the pivotal sport in the Winter Olympics and very popular in Britain as many people go skiing on holiday. One of the most challenging, yet satisfying sports in the world, let alone just winter sports, skiing is definitely a sport everyone should try out!

Luge: Luge is probably a sport you’ve never heard of, but it is one of the most entertaining sports at the winter Olympics, and one you’d probably recognize if you watched it. It involves one or two people laying down and racing across a track fully set out for them. To go faster, you have to be low down and compact so that less air resistance pushes against you and you can go faster. Whether you’ve never heard of it, or have even done it before, Luge is certainly one of the most interesting winter sports of them all!

Ice Hockey: Very popular in Canada, Ice Hockey is very similar to hockey in terms of rules, but in many ways much more fun as you skate around the pitch rather than run. A lot of skill and determination is required, but ice hockey is a sport that, once you’ve played it, you will never forget!

By Joseph James