Meopham Monthly: Issue 12

MEOPHAM MONTHLY

WELCOME

Hello!Welcome to ourApril issue of Meopham Monthly. This monthyou canfind articles on the month’s celebrations, including April Fools’ Day and Easter, as well as the one year anniversary of Meopham Monthly. You will also find some beautiful pictures of the snowearlierthisyear in the gallery!

If you would like to submit a short story, article, drawing, poem, photos or anything else for our future issues, please get in touch with the team at MSS-magazine@swale.at or come along on aThursdaylunchtime to English 5.

We hope you enjoy this issue!

Editor: Robyn Fitzpatrick (Yr 12)

NEWS JUST IN!

Well doneto allthe brilliantstudentswho gotinvolved in our charitydayon 23rd March. Over£500was raised forthe Turkey-Syriaappeal. Find outmore on pages 12-13.

With thanks to everyone who contributed this month:

Nshira Ansah (Yr7)

Miss Biscombe

Luke Deacon (Yr7)

Charlie Gannaway (Yr7)

Harry Gower (Yr8)

Olivia Hamblyn (Yr7)

Jack Hollis (Yr7)

Gracie Loveday (Yr8)

Layla Lowe (Yr7)

Vesta Negreckis (Yr7)

Alice Pronger (Yr7)

Muhammed Ali Qamar (Yr7)

Sienna Lee (Yr7)

Ella Taylor (Yr7)

Mr Vilday

Mrs Williamson

Kaya Zukowska (Yr7)

Harriett Pritchard (Yr7)

APRIL FOOLS’ DAY

By Charlie Gannaway (Yr7)

April Fools’ day is one of the most known days out there, simply because it is a day to play tricks on those around you. For example, you prank your parents and they willtryto prankyou back. Buthowdidthis start?

What was the origin of April Fools’?

There are manytheories as to the origin of April Fools’. One of the most commonly know theories is that on 1564 changed their calendar to the Gregorian version of it and moved the celebration of NewYear’s Dayfrom thelastweek of March to the 1st January. However, people who ignored this change were considered as ‘foolish’. There are othertheories as well, one of them stating that the tradition started from the idea of ‘renewal festivals’ which marked the end of winter and the start of spring.

What Are Some Harmless April Fool Pranks ?

● Rearrange your kitchen drawer.

● Put glitter in an envelope and give it to your friends.

● Switch keyboard keys around.

● Add googly eyes to everything inside the fridge

● Add a message to the back of your parents’ car that says ‘honk’ to confuse them

EASTER

By Nshira Ansah (Yr7)

Easter is a Christian holiday that is celebrated in April every year, to be more specific, itis celebrated on a Sunday. Itis a celebration thatmanyChristians believe to be the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the king of all kings, the saviour of all sins. Easter is typically celebrated with stories about Jesus and easter eggs. Easter is known as an advertisedholiday, meaningthatanybodycan celebrate itifwanted.

What was the origin of Easter?

Easter actually began in the 2nd century, as an ancient pagan celebration of the spring season. It is often associated with the resurrection of Jesus and the end of fasting after Lent. Lent is when christians give up their favourite things for40 days. Some non-christians try to do Lent. Most of the time, Christians might find that giving something up is difficult because they know that they have to give up their favoritethings in orderto rememberwhatJesus did beforehis death.

BARBARA BLACKBURN

By Muhammed Ali Qamar (Yr7)

Whowas Barbara Blackburn ?

Barbara Blackburn was the Indian-American typist, whose typing speed was 212 WPM [Words Per Minute] on a Dvorak Keyboard. She worked as a legal secretary in 1939, in Kansas City in Missouri. Then, in 1984 she started the computer commercial of Apple HC that features a Dvorak Keyboard, captioned as “World's Fastest Typist”. Unfortunately, she died inApril 2008 inthe USA.

MR VILDAY’S VIEW

Views from a latter-day Viking

I was trying to think of an Easter idea but one that didn’t involve eggs, lambs and giant bunnies terrorizing the countryside. As I kept running Easter round my brain it made me think of when I was veryyoung, reading my ‘Look and Learn’ magazine and first coming across a strange but remarkable place, out in the middle of nowhere.

Easter Island, named like that as it was discovered by Europeans at Easter, 1722. It is 2075 km from the nearest land, that is twice the length of the United Kingdom. It is most famous for its remarkable statues or moai. These have suffered over the centuries as a result of invasions and conflict but in more recent years many have been restored.

The statues are up to 10 metres tall and someweigh around 60tonnes.

The moai are thought to guard the island. Most of them face inland, watchingtheislandersbuttheseven Aku Akivi statues face out to sea to help travellers to find the island. Altogetherthere are more than 900 survivingstatues.

Although the statues are not ancient, they were probably carved between 1200 and 1500 AD. The Tower of London and Dover castle were both built before the moai. However, the Easter islanders would have had primitive tools so making these moaiwouldhave involved alotofhard, physicalwork. The statues are believedto be of ancientancestors andthattheycollectmana,or magic, and store it.

CAREERS FOCUS: TEACHING

By Nshira A, Ella T, & Olivia H (Yr7)

Trying to think of your future career? Not sure of your options? Well, we are here to help. There are many different careers available in the world and we will be featuring a variety of different ideas in future issues of Meopham Monthly.

In this issue we are looking at the art of teaching. There are many subjects to pursue as a teacher:Art, Music, Geography, Science, Maths, English - there’s something for everyone!

Science :

Being a science teacher means you can experiment with chemicals, acids, and alkalis, but it is much fun to actually do the practicals. If you haven’t already done any, then I am sure you will soon. Studying science means that there are an awful lot of jobs, some examples being an Biologist or Animal Scientist. Science is fascinating as you can explore subjects thatyou’ve probably never even heard about, like chemical reactions.

Art :

Being an artist has so many advantages, they can either show the world or a couple of people how important it is. Art helps people express themselves in thousands of ways. From painting Mona Lisa, to making sculptures with clay, to become an book illustrator, a photographer etc. Art is an important part of yourself. It is a stress-relieving, passion finding subject.

Geography :

Geography and geographers have so much to explore and to search in the world.Geography teachers have reported this job being fun and amusing, being able to teach people about countries around the world. Being a geographer means you will have an opportunity to travel abroad and everywhere. Being a geography teacher is not too hard and with children that are glad to learn this. We talked to Mr Turner, a geography teacher, and he said that geography is fun because while teaching students, he gets to learn newthings thathe neverknew before.

THE GALLERY

Photos by: Ella T, Jack H, Olivia H & Sienna L

THE GALLERY

Photos by: Robyn F, Layla L, Nshira A & Mr Vilday

BOOK REVIEWS

A Darker Shade of Magic

by V. E. Schwab

Review by Gracie Loveday (Yr8)

The story of A Darker Shade of Magic takes place in various alternating dimensions, all sharing a place known as London. Each London appears differently based on the amount of magic flowing through it. The main character Kell is from Red London,the mostmagical city.

My favourite character in the novel was Delilah, or Lila, Bard. Lila is an orphan, who relies on thievery for money and survival. She’s stubborn, courageous and not afraid of adventure or death, preferring a life of danger and fun. Lila has brown eyes and hair to match, sharp boyish cheekbones and slender frame, so that’s she’s easily mistaken foraboy.

I enjoyed the book due to its comical characters, intriguing plot and constant sense of adventure. The atmosphere of magic coated everyword and I was enthralled with wanting to know what happens next. Something was constantly happening as the characters travelled not only into other Londons, but the past, via flashbacks that revealed their personalities and childhood. The characters experienced constant fights,threats and betrayal, making me constantlyinterested.

Congratulationsto

Gracie,who received herGOLD reading badgethisyear!

BOOK REVIEWS

Loveless by Alice Oseman

Review

by

Vesta Negreckis (Yr7)

This book is my favorite in the Alice Oseman multiverse. It’s about an 18 year old girl who is a 1st year in her new college. She judges her peers’ relationships and finds them odd and doesn’t want anything to do with relationships yet she still tries to get into it. Her two friends, Pip and Rooney, help her along the journey of figuring out her sexuality. This is a beautiful novel and I wish it was talked about more.

Lightning Girl by Alesha Dixon

Review by Nshira Ansah (Yr7)

Lightning Girl is about a ten year old girl named Aurorawho finds out she is thelatest out of a long line of female superheroes: shooting sparks from her fingertips!

Join Aurora’s adventure as she takes up all the exciting news, makes new friends and finds out that her science teacher, Mr Mercury, is a secret supervillain, attempting to steal the only source ofher family’s powers: thelight of theworld.

Ifyouwant a bookthat is about adventure, family, friends, heroes and villains, then this book is for you!

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

By the Student Leaders & Miss Biscombe

Charity Day - Disaster Emergency Committee

At the last meeting of the school council, students voted to host a charity day to raise funds for the Syria-Turkey Earthquake Appeal. On the 23rd March student leaders worked alongside the school councillors to run a cake sale and sponsored mud run. As well as learning about the importance of charity and collective responsibility, students also gottoworkontheirplanning and organising skills.

We would like to thank the students, staff and families who baked a cake or donated to the appeal. We are delighted to be able to give over £500 to the appeal as a result of the generosity of the Meopham School Community.

If you would like to get involved in future events, speak to Miss Biscombe and she will add you tothe Google Classroom.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

By the Student Leaders & Miss Biscombe

Written by Robyn Fitzpatrick

YEAR 11 MUSIC

OnWednesdaythe 8th of March a group of Year 11 music students held a music production for their Unit 2 BTEC Music coursework. It was open to family and friends invited by the performers themselves, and I was luckily invited alongside to watch the incredible performances and to share it with the magazine.Theeveningwassplitintotwo sections - Rock Through The Ages and 80s,90s.

AfterMitskithe group performed IWant ToBreakFreebyQueen.Funnilyenough the performers for this song originally wantedtodressupindrag,muchlikethe musicvideo,howevertheydidnotendup going through with it, to the dismay of theirfriends.Aaronsaidthatthey“didn’t wear drag because Maxleft it too late to findadress.”.

Here we had what was possibly my favourite performance ofthe evening.As soon as the guitar to Everlong by Foo Fighters begun I got goosebumps. The drumming by Felix was so incredibly impressive, and you could tell that the performerswere enjoying it. Ellissiawas the perfect vocalist for this song, even taking the mic off the stand to move about!

Thepenultimateperformanceofthishalf of the evening was a confident rendition of Say It Ain’t So by Weezer. With three guitarists, this song was incredible and powerful.

Thefirsttrackoftheeveningwasacover of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. Starting with a classic, this iconic song immediately engaged the audience into the performance, and Bailey-May’s powerful vocals set the tone for the rest of the evening, and definitely did not disappoint.

Nextwas a beautiful duet by Ellissia and Bailey-May, as they covered Hold the Line byToto. The audience was severely impressed with the passion in their voices, as well as Aaron’s incredible guitarrifflateroninthesong.

Now comes a personal favourite of mine -this amazing interpretation ofWashing Machine Heart by Mitski really sold this evening for me. Mitski is such an incredible artist and I loved how they managedtoblenditintotheirtheme.

Concluding their set with another recognisablesong,SexOnFirebyKingof Leon, the group left the audience on a high. The drop of drum and guitar halfwaythrough toletthevocalists truly shine through was perfection, and the audienceclappedalongtothebeat.

PRODUCTION

For a solo vocal song, Tabitha covered Toxic by Britney Spears. Her voice was absolutely beautiful and her vocal range was incredible ! During the chorus the band increased the speed and added their own personal flair to the popular song.

The second half of the evening began with two instrumental songs, firstly For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica, and secondlyAnesthesiabyTypeONegative. The third performance of this half included Maizie as a vocalist to cover Be Quiet and Drive by Deftones. This performancewassobeautiful. Next was another iconic song, as Mazie, Tabitha, and Charlotte singing Beat It by Michael Jackson. Their incredible voices paired with Max on the drums left the audiencespeechless.

Forthefifthperformance,thesamethree vocalists sang Don’t Stop Believing by Journey.Thebandperfectlyrecreatedthe musicandcreatedanupbeatatmosphere thattheaudienceabsolutelyadored.

For the final song of the evening, Max was on the drums and Maizie was singing.ThisamazingcoverofBoysDon't Cry byThe Cure was the perfect ending ofanabsolutelyincredibleevening. Iamincrediblythankfulfortheinvitation to this production, the atmosphere was incredible and the performers were oozing with confidence. I would definitely go to a concert if they were a real band, hopefully they go far in the musicindustryiftheysowish.

Performers : Ellissia Gates, Bailey-May Wareing, Max Houghton, Aaron Beck, Felix Eyre, Barney Statter, MazieWebster, Charlotte Price-Rojas, Nelson Harvey, and Tabitha Fairclough

Written by Robyn Fitzpatrick

A YEAR OF

Launched in March 2022, our school’s own magazine Meopham Monthly has excitingly reached an entire year of publications. I myself have been editorof Meopham Monthlysincetheveryfirstissue, andtohave seenhow beloved it is across the school, andhow many students from differentyear groups have either read each issue or contributed, makes me so proud. In fact, I distinctly remember sitting in the back of a Year 7 History class last June,talkingto some ofthe students aboutthe magazine.

Student feedback has been really positive. When the new magazine is printed, key stage 3 students get to read it in their English lessons instead of a reading book, and there is always a buzz around the room as theylook forphotos and articles from peopletheyknow.

MEOPHAM MONTHLY

Of course, I have to express major gratitude to the Editorial Team and frequent contributors, including both teachers and students, for allowing Meopham Monthly to flourish! Mr Vilday’s contributions are always a highlight for us andhis photographyis amazing! Furthermore, I am incredibly thankful to Mrs Williamson, the teacher in charge of the magazine in its entirety, who initially pitched the idea of a school magazine in bookclublastyear.

Through all of the incredible contributions we have received over the past year, and all of the support from members of the Meopham Family, I extend a massive thank you to all of you, from myself andthe EditorialTeam.

Robyn Fitzpatrick, Editor

Key Stage 3 students enjoying the magazine as part of 10 minutes silent reading in English.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Year 12/13

11

9/10 7/8

THE MEOPHAM (PET) FAMILY

Ifyouwould like to share a pet photo for a future issue, email it to MSS-magazine@swale.at, alongwith a note ofyour pet’s name.

Mango - Alice P

SPRING By Harry Gower (Yr8)

Spring is a season, The first of the year. It is a time for rebirth, And a chance to reset.

Spring is a time to lose your worries, And push pause. A cool fresh breeze blows on your face, A fresh new you for a fresh new year. The first season is a chance To set any wrong, right.