Meopham Monthly: Issue 6

MEOPHAM

Cover photo by Robyn Fitzpatrick

WELCOME

Hello! Welcome to our first Magazine issue of this academic year. Our October issue of Meopham Monthly is an Autumnal mashup of short stories, Black History, reviews,topical discussions and plentyof photos on ourgalleryandpets pages.

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 orcome along on aThursdaylunchtimeto English 5.

Editor: Robyn Fitzpatrick (Yr 12

NEWS JUST

Welcome and

Contents and

2

3

Black History Month Articles 4-5

Interview: Miss Biscombe in Uganda 6-7

Mr Vilday’s View 8-9

The Gallery 10-11

Book Recommendations 12

Reviews 13

Halloween Film

14

Short Stories 15-16

Enrichment & Clubs 17

Wellbeing Corner 18

The Meopham ( Pet ) Family 19

With thanks to everyone who

Kaya Akyuz (Yr7)

Florence Baker (Yr7)

Miss Biscombe

Charlie Cloke (Yr7)

Dolly Darby (Yr7)

Maisie Davidson (Yr8)

Erin Feeney (Yr7)

Robyn Fitzpatrick (Yr12)

Charlie Gannaway (Yr7)

Harry Gower (Yr8)

Luke Halls (Yr7)

Penny Ingles (Yr9)

Sally Ingles (Yr7)

Shanice Jarvis (Yr7)

Ella Maisey (Yr8)

Lucinda Martin-Cooke (Yr8)

Oli Miller-Wills (Yr7)

Adam Nachyla (Yr7)

Maia New (Y12)

Lucy Parker (Y12)

Kayla Prescott (Yr7)

Harriett Pritchard (Yr7)

Ashe Reeves (Yr13)

Stella Santamaria (Yr8)

Abi Seex (Yr8)

Sophia Smith (Yr7)

Mr Vilday

Mrs Williamson

Archie Woollard (Yr7)

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

By Robyn Fitzpatrick (Year 12)

Black History Month is an annually observed celebration to learn about the importance of black voices across the globe. People from African and Caribbean descent have been a fundamental part of history and culture for centuries, however the education we receive on this culture in the UK has traditionally been minimal. Many schools still teach a history curriculum that details historic achievements of white figureheads, whereas the importance of black voices are merely glossed over.

Carter G Woodson, also known as the “Father of Black History” was born in Virginia in 1875 and was the son of former slaves. During his adolescence, he had limited access to education and job opportunities, however over the years he managed to receive an incredibly impressive collection of various qualifications. In 1926, he sent out a press release in order to mark the first Black History Week in the US, and this eventwas expanded in 1970.

Black history should be celebrated all year round, but Black History Month in October puts a focus on promoting and celebrating black contributions to British society. The theme of Black History Month UK 2022 is “Time for Change: Action Not Words” and because of this I urge you to read articles and stories online to betteryour own understanding and knowledge; donate to online charities such as UK Black Pride, StopWatchUK, and Black Minds Matter; and share information on social media to get the word out there so that more people can donate and support.You could also support black-owned businesses, as many black creators will tag theirwork as such in orderto be more easilylocated on the internet.

https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/

https://www.ukblackpride.org.uk/

https://www.blackmindsmatteruk.com/

AN HONORARY ARTICLE

DEDICATED TO ROSA PARKS

By Kaya Akyuz (Year 7)

Rosa Parks was a Black Rights activist born in 1913, Alabama. Her full name was Rosa Louise McCauley Parks.

Howshe made a difference?

Itwas 1955 in Montgomery and Rosa was on the bus. A white man got on and there were no seats, so she was told to move. But Rosa stayed put and stated to the man “I believe that there is only one race: The Human Race”. She was then imprisoned, but as soon as she was freed, she went back to being a Black-Rights activist showing how determined she was.

She sadly died in 2005 of natural causes at age 92.

Quotations from Rosa Parks:

“We still, today, have a long way to go and we still have to continue our work.”

“To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try.”

“Stand for something or you will fall for anything.”

“The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”

“You must never be fearful about what you are doing if it is right.”

“Each person must live their life as a role model for another’s.”

MISS BISCOMBE IN UGANDA

Interview by the Editorial Team

Miss Biscombe spent her summer holiday working in Uganda with a charity called Inspiring Teachers, which trains teachers in developingcountries.WhilstteachersinUganda arequalifiedinasubject,thelevelisonlyupto the equivalent of an A level, whereas teachers here go into university education and then through teacher training. Miss Biscombe told us: “Uganda is an incredibly poor countrywith very little food or water, and with limited electricity and other resources. In each classroom, they have just one textbook for the teacher and a blackboard, and in each class there were 50-60 children of mixed ages.” (see picture)

Maisie: Didyou feellikeyou gotto understand andbepartoftheculture?

Miss B: It was very different. We stayed in houses like the local people: a wooden shed (pictured) withlotsofspiders.Weatethesame foodandlivedaspartofthecommunity.

Dolly: Howmuchofthelanguagedidyoulearn?

Miss B: I learnt about five phrases in the local dialect but they speak English in Ugandan schools.

Ugandan Classroom

Harry: Wasitdifficulttomanage?

Miss B: The children are very well behaved. They want to do well at school because they know many people don’t get an education. I especially loved the outdoor science lesson (pictured).Youcan’twatchvideosorlookata text book there, so they use learning experiences. This one was learning about differentvegetation.

Interviewedit byCharlie G:

Miss Biscombe said that she asked the children that she taught a few questions and their answers were pretty much exactly the same as the children at Meopham Secondary School (dreaming about getting a big car or even a big house). She said that a teacher at one she visited school stopped in the playground and pointed out a big metal pipe with a tap on the top. The teacher asked her proudly “Have you got one at your school?”

Miss Biscombe said it was hard to talk about our school in the UK since it is so very different. It made her think more about how fortunate we are to have blazers, shoes and even ties; she said that some students there didn’t even have shoes. She stated that we should be more appreciative of whatwe have inlife.

Miss Biscombe and the Ugandan teachers

continued…

Working during a power cut Primary school learnersMiss Biscombe and teaching colleagues

Elephants - Queen Elizabeth National Park

Teacher accommodation

Science lesson

Mountain gorilla

Teacher Miriam

MR VILDAY’S VIEW

Views from a latter-day Viking

I spent an early part of my life, between the ages of 5 to 10, living in Germany. My Dad was in the Army for 25 years and we travelled with him as a family. My sister and eldest brotherwere born in Perth, Scotland. My next oldest brotherwas born in Paris, France and my youngest brother was the only one born in England, in Felixstowe, Suffolk. My upbringing was therefore different to those back in Gravesend.

I wasn’t aware of racism at that time and age, but it was there. We had a number of children of different races at my primary schools. I played with them as I did with the white kids. On one occasion, both my parents were working and a family memberwho was visiting us at the time was looking after us until they came home. I asked this relative if my friend Frank could come round and she said yes. When Frank turned up, she changed her mind when she sawhim. Itwas only in lateryears that I realised her reaction was to the fact that Frank’s mother was Chinese, and Frankhad her features.

Coming back to England in 1975 was an eye-opener and I soon learned there were many derogatory words for people of other ethnicities. Black players were just starting to break through into top flight teams and had to endure monkey chants and having bananas thrown at them. The National Front, a racist political group, had a worryinglylarge membership.

I love sport and I’ve never seen a finer team in any sport than the West Indies cricket team of the late 70s to early 80s. They played the game with a pure joy and skill that was a pleasure to watch, and I would happily cheer them on, even against England. At the same time, I was discovering reggae music especially Bob Marley. On one occasion when watching a game with Bob playing in the background I got asked if I was ‘turning black’. I think my response was “if it gets me playing music or cricketlike that then yes”.

In the aftermath of punk, 1979 or so, a new wave of music came out of the Midlands. 3 bands became noticed very quickly. A lot of itwas labelled Two Tone, the name of a record label some of these bands started with.

continued…

What was noticed by most, including me, was their sheer talent. The Beat, The Specials and UB40. What was noticed by others though was the fact there were white and black people in the same line-up and these bands attracted a lot of negative and violent attention from the National Front and other extremists. All 3 bands fought against racism through their music. UB40 made a video for their song ‘Dream a Lie’ where the black members wore white makeup, the white members wore black makeup and the two mixed race members wore both. In modern times this would be seen as wrong but UB40’s reasoning was that to them, skin colourwas not important and didn’t decide who theyworked with and were friends with.

Britain today is a very different place to the Britain I met back in 1975. Some aspects of racism have been tackled but it’s still there. To me it comes back to something I said in a previous issue: Treat people the way you want to be treated. Make the differences that we have become positives to build on not negatives to insult each other with. Shine light through a prism and you get the rainbow colours. Shouldn’t it then be that if we get all the colours together, we make light which doesn’t then have a colour. Just a thought.

It's all the little things That really make a difference And sometimes ahug's all it takes. The quietword of calming, The joke to getlaughing The arm round the shoulder, and cakes. Be nice to others, the heart of all faiths Why is it so difficult for some to embrace?

Thanks for reading. Article and

Photos and artwork by : Penny I, Robyn F, Lucy P, Mr Vilday

Photos and artwork by : Ella M, Penny I, Kaya A, Dolly D, Lucy P

REVIEWS

BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL

ReviewbyPennyIngles (Year9)

“I would definitely recommend this musical! I would give it 5 stars. There were some amazing actors and a lot of songs and dances involved. If you like the film, you will definitelylove the musical!”

THE HATE U GIVE - ANGIE THOMAS

ReviewbyLucyParker(Year12)

The Hate U Give is a book about a 16 year old girl named Starr who grows up in a poor neighbourhood. We discoverthat shehas been awitness to the murder of two of her best friends, both committed by a police officers.The booktells Starr’s storybeautifully, of how she grieves forherbest friendsyet still carries on with her day to day life. Although she has trauma from watching her friends’ murders, Thomas navigates humour between the sad moments; there are boy problems, aloving familyand ahigh schoollife.

This story is written in such a powerful way that it makes the reader angry, as neither of her friends’ murderers were brought to justice, because the police officers were prioritised more than Starr, although shewas avalidwitness.The narration of the storyis representing real life issues and it relates similarly to the George Floyd murder and the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement. It dives deep into how racism runs within our society and conveys the anger that is feltwhen issues aren'ttaken care of properly. It opens up conversations about police brutality against black people and how different communities will deal with that trauma. It is definitely an essential read as it awakens major issues that are prevalent in today’s society.

HALLOWEEN

Selected by Harriett Pritchard (Year 7)

THE GUARDIAN OF THE GATES OF HELL

A short story by Ashe Reeves (Year 13)

Sleeping soundly beneath the crust of Earth, a raging beast rested. With a mane of fire and a breath of death, he slept unmoving until his job was needed. When the blood moon set across the horizon, he awoke, three sets of eyes blinking and focusing in the dark, studying the eternal darkness until he could see clearly. Teal scales, dulled by the jagged stones and rocks surrounding the monster, lay impenetrable on his hide. Hissing, a serpent's head uncoiled around the large boulder from whence it rested and hovered just above the beast's torso. Large blazing echoes cascaded down the beast's maw, licking at its teeth and pooling on the cavern floor. Three great collars, spiked with iron and chained to the wall, rested heavily around the creature's broad necks.

The behemoth snarled and snapped its powerful jaws at those walking past, its red eyes flaring with unkempt fury, fire barreling out of its jaws as its wrath grew.

The wall behind the monster cracked. The chain became loose. Cerberus was free.

Large paws buried themselves in the rock beneath him as he let out a roar of victory; flames coloured a dull red shifting to an electric blue as energy was reinvigorated into the beast. His tail thrashed against the souls of the damned as his fire caused incurable pain and suffering, an eternal burn that shall never heal scarred across their skin.

Silence swept over the area, the whispering of death only overpowered by the whimpering of the colossal beast. Increasing in volume, the whispers descend into chaos as The Unseen enters the realm, The Giver Of Death coming to tame his unruly canine. Enslaving this beast was no easy feat, but for the lord of death such a task became trivial and easy. He simply held out his hand and Cerberus bowed his head in shame. Hades let out a sigh of annoyance. Purple wisps escaped the God’s hand and encased the thick chain, reattaching it to the wall. Raising himself back up, the unseen wraith slipped back through the gates and left Cerberus to his eternal duty.

THE MYSTERY A short story by Kaya Akyuz, Year 7

I woke up from my spiraling trance in a dimly lit room. All I saw was a melting candle dripping - it was very bizarre, like the room was tilted upside down. I stood up and tumbled into the chipped-paint covered wall. I didn’t think much of it because I amveryclumsy. Ilooked atthe clock on thewall and it read: 3AM. I felt a cold bonyhand creep up myshoulder…I didn’t evenwanttoknowwhatit was, so I ran to the doorslipping everystep of theway.

“YOU CAN’THIDE FROM ME,”thevoiceyelled down the corridor.

I used my sharp reaction skills to clutch on to the rusty door handle, my bony fingers wrapping around the cold handle. I opened it and that’s all I remember….

This time I woke up in a sweat. I saw a man and I pieced two and two together and I realieds itwashim. I started chasinghim buthe just disappeared. Iheard echoes around the room.

“GETOUTOFMYHOUSE!”

I bolted and bumped into an elederlyman.

“Oh, thank the Lord!” I shouted with a great relief in my voice, but a hissing voicewhispered out, “Badluck…”

THE WILD

By Harriett Pritchard, Year 7

The wild is a mysterious place if you ask me, as you never know what could jump out atyou.You can never predictthe wild because of its uniqueness. All the animals lie in the grass, all the noises you can hear… Beautiful as it is, it is being damaged in all sorts of ways: pollution, deforestation, climate change.We need to protect and help wildlife to survive, by not littering and keeping fields and playgrounds clean !

WELLBEING CORNER

By Maia New, Year 12

[Copingwith anger]

♡ Feeling angry is natural and inevitable, but how we deal with it is something we can improve. The first step is not blaming yourself, this’ll make the situation more stressful and you will end up feeling more angry.

♡ To deal with the annoyances of life calmly, open your heart to the reasons which might be making you feel bad. Ponder, accept and let go. Discussions often lead to nothing and just accumulate more problems on your list. Think about whether it’s really necessary to feel this emotion, if there’s something you can actively do to deal with it or if it’s just nonsense irritability.

♡ Don’t let expectations spoil things for you. We often expect attitudes from people that may not happen, or perfectly deal situations. Remember that not everything is in your hands, things can be a little different than expected, and that’s fine. People act out of personal circumstances and motivations, and don’t always want to cause you harm, like it may seem. Try to not blame yourself, the world or other people for minor inconveniences, you will feel purelylight hearted!

[Improvingyourself-esteem]

♡ Get to know your own self. Don’t stick to descriptions and introductions about yourself, how others see you or what you would like to be. Be honest and accept who you truly are. We all have good and bad in us, it’s important to know how to separate the two and what you can improve - without changing your natural essence!

♡ Stop comparing yourself to others, other people can be incredible inspirations and help you to be better, but it’s essential to separate inspiration from impersonation : you are unique and must respectyourpersonal limits.

♡ Find your ideal, attainable self. Don’t stick to impossible goals, don’t spend your energy trying to be something that doesn’t suit you, as it wouldn’t make you happy! You must let go of other people's opinions that aren’t constructive, and lean on who you want to become.

And lastly, Happy Halloween!

THE MEOPHAM (PET) FAMILY

Raven - Oli M-W

Bella - Maia N

Kaz - Sophia SBenji - Archie W

Miku - Luke H

Yoda - Erin F

Simba & NalaCharlie C

Ziggy - Miss Biscombe

Dougie - Kayla P

A poe b Joh Keat

Written