THE_ISSUE The Harvest Issue The official newsletter of International School Ruhr FEATURES Newest addition - Descriptive writing
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Changes to the Newsletter
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New Head of School - Exclusive Interview
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IS Ruhr Newsletter
Vol.4.1 Vol 2 Issue Issue812021 2023
THE _ISSUE: The Official Newsletter of International School Ruhr
Dear readers, A new school year always comes with a new edition of The_Issue, and this time it is with a couple of interesting additions, as every school year comes with changes and surprises. Once again, our team has changed, but this time it’s here to stay. For this edition of The_Issue you can check out a bunch of information about the school, as well as some sprinkles of fresh ideas that are unrelated. This Issue may be short and focused on SY, but best believe our next edition will be bigger and better. Meanwhile, enjoy our little magazine as some light post-holiday reading. Happy Holidays!
Editorial Team This newsletter is produced through the efforts of the IS Ruhr Media Arts class. Manager and vice Manager
Design and Editing
Mia Mbalisike
Mariia Kosenko Yu Su Tsai Mia Mbalisike Giada Stockstill
CNH
Writers Bassila Assman Mariia Kosenko Marvin Printzen Mia Mbalisike Milan Zinflou Oliver Jones-Katz Yu Su Tsai Giada Stockstill
Mia Mbalisike and CNH (Your Managers) We want to say special thanks to: Simon Vanderkelen - For letting us interview him. Eve Anderson - For lending us her classroom.
A cloud hugs the burning summer song and wraps it in a soft glow, turning the sky from an azure to a satin gray, dimming the sky. Soon enough the leaves will follow, morphing from green to vermillion, mocha, and fiery orange. You are strolling through a deep field, while the deep scent of the crackling leaves dances up around you, twirling and nudging your arm upwards, as you reach for a low hanging, shiny fruit. You lock your hand around the apple and tug on it softly, so it falls in your hand and embraces you with a sweet melody of the leaves letting it go. You look at its sweet flesh and see something carved into it, its juice running down your fingers, into your soul. ‘The Harvest Issue. Enjoy’
Vol 4 Issue 1 - The Harvest Issue 2023
Hunting Season Marvin Printzen
Hunting season is starting in Germany, which means the forests around you might be filled with hunters. You might ask yourself why people hunt and if they do it as a hobby, or if there are other reasons for hunting. While yes, people hunt as a hobby, there is also a good cause behind it; hunting is important in Germany so there is not an overpopulation of animals. The explanation is quite simple. First of all, the hunted animals don't have any natural predators, and secondly, as humans grow and expand, humans get closer to the animals. In order to stop animals from running into humans all the time, they must be kept at a reasonable population. In Germany, there are over 407,000 hunters, however, getting a license is harder than you may think. You must go to intensive classes, and after that you must pass tough exams on what you have learned in order to get your license. Hunting season in Germany is in Autumn, but some species of deer are hunted from August to May, while rabbits and wild boar can be hunted all year round.
THE_ISSUE - September 2023
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International Day of Peace By Bassila Asmann International Day of Peace exists to strengthen the ideals of peace in all nations and people. Simply, it aims for a more peaceful world. That specific day is a great time for us to see that true peace can only be achieved if we find love for ourselves and the people around us. The UN International Day of Peace started on September 21, 1981, and it was organised by the United Nations General Assembly. Every year, we celebrate the International Day of Peace on the 21st of September. The purpose is to provide a date so that people all over the globe can experience peace in all different countries and nations, but it is also to contribute to building a culture of peace. Every year, the United Nations chooses a different theme for the day. For example, in 2020, the topic was “Shaping Peace Together,” in 2021, it was “Recovering Better for an Equitable and Sustainable World,” and for this year, the theme will be “Actions for Peace: Our Ambitions for the #GlobalGoals.” There are a lot of things you can do to participate during International Day of Peace. For instance, you can participate in a silent minute at midday local time, since worldwide, people do that in cities, villages, and towns. Along with that, people get involved in a lot of different events. You could even do photography, arts, film, music, or dance based on the theme or day, and if you enjoy sports, you can play a football game for peace. In school, children and teenagers often take part in a wide range of activities, which are usually focused on preventing bullying and school violence.
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Because of social media and the internet, there is a lot more awareness and peace than there was in 1981. This is because the posts on social media platforms contain information and ideas that reach a lot more people all over the world. There are also activities you can participate in online. For example, you can register for live shows, conferences, and workshops. There are also some things we can do to bring peace in our lives. Since the day is not only about ending international conflicts and problems, it is also about changing our behavior towards the people around us and our environment. We can bring peace to our personal lives by making peace with someone or saying sorry. Those individual little actions help make our world a little more peaceful. In conclusion, every 21st of September we celebrate the International Day of Peace. It is a day to strengthen worldwide peace through 24 hours of non-violence and harmony.
THE_ISSUE - September 2023
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Changes to Media Arts Milan Zinflou
The school podcast is here! And with it also comes a new subject and many new changes to the yearbook and the school magazine. Welcome to media arts!
Every Tuesday, the learning partners of grade nine and ten will have two hours of media arts, a new subject where, in groups, they will be working on a podcast, the yearbook, and the school magazine (the one you are reading right now!) The groups consist of seven to eight people who all have their own individualized roles and are responsible for specific parts of the production of the product. The podcast and the magazine alternate releases, with one of them releasing every month, so one month you get the magazine, and the next month you get the podcast. At the beginning of the year, the students were put into random groups to research and make a presentation about the individual media formats. Once each group presented their presentation, the individual students were asked to fill out a survey that interviewed them on their skill set, preferences, and interests in the forms of media.
Based on the results of this survey, the students were put into new groups: the school podcast, the school magazine, and the yearbook. In my opinion, these changes will make media arts a much more interesting subject, and increase the quality of the produced work, since the learning partners will be more motivated due to them having more choices in what they want to do.
THE_ISSUE - September 2023
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The New Head of School Mia Mbalisike
Nice to meet you!
With the new school year of 2023-2024, there came a lot of changes, one of these being our new head of school, Simon Vanderkelen. If you are involved in our school you certainly have seen him, albeit on the first day of school, during the school BBQ, or just around the school building. But even though you’ve seen him before, have you met him? It is important that you meet him as a person so you can get to know him through his interests and motivations for our school community, and today is your lucky day, because you’ve just stumbled across an exclusive interview with the man himself, Mr. Simon. You get to know about him in just a handful of questions, composed in this short article. The first question he answered was: “What is the reason you wanted to join our school community?” Mr. Simon explained how he wanted to move back to Germany, as he had taught there previous to moving to Brussels, which is where he was before coming to ISRuhr. He has always aspired to work in a head of school role, which hadn’t been possible before. Additionally, his wife is German, which is why he happened to be looking in NRW particularly and he got into contact with Ms. Maria and Ms. Rebecca, as well as some other valuable staff members. He then managed to become the new head of school. Mr. Simon generally is interested in schools. He knew he loved teaching when he got to university, so he studied teaching, languages, economics, and some politics as well. He revealed that throughout his career he has always worked in IB schools. They were located in four countries, those being Australia, Singapore, Belgium, and of course, Germany. THE_ISSUE - September 2023
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When asked whether he could reveal any plans for the future of our school, he shared his vision to find a new home for the school. Within the next couple of years, when the economic situation in Germany has stabilized, the school will try to find an existing building and change its interior into a sort of “funky” and “modern” learning environment. Both SBW Haus des Lernens, the owners of the school, and Mr. Simon, strongly believe in letting students follow their dreams and aspirations, which they want to reflect in the future building. At this time the building hasn’t been chosen, but it is in planning.
Later he revealed some fun facts about himself. When asked to describe himself in three words, he believed the words “enthusiastic,” “energetic,” and “fair” were perfect descriptors for who he is. He is a kind person both inside and outside of a school setting. When he isn’t working he enjoys running, as he is currently training for a half marathon, and he also enjoys cooking and food in general, spending time with his friends from all over, and music. His personal favorite music genre is Jazz and one of his favorite artists, which he heavily recommends everyone listens to, is Paolo Fresu, an Italian musician. The committee of The_Issue and the entire school would like to give Mr. Simon a warm welcome so we all can have a great school year together. If you, as a reader, have any questions for Mr. Simon then you are welcome to ask, as he himself says “Even if my door is closed, it’s always open.” THE_ISSUE - September 2023
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Crossword Brought to you by The_Issue
Vertical
Horizontal
1. Something that you write with 3. The pupils/learners in school. 5. Electronic device to work with. 6. Something to get rid of text with 7. What you do with books ?
2. Something you write on 4. Synonym for educator 8. The stage after primary 9. The keeper of all words 10. What’s in a mirror?
THE_ISSUE - September 2023
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Grade 10 Presentation International Teachers’ Day Writers : Mariia Kosenko , Yusu
This year our omega presentation was about International Teachers’ Day. From this presentation, you will learn what teachers struggle with while teaching. We interviewed teachers and asked each other about it. We also asked teachers what they expect from students and how we can improve the learning environment. What is Teachers’ Day?
What Makes a Good/ Bad Teacher?
‘Teachers’ Day’ is an event celebrated in many countries all around the world to honor and appreciate the contribution of teachers to society.
A good teacher is knowledgeable, communicates well, and is patient and adaptable. They're passionate, empathetic, and motivate students.
In many places, Teachers' Day is celebrated on October 5th, which is also the World Teachers' Day established by UNESCO. The day is an opportunity for students to express respect towards their teachers.
THE_ISSUE - September 2023
Conversely, a bad teacher lacks subject knowledge, struggles with communication, and may be impatient or inflexible. They might lack enthusiasm and empathy. Teachers expect students to be attentive, to participate, complete work on time, and show respect. They value initiative, curiosity, and a positive attitude toward learning. Page 11
What do Teachers Struggle With? Teachers struggle with classroom management, student engagement, meeting diverse learning needs, grading and assessments, and balancing their workload and personal life.
After the presentation, we played Kahoot and used mentimeter to ask teachers questions. All students could participate in it. At the end of the presentation, we gave flowers to all the teachers and took pictures of them.
THE_ISSUE - September 2023
In conclusion, International Teachers’ Day is a global celebration of educators' contributions. Teachers face challenges like classroom management and diverse learning needs. Good teachers are knowledgeable, empathetic, and motivating, while bad ones lack these qualities. Teachers expect attentiveness, participation, and respect from students. Understanding these dynamics helps create a better learning environment. Thank you.
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Vol 4 Issue 1 - The Harvest Issue 2023
An Op Ed on Nihilism Oliver Jones-Katz I am writing this op-ed because I want to raise awareness of nothingness, and the impact it has on philosophy. This article is about nihilism and its definition, along with some of my own personal opinions. What exactly is nihilism and where does it come from? Well, I think nihilism is the rejection of everything that ever existed, and the idea that things we all hold valuable are in fact meaningless. Nihilists believe that there is no special plan or design to the universe and beyond and that everything is as good as nothing. One may argue that nihilists don’t believe in anything at all, but that in and of itself is contradictory. If one believes in nihilism, they therefore believe in something. They are then no longer nihilists. Is a true nihilist someone who is simply apathetic? No, it is much more. But how can there be much more if there is nothing to begin with? The truth lies in the absence of ideas. If one simply does not think about the meaning of life, if one simply does not bother to uncover it, and if one doesn’t care about theory or ethics, only then can true nihilism be achieved. I guarantee you, to this day, that there is yet to be a true nihilist. When will the first nihilist appear, or rather, disappear?
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Isn’t tradition just peer pressure from dead people? Milan: Aren't laws just peer pressure of society? Oliver: No, it isn’t. You are actively making the decision to continue what you are doing. It is up to you. Why is patience a virtue if early birds get the best advantages? Anonymous: Yes, basically, I remember having heard that before somewhere. Ms. Eve: For family traditions it can connect you to your heritage and family members who have passed. Ms. Maria: No, it's not peer pressure, we willingly keep traditions alive and we enjoy them. Ms. Jen: No, it is our connection to our ancestors that we keep alive. Plus, they’re fun!! Yusu: Maybe, but some traditions can be influenced by today because they are funny and interesting. Bassila: No, because you can choose if you want to continue the tradition. Mr. Tim A: Traditions are a fun thing to do to connect you to history, but if you don’t want to do it, it's not a good reason to force you to do something
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Sources All the work cited.
Tromari. “Hunting in Germany.” Expats in Germany, 17 Apr. 2023, expat-ingermany.com/hunting-ingermany/#:~:text=The%20main%20hunting%20season%20is,be%20shot%20all%20year%20r ound. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023. Wdr. “Geschichte Der Jagd: Pro Und Contra Jagd.” Geschichte Der Jagd: Pro Und Contra Jagd - Tier Und Mensch - Natur - Planet Wissen, Planet-Wissen.De, 31 Jan. 2022, www.planetwissen.de/natur/tier_und_mensch/geschichte_der_jagd/pwieproundcontrajagd100.html#:~:te xt=Die%20J%C3%A4ger%20sehen%20sich%20in,Forstwirtschaft%20zu%20unkontrollierbare n%. “Warum Jäger Jagen Gehen.” Deutscher Jagdverband, www.jagdverband.de/warum-jaegerjagengehen#:~:text=Mehr%20als%20die%20H%C3%A4lfte%20der,%2DGr%C3%BCnden%2C%20di e%20J%C3%A4gerpr%C3%BCfung%20abzulegen. Twinkl.De, www.twinkl.de/event/international-day-of-peace2023#:~:text=International%20Day%20of%20Peace%20theme%3A&text=For%20example%2 C%20in%202020%2C%20the,for%20the%20%23Global%20Goals%27. Accessed 12 Sept. 2023.
“The International Day of Peace.” LearnEnglish, learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/generalenglish/magazine-zone/international-day-peace. Accessed 12 Sept. 2023. “International Day of Peace.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-peace. Accessed 12 Sept. 2023. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, iep.utm.edu/nihilism/. Accessed 12 Sep. 2023 Denise. “20-06-2023: From Waterloo to Essen.” SBW International School Ruhr, 26 June 2023, www.is-ruhr.de/en/from-waterloo-to-essen/. “Log into Facebook.” Facebook, m.facebook.com/hausdeslernens/events/. Steinhoff, Nane. “SBW International School Ruhr.” Discover Germany, Switzerland and Austria, 19 Jan. 2015, www.discovergermany.com/sbw-international-school-ruhr/.
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MAGAZINE TEAM