Spring - Edition 29

Nr. 29

SPRING

May, 2015 Fafe

"English, me and my future" I have a lot of plans for my future, and I have a lot of things very...

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Newspaper editors: Diogo Jesus & Luís Pires 12th H

Environment & Advertising

Why English?

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"Telling a teenager the facts of life is like giving a fish a bath" - Arnold H.Glasow

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"An experience of a lifetime Trip to Slovakia" Page • 0 3

Spring S …uch an amazing season, P …ersonifies colour and beauty.

R …ises the sun with a special bright,

I …mprovising the pleasing heated temperatures.

N …o season is like this one, G …orgeous, emblematic and so unique.

Luís Fernandes 10th C

Formula OneTM in Schools challenge with two classes from 12th H involved.

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KEEP CALM AND

LOVE ENGLISH

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May 2015

English in 12th grade Time to immigrate

For the 1st time in the history of Spring, the Editorial is not written by the teachers of English. That's right! To celebrate the return of English to the 12th grade, we, the 12th grade English students decided to build it from scratch.

This year was the year of motions. We are the first 1st students having English in the 12th grade. In this newspaper we tried to have all the opinions of all students about different subjects. The most interesting thing about this newspaper is that we made it by ourselves and by making it we all gave our opinions and we learned how to work as a team. We all accept every opinion and you realize how we work.

The 29th edition is all about us students: our interests, our concerns, our goals, our fears, our joys.

Above all, it is about our love towards the English language. We hope you enjoy Spring and have fun reading it, as much as we did in making it!

Proud to be the 12th grade English students, Classes 12th H and I

"Will of freedom" Back to the shadows of my thoughts I try to unchain myself Leaving my humanity behind Full of me and nothing else.

Again lost in the maze With no way to go through and back... Just those creepy little voices Round and round inside my head...

They torture my feelings Make me act like a fool I make them go away But they use my brain as to..

"Burn them all on fire" They gently inspire you "Come play with us child" Pretending to be alive too...

Isabela Veiga, 12th I

There are several reasons that lead people to abandon their home and go to other foreign countries. Political and religious persecutions, lack of jobs or badly paid jobs, a better life for the family or a better education for the children are some of the causes of immigration. Many of them leave poverty, famine, wars, natural disasters behind and go to a new country to start a new life. The chosen country by the majority of the immigrants is America.

This one is known as the land of equality, opportunity and freedom.

However, the immigrants´life isn´t easy in America, or in any other country.

Difficulties with integration, in finding a job, a house to live in and with a new language, culture and traditions to deal with, integration in the new society is not an easy process. When the immigrants go to the new country, to the host country, they not always find a job right away. And when they find it, this is not the dreamed job. They do the dirty jobs, the jobs the other people don´t want the menial jobs. Strawberry pickers, chimney – sweepers, housemaids, etc are the most common jobs among immigrants. Undoubtedly, immigrants are discriminated against suffering therefore racist attacks. So in order to defend themselves, they get together, they form little communities inside the biggest community. They maintain their traditions, speak their own language, have their own festivities and this way they maintain their own culture alive.

Sara Pereira, 11thG

May 2015

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An experience of a lifetime Trip to Slovakia Being in another country wasn’t new for us. But this time was different.

This trip was possible thanks to a project called “Comenius” from the European Group in which our school is a part of.

Last year we received some foreign students in our homes, they were from Slovakia. So in return it was possible for us to go to their country and stay in their houses for a week. When we first realized we were able to travel to Slovakia we started to make plans right away from the excitement.

From then we began counting the days to our trip.

When the day finally came we couldn’t believe in ourselves.

We were a little bit nervous because I were our first plane flights (we did scale in Frankfurt but sadly we couldn’t visit this town because we only had about half an hour to change planes) but it turned out to be really funny (and we discover the plane’s food tasted terrifically awfull.

Why English?

I’m here to talk about why we chose English and so I have to be honest. At first, I only thought about choosing English because it’s an easy subject for me, I have good grades and also because it is essential for my future.

Just like me everyone else thought so.

However, when we started classes I realized that it was the best choice that I could have ever made and I’m pretty sure that I’m talking in name of the entire class. Besides all of the work that we do during classes we also have lots of fun. In the beginning of all lessons the teacher brings us a song and we have to fill the gaps of the lyrics. Even if we want, we can sing it and we do it most of the times (no so good as we wanted) but it feels really good and we feel much more relief which is also important for the rest of the classes and even the day. But, of course, we don’t just play. We also have to work and it’s this work that is allowing us to improve our English skills and it’s making us feel much more comfortable with this language. I’m sure that if we were in London right now we would seem pretty close to native speakers. Also the oral presentations are truly essential for us to feel open, even with a public in front of us, a thing that will help us a lot throughout university.

Even though sometimes we have some difficulties, we have a teacher that really understands us and has the power to make us feel comfortable and able to do everything. She also helps us with the grades. One of the reasons why we choose an optional subject on the 12th grade is to have a good final grade and I really believe that everyone is getting it because if we work the teacher recognizes it and rewards us.

So, if you are thinking about choosing English you definitely have to do it. You will have everything, you will have fun, you will also work but above all, you won’t regret it.

English wasn't just a choice, it was the perfect choice, and that will absolutely be a powerful tool in our lives in a very near future.

Text orally presented in “Ponto de Encontro da Poesia” March, 17th by Rute Rita 12th H

We had the chance to visit Vienna in Austria , and it seemed like an other world, everything was beautiful, the streets were very clean.

We arrived at Ruzomberok around 11pm after a 4 hours bus trip that helped us to know everybody from the project, either Romanian and Slovak people. Then we went to our foster families houses.

The next day we had the opportunity to get to know apart of Slovakia’s culture and to visit the town and it turned out to be gorgeous with beautiful natural landscapes.

During the rest of the week we visit a lot of different places both historical and fun places (several castles, old villages, lakes, night clubs, shopping centers) and we had some days that we stay in their school to see how it was.

We were fortunate to have made awesome friendships that we hope we keep forever because those people turned out to be amazing and unforgettable we also hope we can see them in the future .

This was an experience we will keep in our memories forever because it isn’t every week that we get to see other cultures, other ways of seeing the world, different realities.

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May 2015

English, me and my future

I have a lot of plans for my future, and I have a lot of things that I really want to do during all of my life and there’s one thing very important for me that I always wanted to do. And when I saw the oral presentations from other groups about the human’s rights I realized that I must do it. Seeing all those videos and hearing what they were saying made me believe that we have a mission in our lives and I believe that this is mine.

Since I was a little kid I wanted to go abroad and meet the world. But I wanted to go abroad mostly because I always wanted to help people in need. I really believe that the human’s rights should be achieved. No hunger, no slavery, no inequalities, no maltreatment… But I also think that is our responsibility to make something about it is that things will change. We have the power to change the world, to change all of these things and live in a better way. As we all know, Ebola is something very serious nowadays and people are fighting against it. That’s very important because we see that there are people worried with this situation and trying to solve it. However once I heard: Hunger is killing more people than Ebola but as hunger doesn’t attack and kill rich people as Ebola they just don’t care and they don’t try to end it as they try to end Ebola.

This thought shows a lot of how our society is and who runs this world. The rich and powerful people. They only do things for their benefit and nothing else. That’s why our world is so bad, because who could change it is doing nothing for it. So it’s our turn to do something, fight and change this. People with great minds and big initiatives will be able to turn this world upside down. Our own wishes are bigger than all the money in the world we just have to believe in it.

It was amazing how the groups presented their works and they showed us that is possible to change this if we do everything within our power. And all the examples that they gave about people who fight for all of this was absolutely fabulous. I hope it has touched other people as it touched me because it really did.

All of this is one of the main reasons why I consider English so important. As I want to go abroad and get to know the world I really need to speak English and in a good way because it will facilitate my life. It will be much easier to communicate with other people, read some information and know better about the place and the people from that place.

With this, I can say that English is an important piece of everyone’s future and that the work that my classmates did was incredible!

Rute Rita 12th H

20.05.2015

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Cybernetics: What is it all about?

Luís Fernandes, 10ºC The desire of this report is to explain the concept of Cybernetics and what it represents in the 21st century society. With this new technological advances, you might ask yourself who is responsible for all this work.

They are the cyberneticists and you are about to know a lot more about them in this text about the unknown but extremely important science called Cybernetic!

It was created by an American mathematician called Norbert Weiner. Weiner was part of a group of very brainy people with various specializations (sociology, philosophy, mathematics and many others). Other reference sources cite earlier origins and use of the word cybernetics (or translated equivalent) dating back to Pl at o, 428- 348 BC, in which he used the term in 'Republic' to describe systems of government. More recently others used the cybernetics term prior and closer to Weiner's ideas. In short, the study of control and response to complex systems has been keeping great minds busy for thousands of years, and Weiner seems to be regarded as the chief modern architect.

"Cybernetics is a science that controls animals, organizations and machines (only when they are independent of other mechanisms).” … “It is a transdisciplinary approach for exploring regulatory systems, their structures, constraints, and possibilities.”… “This science was conceived by Norbert Weiner, who coined the term himself. This science controls complex systems as analogous (similar).”… “It differs from the empirical sciences because it is not interested in material form but in organization, pattern and communication in entities.” The Wikipedia definitions of Cybernetics are all very beautiful, mesmerizing, astonishing and complete. The problem is that they don’t go to the point and tell us what this science really is. As a consequence I decided to create my own simple definition of Cybernetics. Cybernetics is a technological science created by Norbert Weiner. It establishes the connection between the Hardware and Software, technologically speaking… When applied to health, as it mainly is, this science is the one responsible, for instance, to connect an artificial arm to your body.

Is it obvious that if you “glue” an artificial arm to your body it won’t work. The same happens with computers. And that is what Cybernetics does. Due to its complexity it is also known as the “philosophy of empirical sciences”.

As you now may wonder, before reading the previous paragraph, this science has a lot of applications in our life. The most recognized products of Cybernetics are applied to the health world, just like artificial parts of the body and prosthesis. But, on the other hand, it also highly applied in Robotics, Aerospacial Industry, Automotive Industry, Computerized Industry and many others in which it is necessary to implement and coordinate systems as analogous. It is everywhere! To sum up it is important to keep clear that Cybernetics is one of the fastest growing industry on planet.

As a very technological science, it offers major employment opportunities as well as solutions for our daily problems. Incredibly or not this distinguished science is not very famous in the general population and social media.

Cyberneticians are like air traffic controllers, no one watches what they are doing but their work is undoubtedly important for everyone!

“Telling a teenager the facts of life is like giving a fish a bath.”- Arnold H. Glasow

It isn't easy being a teenager. It's a time of conflicting feelings and desires. We are growing up, so our life is changing accordingly. We want to live everything at the same time, without thinking a lot about the consequences of life itself. It's a time

we want to go to parties and have fun, have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, do sports to feel well. At school, we have lots of work to do, exams to study to, grades to get with many effort. At home, we want to be treated as adults, however we are still dependent on our

parents/family because we need money, health, clothes… whatever! Of course we don’t want our parents to forget that we still like being kissed and hugged like we were when we were younger (we need to feel loved!). It's a time of conquers and victories. We fight for an unknow freedom,

a place in a group of friends, a particular style, good qualifications at school. These are the reasons why I will never forget my teenage years, as I am living memorable moments and situations.

Ana Vale, 10ºC

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May 2015

Environment & Advertising The main causes of air pollution are the smoke from factories and the car exhaust fumes. There are many people that have cars. They avoid using public transports because cars are more comfortable and drive them more quickly to their destiny. All the advantages cars have to people are disadvantages to the environment because the excess of car exhaust fumes increases the greenhouse effects and contributes to the increase of noise pollution. The best way to decrease or to stop pollution is going to school or to work by bicycle or by bus. It will also be good to our wallet. If we do really need a car, we could start using cars that run on electricity or gas. By leaving the cars that run on petrol behind, the tankers wouldn’t have to cross the oceans and seas and, this way, oil spills, which pollute the water, destroy habitats and cause the death of many species, would be avoided.

Other policy that we could use would be the policy of 3R’s: Recycle, Reuse and Reduce. All the waste that we produce should be treated on the right places, by professionals, and, furthermore, be recycled. The school books that we use should be lent to the students of the next year, sparing, this way, the life of thousands of trees.

Today I’m going to talk about the problems and solutions of the environment. All we know that we are passing a really bad time. The air that we breathe is polluted, as well as the water that we drink.

There are a lot of animals dying everyday.

The fumes from the factories and cars are polluting the air more and more with no time to finish. By polluting this way, we are putting our life at risk because the air that we breathe is polluted and we will become sick. Throwing away the waste, mainly into the water, is contaminating the water we drink. The animals that live in the water will be sick too and they will die.

All of us have to take action and stop pollution. The excessive fumes cause the greenhouse effect, which has as a consequence the rising of temperature. With this increase, the earth will become hotter and hotter and we won’t be able to survive.

All of us should adopt the 3R’s policy so, we have to recycle, reduce and reuse. We can also go to school on foot or by bus and encourage our friends and family to do the same.

Rui Pereira – 11º A

If we that live in the city look around, we will see fewer trees, comparing to the forests. To build all the buildings needed to accommodate more and more people, it is necessary to destroy and cut millions of trees and, sometimes, millions of forests are destroyed. If we continue at this rate, the quantity of trees won't be enough to purify the polluted air that we breathe.

Another worrying problem is the drain of natural resources.

Everyday, millions of liters of petrol, natural gas and coal are spent. At this pace, the natural resources are becoming fewer and fewer and in a few years’ time there won’t be any left. As an alternative, we should use renewable energy, install solar panels on the roofs, use wind energy to have electricity in our houses, etc.

The governments all over the world, mainly the governments of the most polluted countries, should adopt laws to decrease the levels of pollution and apply fines to the more pollutant industries.

To sum up, we have everything to turn our planet into a better place to live in but, to achieve this, it is necessary set goals and start working.

Rosa Monteiro - 11ºA Talking about the environment, we know that environment has a role on advertising (e.g. in paper printing, CO2 emissions, etc.).

It is interesting to see how advertising has manipulated people over the years, it's like a brainwashing that makes people buy things sometimes unnecessarily.

Advertising has advantages, and as an example of this it allows us to find products that we might need for our daily lives and didn´t even know of their existence. They also allow us to show the advantages and functions of the products.

One of the most worldwide admired advertisements is Coca-Cola.

Characterized by being unique, ads for Coca-Cola are quite successful anywhere in the world, which is contributing to the increased number of sales.

Like anything else, publicity also has disadvantages, but the most important is the misleading advertising. But where can we find advertising? Well, everywhere. We find advertising in pamphlets, in bus stops, on television, in the transportation of goods such as trucks, on posters, and in many others.

In conclusion, we can say that the world we live in is a world of advertising, but in return we have a phrase that says "Advertising does not fool people, just helps them to deceive themselves." Now think before you buy!

Andreia Freitas, 11thA

May 2015

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Environment & Advertising Nowadays, our planet has some serious problems and the one that we should be more worried about is the global warming, because it has many consequences. If man doesn’t take some measures, our children will suffer the consequences of all these problems. What does Global warming mean? Global warming is the gradual increase in global temperatures caused by the emission of gases that trap the sun’s heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, which in turn causes changes in climate. What does it cause? Scientists have determined that a number of human activities are contributing to global warming by adding excessive amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Human use of fossil fuels is the main source of excess greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This is done by driving cars, using electricity from coal-fired power plants, or heating our homes with oil or natural gas. Deforestation is another significant source of greenhouse gases, because fewer trees mean less carbon dioxide conversion to oxygen.

During the last 150 years of the industrial age the level of atmospheric methane has risen by 151%, mostly from agricultural activities such as raising cattle and growing rice.

Global warming is dangerous because the warmer temperatures will cause the melting of glaciers and ice caps that will rise the sea-level and this means that a lot of towns and cities will be flooded; the extinction of many plants and animals that cannot adapt to new conditions; more powerful and dangerous hurricanes, because warmer water pumps more energy into tropical storms, or frequent and more intensive heat waves could result in more heat-related deaths and virulence of tropical diseases. To reduce the global warming you should run your dishwasher only with a full load, use the energy-saving setting to dry the dishes, don’t use heat when drying and wash your clothes in warm or cold water, not hot. You should buy energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs for your mostused lights, Install low-flow shower heads to use less hot water, among a lot of other things.

In conclusion, we can say that our planet is “sick” and we (humans) have to "heal" the planet adopting these measures Diana Teixeira – 11º A For a few years, the population of our planet has been growing and because of this situation, we need to live in places that are good because they are big Cities and we can find everything we want to have fun, but on the other hand, they are also dangerous.

There are also other situations, for example if you live near a volcano or a place, which has a high risk of earthquakes; you are in danger all the time. However, many people move to these places because there are many benefits: like fertile fields, iron mines, taking advantage of geochemical currents and tourists. These people only think about money, and if they change the place where they live, they think that they have a better quality of life. However, in most cases, there are volcanic eruptions and they lose their houses and their animals.

When the number of population grows, many people don’t have enough water to live. The resources are not well distributed throughout the earth. For example, in our country, we have water to live but we don’t have petrol to drive ours cars, so we need to import this resource. This does not happen in Africa because they have so much petrol, but they haven’t got water, because the water shortage in this place of the earth is more severe.

As you know, resources won’t last forever, because they are not renewable. So, if we can do simple things we can stop the decrease of these resources and we can have far much time to use them.

The water will be finished in a few years. Why? Because we pollute the sea and rivers with factory dumps. If we need to stop the water shortage, we need to reduce, to recycle and reuse. With the 3Rs, we can stop polluting our planet. When you are in the shower, you don’t need to leave the water on, you must stop the water. Like if you are brushing your teeth, you need to close the tap. We need to use renewable energies to stop the pollution like using solar panels.

With these simple actions, you can save the world!

Catarina Nogueira – 11th A

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May 2015

Are we turning into a country of shopaholics?

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I think that we are turning into a country of shopaholics because, unfortunately, our society judges us based on the things we have. In our day to day we are confronted with many situations like: in school we see “popular girls and boys always looking awesome, wearing awesome clothes and we want to be like them, we want to go shopping and buy the same things and that but each family has a different budget and there is a big difference between “need” and “want”.

Everyone wants to have the best car, the best house, the best clothes and most of the times they can’t afford these things.

Portugal is a country where people are extremely vain, this way of being is so deep that passes from generation to generation.

For example, in other European countries like England or Germany, people aren’t like that, they are much simpler.

Nevertheless there are shopaholics everywhere. But if we think well, he thoseterm countries have much more an us ; still we waste far nced more and on superfluous things than them. ld ge

Beatriz Afonso, 11º B

Brain’s crafter Do grades define how smart and brilliant you really are? Let’s think about that. Imagine your brain as a painting or some kind of plasticine that you can change or mould. You could go to school and learn how to make a beautiful flower or a little cat.

Just like your schoolmates, a perfect animal equal to your friends’ animals. Does the perfection make it unique? Maybe you can’t build a perfect cat or flower, but you know that nobody can beat your dragon, or your fantastic dinosaur. Even though it wasn’t what teachers asked for, it’s your best work.

Now compare it to your brain. Everybody has his own talent; everybody is smart in a different way. It doesn’t have to be in maths or biology; you can be a genious building

Treasure hunt Are you familiar with the term a treasure hunt? Like the pirates used to do? Well jobs are just the same.The most experienced and creative pirates were the ones that would get to the treasure before and not the ones who studied it. This can be applied to jobs. You can study hard but that doesn’t necessary mean that you will get far. But even pirates got help; they needed a ship to take them to the treasure. What does a ship got to do with work you ask? Well, this ship is your contacts in the business world; it’s through them that you get to the treasure. You also need a flag to navigate and to be recognized by other pirates, that flag is the mark that you leave in the world; it’s something that people will know you for. And the treasure?

That’s the pay check that you receive in the end of the month.

So, be a pirate and go get that treasure!

Claudia Cunha, 11thH

computers for example! (And let’s say that people such as Bill Gates are way better than doctors and they are doing what they like!)

You own your brain and you’re an artist! And we can’t forget to say that every “artist” gets the inspiration from the world and nature. What would he build if he were always stuck in a classroom? Wouldn’t it be better if we take a gap year and go on trips and try different jobs? Or even try a new language while learning what you need to graduate from university? Wouldn’t it be more exciting? Don’t forget to be happy, doing like you want to do, because nowadays the world is “all about that bass”. How will your brain look like in the end?

Alicia Magalhães, 11ºH

May 2015

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Travelling or studying, which is the key for success? and many times these students decide to divide their year into several their year into several segments of work, travel or study. As far as the benefit people can take out of a gap year, it all depends on how meaningful and productive they make it.

When teenagers finish secondary school, they are faced with one of the biggest and most difficult decisions of their lives: choosing an academic course, choosing a profession. Here come the gap years and Erasmus, which are programs that allow students a year of new experiences in order to guide them in their choice.

The period to make decisions about the future is an extremely important period, so it becomes relevant that many times teenagers choose to take a year to explore the world of work as it allows them to reflect and gain experience, always having in mind that the work they choose should show a lot about them, otherwise they won`t feel fulfilled.

However, despite knowing the options available, it doesn`t prevent the adolescents from feeling lost when it comes to deciding their future.

It is not an easy task because they`re deciding what their lives will turn into.

For the above-mentioned reasons, deciding to take a year out between school and higher education is an exciting, challenging and valuable decision for any adolescent,

If they plan it, they will certainly build constructive learning experiences, but if they simply “hang out”, without defined goals, it can turn into an irrelevant and frustrating decision.

Taking a gap year may include personal benefits such as gaining more confidence, more maturity and more independence; acquiring more skills (communicative, problem-solving, handling stress, managing money, and others); having a different and more accurate perspective on the world. In my point of view, to take a year out, experimenting different jobs and dealing with different cultures and people is the key to broaden new horizons. Nobody is born with their life planned and the process of planning one’s life is a longlasting process which demands maturity and experience, and these qualities can only be acquired with experiences like Erasmus and a Gap year. Nevertheless, we cannot forget that the key to success in getting a job, and having a high level of performance in it, is in having a degree or an adequate and consolidated training for that specific job. However, the Gap year and programs like Erasmus are important and rewarding complements that we should probably all experience.

Rita Costa, 11thG

Whenever I hear the awful word discrimination, I can´t help thinking about women´s discrimination. I don´t know why this happens. Maybe either because I´m almost a woman, therefore I am more sensitive to this issue or because no matter what many say or write about its eradication, the truth is that women´s discrimination is not a thing of the past. Unfortunately, it still exists. It´s undeniable that women are different from men, but this doesn´t mean that they are not as capable or intelligent as men are. So why are there more men than women ruling countries, why are their salaries lower, that when they are single or divorced mothers, for example, it´s so difficult for them make ends meet? Why do men occupy top positions when it comes to jobs? Why are many women still beaten and abused all over the world and no one does anything to stop it? I think things are worse for them in, for example, countries like Afghanistan. There, women can only go out if they are wearing a burqa, because they can´t show their faces and if they wear nail varnish, they have their fingers cut off as I once read in a magazine. This is very shocking and revolting. I could say much more about women´s discrimination and give many more examples but I think they are enough to show that much more must be done to definitely stop it.

Joana Pinto, 11ºG

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May 2015

A Dream Job The world of work has been changing during time because new opportunities are opening and new directions are possible for everyone to consider.

It hasn´t always been like this: in the past, people used to have only one job along their life time, but , nowadays, people can expect to have a range of different jobs, which means that your life will become more varied and you will have the opportunity to learn more skills.

Sometimes it is not about the money you have or the smarter you are, but yes, the dedication you put in order to achieve your goals. To reach your dreams, you can´t forget that the more skills you have, the more employable you are, you have to be pro-active and make it happen , you have to be a positive person and dedicated too, you have to be honest and finally you have to know how to teamwork.

All in all, you make your life the way you want to and if you have a dream job, you have to work hard for it in order to achieve your goals.

Joana Martins - 11ºA

If I Stay The film “If I stay” is based on the novel of the same name by Gayle Forman. The film was directed by R. J. Cutler. It stars Chloë Grace Moretz as Mia Hall, Jamie Blackley as Adam and Mireille Enos as Kat. The shooting of the film began on October 30, 2013 in Vancouver.

The film is about a teenager girl, Mia. Mia Hall believed that the hardest decision she would make in her life would be choosing between following her dreams at Julliard Music School or taking a different path with the love of her live, her boyfriend, Adam.

But life changes in an instant for Mia. During a ride car with her family they have an accident in which her parents and her brother, Teddy, die and she was in coma.

During an out-of-body experience, she must decide whether to wake up and live a life far different from what she has imagined. The choice is hers if she can go on.

Filipe Guimarães, Marta Pereira, Beatriz Carvalho, 10º F

May 2015

SPRING

Travelling or studying, which is the key for success?

A little poem As I can’t put it better, I’ll make Paulo Coelho’s words my own words. They are worth reading.

“You can´t say for SPRING I hope it comes soon enough and lasts.

You can only say Come and bless me with your hope, and stay for as long as you can”.

João Pedro Gomes – 11º C

Everyone knows Counter Strike

I was asked to write a text about something that I´d like people of my age to read. Just to get started, I don´t think people of my age actually read, especially in English, but… in case you do, don´t miss this one! Well, since I don´t know what love is (yeah, I guess that love and stuff like that is one, if not the one, most important thing for teenagers) I think I´ll write about something that I like, which is playing video games.

First of all, I must admit that I don´t know a lot of games and I don´t like to try too many new games. Just like the majority of teens, my favorite types of games are strategy and violence ones. Everyone knows Counter Strike, I mean it´s pretty much a classic. Right now, even these “old” games are evolving, since the game industry makes a lot of money, and we now can play online. This means we can dunk other people! It´s just great! Personally, I just like to play games that can be played online. It has a whole bunch of advantages: we meet new people whom we can keep in touch with, we learn other techniques which can be useful to our game play etc…

Some people (especially our parents) don´t like teens to just be staring in front of a computer playing the time they want…

They usually give the excuse of being bad for our health but moreover they are worried about our school life (and they are right, aren ´t they?)… they want us to be studying all the time and this is the biggest benefit of playing games. They take us to “another world”!

We just forget about any problems we are going through and we just enjoy that bit of time !...

Rui Ribeiro 10th G

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May 2015

1212 SPRING Technology Vs. Our Society Americanization of Europe

In the economic sector technology makes miracles. It increases efficiency, productivity and prosperity. Moreover workers can be replaced by machines so this is good for the company.

In spite of these benefits, traditional skills, jobs and business will be destroyed.

If we travel throughout Europe we can see marks of the American culture everywhere. If we want to have a quick snack we can go the many McDonalds spread to all the European cities. If we want over to see the latest American blockbuster, it´s easy, we just have to go to the nearest cinema.

We can come to the conclusion that our tastes and habits are influenced by the American ones.

Although this can be scary we must also think that the American culture itself is also a mixture of the culture, traditions and habits brought by the so many immigrants that come to America.

Pollution is another disadvantage of Although we eat what they eat, we drink what technology.

Since machines were used in the Americans drink, we don´t think like them. That economic sector, environmental problems have ´s why we can say that the “”Americanization of become bigger and bigger.

Europe is a myth”.

To sum up, technology is creating a Diana Teixeira, 11ºG whole new world but aren’t we getting too dependent on it? Think about it!

Fábio Gonçalves, 10º E

Destruction of our society

Technology? Think about it!

Technology has become so influent in our lives nowadays that we can’t imagine the world without it. You’re probably reading this article in your mobile phone or tablet, right?

These little machines are one of the most important devices technology has ever created because they make communication much quicker and easier. But let me answer you... What do you prefer: talking to your friends online or face-toface?

Does technology make you antisocial?

If you ask your grandfathers how many machines had their work place, perhaps they will say that “there were no machines”.

Technology has been increasing over the last decades. However, this huge development has been creating problems in nowadays society, and the next generations will suffer due to the consequences of our actions. Firstly, I would like to talk about technology.

So, what is technology? Technology is the collection of techniques, methods or processes used in the production of goods or services or in the accomplishment of objectives, such as scientific investigation.

Technology brings about many disadvantages, mainly for kids and youngsters. In our point of view, the alarming fact is not the effects, but the high speed of development.

Some people claim that without technology we are not able to communicate with each other. We completely disagree, instead of using the internet or technology, we could communicate through letters, like the previous generations used to do.

If technology continues to grow with this speed I believe that humans will be replaced by robots in

a near future.

And you? Are you addicted to technology?

See some of the effects: Isolation; Lack of social skill; Obesity; Depression; Poor sleeping habits; Lack of privacy; Warped Sense of Reality; Stress; More violence; Loss of Hearing and Eyesight. Is it enough to see how harmful technology can be?

On the other hand, there are some people who defend the good influences of technology, and we also partly agree with them. After all, technology opens our horizons about the world. So, with the help of mobile technology we are able to talk to our friends and relatives who are living far away from us. With the help of the internet, we are able to learn new things and take online courses etc.

Factories are able to work faster due to the high technology of the new equipments.

All in all, technology is without a doubt a great development of society which can bring about positive and negative influences. However, if we control our time spent on mobile phones or our computers we are contributing for a better society.

Vítor Gonçalves, Óscar Pereira, 10ºE

Wonderful world or frightening one?

Technology has become a very important part of our lives. During the past few years, technology has evolved in many ways and we are probably becoming too dependent on it. One advantage of technology is that tech devices such as mobile phones, computers and tablets make communication much easier and better. In addition, security cameras and tracking devices make us feel safer and more protected. Another advantage is that electrical appliances (washing machine,

May 2015 Technology Vs. Our Society dishwasher, cooker, room heaters...) are a great help at home. Moreover, technological developments allow us to have better, safer and more comfortable means of transport.

In spite of the benefits that technology offers, there are some disadvantages since technology usually does more harm than good, for example nuclear weapons vs. nuclear power stations. Also, computer games encourage children to escape from reality and develop antisocial, even violent, attitudes. Another disadvantage is that computerized technologies in schools may increase some student’s motivation and performance, but they cannot replace books and lessons.

On the whole, we would say technology increases efficiency, productivity and prosperity. However, technology destroys traditional skills, trades, business and jobs.

There really is just one question left to ask: How do you feel about technology? Is it creating a wonderful new world or a frightening one?

Maria Inês Sá, Cristiana Pinto, Bruno Durães, 10º F

Technology

Over these years technology has made our life easier.

One example, this other new technology is the internet. Internet and other technologies offer us both many advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand you can watch films, listen to music, play games, help medicine and science and communicate with other people. However, on the side of the disadvantages, you could say they are expensive, one feels little security internet access, and hackers online decrypt passwords and steal bank accounts.

Anyway, in my opinion, the internet is a sophisticated and very important technology. Álvaro Oliveira - 11ºA

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May 2015

“THE FOUR KEYWORDS DURING ADOLESCENCE” Nowadays, there are a lot of things that are considered important and essential for teenagers, such as technological devices, relationships and having fun. As we talk about technology, we can say that most teenagers believe they couldn’t live without their mobile phone, without internet. It might be true that teens used to be more active in the past, but now there’s knowledge that we can find only online, adding the idea that we owe technology a lot of the discoveries that have been made.

When we consider the evolution of human life and what we know about the earth and even the space, there’s only an element that is responsible for that – which is technology. So we can’t just say that the progress of technology is bad for teenagers, that is just a way to make us non-active people, we must have in mind that most of the devices we use in our daily bases were made and developed because of it.

In my opinion, love is the topic that teenagers tend to think about every single day, either the bad or the good side of it.

The period of adolescence is when we have time to see what we want to be and who we want to be with; so love is something we can’t avoid talking about. A lot of teens, who consider love a waste of time, explain that there is still a lot of time to discover it and that we are still young to know what loving is about. They conclude that we must go through a lot to know the true meaning of the word “love”. On the other hand, most of them defend that loving is an experience that must be lived several times until we finally find who we are looking for.

Therefore, we can come to the conclusion that teens are divided in three groups when they consider the word “love”. Some of them only see the bad side of it, quoting the statement “Teens don’t know what love is, they know the meaning of desire, something that comes and goes as fast as we meet new people, someone we feel more comfortable with and attracted by”. Others believe love is the best thing we can experience. Finally, there are the ones who think love is something we must deal with, a simple thing to which they don’t give importance.

As an escape from love disappointment and love that isn’t corresponded, a lot of them become the lovers of the night, or better saying, someone who only thinks about hanging out with friends and getting drunk. This is a way of living that most parents don’t want their children to have, so they yell at them, they try to change their thoughts, but as we normally say, as we set an idea, there’s nothing or no one who can change our behaviour.

Teenagers often feel school pressure too, which is one of the most important things during this period of life. Tests, group works and grades can be very exhausting and can lead to a lot of stress that no one should experience.

As a conclusion, we can say that the four things mentioned in the text are all related: the evolution of technology leads to a better knowledge about everything. Love can be either prejudicial or helpful, depending on the person we fall in love with. The experiences and the moments we had and lived are a major point of view of life, I mean, if we have been through a prejudicial love affair, we think about love as a bad thing, but if the person we are in love with, loves us back and is caring and respectful, we support the good side of love. This happens with school too, if we put it in the perspective that there’s a way to meet new people and learn about new things, we enjoy it more. This is what we have to keep in mind, it all depends on the way we see something.

Ana Maria Faria, 10ºJ – Nº5

May 2015

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Consumerism I think that we are turning into a country of shopaholics because, unfortunately, our society judges us based on the things we have. In our day to day we are confronted with many situations like: in school we see “popular girls and boys always looking awesome, wearing awesome clothes and we want to be like them, we want to go shopping and buy the same things and that but each family has a different budget and there is a big difference between “need” and “want”.

Everyone wants to have the best car, the best house, the best clothes and most of the times they can’t afford these things.

Portugal is a country where people are extremely vain, this way of being is so deep that passes from generation to generation.

For example, in other European countries like England or Germany, people aren’t like that, they are much simpler.

Nevertheless there are shopaholics everywhere.

But if we think well, those countries have much more money than us ; still we waste far more on superfluous things than them.

Beatriz Afonso, 11º B

Growing up, relationships and responsibility

Growing up means… Well, growing up can mean a lot, but, in my opinion, growing up is a gathering of different processes. In my vision growing up is not just a physical and exterior change, it is also the development of a mind, a thought, a mentality.

As we read, Will (Character “About a Boy” – Extensive Reading) was a grown up in the outside but his inside had remained unchanged, he didn’t have responsibilities. Being a grown up takes a lot of responsibility, that means that as grown-ups we have to make our own decisions without having others taking them for us.

Another important thing in the process of growing up is our relationships with other people. I think that there are the bases of a successful grown up. From these relationships we can take everything: help, advice, knowledge, etc.

We noticed that as will started hanging out with Marcus both started growing up and this was a result of the relationship they had and consequently the relationships they build with the ones that surrounded them.

And so WE ARE WHAT WE BUILD may it be relationships, responsibilities or the process of growing up.

“About a boy” by Nick Hornby – Joana Ribeiro, 12th I

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About a boy - 12th grade extensive reading This book explores the learning process that a child goes through as he/ she is growing up. Marcus is finding life hard to deal with and is struggling, as many adolescents do with family and school problems and knowing how to make friends with his peers. Marcus suffers at school because he’s different from the other kids and attracts the attention of bullies.

Indeed, in British society more and more media attention is focusing on this problem. The book also addresses the possible ways of avoiding being bullied, some more successful than others. The head teacher’s suggestion of keeping away from them is somewhat ridiculous, as the bullies find Marcus and not the other way round.

Will’s suggestion of a change of image is maybe more effective, but also fails. Only when Marcus develops his own self-confidence, as he does at the end, is he able to deal with this victimization. However, Will and Marcus change each other’s lives forever.

Marcus teaches Will to grow up and accept responsibility, whereas Will teaches Marcus to live in today’s world.

Through experience, Marcus realizes he isn’t alone in the world and he “About a boy” by Nick Hornby – Maria Oliveira, 12th I asserts himself in his own right.

Colors of Spring

Sounds of Silence

I told you not to leave me In my own world.

I told you not to fall In my arms.

T told you so many times how I felt In that dark day, But you didn´t listen.

Sounds of Silence You were afraid to talk To raise your loudest voice, Hidden in the darkness of a soul.

Colours of Spring, Take him away.

Take away the memories, The sad days.

Take away all we lived, Behind…

Because I remember you, So clearly, so honestly…

That I don´t want to see you.

Not in my thoughts, not in my own dreams, I wany to see you, here, right now With me.

Francisca, 10th J

You were always serious, Never happy or to much confident.

Your eyes were empty And your heart was closed.

You were so deap, so tragic…

So hard to love.

It wasn´t easy to love you, I learnt by the hardest way.

Step by step, In the longest journey Of all.

Francisca, 10th J

May 2015

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Technologies: Are we being controlled by them?

We are getting more dependent on technology. Nowadays, we live in a world where travelling around technology is travelling around the globe. We are taught and forced to use computers at school, at home and at our job. There are even people that claim that they can’t live without technologies.

Teenagers are the ones who use technologies the most. Have you ever thought how much time you spend on your mobile phone? And the time you spend surfing the net? Studies show that Portuguese adolescents spend about 3 hours of their day on the phone. Isn’t that an exaggeration? I can’t believe that’s true! Studies also say that this number is likely to increase more. Have you stopped to think about the consequences that all this can bring?

Sometimes you forget your homework, that work you had to do and the test that you had… All this because of your computer, your tablet or your phone... When you get home, the only thing you do is turn your computer on, and you end up forgetting everything. Your parents complain because you are not doing it right. You simply turn technologies on and they turn out to be your way of living. I don’t think that’s right.

Technology certainly plays a very important role in our life. For example, we can chat with our friends through social networks; search the web to learn new things and in that way acquire more knowledge; we can communicate through cell phones and we can have access to bank accounts, audio books, music and movies.

Internet really helps teenagers on their schoolwork because searching information in books can be much more difficult.

Nevertheless, the evolution of technology makes us isolated in our room and we forget that there is a world out there. We don’t remember the activities we can do without technology like reading a book or going for a walk and how good is to talk to a friend face to face.

Try to forget technology, and live your life!

Ana Peixoto, 10th E

May 2015

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The four most important things in life In my point of view we should take care of our health, invest in our relationships, install a positive view of ourselves and live to our purpose, values and dreams.

Firstly, I think that it is essential for us to preserve our health in order to live a better life. Without it we can live a shorter and painful one.

Secondly, we should invest in our relationships so we can feel fulfilled. We can have a big car, a big house or a perfect job in a perfect city but, without friends and without family we not only feel empty but also sad, unhappy.

Furthermore, having a positive view of ourselves means accepting the way we are and believing in ourselves. When we don’t have it, we typically compare ourselves with other people because we feel insecure. Personally, I think that most of us have been living most of our lives without having a strong enough self-view.

Finding our purpose of life is a journey that requires time and reflection. First of all, we need to define our value. What are values? Values are thoughts, behaviors that define what kind of person we want to be: what is wrong or right for us, what we love or hate. Consequently, values can help us make better decisions in our daily routine.

Dreams. We must not stop dreaming, we need it. Dreams build our future step by step, day by day. I believe that the most positive our self-view is, the easier it will be for us to achieve our dreams.

To sum up, I am able to tell you that future is a mystery, so we should think and act beyond what our eyes allow us.

Inês Ramos - 11ºA

Water Shortage At the moment our country and many others are going through a difficult time, and this trouble is due to water shortage. Something that seemed far away to happen today comes up. The truth is that there isn’t enough water, and we can feel the effects of this. It is time to save water because it is the most consumed natural resource on Earth.

Thus if we do nothing, it'll run out of it quickly. It’s high time that we took measures to solve this problem. By doing that, we will ensure this resource for future generations.

Paulo Leite, 11ºB

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May 2015

Formula OneTM in Schools challenge with two classes from 12th H involved The biggest and most complete educational project in the World is named Formula OneTM in Schools and there are two teams from 12th H grade participating.

"Potenza" and "Free Way" are the teams. Potenza is participating for the second year and managed to qualify for the national finals which will be ocurring in 29th and 30th of June. Fastest pilot, best Marketing and Sponsorship strategy and best Portfolio are the awards Potenza won in the regional finals.

However they are not happy with this result and promise to do a much better work in the national finals and bring to our school many more awards.

Free Way has had a good performance in the regionals too, since they were participating for the 1st year they didn't have any experience, which made their task harder. Even though they had a few problems (both teams), Free Way managed to win the award of Best Website. Their place in the regional finals is (until the date of closing of this newspaper) yet unknown, but we are sure they managed to have a good result!

Formula OneTM in Schools is a project which is currently in a growing phase, counting with more than 20 million students from over 40 countries. The purpose of this project is approaching students to the business reality: forming students of excellence. These students form a team, in the same way as a real Formula 1 team but at a smaller scale. For this, they have to assign tasks inside the team (Team Manager, Design Engineer, Graphic Designer,…) provide a product, find income sources, etc.

Fafe's High School has been represented in this project with very professional teams and with a lot of potential.

Now, we can only hope for the national final to see if Potenza manages to reach the podium, having the chance of representing Portugal at Singapore's 2015 World Finals. It is important to remember that only three teams have the chance of doing this and the competition at national final is extremely high!

Diogo Jesus 12th H

May 2015

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Signs Aries — (March 21 — April 19) Aries people are creative, adaptive, and insightful. They can also be strong-willed and spontaneous (sometimes to a fault).

Taurus (Touro) — (April 20 — May 19) Taurus zodiac signs and meanings, like the animal that represents them, is all about strength, stamina and will. Stubborn by nature, the Taurus will stand his/her ground to the bitter end (sometimes even irrationally so).

Gemini (Gemeos) — (May 20 — June 20) Flexibility, balance and adaptability are the keywords for the Gemini.

Cancer (Cancer) — (June 21 — July 22) Cancerians love home-life, family and domestic settings.

They are traditionalists, and enjoy operating on a fundamental level.

Leo (Lego) — (July 23 — August 21) The zodiac signs and meanings of Leo is about expanse, power and exuberance.

Virgo (Virgem) — (August 22 — September 22) Virgo's have keen minds, and are delightful to talk with, often convincing others of outlandish tales with ease and charm. Virgo's are inquisitive and are very skilled at drawing information from people.

Libra (Libra) — (September 23 — October 22) As their zodiac signs and meanings would indicate, Libra's are all about balance, justice, equanimity and stability.

Scorpio (Escorpiao) — (October 23 —November 21) The Scorpio is often misunderstood.

These personalities are bold and are capable of executing massive enterprises with cool control and confidence.

Sagittarius (Sagitario) — (November 22 —December 21) Here we have the philosopher among the zodiac signs and meanings. Like the Scorpio, they have great ability for focus, and can be very intense.

Capricorn (Capricornio) — (December 22 — January 21) Capricorn's are also philosophical signs and are highly intelligent too. They apply their knowledge to practical matters, and strive to maintain stability and order.

Aquarius (Aquario) — (January 21 —February 19) Often simple and unassuming, the Aquarian goes about accomplishing goals in a quiet, often unorthodox ways.

Pisces (Peixe) — (February 20 — March 20) Also unassuming, the Pisces zodiac signs and meanings deal with acquiring vast amounts of knowledge, but you would never know it. They keep an extremely low profile compared to others in the zodiac.

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May 2015

Fun time God and the man A man visits God and says “God, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

God says “No, ask me anything at all.”

So the man says “God you’ve been around for a very long time, so, for you, how long is a thousand years?”

God replies “For me, a thousand years is only five minutes” The man then says “That’s interesting God. And for you, how much is a million dollars?” God replies “For me a million dollars is only five cents” The man says “Really? Well then God, could you lend me five cents please?”

God looks at the man, smiles, and says “Of course my son, just wait five minutes!” Smile What is the longest word in the English language? “SMILES”: There is a mile between the first and last letters.

Piano A – Doctor, will I be able to play the piano after the operation?

B – Yes, of course.

A – Great! I never could before.

Water Teacher: How can you get some clean water?

Student: Bring the water from the river and wash it.

Drunk man A very drunk man comes out of the bar and sees another very drunk man. He looks up in the sky and says, “Is that the sun or the moon?” The other drunk man answers, “I don’t know. I’m a stranger here myself.”

May 2015

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The best events of the year are here

Concerts Maroon 5 17 June Nos Alive 9,10,11 July Gojira 13 de July Super Bock Super Rock 16,17,18 July Buraka Som Sistema 24 July

Sudoeste 5,6,7,9 August Paredes de Coura 20,21,22 August Linda Martini 28 August

Events The Color Run 30 May Porto city Water Slide 4 to 5 July

Aurea 19 September

Glow Run Guimarães, 11 July

GNR 23/31 October

Neon Run Braga, 11 July

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