AMBITION Articles Written by Students in Years 7 - 12
ACADEMIC SCHOLARS 2025-6
AMBITION
2025-2026
WELCOME Welcome to this year’s edition of Ambition, a collection of essays written by our Senior House students, including Academic Scholars, as part of the Academic Enrichment programme, compulsory for all scholars and open to all other students. This year’s essays are centred around our TAKE CARE values: Teamwork, Adventure, Kindness, Enthusiasm, Curiosity, Ambition, Resilience and Excellence. Students were invited to explore one or more of these values through their writing. This collection reflects the diversity of thought, interests, and experiences within our student body. Students have approached the task in their own unique ways, resulting in an eclectic and engaging range of topics. Through the process, they have developed their skills as researchers and writers, learning how to edit and refine their work in response to feedback and how to support their ideas with evidence. I am delighted to share their essays with you and hope you enjoy reading them as much as we have enjoyed supporting their development. Katie Cork Deputy Head (Academic)
ST MARY’S
AMBITION
2025-2026
CONTENTS TAKE CARE values: Teamwork, Adventure, Kindness, Enthusiasm, Curiosity, Ambition, Resilience and Excellence
AMBITION Ambition and Resilience – How these Two Values made My Dad a Professor
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CURIOSITY Curiosity: Neurodiversity: Not a Myth
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Curiosity: Should Indonesia Be Moving Its Political Capital City?
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Curiosity: The Real Cure in Medicine
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Why Déjà Vu and Sleep Paralysis Occur
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EXCELLENCE Excellence: How Does Music Affect Academic Performance?
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KINDNESS The Virtue of Kindness in Greek Mythology
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Kindness: Why Should We Care About Racism?
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Kindness: The Impact of Our Pets and How They Influence Us
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How Toxic Masculinity Teaches Boys to Hide Their Feelings and Prevents Them from Being Kind – Even to Themselves
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Kindness: They Have Feelings Too
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RESILIENCE Women Fought for Freedom (Resilience)
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Resilient Women in Sport
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TAKE CARE Take Care Values in Badminton
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TEAMWORK Teamwork in Animals
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Teamwork in Rowing
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BY DARIA MIRSADRAEE
YEAR 8
AMBITION AND RESILIENCE – HOW THESE TWO VALUES MADE MY DAD A PROFESSOR Cardiologists, Pediatricians, Surgeons, and General Practitioners are some of the numerous types of doctors that help millions of patients each day. In 2018-19, it was estimated that the NHS encountered 564 million patients across all its services including GPs, community services, mental health services, hospitals, NHS 111, and ambulance services, with 1.4 million hospital admissions1. But how simple is it to become a healthcare professional and have the trust of many people depending on your decisions? This article is about my father’s journey to become a professor, and how the TAKE CARE values, ambition and resilience, helped him to overcome the hardships that he met along the way. Once my father finished school, he strived to be accepted into medical school at the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, and by hard work and resilience, he was accepted. As overjoyed as he was, he had to start studying straight away. The Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree, is an undergraduate medical degree that takes seven years to complete. For the first three years of his undergraduate degree, my father’s excitement gradually became exhaustion because of endless exams and strenuous studying. In the UK, one in five medical students consider dropping out each year. During the time my father was working on the wards as a medical student, he noticed his roommate had started to neglect his studies, and even though my father tried to help him, he had to retake the year. This devastated my father and though it was a painful time for him, my father had to pull himself through. As he neared his final exams, studying became more intense. This meant that after a 10-to-12-hour shift, my father would have to immediately start studying his textbooks to keep on track. Sometimes, studying periods extended so long that he only had two hours of sleep. When the time came for exams, he passed with great marks, which shows how important revising is. Ambition and resilience were evident just a few years ago, when my father put an application in to become a Professor of Radiology. To become a professor, you need to have years of knowledge and experience, but sadly my father was not appointed.
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He was disappointed and when the time came again to put forward applications, he was not optimistic; however, he still put forward an application explaining his clinical, teaching and research skills and abilities. After a professional interview, he was received a letter saying that he was officially a professor of Radiology. My family were all so proud of him. For me, the moral of my father’s journey is that for any student, there is no easy path to success, whatever you are studying. If something does not go to plan, being able to pick yourself up and persevere is important. My father did not reach where he is today easily, but with endless hours of revising and resilience. So, whoever you are, young or old, remember there is not a direct route to success, but if you try your hardest to succeed, you will.
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BY CATALEYA AKUFFO SWEENEY
YEAR 8
CURIOSITY: NEURODIVERSITY: NOT A MYTH Neurodivergence is a term which is often misunderstood. Most people think it only means autism; which is it does not (Forbes, neurodivergence means more than autism, 2024). Some people question the idea of neurodiversity and think that difference is a result of laziness and is a result of the environment children are raised in (Education week poll result, 2010). Then finally we have the social media stars who use it as an aesthetic or an entire personality (Bridgette Hamstead, 2025). My curiosity has led me to delve into the world of neurodiversity and discover what it means and what conditions come under the neurodivergent umbrella and bring awareness and justice for the neurodivergent community. The Mentra (a career app designed for neurodiverse people) neurodiversity page writes “Neurodivergent is a term to describe an individual. This individual’s’ brain processes, learns, and/or behaves differently from what is considered ‘typical’”. There are many forms of neurodivergence, for example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dyslexia, Epilepsy and Tourette’s syndrome (Nature, 2020). It is a myth to say that “autism is the only way to be neurodivergent, that it affects everyone the same way, also that it is always visible” (The N.E.A.T Blog, 2024). From my experience, it affects everyone differently. In primary school I was told that I could not be autistic because I did not act like someone else in the class, also on the spectrum (Autism is the only neurodivergent disorder on a spectrum; spectrum as in a range). Lots of people know the word “autism” but do not know what it means and how it affects other people. However, it is important that everyone understands what neurodivergence is, so that they know enough to accommodate autistic people’s needs and neurodivergent people in general. Some people say that neurodivergence is not real and is just a result of laziness which neurodivergent people use to make them sound more important and be given “unfair advantages” such as extra time in assessments. However, those “unfair advantages” mean that neurodivergent people are given a fair chance to succeed. Being called lazy for a disorder that you have no control over can affect mental health, particularly as some neurodivergent disorders exacerbate feelings making it easier to develop anxiety or depression (Pubmed, 2025). Accusations about neurodivergent disorders being laziness or untrue are inaccurate and harmful.
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Social media stars sometimes use neurodivergence as the whole focus for their channel or page. This may be to find a ‘cure’ for their child or use neurodivergence for attention. Stars such as ‘ADHD love’ and ‘Kaelynn Partlow’ who are actually neurodivergent, make videos in which they talk about their experiences. They spread awareness and help the community. Counter to these, are large amounts of misinformation about neurodivergence. In 2025, UBC News analysed the 100 most-viewed TikTok videos related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and revealed “that fewer than half the claims about symptoms actually align with clinical guidelines for diagnosing ADHD”. Furthermore, some influencers try to make normal behaviours such as being messing or liking a particular topic a lot, are part of being neurodivergent. These things do not make you neurodivergent automatically; these things are personality traits. In conclusion, neurodiversity should be celebrated and not ridiculed by people who think it's fake or a personality or a flaw which should be cured. It is called diverse for a reason: because it covers several conditions that cover an eighth of the world, that brings unique people with unique skills. Everyone has their own individuality that should be embraced, but neurodiversity is not a trend, an aesthetic, or something that should be looked down upon. Even though neurodivergent conditions can lead to serious struggles, the challenges are not always visible and misunderstanding them only makes things worse. Extra time, accommodations, and support do not give neurodivergent people unfair advantages; they just level the playing field, so everyone has a fair chance. Hopefully by reading this article it will spread awareness and help other people understand a bit better.
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BY ISLA GEROMOSCHOS
YEAR 10
CURIOSITY: SHOULD INDONESIA BE MOVING ITS POLITICAL CAPITAL CITY? In this article I hope to answer the question I am curious about, “Should Indonesia be moving its capital city?” This question is truly relevant and debatable right now, as it has been a large environmental and political topic of 2026 so far. Indonesia is an archipelago of islands (a group of islands that form a country) north of Australia. The current capital city is Jakarta, on the island of Java. Java and Sumatra are South of countries such as Parts of Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia. One of the islands that is part of Indonesia is called Borneo. Borneo is also partly owned by Malaysia, and an extremely small section is part of Brunei. The Philippines is also north of parts of Indonesia. Indonesia has the equator running through it and is a part of Asia. Indonesia is moving the political capital city from Java into East Kalimantan, to a new city currently under construction, called Nusantara (The Guardian, 2025). Surrounding Indonesia’s political capital move is a huge debate. They mainly consist of two opinions; first, you have the people who want more for Indonesia, whether this be economically or in a more political sense - these people are all for the move. Then there are the environmentalists who are all against move. Both sides have many reasons for their opinions. However, it is important to respect each other's values and thoughts and remember that some people do not fit into either. Unfortunately, Jakarta has been sinking into the ground at an alarming rate. For example, the north of Jakarta has sunk 8 ft (2.5 metres) over the past 10 years (BBC News, 2018). Researchers say it could continue to sink up to fifteen centimetres a year, and as a result, researchers think that Jakarta will be 95% submerged by the year 2050 (BBC News, 2018). The largest cause of this comes from the city’s need for water, which has forced suppliers to dig underground for water resources. Consequences of this sinking include flooding, dysfunctional buildings and a loss of jobs as people will not be able to get around. Jakarta will then be very susceptible to natural disasters. These are not ideal assets for a political capital city of an archipelago or any country to have, which explains why the government would like to relocate the capital elsewhere.
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The government of Indonesia believes that the move would lead to a capital city which would have greater space to house the large population. Jakarta has a population of population of 10.6 million (Wikipedia, 2026), which means there are 16,000 people for every km squared (Wikipedia, 2026), making it It overpopulated and overcrowded. On the other hand, East Kalimantan currently has about 28.4 people per km squared (City-facts, 2026). The reason being for this difference may be that the actual area of Jakarta (661 km2), which is rather small (Wikipedia, 2026), compared to East Kalimantan which has an area at 125,939.1 km2 (City facts, 2026), making it over double the size. A current issue for Jakarta is that it is extremely polluted, this includes air pollution, litter and many other forms of pollution. Currently, East Kalimantan has clean air and has many plantations or jungles and rainforests, making it a more desirable location. However, the question of whether pollution will increase as a result of a move is an important one for the environmentalists of Borneo. To summarise, when we are talking about positive reasons for why the move should happen, there are many benefits to us humans. For one, the new capital would have more space, as it has a bigger land mass. As well as this East Kalimantan (or Borneo) is far less susceptible to natural disasters (Indonesia business post, 2024). It would also be better for their economy as they would have more resources (Indonesia business post, 2024). However, many people may say that resources, such as water, food, wood, parts of houses and daily objects will be used up quickly. Another argument against the move is the fact that the new city is being building in a green space. The green space may currently consist of one of two things: the luscious, green rainforests and plantations. Firstly, the tropical rainforests of Kalimantan (or Borneo) are the home of the Bornean Orangutan. Kalimantan is the only home to the Bornean Orangutans and one of the only two places on earth that Orangutans inhabit (WWF, 2023). All Orangutans are classed as critically endangered, and additionally, many other species would be endangered by this move to this area. The second thing this green space currently consists of is plantations. Specifically, ones there to grow palm trees. To many people that may sound like a good thing, however in my opinion it is not. Whilst planting trees is a positive move as we do want more trees on our earth, these trees are not the ones the wildlife out there needs to survive.
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BY ISLA GEROMOSCHOS
YEAR 10
The beautiful, green jungles have been removed to create palm plantations, and the palm oil is sold to big companies for cheap prices. As if the Orangutans and other members of the wildlife are not suffering enough already, the move from Java will just make the already awful situation so many times worse. For me, the environmental damage is too much to be able to justify moving the capital city from Jakarta to Nusantara, East Kalimantan, even with all the other human benefits. Therefore, in conclusion I believe that the move to Nusantara is an extremely bad idea.
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ST MARY’S
AMBITION
2025-2026
BY TRISHANA PRAKESH
YEAR 10
CURIOSITY: THE REAL CURE IN MEDICINE For a long time, people believe illness was caused by things like bad air, evil spirits, or even punishment from God. In the medieval period, medicine did not really advance because doctors followed old ideas instead of testing new ones. The Church had a lot of control and so people were discouraged from questioning what they were taught. As a result, the same medical beliefs were used for hundreds of years. However, this started to change when some individuals became curious enough to question these traditional ideas. William Harvey wondered how blood actually moved around the body; Edward Jenner noticed something unusual about how the milkmaids did not catch smallpox, and Louis Pasteur and Robert Kock investigate germs. Their curiosity helped change medicine. This essay explains how human curiosity helped medicine develop over time, from relying on old books to making major discoveries like vaccines and improved hygiene. It also shows that curiosity is still important today because without it, medicine would not have improved or saved many lives. William Harvey At a time when most doctors still believed in Galen’s ideas, William Harvey began to question them. Galen believed that blood moved through invisible holes in the heart and that veins carried blood and “pneuma” (a kind of life force). Harvey, who was born in 1578, studied medicine at Cambridge and later in Padua. He became interested in studying the body through observation and dissection. After learning about Vesalius’s discovery of valves in veins, which showed blood flowing in one direction, Harvey started to doubt Galen’s theories. Although he was not allowed to dissect human bodies, Harvey carried out experiments on animals and observed living patients. One of his key experiments involved tying a tight band around someone’s arm to see how blood flowed. From this, he realised that blood must circulate through the body and pass through tiny vessels that cannot be seen. These are known as capillaries. His work proved that the heart pumps blood around the body, which was a great discovery.
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Edward Jenner Edward Jenner was a doctor working in Gloucestershire in the late 1700s. He trained in London before returning to work as a GP. Jenner noticed that milkmaids who caught cowpox did not seem to get smallpox, even during outbreaks. This made him curious, and he wanted to find out why. Jenner experimented on a young boy called James Phipps, infecting him with cowpox and later exposing him to smallpox. The boy did not become ill, which showed Jenner that cowpox gave protection against smallpox. Jenner repeated this with others and achieved the same result. He called this new method “vaccination,” based on the Latin word for cow, vacca. This was a huge step forward in preventing disease. Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch In the 19th Century, Louis Pasteur developed the germ theory, which showed that diseases are caused by tiny microorganisms rather than bad air. He carried out experiments to prove that germs in the air could spoil food and liquids. This challenged the old miasma theory and changed people’s understanding of disease. Pasteur’s ideas were later developed further by Robert Koch, who identified specific bacteria that caused particular diseases like tuberculosis and anthrax. This meant doctors could link diseases to specific germs. As a result, there were big improvements in hygiene, sanitation, and the development of vaccines. Medicine became more scientific, focusing on prevention as well as treatment. Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale became well known during the Crimean War, where she worked as a nurse. She realised that more soldiers were dying from disease than from their injuries. By collecting data and observing hospital conditions, she found poor hygiene, dirty water, and overcrowding were the main causes. Nightingale introduced simple but effective changes, such as regular cleaning, better ventilations, and proper nutrition for patients. She also used statistics to prove that these improvements reduced death rates. Her work helped make nursing more respected and led to better hospital conditions. She showed that careful observation and evidence could make a real difference. Conclusion Overall, curiosity has played a huge role in improving medicine. Individuals like Harvey, Jenner, Pasteur, Koch, and Nightingale changed this by asking questions and testing new ideas. Their discoveries helped move medicine from guesswork to science. Human curiosity continues to drive new developments, from technology to genetics, in medicine today.
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BY NATALIJA WEIR
YEAR 10
WHY DÉJÀ VU AND SLEEP PARALYSIS OCCUR Do you ever feel like you recognise a place even though you have never been there before? You search your brain for any recollection of this place, something familiar, but cannot quite put your finger on it. Do you ever wake up and feel as though you are frozen in time? Lying down, still conscious, as shadows stretch across the walls and sounds that were once familiar are now unsettling. You cannot move. These are examples of phenomena where reality feels slightly strange and these strange occurrences have sparked curiosity in me about why and how these happen. As I have discovered, there is a lot of research and science evidence to explain them. Déjà vu Déjà vu translates from French to “already seen”. It is the strange phenomenon where you feel as though you are in a place you recognise or a moment in time that you have lived before. However, when you try to dig deep in your memory you find nothing to explain this feeling, leaving you lost. Approximately 97% of people have experienced déjà vu at least once in their life, with 60-70% of people experiencing it regularly (National Library of Medicine, 2016). Scientists have come up with multiple explanations for why déjà vu happens, each linking to how the brain organises memories. One theory is the memory processing error theory researched by neurologist, Dr. Robert Efron (Efron, 1963). This theory suggest that déjà vu happens when your brain misfires when processing new information. Research shows that there are two main memory processes involved, familiarity and recollection, each occurring in different areas of the brain (Women in Neuroscience, 2025). Familiarity is fast as the brain recognises the situation. However, recollection is slower and takes longer to take in details about the situation. As the brain takes information through many pathways at once; a split-second delay can cause conflict between these two systems, and they then become out of sync. Familiarity is dominant when you do not have recollection, meaning that something feels known even though you cannot remember any specific details about it. Intense déjà vu is commonly seen in people with temporal lobe epilepsy (National Library of Medicine, 2014). This is where irregular electrical activity stimulates the part of the brain that is responsible for memory. Resulting in regular phenomena such as déjà vu.
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Another, less common theory, is the Gestalt similarity theory. Suggesting that déjà vu happens when a place or situation looks or feel familiar to something you have already experienced even if you cannot remember it (Simply Psychology, 2025). This happens due to the brain being very good at noticing patterns, shapes and similarities between objects. According to this theory, your mind quickly compares what you are seeing in the moment to other memories from the past stored in your brain. However, even when your brain recognises the pattern, you might not always be able to remember where it originated from. Your brain senses familiarity but no recollection, which links to the previous theory. Sleep Paralysis Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon where, when you are falling asleep or waking up, you become temporarily frozen in time. Unable to move or speak, just trapped in your own body. People often see strange figures and wake up in a sweat due to the distressing nature of sleep paralysis. Research from the National Sleep Foundation suggests that around 8% of people experience sleep paralysis at some point in their lives (American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2023). It is most common among people with irregular sleep patterns, high stress or sleep disorders. During normal REM sleep, which is the stage when we dream, the brain sends signals to paralyse the body. This is known as muscle atonia and its stops us from acting out what we experience in our dreams, which could be dangerous (American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2017). Normally, when we wake up our mind and body switch on together. However, in sleep paralysis the mind wakes up before the body does, which is the reason why we feel trapped in our body. The main area of our brain that controls this paralysis is the pons, located in the brainstem, and signals from the pons travel down the spinal cord and temporarily stop the motor neurons from moving which keeps our body still while we dream (Cleveland Clinic, May 2022). Scientists think this happens because the chemicals that start REM sleep stay active, while the chemicals that normally switch off REM sleep have not started working yet. Another significant aspect of sleep paralysis is the hallucinations and noises people hear during a sleep paralysis episode. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, because the brain is still partially in REM sleep, even though the person is awake and aware of their surroundings, the part of the brain that creates dreams is still active (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke), which can cause people to see figures on their walls and hear noises.
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BY NATALIJA WEIR
YEAR 10
My curiosity has led me to discover that while déjà vu and sleep paralysis can be frightening and obscure phenomena, they can be explained very easily through scientific studies. Looking into the science of how the brain operates, we can recognise that they are not supernatural, but in fact small, natural malfunctions of the brain. My experience highlights how curiosity leads to understanding and a greater appreciation of how complex and fascinating the brain really is and what our brains are capable of.
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ST MARY’S
AMBITION
2025-2026
BY AYAANA DESHMUKH
YEAR 10
EXCELLENCE: HOW DOES MUSIC AFFECT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE? There are people in this world who can play music, and there are a whole lot more who listen to it. For example, in the UK, around 25% of people can play an instrument, and 8% can play two or more, according to YouGov (January 2025). Many students listen to music even when they are revising or doing homework, approximately 60% of students worldwide (Study International, 2023). My chosen TAKE CARE value is Excellence, and it links to my topic by highlighting how music could in fact enhance your excellence in another completely different field. In this case, excellence means achieving an academic goal, whether it be scoring the top marks in a test, or just simply doing well on homework. Many people believe that factors which affect a student’s performance are limited to revision or books. But have you ever wondered if music does something to help, or hinder, their performance and why it is an integral part of education? According to Harvard Medicine (2024), music activates almost the whole of your brain at once, including the hippocampus and the amygdala. These activate responses via emotion to the music being played through the limbic system, which controls pleasure and motivation. If you compare how active the brain is with compared to without music, listening to music makes the brain more active than usual. For example, in her article, Kucsan (2020) compared the effects of music and sports on cognitive development. She found that sports enhanced focus, concentration, and the ability to process information. Music, however, not only supported these same cognitive functions but also fostered creative thinking and problem solving, while expanding the brain’s overall cognitive capacity. These combined benefits can lead to improved educational outcomes, including higher academic achievement and better grades. This is clear evidence that music engages your mind and can positively impact focus, even more than sports. Furthermore, music education has a clear positive effect on grades in many subjects. This makes it an important part of a well-rounded education, according to the British Band Instrument Company (2024). Studies show that students who take part in music programmes, such as graded exams, are more likely get higher grades and do better in tests than those who do not. This shows how valuable music is in helping students do well in school.
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Graded music exams are a way of formally assessing those learning a musical instrument, or singing, and are available at different levels, starting from Grade 1 to Grade 8 (Cambridge 2020). A study conducted by Cambridge University (2020) shows that for practical exams (playing pieces they have practiced and selected for the exam beforehand), those achieving the pass mark or higher in the more advanced grades (Grade 4 and above) had a positive effect on their GCSEs. This change was estimated to be one third of a grade per GCSE, compared to those not taking a graded music qualification. For theory exams (music, composition etc), the effect was almost one grade in every second GCSE qualification taken. It is not only being able to play an instrument which is good for grades, but also simply listening to music while studying. However, the type of music that students listen to while revising can play a key role in their performance. It has been shown in studies (Hallam, Price and Katsarou, 2002), that music has a positive effect on maths and memory of students, but this music must be calming and relaxing. However, if the music they listen to is aggressive and unpleasant, it can affect the students negatively. Studies show that those who revise with music with no lyrics usually perform better than those who revise with lyrical songs. One important part is that if a student heavily relies on music to concentrate while studying, they might find it harder to focus during an actual exam, which could end up impacting their performance in a negative way. This is important to think about, because while revising, it is good to listen to music, but once the test is drawing closer, gradually transitioning to silent conditions will be more beneficial. To conclude, it is evident that music can be important for a student’s overall performance. Not only being able to play music but just listening to it is good for your brain. However, you must be careful when you revise with music, that you revise with the right type, and do not become reliant on it. Otherwise, it can do the opposite and affect your grades negatively. Music is not just entertainment, but it can also affect academic performance.
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BY JESSICA MARSHALL
YEAR 7
THE VIRTUE OF KINDNESS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY Greek mythology teaches an abundance of lessons. The stories I have chosen to share with you show the power of kindness, the virtue of being friendly, generous and considerate 1, and the consequences of being unpleasant. 1 – Oxford English Dictionary definition 2012
Monstrous Malevolence There are many stories involving punishment in Greek mythology, but I felt that the stories of Sisyphus and Tantalus show that you pay a great price for being horrible. During his lifetime, Sisyphus was a cruel and sly mortal king who would rob visitors to his kingdom, invite guests to his palace only to kill them in their beds and steal their gold. On one particular occasion, Sisyphus gave away the secrets of Zeus, king of the gods and lord of the sky, to a river god simply to have his own private fresh-water spring. For these crimes he was permanently sentenced to Tartarus, the pit of eternal suffering, after he died. However, once there he managed to trick the God of Death, Thanatos, into chaining himself up while Sisyphus escaped back to the mortal world. When the gods found out what Sisyphus had done, they found a more terrible punishment – rolling a ridiculously heavy boulder up a hill. When he rolls it to the top, he will be free of his punishment. The problem is the boulder is cursed to roll right back down to the bottom each time he nears the top – meaning Sisyphus must start all over again. 2 – assistance from Usborne Complete Greek Myths retold by Henry Brook and Anna Milbourne, illustrated by Nathan Collins 2023
Tantalus was also a king, he made the mistake of attempting to steal nectar, the drink of the Olympian gods, to make himself immortal. He then proceeded to murder his son and try to serve him up for a feast. He was also sentenced to Tartarus and was chained to a pool of refreshing water surrounded by bountiful fruit trees for all of eternity. However, this place was cursed so that whenever Tantalus tried to take a sip of water the pool would drain away and when he reached for the fruit, the wind would toss the branch just tantalisingly out of fingertips reach. This tale is actually where the word ‘tantalise’ - meaning to torment or tease someone with the sight or promise of something that is unobtainable 3 comes from. 3 – Oxford English Dictionary definition 2012 4 – assistance from Usborne Complete Greek Myths retold by Henry Brook and Anna Milbourne, illustrated by Nathan Collins 2023
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Cool Kind - heartedness Although the majority of Greek myths centre around the themes of punishment and the consequence of angering the gods, there are many that stand to remind people how being kind can reap rewards. The tale of Triptolemus truly embodies the power of kindness. He was a humble and gentle prince of Eleusis and brother to the very sick prince Demophon. One day, an old, worn-out looking woman arrived at the castle desperately searching for her lost daughter. Triptolemus felt sympathy for the woman, whose name was Doso, and invited her in, fed her a hot meal, comforted her and offered to help. While she was there, Doso nursed Demophon back to health in return for all his help. It turned out that this traveller was Demeter in disguise looking for her daughter Persephone, goddess of springtime, who had been kidnapped by Hades to be his wife. Persephone had already eaten six pomegranate seeds, meaning she had to spend six months of the year with Hades in the Underworld and was allowed six on Olympus with her mother. This explains the seasons because when Persephone is away from her, Demeter is sad and all the crops die – Winter and Autumn – but when she returns the plants thrive – Spring and Summer. Demeter made Triptolemus the God of Farming. He was tasked with spreading knowledge of agriculture to all of Greece. It is not just mortals who demonstrate kindness and selflessness but also gods, such as Hestia, goddess of the home and hearth. She used to be one of the twelve Olympians as she was the daughter of Kronos and Rhea, the king and queen of the Titans. When Dionysus, demigod son of Zeus and the mortal princess Semele, invented wine, he rose to the rank of a god. Zeus wanted to give Dionysus a throne on Mount Olympus but there were already twelve, an equal number of females and males. A terrible argument broke out between the gods over who would be forced to give up a throne, when Hestia, altruistic as always, surrendered her place in order to keep the peace and prevent conflict between the pugnacious deities.
Conclusion The first two of these stories include extreme punishment for heinous crimes, but there are lessons we can take from them in everyday life. They demonstrate how selfish and disrespectful acts will always come back to haunt us. We can apply this to unkind words or deeds to our fellow students having undesirable consequences. In the second two, kindness is demonstrated in very different ways and situations but both lead to a positive outcome. Kindness is not a simple concept, it could be comforting someone who is struggling, thinking of others before yourself, treating everyone equally and so many more things too. Even if being kind does not help you to become a god it will reap its own rewards. Try and be kind today because you never know when it will come back to you!
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BY RASHI VAID
YEAR 9
KINDNESS: WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT RACISM? Racism happens when someone is treated unfairly because of their skin colour, background, race, or ethnicity. Racism can involve hurtful words, offensive messages, or actions that make someone feel targeted or excluded. It is important to talk about racism because it helps people who experience it feel supported, understood, and more confident to share what they have been through. Prejudice is a crucial factor when it comes to racism. It is when someone forms an unfair opinion about an individual or a group before getting to know them. Alongside racism, prejudice can be based upon race, religion, gender, age, disability, or other differences. Prejudice matters because it can damage people’s confidence, limit their opportunities and divide communities that do not deserve to be divided. Our school values, TAKE CARE, try and prevent as much prejudice as possible. The K in TAKE CARE stands for ‘kindness’, and along with kindness comes respect. Respect involves not judging people, and by learning about different people, listening to their stories and challenging stereotypes we can reduce prejudice so that every person in a community plays a role in creating a fairer world for the greater population. Racism is closely linked to discrimination, when someone treats another person or group negatively because of who they are. Around one quarter of the population has experienced some sort of discrimination, based upon race, religion, gender, age, disability or other differences. The poem Jamaican British by Raymond Antrobus shows how prejudice further links to discrimination, where those opinions turn into unfair treatment, such as exclusion or denied belonging. The line ‘Half-caste, half mule, house slave, Jamaican British. Light skin, straight male, privileged, Jamaican British.’ interprets that racial experiences have divided communities in the past and make individuals feel like they do not fit in showing the real impact of prejudice and discrimination on everyday life.
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2025-2026
BY SHAAN BATH
YEAR 10
KINDNESS: THE IMPACT OF OUR PETS AND HOW THEY INFLUENCE US Pet ownership has substantially more benefits and layers to it than initially meets the eye. Most view ownership of a pet primarily as an emotional, personal bond; however, human-animal interactions and relationships also provide a wide range of mental, cognitive and physical benefits. Dr. Greg Fricchoine, a director of Harvard’s Institute for Mind Body Medicine said, ‘I'm a believer in the beneficial effects of having a pet, and I'm impressed with the ability of dogs in particular to form bonds with human beings. I think the science is starting to support their special ability to do that,’ (Harvard Medical School, 2016), suggesting that the understanding between our pets and ourselves extends beyond just companionship and emotional aspects. In fact, these qualities often correlate with psychological effects too; for example, dogs have been linked to help children with ADHD to focus more due to their calming nature. In 2024 UK Pet food estimated that 60% of UK households owned a pet, emphasising how significant and impactful relationships with our pet can be in our society. Pet ownership is associated with maintaining cognitive functions especially as we grow older as they provide us with routines, boost our social interactions and help us to reduce stress. All these aspects combined enhance our brain plasticity and cognitive alertness. The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (National Institute on Aging, 2020), found that those who owned a pet had larger brain volumes compared to non-pet owners shown by measured images taken in an MRI scan; this is key in preserving areas of the brain that relate to cognitive functions like memory. Pet ownership is also associated with slower decline rates in verbal cognition and verbal fluency however they also encourage these skills with children as kids often practise language and talking by interacting with pets supporting communication confidence. As well as cognitive benefits, pets also provide us with physical advantages. The most obvious contribution to our physical health is that pets such as dogs require daily exercise, increasing both our daily movements overtime and strengthening leg muscles and joint health. But various other factors develop from walking and daily movement too; according to the American Heart Association (Pet Ownership and Cardiovascular Risk 2013), those who incorporate daily walks boost their circulation which helps to lower the blood pressure and cholesterol, decreasing their risk of heart diseases or strokes later in their life and preserving their cardiovascular health.
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Moreover, regular dog walks also increase exposure to sunlight on most days, allowing owners to accumulate vitamin D, which works to strengthen bones especially when working with other micronutrients such as calcium and phosphorus, reducing bone fragility especially when it comes to old age. Ultimately, pets encourage regular routines like daily walks that foster an environment to improve and preserve our physical health. Furthermore, pet ownership and interactions provide positive effects on emotional and mental health. Animal interactions are proven to reduce anxiety and stress by lowering cortisol levels (as previously mentioned above) and by increasing levels of hormones such as oxytocin and endorphins. Moreover, pets significantly reduce loneliness levels and depression symptoms, demonstrating how pets are perfect companions, particularly for mentally ill or elderly people. A particular study done by Atherton highlights that pets improve mental health by providing constant emotional support, reducing social stress especially amongst autistic individuals. This study also correlates with the Biophilia theory (Edward O. Wilson), written at Harvard University, which explains that interactions with animas naturally reduce stress and provide emotional comfort which is useful for neurodivergent children to create an environment for then to increase self-confidence and support their mental wellbeing. Overall, animals are not just cute faces, they help us in so many ways that we don’t even notice. In conclusion, pets have an extremely powerful influence on their owner’s mental, physical and cognitive health. Through boosting our daily physical activity emotional support and cognitive stimulation, pets improve the quality of life for people of all ages. Our human-animal relationship demonstrates how pets provide more than just companionship, they enhance wellbeing at the same time, emphasising the importance of kindness, care and effort we should be reciprocating in our relationships with our pets.
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BY CAYELIN BORNMAN
YEAR 10
HOW TOXIC MASCULINITY TEACHES BOYS TO HIDE THEIR FEELINGS AND PREVENTS THEM FROM BEING KIND – EVEN TO THEMSELVES In this essay I am going to be analysing what toxic masculinity is and how it reflects on boys and their actions. Toxic masculinity is a widely recognised but misunderstood term which describes stereotypical masculine behaviours which often can be harmful, unkind and negative. Referring to the Oxford dictionary on Google, the exact definition of toxic masculinity is ‘a set of attitudes and ways of behaving stereotypically, associated with or expected of men, regarded as having a negative impact on men and on society as a whole’ (Centre for Tomorrows Leaders, 2026, Toxic Masculinity by Aaliyah-Marie Arredondo, Radford High School). In simpler words, this suggests that toxic masculinity is when men and boys are expected to act in a certain ‘manly’ way which can be harmful to themselves and others in society. Toxic masculinity is the idea that a man is not a real man if he shows emotions like vulnerability, sadness or fear. These expectations are toxic because they cause men to hide their feelings and invalidate and ignore them otherwise, they are ‘weak’ or ‘not man enough’. Over the past couple years, the term ‘toxic masculinity’ has been growing all over social media. People like Terry Crews and Dwayne Johnson have publicly spoken up about their issues with toxic masculinity and how it can really affect boys showing kindness and the stigma that boys should suffer in silence and that their feelings don’t matter. Terry Crews shared his childhood experiences and reflected on the challenges he had to face that impacted his views on how men should act. He said, “As a man, I was taught my entire life that I must control the world.” (UK says no more, June 2018, Terry Crews Talks About Toxic Masculinity, Sexual Assault and Standing up for Survivors). This emphasises the culture around toxic masculinity and how men believe power is what makes them a real man. Studies show that, around five billion people use social media worldwide (The University of Maine, 2023). Up to 95% of young people aged 13–17 years report using a social media platform, with more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly”. (National Library of Medicine, 2023). This tells us that even from a young age, children get exposed to all types of information which sometimes can be harmful like toxic masculinity.
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2025-2026
Videos and posts on social media platforms promote content that suggest that a man's value comes from having power over women and showing feelings can make a boy weak. These create unrealistic expectations for boys and discourage them to talk about their feelings, causing them bottle up their emotions which can lead to rudeness. In addition, over social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, there are many influencers who exploit their platform to post negative content which highlight key ideas that link to toxic masculinity. One major influencer who does this is Andrew Tate; Tate is an example of someone who reinforces toxic masculinity through content that discourages boys from expressing vulnerability and kindness. He claims that ‘depression isn’t real’ (tweet from 2017) and implies that expressing emotion is a sign of weakness, he also claims that women are inferior to men. In a Wikipedia page about him, under the subheading of women, it states that he ‘has been criticised for saying that women "belong in the home", "can't drive", and are "given to the man and belong to the man" as "a man's property" (Wikipedia page, 2025, Andrew Tate). He pushes a self-reliant image of a man who does not complain and show sensitivity and is highly misogynistic towards women. As Andrew Tate is a well-known figure with many followers which include many young people, his words can influence the younger generation into believing certain things that do more harm than good. Studies show that around one in six boys aged 6-15 have a positive view of Andrew Tate (YouGov, 2026). This links back to my point that toxic masculinity really has an impact on how boys think and their actions towards themselves and others and if boys see content all over social media about it, it flows into their mindsets around it. Toxic masculinity does not just harm men, it can equally effect women. Influencers on social media state things like ‘men are better than women’ or ‘men should have control’. These claims are misogynistic - meaning hatred or prejudice against women; they are disrespectful and demeaning towards women. A study from McKinsey & Company tells us that up to 33% of women are interrupted more than men in meetings. Imagine being a woman in the 21st century voicing her opinion but then being silenced for a man’s one that is ten times worse. It is the fact that men think they can use their gender status and masculinity to signal dominance and degrade women.
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BY CAYELIN BORNMAN
YEAR 10
These ideas about toxic masculinity and misogyny create a gender divide in society, with contradicting opinions about whether it is harder to be a woman or a man. According to a 2024 Ipsos and King’s College London Study, around half the population in the UK think it is tougher to be a woman than a man, with 14% saying the reverse (King’s College London, 2024). These views are pointless: we should not be comparing whether being the other gender is difficult, instead acknowledging the different factors that men and women should face and have empathy towards each other. While there are stereotypes around boys needing to be ‘strong’ and ‘tough’, there are also stereotypes about girls that they should be ‘gentle’ and ‘kind’. These stereotypes often hold women back from sharing their opinions and views. In our world today, men should feel like they can speak freely about their feelings without feeling judged or ignored and women should feel like they are entitled to an opinion and can openly speak about it without feeling undervalued compared to men. Many people believe that it suggests ALL men are toxic but that is not the case. The term does not blame men but instead it describes negative expectations that males feel like they must meet as society puts pressure on them. I think that it is wrong for us as a society, to put these harmful expectations on men to make them feel like they cannot communicate their feelings without judgement and if boys constantly feel like they cannot communicate how they feel, they will struggle to build strong connections with people. Not only that, if boys regularly feel isolated and overwhelmed because they think they must be strong all the time, they can even start harming themselves which links to my point that toxic masculinity sometimes prevents kindness to themselves.
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ST MARY’S
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2025-2026
BY EMILIA WALLWORK
YEAR 10
KINDNESS: THEY HAVE FEELINGS TOO They have feelings too. Silenced, they become out of breath gasping for a singular inhale of freedom that they once possessed before the end of their world and the rise of ours. In this article I will be exploring intensive farming, animal testing and the diminishment of the little creatures that often go unnoticed. I will also be exploring the concept of speciesism and how it is potentially this ideology that allows us to disassociate from the suffering of other animals. There has been a rise in intensive farming across the UK and Europe, with data from the Compassion in World Farming disclosing that there were 1,176 megafarms in 2023, an increase of 20% since 2016. In the wise words of Spiderman, ‘with great power comes great responsibility,’ and I think we struggle to remember that. Some may say that these well-regulated farms could have less impact on the animals suffering, but if there are breaches in their welfare standards, and minimal to no consequence, these farms will continue to operate in inhumane ways. It is also important to consider the environmental drawbacks when concerning megafarms as they sacrifice many targets that initially we may not think correlate to each other but are closer related than expected. For example, Cranswick ‘which is one of the largest meat companies in Europe’ (and was recently denied permission to build a megafarm in Norfolk) ‘was responsible for three million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2024.’. 268 companies as of 2026 still test on animals according to ‘cruelty free kitty’. As consumers it is extremely important to remember what goes on behind the scenes of your favourite and everyday products, as you may just be supporting the suffering of an animal that is the same species as the one sat on your lap. Millions of animals are lost to the hands of animal testing annually with an estimate of around 192.1 million animals used for scientific purposes worldwide in 2015 (The Vet Desk). Caged animals may experience fear, trauma and stress driven anxiety that affects their physical and neurological wellbeing, leading to behaviours such as uncontrollable spinning, biting themselves or pulling their own fur out. This use of animals is based on ‘species-ist’ views, the idea that humans are more important or better than other species of animal.
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Although there are no official statistics regarding the number of spiders squashed annually or the harm of any other species for the crime of being small it should come no surprise that it is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions. The quote ‘I thought human hearts were bigger than mine’ from the poem, ‘10 legs 8 broken’, scripted from a spider’s point of view, emphasises this problematic normality. For so many humans, spiders are an inconvenience or a phobia enforced by stereotypes and there is a power imbalance present because of speciesism. To conclude, perhaps we can all admit to needing to educate ourselves more on the silent issues regarding our fellow creatures that co-exist with us in this world and try to open our eyes beyond the horizon of marketing campaigns, our dinner plates and the toe of our shoes to acknowledge the destruction we are causing. Of course, animal welfare issues expand far beyond what I have been able to cover in this article, but what I hope you can take away from this is simply a better understanding and knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes. Even small lifestyle changes such as purchasing meat from a source that prioritises animal welfare, changing beauty products and toiletries to PETA certified alternatives that do not test on animals, or releasing a spider from your room into the garden instead of killing it will make a difference.
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BY EKAMPREET SOOTDHAR
YEAR 8
WOMEN FOUGHT FOR FREEDOM (RESILIENCE) In this essay, I am looking at two women who, through their lives, empowered women to achieve greater equality, both indirectly and directly. This relates to one of our TAKE CARE values, resilience. Women show resilience by overcoming difficult situations with emotional and mental strength, adapting to hard situations, and supporting other women. This has been seen as a strong ability to manage difficult situations and succeeding despite facing hardships. Men and women should not be seen as completely different people, as this approach can lead to different treatment; they should be seen as the people who are treated equally. This is a topic that I am passionate about. I am impressed by a great lady, the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1979-1990, Margaret Thatcher, who won the most decisive election victory since that of the Labour Party in 1945. She was famously known as the “iron lady” for her great will and approach to solving problems for the United Kingdom. Margaret Thatcher’s key qualities as a woman include symbolic empowerment. She achieved the highest role in a male-dominated political position, this was a major symbolic leap forward, changing cultural positions for women in leadership roles. Supporters saw her as a strong, inspiring prime minister with integrity and resilience, but people who did not like her often called her stubborn and lacking empathy for poor communities which could have helped to bring about her downfall. Mary Wollstonecraft was an English writer who is best known for her work, “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” which argued for the social and political equality of women and for a revolution of national educational systems. She was born in 1759, and she had a hard childhood but later became a teacher. Soon she became a political writer. She was published frequently in the ‘Analytical Review’ on topics such as the education of women. Her life and work encouraged many people and her great ideas about equality and the reasons for it continue to be inspiring. While often derided during her lifetime, Mary Wollstonecraft is now recognised as a great figure in feminist thought. I believe that Margaret Thatcher and Mary Wollstonecraft changed women’s status in society. Now women are performing everywhere on different stages of life. I am inspired by those women who had changed our lives. This is a sign that women can do anything.
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ST MARY’S
AMBITION
2025-2026
BY MEHAR GETTHRUA
YEAR 8
RESILIENT WOMEN IN SPORT "A true champion is not defined by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall." — Serena Williams Women have made great progress to be where they are today with sport; for example: "The Olympic Games have grown to be the largest gender-equal sporting event in the world. This historic evolution reached a major milestone at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which was the first in history with full gender parity on the field of play" (International Olympic Committee). However, "It’s long been said that for a woman to get half as much credit as a man, she must work twice as hard and be twice as smart" (The Independent). Despite equality at the Olympics, this quote applies to women in sport. According to Adelphi University, the PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) players earn an average of $1,042,917, while the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) players earn about $346,360. In this article, I will be talking about women in sport and how they have demonstrated St Mary's school values like resilience, excellence, and more. The first incredible woman I will be talking about is Simone Biles. She is widely "considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time" (Milano Cortina, 2026), with 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals. Her achievements come from dedication and resilience. Simone has always stood out to me, not just because of her consistent dedication, but because of the fact she has overcome so many challenges. She was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1997 and started gymnastics at the age of six years old. At the 2020 Olympics, she withdrew from seven events due to anxiety and "the twisties" (a mental block where a gymnast loses spatial awareness in the air, causing them to fear attempting skills they normally perform with ease). After this happened, she prioritised her mental health, asked for help, and started to see therapists. Her mental health significantly improved, and she competed in the 2024 Olympics, winning three gold medals and one silver medal. Babe Didrikson Zaharias changed the golfing world forever; not only did she play golf, but excelled in a range of other sports, including basketball, swimming, tennis, track, and field. She was born on the 26th June in 1911 in America and passed away on the 27th September 1956 due to colon cancer. In the 1932 Olympics, she won a gold medal for the javelin throw, setting a new world record of 143 feet. The next day she set a record (breaking her own) of 11.4 seconds, winning another gold medal.
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Babe started to play golf at the age of 24, and in 1938 she became the first woman to compete in a men’s golf event later winning the U.S. Amateur Championship. A year later, she won 17 championships. She did not just win golf competitions, but she also was a co-founder of the LPGA and quickly became one of the star players. She is not just arguably one of the best female athletes to ever live, but she is also a woman who changed sport forever. As Milano Cortina (2026) states: "With 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals, Serena Williams is one of the greatest tennis players in history." Serena Williams was born on the 26th of September in Saginaw, Michigan. She grew up in a very big household with 10 siblings, but only one was a full sibling (Venus Williams) and nine half-siblings. Before Venus and Serena were even born, their father Richard Williams had a plan to make them the best tennis players to ever live. In her 27 years of professional tennis, she has faced so many difficulties including racism, sexism, body shaming, and numerous health problems. As an example, in 2015, Serena was competing in the Australian Open final, and she was extremely ill. The strict regulations meant that she was not allowed to take any medication. Halfway through the match, she had to leave the court as she was so sick, but instead of forfeiting the match, she continued and ended up winning the 2015 Australian Open. This is just one of the times Serena has persevered, and is one of my favourite stories because, as she said in her BBC documentary: "When I was playing, all I could think about in that moment was winning." This showcases her never-ending ambition to persevere and excel. In conclusion, these women have faced mental blocks, racism, health issues, sexism, and body shaming. But that never stopped them. Their will to succeed was much bigger than any difficulty they have ever faced. These women have shown all our school’s TAKE CARE values, but one that stands out is resilience. I will end this article with one of my favourite quotes: "A true champion is not defined by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall." — Serena Williams It does not matter how many times you win, but what you do when you fall. What you do when something comes your way. And what do you do when all odds are against you.
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BY AVYA PANDEY
YEAR 8
TAKE CARE VALUES IN BADMINTON This essay is about badminton, it is a sport that can be played within teams or solos, and it is a global sport played by millions of people. Badminton is a sport that can be played both solos and as part of a team. This sport can very clearly illustrate the importance and impact of teamwork as people can derive happiness and pleasure from taking part in a team sport. Now we are going into more detail about what some of the take care values are and how they relate to badminton and what the side effects are and why it improves learning. Badminton began in India and over 1 million people play weekly in the UK including myself and that is a big number (from Wikipedia). Resilience: Let us first talk about the meaning of resilience, the meaning of recovering quickly from difficulties. In badminton, showing resilience means pushing through every setback and bouncing back stronger. Even when the game gets super intense, this shows how badminton is not just a physical sport but also a mental one. Badminton requires a lot of resilience, for every setback you need to carry on and push yourself. For example, when you lose, miss the shuttlecock and the other player gets a point you use resilience to not give up and carry on, and the best thing is that you don’t even realise that you are working on your resilience skills and becoming more hard working. Another example is when you are losing a match a lot, and you are very embarrassed but instead of giving up, you keep fighting for every point, stay focused, and slowly start catching up. Even if you do not win, you never stop trying and you finish the game strong and this is more important than winning. Teamwork: Badminton has a lot of teamwork, meaning it means working together as a team and having the work as 50/50. Even though you usually play it in singles, you can play it in doubles with your partner. The way you play with your partner is a bit different because one of you it taking care of the back side and the other is taking care of the front side, so if one of you is missing the other player has to take care of the back side (or frontside) and has to cover up more than when you were playing in doubles.
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2025-2026
In badminton, you usually (in doubles), change who serves, and for example if you are bad at serving you can ask your partner to serve for you and if you are better at hitting then you can oversee that. However, in badminton, you cannot let your partner do all the work because you must work as a team because if you do not you might not get any credit, and your team might lose since the person has been practising doubles and will feel more exhausted because they have to cover a lot of court. Also, the opponents might realise that and may throw the shuttlecock on the opposite side of the court, and your partner will struggle to get it. Also, the reason you should not leave your partner is because it can also have some mental effects such as “Negativity, such as looking back or complaining, kills your partner’s confidence, leading to more mistakes” (from Wikipedia) and can lead to friendship problems. Communication is quite important because it helps tell your partner your plan on your next move, and you know there is as well. Enthusiasm: In badminton, you need a lot of enthusiasm because if you do not then you lose interest and focus on badminton and when you are invested in the game you improve your reflexes and you can anticipate your opponent’s moves more effectively. Also, a positive and enthusiastic attitude makes you a more enjoyable partner or opponent, encouraging social interactions and a sense of camaraderie on the court, and you will like the game more as you are enjoying it and not just for the sake of it. In badminton, lack of enthusiasm often leads to reduced engagement and participation. Being 100% in the game is essential in a sport where a split-second decision can change the outcome of a match. In conclusion, badminton is more than just a physical sport; it helps develop important personal values. Through resilience, players learn to overcome setbacks and keep trying even when things are difficult. Teamwork is essential, especially in doubles, teaching players how to rely on each other and work together effectively. Enthusiasm keeps players engaged and motivated, which improves both performance and enjoyment of the game. Overall, badminton encourages personal growth and the development of skills that are valuable both on and off the court. Overall, you need a lot of skills for badminton, not just reflexes.
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BY DIYA BALACHANDAR
YEAR 10
TEAMWORK IN ANIMALS If I asked you to tell me about nature, most people would describe plants and trees or a brutal ecosystem where only the strongest survive (survival of the fittest). However, animals in the wild are not perpetually competing against each other for survival; in fact, I would say they often help each other more than they do not. While I was researching this article, I realised that many people like to think of teamwork as a human quality; however, I believe that animals exhibit teamwork just as much as we do, maybe even more. Role models are often celebrities, or people close to us, but taking inspiration from the animals who live alongside us would prove just as useful. In this essay, I will discuss how different animals help each other survive. Teamwork means working together and supporting each other to achieve goals that a single individual could not manage alone. Animals across the world rely on others of their species to stay alive – family and ‘friends’, showing that cooperation is just as important as individual strength in both nature and our lives. One example of teamwork in nature can be seen in elephants. Researchers from the University of Cambridge conducted research in which they had two elephants pulling on two ends of a rope at the same time to receive a reward. The setup was originally made for chimpanzees but was adapted for the elephants. The elephants not only worked together to obtain the reward, but they also waited for each other, and they did not pull the rope if the other could not. These findings indicate that elephants possess a cognitive capacity for cooperation. However, it is crucial to distinguish between behaviours observed in captivity and those in a natural setting. In the wild, elephants demonstrate teamwork through cooperative rearing, also known as “allomothering”. Elephant calves are born into stable families, where juvenile and adolescent females (known as “allomothers”), assist in comforting and protecting them. This establishment of early, collective caretaking bonds is a key factor in the stability of elephant societies. Wolves are very social animals who rely on their packs to survive. Wolf packs usually consist of two pack leaders, one female and one male, their offspring, and sometimes a few other unrelated wolves. Altogether, between three and twenty wolves. When pups are born, the mother wolf cares for the pups for the first several weeks of its life but once the pups no longer need milk, other wolves aid the parents as it takes a lot of energy and time to rear a pup.
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One of the ways they do this is by helping to protect and feed the pups. Pups must stay at the den, where it is safe, however they also need to be fed, so pack members take turns hunting and guarding the pups, so that all the wolves get enough food, and the pups are kept safe. The wolves who hunt are usually gone for a few days, so the wolves guarding the pups use the time to play and teach the pups. This is important for the pups’ development because this teaches them how to socialise and communicate with other wolves, and teaches them crucial skills, such as hunting, so that they can grow into strong pack members. By sharing the responsibility of rearing young pups between pack members, the adult wolves can spend more time connecting with the wolf pups, creating strong bonds between pack members. The health and survival of wolf pups is critical for wolf populations to survive, so when all pack members help to raise the pups, they are also helping to protect the ecosystem where the wolves live. Wolves in the wild do not only work together as a means of survival, but it is also a more deepseated trait that they instinctively perform. This wild instinct is also seen in controlled environments with humans. Researchers from the Wolf Science Center and the Medical University of Vienna conducted an experiment published from Scientific Reports called "The Loose-String Task”, a cooperation test designed to see if two individuals can understand that they need each other’s help to get a reward (similar to the elephant experiment already described). If only one animal pulled the end of the rope, the string would slide out of the rings, and the food tray would stay put. To get the food, both the wolf and their human partner had to pull the ends of the rope at the same time. The experiment was conducted on wolves and dogs, testing an interesting theory called The Deferential Behaviour Hypothesis. The Deferential Behaviour Hypothesis suggests that while dogs inherited their cooperative skills from wolves, domestication specifically selected for a submissive nature, causing dogs to wait for human guidance rather than taking the lead. This is reflected in the results of the experiment. Both wolves and dogs were highly capable of cooperating with human partners to solve the puzzle and get food rewards. In the initial trials, wolves had a slightly higher success rate (61%) than dogs (49%) when facing the puzzle for the first time. Wolves were significantly more likely to take initiative and start pulling the rope without input from the human.
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BY DIYA BALACHANDAR
YEAR 10
However, dogs were more likely to wait for humans to prompt them or give a signal before they started pulling. The wolves looked at their human partner significantly less than the dogs did, suggesting that the dogs were checking for permission. Wolves were much more likely to "steal" the rope from the human or try to solve the problem using their own tactics. For example, 14 out of 15 wolves tried to take the rope away from humans at least once, while only two of the 12 dogs did. This usually happened when the human got to the tray first and took the animal’s preferred rope end first. When the researchers set up two puzzles in a row, wolves tended to move to the second puzzle immediately without waiting for their partner. Dogs, on the other hand, almost always waited for the human to lead them to the next task. These results show that domestication has made dogs more obedient and submissive, which makes them better pets. It has not necessarily made them better at teamwork, however, as the wolves saw the human partner as an equal instead of the one in charge. The domestication of dogs changed the social dynamic between animals and humans. This shows us that teamwork does not always mean following someone else's orders, but rather it means just working alongside your partner as equals. These examples show that teamwork is a powerful strategy used throughout the animal kingdom. Elephants protect their juveniles, wolves coordinate hunts, bees communicate through dances, dolphins help injured pod members, and meerkats take turns at sentry duty for their group. These interactions point out the importance of communication, trust, and shared responsibility. Reading about animal teamwork has helped me realise that teamwork is not just about completing a task, but also about supporting others in the process of contributing toward group success.
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ST MARY’S
AMBITION
2025-2026
BY MARLEY SANGSTER
YEAR 10
TEAMWORK IN ROWING Teamwork is defined by peaksports.com as ‘embracing your specific responsibilities, supporting your teammates, doing what is needed, and contributing to the team’s success.’ This is highly important for rowing where teamwork is essential. Every rower must match the one in front, every movement must be one of shared rhythm and trust. When a rowing crew moves as one, they cut through the water effortlessly; when they do not, even the strongest rowers cannot keep the boat from rocking. Every move made affects the boat, and that thin line between chaos and harmony is what makes rowing more than just a sport to many. “Rowing provided a place to go, a place where people cared about what I did and what I achieved” Nancy Greene – Olympic champion skier Teamwork is not built in the boat; it is formed in the gym. The gym is the heart of a rowing club and rowers will be there every day, striving to be their best. In the gym you cannot hide: if you cannot lift heavy weights, you train harder, if you cannot pull a fast split on the rowing machines, you train harder, if you cannot run fast, you train harder. When motivation disappears, being part of a team matters most. When you are a part of a team you lift people’s spirits, motivate those who need it, and most of all celebrate the little things. If you can work as a team in the gym, then working as a team on the water comes naturally. And that is what makes many crews unbeatable. “No one guy can make the boat go faster by himself.” Harry Parker – Olympic rower On the water the story is not entirely different. As a rower, if you focus on yourself, you move the boat, but if you focus on each other the boat will move you. In the beginning it is hard to not focus solely on yourself - there is so many different things to remember but as you train more and grow as a crew, it becomes easier. You learn how to change your stroke to benefit everyone, you know what to expect as you row down the same stretch of the river that you have every other time you have trained. You can feel the difference between when the boat moves well and when something is wrong. All this work you do as a team does pay off and can lead to immense success. “Rowing a race is an art, not a frantic scramble. It must be rowed with head power as well as hand power.” Daniel James Brown – The Boys in the Boat author
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ST MARY’S
AMBITION
2025-2026
Recently, my crew and I won our first medal. We raced at Henley Sculls with the final part of the race down the coveted Henley Royal Regatta course. Before the race we agreed that if we were able to overtake any crews we would push past and work harder to create a gap to them. During the race we overtook three crews and used overtaking them to our advantage. Our team discussion helped us to work together, and in doing so we won our race by over a minute (which is a big feat in rowing). This has not always been the case though: this was our first medal in around one and a half seasons, and my crew and I believe that the reason for this is that previously we didn’t understand how one another moved the boat and how we can complement each other to be able to row faster. “Only the guy not rowing has time to rock the boat.” Jean-Paul Sartre - philosopher and playwright In rowing, as in other aspects of life, when you focus your energy solely on one activity you may enter a state of ‘flow’. Flow can be defined as ‘the melting together of action and consciousness; the state of finding a balance between a skill and how challenging that task is. I have been able to experience this in many races; I known that I have entered ‘flow state’ as after the race I am unable to remember most of what happened during the race other than if we pass a boat or any other important event. It allows all your energy to go towards your stroke and pushing the boat as hard as you can. Correct training is imperative to achieve positive flow: if you allow yourself to develop poor technique in training, when you reach ‘flow state’ during a race muscle memory will take over and you would be rowing with the incorrect technique leading to a loss of power and a slower time. "In rowing as in life, there are competitors and there are racers. The competitor works hard and rows to his limit. The racer does not think of limits, only the race." Jim Dietz - Olympic rower and coach Overall, rowing has taught me that teamwork is not simply about being in the same boat as others, but about learning to rely on others. Teamwork is not built over night, rather it is built stroke by stroke, session by session, until it becomes natural. The hours spent lifting, running, and pushing each other through difficult sessions become the foundation because only when a crew learns to trust each other completely does the boat begin to lift and glide. Rowing has taught me that real teamwork turns effort into power and individuals into a crew. If a crew chose to protect and nurture this teamwork there is almost nothing that they cannot accomplish, and this is when they become unstoppable.
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AMBITION Articles written by girls in years 7 - 12