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Editors’ note Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Inkwell for this issue. This is the final issue this academic year, but we will be back after the summer ready for all your wonderful articles. Thank you to everyone who helped us get The Inkwell up and running, particularly Mr Dax. Thank you! Alice and Louisa Contents Page 2 – Editors’ note and Contents Page 3-5 – Calorie Counts on Menus: The effect on British teenagers Page 6-8 – Is it fair for female transgender athletes to compete in women’s elite sports? Page 9-10 – Is Pepperoni the best pizza topping? – Debate Club Page 11-12 – Arts Week Reviews – Bugsy Malone, QAS Fest, Private Art Viewing Page 13 – Speech Day Poem – Mr Jackson
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Calorie Counts on Menus: The effect on British teenagers By Pippa Coghill One of the major government trends of the 21st century has been to encourage British consumers to make healthy choices about what they eat and drink. Many of these efforts have been targeted at children and young people as scientists believe that starting to eat well and exercise at an early age can have life-long benefits. Since I have been in nursery, we have seen initiatives to make School meals and hospital patient food healthier, restrictions on advertisements on fast foods to children and self-policing by members of the industry, for example: supermarkets removing sweetie displays from by the tills. However, statistics show that problems with childhood obesity continue to increase; there was a rise from 9.9% in 2019-2020 to 14.4% to 2020-2021. At the same time, through social media there has been a heightened public awareness of conditions such as anorexia and bulimia where young people and adults have a difficult relationship with food. The search has continued to find effective ways to create an environment in which I and other British teenagers can make sensible and informed decisions about our diet.
manufacturers of pre-packaged foods and drinks to notify consumers of the calorie count for years now. Some use this information positively to promote their product as healthy, such as Coca Cola with Diet Coke and Muller Light yogurts. Other companies are frequently targeted in the media for providing unhealthy foods, such as MacDonalds and KFC, https://www.istockp and have introduced new hoto.com/es/search/ 2/image?alloweduse= ranges, such as chicken editorialuseonly&phr wraps, and advertised ase=menu&ageofpeop them heavily to address this le=teenager perception. However, following the example of the state of Kerala in India, who was the first to introduce a ‘fat tax’, the government, as well as other governments all over the world, has been under pressure to do more. There are also important themes in the media around the environmental impact of foods, such as carbon created by dairy cows and food miles to get a box of blueberries. Many people also worry about animal welfare. Things are further confused by the number of teenagers choosing a vegan diet which restricts choice and, despite being plant based, does not seem to necessarily lead to healthier outcomes. I have examined the question of how, in
Effective from 6 April this year, the government introduced new rules requiring large businesses to display the calorie information for food and drinks on their menus, The Calorie Labelling Out of Home Regulations. Legislation has forced 3
this confusing and polarising environment, will disclosing calories on menus impact teenagers; when confronted by a menu many of my peers really do not know what the right choice to make is and will the new rules help them?
diet helps with weight loss so transparency about menu data would appear to be a clever idea (the NHS website frequently mentions the importance of this link). There are many apps available to young people to help them track calories so having this information seems to have real value and the data gives full nutritional information, not just calories, so achieving a balanced diet should be easier. The power of social media is great and those restaurants that offer a strong choice for those seeking healthy options are likely to be easy for teens to identify, meaning that they can enjoy a meal out with friends or family without worrying that this will impact their healthy lifestyle. The availability of greater information therefore has the power to create an environment in which young people can find food that is good for them and feel able to relax and enjoy it. It will act as a helpful extension to the existing labelling of foods to identify them as vegan, vegetarian, nut, or gluten free.
At present, almost 1 in 3 children starting year 7 are overweight and the effect of the https://www.istockphoto.co COVID 19 virus is m/es/search/2/image?allo believed to have meant weduse=editorialuseonly&a that even more young geofpeople=teenager&phras people are now obese e=restaurant%20food than ever before. There is a clear need for urgent action to tackle these figures and there have been major campaigns to encourage the public to exercise more regularly and various initiatives targeted at young people, for example Everyday Active - Every Day launched in 2021. At the same time, the government have been trying to support the hospitality industry to recover from the effects of COVID and the impact that the end of the furlough scheme and VAT increases have had on them. Because of this the aim of the new rules must be to have people make informed choices, not stop eating out altogether. However, the question remains about whether this will happen in practice
At the same time, there is a real worry that labelling food in restaurants so clearly will heighten issues that many teenagers face. For example, we know that counting calories rigidly can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and control factors are at the heart of many food related illnesses, such as anorexia. To normalise the relationship that we all have with our food, identifying some dishes as Good and some as
The government first proposed introducing the new menu calorie count in 2020 and a survey by Public Health England showed that 79% of people asked supported the measures. There is good evidence that sticking to a calorie restricted 4
Bad is unhelpful; the mind-set that anything is fine in the right context is much more likely to benefit us. And, whilst information about nutrition is available, I worry that social media places so much pressure on us all to be slim and conform to body stereotypes that many teens will ignore data about protein and healthy fats and focus solely on which choice has the fewest calories. We all know that a chicken salad is a great healthy lunch choice but, if a serving of crisps has fewer calories will people end up going to the option that is less good for them?
time when the future of our planet is so important, surely making sure that animals are raised kindly and eating seasonally and locally should be more important than measuring kilo joules of energy? I would also highlight the importance of working conditions and staff care which should also be drivers of our decisions about where to eat, and with recent scandals over issues like whether staff get tips, it is obvious that many young people care deeply about the people who cook and serve the food. These areas are much more important than how much fat and calories are in a cheeseburger.
The new rules also apply only to larger restaurants, with more than 250 employees. Obviously, any café could publish this information, but it seems unlikely that small places would have access to the dieticians who could do the analysis. Teenagers may be drawn to MacDonalds simply because they know how many calories are in a triple cheeseburger rather than eating a healthy chicken burger at the local café because they cannot count the number of calories they consume. Over time, this might lead to fewer small businesses which would be bad for us all, both socially and because change to food habits, such as the rise of vegan eating, begins at a local, customer driven level and not with big corporations.
In summary, whilst I understand why the Government have introduced the new rules on nutritional information, I think that the benefits to those who want to be health conscious are outweighed by the problems that may be created for young people suffering from eating disorders and those trying to create a good relationship with food. Also, focusing solely on nutrition takes attention away from other critical issues such as good company staff policies, environmentally conscious food sources and animal abuse. I would like to see teenagers move to a more holistic and balanced approach to eating and this new rule is not helping. I love cooking and eating, and I would rather people shared this passion than reduced a dinner with friends to some scientific statistics.
Making the focus on calories also takes attention away from important food issues such as animal welfare and the environmental impact of food. At a 5
https://www .istockphoto. com/es/sear ch/2/image? alloweduse=e ditorialuseon ly&ageofpeop le=teenager& phrase=teena ge%20girl%2 0eating
Is it fair for female transgender athletes to compete in women’s elite sport? Today, transgender females are allowed to compete in women’s sport, but the trans athletes would have needed to have either gone through sex reassignment surgery or have taken hormone therapy for over a year. This heated debate has separated the sporting community for many years now and will for many more to come. It is widely believed that it is unfair for female transgender athletes to compete in women’s elite sport. In this article, I will be discussing firstly all the advantages that men have compared to women in sport; then, I will discuss what transgender athletes believe; next I will discuss what female cisgender athletes believe; finally, I will discuss the difference between professional female sport players to professional male sport players.
differ much in strength, speed or accuracy, however once boys have gone through puberty, they gain all their advantages. After going through puberty, boys “are automatically able to become taller,” says Linda Blade, a coach and president of athletics Alberta. Not only do boys become taller, but their lungs also get larger, their muscles become more developed and larger, their hand span is larger, their waist becomes slimmer, their heart becomes bigger, and their bone structure becomes longer and larger. All these characteristics are advantages for male athletes compared to female athletes. This demonstrates why female transgender athletes have an unfair advantage in women sport, because male athletes have all of these extra characteristics that allow them to become stronger, faster, and more accurate than the women against whom they are competing. Males having larger lungs means that they will not run out of breath quickly and can take in more oxygen at any given time compared to females. Males having a smaller waist means that they would be able to fit on a bike more easily compared to females. These are all unfair advantages if the female transgender athlete has gone through puberty as a male. Therefore, as men are stronger, faster, and more accurate at throwing than woman they have
Firstly, it is scientifically proven that men are stronger, faster, and more accurate at throwing than woman. So surely, a female transgender athlete, who was born male and who has gone through male puberty, has all of those unfair advantages against their female competitors. Carole Hooven, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, said that; “At age 15, boys beat girls in the 30meter dash by more than four seconds on average.” This shows us that, even at the early age of fifteen, boys show huge advantages against girls their own age. Prior to puberty, boys and girls do not 6
an unfair advantage, and if a female transgender athlete has gone through puberty, she will have the same advantages.
that trans athletes should be required to take hormone therapy. She also believes that if you want to compete with women you have to “comply with the rules.” These rules are set in place, not because sporting federations do not want female transgender athletes to compete, but to allow fairness in the sport in which they are competing. Therefore, having these rules in place allows female athletes to have a fair playing field against female transgender athletes and it limits unfair advantages that female transgender athlete hold against women.
Racheal MacKinnon is a female transgender cyclist, who believes that female trans athletes should not be forced to take hormone therapy, which is what many sporting federations, including the International Olympic Committee, have in place. Hormone therapy is required for female transgender athletes to lower their testosterone levels to allow a fair competing field. For an average female, her testosterone levels are below 3nmol/L. The rules which many sporting federations have in place for trans athletes is to have testosterone levels below 5nmol/L. She says, “The idea that we need to protect women’s or female sport from other women and females is itself inherently discriminatory. No testosterone policy will ever work. They should respect an athletes legally recognized sex or gender.” If there is a race between a motorbike against a bike, who is most likely to win - the motorbike. It is not a fair race. Neither is a race where a female transgender athlete, who has all the power to power the huge engine, against a female, who has a smaller amount of the power and a smaller engine. Having these rules in place that transgender female athletes need to have below a certain measurement allows these biological women a chance to compete against the female trans athletes. Jillian Bearden, another female transgender cyclist, believes
Cisgender female athletes, who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth, say they feel like they are being pushed out of their sports by trans athletes. Madison Kenyon, age 19 and a runner at Idaho State University, told ABC News, “I’ve seen them [transgender athletes] beat some of the fastest girls in this nation. We’re not here for a participation trophy. We’ve been working so hard. We’ve been making so many sacrifices, and we’re not here to participate. We want to compete, and we want to compete on a fair playing field.” Chelsea Mitchell, age 18, is also a cisgender woman who says she lost several state tracks titles after running against two trans female athletes in high school. Both girls have joined lawsuits against trans women’s participation in women’s sports. Kenyon said, “For female athletes, it’s most fair for biological women to be competing against biological women.” This 7
demonstrates that female transgender athletes, who have that unfair advantage and are still competing in elite sports, make the field in sports unfair and can lead to girls losing championship titles, to a competitor with many unfair advantages.
other competitors, as they have not got all the advantages as a female transgender athlete does. Ira Hammerman, an Israeli physicist, said that “In 2019, out of about 2,500 men, almost one-third of the total number of men competing worldwide in the IAAF 100-meter event, beat the fastest women’s time. Without segregation, it is not just that men would win- women would never qualify for the competitions in the first place.” This shows us that, if female transgender athletes were competing in the 100-meter event, they would knock out the top spots, and more than likely the whole event, as they have unfair advantages in the sport. Therefore, it is scientifically proven there is a significant difference between professional female sporting stars and professional male sporting stars making it unfair for transgender women to compete.
It is scientifically proven there is a significant difference between professional female sporting stars and professional male sporting stars. The largest difference between professional female sports players and professional male sports players is without a doubt the power that men can generate on average compared to women. Serena Williams, a professional tennis player, said that the male tennis star Andy Murry would beat her easily in ten minutes, maybe even five to six minutes if she were to play him. Serena says, “The men are a lot faster, and they serve harder, they hit harder, it’s just a different game.” This demonstrates how much difference there is in tennis between the male and females, a difference which is reflected in other sports. Allowing a transgender female athlete to compete in a tennis tournament would more than likely mean the female trans athlete would come out on top, which is not fair to the
In conclusion to this article, it is significantly unfair for female transgender athletes, who have gone through a male puberty before transitioning, to compete in women’s elite sport because of all the advantages they hold against biological female athletes.
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Is Pepperoni the best pizza topping? By Louisa Jabbari, Esha Dosanjh and Molly Kearton Controversial? Yes, and the most hotly contested motion at Debate Club this term.
peppers topping might be just the treat for a hot summer day.
The affirmative team, arguing that yes pepperoni is the best pizza topping made some strong points while on the other side of the debate table, the negative team ridiculed the idea that pepperoni is the best pizza topping, making some equally strong points against the motion. Have a read of the arguments and let us know what you think.
Pepperoni is also unhealthy, it is full of https://www.istockphoto.com/se sodium, sugar, arch/2/image?alloweduse=editori preservatives, aluseonly&mediatype=photograp hy&phrase=pepperoni%20pizza& saturated fat, and servicecontext=srp-related calories. This shows that pepperoni is clearly unhealthy for you and can cause some serious damage in the long run. Would you really risk your life for a pepperoni pizza? Most sane people probably wouldn't. There are many healthier alternatives to pepperoni. These include bell peppers, pineapple, sweetcorn, and chicken.
It is actually a fully evidenced fact that peperoni pizza is the most popular topping. Some research study in the US found that out of 12 possible options, 36% or over one third of respondents chose pepperoni. Pepperoni beat the next three most preferred toppings combined; sausage (14%), mushroom (11%) and other (10%).
Is Peperoni pizza actually that unhealthy? A slice of medium pepperoni pizza only contains 25 calories more than a slice of cheese pizza which is equivalent to 1 medium tomato, and no one ever thought eating a tomato was bad. Although pepperoni has 3g more fat than cheese pizza some pepperonis can be lower in fat and pepperoni can actually help your body to absorb protein. This is because pepperoni pizza contains a mineral called manganese which can help to digest protein.
But is there really only one best topping? After all variety is the spice of life. Why restrict ourselves to one when there are so many different choices. Apart from personal preference for spicy, or plain, or cheese-y, or even, dare we say, fruity in the form of a pineapple-laden Hawaiian, time and place could be important factors to consider too. Pepperoni might be the preferred choice to enjoy with friends, but Margherita with family, or a four-cheese topping in the winter whereas a healthier mushroom and bell
The inclusion of pepperoni on a pizza excludes massive sectors of our multicultural society. Pepperoni is made of pork, and many people cannot or do not eat 9
pork. 39% of the world's population doesn't eat pork due to religious custom (Judi Goldstein). Pork is forbidden for Muslims is because it says in the Holy Quran that some food is allowed, while others are explicitly declared haram, which means forbidden. However, there is an exception that is written in the Holy Quran as well where it states that you can eat it if you are starving and there is nothing else to eat but pork however obviously no one would be starving if they could order a Dominos! Jewish people, a huge and often marginalised section of society, do not eat pork because pigs are described in the Bible (Lev. 11:7-8) as prohibited because they have a cloven hoof but don't chew their cud. The ban on the consumption of pork is repeated in Deuteronomy 14:8. Furthermore, Seventh-day Adventists consider pork taboo, the Eritrean Orthodox Church, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church do not permit pork consumption, and the Hebrew Roots Movement adherents also do not consume pork while many Yazidis in Iraq regard pork as forbidden
to cat allergies. People develop this pork allergy sensitivity due to an allergic response to the cat serum albumin that cross-reacts with albumin in pork. This terrible affliction can result in a pork allergy rash, and inflammation of the skin, gastrointestinal symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps, wheezing and difficulty breathing, and in rare cases, anaphylaxis. (www.nyallergy.com/pork-allergy) However, in the modern world there is always a non-meat alternative to a meat product. Quorn pepperoni can be purchased widely in supermarkets to add your own delicious pepperoni flavour to a plain pizza. Alternatively, Domino’s has launched its new fully vegan PepperoNAY pizza. This can be eaten by vegetarians, vegans, and those from religions which ban the consumption of pork. Domino's meat free pepperoni pizza is topped with a specially created pepperoni from The Vegetarian Butcher. Domino's describe it as 'a treat for vegans and flexitarians alike' because it’s topped with vineripened tomato sauce and generously sprinkled with Domino’s melty vegan cheese. In fact, Domino’s vegan pepperoni is ‘so realistic even meat-eaters will enjoy this tempting new plantbased pizza!' so we can now all enjoy our favourite pepperoni pizza topping together.
Moreover, some people have an allergy to pork. A pork allergy is an adverse immune response after consuming pork and its by-products. It is also called pork-cat syndrome because most pork allergies are related
So, the debate rages on. Take part in our survey to share your views and see the results in the next edition of the Inkwell. Link: https://forms.office.com/r/HR96ctatdk
https://www.istockphoto.com/search/2/image?alloweduse=edit orialuseonly&mediatype=photography&phrase=pizza%20with%2 0pepperoni
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Bugsy Malone: A Review By Rivi Lock-Phillips and Alice Read-Clarke A fun musical from start to finish, packed with action and lots of singing and dancing. We entered the PAC knowing nothing about the show, and by the end we had been blown away by the talent displayed and the excellent execution of everything on stage (and off stage)!
these characters really added to the show and we laughed a lot.
Entering the PAC, the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement in the rush of people preparing things. The stage had the word “Bugsy” written in huge stars, and the rest of the stage was adorned with the same stars scattered around, which made for a fun backdrop for the play. My personal favourite part of the set had to be the disco ball, though!
The second act opened with Tallulah’s solo, “My Name is Tallulah”. Vanessa Cuatrecasas played Tallulah so well and really suited the part. Despite a few tech glitches, this song was performed excellently and drew the audience in for the final half of the show.
Preparing the audience for the show, the band played an overture which really set the mood and further excited people for the performance, also signalling us to pay attention to the stage. The lights went down, and the opening number began. It gave us a good introduction to the play, and we loved the singing. “Fat Sam’s Grand Slam” was the next song, and as we wrote in our notes, “it’s a bop”! This song was so much fun, and the choreography was so lively, it was so entertaining for everyone in the audience, and it looked like the cast was having lots of fun on stage, which is always important.
The song “Down and Out” was performed in such a creative manner, using bowls to add another type of sound to the tap dance. We thought this was so creative and clever, and the inventiveness of the performance of this song definitely intrigued the audience. This was one of our personal favourite songs because of the choreography of it.
Bugsy Malone and Blousey Brown, played by Grace Henman and Ellie Dent, worked so well together and the acting by this pair was very high quality, as was Blousey’s singing.
The final song of the show, “You Give a Little Love”, left everyone on a high- an upbeat song with the whole cast on stage together. We were taught that fighting is futile and “we’re weaker divided”, and the audience was left with this message to consider.
What really stood out to us in the first act was the song “Tomorrow”, Fizzy’s solo, performed by Finn Williams. The singing truly left us speechless, and the emotion of the song was conveyed so well. Congratulations, Finn!
Congratulations to the whole cast for putting on an entertaining, fun performance full of talent and excitement. Special mentions go to the choreographers, lighting crew, sound, musicians and Mr Punter, whom the play could not have happened without!
Fat Sam and Dandy Dan’s gangs were so entertaining, the comedy provided by 11
Photos from the Queen Annes Marketing team
QAS Fest: A Review By Alice Read-Clarke Despite the pouring rain, QAS Fest went ahead on Thursday evening. There were many wonderful performances from different students throughout the year groups. There was music from a wide variety of genres, from musicals to rap and pop.
performance of 'Finesse' by Cardi B and Bruno Mars was full of energy, with its wonderful dance routine.
There were many other types of music, with some of the school choirs singing musicals, 'Six' from (you guessed it!) Six, and 'You Will The headline act has to be Be Found' from Dear Evan the staff band, who Hansen. There were two performed 'Mr Blue Sky' by instrumental performances, the Electric Light one from the QA Trio, with Orchestra. Their wonderful the piano, cello and violin, performance had everyone on From @QAS_head and one from Ivy, Amelia and their feet. There were a variety of Janie, with the drums, piano and other pop performances from bands in most notably the xylophone. many year groups. The L4 Band performed 'We Will Rock You' by Whilst it may not be Glastonbury Queen, the U4 Band played both (yet!), we certainly had the weather. 'House of Memories' by Panic at the Despite this, a massive Disco and 'Boulevard of Broken congratulations to everyone who Dreams' by Green Day and the L5 performed, and to everyone who Band played 'Kathleen' by Catfish and helped the show go smoothly. the Bottlemen. The BLT's (L5)
Private Art Viewing: A Review If you popped into the private view of the current GCSE and A Level artwork held on the Tuesday evening of Arts Week, you would have had an absolute treat for your visual senses. The art was diverse, and eye-catching and included a number of pieces of textiles, mixed media, and digital art as well as paintings.
The standout piece for me was Amelia Wing’s dry etching of her sister, Natalie, face to face with her horse. The detail in the bridle and the horsehair was breath-taking and the gaze between the two was riveting, drawing the viewer deep into the painting and stirring appreciation of the feelings of peace and harmony between person and animal. As David Bowie once said ‘owning art is a stable nourishment and can change the way you feel in the mornings.’ I don’t know about the mornings, but I certainly went away from this year’s private view with an absolute respect for the artists of Queen Anne’s, and a happy feeling in my heart.
From A highlight was Sophie Bailey’s 3d @QAS_head work of an older woman painting. The ability to view the piece from different angles, and see a different thing each time, made it absolute mesmerising and it certainly earned its centre stage location.
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Speech Day Poem By Mr Jackson We finished off the term with Speech Day, celebrating achievements throughout the year. Well done to everyone who received a prize. To commemorate this day Mr Jackson, Queen Anne’s Writer in Residence, has written a sonnet.
No school has better pageantry than this, when classes have closed to a clamour of whooping and cheer, and the imminent bliss of eight weeks off has all the glamour of a dream; when the shining-morning hall stands like a ready ship, bobbing away, to a chorus of gulls’ chatter and bird call and the teachers in fine academic array arrive like a shoal of fishes to attend; when the students – champions of the day – relive the triumphs of the year and ascend the main stage to a fervent roundelay of applause. Speech Day! Never will you see A sight so touching in its majesty
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