Perkin Post The
March 2018
In this edition
This Term in Pictures
School News
What’s been going on? Page 3
The Controversy
WP students have their fingers on the trigger about American gun laws Pages 4-5
Features
Zinedine asks whether video games can really make us violent Page 6 Divna explores the aftermath of the Grenfell fire Page 7 Has easter been co-opted by commercials - Vanessa explores Page 8 Vanessa treats us to an introspective poem Page 9
Arts Reviews
Black Panther & School Will Rock You Pages 10-11
Sports Reports & Quiz Corner Page 12
Edited by: Mr Beard Designed by: Mr Oberst
Clockwise from top left: students walk through the snow; sunset over WP; students making their way to school; medical career carousel event at the Barbers Surgeons’ Hall; Miss Pearl’s balloon lesson with Year 8; the Elite Scientists with Dr Pascal Durrenberger; Year 8s meet the Mayor; a lecture on architecture; the WP team for the Dance London Youth Games; William Perkin in the snow. 2
Year 9 History Scholars
History Debate
On Monday 26th February it was time for William Perkin and Twyford to battle it out once again in the PC. The debate focused on 20th Century Chinese History, allowing us to delve deep into the fascinating times of China’s revolution. Pupils evaluated the statement: “Mao’s Cultural Revolution was the most destructive event in 20th Century Chinese History”. William Perkin argued for this motion, arguing that the Cultural Revolution was not as destructive as either the Chinese Civil War or the Great leap forward while Twyford argued that it caused mass starvation while the radicalisation of teenagers into Red Guards destroyed education. “I had such an amazing time arguing in this debate, through which everyone, not just me, has learned a lot about 20th century China, which not many of us knew about before,” one of our debaters, Sanna, stated after the event. Even though this was a very tough decision for the judges, as this was a very close debate, they decided to give the victory to William Perkin due to our clear arguments and strong, confident responses to challenging questions. Congratulations to this term’s team – Sanna, Trisha, Elliot and Anujan – for all your hard work. It is now 1-1 between the schools so the final Summer Debate will decide who is crowned the winner. Come along to support us!
Love Literacy Week
Weronika Despite the chaos due to the snow in the last week, Love Literacy (and Languages!) week was still on. To start the week, students baked culture-themed treats, which were definitely enjoyed by the judges. From there, we made a swift transition into Tuesday, where students read their favourite stories in other languages in the LRC at lunch. This was enjoyed by both students and teachers. The rest of the week, however, was interrupted by a half day on Thursday, and a snow day on Friday – plenty of time for pupils to enjoy reading at home! This was unfortunate, because the highly anticipated Year 7 French spelling bee was rescheduled. Despite the disorder we have experienced, this week was still enjoyed by all involved.
Mr Martin
Enterprise Day
On Friday 16th March it was Einstein House’s Enterprise Day. Students put on a variety of exciting events to raise money for the Down’s Syndrome Association. There was a very popular tombola, where students could win prizes ranging from very high quality handbags, teddy bears and computer games to ‘booby prizes’ such as Mr Miall’s dirty coffee mug! There was also a chocolate egg delivery service, where students could write an inspiring or uplifting message to a friend and have it delivered along with a chocolate egg, an incredible cake sale, games on the big Astro Turf pitch and music for everyone to enjoy at break time and lunch time. All the teachers were really impressed with how well the students ran the activities as well as the generosity of all the students on the day. We will announce how much money Einstein House raised for the DSA in a future edition. Thank you to everyone involved in making this day such a success. 3
The right to live must not be infringed Semra
USA: the land of the brave and the free. But does this freedom extend to the ownership of guns? To weapons that cause the death of thousands of civilians every year? What about the freedom of children to be educated without living in fear of the next mass shooting? A mass shooting according to the United States Congressional Services means four or more people, not including the shooter, being killed at one time, echoing the FBI’s definition for mass murder. In 2007, there were over 300 mass shootings in the US; it was the deadliest year in modern US history. The most recent and well-known mass shooting is the Parkland shooting that left 17 people dead and 15 injured. Among the dead is Peter Wang - a 14-year-old teenager that died trying to help his classmates to escape. Thousands of people signed a petition demanding a burial with military honours to commemorate Peter’s ultimate sacrifice. The petition states: “His selfless and heroic actions had led to survival of dozens in that area.” As British citizens, it may be difficult for us to appreciate the apparent need for weapons in society, but American culture and politics are deeply intertwined with guns and have been for centuries – the right to bear arms has been a part of the United States Constitution since 1791. For some, buying guns at the local ‘Wal Mart’ (a supermarket like ‘Tesco’ or ‘Asda’) is as mundane as stocking up on groceries. In light of recent events, however, ‘Wal Mart’ and other shops have restricted the access to guns, thus reacting to voices of concerned citizens that have become increasingly louder. In an attempt to quiet these voices, President Trump has suggested to arm teachers with guns in order to protect their students and themselves. This idea was met with disbelief, outrage and ridicule from various sections of American society; especially trained military staff and veterans who highlighted the absurdity of the proposal. However, not all Americans shared their views, as many supported Trump and called for more guns at high schools. The belief that arming amateurs could be a remedy for mass shootings demonstrates the power of the glorification of guns and violence in American society. In 2012, a reader of the Baltimore Sun wrote his opinion on the topic and concisely summarised the issue at hand: “Is it not […] possible that a too great fascination with firearms — and an unreasonable insistence on the protection of individual rights in regard to them — also contributes to the climate of violence that pervades society today?” Perhaps once Americans stop seeing guns as the solution, they may no longer be a mass-scale problem. When looking at our own country, we see that gun control can work: the last mass shooting in the United Kingdom was in 1996, when a man who legally owned a gun killed 15 children, their teacher, and finally himself. After the traumatic experience, the UK held a public inquiry into the shooting which resulted in much stricter gun control laws and a gun amnesty where the government compensated owners for handing in their weapons: more than 162,000 guns were surrendered. The statistics following this change speak for themselves. In 2010 the UK had 2 gun-related deaths per million people while the USA had more than 100 times as many. The UK has shown that stricter gun laws clearly work. Let’s hope the USA realises this before another tragedy occurs. 4
The right to bear arms shall not be infringed Hasti
We can all agree that we are all entitled to defend our own lives against anyone who wishes to harm us. This was the idea behind the second amendment when the founding fathers of the USA wrote it and a sentiment lost in UK law today. It is reflected in crime statistics: according to the CDC, in the US, the defensive use of firearms ranges from 500,000 times a year to 3 million times in 2008, in contrast to the 300,000 violent crimes that involved firearms in 2008 and 80% of that 300,000 violent crimes are drug related; furthermore, the majority of gun crime in the US is gang on gang crime. The UK has many incidents of crime concerning innocent victims as opposed to rival gang members and this is where gun rights become important. The US has less crime concerning innocent victims because there are many legal gun owners in the US and criminals are afraid of attacking. Legal guns help law abiding citizens defend themselves and their families against criminals. Making guns illegal only helps the criminal; criminals don’t follow the law and acquire their guns illegally – legal guns are easy to trace. Furthermore, the founding fathers created the second amendment to prevent the rise of tyranny in the US. The founding fathers had just fought off a hostile government and such a revolution would not have been impossible without the right to bear arms. They fully feared that the US government may one day become tyrannical and believed that a population would be difficult to control and oppress if they were armed; one could argue this is true when we look at the growing power of tyrannical governments across the world. Some may argue that we shouldn’t be allowed to get assault rifles such as the AR-15 used in the recent shooting but there is no legal definition for an “assault rifle” (and no AR doesn’t stand for ‘assault rifle’), also the AR-15 is a semi-automatic (pull the trigger and one bullet fires). It is manufactured for small game hunting and home defence. Handguns kill many more people. The only successful means of avoiding another mass shooting is through improved intelligence gathering and quicker police action. One could also make the case that there are too many mass shootings that occur in the US: eighteen alone this year. ‘Mass shooting’, however, is not a legally defined term and some of those ‘mass shootings’ involved as little as three people and no fatalities. We cannot write laws based on nebulous, umbrella terms. Guns are the great equaliser; they allow a weak man to be as powerful as a strong man. They are a useful tool for defending oneself and, most importantly, one’s family, from violent criminals. Everyone has a right to self-preservation. 5
Do Violent Video Games Encourage Violence? Zinedine
Many adults would say that children who play violent video games are more likely to be involved in illegal activities. In today’s society, the majority of video games are solely based on guns and other lethal weapons that can be easily accessed within the game. There is a wide selection of games where you can go anywhere and do anything. To make matters worse, these actions usually entail a series of violent offenses for which there are no consequences. Ironically, in the real-world, offenses such as these would be punishable with life imprisonment or even the perpetrators own death. Due to the animated screen in front of children, however, these acts, no matter how horrendous, are treated as achievements and celebrated by the masses. According to the TIME website, approximately 90% of children in the U.S play videogames and 90% of these games have mature themes such as gore and intense violence. Experts worked with 3043 children from a school in the U.S and measured their aggressive behavior through questionnaires and tests, looking especially close at the students that played hours of violent video games every day. It was found that these students gave more aggressive answers to questions like: ‘Is it okay for a boy to strike a peer if that peer said something negative about him?’ They also scored higher on measures of hostility, answering that they would to respond with an aggressive action when provoked, even if the provocation was accidental. The more long-term gamers were also more likely to fantasize about hitting someone they didn’t like. However, society has rules in place to stop the possible corrupting influence of video games. Violent games can be labelled for 18+ and current law states that stores aren’t allowed to sell these games to anyone under the age of 18 although it is not illegal for children to play them once they are at home. Further, those that commit crimes typically have an inclination towards violence before they play video games; it would take a deeply troubled, innately violent person to mirror what they view on ‘Call of Duty’. These people are a small minority. Most avid gamers aren’t physically or emotionally violent, viewing these games rather as an enjoyable pastime without any malicious intent. Personally, I believe that violent video games don’t make people want to do violent things, but they might be responsible for lighting the match which leads someone into doing something violent. This can only be possible if that person has malicious intent within them already and is simply looking for a reason to or guidance of how to commit a horrendous act. As someone who plays a lot of video games himself, I agree with the law as it should be up to a parent/guardian to decide whether to take this risk and allow their child to play violent games. Ultimately, although games have a fantastical exterior, their real-world effect can be influenced by not only the games you play but how long you play them for. However, gaming in general is shown to build confidence and resilience; it is a communal pastime that should be enjoyed with friends in moderation. 6
After Grenfell Divna
After the tragedy that shocked Britain we come to the question: what now? What is being done and what still needs to be done to prevent another devastating accident like this? The Labour Party has been arguing that the fire brigade service needs an expansion, and employing a higher amount of fire fighters would result in more overall safety. They have also been arguing that more safety check ups need to take place for volatile buildings such like Grenfell as well as all other blocks of flats. The controversial notion of austerity, explored in our last edition of ‘The Perkin Post’, has also been heavily criticized – the lack of public spending was clearly a huge contributing factor in the start of the fire. Thus rather than reducing public spending in the future, perhaps a wiser choice would be to in fact increase or at least stabilize budgets on tower blocks and council estates, in order that the necessary safety measures are implemented. The Conservative Party have received considerable backlash for their response to Grenfell. Many have called it detached and uncompassionate. Theresa May has on several occasions pledged her conviction to the case but this has been proven to be questionable. Immediately after the Grenfell incident, she appeared hesitant to visit the site in fear of receiving a backlash. She was further hesitant to provide the survivors of Grenfell with permanent housing, and it was only under the pressure of external sources that she allowed this. The party continue to argue that they are doing everything they can to prevent this happening again, but are they really? Certain right wing magazines have said that the best solution is to in fact demolish these towers and instead build “first class homes” to accommodate everyone. Currently though, the government are trying to improve safety measures but at a staggering price to tenants. In Wandsworth, south London, tower block residents are being charged up to £4000 in order fit in sprinklers, which has caused outrage among many. Unfortunately it appears that overall, rather than coming together and negotiating properly in order to find sustainable solutions to this tragedy, the Grenfell fire has rather provoked a kind of capricious cat-fight between the two leading parties; one which at its best results in some messy decisions which help at least some, and it worst results in further unsettled survivors and a further divided, outraged British society. So, was the Grenfell Tower incident a wake up call to the 5th largest economy in the world? Or rather just the start of turmoil – the manifestation of perpetuating class divide and of an incompetent and callous government. I’ll let you decide.
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Unravelling the real message of Easter Vanessa
Easter: the celebration of perseverance, hardship and undying faith. Or so it was. The resurrection of Christ now grapples under a new purpose: the garnering of profit where joy lies not in the Holy Saviour but empty supermarket shelves. What was once a binding event of remembrance has become a celebration of capitalist materialism; a ribboned, painted shell of the sacred event it once symbolised. The chocolate industry in fact one thriving in poverty, malnutrition and gender inequality. With 95 tons of chocolate consumed every second, companies such as Nestle, Mars and Mondelez International harvest a net worth of more than 45 billion dollars a year in confectionary sales. Yet these rise in sales has not translated into a better life for more than 5.5 million small scale farmers who supply 90 % of cocoa used by major food companies; despite the profits of these large corporations most of their farmers still live below the poverty line. Women employees continue to suffer substantial discrimination and inequality with female counterparts getting paid substantially less in an already poverty inducing industry. Agnes Gabriel for example, a 37-year-old migrant worker in Nigeria, gets paid 3 dollars for a day’s work on a cocoa farm: less than half of her male counterparts. Are we then, by purchasing these products, contradicting the ethos of Christianity and the sole purpose of Easter? This echoes the fact that, in a survey targeting 804 children in Britain, only one in four were aware of the Christian underpinnings of Easter celebrations. More than 71% of parents with children 3 to 16 years old indicated that they didn’t think their child had ever heard, seen or read the story of Easter. Clearly, this haze of economic gain has shrouded the real purpose to such an extent that the story and symbolism of the holiday is losing significance. While one could argue that this commercialisation has brought the celebration of Christianity to light to people of other faiths, what use is this attention if the message has become buried beneath the weight of advertisements and products. Clearly, Easter has been moulded by commercialisation; the message wrapped up in a haze of chocolate and business, feigning to allude to the true Christian story. It is only when we unwrap this shining egg of deceit, however, that we can uncover the true values behind this celebration: the faith, love and justice espoused by Jesus Christ. It is a message that even vibrant paint and coloured foil cannot hide. 8
My Garden of Thoughts Vanessa heavy leaves society masks away briars snipped blue wicker gate shut bitter insults climb the grape vines of fruition of my garden of thoughts hopes held one by one savoured each in time not all at once Leave seconds drench the leaves ticking yet your insults, and jeers are awakened, waited waiting beneath the glare of their eyes shining wide at you frenzy jittering pricked fingers now of demise hurling ferns and thoughts to the abyss of my hopes I grab the plums of perception
Slashed stains, pink juice Staining, Return hot stains vermillion bleeds into each stream of innocence incardine swimming each seedling blade of blazing grass swimming are the good thoughts their sludge spewed frothing blue in black sea hurling, crashing hopes, hopes sprung spools at the spoilt garden held one by one savoured each in time but not all at once Now I am Perfect
Black Panther: Claw your way to the cinema to watch this paws-itively great movie! Raul
Ryan Coogler's masterful superhero drama is unlike any other, featuring outstanding acting, breathtaking art direction, explosive action sequences and surprising depth. Black Panther is all about a country called Wakanda where T’Challa (the main character) discovers that after his father’s death he will be the next king. Following the sacred ceremony he is given the title of Black Panther and holds the responsibility of Wakanda the third world gold mine. The catch is they have an endless supply of ‘vibranium’ – the wonder metal that absorbs force to become stronger. He soon realises that he will have to go out of Wakanda, out of his comfort zone to protect his country from being exposed as the richest county in the world. He does this by the help of Nakia (his girlfriend), Shuri (his sister) and Okoye (his closest ally). This isn’t made easy by Claw and Erik (the villains of the story) who try to become the rulers over Wakanda control and hoard most of the ‘vibranium’. If Claw and Erik succeed in acquiring Black Panther’s supply the world is doomed. This is a highly recommended film; an intense, absorbing blockbuster that the whole family will enjoy. One warning: though it has been given a twelve rating it has a lot of violence and therefore is not recommended for anyone who may find this offensive.
Some random facts about Black Panther:
• Black Panther is known to be the richest in all of DC Comics beating Tony Stark (Iron Man) easily at a net worth of 30 trillion dollars. • Black Panther’s first appearance was in Fantastic Four (July 1966). His more recent appearance is in the film Avengers civil war. • As a chieftain, the Panther is entitled to eat a special heart-shaped herb which, in addition to his mystical, shamanistic connection with the Wakandan Panther God, Bast, grants him superhumanly acute senses, enhanced strength, speed, agility, stamina, durability, the ability to heal, and quick reflexes. 10
School Will Rock You Anon
‘SCHOOL will rock you’ tells the story of a dystopian future where music and creativity have been outlawed by an evil, autocratic regime headed by the evil Killer Queen (Christineh Andreasian). Despite her best efforts, a group of underground musicians lead a resistance and try to discover the ‘rhapsody’ that will deliver them their freedom. The group share names of famous musicians from the past such as P Diddy (played by Tony Maynard), David Bowie (played by Charlie Hendrick), Meat Loaf (played by Amara Rigault) and, the ‘most gangsta’ of them all, Britney Spears (to quote Daniel Abou-Hamzeh).
The stars of the show were Ramareo Williams-Showers, who played Galileo – a dreamer whose connection to the musical past is told to him through his unconscious thoughts – and Morgan Gaffikin, who played the feminist icon Scaramouche. Together their romantic tension and desperate longings held the audience enraptured as we followed them on their journey to freedom. Daniel and Amara’s supporting roles added humour and helped to break the tension – that is, until Britney Spears (Daniel) fell victim to the torture devices of the Killer Queen and died, leaving the audience shocked. As the curtain closed for the interval, the room stood in silent disbelief. But there was no need to worry. Guided by Pop their hippy spirit-guide (Yatish Anpalakan), Galileo and Scaramouche eventually found ‘Rhapsody’ and revived the fallen musicians in a musical crescendo that saw the whole cast united on stage singing the foot-stomping ‘We Will Rock You’. For this hit the audience got involved: singing along, stamping the ground and clapping their hands in time to the sharp beat; it was truly amazing. The musical was filled with other excellent Queen songs such as ‘We Are the Champions’ and, of course, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. The play was also suffused with musical references from other older bands. These may have been lost on us pupils but the teachers seemed to know all of them and were laughing throughout. Though I did not know many of the songs, the band and singers made them all enjoyable. Particular highlights were Amara’s heart-breaking ballad ‘No One But You’ which was accompanied by the images of great musicians now lost to us such as Kurt Cobain and Bob Marley and Ramareo’s hopeful ‘I Want to Break Free’. It was an engrossing and hilarious night with pupils, teachers and parents alike all having an amazing time. Special thanks must go to everyone that organise such a terrific performance: particularly Miss Lovell, Miss Cooper, Miss Abesamis and, of course, the director Miss Cryer. 11
Sports Results Rugby:
Year 7 vs Haydon lost 35-15 Year 7 vs Villiers won 15-10 Year7 vs Twyford lost 20-15 Year 7 vs Q’mead won 55-35 Year 8 vs Vyners won 35-20 Year 8 vs Q’mead lost 20-5
Upcoming fixtures
Year 8 vs Villiers 26th March Girls Triangular vs Ealing Fields & Park Academy 27th March Year 7 boys cross-borough tournament 25th April
Clockwise from top left: rugby at WP; Queensmead vs WP rugby; Team ‘Ripperz’ Middlesex CCC ‘Go sketch’ programme; Year 8 rugby
Perkin Pipped to the Post in Derby Duel
Hannah
On Monday 5th March, year 8 and 9 girls entered the Twyford Trust netball tournament. William Perkin entered three teams, Twyford entered two teams and Ealing Fields entered one team. All of the girls played very well, especially William Perkin's A team who won five of their games and drew one of them so they came joint first place with Twyford's B teams, however, Twyford won the tournament by overall scoring more goals than William Perkin did. I would like to say well done to all of the girls who played exceptionally well in each of their matches and to keep up the good work.
Quiz Corner Left: Sudoku Each of the nine blocks has to contain all the numbers 1-9 within its squares. Each number can only appear once in a row, column or box. Right: Codeword Crack the code to fill in the grid. Each letter of the alphabet has been substituted for a number from 1-26. 12