The Inkling Volume 2
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COntents<br />
Opening<br />
Culture<br />
Creative<br />
Society<br />
Food And Travel<br />
Politics<br />
Careers and post 16<br />
Sports<br />
Svc Events<br />
1
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong><br />
<strong>Volume</strong> 2<br />
Christmas EDition<br />
2
Opening<br />
Miss Fletcher<br />
Head of the <strong>Inkling</strong><br />
Within a blink of an eye, we<br />
are back round to the<br />
release of another volume<br />
of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong>. It has been<br />
incredibly encouraging to<br />
receive such wonderful<br />
feedback from the first<br />
volume and this has<br />
undoubtedly spurred the<br />
team on to produce<br />
another cracking one just<br />
in time for Christmas.<br />
Time pressures, mock season<br />
and sixth form applications have weighed heavily on<br />
our editing team and I must offer sincere thanks for<br />
their continued dedication to the magazine. Our<br />
Monday sessions have continued to be a whirlwind of<br />
ideas and laughter, sometimes - mostly - hysterical, as<br />
we piece together the volume you’re currently<br />
perusing. An extended thank you to all staff members<br />
who have contributed and to students from across<br />
year groups who have submitted work yet again. <strong>The</strong><br />
success of the magazine really does rely on the<br />
interests and devotion of our students and I hope you<br />
enjoy our second offering as much, if not more, as our<br />
first.<br />
Merry Christmas and enjoy this early present from the<br />
team!
After the triumph of the first<br />
publication, I am delighted that the<br />
second volume of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong> is<br />
ready for us to read over the<br />
Christmas holiday. <strong>The</strong> first<br />
volume was exceptionally well<br />
received and, like many bands, the<br />
students have had to dig deep to<br />
prepare their “difficult” second<br />
album.<br />
Mr Hampson<br />
Head of school<br />
<strong>The</strong> Christmas edition is released<br />
at the end of another busy term and while students, parents,<br />
carers, staff and friends of the school enjoy the festive<br />
season, the second volume of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong> will be the perfect<br />
accompaniment to another mince pie or turkey sandwich.<br />
Congratulations again to the students who have contributed<br />
and to the <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong> editorial team who have met their end of<br />
term deadline in such style.
Katie Kirkpatrick<br />
Xavier St John<br />
Editors - in - chief<br />
<strong>The</strong> days are getting shorter, the mornings are getting colder, the<br />
Christmas music is beginning to play… it must be time for the second issue<br />
of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong>!<br />
Since the release of <strong>Volume</strong> One, our editors, journalists, designers<br />
and photographers have been hard at work to produce a magazine that’s<br />
bigger, better, and more festive than the first. This issue definitely does<br />
have a holiday season theme: you’ll find a recipe for mince pies, an opinion<br />
piece about the role of religion in Christmas and even an article about<br />
turkey farming! We hope that once you finish reading this issue you’ll be<br />
fully feeling the Christmas spirit.<br />
But, of course, not everything is holiday-themed. Our journalists have<br />
delved into topics ranging from 80s films to part time jobs, so there really is<br />
something to suit anyone and everyone. We’ve also enjoyed a lot of teacherinvolvement<br />
in this volume: don’t miss our ‘Would You Rather?’ quiz with Mr<br />
Heaney, or Miss Churchman’s article about the scary prospect of head<br />
transplants.<br />
In this volume you may also notice some serials from the previous<br />
edition. We have the second chapter of Katie’s story, as well as new<br />
instalments of the Top 10 and Mr and Ms PRIDE. <strong>The</strong> SVC Events section<br />
has also been particularly busy this month - with a huge array of musical<br />
and academic events, the lead-up to the Christmas holidays is always a<br />
busy time for us all.<br />
Don’t forget that <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong> relies on student participation. If you<br />
have something to say, we want to hear it. <strong>The</strong> more the merrier here on the<br />
<strong>Inkling</strong> team!<br />
Thank you for opening our magazine: we hope you enjoy <strong>Volume</strong> Two!<br />
1
<strong>The</strong> Team<br />
To r i n Fahy -<br />
Editor of Sport<br />
David Makale na -<br />
Editor of culture<br />
Kerry jon es -<br />
Editor of food and travel<br />
Reec e t-p -<br />
Head of design
Cultur
e<br />
In<br />
December, everybody loves<br />
wrapping up nice and warm around the<br />
TV after a long and tiring day at school<br />
to enjoy some much deserved<br />
entertainment. Whether you’re<br />
streaming a brand new show on Netflix<br />
or sitting and watching a family<br />
favourite film, Christmas is a time to<br />
spend time with one another and what<br />
better way to do that then stare at a<br />
screen at not talk to each other.<br />
Christmas songs are some of the<br />
biggest music tracks out there and<br />
looking at our Top 10 Things to Do This<br />
Christmas, you can see that there are<br />
some great films, TV shows and books<br />
to watch and read as well. With the year<br />
wrapping up, it is also time for us to<br />
look back at the world of pop culture<br />
this year and determine what was the<br />
best film, our favourite music track or<br />
the most interesting TV show. Our ‘Best<br />
of Year’ lists are coming up now. This<br />
holiday season, enjoy yourself, take<br />
some time and spend as little time<br />
talking to your family as possible. Merry<br />
Christmas!
Picture this: the night of September 9th back in<br />
2016. I come upstairs to my room after watching<br />
some rubbish primetime Friday night TV (most<br />
likely repeats of Pointless or something). <strong>The</strong><br />
school year has just begun and I’m on a withdrawal<br />
on free time. I need some sort of escape, an<br />
opportunity to go away from my life and experience<br />
another. I load up Netflix and lo and behold, there<br />
sits a little TV show known as ‘Stranger Things’.<br />
I’ve been meaning to watch it all summer long - the<br />
reviews were fantastic and I wanted to join the<br />
fanfare. I decide to lay down and start the show,<br />
what could go wrong? As it turns out, a lot. I<br />
expected to only watch one episode. Having started<br />
at 10 at night, I didn’t finish till almost 1 in the<br />
morning.<br />
I couldn’t help myself, the loving characters, the<br />
gripping plot and, of course, Dustin’s luscious<br />
locks. Episode after episode rolled by; curse<br />
Netflix’s auto-play option combined with my<br />
inability to move when I’m comfortable.<br />
I had only watched three episodes out of the eight,<br />
however. Let’s just say the whole series was<br />
complete within 24 hours.<br />
It was magic. Pure magic.<br />
Never before had I seen a show I could relate to so<br />
heavily. <strong>The</strong> teenage boys who just a few years<br />
prior, I was identical to. <strong>The</strong> want for adventure that<br />
I so desperately needed having just started school.<br />
<strong>The</strong> nostalgia I felt, even though I was born nearly<br />
20 years after the events of the show.<br />
Like I said before: magic.<br />
Answer - Yes. It was fantastic. From the trailers and<br />
interviews, it was easy to see that the new season<br />
was gonna be bigger and more risky. Most of the<br />
time, sequels don’t reach the height of their<br />
originals. Grease 2, Back to the Future 2 and Jaws<br />
2. Classic film sequels that don’t reach the same<br />
level as their predecessors.<br />
This time however, this sequel is worthy. Funny,<br />
dramatic and just like they hoped, bigger. Dare I<br />
say it, ‘Stranger Things 2’ is even better than the<br />
first.<br />
<strong>The</strong> extra episode helped the show to go deeper<br />
into the characters, both new and old. Just as last<br />
season revolved around Eleven, season two puts<br />
Will in the driver's seat and even though he is a 13<br />
year old boy, he knows how to control a car.<br />
<strong>The</strong> other boys, Mike, Dustin and Lucas, return in<br />
all their adorable nerd glory - with Dustin cursing<br />
even more than last time. Now season one is<br />
available to the world and ‘Stranger Things’ is one<br />
of the biggest shows on TV, the show’s creators,<br />
the Duffer Brothers, were able to take the<br />
characters wherever they wanted and do almost<br />
anything.<br />
This allows for some fantastic moments throughout<br />
the season - of which we will not go into but for<br />
those of you who have seen the show ...Episode<br />
Eight.<br />
All the other Hawkins residents are back: Chief<br />
Hopper, still badass and cool, Joyce Byers, still<br />
crazy, and the infamous Hawkins High School Love<br />
Triangle, Nancy, Jonathan and Steve, still all<br />
adorable and socially awkward.<br />
When I heard there was a second season, you could<br />
assume that I would be excited: I was completely<br />
ecstatic. <strong>The</strong> countless teasers and rumours<br />
coming out all year long kept the hype train rolling,<br />
so when it pulled into the station on October 27th<br />
let’s just say that I was the first one off.<br />
<strong>The</strong> second season did not disappoint. After 15<br />
months, countless Emmy nominations and a SAG<br />
award to the cast’s name, ‘Stranger Things’ was<br />
back and better than ever.<br />
If you're worried about spoilers, you don't have to<br />
be. Although I've watched it all, members of <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Inkling</strong> have not so this will be a spoiler free zone.<br />
However, I absolutely recommend you to go and<br />
take some time to watch it. Trust me, you won’t be<br />
disappointed.<br />
So, was it really that good?<br />
Your newbies include Bob, Joyce’s dumb new<br />
boyfriend, (actor Sean Astin played by Samwise<br />
from Lord of the Rings of all people). Also joining<br />
the gang are Max and Billy, one a horrible bully and<br />
the other a kind and caring girl who cracks the<br />
relationship between the boys.<br />
All in all, the season was a great time: new<br />
characters, a new story and a bigger badder villain.<br />
I can't really speak about anything more without<br />
spurting spoilers out of my mouth, like Will with that<br />
slug at the end of season one….Spoiler alert for<br />
season one by the way.<br />
If you're not watching the show already then you<br />
should grab your eggos, get ready to fight some<br />
demogorgons and turn your volume up to eleven.<br />
‘Stranger Things 2’ has received a definite<br />
recommendation from <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong>.
Best films of the year<br />
By David Makale na<br />
Starting off our ‘Best of Year’ lists is <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong>’s top 10 favourite films of 2017.<br />
This year has been an interesting one for films, with significant flops from<br />
blockbuster giants - such as Transformers and <strong>The</strong> Mummy - whilst the smaller<br />
indie films have risen above expectations and garnered lots of profit - like Get Out<br />
or <strong>The</strong> Big Sick. Let’s see if these have affected any of our positions - probably<br />
not.<br />
1) ‘Beauty and the Beast’<br />
So Soham Village College’s favourite film of the year is ‘Beauty and the Beast’ - at<br />
least that’s what the members of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong> voted for. I mean, back in March it<br />
was all everybody was talking about. Belle! Gaston! Lumiere! All of them were<br />
fantastic and it deserves the top spot on our list more than any other.<br />
Congratulations ‘Beauty and the Beast’ for this prestigious award; it’s worth more<br />
than the MTV Award it was awarded or the billion dollars it made at the box office.<br />
Well done!<br />
2) ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2’<br />
Our second place goes to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2’, the highly anticipated<br />
sequel to the worldwide blockbuster that was ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. This film<br />
brought our favourite characters back to the big screen for a second serving of<br />
intergalactic goodness. It was funny; it was awesome; it was a great time.<br />
Guardians was not the only Marvel movie to be released this year, but, according<br />
to our voters, it is the best. Judging by the comedy, action and magnificent<br />
spectacle, it is extremely deserving of the penultimate spot.<br />
3) ‘La La Land’<br />
<strong>The</strong> Hollywood musical that wowed audiences right back in January stayed strong<br />
all year and glided gracefully into third place on our list of winners. At the Oscars,<br />
Emma Stone won Best Actress, Damien Chazelle won for his directing and the film<br />
itself got Best Picture…. sort of. Despite the infamous mix-up, ‘La La Land’ still<br />
achieved great success in awards season and all of the hype followed through to<br />
the cinema where it amazed audiences all over the world.<br />
4) ‘Paddington 2’<br />
Our fourth favourite film of the year - just missing out on the top three - is family<br />
favourite ‘Paddington 2’. This feel-good picture is a great film to watch whenever<br />
because when you finish watching it, you will no doubt have a smile on your face<br />
and a warm heart. ‘Paddington 2’ is one of the best British films in years, and has<br />
been widely praised by critics and audiences alike.<br />
5) ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’<br />
After his successful debut in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ last year, Spider-Man’s<br />
first solo outing was a very different take on the fan-favourite superhero. Not only<br />
was it not an origin movie like the majority of the previous Spider-Man movies, but<br />
it also focused on Peter Parker’s teenage life and high school drama. It was a<br />
great time and fun to watch, so it deserves fifth place on our list.
6) ‘Wonder Woman’<br />
<strong>The</strong> only positively received DC film out of the five that have been released,<br />
‘Wonder Woman’ rose above its peers by telling a personal story of a strong<br />
female on the journey to prove her worth and defeat the big, bad Ares, God of<br />
War. This World War One superhero drama is fantastically directed and has some<br />
spectacular action sequences, not to mention that Gal Gadot is immensely<br />
charming in the title role.<br />
7) ‘Despicable Me 3’<br />
Gru and the Minions are back, this time taking down 80s-inspired supervillain<br />
Balthazar Bratt with Gru’s long lost brother... Dru. Margo, Edith and Agnes are<br />
adorable as ever, and with the addition of Trey Parker’s villain, Despicable Me 3<br />
offers a great ensemble of bold characters. Although it didn’t reach the heights of<br />
Despicable Me 2, it was vastly better than the spin-off film Minions (which was<br />
widely regarded as the worst film with Minions in). Luckily, this film puts the<br />
Minions back in the limelight and they are still entertaining.<br />
8) ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’<br />
This Oscar-standard film released in summer to critical acclaim, and rightfully so.<br />
Andy Serkis rounded off one of the best trilogies of modern times with magnificent<br />
CGI apes and a gut-punching story. It’s twists and turns offered the viewer a<br />
fantastic experience, but the long length and dramatic tone did not attract as<br />
many people as it should have done and so it has been reported as a failure.<br />
Despite the film being named a financial flop, ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ was<br />
phenomenal.<br />
9) ‘Baby Driver’<br />
This summer saw the return of Edgar Wright, a great director with great vision.<br />
His love of music tailored perfectly to this film, following getaway driver Baby who<br />
spent the film always listening to music whilst outrunning and outsmarting the<br />
police. This clever heist movie has remained much-loved this past year and its<br />
soundtrack entertained people for hours as they listened to the almost-thirty hit<br />
songs on it.<br />
10) ‘Dunkirk’<br />
To end the list, we have a blockbuster war drama from the mind of genius director<br />
Christopher Nolan. This story of the British evacuation of ‘Dunkirk’ was epic: with<br />
incredible action sequences, superb visuals and gigantic set pieces of beach<br />
bombings and ship sinkings, it would have been hard to go wrong. Harry Styles<br />
(yes, Harry Styles of One Direction fame) gave a great performance as well in his<br />
acting debut and along with the rest of the fantastic cast; ‘Dunkirk’ gave<br />
audiences an interesting time and mind-blowing experience.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re we go then. <strong>The</strong> list has been rounded off and <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong> has voted. Were<br />
you happy? After our long voting process, we are certain on our list - meaning that<br />
it is the list, nothing else is correct, ours is the definitive list of the best films of<br />
2017.
Best Tv Shows of the year<br />
By David Makale na<br />
Here is our list of the best TV shows of 2017. From a bulky 25<br />
suggested shows, we whittled it down to just 10 as the ‘best of the<br />
year’. All of the shows on here are great in different ways, whether<br />
it be great comedy, tense drama or puzzling mysteries, every TV<br />
show on our list deserves to be here just as much as the other. Let<br />
us have a look at the rankings:<br />
1) ‘Stranger Things 2’<br />
So the favourite TV show of Soham Village College for the year was<br />
the highly anticipated sequel to last year’s summer hit ‘Stranger<br />
Things’. This time round Will Byers takes centre stage and with a<br />
return of all the other major characters - this season deserves all<br />
of the awards hopefully coming their way. Congratulations!<br />
2) ‘Blue Planet 2’<br />
Our second place goes to the cinematic and mind blowing nature<br />
documentary ‘Blue Planet 2’ which enchanted audiences this<br />
Autumn with new discoveries and first time looks at the weird and<br />
wonderful aquamarine animals of the deep ocean. Wow!<br />
3) ‘Great British Bake Off’<br />
<strong>The</strong> controversial new season of Bake Off debut on Channel 4 for<br />
the first time this Summer. Despite the adverts and boots of Mary<br />
Berry that were impossible to fill, this new season had some great<br />
bakers that made the show a success. At least we didn’t reveal our<br />
winner beforehand!<br />
4) ‘Riverdale Season 1 and 2’<br />
This year people fell in love with Archie, Veronica, Betty and, of<br />
course, Jughead. <strong>The</strong> love stories, the mysteries and the drama.<br />
Riverdale had it all including two fantastic seasons in one year.<br />
Very well done Riverdale!<br />
5) Sherlock Season 4<br />
After the Victorian special the previous year, Sherlock returned for<br />
a mind-bending new season with great twists, phenomenal puzzles<br />
and spectacular acting. This season may be the last but if it is, it<br />
was a fantastic finale and deserves fifth place on our list.
6) Rick and Morty Season 3<br />
This hilarious third season of fan favourite Rick and Morty brought<br />
larger stories, more clever comedy and some great old-fashioned<br />
Rick Sanchez burping and Morty Smith whining. What else do you<br />
want?<br />
7) Pretty Little Liars Season 7<br />
<strong>The</strong> final season is here and Pretty Little Liars has finished after<br />
seven strong seasons. All the girls are back along with mysteries<br />
and drama. Wrapping up after 20 episodes, the story ended in<br />
spectacular fashion, amazing the loyal audience members.<br />
8) Teen Wolf Season 6<br />
Another finale to premier this year was Teen Wolf, ending after its<br />
six season run. Like its predecessors, this season was full of teen<br />
drama, emotional scenes and supernatural villains. <strong>The</strong> tale of<br />
Beacon Hills High is over.<br />
9) Love Island<br />
Gabby and Marcel! Chris and Olivia! Camilla and Jamie! Kem and<br />
Amber! So many couples! On an island! In love! Ahh!<br />
10) Jane the Virgin Season 3 and 4<br />
<strong>The</strong> final spot on our list goes to Netflix comedy Jane the Virgin.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Latina university student is back with her son and boss for<br />
more much-loved shenanigans. Congrats!<br />
Did your favourite show get onto the list? Have any<br />
disagreements? Well too bad. Actually, if you do feel that strongly<br />
about a certain show then make your voice heard. It’s not going to<br />
change anything but it’ll be exciting. With the new year dawning,<br />
it's safe to say that we are living in a golden age of television.
Editor’s Fa<br />
Films<br />
10) Detroit -<br />
This full on thriller about the Detroit riots of 1967 is a very difficult film to watch. When the movie<br />
has finished, you realise that it was very good and kind of enjoyable. However, during the tense<br />
scenes that Kathryn Bigelow orchestrated so brilliantly, all you really want to do is look away. Go<br />
watch it!<br />
9) <strong>The</strong> Death of Stalin -<br />
If you’re aware of American comedy Veep or political satire <strong>The</strong> Thick of It, hopefully you’ll like<br />
this. From the mind of Armando Lannucci, comes the Death of Stalin, an arthouse film with<br />
prestige actors and lots of comedy. I mean lots of comedy. It is very very funny.<br />
8) Paddington 2 -<br />
If you live in Britain and you are aware of recent cinema releases, the chance is you have heard<br />
of the great success that is Paddington 2. Having not watched the original, I went in with a blank<br />
canvas. By the end, that canvas was beautiful, thanks to a funny film which was a great time for<br />
the family.<br />
7) Get Out -<br />
Get Out was the indie film of the year. Dark comedy, dramatic tone and important discussion. All<br />
of it mixed up and presented by Jordan Peele of Key and Peele fame. This film, despite having<br />
come out a week after the 2017 Oscars, has the potential to win big at the next award season,<br />
being rumoured for Best Picture, Director and Screenplay nominations.<br />
6) Logan -<br />
Logan gave us all what we had wanted for so long: visceral action, bloody combat and so much<br />
profanity. Logan captured all of the essence of the past X-Men movies and turned it up to the<br />
extreme as Wolverine and Professor X bow out of this blockbuster franchise in magnificent style.<br />
5) <strong>The</strong> Big Sick -<br />
In my opinion, this is the funniest, heart-warming, feel good movie of the year. In this film, the true<br />
story of how lead actor Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon met is told in a funny up-todate<br />
way. <strong>The</strong> fact that this tale is true makes it all the more heart-warming. Definitely one to seek<br />
out.<br />
4) Moonlight -<br />
<strong>The</strong> actual Best Picture of the year was the depressing but massively important Moonlight, a film<br />
about a young homosexual boy growing up in the rough streets of Miami. With the help of awardwinning<br />
actor Mahershala Ali, Chiron’s journey is told in a beautiful way - a very deserving<br />
winner.<br />
3) Baby Driver -<br />
Baby Driver was the underdog summer hit of the year, wowing audiences with its clean action,<br />
great characters and phenomenal soundtrack. Edgar Wright, the director of the feature,<br />
achieved his first box office hit, almost tripling the budget that the film had and giving audiences<br />
a fantastic cinema experience.<br />
2) Blade Runner 2049 -<br />
<strong>The</strong> long awaited sequel to the sci-fi classic came out this October and although it under<br />
performed at the box office, the people who saw it were most likely blown out of their seats - very<br />
slowly though due to the film’s three hour runtime. I strongly recommend you watch this and the<br />
orginal. Fantastic cinema.<br />
1) La La Land -<br />
This fan favourite Best Picture winner (for about 5 minutes) did come out last year in the US, but<br />
when I saw the film in early January, when it’s UK release date was, I realised that I may had<br />
watched one of my favourite ever films. If you haven’t already seen it, seek it out and watch it.
vourites<br />
TV Shows<br />
10) <strong>The</strong> Great British Bake Off -<br />
<strong>The</strong> Great British Bake Off was back, this time with new hosts, a new judge and a whole new<br />
channel. Everything else though was the same old great Bake Off: great cakes, great contestants<br />
and a great time. New hosts Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding were great in a new way and Prue<br />
Leith could never quite reach the heights of Mary Berry’s superb judging skills. Apart from that,<br />
no soggy bottoms in sight.<br />
9) Legion -<br />
Legion was another great X-Men show and although it wasn’t as good as <strong>The</strong> Gifted (mentioned<br />
later in this list), it did start the new wave of cool X-Men shows with a second season already in<br />
development. It’s cool to watch, cool to look at and cool all round.<br />
8) Star Trek: Discovery -<br />
Star Trek: Discovery bought the Star Trek Universe back to TV after a 10 year hiatus and made<br />
something unique out of it. Although it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it is still a great new<br />
take on an old classic.<br />
7) <strong>The</strong> Gifted -<br />
Fox TV did what Fox Films could never truly do. Take the idea of the taboo around mutants in the<br />
X-Men universe and explore it in an interesting way. <strong>The</strong> family dynamic in the show is great to<br />
watch and even though it is on such a low budget, it is spectacular to look at.<br />
6) Mindhunter -<br />
From the mind of David Fincher, creator of Netflix’s flagship show House of Cards, comes FBI<br />
drama Mindhunter which depicts the journey the FBI took to discover more about psychopaths<br />
and serial killers and their reasoning for committing crimes. It is brilliantly acted and is very<br />
interesting indeed.<br />
5) <strong>The</strong> Handmaid’s Tale -<br />
Winner of the Best Drama Series at the Emmys, <strong>The</strong> Handmaid’s Tale is a fantastic dystopian<br />
show about the horrible world of high infertility rates. In a year when Game of Thrones was<br />
ineligible, <strong>The</strong> Handmaid’s Tale ruled award season and rightfully so.<br />
4) Twin Peaks: <strong>The</strong> Return -<br />
After 25 years, Twin Peaks returned to TV and this time it was bigger and weirder. David Lynch<br />
and Mark Frost bought their new vision over 23 mind blowing episodes which were nearly<br />
impossible to binge watch. It was crazy.<br />
3) Rick and Morty -<br />
After almost a two year wait, Rick and Morty was back for an explosive Season three. On April<br />
Fool’s Day, the world was given a great gift: the first episode of the new season with no warning<br />
at all. What followed that Summer were some great episodes, fantastic stories and, of course,<br />
Rick in pickle form. It’s Pickle Rick!<br />
2) Blue Planet II -<br />
Every year we have something on TV that wows us. Following on from last year’s Planet Earth II,<br />
David Attenborough offered us up Blue Planet II, an extensive look at the oceans of our world.<br />
Not only did it blow my mind, it introduced me to other worldly creatures which I could never<br />
imagine existing. Thank you Sir David.<br />
1) Stranger Things 2 -<br />
This Halloween, I locked my door, bought lots of sweets for myself and watched all of Stranger<br />
Things 2 in one sitting. If you can’t tell from the massive review praising the sequel, I enjoyed it<br />
very much. For a more in depth look at why, read the review over the page.
Best songs of the year<br />
By David Makale na f t.To r i n Fahy<br />
This list compiles the most popular songs released in 2017 as<br />
voted for by <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong>. Also, instead of writing myself, I gave<br />
these lists to our resident music guru, Torin Fahy. So here is Torin’s<br />
analysis of our voted for songs and later on, his favourite songs of<br />
the year. Enjoy!<br />
1) Havana - Camilla Cabello ft Young Thug<br />
Cabello’s calm yet cool delivery and the Latin production inspired<br />
by her roots culminates in a fun song that capitalises on the recent<br />
boom in Latin music by making a good song, rather than just<br />
having Spanish lyrics sung by a random American popstar.<br />
Although the Young Thug verse does drag the song a bit, by the<br />
chorus it recovers.<br />
2) Galway Girl - Ed Sheeran<br />
I really do not like this song. Others do. It’s a weird explosion of<br />
numerous elements: traditional Irish folk instruments, Sheeran’s<br />
rapping, descriptive lyrics about him meeting a girl, the acoustic<br />
guitar that is a staple of his music. So even if I really don’t like it, I<br />
can very easily see why it works so well for other people.<br />
3) Sun Comes Up - Rudimental ft James Arthur<br />
Rudimental are a band who consistently make good music, and this<br />
summer anthem is no different. James Arthur’s vocals work nicely<br />
here, and the catchy chorus is a perfect example of this.<br />
4) Something Just Like This - <strong>The</strong> Chainsmokers and Coldplay<br />
Chris Martin’s lyrics about not seeing himself as good enough but<br />
that being O.K for his partner are endearing, and despite the fact<br />
the drop bears striking resemblance to Roses, another<br />
Chainsmokers hit, it still works well here.<br />
5) Green Light - Lorde<br />
Green Light is a quintessentially perfect pop song in every way,<br />
from the lyrics to Lorde’s signature rough yet powerful vocals, to<br />
the brilliant piano and the amazing chorus. It’s a huge shame that<br />
this song wasn’t the smash hit it deserved to be, but from this list<br />
it’s clear it’s a very popular and well-respected song.
6) Most Girls - Hailee Steinfeld<br />
This female empowerment song works well due to the lyrics<br />
showing it’s OK to do whatever you want as long as it’s what you<br />
want to do, rather than another song just saying “ooo, you’re<br />
perfect” and that being it. Most Girls has lyrics depicting normal<br />
life instead of a general grand statement, allowing it to relate to<br />
many listeners.<br />
7) Another Day of Sun - La La Land Cast<br />
La La Land was one of the best musicals to be released in cinemas<br />
in years, and the opening song Another Day Of Sun is the perfect<br />
summary of the sheer joy the film brings.<br />
8) Passionfruit - Drake<br />
<strong>The</strong> mellow production sets the tone nicely for the song about<br />
Drake’s struggle to maintain a relationship. Although some of his<br />
other hits such as One Dance or Fake Love were either forgettable<br />
or just not very good, Passionfruit is both memorable and well put<br />
together.<br />
9) Feel It Still - Portugal <strong>The</strong> Man<br />
This song came out of nowhere before exploding into everyone’s<br />
playlists, and it’s easy to see why. An infectious bassline hooks you<br />
from the start, before the lead vocalist delivers a very catchy<br />
melody to leave this song stuck in your head all day.<br />
10) DNA - Kendrick Lamar<br />
HUMBLE may have been the smash hit; but DNA is Kendrick’s best<br />
song from his recent album DAMN, both lyrically and in terms of<br />
production. <strong>The</strong> song’s gradual build means every line gets better<br />
and better, with the climax being the awesome final verse.<br />
So what did you think of our rankings? Did you agree with every<br />
single one of them? Have you listened to everyone of them? I know<br />
I haven’t - David talking again. At least we got a good mixture of<br />
music on our list and hopefully everyone will find something they<br />
enjoy here. Let’s see Torin’s favourite songs of 2017...
Van Gogh: Behind the<br />
By Zosia Senska<br />
Starry Night<br />
Perhaps you know him by his expressive brushwork; perhaps you know<br />
him by his mysterious starry night; maybe, you know the famous tale of<br />
him cutting his left ear and dispatching it to a certain young woman.<br />
Although these legends are what have made Vincent Willem van Gogh<br />
famous today, he has been deemed to be ‘the greatest Dutch painter<br />
since Rembrandt’. In fact, as an individual his work had a remarkable<br />
effect on Expressionism and Fauvism. He may not have been famous<br />
during his lifetime, but today some of Gogh’s paintings rank among the<br />
most expensive ever sold at auction!<br />
During his childhood, Gogh struggled with his identity and longed for<br />
direction. This discontentment lead to problems with his mental health.<br />
Henri Gastaut published a book in 1956 where he investigated Gogh’s life<br />
and medical history; he discovered that Gogh had in fact suffered many<br />
seizures throughout his life. This was said, by two of his French Doctors,<br />
to be caused by temporal lobe epilepsy - a major illness that affected<br />
Gogh during the final two years of his life.<br />
Gogh’s ill health was precipitated by his prolonged consumption of<br />
Thujone, a toxic chemical found in absinthe (a popular Swiss, highly<br />
alcoholic beverage). Gogh drank absinthe in order to, quite ironically,<br />
counteract his epilepsy and anxiety. Sadly, all this alcohol did was<br />
aggravate his attacks and cause his depression to become even more<br />
manic than it initially was.<br />
Van Gogh drank in the presence of an early limbic lesion - an<br />
abscess in the limbic system that means he could have potentially been<br />
an amnesiac or retarded – which, quite obviously, worsened his health<br />
further still. Dr. Gachet, another one of Van Gogh's physicians, treated<br />
his epilepsy with digitalis, which is actually mainly used for heart failure.<br />
This prescription drug can cause one to see in yellow or see yellow spots<br />
and many believe this may have been one of the reasons as to why Van<br />
Gogh adored using this colour.
As well as struggling with hectic health, Gogh experienced a rather<br />
religious upbringing (his father was a pastor) and believed his true calling<br />
to life was preaching the gospel of God. However, after a few years,<br />
Gogh discovered his passion for art; although he dedicated most of his<br />
life towards painting, he never ceased to remember his roots and beliefs.<br />
Due to his extreme enthusiasm and dedication to first religion and then<br />
art, coupled with the feverish pace of his art production, many believe<br />
that mania was a prominent condition in Van Gogh's life.<br />
Surprisingly, Van Gogh managed to sell only one of his pieces throughout<br />
his life: ‘<strong>The</strong> Red Vineyard’. In this piece, Gogh makes use of deep<br />
colours such as, reds, browns and greens - these colours symbolised<br />
misery, which suits the general strenuous atmosphere of the image<br />
perfectly as the workers in the piece don’t seem to be having such a jolly<br />
time either.<br />
Contrastingly, Gogh utilised incredibly bright colours in order to<br />
create more vibrant pieces during his moments of mania and insanity:<br />
‘Sunflowers’ and ‘Starry Night’ are two perfect examples. However, these<br />
bright colours may not have been symbols of happiness. Gogh’s<br />
individualistic swirl of yellow, widely recognisable thanks to ‘Starry Night’ -<br />
a painting that was created whilst Gogh was in a mental asylum - was<br />
apparently influenced by lead poisoning. Van Gogh used lead-based<br />
paints, and some believe he suffered from lead poisoning from his habit<br />
of nibbling at paint chips. This is a popular theory because one of the<br />
symptoms of lead poisoning is a swelling of the retinas, which can cause<br />
one to see light as halo-like circles around objects. It was also noted by<br />
Dr. Peyron (one of the doctors who diagnosed his temporal lobe epilepsy)<br />
that during his attacks Van Gogh tried to poison himself by swallowing<br />
paint or drinking kerosene.<br />
Thus onto the subject of his death. Gogh initially tried committing suicide<br />
in a field by shooting himself in the chest. However, he missed his heart<br />
and, after being found, was aided at a hospital. <strong>The</strong> hospital wasn’t able<br />
to prevent him bleeding to death and he passed away.<br />
After the life he lived, one can only sympathise.
When the yea<br />
Hollywood’s m<br />
award shows<br />
about in the m<br />
the crowd. No<br />
<strong>Inkling</strong> we giv<br />
crazy isn’t it?<br />
Best Picture -<br />
THE SAFE BE<br />
Dunkirk: Chri<br />
Summer with<br />
direction. Fro<br />
nomination fo<br />
buzz around t<br />
invitation to th<br />
THE MAIN CO<br />
<strong>The</strong> Shape of<br />
festival goers<br />
Venice, the hi<br />
quality actor<br />
Shannon amo<br />
in England bu<br />
films for the re<br />
THE UNDERD<br />
Get Out: This<br />
89th Academy<br />
ever gone on<br />
all that could<br />
boasts a 99%<br />
making over $<br />
add.<br />
Best Director<br />
THE SAFE BE<br />
Christopher<br />
too? Chris No<br />
Dark Knight’<br />
Prestige’. Wit<br />
need for heap<br />
the visuals an<br />
THE MAIN CO<br />
Steven Spielb<br />
Spielberg. An<br />
you’ve seen<br />
Horse’, ‘Juras<br />
eighth directin<br />
sure on him g<br />
THE UNDERD<br />
Kathryn Bigel<br />
before; she is<br />
woman on our<br />
Hurt Locker’<br />
latest picture<br />
you need an e<br />
hoped for a be<br />
Best Actor -<br />
THE SAFE BE<br />
Gary Oldman<br />
Gordon in the<br />
and, of course<br />
actor is tackl<br />
I’m pleased t
An Oscars Prediction<br />
By David Makale na<br />
r comes to an end, and all the films are out, one thing is on<br />
ind - what about the Oscars? Obviously there are other film<br />
between December and February, but all that people care<br />
ovie industry is the Academy Awards. So here we are - ahead of<br />
minations are not announced till late January but here at <strong>The</strong><br />
e our predictions a whole four months earlier. I mean that’s<br />
T<br />
stopher Nolan’s war epic wowed cinema goers worldwide this<br />
it’s staggering visuals, masterclass acting and powerful<br />
m release day, people were predicting a long deserved Oscar<br />
r Chris Nolan and I think it’s safe to say that six months later, the<br />
he film is just as strong - hopefully meaning that it will have an<br />
e Academy Awards by the end of January.<br />
NTENDER<br />
Water: Guillermo Del Toro’s romantic fantasy captivated movie<br />
at both Venice and Toronto - winning the Gold Lion award at<br />
ghest award given to a film there. It has your typical cast of top<br />
s, including Octavia Spencer, Sally Hawkins and Michael<br />
ngst others. This fantastic original film hasn’t yet been released<br />
t is definitely shaping up to be one of the most highly anticipated<br />
st of the year.<br />
OG<br />
psychological thriller was released in theatres days after the<br />
Awards last February - a release date with which no movie has<br />
to win Best Picture. With Jordan Peele’s debut picture however,<br />
change. Not only did this film connect with critics (it currently<br />
Rotten Tomatoes score), it also struck a chord with fans,<br />
250 million worldwide - on a $4.5 million budget as well, may I<br />
-<br />
T<br />
Nolan: We’ve discussed the film, so why not the director<br />
lan’s filmography is one of the greatest in modern cinema: ‘<strong>The</strong><br />
, ‘Inception’, ‘Interstellar’, and my personal favourite: ‘<strong>The</strong><br />
h ‘Dunkirk’, Nolan has hit the nail right on the head. Without the<br />
s of exposition (thanks to history), all Chris had to do is focus on<br />
d characters. Perfect.<br />
NTENDER<br />
erg: Nearly everyone has heard of the lord and master Steven<br />
d even if you haven’t, I can say with almost 100% certainty that<br />
a film he has directed. ‘Jaws’, ‘Indiana Jones’, ‘E.T.’, ‘War<br />
sic Park’...the list is almost endless. This would be Spielberg’s<br />
g nomination: few living directors can match that. You could be<br />
etting an Oscar nomination come February.<br />
OG<br />
ow: She is the only director on our list who has been nominated<br />
the only director on our list who’s won before; she’s the only<br />
list. Bigelow is definitely one to watch. Her previous films, ‘<strong>The</strong><br />
and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ both received critical acclaim and her<br />
, ‘Detroit’, has had the same treatment. With any excellent film,<br />
qually excellent director at the helm and ‘Detroit’ couldn’t have<br />
tter one.<br />
T<br />
(‘Darkest Hour’): Gary Oldman is just a great actor isn’t he? Jim<br />
‘Batman’ trilogy, George Smiley in ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’<br />
, Sirius Black in the ‘Harry Potter’ films. This time, the veteran<br />
ing British Prime Minister Winston Churchill - nothing big then!<br />
o say that Oldman wowed audiences with his portrayal of the<br />
grumpy wartime PM and will hopefully be rewarded with an Oscar nomination<br />
in late January.<br />
THE MAIN CONTENDER<br />
Tom Hanks (‘<strong>The</strong> Post’): Tom Hanks is the Meryl Streep of male actors - and<br />
he is acting against her in the film ‘<strong>The</strong> Post’. Tom Hanks has had five Oscar<br />
nominations and has won two of them: not only is he the world’s kindest actor<br />
but also one of the Academy’s favourite. <strong>The</strong> last time Hanks got an Oscar<br />
nomination (2001!) he was up against the likes of Russell Crowe and Javier<br />
Bardem. Luckily for Tom Hanks, none of those have been any Oscar calibre<br />
films this year. We might just see Hanks’ third Oscar win.<br />
THE UNDERDOG<br />
Andy Serkis (‘War for the Planet of the Apes’): Andy Serkis has been playing<br />
King Ape Caesar for three films now in the modern ‘Planet of the Apes’<br />
trilogy. In the latest instalment, Serkis really delivers a performance that will<br />
be remembered for years to come. Clearly Warner Bros. have latched onto<br />
this fact, as the film has been promoted well around Hollywood with ‘For your<br />
consideration’ DVDs already reaching voters’ doors. You may be thinking that<br />
Andy Serkis can’t possibly be a realistic ape...and that is true. Motion capture<br />
is used throughout the trilogy but in this film in particular, it looks second to<br />
none with the real animals. If Serkis were to take home the Oscar, it would<br />
mark a first for Motion Capture performances.<br />
Best Actress -<br />
THE SAFE BET<br />
Frances McDormand (‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’): Frances<br />
McDormand stars in this year’s Toronto Festival Best Picture winner and is<br />
absolutely superb. Her previous role in ‘Fargo’ (directed by the Coen<br />
Brothers, who also co-wrote this film) earned her a Best Actress win, and she<br />
has been nominated for three other Oscars over the course of her career. In<br />
this dark comedy about a worried mother (McDormand) creating three<br />
billboards to garner the attention of the local chief (Woody Harrelson),<br />
McDormand stands out like a block of gold - fingers crossed that she gets the<br />
nomination she deserves.<br />
THE MAIN CONTENDER<br />
Margot Robbie (‘I, Tonya’): In this dark comedy/drama, Margot Robbie plays<br />
sportswoman Tonya Harding, a ballerina who has to deal with a surprising<br />
number of challenges in the equally surprising brutal world of ballet dancing.<br />
I know, right? Robbie delivers a ground-breaking performance, with critics<br />
and audience members both wildly praising her portrayal. <strong>The</strong> nomination<br />
would give a long deserved reward to Robbie who up until now has been<br />
robbed of several nominations in past years.<br />
THE UNDERDOG<br />
Judi Dench (‘Victoria & Abdul’): Although Dame Judi Dench will most likely be<br />
nominated for the Baftas back home in England, for her to pierce the<br />
Academy and get herself a nomination would be remarkable. It would require<br />
a starring role in a critically acclaimed film… much like ‘Mrs Brown’, her first<br />
portrayal of Queen Victoria, for which she was nominated for an Oscar.<br />
Victoria & Abdul however, has received a mixed reception. Some critics<br />
praise the heart-warming tale of love between the Queen and her Indian<br />
partner but others point to the flaws such as the rest of the cast’s lacklustre<br />
performances and the overall lack of direction and vision. However, if anyone<br />
were to break through bad reviews and garner herself an Oscar nomination,<br />
it would be Dame Judi Dench. Good luck, ma’am.<br />
And there we are - three predictions for the top four categories of the<br />
Academy Awards. Tune in to the February issue of the paper to see if we<br />
were correct in our predictions. Let’s hope so!
Short Circuit (1986) Review<br />
Cast<br />
By Seb Howe<br />
No.5 - Tim Blaney<br />
Stephanie Speck- Allie Sheedy (Star of <strong>The</strong> Breakfast Club)<br />
Newton Crosby- Steve Guttenberg (Famous for Three Men and a Baby)<br />
Introduction<br />
Short Circuit is a goofy kids movie that your mum probably remembers<br />
having on VHS - that's how I discovered it anyway. Being aimed at<br />
children, I think this franchise is something of a hidden gem. <strong>The</strong> sequel<br />
deserves even more critical acclaim. I’m here to teach you the basics<br />
and encourage you to watch this wonderful film.<br />
<strong>The</strong> plot of the film is a simple one. A robotics company builds five<br />
military robots. One of them is struck by lightning. It gains human<br />
intelligence and goes exploring. Normal event then?<br />
My Review<br />
<strong>The</strong> plot of the film is somewhat basic, directed by John Badham of<br />
Saturday Night Fever (1977) and War Games (1983) fame. This film is<br />
very dear to my heart as I grew up watching this and its previously<br />
mentioned sequel; I have many memories of watching 80s films on VHS<br />
with my nan and enjoying constant re-runs on TV of the Short Circuit<br />
franchise and other films like Kindergarten Cop (1990) and <strong>The</strong> Burbs<br />
(1988). But this film holds a special place above all others in my heart.<br />
<strong>The</strong> film was a big success on cinema release, earning over $40 million in<br />
the US which back in ‘86 was phenomenal, but critics panned the film,<br />
mostly because of the robot’s robotic acting (pun intended) and Steve<br />
Guttenberg (one of the main actors in the film) being obnoxious… as<br />
usual. I disagree with the comments on the robot as the puppeteering<br />
was always a cool thing to me because of how small a budget the film<br />
had. Also, the dialogue done by Tim Blaney was hilarious and matched<br />
the quality of his normal comedic product.
This is a film that you will most likely pass over on a Sunday afternoon<br />
as you flick through the TV channels, but the people who have seen it<br />
most likely remember watching on VHS - just like me at my nan’s<br />
house. All in all, this is one of my personal favourites as it was an<br />
important part of my childhood and introduced me to a period of film<br />
history I love - the 80s.<br />
I give this movie 8/10 and my official recommendation. Short Circuit<br />
and it’s sequel are available on both DVD and blu-ray.<br />
Trivia<br />
1. <strong>The</strong>re are plans for a reboot of the film were No.5 will befriend a<br />
young boy and actor Fisher Stevens from the first two films will<br />
return.<br />
2. <strong>The</strong> puppet for No.5 weighed 250 pounds.<br />
3. <strong>The</strong> film was filmed in the same location as <strong>The</strong> Goonies (1985)<br />
and Kindergarten Cop (1990).
<strong>The</strong> Top 10 Things To Watch,<br />
Listen and Read At Chr istmas<br />
Film<br />
TV Shows<br />
‘Elf’<br />
Grab a bowl of spaghetti,<br />
M&Ms and golden syrup<br />
and settle down for the<br />
family favourite Christmas<br />
tale of Buddy (Will Ferrell),<br />
an elf who goes on an<br />
adventure to New York to<br />
reclaim his father’s<br />
compassion. Not only is<br />
the funniest film to watch<br />
at Christmas, it’s also one<br />
of the most heartwarming.<br />
‘Home Alone’<br />
Watch out, the wet bandits<br />
are out and ready to<br />
pounce. If you find yourself<br />
lonely at Christmas, then<br />
the perfect film to watch<br />
is...Home Alone. <strong>The</strong><br />
playful tone, hilarious traps<br />
and lovable performance<br />
of Macaulay Culkin makes<br />
this a definite must-watch<br />
at Christmas.<br />
‘<strong>The</strong> Snowman’<br />
Hop onto his back and<br />
enjoy a flight through the<br />
beautiful pencil-drawn<br />
world of the Snowman.<br />
This short film’s warmth<br />
and joyfulness brings a<br />
family together any<br />
Christmas and is the<br />
perfect thing to watch as<br />
the anticipation builds this<br />
Christmas Eve.<br />
‘A Charlie Brown<br />
Christmas’<br />
Almost fifty years old, this<br />
Christmas edition of<br />
Charlie Brown tells the<br />
story of the young boy<br />
trying to work out the true<br />
meaning of Christmas.<br />
Whilst walking through<br />
town and talking to friends,<br />
he realises it’s the people<br />
around him that make<br />
Christmas-time special -<br />
aww!
Music<br />
‘Do <strong>The</strong>y Know It’s Christmas?’<br />
by Band Aid (1984)<br />
A classic Christmas anthem.<br />
With four different versions to<br />
date, ‘Do <strong>The</strong>y Know It’s<br />
Christmas?’ is always on our<br />
Christmas playlist and people<br />
always enjoy it. With the variety<br />
of famous artists singing and the<br />
money raised it has raised for<br />
charity, this single brings joy and<br />
happiness the whole world over.<br />
‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ by<br />
Shakin’ Stevens<br />
Snow is falling, all around me.<br />
Children playing, having fun. It’s<br />
the season, of love and<br />
understanding. Merry Christmas<br />
everyone. ...You can’t get much<br />
better than that.<br />
<strong>The</strong>atre<br />
Pantomimes<br />
Who doesn’t want to go the<br />
theatre and see an entertaining<br />
and hilarious couple of hours of<br />
silly stories? Jack and the<br />
Beanstalk, Cinderella and<br />
Aladdin are some of the classics<br />
but all it takes is fun costumes<br />
and lots of silly antics to make a<br />
fantastic panto.<br />
‘<strong>The</strong> Nutcracker’<br />
This ballet not only makes you<br />
feel cultured and sophisticated,<br />
but also provides an opportunity<br />
to appreciate some wonderful<br />
choreography. Inspiring<br />
decades worth of pop culture,<br />
the Nutcracker has left it’s mark<br />
on the work and should be<br />
celebrated with a viewing of the<br />
classic version.<br />
Books<br />
‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens<br />
A must-read for a Christmas novel fan … and a Year 11 GCSE student. For<br />
some classes it’s compulsory for your exam. Nonetheless, this classic tells<br />
the heartwarming story of Scrooge finding the true meaning of Christmas<br />
through the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Also, it set the<br />
stage for the Muppets version, so well done, Dickens.<br />
‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’ by Dr. Seuss<br />
A fun, nostalgic story of all the Whos down in Whoville. <strong>The</strong> Grinch is a<br />
great story to read throughout the Christmas period with family, younger<br />
siblings or by yourself. Beautifully illustrated and entertaining to read, it<br />
really is a great time.
Creativ<br />
He felt the cold metal in his hands, turning it over once, twice, three times. Taking a deep breath,<br />
<strong>The</strong> streetlights seemed more yellow than normal, casting an artificial glow over the road he used<br />
“Hand it over now and I’ll never come back here.” A female whisper.<br />
He fumbled through the crumbs and scraps of paper in his pocket before finally grasping the-<br />
Intrigued? <strong>The</strong> Creative Writing section might be for you. But first, a question...<br />
Why do we read magazines? Well, in the case of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong>, chances are you’re here to get a be<br />
perspective we have on the wider world. But in general, reading is a chance to escape the outside<br />
Creative writing isn’t just novels. Poems, scripts and short stories all give us the chance to leave<br />
who the killer is, not what grade you’ll be getting on your science exam. When you’re deep into an<br />
ship problems.<br />
So how does creative writing fit into the media scene of the twenty-first century? With the rise o<br />
about where all of your favourite films and TV shows come from. Behind every blockbuster is a wr<br />
It really is possible for digital media and creative writing to productively coexist. Reading poetry<br />
vourite show. Instead of passively engaging with familiar characters, your mind will be taken in a<br />
In this section of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong>, we’ll be publishing creative writing produced by SVC students. Con<br />
find an audience for your scribblings, not to mention a chance to spread your own message to a w<br />
chance to be read. <strong>The</strong> poem you’ve been working on for months but have never had the courage<br />
bility that could help you to progress as an author, poet or playwright.<br />
So pick up your pen (or, more likely, your laptop) and get writing! Don’t miss out on the chance t<br />
through our Creative Writing section.Take a break from the outside world, and you might just like<br />
...it was a wedding ring, by the way.<br />
Year 7 students, don’t forget to come along to Creative Writing Club, every Tuesday in B8.<br />
To find out more about Creative Writing submissions, please email KKirkpatrick7891@sohamcoll
e<br />
he hurriedly pushed the offending object into his pocket before slamming the front door. Finally.<br />
to know so well.<br />
tter understanding of life as a student at SVC: the events we put on, the lessons we learn and the<br />
world - for a bit - and there is one particular style of writing that really helps us to do this.<br />
our everyday stresses behind. When you’re reading about a murder mystery, you’ll be wondering<br />
abstract poem, you’ll be trying to solve the meaning of the words on the page, not your relationf<br />
Netflix and social media, reading and writing can begin to seem like dead art forms. But think<br />
iter - the entertainment industry wouldn’t exist without us.<br />
, for example, offers a completely different experience to watching the latest episode of your fanew<br />
direction: you might even gain a new perspective on an issue you were struggling with.<br />
tributions would be welcomed from anyone who is interested. This is the perfect opportunity to<br />
ide readership. That novel chapter you’ve been hiding under a stack of assessments? This is its<br />
to share? Now is the time to share it. Publishing with us will also give your work that extra credio<br />
explore an exciting new hobby. Or if you’re sure writing isn’t for you, remember to have a look<br />
what you find.<br />
ege.org.uk. or XStjohn8004@sohamcollege.org.uk.
<strong>The</strong> Dreaded Transition<br />
By Maxwel l Masters<br />
It was here. <strong>The</strong> very first day of secondary school with<br />
all the other students. I was petrified; this could be the<br />
last thing I ever did in my life. I said my farewells to my<br />
family, and embarked on the perilous journey to school.<br />
I had arrived. <strong>The</strong> tall back gates loomed above me,<br />
creaking open. Cautiously, I wandered down the gritty<br />
path towards that terrible building. Students huddled in<br />
groups that were dotted around the place, whispering<br />
secrets to one another. I found the bike park and locked<br />
my bike up firmly. Safe and sound. Turning round,<br />
however, I saw an unknown student coming straight for<br />
me. His eyes locked onto me like missiles ready to<br />
explode. My mind was in a flurry, trying desperately to<br />
figure out some sort of plan.<br />
“DO NOT ENGAGE! I REPEAT: DO NOT ENGAGE!”<br />
My mind was screaming at me like a million angered<br />
seagulls. I knew what I had to do: run.<br />
My legs carried me as fast as they could, out of the bike<br />
shed and on the run. I sped down the path and towards<br />
St. Andrews. <strong>The</strong> art block was near. My mind was<br />
running as fast as me, wild with panic. My heart beat out<br />
of my chest.<br />
“Come on. I can do this!” I was sprinting at top<br />
speed, urgently running from that unknown student. My<br />
form room was in sight. I had nearly made it, until<br />
“smack!” I face-planted onto the floor.<br />
“WARNING: Major embarrassment levels,” yelled my<br />
mind. Everyone laughed, even my best friends. I had<br />
failed the mission; I had failed school.
Salt to the sea book review<br />
By Lo rna Gil l i ngs<br />
Salt to the Sea is a historical fiction book written by Ruta<br />
Sepetys. It follows the journey of five young people who<br />
have grown up surrounded by war - caught between the<br />
Germans and the Russians. <strong>The</strong> horrors of war and the<br />
effects it had on younger generations are all covered in<br />
this book, along with the ill-fated voyage of the Wilhelm<br />
Gustloff (which was part of Operation Hannibal). <strong>The</strong><br />
sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff isn’t very well-known, but<br />
it is actually the biggest maritime disaster in history.<br />
Sepetys definitely succeeds in making people aware of<br />
what we have to learn from the past.<br />
<strong>The</strong> book is written almost like a diary: each chapter is<br />
from a different person’s perspective and focuses on the<br />
more personal struggles of each individual. When she is<br />
describing the sinking of the ship, the writer uses very<br />
simple words to create a terribly vivid picture of death<br />
and convey the pure horror of the scenes these very<br />
young children had to witness. You can’t help but cry as<br />
you read about these events that changed lives forever.<br />
However, the novel also focuses on a more positive<br />
aspect of life during the war, as it describes the hope<br />
that emerged when people worked together in their time<br />
of need, It shows how, even through all the death and<br />
destruction, there will always be new lives beginning and<br />
explains how we should strive to make a better world for<br />
the innocent children of generations to come.
Katie’s Poetry<br />
Nostalgia<br />
Dusty afternoons are sweating.<br />
In the precious shade, the sweltering corridors<br />
Are dark patches of innocence,<br />
Almost tangible -<br />
But we slip away, fingernails brushing the lockers.<br />
<strong>The</strong> heat is filled<br />
By the pretense of age.<br />
Footfalls collapse inwards.<br />
Heads held high, nodding in disaccord,<br />
Agree to reach for spring; reach for summer -<br />
We try, we do, to undo the click of a lock;<br />
<strong>The</strong> slam of the door from another morning.<br />
Is it almost the time?<br />
Progress.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re will be moments<br />
You will wish against.<br />
You will push<br />
(with all your might).<br />
Tell yourself fairy stories,<br />
Caress your own cheek,<br />
Hold your own hands<br />
(like fragile ornaments).<br />
<strong>The</strong>se moments will press down.<br />
Condense all those afterthoughts:<br />
Potency on its best behaviour.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y will pull the strings,<br />
Lift your eyelashes, and look in deep.<br />
You may try.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y may let you.
Beneath the music<br />
By Gemma Bridges<br />
I awoke from my slumber as the fairy lights were slowly coming into<br />
focus - almost out of battery due to the fact I’d put them up in the<br />
middle of November in a rush of festive excitement. A week to go, and<br />
I had already opened all the windows in my advent calendar;<br />
chocolate wrappers now lay scattered on the thick, fluffy rug that my<br />
dog liked to lie on, slightly matted head on his paws. Why couldn’t<br />
Christmas be all year round?<br />
Wafting up to entice me from my room was the smell of freshly baked<br />
Christmas cookies - Mum baked them every year, and no one ever got<br />
tired of them. Passing the big Christmas tree, the smell of pine tickling<br />
my nose, I crept into the kitchen, looking longingly at all the presents. I<br />
stuffed a cookie in my mouth...not carefully enough though, as it was<br />
still too hot.<br />
“Really?” I jumped, not realising my mum had been in the room - I<br />
hoped she hadn’t seen me eat it, but the crumbs around my mouth<br />
was a tell-tale sign. She sighed and shook her head, while I grabbed<br />
another cookie and scampered back up to my room, hoping she<br />
wouldn’t remember later.<br />
“Jingle bells, jingle bells…” I pressed play on my CD player<br />
(home to my full collection of Christmas music), brushing aside the<br />
glittery tinsel as I did so. Turning it up to full volume, I decided that<br />
maybe I shouldn’t have wrapped everyone’s presents in November:<br />
now there was nothing to do.<br />
“FOR THE LAST TIME, TURN THAT RACKET DOWN!” I heard<br />
the yell of my dad, for the tenth time that week. Honestly, what was<br />
wrong with my family? <strong>The</strong>y just needed to embrace the Christmas<br />
spirit - it wasn’t my fault that they complained when I coated the house<br />
in lights and tinsel!<br />
Sighing, I turned the music down.<br />
A few days later Christmas Eve arrived, bringing with it presents under<br />
the tree and a particularly ugly assortment of Christmas jumpers.
Hometown- Cha<br />
I’ve had glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling for as long as I can remember. <strong>The</strong>ir pale gr<br />
leading my imagination down a mountainous trail straight out of a fantasy novel. <strong>The</strong>y roo<br />
and I’m calm.<br />
At six a.m. my alarm goes off. <strong>The</strong> mellow tones of whatever vaguely indie album I’m into<br />
morning still feels like night. Rubbing my eyes, I heave myself into a sitting position and g<br />
sound of an air-raid siren would look like. I blink furiously, and then get up to face the winte<br />
Two hours later, I’m sat hunched over my knees in the kitchen. My fingers pick at the chipp<br />
dles in December. Slouched underneath my biggest jumper, I’m still cold. I stare emptily in<br />
eyes.<br />
“I’m sorry, babe, but this just isn’t working,” croons some fresh-faced teenage heartthrob<br />
doze off as some face-off starts on the screen. For a moment, I let my mind wander and im<br />
no idea what was going on- interns really do get told nothing. <strong>The</strong> London offices were so c<br />
ally. I let myself smile as I remember the early starts back then: the guitars that wake me no<br />
Four p.m brings a shrieking like nothing I’ve heard before. I hear the familiar click of a key<br />
shorter than anything I’ve ever owned. My housemate, Eva, stands in the centre of them all<br />
“It’s time for you to get out of this house for once!” she yells, voice cracking with laughter. A<br />
“I’d really rather -” I begin, but Eva is having none of it.<br />
“Addie,you live in the wildest city in Europe and you’re nearly nineteen. Isn’t it time you got<br />
I shake my head violently and get up to hide in my room only to be immediately pulled back<br />
Amsterdam is a city dealing with a nightly earthquake. <strong>The</strong> baritone hum of bass synthesiz<br />
Shivering, I pull the faux fur shawl Eva found for me over my shoulders and hobble after the<br />
their parties and concerts for all to see. My hair whips around my cheeks as I clench my fi<br />
ing; no crying.<br />
Every neon-painted wall of the room we enter is home to people of all ages, all genders…<br />
flashing bowtie. Next to them is a woman who looks to be at least fifty in a full velvet maxi d<br />
the room presents the same eclectic selection of dancers, all clutching brightly-coloured d<br />
can touch the pressing sounds of Dutch hip-hop, radiating out in waves from the DJ’s glow<br />
attempt at the wailing vocals of the lady on the track. Sighing, I let myself join in.<br />
When it feels like time no longer exists and I can’t feel my feet, we stumble to the exit, still y<br />
the faint noise of someone calling my name.<br />
“Yeah? What?” I shout across the room, unable to spot the source of the cry.<br />
Before I can find the speaker, a screen above the DJ’s table flashes up a number, but only l<br />
“Nineteen!” I yell to the girls, before tripping over my heels and crashing to the floor.<br />
By the time I’ve regained my balance, Eva and her friends are nowhere to be seen. I limp o<br />
barely remember). <strong>The</strong> cold, which earlier was just a mildly uncomfortable breeze, is now g<br />
ble.<br />
It’s then that I hear my name called again. This time, I know where it’s coming from. I follow<br />
of a figure fifty metres ahead. When I finally get closer to the figure, I follow them turn do<br />
Empty, that is, except for the figure, who now stand inches from my face.
pter two: White<br />
een glow casts unnerving shadows over every inch of the dated swirls of cracking paint,<br />
t me everywhere I go; all it takes is ten minutes of looking up at the plastic constellations<br />
that week chase away dreamtime stories until sleep is just a distant memory. Today, the<br />
rab my phone. <strong>The</strong> blaring brightness of the screen hits my eyes with what I imagine the<br />
r.<br />
ed corner of the table, pulling off tiny shards of oak that scatter to the floor like pine neeto<br />
my laptop screen as the faces of the model-like twenty-somethings blur before my tired<br />
. Only hearing snippets of the show, I begin to forget what it is I’m watching. I fight not to<br />
agine what it must be like to film shows like this. My two years of experience left me with<br />
old - this jumper was the only thing that stopped me from literally freezing...well, not literw<br />
replace an incessant beeping that strikes fear into my heart to this very day.<br />
in the front door and get up to let my housemate in, only to be greeted by six girls in skirts<br />
, mousy hair teased up into a huge bun on the top of her head.<br />
round her the girls cackle like a coven of witches.<br />
to know the nightlife?”<br />
by two members of the coven. This could be interesting.<br />
ers pulses beneath the cobbled pavement on which my pale ankles wobble in their heels.<br />
girls. <strong>The</strong> faint stars above me are struggling for dominance with the neon signs that flog<br />
sts under the shawl - I promised myself tonight there would be now scratching; no bleed-<br />
To my left I see a man of about thirty wearing antler horns, hand in hand with man in a<br />
ress, complete with fake eyelashes that stretch a mile out from her face. Every corner of<br />
rinks in tiny plastic glasses. Nervously, I step onto the club floor. Around me it feels like I<br />
ing desk. Eva pulls me into the centre, throwing her hands up and letting out an off-pitch<br />
elling the lyrics of whatever the DJ is blasting out. It’s only as we reach the exit that I hear<br />
ong enough for me to catch a glimpse.<br />
ut of the club, fighting against my hoarse throat to shout their names (most of which I can<br />
nawing away at my bare legs as I frantically wrap the shawl over as much of me as possithe<br />
sound down the quiet street, taking care not to trip on the cobbles, until I catch sight<br />
wn a narrow lane and squeeze through a tiny door.<strong>The</strong> room inside is completely empty.
By Mrs Carson<br />
EX Libris<br />
From the shelves of her own personal library, Mrs Carson details her most treasured<br />
reads.<br />
1. ‘<strong>The</strong> Knife of Never Letting Go’ – Patrick Ness<br />
Dystopian fiction is my favourite genre, so I was very keen to read this book when it<br />
first came out. It was brought to my attention because it was on the Carnegie Award<br />
shortlist – as an English teacher, this award is usually pretty good at picking some<br />
excellent young-adult texts. When I started reading it I was in awe of its bizarre,<br />
refreshing narration; Ness writes from the perspective of Todd, a young boy<br />
growing up in a world without women. However, due to a lack of education, Todd’s<br />
thought process is very ‘free flowing’, which is reflected in the phonetic<br />
pronunciation of many words throughout narrative. Throwing another spanner in<br />
the works is the fact that the thoughts of every living creature, both men and wildlife<br />
alike, are broadcast for all to hear (and in some cases, almost, see). However, one<br />
day Todd notices something different – a silence seems to have made itself present.<br />
<strong>The</strong> silence grates at him, calling him to investigate. So off he goes with his trusty<br />
dog, Manchee… and what he finds changes his life forever.<br />
2. ‘<strong>The</strong> Handmaid’s Tale’ – Margaret Atwood<br />
Another dystopian tale, although arguably one for a more mature reader, this book<br />
is a Canadian classic. Margaret Atwood is required reading growing up in Canada –<br />
she’s likely the greatest author we’ve ever produced, so we like to make sure all<br />
Canadians are well versed in her works. <strong>The</strong> book deals with issues around control,<br />
feminism, religion and politics (to name a few) as it follows the life of narrator<br />
Offred, a woman who is forced to breed with the rich, due to a worldwide decline in<br />
fertility rates. Obviously, this isn’t a great existence for Offred – the fact that her<br />
name literally means that she is the woman ‘of Fred’ hints at how controlled women<br />
are in the novel. So it’s no surprise that she tries to find a way to escape her terrible<br />
existence. <strong>The</strong> novel follows her struggle for freedom from oppression.<br />
3. ‘Great Expectations’ – Charles Dickens<br />
Not everyone likes reading Dickens; he tends to ramble on a bit, which some find<br />
tedious. Personally, I’ve always liked his style of writing. I find something whimsical<br />
and fun in it, especially when he’s poking fun at society (which he often is). <strong>The</strong>
4. ‘<strong>The</strong> Sky is Falling’ – Kit Pearson<br />
I first read this book when I was twelve years old. Believe it or not, I was a<br />
voracious reader as a child. My mum used to take me to the library every other<br />
Saturday and I would spend ages searching for the perfect book to take home<br />
and read. I was going through a phase of reading historical fiction when I<br />
happened to stumble upon this book; I was instantly hooked.<br />
<strong>The</strong> novel starts out in England during World War 2. Norah is a young English<br />
girl, fascinated by collecting war-souvenirs and watching the dazzling aerial<br />
attacks between England and Germany that take place in the sky above her<br />
each night. Her parents, however, are less enthused. After a particularly heavy<br />
night of bombing, they decide to send Norah and her younger brother, Gavin, to<br />
Canada. <strong>The</strong> rest of the novel sees Norah and Gavin arrive in Canada to live in a<br />
stately home in Toronto under the strict and watchful eye of a rich, elderly<br />
woman who ends up preferring (and doting on) Gavin… much to Norah’s horror.<br />
As time goes on, Norah longs for home and worries about the implications<br />
growing up away from England has on Gavin, who, due to his young age,<br />
assimilates much more easily into the Canadian way of life, forgetting his<br />
English roots.<br />
I don’t think I would have wanted to become a teacher of English or history<br />
(which is what I originally studied in University) if it wasn’t for this book. It<br />
brought the war to life for me, in a way that I could relate to as a young girl. It’s a<br />
must-read if you are interested in what living in England, and later Canada,<br />
would have been like during World War Two.
Society<br />
We’re all used to the voices in our heads. We know ourselves: how w<br />
ous issues. We know who we personally consider our enemies, crus<br />
other?<br />
Society looks at the way we behave as a global population: how<br />
everything to do with people. <strong>The</strong>re will be articles about everything<br />
ships to philosophy and mental health. Think of the Society section a<br />
combining factual reporting on how we all act as a species with opin<br />
21st century.<br />
Now is perhaps a more important time than ever to be thinking<br />
have revolutionised the way we communicate, and the ever-shifting<br />
ple hold dear. Who knows what kind of a world we’ll be living in in t<br />
society are evolving. We, as a generation, are growing up in unchart<br />
exist for previous teenagers, and so it’s up to us to find our own pat<br />
and form different opinions and views.<br />
As I said, society is all about people and how they interact. A bi<br />
want to hear what you’re passionate about! This could be anything, f<br />
is your chance to broadcast your opinion to a wide readership - don’<br />
your message.
e think, what we like and don’t like, where we stand on varihes,<br />
friends, acquaintances. But how well do we know each<br />
we, as humans, interact. In this section, we’ll be covering<br />
from social justice to education, from family and relations<br />
the intersection between Politics and Culture: we’ll be<br />
ions on the issues that affect us as young people in the<br />
about our society. Radical inventions such as the internet<br />
political climate has brought into question views many peoen,<br />
twenty, thirty years time? <strong>The</strong> very principles of human<br />
ered waters: many of the storms we face daily simply didn’t<br />
h. Inevitably, we’re all going to travel in different directions<br />
g part of any magazine’s society section is submissions: we<br />
rom racism in America to the value of learning to sew. This<br />
t miss the opportunity to share your opinions and spread
Do Teenage Fr iendships and<br />
Relationships Really Matter?<br />
By Katie Kirkpat-<br />
You will change. <strong>The</strong> person you are right now will be<br />
different to the person you are in a week, two months,<br />
five years time - in terms of your personal outlook on<br />
the world and of the choices you make. Change is<br />
inevitable for all of us. But do the people we surround<br />
ourselves with have an impact on the people we<br />
become? I, for one, think the people we choose to<br />
know as adolescents have more of an effect on our<br />
futures than people care to admit.<br />
Decisions play a huge part in life as a young person.<br />
From choosing who to sit with at lunch to choosing<br />
what to do with our lives, we spend a lot of time<br />
weighing up our options. <strong>The</strong> obvious thing to do when<br />
faced with a difficult situation is to consult someone<br />
else. Hearing the opinion of a trusted friend can be<br />
incredibly useful for every sort of dilemma, even if only<br />
to realise that we disagree with them. Surely it should<br />
go without saying that the advice we receive<br />
influences who we are? <strong>The</strong> words of wisdom gifted to<br />
us by our friends, be them insightful or terrible, shape<br />
our actions and thus our personalities.<br />
One argument as to why teenage relationships are<br />
irrelevant is that they are practice. Many claim school<br />
is a microcosm for real life - with cliques mirroring<br />
social groups, school councils and prefects<br />
representing politics and GCSEs echoing employment.<br />
To this, I say the following: why isn’t school treated as<br />
the real life it is? By calling the interactions we have as<br />
teenagers practice, we trivialise them. This then<br />
allows for people disregarding the emotions of others;<br />
being young is not an excuse to damage emotions.<br />
When emotions are trivialised, toxic friendships and<br />
relationships can emerge. While these are awful at any<br />
age, they can be particularly harmful to young people.<br />
Feelings of insecurity, misunderstanding and upset<br />
can have lifelong effects on trust and mental health all<br />
the way into adulthood. If anything, finding the right<br />
kind of friends as a teenager is more important than at<br />
any other stage of one’s life. Adolescent mental health<br />
is a growing concern at the moment and friendships<br />
and relationships are hugely influential to this: they<br />
really are an issue that needs to be widely discussed.<br />
I think it’s safe to say that our teenage friends and<br />
partners influence our future lives...but what if<br />
everyone’s life is influenced in the same way?<br />
Stereotypes can make it seem like everybody’s<br />
experience of adolescence is identical. According to<br />
most films, TV shows and books, we all know the same<br />
cast of quirky teens: the popular queen bee and her<br />
sidekicks, dressed to the nines, who speak only in<br />
gossip and cruel remarks; the nerdy outcast who sits<br />
in the corner of the canteen, hunched over his book;<br />
the sporty boys, yelling in the corridor; the geeks who<br />
always come top of the class; and the protagonist type<br />
- the everyman who doesn’t slide neatly into one<br />
clique. We all know that stereotypes can be incredibly<br />
harmful (especially when applied to race), but what if<br />
there’s some truth under the damage? <strong>The</strong><br />
stereotypes we now see so frequently definitely didn’t<br />
come out of nowhere; I’m sure everyone reading this<br />
knows which category they most fit into. To an extent,<br />
our experiences are shared.<br />
And this applies on a more specific level too.<br />
Beyond the superficial media perspective, in some<br />
ways we all know different versions of the same<br />
people. Have you ever found someone, perhaps on<br />
social media, who appears to have a life remarkably<br />
similar to your own? With over 7 million people on the<br />
planet, it’s inevitable that we all have doppelgangers<br />
in one form of another.<br />
However, as much as I believe there is some form of<br />
truth in stereotypes, those who claim we all have the<br />
same experience are missing the blindingly obvious:<br />
the people we grow up to be are far from clones. If the<br />
adult population is so diverse, they must have had<br />
different childhoods. Think of it as nature and nurture:<br />
genetically we are all physically different, but if we all<br />
experienced the same adolescence we would grow up<br />
to have identical worldviews. This is obviously not the<br />
case. And if you take to any adult, I’m sure they would<br />
be able to explain how something that happened to<br />
them as a teenager shaped their adult life - more often<br />
than not it will be something that involved a peer.<br />
When I started writing this article I knew the points I<br />
wanted to make - the things I wanted to put across.<br />
What I struggled with was working out my message:<br />
what did I want readers to take from this? Reading<br />
back through my draft, I found it.<br />
I want you to appreciate the people you know, and<br />
make sure they appreciate you. Don’t let anyone be<br />
taken for granted. And don’t be afraid of feeling<br />
things: what happens to you as a teenager will prepare<br />
you for the future, so embrace the arguments, the<br />
breakdowns, the stresses, the crushes and the happy<br />
moments. When it comes down to it, in twenty years<br />
you won’t remember the times you laughed or the<br />
times you cried...you’ll remember the people who<br />
made you feel those things.
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Can We Live Forever?<br />
By Miss Churchman<br />
ably this is huge," he said. "We are wading into uncharted<br />
ry here. It's like going to the Moon. Apollo 11 was successful, so<br />
llo 12, but then look what happened with Apollo 13.<br />
g nature has dictated her rules to us. We're born, we grow, we age and we die. For<br />
ears humans have evolved and 100 billion humans have died. That's genocide on a<br />
”<br />
ergio Canavero seems to think we could become immortal. <strong>The</strong> professor has<br />
several years to enable humans to live forever and last week the first human head<br />
as completed. In an 18 hour operation in China, the head of one corpse was<br />
ttached to the body of another corpse. <strong>The</strong> operation connected the spine, nerves<br />
essels of the two donated corpses and electrical stimulation proved that they had<br />
ted. "Everyone said it was impossible, but the surgery was successful," Prof<br />
ld a press conference in Venice.” He also said that his ultimate goal is to transplant a<br />
n, and envisages a future where people could live forever by transplanting their<br />
younger bodies, possibly cloned from themselves. This is called heterochronic<br />
it has already been proven that injecting young blood into older people is beneficial.<br />
greed that the final step towards formal head transplants will be a full head swap on<br />
rgan donors.<br />
tists, however, are sceptical about how successful the operation really was and are<br />
orried about Professor Sergio’s motives! "<strong>The</strong>y called me crazy, a lunatic,<br />
n,” said Canavero, “But Frankenstein was a very ethical man by the way." Professor<br />
ecker, from the University of Edinburgh, said that although there have been exciting<br />
ts in regenerative medicine, spinal cord injuries cannot be repaired and that even<br />
splant, movement and function below the injury never returns. Dr James Fildes<br />
ut the professor’s desire for immortality, especially as the transplant will still need a<br />
e in order to provide the body for the head to be transplanted on.<br />
aid “<strong>The</strong> goal of China is to treat incurable medical conditions. My goal is life<br />
ecause I believe ageing is a disease which must be treated.” But could we really live<br />
ientifically, it’s possible. With a new, younger body, one’s brain would be washed<br />
lood, meaning it would be repeatedly rejuvenated. Immortality might just be edging
Turkey Farms<br />
Dedicated to lewis chapman<br />
This might seem like quite a random article: after all, who cares about turkey<br />
farming? Well, after a conversation with a friend about his favourite topic, I<br />
realised that the journey your turkey takes to get to your Thanksgiving plate or<br />
your Christmas dinner is pretty crazy considering we just ignore it - again, a<br />
special thanks to Lewis Chapman (with some help from Mrs Hardwick), as<br />
without him I would never have discovered the hidden world of farming.<br />
Disclaimer: Vegetarians may find some parts of this disturbing, sorry…<br />
Step 1: <strong>The</strong> Farms<br />
When I say ‘turkey farm’, you probably think of a field with some clucking birds<br />
in it. In the sad reality, most turkeys come from battery farms - rows of tightly<br />
packed cages in dirty conditions, where the sole purpose is to fatten up the<br />
poor birds to be sold for high prices at low costs. However, there is a better<br />
option, with cleaner conditions and, more importantly, with the turkeys able to<br />
wander freely - free range turkey farms. <strong>The</strong>se farms are fighting a price war<br />
against the battery farms, and gaining sales and popularity each year (after all,<br />
a happy turkey is definitely better than a cheap one from a battery farm). Once<br />
10 million of these turkeys (yes, 10 million - and that’s each year) are eventually<br />
killed, they are drained of blood, plucked and prepared, they are ready to move<br />
onto the next phase of their journey.<br />
Step 2: <strong>The</strong> Voyage<br />
I’m sure this might be shocking for some of you, but not all turkey farms are<br />
located in the UK; turkey farming is an international business, and in order for<br />
that lovely turkey to travel from Peru to your local Tescos, they need to be<br />
flown. Cargo planes provide transport for approximately 7 million turkeys each<br />
year, travelling across continents just to get to a shop near you. However, it's<br />
not like the planes go directly to the shops (my Sainsbury’s definitely doesn't<br />
have a runway). After spending an average of five hours travelling in these cold<br />
cargo planes, these turkey planes touch down at the airport, ready to move to<br />
their next location.
Step 3: <strong>The</strong> Fridge<br />
When frozen peas defrost, lots of water condensates around the bag. A similar<br />
thing happens to the turkeys when they are moved out of the plane - except<br />
because they were once living animals, the water forms inside the turkey,<br />
which is a problem; soggy turkey is pretty gross. Due to this, they have to be<br />
moved extremely fast into refrigerated vans or lorries, and then transferred<br />
into what are essentially massive fridges. <strong>The</strong>se gigantic warehouses are home<br />
to the turkeys until they are needed in supermarkets. Once the time comes,<br />
dozens of workers hastily move the turkeys back into ice-cold vans, and whisk<br />
them off to the supermarkets where they are subsequently sold to us.<br />
Step 4: <strong>The</strong> Dinner<br />
It is pretty self-explanatory what happens next - the turkeys are bought,<br />
cooked, and eaten - and the meal only lasts a couple of hours at most. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
turkeys may have spent a few weeks travelling just to get to your plate. So<br />
when you tuck into your Christmas dinner, remember what the turkey’s been<br />
through to reach you - a life of a few years on a farm, then a long trip to a<br />
warehouse, then another trip to a shop.<br />
Generally speaking, the entire process of producing these turkeys for your<br />
dinner takes about two years and nine months. <strong>The</strong>se turkeys are ultimately<br />
bred to be eaten by you - let's make all of those months of travel worth the wait,<br />
and eat a fantastically free range turkey this Christmas.
“ Four days that<br />
shook my world ”<br />
By Mr G Hean ey<br />
It was a cold March in 2005 when I arrived at Pulkovo airport in St Petersburg,<br />
Russia (the temperature was -15C!). As I approached passport control, I had a<br />
sense of stepping back into the past. I had studied Russian history at university in<br />
Ireland and knew all the places in this city as if I was a local. But now, the time<br />
had come to visit it for myself. <strong>The</strong> Russian security lady at border control took<br />
my passport, looked at it intensely, looked back at me, looked again at my<br />
passport, looked back at me and finally added a stamp without even a “Dobro<br />
pozhalovat' v Rossiyu” (welcome to Russia). My adventure had begun…<br />
This year marks the one hundredth anniversary of the communist revolution in<br />
Russia. In actual fact, the year 1917 saw two revolutions (one in February and<br />
one in October) but it is often the communist seizure of power in October 1917 by<br />
Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks that draws the most attention. St Petersburg<br />
was the centre of this communist takeover and I had been waiting many years to<br />
actually make a visit (my wife thought I was joking when I suggested we visit for<br />
our honeymoon…). <strong>The</strong> character, architecture and vibrancy of this city in 1917<br />
had all the makings of a revolution. For some, St Petersburg was not even<br />
Russian at all - it was a city based on Amsterdam in the Netherlands that leaned<br />
more towards Europe than to Asia. But for the Bolsheviks, it was the perfect<br />
breeding ground in which to bring their revolutionary zeal and slogans to the<br />
fore.
Traditionally, it started on the night of 25 th October when an armed group of<br />
Bolsheviks stormed the Winter Palace whilst a navy ship, the Aurora, fired<br />
volley after volley of shells to cover their assault. <strong>The</strong> Winter Palace still<br />
stands today and is home to one of the world’s largest collections of art - it<br />
supposedly takes three days just to get round to see it all - while Russian<br />
guides dressed as Soviet Sailors will happily take you on a guide of the<br />
cruiser ship Aurora (with an extra cost for pictures!). This event was later<br />
made into a propaganda film by the Russian director Sergei Eisenstein, for<br />
the communists to show the spirit and struggle that they had supposedly<br />
gone through. However, the reality was much different. On the night of 25 th<br />
October, the palace itself was guarded by a force of around one hundred<br />
soldiers of the infamous Women’s Battalion: most of the regular soldiers<br />
were still fighting at the front in WW1. Although the Aurora did indeed fire on<br />
this evening, it was only one shot (and this was a blank!).<br />
Around the centre of the city, many places of former Russian nobility still<br />
stand as do many Orthodox cathedrals. One of these palaces that I visited<br />
was that of Prince Yusupov. This is the place where the monk Grigory<br />
Rasputin was murdered - an event that traumatic was (and still is)<br />
unbelievable. Rasputin was poisoned with cyanide and then shot when the<br />
poison failed to work. As the conspirators were lifting him into the palace<br />
yard he suddenly began moving. After beating him for several minutes with<br />
iron bars and shooting him again, his body was pushed under the ice of the<br />
River Neva.<br />
With stories like this, I still wonder… why would you consider anywhere else<br />
for your honeymoon?
Chr istmas: Religious or Co mmercial<br />
By Katie Kirkpat-<br />
A glowing star that guides three wise men across the<br />
desert. Angels singing the Hallelujah chorus, shining<br />
down from the heavens. Mary and Joseph welcoming<br />
shepherds to see the baby Jesus as he smiles from<br />
the manger.<br />
Mariah Carey and Wham! blaring at full volume on the<br />
car. <strong>The</strong> frantic rush to buy and wrap gifts for<br />
everyone you know. <strong>The</strong> week where every house in<br />
the village lights up. <strong>The</strong> tree, the snow, the jumpers<br />
and Father Christmas.<br />
Which of these sounds more like Christmas to you?<br />
As we edge further and further away from a world<br />
where everyone goes to church on Christmas<br />
morning, is religion still the ‘true’ meaning of<br />
Christmas? <strong>The</strong> rise of commercialism and the decline<br />
in Christianity has left many people wondering what<br />
role the holiday now plays in society. Christmas is by<br />
definition a Christian holiday - but is that still how we<br />
see it? What are you thinking about as you hang your<br />
baubles and open your advent calender?<br />
A recent survey by the Guardian found that less than<br />
10% of adults under twenty four identify as Christian.<br />
Although statistics for older generations are always<br />
higher, the UK has seen an unprecedented decline in<br />
religion for every demographic over the past decade.<br />
In an age of cynicism, the concepts of God, Heaven<br />
and miracles really do seem out of reach. Perhaps the<br />
catastrophes of recent years have also contributed to<br />
our lack of belief: many people find it difficult to<br />
believe a God that would allow racism, gun crime,<br />
hurricanes and wildfires. It has also become<br />
increasingly evident in the past few years that younger<br />
generations tend to be more politically left-leaning;<br />
with recent campaigns, such as those for LGBT+<br />
rights, the values of Christianity can become to seem<br />
more than a little outdated. It’s safe to say that the UK<br />
is no longer the overwhelmingly Christian country it<br />
once was.<br />
And yet Christmas seems to be as grandiose an<br />
occasion as ever. Families of all ages and faiths<br />
engage in both Christian and commercial traditions.<br />
It’s not unusual to see people who do not identify as<br />
Christian attending hymn services, celebrating advent<br />
and reading the Christmas story, while in the same<br />
way most Christians enjoy events such as Black<br />
Friday, as well as commercial Christmas music and<br />
festive parties. Christmas has become a clumsy, but<br />
cheerful, amalgamation of religious ideas and general<br />
celebration...and most of the time, people from both<br />
sides seem pretty happy about it.<br />
However, every now and then a controversy arises<br />
that calls into question the place of this Christian<br />
festival in the twenty-first century. Such a thing<br />
occurred in 2015, when coffee chain Starbucks came<br />
under fire for their holiday cups design. <strong>The</strong> company<br />
are known for festive designs that show Christmas in<br />
a more traditional, elaborate way, so when they came<br />
out with a cup that was plain red some people were<br />
not pleased. Many American Christians became<br />
enraged with the company, claiming that the chain<br />
‘wanted to take Christ and Christmas off their cups’.<br />
Starbucks had no obligation to celebrate the season in<br />
a Christian way, and yet people felt entitled to this nod<br />
to traditional festive values. It is a Christian festival,<br />
but do companies still have a duty to acknowledge<br />
this?<br />
I’ve been singing hymns since September in choirs. At<br />
my CofE primary school I was praised for drawing<br />
Mary and Joseph instead of a bauble or a reindeer. It<br />
seems that the religious aspects of Christmas are still<br />
widespread, but that doesn’t mean they’re being<br />
forced upon people. You don’t need to be religious to<br />
appreciate Christmas’ original meaning.<br />
<strong>The</strong> question many people are frightened to ask is<br />
this: will Christmas live on as religion declines? <strong>The</strong><br />
festival is inextricably rooted in the Christian faith, but<br />
I, for one, believe it has a future regardless of religion.<br />
Christmas is so entwined in our winter culture that<br />
December would seem empty without it - imagine the<br />
month passing with no shopping, no build-up, no<br />
traditions.<strong>The</strong> festivities have now surpassed their<br />
Christian roots and become a cultural phenomenon all<br />
over the world.<br />
So what is the ‘message’ of Christmas today? For<br />
some, it definitely is about the birth of Jesus, and<br />
that’s wonderful. We certainly shouldn’t forget where<br />
all the celebrations came from. But for many people,<br />
Christmas is just a time for family, friends and<br />
festivities...and food. We should all be able to<br />
celebrate Christmas together, regardless of our<br />
personal views. So this year take a moment. Pause<br />
the holiday music (be it Wizzard or the King’s College<br />
choir) and find out what your Christmas is all about.
travel<br />
Welcome to Food and Travel - the best part of the magazine!<br />
Now, I know what you’re thinking- ugh boring! You don’t want to<br />
read about dull, old food and get jealous of people’s travels. But<br />
here you can join us; join us on our journeys across the globe,<br />
indulge in our delicious recipes, and learn how to make them<br />
yourself at home! Not only that: wondering where to travel next?<br />
What to eat next? Why, just read and find out; learn about exciting<br />
new cafes, or discover the truth about those places that are<br />
hyped up but you’ve never dared to try. Wondering where to go<br />
next summer? Or what you could do there? Why, just keep reading<br />
to find out about new places you could visit and the endless<br />
possibilities of things you can do there.<br />
Come along on our adventures across the world; come and<br />
taste some of our favourite meals; come and try the new places<br />
we love. Enjoy!<br />
4
Christmas Mince Pie<br />
Recipe<br />
By Miss Warren<br />
For the pastry:<br />
100g plain flour<br />
50g hard margarine<br />
3-4 tablespoons cold water<br />
To finish:<br />
½ jar mincemeat<br />
Caster sugar or icing sugar for topping<br />
Process<br />
Turn on oven to 180oC.<br />
Rub the margarine into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.<br />
Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time and mix to a soft but not sticky dough.<br />
Roll, cut out discs with the bigger pastry cutter and place in the cake tin.<br />
Place a tsp. of mixture into each one.<br />
Roll the remaining pastry, cut with a different cutter, place on top and bake<br />
for 20 mins until golden brown.<br />
To finish, sprinkle caster sugar or dust with icing sugar.
Kerry does<br />
York<br />
Who said you have to go abroad to go on holiday, when there are countless new and exciting<br />
destinations for you to discover just down the road! Well, a very long road in fact - the A1,<br />
which takes three to four hours to drive down. After a seemingly never-ending journey spent<br />
listening to 80s classics and getting stuck behind limitless amounts of lorries, we finally<br />
arrived in York.<br />
Our first day consisted of searching through all the delightful shops York had to offer, and<br />
discovering new fashions from all the designer brands. All we needed was a tea room and<br />
some cake - and that’s exactly where we went next. At the ‘Kitchen’ in Selby, we treated<br />
ourselves to a range of toasties, pancakes, salads, platters and much more, with the<br />
overwhelming variety of meals leaving our mouths watering. However, we were defeated - the<br />
monstrous meal sizes beating us all. After having to try our desserts of rich oreo cheesecake,<br />
irresistible rocky road, scrumptious scones and beautiful brownies, it didn’t take us long to<br />
get home. And just when you would think we’d be full enough, tea consisted of a quick trip<br />
down to the local pub to have a proper roast and a good old sing-song on the karaoke.<br />
Day Two - a trip to the coast! Down at Robin Hood’s Bay, after treating ourselves to another<br />
cup of tea, we took a morning stroll along the shore, shortly followed by a typical seaside<br />
picnic. Later, after stacking a few stones along the shore and strolling through the steep<br />
streets of the bay, it was time to jump back into the car and go to our next destination:<br />
Scarborough. By the time we got there, it was time for a classic ice cream on the beach,<br />
shortly followed by a chance to spend all our spare change (and then our notes) on the<br />
arcades. After an hour and a half of attempting the claw machine, spending our coppers on<br />
the slot machines, and, finally, gaining ourselves some wins, it was time to call it a day... and<br />
grab one more ice cream before our trip back.<br />
After another three hours of singing our hearts out and dancing in our seats, we were finally<br />
home; just goes to show that you don’t need to travel far to have a good holiday. Why not visit<br />
just the beautiful beaches of Britain or the captivating cities of our country and save yourself<br />
the hassle of airports and flight cancellations? Like I<br />
said: who needs to go abroad when there are so many<br />
diverse destinations right down the road!
By Owen Crisp
Politics
French voting ended<br />
nobody had won a m<br />
round of voting, whe<br />
fought for the role o<br />
these candidates w<br />
National Front (a p<br />
extremely right win<br />
Emmanuel Macron,<br />
candidate as he did n<br />
first time since<br />
implemented, an inde<br />
and Macron became t<br />
On the 8th of June,<br />
election, convinced<br />
Conservative majority<br />
safe to say that this b<br />
After failing to ev<br />
Conservatives were<br />
with the Democratic<br />
Northern Ireland. La<br />
Politi<br />
roundup<br />
Xavier St John<br />
A lot has happened t<br />
new ideas and people<br />
globally it has been a<br />
round-up of this year’<br />
American Elections<br />
On January 20th, Don<br />
as the 45th Preside<br />
America. His entire<br />
recognised as one<br />
possible, with a new<br />
every week. However,<br />
coping with their new<br />
economy is peaking,<br />
their president has se<br />
people. Only time wi<br />
Trump will be a strong<br />
his Twitter page me<br />
certainly a confident o<br />
French Elections<br />
British Elections
his year. Across the world,<br />
have become popular, and<br />
year of change. Here’s your<br />
s politics:<br />
ald Trump was inaugurated<br />
nt of the United States of<br />
election campaign was<br />
of the most controversial<br />
scandal popping up almost<br />
so far America seems to be<br />
president - the American<br />
and a feeling of respect for<br />
ttled amongst the American<br />
ll tell as to whether or not<br />
president for the US - but if<br />
ans anything, then he is<br />
ne..<br />
on the 23rd of April - but<br />
ajority. This led to a second<br />
re the top two candidates<br />
f French President. One of<br />
as Marine Le Pen of the<br />
arty similar to the BNP,<br />
g), and the other was<br />
who was an independent<br />
ot join any parties. For the<br />
this voting system was<br />
pendent party won the vote,<br />
he French Prime Minister.<br />
<strong>The</strong>resa May called a snap<br />
she could increase the<br />
in parliament - I think it’s<br />
ackfired on her MASSIVELY.<br />
en win a majority, the<br />
forced to form a coalition<br />
Unionist Party (DUP) of<br />
bour grew their share in<br />
parliament by a massive 32 seats, leaving May<br />
embarrassed and the government a lot weaker:<br />
not quite the result she was looking for.<br />
Brexit<br />
Last year, the UK voted to leave the EU. After<br />
failing to convince the public to vote remain,<br />
David Cameron resigned as prime minister, and<br />
<strong>The</strong>resa May stepped into the spotlight. This year,<br />
May has begun the long negotiations in Brussels,<br />
and it seems that she’s had a small amount of<br />
progress - emphasis on ‘small’. Juncker and the<br />
European Committee are proving to be tough, and<br />
May is arguing every single detail about Brexit.<br />
Slowly, the negotiations seem to be coming along<br />
- at least we’ve got until 2019 to figure out a deal<br />
with the rest of Europe.<br />
North Korea<br />
I think we all know who will be the focus for this<br />
section - Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un (I didn’t<br />
make that up, that’s his actual title in Korea). This<br />
year, North Korea have been testing their nuclear<br />
missiles, firing them over neighbouring countries<br />
like Japan and are also becoming increasingly<br />
aggressive to bordering South Korea, with whom<br />
they have been in a ceasefire since 1953. Are<br />
these signs of a new war brewing? Probably not.<br />
After all, North Korea has had nuclear weapons<br />
for about 11 years, and they haven’t used them -<br />
yet…<br />
Overall, it’s been a pretty crazy year. We live in a<br />
time of change: a time of new people with new<br />
agendas, and the world (and its leaders) has<br />
never been more diverse. Who knows what next<br />
year will be like?
<strong>The</strong> Big Debate<br />
By Katie Kirkpat-<br />
In November this year, I and seven other Year 11<br />
students took part in our school’s heats of local MP Lucy<br />
Frazer’s parliamentary debating competition. During the<br />
afternoon, we held two heated debates on the abolition of<br />
university tuition fees. ‘Points of interest’ (where you can<br />
interrupt another speaker to disagree with something<br />
they’ve said) flew as the English teachers watched and<br />
made cheers and gasps heard only at a football match.<br />
Eventually, Beth Buchan and I were announced as the<br />
winners. We were told that the final would be held in the<br />
House of Commons, and that we would be debating for<br />
the legalisation of all drugs.<br />
December 7th, the day of the final, came around<br />
alarmingly quickly. Soon enough, seven of us were piled<br />
into the school minibus with heavy bags full of chocolate,<br />
crisps, drinks… and notes of course. Arriving at the<br />
station, we met Miss Owen and Mr Nieuwoudt and<br />
purchased our tickets, breathing a sigh of relief - we<br />
were half an hour early. In the waiting room, we<br />
befriended a woman who told us stories of Soham<br />
teachers of days gone by: the school certainly has<br />
changed! <strong>The</strong> half-hour wait passed quickly, and we were<br />
soon on the train and ready to go.<br />
Just over two hours later, we pulled in to London King’s<br />
Cross. What followed was the most stressful part of the<br />
day - yes, even more stressful than the debate itself. I<br />
hate the tube so about six stops of it in rush hour<br />
sounded like hell to me. In reality, the tube itself wasn’t<br />
too bad; it was the jogging around the underground,<br />
desperately trying to keep the group together that was a<br />
little more difficult. Eventually, we saw the holy glow of<br />
daylight and stepped out into Westminster.<br />
As soon as we got above ground, the excitement was<br />
tangible. Buskers filled the London air with a cheerful<br />
buzz of Christmas carols, and festive lights were<br />
everywhere. Even the plane flying above us had flashing<br />
red and green lights to match the Christmas theme.<br />
Walking through the busy streets, it began to sink in that<br />
we were going to debate in the House of Commons.<br />
But before we could enter Parliament, there was<br />
security. Given the importance of the building itself and<br />
the people inside, we knew the security checks would be<br />
pretty intense, but it was still a little surreal. Just like at<br />
an airport, we had to take off anything metal and walk<br />
through a scanner. A jolt of fear ran through me as I<br />
beeped, but once the assistant had scanned my shoes<br />
(why shoes?) I was free to enter.<br />
Even just the walk to our committee room was an<br />
experience. <strong>The</strong> building was full of statues of political<br />
figures and enormous paintings, as well as the somehow<br />
both ominous and reassuring presence of police around<br />
every corner. It was particularly exciting to see our<br />
debate listed on huge screens that sit near to the<br />
Chamber.<br />
Adrenaline running, we were ready to start the debate.<br />
And yet we had to wait for an hour: some of the schools<br />
were running late; Beth and I were sat on the panel table<br />
for what felt like a day as we looked out at the stormy sea<br />
of faces before us. Eventually, everyone arrived and it<br />
was time to begin.<br />
Beth was the very first speaker of the event. She gave a<br />
fantastic argument, although sadly none of the opposition<br />
interjected; I enjoyed a lively debate with one of the<br />
Witchford students on peer pressure. Other points<br />
brought up included recovery, taxation and purity.<br />
Watching the second debate allowed us to engage with<br />
points that we hadn’t already considered. Some excellent<br />
arguments were given, and we particularly enjoyed when<br />
one student answered an interjection with “No. I Googled<br />
that, I’m definitely right.” Before the results were<br />
announced, Lucy Frazer opened the debate up to the<br />
floor, leading to a heated debate between King’s Ely and<br />
Impington over a battlefield metaphor… Luckily, Lucy<br />
told us it was time for the results before anything could<br />
get out of hand.<br />
First of all, the winning team of each debate was<br />
announced, and we were thrilled to find out we had won!<br />
<strong>The</strong> judge, BBC News correspondent Lucy Manning, then<br />
went on to declare the overall individual first, second,<br />
and third place. Impressed by some very well-planned<br />
speeches from the other schools, I was confident I hadn’t<br />
placed. You can imagine how shocked I was to be<br />
awarded joint first place! It was fantastic to sit back with<br />
the group and feel like I’d done the school proud.<br />
Once all the congratulations were over, we headed out of<br />
the committee room and towards the Chamber for a brief<br />
tour. It was really interesting to see a room where so<br />
many important decisions have been made.<br />
But once we left parliament and made our way back onto<br />
the tube, there was only one thing on everyone’s mind.<br />
Not success, not politics, but food.<br />
About half an hour later (at 9p.m., the time we were<br />
meant to be returning to Ely…) we walked into the<br />
fluorescent interior of McDonald’s. <strong>The</strong> scents of bland<br />
cheese and potent onion felt like a blessing, as many of<br />
us had not eaten since break or lunch. Four ice-creams,<br />
seven portions of fries, five cokes and one hundred<br />
chicken nuggets (yep, I did the maths) later, we finally<br />
boarded the train back to Ely.<br />
<strong>The</strong> following two hours were pure chaos. Between us,<br />
we consumed more food than I’ve probably eaten in the<br />
last year, while laughing at literally everything. <strong>The</strong> sugar<br />
high we gained from a super healthy combination of icecream,<br />
milkshakes, fizzy drinks, apple pie, Maoams and<br />
chocolate somehow managed to last the entire train<br />
journey - that, and the post-performance buzz from the<br />
debate. Climbing into my mum’s car afterwards felt like<br />
stepping back into the normal world after a day of<br />
London havoc.<br />
Overall, the debate was an incredible experience. <strong>The</strong><br />
event itself was very enriching, and gave everyone<br />
involved a sense of pride and accomplishment. It was<br />
also lovely to spend time with students in other classes<br />
and see the city for a day. Perhaps next time I go to<br />
London, though, I won’t buy quite as many chicken<br />
nuggets...
Political Poetry<br />
By David Makale na<br />
<strong>The</strong> last two weeks have been full of grief<br />
Labour vs Conservative; lots of beef<br />
Things have been said that insulted a few<br />
Hopefully they’ll join together and follow-through.<br />
Let’s start with Labour, down in Brighton<br />
Welcome Jeremy Corbyn: the Red Titan<br />
Back in May, Labour won a lot more<br />
Corbyn said that the Conservatives are done for.<br />
<strong>The</strong>resa May promised a ‘strong and stable’<br />
Britain<br />
<strong>The</strong> consequences look like that may have to be<br />
rewritten<br />
Coalition times have just begun now<br />
Labour has a good stance in Parliament. Wow!<br />
Jeremy presented the party as a place of unity<br />
‘Voting for us would be a great opportunity’<br />
<strong>The</strong> young are on board but the old not so much<br />
Discussions of Grenfell added a nice touch.<br />
<strong>The</strong> public supported the London disaster<br />
A Labour government would help out much faster<br />
If you're living in a house and paying rent<br />
Increasing prices is what Labour promises to<br />
prevent.<br />
Working will be improved too; soon you’ll have a<br />
bigger voice<br />
Under a Labour government, workers will have<br />
more choice<br />
Corbyn sent punches flying towards the Daily Mail<br />
Accusing them of making Labour seem frail.<br />
Now let’s turn to the elephant in the room; Brexit<br />
needs attention<br />
Labour vs Conservative; different methods, same<br />
tension<br />
Jeremy says that Labour are the only ones who<br />
can unite us<br />
Conservatives have no idea what they're doing,<br />
especially Liz Truss.<br />
Labour also promises to scrap the public sector<br />
pay cap<br />
Poor vs Rich; Labour pledges to reduce the gap<br />
University tuition fees are large and they terrify<br />
Corbyn wants to kick them away saying ‘Bye Bye!’<br />
All in all, Labour’s conference went okay although<br />
some would say excellent<br />
Corbyn made Conservatives look like they were<br />
covered in excrement<br />
But just a week later up in Manchester, <strong>The</strong>resa<br />
May fired back<br />
Trying to persuade Conservatives that she doesn’t<br />
deserve the sack.<br />
Tensions were high when May entered the room<br />
With a bad voice, negative thoughts continued to<br />
loom<br />
It was upsetting that from there, things just got<br />
worse<br />
Malfunctions and prankers; <strong>The</strong>resa was under a<br />
curse.<br />
Let's start with her policies, some quite important<br />
news<br />
Excuses for why back in May <strong>The</strong>resa did lose<br />
She said that her tagline was ‘too presidential’<br />
She did not realise that it would be so<br />
consequential.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Conservatives also promised to do a review of<br />
mental health<br />
To help absolutely everyone in the entire British<br />
Commonwealth<br />
<strong>The</strong>resa said she still has a desire to follow her<br />
policies through<br />
Thinking back to Cameron’s speech it sounds like<br />
déjà vu.<br />
May declared that more houses are going to be<br />
built<br />
To make sure that the British population does not<br />
begin to wilt<br />
Enticing them as well is a cap on expensive<br />
energy bills<br />
Giving people more money to spend on their<br />
thrills.<br />
Unlike Labour they are not going to cut tuition<br />
fees<br />
Later on in the speech <strong>The</strong>resa started to wheeze<br />
Her bad voice had broken her hard and things<br />
weren’t going well<br />
<strong>The</strong> collapsing background made sure that<br />
everyone else could tell.<br />
But then <strong>The</strong>resa May started to thrive<br />
Until a prankster handed her a P45<br />
Boris had been humiliated and <strong>The</strong>resa tried to<br />
recover<br />
<strong>The</strong>resa talked Brexit but there was nothing new<br />
to discover.<br />
<strong>The</strong> most important thing to take out of this<br />
speech was <strong>The</strong>resa’s active immunity<br />
Her main policies were forgotten; all she was<br />
trying to do was form unity<br />
Both parties had their problems; some of their<br />
speeches were like a dump<br />
But just be glad that our Prime Minister is not<br />
Donald J Trump.
Careers<br />
post 16<br />
As young people, we’re<br />
from what we’re eating<br />
teleportation will be inve<br />
We may not be able to<br />
<strong>Inkling</strong> we hope to shed<br />
We will be hearing from<br />
from a range of caree<br />
students about their adv<br />
No matter what pat<br />
next for you?
and<br />
always asking ‘what next?’. We want to know as much as we can,<br />
for supper to who will be the next American president, or when<br />
nted...<br />
predict major scientific breakthroughs, but in this section of <strong>The</strong><br />
a little light on the world that lies beyond Soham Village College.<br />
students at sixth-forms and university students, as well as adults<br />
r paths, in addition to as publishing articles from current SVC<br />
ice for and thoughts about the future.<br />
h you hope to take, we’ll be here to lend a helping hand. What’s
Part Time Jobs<br />
By Miss Boyle<br />
From supermarket shelves and Saturday sales to<br />
factory fun, I have had my fair share of part-time<br />
jobs. Now, for those of you who already are or will<br />
soon turn sixteen, it could be your turn.<br />
My employment history began at the ripe age of<br />
sixteen, working in Spar during the summer<br />
holidays and at weekends throughout the school<br />
year. In this job, I earned exactly £3.71/hr:<br />
practically slave labour! But, at that time, it felt<br />
great to receive a pay slip every week and know<br />
there was some money going into my bank<br />
account. <strong>The</strong> role I applied for was a Sales<br />
Assistant. This required me to be a jack of all<br />
trades… although, as it soon became clear, I was a<br />
master of none. Perhaps this was most obvious<br />
when the boss played a video of me serving a long<br />
queue of customers in a full staff meeting as an<br />
example of what not to do. Meanwhile, I sat redfaced<br />
in the middle of the room. For 10 months, I<br />
spent my weekends serving customers, re-filling<br />
the freezer, mopping floors and balancing as much<br />
bubble-gum ice-cream as possible on the top of<br />
wafer cones for excited eight year olds. By the end<br />
of the ten months the novelty of being a working<br />
girl, even if it was only a few hours each weekend,<br />
had worn off and I was relieved to escape to focus<br />
on A Levels.<br />
Fast forward one year and there I was, standing in<br />
an egg factory, pining for sunny Spar. I endured<br />
two long, joyless summer holidays packing eggs<br />
into boxes all day every day. Not the most eggciting<br />
job in the world! This is what happens when<br />
you let your mum find you a summer job and forget<br />
to make a back-up plan… two years in a row! <strong>The</strong><br />
best thing about working in an egg factory for two<br />
summers was that it made me determined to find a<br />
job which didn’t require me to wear a hairnet or<br />
egg-splashed white boots. Thankfully, working as a<br />
Sales Assistant in Jack Wills required neither. In<br />
fact, it was a holiday in comparison.<br />
<strong>The</strong> main perk of working in Jack Wills was free<br />
clothes and staff discounts. Every season I got to<br />
choose a brand new outfit to wear as uniform. On<br />
top of that, I could buy other clothes at 60% off. It’s<br />
safe to say my wardrobe (and the wardrobes of<br />
most of my friends and family) is to this day bulging<br />
with Jack Wills’ clothes. A typical day in Jack Wills<br />
could involve serving customers on the till, helping<br />
customers choose new outfits, manning the fitting<br />
rooms and, always, folding clothes. Every item of<br />
clothing had a specific way to folded so plastic<br />
folding boards became my new best friends. In<br />
retail, theft can be a big issue and, one day, I even<br />
managed to catch a thief who was trying to steal<br />
some sweatpants. I was the hero of the day. This<br />
was the only job I’ve ever been sad to leave.<br />
Having experienced a few, very different, part time<br />
jobs, I thought I could share some useful advice to<br />
ensure you make the most of your job.<br />
1. GET ON WITH IT<br />
Whether you’re surrounded by cracked eggs or<br />
some cracking staff discounts, embrace it.<br />
Chances are you won’t be working there forever<br />
so work hard – it makes time go faster! It will all<br />
be worth it when your bank balance begins to<br />
rise.<br />
2. EVERYONE FINDS IT TOUGH AT THE<br />
BEGINNING<br />
Starting a new job can be scary and strange.<br />
You probably won’t know many people, won’t<br />
know what you’re supposed to be doing and<br />
won’t be used to working long hours. Don’t<br />
worry - this is what everyone feels like when<br />
starting a new job. But it will get better. Soon<br />
you’ll be one of the team and find you could do<br />
your job with your eyes closed.<br />
3. BE ON TIME<br />
Punctuality is really important in a job. This is<br />
what school has been training you for all these<br />
years, so make sure you are on time and ready<br />
to work as soon as your shift begins. It looks<br />
good to employers and will keep you in their<br />
good books. <strong>The</strong> boss’ good books are a great<br />
place to be when you need a favour.<br />
4. MOST IMPORTANTLY, BE NICE<br />
You’re probably going to be spending a lot of<br />
time with your fellow employees. Make some<br />
friends, be nice to everyone and smile. As Bert<br />
Healey once said, ‘You’re never fully dressed<br />
without a smile.’ <strong>The</strong>se are the people you might<br />
need to cover or swap shifts with, so it’s in your<br />
best interest to be on good terms with them.
<strong>The</strong> Man, <strong>The</strong> Myth, <strong>The</strong> Legend:<br />
By Xavier St John<br />
Mr Burton is one of the Physics teachers at Soham -<br />
but he hasn’t always been a teacher. Here’s the<br />
biography that we’ve all been waiting for - the<br />
biography of Burton.<br />
Burton began his life surrounded by incredible<br />
people. His parents were well known to the scientific<br />
community, and Burton met his first Nobel Prize<br />
Winner at just 6 months old. As he grew up, he kept in<br />
contact with some of the smartest brains in Britain,<br />
occasionally even asking Nobel Prize winners for help<br />
with his homework - he was brought up surrounded<br />
by geniuses. At school, Burton was top of his class in<br />
science, and he went on to do a degree in Planetary<br />
and Space Physics.<br />
Due to his links to some of the smartest and most well<br />
-known people in science, when Burton was younger<br />
he had a summer job at the Laboratory of Molecular<br />
Biology in Cambridge. This was the start of Burton’s<br />
career in science, but even he probably couldn’t have<br />
guessed where it would take him. At the laboratory,<br />
Burton was introduced to John Sulston, who was<br />
setting up a place called the Sanger Institute (named<br />
after Frederick Sanger). Frederick Sanger was a<br />
smart guy - one of the only double Nobel Prize<br />
winners in history - and was very interested in<br />
sequencing DNA genomes. This basically means<br />
figuring out what makes you yourself - the specific<br />
chemicals that make up the genes to create you. <strong>The</strong><br />
Sanger Institute aimed to eventually sequence the<br />
first human genome, and Sulston was interested in<br />
working with Burton.<br />
Burton started working at the Sanger Institute when it<br />
officially opened in 1993. At this point, the Institute<br />
employed about fifty people. Burton began work as a<br />
Research Assistant, making things called ‘Terminator<br />
Bases’ (not like the killer robot). By 1998, the Sanger<br />
Institute had successfully sequenced a Nematode<br />
Worm, which became one of the first examples of a<br />
fully sequenced animal.<br />
Shortly after Burton’s success with the Nematode<br />
Worm, the Sanger Institute started working on<br />
sequencing humans - something nobody had ever<br />
successfully done before. By this time, the Sanger<br />
Institute had grown, and Burton now managed twenty<br />
members of staff. However, they weren’t the only<br />
people working to sequence humans. A second<br />
organisation, Celera Genomics, were also trying to be<br />
the first people to ever sequence a human genome:<br />
the race between Celera and Sanger had begun.<br />
Burton<br />
Celera Genomics was run by a man called Craig<br />
Venter, who was a biochemist but, more importantly, a<br />
businessman. Venter wanted to sequence the genome<br />
first so he could patent it. For those who don’t know<br />
what a patent means, it basically means that if<br />
anybody wanted to sequence a human genome in the<br />
future, they would - by law - have to pay Venter to do it.<br />
Burton was instead racing to make the scientific<br />
discovery, not to force people to pay for it. But once<br />
the Sanger Institute heard about Venter’s plan, they<br />
made it their goal to publish the genome worldwide so<br />
that it was impossible for Venter to patent it.<br />
In 1999, the first human chromosome was published.<br />
<strong>The</strong> chromosome was the first step to sequencing the<br />
whole genome, and guess who managed to publish it<br />
first? Burton! His team at the Sanger Institute had<br />
beaten Celera Genomics to the first hurdle, but still<br />
had a long way to go until they could finish the<br />
genome...two years, in fact. Venter had been working<br />
furiously, desperately trying to sprint past Burton’s<br />
team in the final stretch. He poured millions into the<br />
project - but Burton won. In 2001, the first ever human<br />
genome was released worldwide, preventing Venter<br />
from patenting it and effectively making the genome<br />
free to all. <strong>The</strong> race was over.<br />
Burton continued working at the Sanger Institute after<br />
this but after the genome race, the competitiveness<br />
had disappeared. He worked on sequencing more<br />
animals, but as his staff grew he was forced to sack<br />
some of his colleagues. This was never a position<br />
Burton wanted to be in, and a combination of losing<br />
friends at the Institute and the quieter, less<br />
competitive environment made Burton realise he<br />
didn’t enjoy it anymore, so moved onto his current<br />
career - teaching.<br />
Burton started working at Soham in 2014, and after<br />
many years of working in the fields of Biology and<br />
Chemistry he could finally use his degree in Planetary<br />
and Space physics to teach us about the wonders of<br />
the universe. As probably one of the nicest and<br />
quietest teachers I personally know, it’s almost<br />
unbelievable to think that he has accomplished so<br />
much in his life - who knows where it will take him<br />
next?<br />
Note from Mr Burton: some of this might be a bit<br />
exaggerated, but most of it is true!
Interview in Industry<br />
Katie Empett, Content Producer<br />
What attracted you to the profession?<br />
I used to really enjoy art, writing and performing. I never knew exactly what<br />
role I would end up in - I just wanted to be creative. <strong>The</strong> nature of the job<br />
itself is action packed, diverse, high-pressured, and a lot of hours - but also<br />
a lot of fun.<br />
How did you get into it? What did you need to do?<br />
I needed to go to college/sixth-form, where I studied History, Business<br />
Studies, English Literature and Drama. I used to really dislike writing<br />
essays and written exams and much preferred practical exams and<br />
performance. Regardless of this, my written communication skills and a<br />
can-do attitude were instrumental to getting into my profession. I had to<br />
fight for a place at university to study English and Drama (as I was slightly<br />
below the grades needed). Once there, I worked harder than I’d ever<br />
worked before and pushed myself to the max! All my work paid off and I<br />
obtained a first class qualification. <strong>The</strong> person that had been holding me<br />
back for so long was myself.<br />
How’s your average working day look?<br />
I get to work with various brands on a day to day basis. Whether this is<br />
Coca-Cola, Sony, Fanta, Dell, British Gas, PlayStation, or Tesco (to name a<br />
few), I produce all forms of advertising. My average day involves<br />
responding to briefs, constructing presentations, organising shoots,<br />
writing scripts, liaising with actors/talent and travelling all over the place.<br />
What is the best thing about your profession?<br />
Every day is different and no project is the same. Whether I’m creating<br />
videos for Facebook or producing print ads for a magazine, the work that I<br />
produce can sometimes go out to millions of people. It’s also a lot of fun<br />
bringing a production together. Shoots can be long and stressful, but I get<br />
to work with a lot of creative people and feel extremely rewarded at the end<br />
of every project.
Are there any drawbacks and, if so, how do you navigate them?<br />
Work is often thrown on me last minute and it can be extremely<br />
stressful and overwhelming at times. <strong>The</strong>re’s also a lot of pressure to<br />
not make a mistake. One slip-up could jeopardise a whole project.<br />
Also - while traveling can be fun - you miss out on fun things with<br />
family and friends.<br />
What advice could you give to someone who is interested in your field<br />
of work? How could they get ahead already?<br />
I was never the top in my class during school… but working hard,<br />
being confident and taking on challenges was what helped me to get<br />
ahead. Take on some work experience; build contacts; talk to people;<br />
set yourself a goal and don’t be shy of reaching it. Top marks look<br />
great on paper and will open a few doors initially, but showing people<br />
that you really want to work hard - that you’re enthusiastic and that<br />
you’re willing to succeed - is what ultimately makes the difference.
Year 11 Sixth Form applications<br />
Handbook<br />
Mock exams are over. No more exam pencil cases, revision sessions or frantic night-before<br />
cramming (until May…). You’d think that, for Year 11, December and January offer some respite.<br />
Sadly, however, it seems there is no break, as this time of year brings with it UCAS and the dreaded<br />
personal statement. So what’s it all about? How do we stay on top of it all? Here are some things to<br />
remember:<br />
1. Make sure you know what you want to do.<br />
It’s no use having top predicted grades or a glowing reference if you don’t know what to do with<br />
them! <strong>The</strong>re have been open evenings and talks since September for all the colleges and courses,<br />
but it’s not too late to find out what you need to know. Every sixth form centre has information about<br />
each of their courses on their website, and you can also download or order prospectuses. On top of<br />
this, there’s Mrs Earnshaw (the careers advisor) and your form tutor to help you out. I’m sure you’ve<br />
heard all this advice a million times but I’ll just repeat the most important, think about three things:<br />
what you enjoy, what you’re good at, and what you need for your future aspirations.<br />
2. Learn how to use the UCAS website.<br />
Almost all of your applications go through UCAS Progress, a website that makes the whole process<br />
a lot simpler; it’s also used for university applications. Once you understand the website it’s really<br />
easy to use, but it can be confusing at first. Essentially, there are three sections. You need to fill in<br />
your personal and contact details, personal statement and work history, which all fit into the Profile<br />
section. Teachers will then add your reference and predicted grades. As soon as all of that’s done<br />
you can apply: add courses as ‘Favourites’ in the search section and then go on to the Applications<br />
tab and select your colleges and courses. Your applications will be sent to the colleges as soon as<br />
your profile is approved and you click ‘Submit’.<br />
3. Walk away.<br />
Once your applications have been submitted, there’s nothing else you can do. Be satisfied with<br />
what you’ve sent; don’t open UCAS too often or obsess over spotting typos in your personal<br />
statement. Honestly, you’ll have a much better Christmas if you just forget about it all for a while.<br />
That said, don’t forget to check the website every now and then, and keep an eye on your emails as<br />
well; colleges will need to contact you about the next stage, which is...<br />
4. Interviews!<br />
...Or Guidance Meetings, as they are officially referred to as. Remember the day in Year 10 when we<br />
had to come into school in ‘interview clothes’? This is what that was for. Colleges will invite you to<br />
discuss your application with someone involved in the process, usually in February. Guidance<br />
meetings are nothing to worry about! <strong>The</strong>y’re just a chance to make sure you’ve made the right<br />
decisions with your courses and ask any questions you might have - it can be a good idea to think of<br />
questions in advance.<br />
5. Wait for offers.<br />
Most offers will be sent in March, so you’ll probably know where you’re going by the time you sit<br />
your GCSE exams. That said, if you’re results are notably lower or higher than predicted you might<br />
want to change college or course. Hills Road, for example, offer 100 post-results places in August<br />
for those who have done better than expected, so it’s never too late.<br />
Remember, no matter where you end up you’ve got a shot at success. All it takes is a bit of effort<br />
and determination. Good luck!
Sports
Sports can often be dismissed as competitive people running<br />
around trying to prove that they are better than each other,<br />
and I can understand why people think that. But I would<br />
argue that sports can be so much more.<br />
Sports can unify, inspire and change people’s lives in so<br />
many positive ways. Take the recent Invictus Games as a<br />
perfect example. Armed services personnel who have been<br />
wounded can use sport as a way to pull themselves through<br />
tough times and come out stronger: the word ‘Invictus’ itself<br />
is Latin for ‘unconquered and undefeated’. Although the<br />
athletes are competitive and want to win, they still all stand<br />
together. This was demonstrated when the American<br />
swimmer Tiana Lopez was cheered to the finish line by her<br />
fellow swimmers (who had already finished the race), thus<br />
showcasing the immense power sport holds.<br />
Sport can be escapism from some of the horrors shown by<br />
modern society. It can be what you hold on to when going<br />
through tough times; it can be a chance to push yourself<br />
further than you have gone before; it can be a chance to<br />
make new best friends that will be there with you for your<br />
whole life. It can be all of these things…<br />
Or it could just be a chance for you to have some fun.<br />
In this section you will see people talk about sports events all<br />
the way up from local matches to the biggest events in the<br />
sporting world, such as <strong>The</strong> Olympics or Football World Cup.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re will be sections introducing you to sports you may be<br />
unfamiliar with, and even articles about equality and the<br />
politics that are involved in all games. <strong>The</strong>re will something<br />
for everyone in this section: whether you’re a diehard sports<br />
fan or someone couldn’t care less about who wins what,<br />
there will be an article for you.<br />
Sport can be anything you want it to be for you. And that’s<br />
why I love it.
NFL Basics<br />
David Makalena<br />
You’ve probably heard of American Football (or NFL). What makes it different to normal Football though? Well I’m here to<br />
breakdown the basics so that you can join in this season with watching the NFL.<br />
Playing a match:<br />
If you think of rugby and how to play that sport, you’re not a million miles away from American Football. Two teams play<br />
each other, with 11 on each team allowed on the pitch at the same time. <strong>The</strong> game is made up of four quarters with a half<br />
time after the second quarter. <strong>The</strong>re are three parts of a team, an offensive, a defensive and a special team. <strong>The</strong> offensive<br />
is the most important part of any team, because it is how they score points (or touchdowns). This is where ‘the<br />
Quarterback’ plays which is what most people think of when they think of American Football. <strong>The</strong> game begins with a kick<br />
from one team to another so that the ball placement can be determined. From there, the offensive team has to work their<br />
way up the field to the end zone. When a team gets a player in the end zone with a ball in hand and two feet on the ground,<br />
the team wins a touchdown - worth 6 points. <strong>The</strong> team then goes on to shoot a field goal, like a conversion in rugby. If they<br />
kick the ball between the two posts, then the team scores an additional 1 point. When the team wins points, they flip<br />
possession of the ball and their defensive team comes on. <strong>The</strong> special team is used for field goals, punts and other special<br />
moves.<br />
That is the easiest way to describe American Football. However, we haven’t mentioned the most important and probably<br />
complicated part of American Football - Downs.<br />
Downs:<br />
In the NFL, you see yards painted onto the pitch - this is why. When a team starts their lineup to put the ball into play, they<br />
start with a ‘1st Down & 10’. This basically means that it is the team’s first chance to run forwards 10 yards from where the<br />
ball starts. If the team manages to gain 10 yards in their first throw, then it moves onto another ‘1st Down & 10’. If the team<br />
makes no progress, then it goes to ‘2nd Down & 10’. If the team makes progress but under 10, for example 7 yards, then<br />
the team would go to ‘2nd Down & 3’ (because 10-7=3) Still with me? <strong>The</strong> team has 4 chances to gain 10 yards and if they<br />
fail to, then the team loses possession and the ball is passed over to the other team. If they are over half of the pitch, then<br />
the team is in distance to score a field goal. When it comes to the ‘4th Down’, then the team can shoot a field goal<br />
conversion which is worth 3 points, but of course the further away it is, the harder it will be to gain points.<br />
Okay. Now that’s out the way. Good. That is honestly the most difficult part to understand but once you wrap your heads<br />
round it, then American Football is relatively straightforward.<br />
Penalties:<br />
As it is a full-contact sport, things have to get pretty extreme for there to be penalties. <strong>The</strong> most common are blockings,<br />
illegal contacts, offside and false start. <strong>The</strong>y are signalled by someone throwing a yellow flag on the pitch. I know, very<br />
sophisticated. <strong>The</strong>n, a referee with a headset, waves his hands a little and then decides whether the penalty was valid or<br />
not. If it was a penalty, then the team being charged is pushed back. That’s about it.<br />
<strong>The</strong> final thing to understand about the NFL, is how the it actually works. Why do certain teams play certain teams, and<br />
what leads up to the Superbowl.<br />
How does the NFL work?<br />
NFL stands for National Football League and is made up of two ‘conferences’, the NFC (National Football Conference) and<br />
the AFC (American Football Conference). <strong>The</strong>se are like this because the NFL was made by combining these two leagues.<br />
Imagine if they combined League One and League Two in Football into one League. Each conference is divided into North,<br />
South, East and West. <strong>The</strong>re are four teams in each division. This is just the basics.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are three seasons in the NFL. <strong>The</strong> preseason: which is where each team plays four games against other football<br />
teams so that football coaches can evaluate the team and see what needs to be done.<br />
Next is the regular season: which is where each team plays sixteen games, six of them against the three other teams in<br />
their division both home and away. Eight games are then played by a team against all other teams in a NFC division and an<br />
AFC division. <strong>The</strong> other two games are known as ‘intraconference games’ which is determined by the team’s position in<br />
last years league. If they came first in their division, then they would play two other first place teams. All of this is played<br />
over seventeen weeks with a team having at least one bye week.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n comes the postseason, the easiest part to understand. Six teams from each conference (the four winners of the<br />
divisions and two wild cards which are the teams with the best record) go into a head to head bracketing competition. <strong>The</strong><br />
first games are between the two wild cards and the fourth and third winners of divisions. <strong>The</strong> winners of those games then<br />
go on to play either the first or second winner of divisions. Finally, those two teams play and whoever wins that game,<br />
comes out on top as winner of the conference. <strong>The</strong> AFC Winner and the NFC Winner then go head-to-head in the<br />
Superbowl, to determine the best team of the year.<br />
And breathe. Well…. <strong>The</strong>re we go……. <strong>The</strong> NFL explained…… sort of. Basically, if you were to watch the NFL, then the<br />
more your team wins, the better. Wow, that was so much easier. Great. Thanks for reading.
On the British side of the Cham<br />
managed to pick up a surpris<br />
2017-<strong>The</strong><br />
Sporting Year<br />
Torin Fahey<br />
As 2017 is gradually coming to<br />
sporting moments that have<br />
curtain call for the career of o<br />
or evaluating the breakout yea<br />
it is time to reflect on all that ha<br />
Football<br />
In years to come, 2017 may b<br />
financial fair-play bubble co<br />
hundreds of millions of pound<br />
Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Go<br />
other clubs for around £80 m<br />
Catalan giants Barcelona to<br />
transfer record, with the Frenc<br />
Brazilian winger. Although mo<br />
game’ at an obscene rate for<br />
spent on TV rights to show m<br />
money per minute than most or<br />
of the previous transfer reco<br />
today’s absurd standards. As w<br />
Dembele and Kylian Mbappe a<br />
each to bring them to Barcelon<br />
players are aged only twenty a<br />
spent on players who have p<br />
warrants a potential transfer, b<br />
not even 21 has the potential of<br />
Additionally, the English nation<br />
some very steeping lows. Ma<br />
national team, was sacked am<br />
Eniola Aluko; other evidence<br />
bullying cases when he wa<br />
Regardless of the Sampson s<br />
managing to reach the semi-fin<br />
Meanwhile, the England unde<br />
respective world cup tournam<br />
19s European Championships<br />
Brewster and Dominic Solanke<br />
of a new golden age for Englis<br />
end up reaching no further tha<br />
for the next fifty years. Who kno<br />
Athletics<br />
This year saw the sun set<br />
entertainers and most iconic a<br />
career he accumulated 8 Olym<br />
golds, 6 World Records, 3 Olym<br />
the most electrifying sportsma<br />
go down in the history boo<br />
championships, which took<br />
Championships, felt...incomple<br />
Jamaican came third, with ca<br />
Justin Gatlin winning. <strong>The</strong> situa<br />
the world stage: the 4x100m<br />
pulled up from a muscle injur<br />
baton, rendering him unable to<br />
nearly every competitive event<br />
career on a bronze and a D<br />
would’ve capped off the stor<br />
athletics isn’t fiction: althoug<br />
serves the natural evolution o<br />
future…
a close, we can look back on the major<br />
happened this year. Whether it be the<br />
ne of the greatest sport stars of all time,<br />
rs of the newest batch of potential icons,<br />
s happened in the strange year of 2017.<br />
e looked back on as the year when the<br />
mpletely burst, leading to a flood of<br />
s spent per player. Paul Pogba, Gareth<br />
nzalo Higuain had all been transferred to<br />
illion each. Neymar’s move from the<br />
PSG obliterated Pogba’s £89 million<br />
h side paying around £198 million for the<br />
ney has been poured into ‘the beautiful<br />
the past few decades now (with billions<br />
atches and some players earning more<br />
dinary people earn a year), the doubling<br />
rd just feels like… too much, even by<br />
ell as Neymar, French players Ousmane<br />
lso had over £100 million spent on them<br />
a and PSG respectively. <strong>The</strong>se final two<br />
nd eighteen. To have that much money<br />
layed very well in competitive leagues<br />
ut the amount of cash spent on players<br />
alienating many fans of the sport.<br />
al team saw some impressive highs and<br />
rk Sampson, manager of the women’s<br />
idst allegations of racism against striker<br />
was also coming out about systematic<br />
s a coach at Bristol City Academy.<br />
ituation, England managed to impress,<br />
als before eventually losing to Holland.<br />
r 20s and under 17s both won their<br />
ents, and the under 19s won the under<br />
. Players such as Phil Foden, Rhian<br />
have all shown major potential to be part<br />
h football. Or alternatively, we might just<br />
n the last sixteen of major tournaments<br />
ws?<br />
on the career of one of the greatest<br />
thletes of all time. Over the course of his<br />
pic gold medals, 11 World Championship<br />
pic Records and became recognised as<br />
n ever to compete. Usain Bolt will surely<br />
ks as one of the best, but his final<br />
place in London at the World<br />
te. To summarise; in the 100m final, the<br />
reer-long rival and former drug cheat<br />
tion only worsened in Bolt’s final race on<br />
relay. Much to the crowd’s dismay, he<br />
y almost straight after he received the<br />
finish the race. For a man who has won<br />
he ran in, it was a real shame to see his<br />
NF, instead of the retirement win that<br />
y of his perfect career. Nevertheless,<br />
h the ending may have been harsh, it<br />
f the future of sport. Speaking of the<br />
fending off a top-level US team and Bolt and former World Champion<br />
Yohan Blake running for Jamaica. <strong>The</strong> British 4x100 women's team also<br />
picked up an impressive silver medal, with all four sprinters putting in a<br />
fantastic performance to beat the Jamaican team (which contained 6<br />
time Olympic medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce).<br />
Golf<br />
<strong>The</strong> big story from the golf world this year was Sergio Garcia, an 18-<br />
year veteran of the golf majors, who finally won the Masters after 73<br />
failed attempts at winning a major. Although he finished in the top 10 of<br />
22 of those 73, he never quite sealed the deal. Nevertheless, he<br />
persevered and finally got the big championship win on the birthday of<br />
his personal hero and golf legend Seve Ballesteros.<br />
Cycling<br />
Chris Froome continued his dominance of the Tour De France, picking<br />
up his fourth win in one of the toughest and most iconic courses out<br />
there. However, in the post-Armstrong age where doping scepticism is<br />
at an all-time high questions have again resurfaced about whether the<br />
Team Sky rider is taking performance-enhancing drugs; this would<br />
explain how Froome is always able to bounce back from any setbacks<br />
he experiences. This year did see him face more setbacks than usual<br />
though, as Froome lost his lead of the race after Stage 12 of 22 to Italian<br />
rider Fabian Aru, although the Brit regained the Yellow Jersey two<br />
stages later. Beyond Froome, fellow Brit Simon Yates won the White<br />
Jersey (awarded to the best performing cyclist under 26) following in<br />
the footstep of his twin brother Adam who won it in 2016.<br />
Tennis<br />
Although Andy Murray held the number one spot in the world rankings<br />
for eight months, the Scot didn’t make it further than the semi-finals of<br />
any of the major opens, leaving the two-time Wimbledon winner with a<br />
disappointing year. Instead, 2017 proved to be the year of Johanna<br />
Konta, who managed to make the semi-finals of Wimbledon, win the<br />
Miami Open and beat World Number 1 Angela Kerber. With Murray,<br />
Konta and youth prospects such as Kyle Edmund on the rise, a new<br />
golden age of British tennis might just be on its way.<br />
Rugby<br />
<strong>The</strong> annual Six Nations tournament came around again this year.<br />
Reigning champions England were the team to lift the trophy, but they<br />
were denied the Grand Slam as Ireland beat them in the final game:<br />
Jonathan Sexton, who successfully scored two penalties and one<br />
conversion won Ireland the game. Wales had a very poor tournament,<br />
only coming fifth ahead of Italy, a team who have come last in the<br />
tournament 66% of the time.<br />
<strong>The</strong> England Women’s Rugby Team also had a very successful year,<br />
reaching the final of the world cup in aim of retaining the crown they<br />
won three years ago. Unfortunately, they eventually lost to New Zealand<br />
41-32 in the final.<br />
Formula 1<br />
After losing to Nico Rosberg last year, Lewis Hamilton won race after<br />
race, ending the season as the most successful British driver of all time.<br />
This year the main competition was not coming from a Mercedes<br />
teammate as per usual: Valtteri Bottas had a good season, but didn’t do<br />
quite well enough to be a serious title contender. A Ferrari resurgence,<br />
however, especially from Sebastian Vettel, gave Hamilton fierce<br />
competition for much of the season.<br />
pionships, the men’s 4x100 relay team<br />
ing gold in a strongly contested field,
SVC Sports Round<br />
Gemma Bridges<br />
Since the sporting events of the first half term, which included hockey and foo<br />
additions to the activities people can do at school.<br />
One of these events has been the house hockey and football matches for Year<br />
were played across two lessons for each year and everyone had a brilliant time<br />
well-worked goals scored. What better thing to do in the run up to Christmas - it’s<br />
As the matches took place just before the first mornings of frost when people jou<br />
was amiable: some rays of sunlight found their way through the clouds, altho<br />
quite windy.<br />
Rugby is also still a sport widely played after school, and there are coach<br />
Cambridge’s clubs to help out, especially with the girls. Hopefully there will s<br />
experience a full game of rugby.<br />
Over two PE lessons for each year, the annual cross country took place ac<br />
Triangle’ course… to many people’s disappointment. Yet for some it was enjo<br />
cross country competition at Netherhall school, for those who have made<br />
Tuesday 5th December, and everyone hopes that it will be a great success.<br />
As the hours of the day get shorter, hockey has stopped due to the darkness, as<br />
another contributing factor. However, sometime after half term netball will start<br />
for the boys.
Up<br />
ball, there have been many<br />
7, 8, 9 and 10. <strong>The</strong> matches<br />
, with many impressive and<br />
not that far away now!<br />
rney to school, the weather<br />
gh some of the days were<br />
es coming in from one of<br />
on be a match for them to<br />
ross the infamous ‘Muddy<br />
yable; there will be district<br />
he cross country team on<br />
well as DofE sessions being<br />
up again, as well as a sport
Svc Event
s<br />
When we announced that there would be a school<br />
magazine, many of you probably shared the same thought:<br />
‘Oh no! What if I’m in one of the pictures?’. Welcome, one<br />
and all, to the part of the magazine where you are most<br />
likely to see yourself.<br />
However, seeing yourself might not be such a catastrophe.<br />
Sure, you might be mentioned in an article, or find a photo<br />
of yourself accompanying a report of something you were<br />
involved in. But seeing yourself is important. We all like to<br />
relate to what we’re reading, and in this section we will be<br />
publishing the thoughts of students just like you.<br />
We will be covering everything to do with the school itself.<br />
Here, you will find reports and reviews on school<br />
showcases, exhibitions, musicals, plays, sports matches<br />
and trips. We’ll be giving you the student-perspective on<br />
daily life at SVC: what we really think about our<br />
experiences and opportunities. <strong>The</strong>re will also be articles<br />
about changes made to the school, and reflective pieces<br />
on the education we’re receiving.<br />
But in order to paint a representative picture of life as a<br />
Soham student, we need all of you. Have you taken part in<br />
a performance? Lead an activity for younger students or<br />
started attending a new club? Perhaps you went on a<br />
particularly exciting school trip or have a lot of thoughts<br />
about GCSE choices? This is your chance to tell your story<br />
- so let’s tell it!
Despite Poland’s fr<br />
began an assault o<br />
it to the Polish go<br />
years later he was<br />
the 1990s.<br />
Born in Austria, La<br />
aged 18, she marr<br />
weapons across th<br />
concepts that had<br />
marriage by movin<br />
took her to Americ<br />
Despite her succe<br />
attractive next to a<br />
controlled torpedo<br />
or jammed after w<br />
US Navy did not a<br />
1960s, with the thr<br />
<strong>The</strong> work that Lam<br />
posthumously indu<br />
Famo<br />
embo<br />
Witold Pilecki, 190<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Auschwitz Vo<br />
Prisoner 4859 was<br />
and reporting vita<br />
outside of their w<br />
combating German<br />
to disrupt the hold<br />
one another, to se<br />
divisions to take ov<br />
ZOW provided valu<br />
assemble from sm<br />
rescue attempt –<br />
liberation of the ca<br />
Hedy Lamarr, 1914<br />
"<strong>The</strong> World's Most<br />
Both Lamarr and P<br />
Two, despite pers<br />
much a they did.
Mr and Ms PRIDE<br />
us figures throughout time that<br />
dy our PRIDE values.<br />
1-1948<br />
lunteer”.<br />
the odd one out at Auschwitz; Pilecki had purposely let himself get arrested in 1940 with the sole intent of infiltrating the camp<br />
l information back to Western allies about its existence and purpose. Little was known about the atrocities of death camps<br />
alls and intelligence was necessary in liberating and locating them. As part of the Polish resistance, Pilecki insisted on<br />
power and saw Auschwitz as a target. Having been imprisoned, he set up ZOW (Union of Military Organisation) which sought<br />
of Nazi officers at the camp; its goals were to keep the spirit and morale of inmates up, to pass news from the outside world to<br />
cretly gather clothes and food to share, to pass intelligence outside of the camp to Polish resistance groups, and to prepare<br />
er the camp if it were breached by outside forces.<br />
able information. From 1942, reports were broadcast from inside the camp using a radio transmitter that had taken months to<br />
uggled parts. However, frustrated at the lack of action from outside forces, Pilecki broke out of the camp to force through a<br />
he was unsuccessful in convincing the resistance, though Germany surrendered within two years, finally resulting in the<br />
mp’s prisoners.<br />
eedom from Nazi occupation, it was still under the grip of Soviet Russia. Pilecki, forever dedicated to his homeland’s freedom,<br />
n Stalin’s rule. In October 1945, Pilecki was assigned an undercover mission to gather intelligence about Soviet rule and send<br />
vernment-in-exile. Most resistance soldiers were offered safe passage to escape Soviet prosecution; Pilecki declined. Two<br />
arrested and sentenced to death for his work. Due to Soviet censorship, Pilecki’s work was not made public knowledge until<br />
-2000<br />
Beautiful Woman".<br />
marr was instantly signed by studios in the 1920s for her impressive beauty and began featuring in their films. In 1933, only<br />
ied an Austrian military arms dealer and munitions manufacturer; he rubbed shoulders with Hitler and Mussolini, supplying<br />
e borders. Over dinner, Lamarr was privy to scientific and strategic discussions about military technology, introducing her to<br />
been closed off to her due to her gender. Lamarr was not happy in the marriage and, four years later, she escaped her<br />
g to Paris. She immediately landed a contract with a talent scout who billed her as “the World's most beautiful woman" and<br />
a, where Lamarr starred in numerous films - Hollywood was entranced.<br />
ss, Lamarr was unsatisfied with the lack of challenge in her roles. She was given little dialogue, often cast only to look<br />
leading man. She took up inventing things to occupy her mind between takes. During World War II, Lamarr heard that radioes<br />
could be easily jammed, causing them to go off course. She pioneered a frequency-hopping signal that could not be tracked<br />
orking with composer George Antheil. Though this used innovative spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology, the<br />
dopt it for widespread use. <strong>The</strong>y were sceptical about inventions from outside of their own military units. It was not until the<br />
eat of the Cuban Missile Crisis, that they incorporated the technology into their ships.<br />
arr carried out formed the base principles of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology that are in use today. As such, Lamarr was<br />
cted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.<br />
ilecki used their skills to fight for good, whilst maintaining integrity. <strong>The</strong>se two figures helped out their countries in World War<br />
onal risks and boundaries, in very different but equally impressive ways: we should all strive to embody the PRIDE values as
You
Would you rather …? With Mr G<br />
Heaney<br />
By Xavier St John an d David Makale na<br />
We asked Mr Heaney (the Lord of L13) to answer our ‘Would you rather…?’ questions and,<br />
after persuading him to move away from his work and take part in our wacky interview,<br />
we’re happy to say that he gave some great answers to some stupidly made-up questions.<br />
Xavier: So sir, first question. Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized<br />
duck?<br />
Mr Heaney: Hmm, I think pretty easily it would be 100 duck sized horses because you could<br />
just boot them away. Easy.<br />
Xavier: Okay then. Next question. Would you rather sweat golden syrup or cry ketchup?<br />
Mr Heaney: Ew, neither is great. But I guess it would be crying ketchup. I’m not a fan of<br />
sweet stuff so being covered in it would be horrible.<br />
Xavier: Makes sense. Would you rather only eat kale or only drink Irn Bru for the rest of your<br />
life?<br />
Mr Heaney: Kale as in the green vegetable? I love kale so much. I would happily eat kale for<br />
the rest of my life. I put it in soup all the time. My kids have kale in their soup and they don’t<br />
even know it. It’s great stuff!<br />
Xavier: Didn’t know you had such a passion for it! Now, would you rather go back in time 5<br />
mins or travel 30 mins into the future?<br />
Mr Heaney: Now I know you think that I’m gonna pick the 5 mins in the past because I’m a<br />
historian but it’s far too insignificant so I’ll have to pick 30 mins in the future. It would be a<br />
lot more interesting.<br />
Xavier: Okay, finally then... Would you rather be locked in a room for an hour with all the<br />
drama teachers or all the maths teachers?<br />
Mr Heaney: This is actually really hard. Hmm…..I guess it would be the drama teachers. No<br />
disrespect to the maths department but the drama teachers would probably be more fun<br />
and it would be a lot more exciting.<br />
Xavier: And there we go sir! Thanks for answering our questions.<br />
Mr Heaney: I’ll always make time to ask questions like that. <strong>The</strong> wackier the better!<br />
Did you agree with Mr Heaney’s picks? Would you have gone wildly different? On the next<br />
page is a list of other would you rather questions compiled for your pleasure. See you next<br />
time where we quiz another teacher on some absurd questions.<br />
If you have any question suggestions or a particular teacher you would like us to quiz,<br />
please email:<br />
xstjohn8004@sohamcollege.org.uk<br />
or<br />
dmakalena7922@sohamcollege.org.uk
You
Would you rather …?<br />
by Jorja Furze & Pia Sargent<br />
- Would you rather meet an alien or<br />
become an unicorn?<br />
- Would you rather eat a cake or<br />
become a cake?<br />
- Would you rather be a sad rainbow or<br />
a happy cloud?<br />
- Would you rather always be 10<br />
minutes late or 20 minutes early?<br />
- Would you rather see 10 minutes of<br />
your past or 10 minutes of your future?<br />
- Would you rather meet a Disney<br />
character or meet Walt Disney?<br />
- Would you rather control fire or
An Uplifting<br />
By Jenn<br />
As part of helping the soon-to be-Year 7s make their transition fro<br />
Maths departments organised their annual Primary STEM week. W<br />
saw Year 6 students from a variety of local schools participating in<br />
the younger students to contribute to work in these fields in the futu<br />
<strong>The</strong> first activity involved teams competing in a ‘Round the World’<br />
and hints for the further tasks.<br />
After a quick break, which allowed students from different school<br />
older students helped to widen the Year 6s’ knowledge of forces,<br />
part of the fun and given that one STEM leader described the v<br />
younger students an idea of what our school’s all about’, the activit<br />
Before the grand finale, students were asked to create a transpo<br />
technology and engineering activities. Airplanes, helicopters and<br />
ideas and refining designs. <strong>The</strong> contraption that soared the furthe<br />
‘Most Creative Flying Machine’ and the ‘Most Spectacular Crash’.<br />
It was not only students that contributed to the activities though: e<br />
schools enter into the competitive spirit with adventurous and cre<br />
rankings.<br />
Miss Knight, the mastermind behind the event, described it as ‘ex<br />
that really surprised me!’<br />
All in all, the week was a great success and lots of fun for everyone
STEM Week<br />
y hall<br />
m primary school to secondary, the Science, Technology, and<br />
ith the help of STEM leaders from Years 8, 9 and 10, the week<br />
team challenges and creative tasks in the hope of encouraging<br />
re.<br />
Maths quiz, flying from country to country to receive answers<br />
s to mix, a Science in Action activity was organised where the<br />
propulsion and balance. Uncontrollable flying balloons were all<br />
arious science practicals as ‘great opportunities to give the<br />
y was clearly a huge success.<br />
rtation device that solved a series of problems as part of the<br />
other air vehicles took to the skies in the process of testing<br />
st was celebrated, but on top of this there were awards for the<br />
ach day of STEM week saw the teachers of the various primary<br />
ative designs… though sadly not always scoring highest in the<br />
citing’ and said that ‘Year 6 came up with some amazing ideas<br />
involved!
Maths Ch<br />
By Miss Afford
allenge<br />
Got the answer?<br />
See Miss Afford in<br />
G2 to enter a prize<br />
draw if you are<br />
correct!
SVC EVENTS recap<br />
<strong>The</strong> Christmas term is always a particularly busy time<br />
at Soham. Here’s what we’ve been getting up to since<br />
the last issue…<br />
Throughout the term: Rehearsals started in earnest for<br />
the school musical, ‘Oliver!’ and plays, ‘<strong>The</strong> Blue<br />
Electric Wind’ and ‘A Twist in Time’. Students met<br />
castmates in all years and were able to get stuck into<br />
theatre.<br />
26th-28th October: Many SVC students took part in<br />
Viva Youth <strong>The</strong>atre’s production of Beauty and the<br />
Beast at the Performing Arts Centre. <strong>The</strong> show earned<br />
some fantastic reviews, particularly for the leading<br />
performances of Soham students Torin Fahy as the<br />
Beast, Phyllida Hickish as Mrs Potts and Callum Moffat<br />
as Cogsworth.<br />
Throughout October & November: Year 11 students<br />
had the opportunity to attend open evenings at a<br />
variety of local sixth form colleges. It was helpful for all<br />
to find out more about the options we have to choose<br />
from for the next stage of our education.<br />
2nd November: Performing arts students from all years<br />
travelled to Conservatoire East to watch their<br />
production of the musical ‘Godspell’. <strong>The</strong> show was<br />
enjoyed by all and certainly pushed the audience out of<br />
their comfort zone. <strong>The</strong> trip was also helpful to KS4<br />
students considering the conservatoire as their Post-<br />
16 destination.<br />
2nd-23rd November: With the arrival of November<br />
came the arrival of the ever-feared Year 11 mock<br />
exams. As much as it was certainly a stressful month<br />
for everyone, our hard work proved to be worth the<br />
effort when we were rewarded with our desired<br />
grades.<br />
10th November: Our Senior Six team (Head Girl Charley<br />
Game, Head Boy Luke Vanderstay and their four<br />
deputies) were presented with their brand new<br />
amethyst ties.<br />
10th November: Soham welcomed local MP Lucy<br />
Frazer to adjudicate the heats of her Parliamentary<br />
Debating competition. Eight Year 11 students debated<br />
the abolition of tuition fees, while being judged by Lucy<br />
and Head of School Mr Hampson. <strong>The</strong> two winners<br />
were Katie Kirkpatrick and Beth Buchan.<br />
13th November: <strong>The</strong> Resistant Materials department<br />
opened its doors for the Bright Futures event, a<br />
showcase of the Year 11 lamps project.<br />
17th November: <strong>The</strong> school held its annual non-uniform<br />
day to raise money for Children in Need. Over seventy<br />
students also took part in a sponsored Danceathon!<br />
19th November: Local Viva Youth <strong>The</strong>atre held their<br />
annual awards ceremony. This year the special guest<br />
was ‘Eastenders’ star John Partridge. Success aplenty<br />
was had by SVC students for their performances and<br />
commitment throughout the year, with prizes going to<br />
Siobhan Fordham, Callum Moffat, Katie Kirkpatrick and<br />
Phyllida Hickish.<br />
23rd November: Following heats that involved over fifty<br />
students, the PAC played host to the grand final of<br />
Soham’s Got Talent. <strong>The</strong> twenty-four finalists provided<br />
a huge amount of variety, with acts ranging from<br />
majorettes to a capella and from ballet to rollerskating.<br />
<strong>The</strong> overall winner Tom Kay astounded<br />
audiences with a drumming performance to ‘Kings and<br />
Queens’ by 30 Seconds to Mars.<br />
23rd November: Year 9 student Jenny Hall was<br />
announced as winner of the annual school Christmas<br />
card design competition. Packs of cards with her<br />
design are now being sold to raise money for Ely Food<br />
Bank.<br />
28th November: GCSE Music students travelled to<br />
London to watch two mini-operas at the Royal Opera<br />
House. <strong>The</strong> trip opened our musicians eyes to a genre<br />
of music we don’t hear very often and it was also an<br />
opportunity to appreciate the building’s amazing<br />
architecture.<br />
Throughout December: For many students, lunchtimes<br />
began to fill up with rehearsals for the annual Carol<br />
Concert in Ely Cathedral. <strong>The</strong> performance, which will<br />
take place on the 13th December, will involve students<br />
in all years as well as ex-students, teachers, parents<br />
and friends. Audiences this year can look forward to<br />
performances ranging from flute and saxophone solos<br />
to a variety of choirs, including a performance from the<br />
whole of Year 7.<br />
Tuesday 5th December: Musical students were offered<br />
the chance to travel to Cambridge and watch the<br />
rehearsal of the famous King’s College Carol Concert.<br />
<strong>The</strong> concert, which will be broadcast on BBC 2 on<br />
Christmas Eve, left students feeling festive, and it was<br />
definitely exciting to see such an impressive choral<br />
performance.<br />
Thursday 7th December: Soham Village College held<br />
our annual Over 60s Christmas Lunch. <strong>The</strong> visitors ate<br />
their Christmas dinner, provided by the canteen, and<br />
then made their way over to the Performing Arts Centre<br />
to watch a preview performance of the school Carol<br />
Concert.<br />
Thursday 7th December: <strong>The</strong> two finalists, as well as<br />
five students who competed in the heats, travelled to<br />
the House of Commons for the final of Lucy Frazer’s<br />
Parliamentary Debating competition. Having travelled<br />
to London, Katie and Beth debated the legalisation of<br />
drugs with finalists from other local schools. Excitingly,<br />
our two finalists’ team won their debate and Katie was<br />
announced as joint overall winner. <strong>The</strong> whole group<br />
also had the chance to see the Chamber.
An Apology<br />
from <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong><br />
Unfortunately in the previous issue a few journalists were<br />
not credited for their articles. We at <strong>The</strong> <strong>Inkling</strong> want to<br />
make sure everybody gets the recognition they deserve,<br />
and so we have decided to credit them here. Why not<br />
have a look back at the previous issue and re-read these?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Let’s Talk Trash By Gemma Bridges<br />
2001: A Space Odyssey: Review by David Makalena<br />
‘Silence Isn’t Always Good’ by Gemma Bridges<br />
‘Hometown Chapter One: Yellow’ by Katie Kirkpatrick<br />
Why do we still have the concept of guilty pleasures?<br />
by Katie Kirkpatrick<br />
Our Summer Travels by Jorja Furze & Pia Sargent<br />
Year 11 Survival Handbook by David Makalena<br />
Houses by Lorna Gillings and Andrea Booth
<strong>The</strong> Ink<br />
<strong>Volume</strong> 3: S
ling<br />
pring 2018