15.12.2020 Views

TheHive25 Colour

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

THE

HIVE

COLOUR

ISSUE 25 | December 2020 | http:// https://firefly.fettes.com/thehive

BY PUPILS ・ BY PUPILS ・ FOR PUPILS


Hello!

‘To learn from the bad days, yet not let them characterise us.’

Clara Johnson explores the four colours of human existence, pgs. 12-13

CONTENTS

2-3: Understanding BLM – Alice explains

the importance of the movement in the U.S.

4-5: Red Scare – Zuena takes us on a tour of

Communism.

6-7: Blind Justice – Amelia asks just how

impartial the British justice system is.

7-8: True Colours – Bella reveals the colour

choices behind the British political parties.

8-10: Black Books – Georgie tells us why

book covers do matter.

10-11: Glorious Technicolour – Louis

dives into the cinematic world of colour.

14: Mud and Blood – Anna presents a short

history of colour at Fettes.

19-21: Cup of Tea? – Gemma and Ella

present your tea-based predilections.

22: Matron Magenta – she’s back and ready

to answer your questions.

EDITORIAL

The first issue of 2020

has arrived!

I don’t need to tell

you all that this has

almost certainly been

one of the strangest and

darkest years of our

lives. But I take comfort,

as one of my tutees said

to me, that everyone

experiences one great

crisis in their lifetime –

this is ours.

Undeterred by the

altered landscape of a

Covid Fettes, there’s a

new team in town and

they are brilliant! Their

suggestion of ‘Colour’,

for this edition, has been

a great catalyst and

inspiration for a great

variety of articles.

If you’re burning

with passion to have

your voice heard, then

next term is a great

opportunity to join the

team! If you’re in the

Lower or Upper Sixth,

you can join us on

MONDAYS at

4.30PM in CF9 or

send me an email!

We sincerely

hope that you’re

enjoying all of the

content provided by our

industrious writers but

remember that you can

always give us your

thoughts and feedback:

vp.chandler@fettes.com

All the very best,

▉ VPC

The Hive is the Fettes College student newspaper. It is run by Ms Chandler with the help of her

dedicated team. All of the articles are written by pupils and geared towards pupils. The Hive

survives with the invaluable support of Mrs Harrison and the English Department.

This issue contains 11,275 words and is edited by Ms Chandler. Our dedicated Hive team is:

Ella Andrews • Fergus Bolton • Bella Buchanan-Smith • Flora Ferguson • Anna Fox • Emma

Harper • Davina Halford-Macleod • Clara Johnson • Zuena Kanja • Kai Lewis • Gemma

Morris • Simi Olukoko • Georgina Parbrook • Alice Phillips •

Louis Russell • Amelia Tough •

Please feel free to message us at https://firefly.fettes.com/the-hive or email vp.chandler@fettes.com if you

wish to have your say on any of the articles or would like to offer any feedback to our journalists (in a

constructive manner!).

Please recycle your copy when you have finished with it!


MISCONCEPTIONS

ABOUT THE

BLACK LIVES

MATTER

MOVEMENT IN

THE USA

While many politicians,

particularly conservative

ones, have branded the

Black Lives Matter

Movement and the

protesters involved in it

as ‘thugs’, the reality is

extremely different.

According to a study

done by The Armed

Conflict Location &

Event Data Project

(ACLED), approximately

93% of BLM protesters

have been peaceful. There

were over 7,750

demonstration for the

Black Lives Matter

movement between May

26 and August 22, 2020.

The initial protests were

triggered by the death of

George Floyd, but they

continued to spark up in

the wake of the multitude

of black deaths caused by

the police. Allies of the

BLM movement are

calling for the

dismantling and

reformation of the police

department, seeing as

systemic racism is

embedded into its

foundations. Police

brutality in commonplace

in the United States,

particularly in regard to

people of colour, mainly

towards members of the

black community.

Racial bias can be

clearly seen as motivation

for said brutality, as

demonstrated by the

difference between

how the Kenosha, WI

police department

treated an unarmed

black man, versus how

they treated a white

teenager - illegally -

carrying a Smith and

Wesson AR-15. While

the officers who

murdered Jacob Blake

were called to split up

a dispute between two

white women, a fight

that Blake was

attempting to break

up, they focused on

him and proceeded to

shoot him seven times

in the back at point

blank range, as he

tried to get into his

car. On the other hand,

Kyle Rittenhouse, the

17-year-old, crossed

state lines from his

home of Antioch,

Illinois with an illegal

semi-automatic rifle

that he later used to

kill two people and

injure another.

The Hive | December 2020| https://firefly.fettes.com/the-hive/

The report

made by the ACLED

states that greater

than 2,400 reported

demonstration were

peaceful, while 220

were reported as

“violent”. The author

of this report defines

violent protests as

“acts targeting other

individuals, property,

businesses, other

rioting groups or

armed actors.” This

definition includes a

broad variety of what

could be considered

violence, from fighting

back against police

officers, to looting,

property destruction,

barricading streets and

burning materials,

such as tires. The

report also includes

the destructing and

toppling of statues of

confederate leaders

and slave owners, such

as that of Albert Pike

in Washington D.C.

There have been

approximately 38 of

these incidents since

the killing of George

Floyd. However, in a

recently executed

Morning Consult poll,

42% of respondents

believe that BLM

protestors are

attempting to loot and

destroy property as

well as to instigate

violence. It is

suggested by ACLED

that these opinions are

due to biased political

views and media

framing that focuses

on the violent protests

over the peaceful ones.

ACLED also brings to

light the fact that

violent responses from

authorities, who “use

force more often than

not” and

“disproportionately

[use] force while

intervening in

demonstrations

associated with the

BLM movement,

relative to other types

of demonstrations”.

The Trump

administration, in

particular, have

elevated tensions in

2


Features

elevated tensions in

terms of racial

inequality, and their

responses have

heightened the desire

of BLM protestors to

use violence and

aggression, though it

is minimal compared

to the violence exerted

by the armed forces. In

Washington D.C., for

example, the White

House ordered law

enforcement officers to

use tear gas and other

tactics, such as rubber

bullets, to clear

Lafayette Square of

completely peaceful

protestors. Trump and

members of his

administration

proceeded to walk

across the square in

order to take a photo

in front of St. John’s

Church. Reverend

Mariann Budde, the

diocesan bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of

Washington, later

strongly condemned

the president’s actions

and expressed her

“outrage” at his

blatant disrespect of

the people and the

religious symbolism of

the church. This use of

excessive violence

against protesters, in

turn magnifies the

violent responses.

However, contrary to

popular opinions, the

significant majority

demonstrations

associated with the

Black Lives Matter

movement have been

entirely peaceful.

▉ Alice Phillips

THE COLOUR

OF MUSIC

Colour has often been

associated with music,

and its ability to paint

a picture. Although

often it’s through

imagination, some

have the ability to see

this spectrum of colour

in person. These

people have

chromesthesia.

Chromesthesia,

or sound-to-colour

synesthesia, is the

experience of seeing

colour, shapes and

movement

involuntarily. People

with chromesthesia

experience a gorgeous

sea of colour that

creates a masterpiece

in their mind as they

hear music.

You could

compare their visions

to graphic scores,

which can go from

polka dots of colour to

splashes of colour.

Graphic scores are a

modern take on scores

and are usually very

abstract. Most

composers who use

graphic scores use

colours and complex

patterns, similar to the

images people with

chromesthesia see.

Colour plays a

huge part in people’s

experiences, both in

graphic scores and

chromesthesia. For

those with

chromesthesia, it

becomes an unearthly

experience of a vision,

almost creating

complicated graphic

scores in front of them.

Some have argued that

graphic scores were a

response and

representation of

chromesthesia.

However, although

some do base their

scores on the concept

of chromesthesia, most

are just a modern

representation of the

classic notated score.

Those who can’t see

the music through

colour, can use graphic

scores as a way to

connect to that

community.

▉ Davina Halford-

Macleod

3


LESSONS FROM

THE RED ARMY:

REPUDIATING

THE RED SCARE

Despite the decline in

public scrutiny and

demonization of the

communist and

socialist parties in

today’s society , it is no

secret that these

movements remain

taboo topics of

conversation in the

western political

sphere. Why is it so

often that politicians,

in particular those on

the right, employ

references to “Marxist’

and “antifa” in

attempts to discredit

opposition parties?

The global disdain

towards socialists and

their sympathisers

brings into play a

bigger argument about

the romanticising of

western culture. Such

attitudes like this “red

scare rhetoric”

condition young and

impressionable minds

to denounce all things

different to a

conservative mindset.

These beliefs

and mindsets arguably

stem from the

classroom, as Winston

Churchill once said

“history is written by

the victors” hence one

is able to understand

that such anticommunist

or

supposedly “pro

capitalist” attitudes

stem from children

being spoon fed biased

forms of history by

their teachers and

textbooks. Even in a

hypothetically

prejudice free

classroom the nationwide

curriculum still

dictates the attitudes

that are to be spread to

the future generations.

It is important to

understand that the

mere

acknowledgement of

said biases does not

earn one the name

anti-capitalist, nor

does it make someone

a communist, but

rather allows people to

view history from a

more objective point of

The Hive | December 2020 | https://firefly.fettes.com/the-hive/

view; hence permitting

them to understand

the several lessons left

to learn from a century

of communism.

In actuality this

reform can only begin

when we stop vilifying

the ideology. Of course

we must not diminish

the atrocities and

genocides of the likes

of Lenin, Stalin and

Mao, who were

collectively responsible

for the murder of as

many as 100 million

people. However, one

doesn’t have to look far

to find these “holier

than thou” folk who

pity the supposedly

“brainwashed” people

of North Korea when

in actuality, though

patently not as

extreme, similar

methods are used

arguably on America’s

own citizens.

Definition alone could

tell you that states like

the U.S.S.R must not

be considered

communist but rather

authoritarian as such

states never actually

achieved community

ownership or the idea

of a classless society. It

is for this exact reason

that we must reverse

this so called “red

scare” mindset as the

red scare was a direct

result of the expansion

of a state not even

consider as being “red”

in relation to politics.

The “reddest” thing

about the USSR was

its flag.

While the Red

Army did in fact

commit countless

amounts of atrocities,

we have a lot to learn

from them, if in

nothing else, than in

pure tactical military

grounds. The Red

Army was a success for

multiple reasons. The

National Interest

credits this success to

three main reasons: the

preservation of its

military traditions on a

social base; the liberal

borrowing of

experiences and

technologies from

other nations; and the

adaptation to the

“idiosyncratic political

4


Features

“idiosyncratic political

conditions of Soviet

Russia.” These tactics

may prove to be useful

for western armies (in

particular the United

States army) as they

build foreign military

relations as

“partnerships.”

One only has to

look into a history

book to understand

the consequences of

this irrational fear of

communism: countless

human rights disasters

in Vietnam and

Malaya by the United

states and the British,

not to mention the

effects of the

McCarthy

investigations and

accusations that left

the American citizens

distraught. These two

events are all too

accurate examples of

what this communism

paranoia exploits, of

what the red scare

narrative embedded

into future

generations: an

obsessively anxious

nature that believes

anything different is

evil, that thinks

anything

revolutionary is not to

be trusted, that it is

only just, to denounce

all things outside of

“status quo

capitalism.” And what

does this leave you

with? A nation of

brainwashed, societal

conforming citizens

that have no

understanding of the

value that questioning

authority holds. A

nation of citizens

doomed to repeat the

mistakes of their

predecessors they

learnt nothing from.

In order to break this

pattern of conformity,

a nation’s entire

mentality needs to

shift. We need to stop

undervaluing the flaws

that evidently exists in

capitalism, now that

does not mean to

imply that countless

amounts of flaws are

not also present in

communism, but it just

means we must be

willing to

acknowledge both. We

must be willing to

encourage critical

thinking and challenge

standard ideological

systems. We must be

willing to admit that,

yes, a man-made

famine was enacted in

the U.S.S.R that killed

up to 7 million people,

and we have to

acknowledge the

suffering of those

people. At the same

time, we must also

recognize that, only

last month, over three

times more Americans

did not have enough

food to eat, and this

occurred under the

rule of a Republican

president.

▉ Zuena Kanja

Overheard at Fettes

‘How do I make scrambled eggs?’

5

‘I’ve lost my Apple

stylus…again’

‘You’ve officially converted me to the

Marmite side.’

‘The heating broke and we

were forced to huddle around the Aga.’

‘I have to return this Nespresso machine.

These pods don’t conform to my

environmental standards.’

‘My hummus and tomatoes on the vine are

going to go off in the next two days.’

‘Is Berlin in Germany? I

thought it was in Prague?’

‘I need to retrieve my velvet bedsheets from

laundry before any of the boys seem them.’

‘All I’ve had today is a

can of Monster and now my leg won’t stop

shaking.’


The Hive | December 2020 | https://firefly.fettes.com/the-hive/

INEQUALITY IN

THE UK

CRIMINAL

JUSTICE

SYSTEM

It is no secret that

there is inequality in

nearly all aspects of

our day to day life,

whether this is based

on race, gender, age

and so on. I can bet

that everyone reading

this right now has

been subject to

inequality in at least

one area of their life.

There is so much I

could talk about when

it comes to inequality

in race, but I would

like to narrow it down

to just the Criminal

Justice System in the

UK.

It is important

to first avoid

stereotyping

individuals, solely

based on perceived

characteristics and

features related to a

specific ethnic group.

Just because members

of an ethnic group may

have evident

characteristics or

opinions does not

mean that every

individual of that

group possesses those

exact characteristics or

opinions.

Ethnic

minorities experience

disadvantages and

drawbacks associated

with their ethnicity in

all parts of their life,

one of the most

common areas this

occurs is the treatment

within the criminal

justice system. The

justice system is

essential for ensuring

a safe environment for

all and for settling

arguments in a logical

and systematic way.

There is a perception

amongst some

communities that the

criminal justice system

is neither fair nor just.

Racist

aggravated attacks are

a persistent

phenomenon in British

life. People from ethnic

minority backgrounds

are roughly twice as

likely as White people

to report being

worried about a

violent crime.

Findings from the

2009/2010 British

Crime Survey

interviews with

children/teens showed

that a greater

proportion of children

in the Black and

Minority Ethnic group

report that they

avoided both

travelling on buses

and using their phone

in public. This is due

to being worried about

their own safety

compared to the White

group. This shows us

that even children are

becoming victims to

racism in their

everyday life and that

it is so bad that they

are physically worried

about their own safety

in a place they are

meant to feel safe.

Evidence from

the Criminal Justice

System in 2010 found

that the statistics on

Race suggest that an

individual’s ethnic

group is not

significantly associated

with an increase or

reduced likelihood of

offending. However, at

every point of the

criminal justice

system, a certain

minority group will

experience harsher

outcomes. Black

people in the UK make

up only 2-3% of the

population. However,

they constituted 15%

of those who were

stopped by police in

2008/2009. Further,

between 2006/2007

and 2009/2010, the

proportions of ‘Stop

and Search’ for the

Black and Asian

groups increased from

22% and 9% to 33%

and 16% respectively.

A higher

percentage of those in

the Black and

Minority Ethnic

groups were sentenced

to immediate custody

for indictable offences

than in the White

group in 2010 (White

23%, Black 27%, Asian

29% and Other 42%).

Also, in 2010, the

highest average

custodial sentence

6


Features

custodial sentence

length for those given

determinate sentences

for indictable offences

was recorded for the

Black ethnic group, at

20.8 months, followed

by the Asian and

Other groups with

averages of 19.9

months and 19.7

months respectively.

The lowest average of

custodial sentence

lengths that was

recorded was the

White group at 14.9

months. On average,

five times more Black

people in England and

Wales are imprisoned

compared to White

people.

I know that we

personally cannot do a

lot to sway the social

justice system, but it is

so important to start

raising our own selfawareness

and being

as anti-racist as we

possibly can be,

making sure that we

break down all social

barriers and

misconceptions.

Hopefully by reading

this, you have

understood the

extremity that is the

injustice in the

criminal justice

system.

▉ Amelia Tough

THE POLITICS

OF COLOUR

Political colours are

used to represent a

political ideology,

movement or party,

either officially or

unofficially. Colour

plays a vitally

important role in the

world in which we live

and can influence our

opinions and actions.

Politicians use colour

to brand their party

and are part of their

identity, appearing on

posters, rosettes and

conference backdrops.

Red is

traditionally

associated with

socialism and

communism. The

oldest symbol of

socialism is the Red

Flag, which dates back

to the French

Revolution in the 18th

century. The colour

red was chosen to

symbolise the blood of

the workers who died

in the struggle against

capitalism. This led

7

the term ‘Red’ and

‘Red scare’ to be

synonymous with the

fear of Communism in

the West. An

exception to the

convention of red to

socialism is in the

United States as, since

2000, the mass media

have associated red

with the Republican

Party, although it is

conservative. The

Labour party in the

UK use red as their

colour however, as

Labour softened in the

1990s as did its colour

scheme. The party

adopted purple rather

than red as a

background colour in

its 1997 election

broadcasts as it

targeted central

ground. Gordon

Brown said, ‘purple is

the colour of passion’.

This sparked great

controversy,

suggesting that colour

is an integral and

deeply meaningful

aspect of politics.

Yellow or

orange is the colour

most strongly

associated with

liberalism and rightlibertarianism.

For

example, the Liberal

Democrats formed in

1988 was a

combination of two

parties – the liberal

party whose colour

was yellow and the

Social Democratic

Party who used red.

For the Liberal

Democrats, colour is

incredibly important

as it represents a

unification of two

parties to create their

own. The Scottish

Nationalist Party use

of yellow leads back to

1928 and the

publication of David


publication of David

Lloyd George’s report

‘Britain’s Industrial

Future’. This report

gained the nickname

‘the Yellow Book’

during the 19th

century, many fictional

books were printed

with yellow covers to

show that they were

something new.

Yellow in this instance

represents the new,

modern and free,

qualities the SNP aim

to represent through

their policies.

Blue is usually

associated with centreright

or conservative

parties, originating

from its use by the

Tories in the United

Kingdom. The

conservatives used to

utilise the full

spectrum of the Union

The Hive | December 2020 | https://firefly.fettes.com/the-hive/

jack but abandoned the

colour red when

Labour started to

campaign with it. The

selection of blue is

significant as some

maintain that it is

affiliated with smart

presentation.

Colour is

omnipresent, so, next

time you see your

political party of

choice campaigning

think about their use

of colour and the

impact it has on you as

it may be greater than

you think.

▉ Bella Buchanan-

Smith

JUDGING

BOOKS BY

THEIR COVERS

Your fist clamps

tightly around a small

scrap of paper as you

enter the bookstore.

On the crumpled offwhite

page are book

titles that teachers and

friends have

recommended. Today

is a very special day.

Today is the day your

parents dare to take

you and your sister

into a bookshop.

You make a

beeline for whatever

section you’ve just

been waiting to shop

in: the classics, the YA

fiction, the poetry and

drama shelves. You

look back at your

parents.

“Only two books

each, okay?” They

instruct you and your

sister.

You both nod,

knowing full well that

there’s no way you’ll

be leaving

Waterstones with

anything less than

three or four books

neatly stacked in each

of your arms.

The first thing

you do when you get

to a section is scour

the shelves for

anything new,

anything you haven’t

heard about and

rejected or read before.

As you get older and

older and the

bookshop visits got

more and more

frequent, this proves

to be a difficult task.

Of course,

there’s always

something. You’ll pull

the books you’re

interested in off the

shelves, cradling them

in your arms like a

newborn baby. One,

two, three, four, five.

Suddenly there’s eight

of them stacked up,

balancing precariously

from your palms.

You look over at

your sister, praying

she’ll be able to use up

her book allowance to

buy some of the ones

you’ve chosen. No

such luck. She’s doing

almost as badly as you

are and is still

browsing.

It’s time for the

worst bit. The culling

of the books.

You reread the

blurbs. Hmm… maybe

you can get rid of this

book of Shakespeare

sonnets or maybe you

don’t really need a

cheesy contemporary

romance that you’ve

read a million times

before.

But in the end,

it’s no good. You’ve

got to start judging

books by their covers.

8


Features

books by their covers.

“Don’t judge a

book by its cover” is

one of the first English

idioms we pick up as a

child, along with

“raining cats and

dogs” and “break a

leg”. On the surface,

it’s just a deliberate

ploy to encourage

more children to pick

up a book once in a

while, but if you

unpick it, you can

quickly see that it’s a

metaphor for not

judging people on

their appearance.

Of course, in a

society that places a

huge amount of

emphasis on physical

beauty, this is an

important message,

played all across the

media. The bad boy

turning out to have a

passion for Austen

novels, the popular

girl at school wanting

to become an engineer,

the star football player

secretly writing music

in his room at night.

These are all examples

of stereotypes created

through superficial

impressions being

broken.

But I’m not

talking about the

harmful emphasis that

stereotypes place on

society today, I am

talking about why this

awful idiom should be

banned from being

spoken forever,

9

especially in front of

publishers.

This idiom was

first recorded in June

1867 as part of a

larger quote from the

newspaper Piqua

Democrat, “Don’t

judge a book by its

cover, see a man by his

cloth, as there is often

a good deal of solid

worth and superior

skill underneath a

jacket”. This harks

back to the idea of

judgements based on

appearances that I

touched on above.

Now I am sure

many of you have

picked up a book with

a somewhat

questionable cover and

discovered that it was,

in fact, a very

interesting read. At

the same time, I’m

sure that there are a

fair number of you out

there who only bought

a book because the

cover was pretty.

I am definitely

guilty of that one. I

bought a copy of

Dracula by Bram

Stoker age thirteen

simply because it had

the coolest front cover

artwork I’d ever seen.

I read it too. Well,

most of it.

“Great,” I’d

thought as I bought it,

“look at me reading a

classic. I am so

intelligent.”

But the only

reason I truly endured

it for as long as I did

was not because it was

an important staple in

late 19 th century

literature, nor that I

wanted to be an edgy

little teenage

bookworm. It was

because it had a nice

cover.

And this is by

no means the only

time this has

happened.

This summer, I

bought a copy of

Dante’s Inferno- just a

small paperback copy,

although I was rather

tempted by a massive

hardback of the

complete Divine

Comedy (that is, until I

saw the price). It’s a

rather pretty little

copy with a white

background and red

lines depicting devils

and Latin and all sorts

of things you’d

associate with the

Inferno.

“Ha,” I thought

as I bought it, “look at

me reading an iconic

piece of literature. I

am so set for A Level

English.”

I read it in an

afternoon. If the cover

was ugly, I doubt I

would’ve persevered

because, to be honest,

it was tougher than I

thought it was going

to be. I had to keep on

stopping every ten

lines to search up

some random person

from Greek mythology

that decided to

magically appear in

the narrative. But I

finished it, and was

able to place it, and its

beautiful cover, pride

of place on my

bookshelf once more,

ready to be admired by

anybody who entered

my bedroom.

Similarly, my

sister, another avid

bookworm, recently

bought the

Heartstoppers graphic

novel by Alice Oseman

(a really good read by

the way. It’s in the

library and you can

probably read each of

the books in less than

an hour.) Instantly,

she fell in love with

the pastel coloured

spine and the way it

looked amidst her

concerningly vast

collection of young

adult fantasy novels.

And so, she began to

haunt the local

Waterstones on

Princes Street, waiting

impatiently for an

Alice Oseman book to

come in. We’ve now

got all three of the

Heartstoppers books,

Radio Silence, Solitaire,

Loveless and the recent

novella Nick and

Charlie (which I

bought for her because

I found a signed copy.

I’m the best sister

ever, I know.)

Now, Alice

Oseman is definitely a

great writer, but I’m

not sure if my sister


not sure if my sister

would’ve hunted down

her books with such

determination if it

weren’t for the fact

they looked, in her

words, “aesthetic.”

Book covers are

really important,

especially when it

comes to enticing

younger readers to

read classics such as

Frankenstein or Pride

and Prejudice, which

are so often burdened

by a boring or ugly

The Hive | December 2020 | https://firefly.fettes.com/the-hive/

cover (I’m looking at

you, Vintage Classics).

So, try not to

judge a book by its

cover, but if you are in

some way in charge of

buying books for other

people and choosing

covers, choose nice

ones to make them

more tempted to read

it. It’s more important

than you think.

▉ Georgina Parbrook

IN GLORIOUS

TECHNICOLOR

Between the late 19 th

and early 20 th century,

as pioneers such as the

Lumiére brothers and

Georges Méliès

experimented with the

medium, the only way

to bring colour to

their films was to

individually hand paint

each cell of film; for his

famous A Trip to the

Moon (1906), Méliès

hired a team of 21

women to

painstakingly paint his

films; however, this

process was time

consuming, hugely

expensive, and as the

industry expanded

across the world,

extremely difficult to

mass produce.

This encouraged

directors across the

20 th century to perfect

the use of shadows and

lighting to add

another dimension to

their stories, notably

in Eisenstein’s

Battleship Potemkin

(1926), Reed’s The

Third Man (1949), and

of course Orson

Welle’s groundbreaking

Citizen Kane

(1941).

When it comes

to advances in

filmmaking as an art

form, many look to

1906 and the first

feature length movie,

The Story of the Kelly

Gang, or 1927 and the

introduction of sound

in The Jazz Singer;

however perhaps more

important yet more

under looked than

both of these is the

invention of

Technicolor’s ‘Three-

Color-System’ in 1933.

Before this point, the

only large scale

method filmmakers

used the ‘Two-Color-

System’, which could

only use two primary

colours, or by tinting

the entire reel a

certain colour to

signify whatever mood

the director wanted;

this method played

with the audience’s

psychological

responses to colour,

with red putting us

more on edge, and

blue adding a more

serene or dream-like

quality to the image.

From the 1930s

on, there was an

explosion of colour in

film. For The Wizard

of Oz (1939), director

Victor Fleming was

extremely creative in

how he used colour to

show Dorothy’s

movement from the

mundane black and

white farm to the

magical world over the

rainbow. Beyond this

point, directors and

their

cinematographers

began to use colour in

incredible ways, to

draw attention to one

particular character or

again to impact the

audience’s emotional

response. Since then,

there have been three

main techniques

filmmakers have used

to implement colour in

their films.

The first is

colour grading, a

method of colouring

film invented fairly

recently is the digital

altering of images to

create an image, in a

10


Features

create an image, in a

similar way to the old

tinting process, that

surprises, shocks, or

gives a sense of calm

to viewers. The first

use of this was in O

Brother, Where Art

Thou? (2000), where

Roger Deakins used

digital technology to

change the season of

the film from spring to

autumn, tinting

everything in a dusty

auburn. This method

has been used many

times over the last 20

years, largely in the

tinting of scenes

orange that take place

in third world

countries or, like Mad

Max: Fury Road, an

apocalyptic future.

One of the most

prevalent uses of

colour is in the use of

colour palettes, seen

from the likes of

Ingmar Bergman, to

the Marvel films of

today. Directors again

used our ingrained

psychological

responses to colours

by building colours

into their set designs

and story, often

building their entire

projects around only

two or three colours.

We see this in the

beautiful orange and

yellow tinges of Days

of Heaven’s sunsets, to

signify the disconnect

between the natural

and the human world

in Koyaanisqatsi, and to

11

show an exploration of

danger in Blade Runner

2049. A method used

but often complained

about in many

blockbusters

nowadays is a palette

of orange and blue, as

complementary

colours tend go well

together, more

successfully in Amelie

and Vertigo’s greens

and reds, and La La

Land’s purples and

yellows. Perhaps the

most gorgeous and

aesthetically pleasing

use of the colour

palette in modern

cinema is in Wes

Anderson’s

filmography;

Anderson and his

cinematographer have

mastered the use of

soft, pastel colours and

the incorporation of

colour to the set

design to create

visually stunning

images which often

juxtapose the darker

themes of the films, for

example in Moonrise

Kingdom and The

Grand Budapest Hotel.

Another, and perhaps

the most interesting

method, is the use of

monochromatic colour

schemes in films. In

this case, films are

entirely shot in one

particular hue or in

very dark tones, often

making more

saturated colours

stand out or show an

imbalance in the world

the filmmaker has

created. The colour

red, which is shown to

give us the greatest

emotional response, is

often this colour that

contrasts the theme of

the rest of the film. In

Kieslowski’s Three

Colors trilogy, each

film is based around

the colours blue, white

and red, each scene

holding some

inspiration from these

hues. Sin City skilfully

reserves colour only

for blood and

important objects

within the world,

everything else

shrouded in darkness.

We see this in how

colour represents the

two characters

connection in Mary

and Max, obsession in

American Beauty,

standing out in the

crowd in The Red

Balloon, and the

colour’s tremendous

emotional effect in

Schindler’s List, when

the only colour shown

is on the jacket of a

small girl. In In The

Mood For Love, when

together the main

characters are

surrounded by reds,

showing the passion

that exists, however

when apart we return

to the grey world of

solidarity.

Colours in film can be

used to emphasize

particular characters

or objects, to

differentiate locations

or to attack us at our

emotion cores. Films

can associate colours

with characters, places

or emotions, and can

show transitions in a

character’s feelings or

a shift in the films

tone. It is one of the

most important parts

of visual storytelling

and sets the

groundwork for the

emotional state of the

film.

▉ Louis Russell


THE FOUR

COLOURS OF

MAN

Already as a ten-yearold

I had learned to

crave the glances of

shock and admiration

from the adults in my

life. These were

bestowed upon me for

many reasons, my

piping rendition of

Highland Cathedral,

quoting Jane Austen,

and most recently

joining the Latin and

mythology club. In

this club two fellow

classmates and I

travelled alongside our

Greek and Roman

heroes, solving the

inescapable labyrinth,

receiving fire from

Prometheus, and

flying on wings of wax

and feathers, before

falling down back into

the school day.

All these myths

were condensed and

stowed away in the

back of my brain, used

to explain away

peculiar occurrences in

the world around me,

but there was one

myth particular that I

never stopped

thinking about: the

four ages of man.

Each age was

assigned a colour.

Gold: the rule of

Cronus where mortals

lived like gods. Silver:

the new leader Zeus

assigning 100 years

for each child to play.

Bronze: men brought

forth from ash trees

already hardened for

battle. Iron: the

modern man burdened

by weariness and

sorrow, nevertheless

the toughest of them

all.

We all seemed

so taken with this

concept that it took us

about a month before

we were finally

heralded to the

underworld with

Persephone. In that

time metallic pens flew

across the page,

boxing off scribbled

facts and wonky stick

figures. It seemed to

have ensnared all our

minds along with

those of Virgil, Ovid,

and Hesiod.

“The Golden

Age” was undertaken

on a sunny

Wednesday afternoon.

Worlds of luxury and

bliss revolved through

our imaginations.

Birds were trilling in

the trees while swans

gracefully rippled

through the water.

Time had not yet been

found so each day was

simply an everlasting

moment. Mortals

lounged at the sides of

gods, never having to

finish an English

comprehension or

wash their games kit.

Food was abundantly

provided by the

mother earth,

The Hive | December 2020| https://firefly.fettes.com/the-hive/

especially extra fries

on Friday. There were

no laws necessary,

everyone was self -

governed by the

righteousness in their

own mind, putting an

end to lunch time

skipping of the queue.

Old age was abolished,

everyone simply

remained youthful

until death peacefully

carried them off. This

was the part that

never particularly

concerned us. In this

way, “The Golden

Age” became our

future. Without the

rules of our parents

and teachers, we

would be free to live

once again like gods.

Envy and impatience

ran deep in our little

minds.

On a grey and

windy Saturday

morning, we explored

“The Silver Age”. Zeus

had overtaken his

father as our ruler, and

with him brought an

arrogance and severity

unseen before in our

idyllic world. The four

seasons were created

banishing humanity

inside for half the year,

the first indication of

inferiority to our

golden bliss. Humans

were portrayed as

closed – minded and

foolish, sinning again

and again for the

duration of their short

lives. They turned

away from serving the

immortals and

reflected only on their

selfish interests.

Things just

never felt quite right.

Mediocrity rained

with no – one striving

for anything worth

having. This led to

most of us praying

extra hard for

forgiveness in chapel

to protect ourselves

12


Features

13

to protect ourselves

against the mighty

wrath of Zeus. It was

the most vivid

reminder to be nice to

our siblings and help

mum with the washing

up, most of us had ever

had and for several

weeks that followed it

our behaviour could

challenge infallible

beings. It was the first

open discussion of the

little faults hidden

away in well - worn

pockets of our souls. I

have never felt quite

so exposed again.

The following rainy

Friday we traipsed in

after games, hair and

spirits soaked from the

thorough beating

delivered by MES.

Bronze was the colour

of discussion, one that

was fairly new to us

apart from the one and

two pence coins

lurking at the bottom

of our bags. These

men were modelled

from ash trees, strong

and sturdy with

hardened and

protected hearts.

These were the men

we were determined to

become on the sports

field. Warlike and

aggressive they would

take down anyone who

challenged them, even

Watson’s. Although

these men were perfect

to model an afternoon

of contact sport after,

we had to be careful to

leave them at the sidelines.

These men were

chewed up and spat

out by their own fury,

and later by the flood

Zeus sent in

vengeance. This

unlocked a trampled

competitiveness and

for three hours a week

we were no longer

concerned with

hurting people’s feeble

feelings. It gave us

freedom.

The final narrative of

the four ages of man

was completed on a jet

– black Monday night.

There was a strange

air of concentration

that day, we could

sense our journey in

self – discovery was

ending and everyone

wanted to absorb as

much as they could.

The age we were

discovering today was

the much darker iron

which was claimed to

be the age we were

currently occupying.

We all left the club a

little paler that day

with our Latin pin

badges slightly

skewed. In that hour

human pettiness and

violence was

dramatically unveiled.

Our future was

described as constant

stress and labour.

Deep scars are

ploughed into the

earth by the name of

boundary lines, while

strife and misery run

rife. Our fate was to be

absolute destruction

when Zeus finally

turned his all –

knowing eyes towards

our evil and destroyed

us.

Seeing the looks of

panic and horror

dawning over our

young faces with tears

prickling at the corner

of every eye, I believe

our teacher realised

she had lost sight of

the purpose of our

little club, to entertain

and interest us in

Latin. So, she ended

the session with a

pinprick of light in the

darkness. She claimed

that although the Iron

ages would be

toughness like no –

one had ever endured.

(lips began to wobble

at this stage.) The

gods had made us out

of Iron, the toughest

metal, to ensure we

would be able to

handle it. Although

blood would pour from

gashes and light would

seep from eyes, our

tough armour would

carry us through this

life until we were

proven worthy of

return to the heavens.

That Latin club taught

me the fundamentals

of a worthy character.

Freedom and justice to

govern our decisions

lead to happiness.

Humility and

acknowledgement of

transgressions is to

forever improve

yourself.

Competitiveness and

anger give us the

determination

required on a sports

pitch of clashing

hockey balls. Finally,

the most important, a

tough exterior, to take

the unfairness life

throws at you, yet

carry on as it that was

always the plan. To

learn from the bad

days, yet not let them

characterise us. All

these qualities are

represented in the four

colours of man: Gold,

Silver, Bronze, and

Iron.

▉ Clara Johnson


A HISTORY OF

THE FETTES’

COLOURS

I’m sure we all know

about the legendary

Fettes colours,

chocolate brown and

magenta, but do you

know how these

colours were chosen?

Have they always been

those colours? And

what was the uniform

like before? Here are

your answers.

In 1804,

William Fettes was

awarded a baronetcy

which allowed him to

adopt a coat of arms.

The coat of arms in

question is

surprisingly not brown

and magenta but

instead red and gold.

Although it still

retains similarities

such as the bee, lion

and stag, it also

features our ‘Industria’

motto at the bottom.

However, it also had to

lose a tiny black shield

and the colours of the

big shield were later

inversed.

When Fettes

was founded,

Edinburgh could

already identify a

Fettesian by their

colours and they

weren’t to everybody’s

liking. After ten years

of the uniform being

introduced, problems

were found with the

blazers: if you washed

them, the colours

started to run. In 1880,

there was a proposal to

change the colours to

yellow and blue or

black. Although this

uniform was only

around for ten years at

this point there was an

outrage amongst the

pupils of Fettes, and

they responded to the

idea with this verse:

Let them be a bit dearer,

and fade if they will:

The original colours

have charms for us still,

The Hive | December 2020 | https://firefly.fettes.com/the-hive/

And in spite of the

schemes of the cunning

inventor,

Let’s stick to our Brown

and faded Magenta.

The reaction

trumped both

aesthetics and

laundering and so

magenta and brown

remains, but now with

black lines between the

colours to combat the

issue of them mixing

together.

Although

magenta and brown

have endured, there

are some pieces of the

uniform which have

been discarded; for

example, top hats and

tailcoats as well as a

rolled umbrella. These

were required to be

worn by the boys, just

like at Eton College,

for seventy years even

though nowadays it is

almost completely

forgotten.

When girls were

introduced to the

school (1970), at the

beginning there was

no uniform at all other

than then advice to

come to school ‘sub

fusc’ which meant they

were able to wear any

skirt, blouse and

jersey. Then in the

September of 1982, a

kilt and V-neck jumper

of choice paired with a

white blouse became

the girls’ official

uniform. Afterwards in

1984, a formal and

summer uniform was

introduced which

consisted of the school

blazer, white blouse

and a brown cotton

skirt, which thankfully

no longer exists! In

1990, house jumpers

were introduced for

Arniston, College

West and College East

(green, red and

burgundy). Seven

years later, the Fettes

tartan was created and

thus the girls all began

wearing the uniform

tartan kilt which only

leaves the blazer,

added for the girls in

2016, largely designed

by Debbie Spens

herself (Staff 2007-

2017).

It is very

strange to think that

the uniform was

anything other than

what we are so used to

now, but who knows,

maybe in another 50

years it will have

completely changed

again…

▉ Anna Fox

14


15

Features

HOW WELL DOES OUR SCHOOL SUPPORT LGBTQIA+ STUDENTS?

As students at Fettes, we have all had many PSE talks on sexuality, and met and made friends

with LGBTQIA+ students. In this article, we wish to explore the pupil body’s opinion on how

well the school supports LGBTQIA+ students from the perspective of both LGBTQIA+ students

and heterosexual students. Our aim is to explore how the school affects the students’ ideas and

perspectives on the LGBTQIA+ community.

LGBTQIA+ student response analysis

What part of the LGBTQIA+ community do you identify with?

At Fettes, the majority of LGBTQIA+ students who answered the questionnaire identify as either

bisexual or queer. Overall, 5.5% of the school population identify as LGBTQIA+. This is above

the national average, which shows we have a rich community, full of representation, at least within

the LGBTQIA+ community. This can only be a positive thing. Currently, we don’t have a

transgender or openly non-binary student, which is no fault of the school. However, the lack of

representation may have a negative impact on educating students, as they will have limited

experience with non cis-gendered people.

Have you ever experienced any form of homophobia on school campus?

The majority of students have never experienced homophobia at the school, which is excellent.

However, it doesn’t mean there is no homophobia at all: 12 students said they had experienced

some form of homophobia. As a school, and student body, we will never truly be allies to the

LGBTQIA+ community until homophobia is eradicated at Fettes. We hope to demonstrate an

outstanding acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people; we have the gold LGBT Charter Award. However,

homophobia is still encountered, whether through micro-aggressions, slurs, harassment or general

awkwardness around LGBTQIA+ people.


The Hive | December 2020 | https://firefly.fettes.com/the-hive/

16

Has the school ever directly addressed your sexuality?

It is hard to say whether addressing people’s sexuality directly is a positive or negative

thing. On one hand, it could alienate LGBTQIA+ students; On the other, it may be positive for

teachers to offer support. Multiple students said they’ve had very positive experiences with house

staff and it made them feel more comfortable. However, 1/6 th of LGBTQIA+ students said they

had a negative relationship with teachers regarding their sexuality. Some said they felt singled out

by teachers’ comments; others said they had negative interactions regarding LGBTQIA+

relationships. This is clearly something that needs to be addressed. Teachers are seen as role

models by students and teachers being complicit in homophobic behaviours can result in students

believing homophobia is acceptable.

How do you think the school has dealt with LGBTQIA+ students through the PSE

programme?

This was rated at 4.5 out of 10. On average people think that the PSE programme could be

twice as good as it is now. The school has a gold LGBT Charter Award, but the LGBTQIA+

students, the people who should see the biggest impact from this, feel there is room for

improvement. Here is one example of what LGBTQIA+ students think can be done to improve

the PSE programme and other aspects of the school: make PSE sessions more personable. This

can be done in many ways: have fewer outside speakers; have more talks from students themselves,

or teachers; don’t talk about LGBTQIA+ pupils as separate to the student body.

Heterosexual student response analysis

Are you friends with someone from the LGBTQIA+ community?

With 160 students voting ‘yes’ and 37 voting ‘no’, this shows that there are many accepting

members of the community within the school gates. The large number of straight student body

voting ‘yes’ could imply that there is a certain degree of mutual respect that LGBTQIA+ students

have with their fellow peers. Coming out is a huge process for LGBTQIA+ youth, especially if it is

to their school friends as there is always a chance of discrimination being directed towards them.

160 students being friends with LBTQIA+ can imply that there is an aura of acceptance that has

emanated within school. The juxtaposition of the 37 students could either communicate that they

simply don’t know students who are a part of the community or there is a refusal to be friends

with them. Either way the data shows an optimistic attitude to the Fettes community.

Do you support the community?

These results were the most shocking out of all the responses. With 16 members of the

school blatantly marking ‘no’ to the question. Although it can be viewed as a small number, this is

16 pupils too many. Although, it is respectable that 181 pupils marked ‘yes’ to the question, these

outcomes indicate that there are pupils who feel comfortable in discriminating against the

community. Further evidence of homophobia attitudes is that 156 pupils have heard damaging

slurs towards the community inside the student body. Whether it be the f-slur, usage of the word

‘gay’ with negative connotations or general cynicism towards the LGBTQIA+ community, this

confirms that there is still work to be done from the school to minimise this hatred.


Features

Do you think the PSE programme positively creates awareness about the LGBTQ

community?

On a scale of 1 – 10, the average score from the 197 students surveyed was a 6.5. There was

more than a 50% positive agreement of the PSE programme’s teaching methods, but the hope is

that this can continue improving to raise issues of equality. With the school gaining the

LGBTQIA+ Charter Award for their ‘support’, the responses from students who aren’t part of the

community have commented that there is still a large amount of progress to strive for.

Do you think that the school should increase its support for the community through the

curriculum or activities?

With the answer options to this question being ‘Yes, No, Maybe’, the majority (83) of

students voted ‘maybe’. An understandable response as straight pupils are not aware of the extra

support needed through the curriculum as they aren't LGBTQIA+. However, 73 students did

mark ‘Yes’ with a few suggestions. A repeated problem that should be targeted by the Fettes

community is the education of homophobic slurs due to most students being unaware of the

historical implications certain words have. Other suggestions included: normalising unisex

uniform and dress code; make awareness sessions less formal and more student led; a Fettes pride

day. Fettes is not done with our striving for equality and there is clearly hope for the future.

Looking at both results, there are two key contrasts that point out what the school should be

aiming to do in terms of curriculum and mindset of pupils. In the ‘straight’ student survey, the

majority of pupils said that they had heard the usage of slurs around campus but with only 12

students in the LGTQIA+ survey saying that they have experienced in any form. This shows that

those who use homophobic slurs maybe ignorant that this is a form of hate speech. Secondly, the

straight students rated the PSE’s approach to LGBTQIA+ awareness with an average of 6.5,

whilst LGBTQIA+ students voted an average of 4.5. This shows that straight students do not

have as much of a problem with the curriculum but, undoubtedly, we must understand the

responses to this feedback through the group that it directly impacts. Finally, we make a plea to

all students and staff: if you hear any form of discrimination being used on campus – please, point

it out. Don’t just punish; educate.

17

▉ Fergus Bolton and Kai Lewis


COLOUR AND MOOD

Colour is often associated with mood. I am sure most of you have seen the movie ‘Inside Out’ – a

film that personifies certain emotions and associates them with specific colours. This seemed

evident in the survey we sent out to the pupil body, for example 71% of participants thought of

disgust as green. However, anger was a much more unanimous vote - 92% of the answers chose

red. It makes you question when and why did we make these links between colour and mood?

Here are some of the most interesting results collected from our survey:

The Hive | December 2020 | https://firefly.fettes.com/thehive/

Interestingly, our perception of colour starts at about 5 months old. Children tend to be drawn to

bright colours, like the primary colours because they are more distinguishable and recognisable.

Have you ever noticed that children’s toys or climbing frames in the park are painted in bright

block colours? This is known as the bright colour appeal.

Bright colours are also used strategically in advertising depending on who their target audience is.

Studies suggest that generally woman are drawn to blues, greens, and purples but dislike orange,

brown and grey. By contrast, men are attracted to blue, green, and black but are deterred by

browns, orange, and purple. Brands who are trying to be at the luxury end of the market struggle

with colour, instead black is often used to look sophisticated and embody elegance and power;

however, the overuse of black can make a brand dull and un-inspiring.

• ‘Too complex to reduce to one color.....’

• ‘Mauve- like my poop’ 18


Features

Finally, we have added a few of the responses to the final question of the survey: What colour

would you describe yourself / your personality as?

• ‘effervascent sparkling sprinkles’

• ‘Too complex to reduce to one color.....’

• ‘Mauve- like my poop’

• ‘Mostly pink orange yellow and purple’

• ‘a mix of purple and yellowy orange. maybe a tad of red in there too’

• ‘Banana yellow’

FETTES TEA SURVEY

▉ Flora Ferguson and Emma Harper

The colour of tea that one chooses to drink is a highly debated topic. Whether you are a milky tea

drinker, a builder’s tea kind of person, or a herbal enthusiast, the strength and type of tea you

choose says a lot about you as a person.

We surveyed the Fettes community to find out more about your tea preferences. At long last, the

results that you have all been desperately waiting for are here!

19


The Hive | December 2020| https://firefly.fettes.com/the-hive/

It seems that overall 2D came out on top. If you chose this colour, you’re a pretty average

person, (basically boring), but at least nobody can judge you for your tea colour choice. 33 of us

drink 1A. This could be explained by food allergies, dietary choices, general weirdness or

potentially the lack of milk in pantry. One of the most shocking discoveries is that 7 people at

Fettes drink 4D. If you drink your tea this colour, you can no longer call it tea. I’m sorry to say

that that is just boiling water with milk.

Milk, before or after the tea, is also an historically contentious area with many underlying

tensions. Initially, we only put in the option for milk before or after. However, we were petitioned

to add a ‘no milk’ option. Fettes, as a whole seems, to prefer tea on the darker side with no milk.

To quote a member of the Fettes community, “imagine putting milk in your tea!”

20


Features

Another serious issue to consider is the type of tea that our community enjoys to drink. According

to our survey, English Breakfast is the most popular, closely followed by Earl Grey. Herbal or

fruit tea came in third place, with green tea and mint tea just missing out on podium positions.

Lastly, we would like to mention some of the most uncommon tea preferences that have

been brought to light by our survey. These included Lapsang Souchong, Rooibos, and Kenyan tea.

The question is: are you really that surprised by some of these exotic teas? We didn’t think so.

In conclusion, keep calm and drink on. We are proud to report that the tea culture in Fettes

is really quite strong (no pun intended), as one would expect from a school in the United

Kingdom. Last, but not least, don’t follow the masses; enjoy tea the way you want it, even if it is

option 4D!

▉ Ella Andrews and Gemma Morris

21


The Hive | December 2020 | https://firefly.fettes.com/the-hive/

Dear Matron Magenta…

Dear Matron

Magenta,

Covid is making me

really scared! It has

been so long since

life was normal. I

found lockdown

difficult - nothing

was certain and I

couldn’t see my

friends or family for

months. It is so great

to be back at school

but I can’t help but

be worried over the

rising number of

cases and new

restrictions. How

should I cope?

-FearfulFred

Dear Fearful Fred,

This coronavirus is a

very scary virus and it

is not in any way

unusual to feel

stressed or scared

about it. All of us have

had to adapt to a new

way of life with no

idea how long we have

left. It feels like the

moment things start

to look better, cases

start to rise again and

restrictions tighten.

Lockdown was

especially difficult. Not

being able to leave the

house and having to

do school online put a

lot of pressure on us

all. Try your best to

keep positive but don’t

feel bad about being

worried. This is a

global pandemic and

everyone’s reaction is

different.

-MM ♥

Dear Matron

Magenta,

It is my very first

term at Fettes and I

still don’t feel like I

know the school. I

keep on getting lost

and I feel like

everyone else has

settled down apart

from me. Fettes is so

busy and I feel

myself getting swept

away with work and

my social life. How

do I change this?

-LostLucy

Dear Lost Lucy,

Being new at Fettes is

incredibly daunting.

Starting at a new

school can be difficult,

even without a global

pandemic! It is

important to realise

that even though

people look confident

and comfortable many

are feeling just as lost

as you. Focusing on

work is so important

but so is finding a

balance between

studies and a social

life. Make sure you

spend a good amount

of time with your

friends but keep

working hard! It is

only the end of your

first term and you still

have plenty of time to

settle down.

Remember, there are

so many people that

would be happy to

help and answer any

questions you have

about the school!

-MM ♥

Dear Matron

Magenta,

I am really worried

about my external

exams. I have them

this year and I don’t

even know if they

will be happening!

Mocks are even

sooner and if exams

are cancelled my

grades from my

mocks might be used

instead. What do you

recommend to

alleviate exam

stress?

-StressedSteven

Dear Stressed Steven,

The uncertainty

behind exams this year

is very real and scary.

It is always important

to try you very

hardest in your mocks

and it is true that this

year that might be a

little bit more

important. Despite

this, don’t get too

stressed out and

remember that they

are just mocks. Your

teachers know your

ability and what you

are capable of. Mocks

are soon but you still

have a lot of time to

plan your revision and

get started. The best

advice for revision is

to start now and not to

prolong it any further.

-MM ♥

22

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!