WINTER 2020 | VOL. 6 - "Attitude Determines Altitude" - Platanos College

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WINTER 2020 | VOL. 6 - "Attitude Determines Altitude" - Platanos College
WINTER 2020 | VOL. 6

"Attitude Determines Altitude"
WINTER 2020 | VOL. 6 - "Attitude Determines Altitude" - Platanos College
PLATANOS COLLEGE

CONTENTS

Editor's Welcome                    Page 3                          Crime and Conspiracy
Thank You                           Page 3                          Killer From WIthin             Page 39
                                                                    19 Years On From The Nightmare Page 40
Learning Lounge                                                     of 9/11
Teachers Top Tips                   Page 4                          Death at the Dyaltov Pass      Page 41
Bullying                            Page 5-6
Guess the Teacher                   Page 7                          Office of Opinion
Interview with a Past Pupil         Page 8                          Cotton, Children and Control-   Page 42
Little Fires Everywhere: A Review   Page 9                          Uzbekistan's Secret
                                                                    The Magic of Social Media       Page 43
A Year Like No Other                                                Remembering Black Mamba         Page 44
Safety First                        Page 10                         Racism- Just Skin Deep?         Page 45
How Has Coronavirus Changed         Page 11                         The Future is Here              Page 46
Our Lives?                                                          How is Tupac Remembered?        Page 47
How Have Different Countries        Page 12
Dealt With Coronavirus?                                             Seasonal Specials
Lockdown Learning                   Page 13                         Christmas Quiz                  Page 48
How Has Coronavirus Changed         Page 14                         A Corona Christmas              Page 49
Our Lives As Pupils?                                                Christmas Word Search           Page 50
Living in Lockdown                  Page 15
Coronavirus: Clubs in Crisis        Page 16                         Meet The Staff!                 Page 51
Marcus' Marvellous Meals            Page 17
Rising High                         Page 18-19
Coronavirus: The Good, The Bad      Page 20
and The Government
History For Harris                  Page 21
The President and The Pandemic      Page 22
Make America Great Again            Page 23
Black Lives Matter: A Movement      Page 24-25
Like No Other
Black Lives Matter: A Timeline      Page 26-27
A Letter to The World               Page 28

Community Corner
Astonishing Adele                   Page 29
Interview with a Platanos Parent:   Page 30-31
The Power is Within You

Inspiration Station
LeBron the Legend                   Page 32
Getting Your Mojo Back For          Page 33-34
2021!
The Magic Of Morant                 Page 35
Remarkable Ronaldo                  Page 36
Limitless Leonardo                  Page 37

Cacophony of Colours
Like Rivers Flowing Into The        Page 38
Ocean
2020                                Page 38

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WINTER 2020 | VOL. 6 - "Attitude Determines Altitude" - Platanos College
PLATANOS COLLEGE

EDITOR'S WELCOME

WRITTEN BY SIHAN AHMED (EDITOR-IN-CHIEF)

Hello, and welcome to the Winter      year? Do you remember the way
2020 Edition of the Platanos          the year started, with the
College KS4 Newsletter! As we         devastating Australian bushfires?
approach the end of a year like       I don’t know about you, but those
none before it, we have decided to    bushfires seem like they were at
bring you an array of views about     least 5 years ago!
2020 - the positives, the negatives
and just a well-rounded, multi-       Just because this year has been
perspective review of the year.        different, we are sticking to what
                                      previous KS4 Newsletter teams
We had a think about possible         did best - focusing on the same
themes for our Specials section,      topics, from Inspiration Station to
but decided that there could be no    Crime And Conspiracy.
better topic than what we’ve all
been talking about in recent          So why don’t you grab yourself a
months. So, we are really excited     snack, take a seat and enjoy your
to present to you with the 6th        Christmas holidays whilst you
installment of the KS4 Newsletter,    read the Winter 2020 Edition of
with the very apt Specials theme      the KS4 Newsletter?
‘2020- A Year Like No Other’. As      On behalf of this year’s KS4
you have surely seen by now,          Newsletter Team, we sincerely
2020 has been quite bizarre to say    hope you enjoy reading this 2020
the least. BLM, Coronavirus and       – a Year Like No Other Special
the USA election have dominated       Edition!
our news feeds. Can you believe                            Kind regards,
that the Space X launch was this           Sihan Ahmed (Editor-in-Chief)

THANK YOU

WRITTEN BY ASMAA OTMANI

To the...                             Ever comfortin’
                                      Super lovin’
Life savin’                           Advice givin’
Bleeper answerin’                     Forever runnin’
Shift changin’                        Hard workin’
Long nights survivin’                 People supportin’
Emergency calmin’                     Lunch forgettin’
Medicine prescribin’                  Seriously believin’
Strong standin’                       Optimistic thinkin’
Worry hidin’                          NHS staff...
Smile showin’
Fatigue ignorin’                      Thank You.
Always carin’

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WINTER 2020 | VOL. 6 - "Attitude Determines Altitude" - Platanos College
PLATANOS COLLEGE

learning lounge
TEACHERS' TOP TIPS

WRITTEN BY KAELEE DALEY

All of us know just how important       our work right away, we can help
our education is, to help us            our minds to retain information.
develop new skills, knowledge and       Mr Scott advises doing this 2-3
values as we mature into young          times a week. In addition, using
adults. We decided to interview         educational websites and videos
members of staff on their top           will also aid us in consolidating our
learning tips.                          learning.

Ms Lopéz in the Spanish                 Lastly, Ms Amenedo advises
department advises that in order        that in order to elevate our
to maximise our learning, we            academic performance in Spanish
should revise in short bursts and       and all other subjects, we ought to
take breaks so that we don't            complete all homework set by our
overload      our   brains    with      teachers. Homework is another
information. Segments of learning       form of revision. Furthermore, not
interspersed with breaks enable us      only does it help us to reinforce
to retain key information. Ms           and deepen our understanding, it
Lopéz also says that eating             also encourages us to be more
healthily    can   enhance     our      independent.
academic performance as it is
proven that eating healthily            So, why not take some of these
improves nutrition, so our bodies       snippets of advice on board? After
get all they need to function well;     all, having taught tens of
a healthy body helps us have a          thousands of pupils between them,
healthy mind!                           these teachers probably know a
                                        thing or two about how to make
English teacher Ms Anderson             the most of our school years!
states that all pupils should read
regularly as “reading is the gateway
to knowledge.” By reading books
suitable for our age group, we
strengthen our vocabulary, spelling
and comprehension skills. Ms
Anderson advises us all to read
between 15-20 minutes a day. It is
also    believed     that     reading
enhances our wellbeing by
reducing stress. So pick up a book
today and dive into a world of
wonder!

Mr Scott, who teaches in our
Science department, provides
some great advice; by reviewing

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WINTER 2020 | VOL. 6 - "Attitude Determines Altitude" - Platanos College
PLATANOS COLLEGE

BULLYING

WRITTEN BY ANTHONY ALEXANDER LAGOAS DOS SANTOS

Bullying: it’s an ugly word. Yet       The Bollywood actress, Priyanka
many of us have had to deal with       Chopra Jonas revealed that she
this at some point in our lives.       was bullied in High School - a
According to Ditch The Label, more     traumatic     experience    that
than half of people under 25 have      provoked her move back to India
experienced some form of bullying,     from the USA.
whilst 24% of young people are
concerned about online bullying.          “There was this girl who was a major bully. I
                                        think she didn't like me because her boyfriend
And did you know that the
                                          liked me, or some high school dynamic…she
Number 1 aspect that bullies
                                       made my life hell. She used to call me names and
prefer to target is their victims'
                                        would push me against the locker…I don't want
appearance?
                                          any kid to feel the way I felt in school. I was
                                       afraid of my bully. It made me feel like I'm less —
Furthermore, a BBC report from              in my skin, in my identity, in my culture."
2019 reported that 20% of young                      Priyanka Chopra Jonas
people had been victims of
bullying in the previous year. Just                                                          The pop superstar Lady Gaga
imagine that: in an average                                                                  revealed how memories of
classroom, approximately 6 of your                                                           being bullied helped her to
peers will have experienced                                                                  portray the character Ally
bullying. Horrific to even consider,                                                         from the movie A Star Is
isn’t it?                                                                                    Born.

We found some true stories of                                                                 "Well, what's different between
famous    people      who       have                                                           Ally and [myself] is that when I
                                                                                               decided I was going to go for it
experienced bullying in their lives.
                                                                                              as a singer and songwriter, I just
                                                                                                 hit the ground running," she
The pop star Kim Petras had to
                                                                                              said. "I really believed in myself.
deal with bullying because she was                                                                  Ally is not this way. My
transgender.     She    underwent                                                                 character in this film, she
gender-surgery when she was 16                                                                 doesn't believe in herself at all.
and talked to Glamour UK about                                                                  She's very jaded by the music
how tough she found going to                                                                   industry and she's given up on
school.                                                                                        herself…What I had to do was
                                                                                                   go back further into my
                                                                                               childhood, into my high school
    “I learned people will not like                                                             years, when I was bullied and
    you or will like you that’s the                                                               made fun of for having big
     reality… you cannot please                                                                dreams…That's where I went.”
   everybody, and a lot of people                                                                           Lady Gaga
    bully people because they're
    jealous or because they have
    their own personal issue that
          they project on you.
      Sometimes it doesn't even
         have to do with you,
      sometimes people are just
           bored." Kim Petras

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PLATANOS COLLEGE

                                        Tom Holland
       “There were times
       when I was bullied               Tom Holland is known for playing
       about dancing and                Spiderman in a series of Marvel
         stuff…but you                  movies. When he was younger, he
      couldn’t hit me hard              played Billy Elliot in the Theatre
       enough to stop me                and had to deal with bullying from
      from doing it." Tom               others because of his somewhat
            Holland                     unusual role as a young male
                                        dancer

 If you’re a victim of bullying,        ChildLine:    free,     confidential    Victim Support: support for young
 please don’t ever forget that there    helpline for children and young         people affected by crime. Their
 is always someone you can speak        people. They offer advice and           Children and Young People's (CYP)
 with, whether that’s an anti-          support, by phone and online, 24        Service also deals with cases of
 bullying ambassador, teacher or        hours a day. Call 0800 1111.            bullying; offering advice and
 Pastoral Manager. You can also                                                 working with professionals to
 get support and advice from a          Direct Gov: Information for young       ensure young people get support:
 number of Helplines, which we          people on cyberbullying, bullying       08 08 16 89 111.
 have listed below.                     on social networks, Internet and
                                        email bullying, bullying on mobile
 No one should ever have to face        phones, bullying at school, what to
 bullying of any sort: let’s all work   do about bullying, and information
 together to stamp it out.              and advice for people who are
                                        bullying others and want to stop.

What do we do at Platanos College
                                        EACH: EACH has a freephone
to ensure we are a bullying-free
                                        Helpline for children experiencing
zone?
                                        homophobic,        biphobic     or
·        Bullying comes under the
                                        transphobic bullying or harassment:
umbrella of safeguarding
                                        0808 1000 143. It’s open Monday
·            We have anti-bullying
                                        to Friday 10am-5pm.
champions across key stage 3 and
year 10 also known as ABA                  ·        The ABA have fortnightly
·       This model is also available       meetings and discuss the trends
in across the Platanos Trust.              relating to bullying this is then
·      We have a designated Anti-          used has an assembly theme
bullying      co-ordinator       who       ·       The ABA and co-ordinator
manages        the      anti-bullying      organises and promotes anti-
ambassadors                                bullying week in the main school
·       All anti-bullying champions        and across the primary schools
are trained and then the seniors           within the Trust
train our primary school ABAs.             ·       Anti-bullying posters have
·         There are different tiers        been designed by pupils and has
when it comes to investigating             been linked to house competitions
bullying – ABA, Co-ordinator, SLT          – this is to ensure that ABA
and police involvement in most             continue to raise awareness
serious cases.                             around bullying

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WINTER 2020 | VOL. 6 - "Attitude Determines Altitude" - Platanos College
PLATANOS COLLEGE

GUESS THE TEACHER

WRITTEN BY SALIH KARKIN

Think you know the teachers at         b)   Mr Hobson
Platanos College? Let's see shall      c)   Ms Hall
we?
                                       8.Which member of staff used to
1.Which member of staff used to        make dresses?
do ballet?                             a) Mr Garry
a) Ms Williams                         b) Ms Mujawamaria
b) Ms McAteer                          c) Ms Anderson
c) Mr Boyles
                                       9.Which member of staff grew up
2.Which    member      of   staff      on the island of Grenada?
represented Sri Lanka in front of      a) Mr Swaby
the Queen when they were 12?           b) Mr Rigby
a) Ms Damoo                            c) Mr Edwards
b) Mr Hall
c) Ms Thompson                         10.Which member of staff has
                                       gone bungee jumping and sky
3.Which member of staff has            diving?
killed a cow?                          a) Ms Graham
a) Mr Kabaka                           b) Ms Bastero
b) Mr Edwards                          c) Ms Lopez
c) Mr Schardsmith

4.Which member of staff has
Heterochromia (one eye is a
different colour from the other)?
a) Ms Alam
b) Ms Daniels
c) Ms Hashim

5. Which member of staff has met
many     celebrities   including
Michael B Jordan and Michael
Jordan?
a) Mr Olaniran
b) Ms Simpson
c) Mr Klassen

6.Which member of staff has
been to every country in South
America except Paraguay?
a) Ms Stephenson
b) Ms McAteer
c) Ms Roso

7.Which member of staff is a
relative of Abraham Lincoln’s
wife?
a) Mr Scott
                                    Answers 1)b 2)c 3)a 4)b 5)b 6)a 7)a 8)c 9)c 10)a

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WINTER 2020 | VOL. 6 - "Attitude Determines Altitude" - Platanos College
PLATANOS COLLEGE

INTERVIEW WITH A PAST PUPIL

WRITTEN BY SIHAN AHMED

Once you’re a pupil of Platanos       communication and team
College, you’ll always be part of     leadership. I also left with many
our community!                        invaluable connections with my
We interviewed Fadumo Ahmed,          teachers who were more than
who attended Platanos College         happy to offer me advice for any
from 2011-2016 and asked her          aspect of Higher Education and life
about her time here.                  in general.

What was your favourite part of       Did the social nature of the school
being a pupil of Platanos College?    help you prosper and if so, how?

If I am being truly honest, my        I loved different clubs during
favourite memories would be the       different years. During my younger
times I had with my friends           years, I did basketball, which kept
outside of lessons. I would look      me fit and energised. After Year 9,
forward to seeing everyone at         I focused on debating and Maths
break or lunch. I also enjoyed my     club. Debating helped me with my
after-school       extra-curricular   confidence and oration skills and
sessions.    They     were     less   Maths was for pure enjoyment as it
demanding than my usual lessons       was one of my strong suits. It was
and much more enjoyable to share      just nice to be out of the pressures
with your friends who had similar     of the classroom and doing what
interests.                            you enjoyed at your own pace.

What life skills did you learn        Did       you      enjoy   the
during your education here?           educational/professional
                                      relationship you had with your
I learnt a lot about time             teachers?
management. It is hard to juggle
the 12 subjects that I studied at     Yes, I enjoyed lessons with most of
GCSE. I also joined the Debating      my teachers. I was lucky enough to
Team and become a much more           have an inspirational tutor and a
confident and fluent orator.          sensational Science teacher from
Certain subjects teach you certain    Year 7-11 in Ms Alam and Ms
skills. In History, I honed my        Browne. They kept my head down
analytical skills whereas in          and focused and were always there
Chemistry, I focused on how to        to help. I think they fuelled my
provide logical explanations in a     desire to study Medicine at
simple manner.                        University. I definitely would not
                                      be here without them! Mr Williams
What did you take away with you       was also amazing. At one point, I
after graduating from Platanos        think he was teaching Business,
College?                              ICT and Maths. You don’t find
                                      teachers that talented often! I
I felt like I had very good           would definitely say I was lucky to
foundations and qualifications        have the teachers I had; they didn’t
with me when I left. I had            want anything but to see us
developed all the basic skills        succeed.
needed for life, such as

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WINTER 2020 | VOL. 6 - "Attitude Determines Altitude" - Platanos College
PLATANOS COLLEGE

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE: A REVIEW

WRITTEN BY JOSHUA ZACK

Little Fires Everywhere is an            book or watching the series, but
Amazon Prime series starring            we will tell you this: deception,
Reese Witherspoon and Kerry             racism, classism, family feuds,
Washington that highlights some         scandal and issues of morality are
very pertinent themes and issues        woven throughout the text.
in society. As an adaptation of the
novel by Celeste Ng, it highlights      Race. Class. Privilege. These three
how racial stereotypes can ravage       words sum up Little Fires
through relationships and family        Everywhere. The acting in the
life.                                   series   is    outstanding.     The
                                        emotions feel realistic and draw
When Mia Warren and her                 the audience in; with each scene
daughter Pearl move to the town         and every new, extreme plot twist,
Shaker Heights during the 90’s,         we can’t help but cling to our seats
Elena Richardson lets her rental        in anticipation of the next
home to them out of pity for their      catastrophic event. Furthermore, it
nomadic lifestyle. Mia strangely        opens our eyes to the hidden
relocates every couple of months        prejudices that exist in our society
and has a car as old as her teenage     today.
daughter who has little stability in
terms of friendships, family or         If you do decide to watch or read
schooling. Elena, in contrast, owns     Little  Fires   Everywhere,   you
an exquisite, spacious house, is        honestly won’t be disappointed.
seemingly happily married and
well      respected      in     the
neighbourhood and has four
children.

When Pearl meets Moody
(Michael), she also meets the rest
of the Richardson family. Bill,
Lexie (Alexandra), Trip and Izzy
(Isabelle) Richardson. Izzy stands
out from the rest, as she refuses
to follow the perfectionist lifestyle
of her family. From the start, we
see Izzy’s troubled life exposed.
From the constant bullying from
peers, to the toxic relationship she
seems to have with her mother.
She finds comfort in Mia, who has
a secretive personality.

We learn that Mia’s brother
passed away in a car accident and
learn more secrets about her as
the series continues. Obviously
we don’t want to ruin it for you if
you’re considering reading the

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PLATANOS COLLEGE

a year like no other
SAFETY FIRST

WRITTEN BY ASMAA OTMANI

The year is coming to an end.
After plenty of money given to
lend.
Looking back, we had a fright
And now, we’re starting to see
some light.
Amongst all this darkness, loss and
pain,
Coronavirus still sadly remains.
It’s decided to return once more -
As if it hasn’t done enough before.
Just as we let a sigh of relief,
We were hit by even more grief.
The cases once more begin to rise,
Hence the government is forced to
compromise:
Finding a way to keep the public
safe.

They must also help the economy
to recover,
From this serious worldwide
shocker.
Keep schools open for students to
learn,
So knowledge can be effectively
earned.
This is a disaster for years to come
-
Certain, there are benefits for
some.
But that is a small minority;
Hit hard was the huge majority.
Emergency services have been put
under pressure

The NHS had to reach new
measures
Helping the nation face their fate
But did we react a little too late?
All we can do is help keep the
public safe.

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PLATANOS COLLEGE

HOW HAS CORONAVIRUS CHANGED OUR

LIVES?

WRITTEN BY LEVAAN BAIDEN

If someone had told you this time     contracted by people who were in               *Statistics correct at time of going
last year that we would be going      close contact with bats. It soon               to print
into Lockdown, schools would be       spread amongst the human
closed, holidays abroad would         population both in China and
cease, millions of people’s jobs      worldwide. As of September
would be at risk and people           2020, it has caused over 1.4*
around the world would die of a       million deaths and over 59.2*
global pandemic, would you have       million cases across the globe.
believed them? No, neither would
we. There is no doubt that 2020
has been a year like no other, one
in which things we took for
granted are now completely
different to how they once were.
As has been described in the news
many times, we are having to get
used to ‘a new normal.’

Did you know that Coronavirus
cases were first discovered almost
100 years ago in the 1920s in
birds and mammals? Coronavirus
strands     can cause symptoms
similar to those of the common
cold: a fever, a runny nose and a
cough. In 2003, an outbreak in
Asia was caused by Coronavirus.
This type of Coronavirus was
called SARS and affected around
8000 people. It was estimated
that around 10 percent of people
who had been affected by the
virus died. More recently, in 2012,
there was another type of
Coronavirus that this time spread
around Saudi Arabia. This was
called MERS, which affected over
2500 people and had over 800
deaths in 2012.

However, the Coronavirus that we
all know was discovered in 2019
in Wuhan, China. It was initially
reported to be pneumonia and is
now thought to have been

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PLATANOS COLLEGE

HOW HAVE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES DEALT

WITH CORONAVIRUS?

WRITTEN BY RUQAYYA KHAN

                                        All figures correct at time of
                                                   writing.

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PLATANOS COLLEGE

LOCKDOWN LEARNING

WRITTEN BY ENIOLA OMONOJO, WITH A CONTRIBUTION FROM HAMZAH AHMED

We all know the incredible impact      avoid contact amongst children.
that Coronavirus has had on our
education. The previous Year 11s       At the time of this article being
(now Sixth Formers and College         written, Japan has over 83,000
students) were not able to sit their   Coronavirus cases and more than
GCSEs. Imagine that! 5 years of        1,500 deaths. The Japanese
Secondary         education    where   government has also decided that
everything is leading to those all-    schools should reopen. Face shields
important exams, only to end up        must be worn in classrooms with no
not completing them. Year 13           exceptions. Japanese children must
students – many of whom are now        maintain social distancing and are
at University – were also unable       constantly reminded to stay at least
to sit their all-important A Levels.   one metre away from their peers.
                                       One of the challenges for Japanese
And what about the rest of us?         schools is crowded classrooms: it’s
Although work was set online for       not uncommon for 40 children to
all pupils across the UK, many of      be in a classroom! According to
us struggled with concentrating on     experts, this is double the
our online assignments and             recommendation         during       a
actually completing the work.          pandemic. The authorities believe
What did you find challenging          that instead of keeping the children
about learning during lockdown?        in constant fear, they should just
And how did the UK’s lockdown          get the basic safeguarding correct
education system compare with          first. Many parents and teachers
that of other countries?               are on the edge of their seats
                                       hoping that the logic the authorities
Covid-19 has affected schools          are using works.
across the UK and the world in
many     different   ways.     New     So, what’s your view of how
regulations can be confusing, time-    different countries have chosen to
consuming and arduous to follow.       deal with the impact of Coronavirus
How are different schools dealing      on their children’s education? What
around the world dealing with          would you have done differently if
Coronavirus?                           you were the leader of one of these
                                       countries?
Neighbouring Italy is doing
everything in their power to
prevent a second wave of
Coronavirus.       This     includes
constantly wearing face masks and
washing hands. Schools in Italy
decided to take matters into their
own hands, with some cutting up
furniture to avoid pupil contact.
Italian schools are having children
sit on benches to prevent cramped
classrooms.      The      Education
Ministry has planned to order
three million single seated desks to

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PLATANOS COLLEGE

  HOW HAS CORONAVIRUS CHANGED OUR

  LIVES AS PUPILS?

  WRITTEN BY KARINA ROBERTS                                  The good thing about the
                                                             schools’ COVID measures
                                                                is that now there are               “One pro about the COVID
  There      is  no    doubt     that                                                                  measures is that social
                                                                fewer people in large
  Coronavirus has changed the way                                                                   distancing keeps us safe as
                                                               groups, there is a lower
  we live our lives – and that goes                                                                 well as keeping our loved
                                                            risk of the virus spreading.
  for our lives at school too. The                                                                 ones safe too. A con is sitting
                                                              However, it’s frustrating
  staff have gone to great lengths                                                                   in the same seat for a long
                                                            being separated from your
  to ensure our safety and                                                                            period of time, which can
                                                                   friends.” – Melek
  frequently make it clear that our                                                                   make pupils restless and
  health and safety are the school’s                                                                      sore.” -Prudence
  Number 1 priority. Of course, we
                                              “The school is
  know that was always the case;
                                           trying their best to           “I like that we are
  but in the climate of Coronavirus,
                                               prevent the               limited to our year
  prioritising our wellbeing is even
                                                spread of                 group bubbles to
  more heightened.
                                             Coronavirus.” –               help prevent the         "I like that there are separate
                                                   Juan                         spread.”-           eating tables at lunch to help
  We were interested to find out
                                                                               Houdayna                 reduce the likelihood of
  how pupils across Key Stage 4 are
                                                                                                     spreading the virus. I dislike
  adapting to the new rules and
                                                                                                       that we’re told to socially
  procedures,     including   what
                                                       “The timetable and the                        distance even though in the
  aspects of this new life they
                                                        constant supervision                             classroom this is quite
  prefer and what they are not so
                                                       makes us feel like we’re                           challenging.” – Isaaq
  keen on. Here’s what some of our
                                                           under pressure,
  peers had to say…
                                                       however, it’s good that
                                                        this keeps us safe.” –
                                                               Victor                   “I like that the school
          “I like that we’re keeping                                                     is trying to keep us
             people who live with                                                      safe, however, I would
        vulnerable relatives safe and                                                      like to be able to
        are making sure that people                                                     socialise with people
                                                         “I like that we have the
        who suffer from underlying                                                         more.” – Keiyana
                                                        option to wear our masks
         health issues are kept safe
                                                        in the classroom. I dislike
           from the virus as far as
                                                         the lunch lines and the
       possible. I dislike the decrease
                                                         way the seats are put in
           of socialising though!.”-                                                                   “I dislike that being in a large
                                                           place, even though I
                    Leatiyah                                                                               year group bubble isn’t
                                                          understand it’s for our
                                                            safety.” – Kayanna                            really the same as social
                                                                                                           distancing when you’re
                                                                                                       outside school. I like that we
                                    “I think it’s good that the                                          have to sanitise our hands
 “I don’t like the fact that           school are putting in              “I’m not keen on the           when handing out books/
 we’re in a classroom for             measures because it’s                 bubble system or                 equipment.” – Sofia
the whole day and barely               keeping us safe but I               having to sit in the
get to socialise, however,           dislike not being able to           same seat all day long,
I like that we get to start          socialise normally with                  which can get           So, having considered the
   school later because I                friends.” – Leisha                     extremely             views of Key Stage 4 pupils
  can sleep for longer.” –                                                frustrating.”-Sofiane       above, what is your opinion
            Kayla                                                                                     of the pros and cons of our
                                                                                                      new school life?

                                            14 | "Attitude Determines Altitude" | VOL. 6
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LIVING IN LOCKDOWN

WRITTEN BY RIHANNA JOHN

Lockdown hasn’t been the easiest       no such thing as a ‘normal’
for any of us. According to MIND,      response towards the experience
more than 50% of adults and 2/3        of Lockdown; 2020 has been aa
of young people say that their         challenging year for all of us and
mental health has deteriorated         we will deal with this in different
during Lockdown. Boredom, being        ways. Your feelings won’t always
prevented from seeing loved ones,      stay the same and won’t always
lack of time outdoors and              seem logical.
concerns     about    the     health
implications of Coronavirus have       So what can help us when we feel
all had an impact on mental health.    our mental health is being
Loneliness is also a major factor on   affected by the effects of
mental wellbeing.                      Coronavirus and Lockdown?

MIND carried out a survey of           Here are some tips:
1917 young people aged 13-24;
their findings were startling. 46%     - Talk to someone you trust
had used mental health services,       - Check out online peer support
whilst 35% have family members         - Express your feelings creatively,
with mental health problems. 4%        such as through writing, music or
of young people surveyed are           art.
carers to someone with mental          - Make choices to control the
health problems. Worryingly, over      things that you can and try not to
3/4 of young people had lower          sweat the things you can’t control
than average wellbeing scores.         - Practise self care
                                       - Connect with friends and family
So what are the top 5 concerns of      online
young people when it comes to          - Get lost in films and TV
how Coronavirus has affected           - But remember, too much screen
their mental health?                   time and social media can have a
1) Feeling bored                       negative effect
2) Not being able to see friends       - Try to get outdoors if possible
3) Not being able to go outside
4) Feeling lonely                      Helplines:
5) Feeling worried about loved
ones contracting Coronavirus           MIND: www.mind.org.uk Tel:
                                       0300 123 3393
Lots of us will have experienced a     Samaritans:
range of different feelings during     www.samaritans.org.uk Tel:
Lockdown.      You    might     feel   116 123
stressed, unprepared, anxious,         Young Minds:
afraid or panicked. Or perhaps you     www.youngminds.org.uk
get angry or frustrated, feel
confused or unmotivated. You
might feel isolated and like no-one
cares.

Everyone should remember there’s

                                        15 | "Attitude Determines Altitude" | VOL. 6
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CORONAVIRUS: CLUBS IN CRISIS

WRITTEN BY ADAM ALI

Covid-19: there’s no doubt about         position, bearing in mind that
it – 2020’s global pandemic has          lower League players earnings are
changed our lives significantly. It      significantly less than that of
has affected everything from plans       Premier League footballers.
that we might've had to the world
of sports as we know it. A               Back in April, when Coronavirus
favourite of Year 10 pupils –            and Lockdown were in full swing
football - has been hit hard not         in the UK, Matt Hancock the
only here in England, but                Health Secretary urged Premier
worldwide.                               League footballers to “Take a pay
                                         cut, play your part.” Some Premier
When you think of English                League clubs such as Spurs and
football, one of the things that will    Newcastle took advantage of the
surely come to mind is the Premier       government’s Furlough scheme,
League and the controversial             using taxpayer’s money to fund
wages that footballers are paid          staff wages, which outraged many
weekly. The average weekly               members of the public. Many
earnings of a Premier League             leading figures in football were
footballer is £50,000. Just let that     outraged at the criticism thrown
sink in for a second. Last year, a       at Football, with former Premier
fully qualified nurse got paid about     League player David Cotterill
£24,000 a year. The average salary       arguing, “2.5 million millionaires in
in the UK is £36,000, meaning that       the UK! 512 players in the Premier
in a week, the average Premier           League! YOU all want footballers to
League footballer is paid £14,000        donate or take pay cuts during this?
more than many Brits will earn in a      I agree. But there’s a lot more rich
whole year!                              people out there. Soon as anything
                                         happens footballers become instant
This might make you think that           targets.” The age-old argument
footballers getting paid these           about footballers’ wages is even
types of wages are somewhat              more intensified in the time of
immune       to     the     financial    Coronavirus; but who do you
implications of Covid-19 - but you       agree with?
might be mistaken. Football Clubs
have been put under financial            With games not being played or
strain because of Covid-19, forcing      being played behind closed doors,
them to reconsider the wages of          the money that spectators would
footballers during the Coronavirus       normally contribute is at stake.
period. Footballers have been            This is one of the many reasons
given a ‘take it or leave it’ choice,    that professional Football is under
meaning Clubs have given players         pressure. Will Lower League
a choice to accept lower wages or        teams and even Premier League
to be kicked out of their Club.          Clubs combat this and make the
Most - if not all - footballers have     enormous effects of Covid-19 in
taken up the offer. Some lower           Football a thing of the past?
League players have been outright
released from their clubs, leaving       Well, we'll just have to wait and
them jobless and in a tough              see...

                                        16 | "Attitude Determines Altitude" | VOL. 6
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MARCUS' MARVELLOUS MEALS

WRITTEN BY JESSICA FERREIRA

You may know Marcus Rashford           heavily influenced by his own
as an English professional football    upbringing. His mother worked
player, who plays as a Forward for     full-time, earning minimum wage
Premier League club Manchester         to make sure the family always             “I don’t have the education of a
United and the English national        had a decent evening meal on the       politician, many on Twitter have made
team. Rashford started playing         table, but this wasn’t enough; at        that clear today, but I have a social
football for Fletcher Moss Rangers     times he had to rely on breakfast       education having lived through this
at the age of 5, beginning as a        clubs and free school meals to             and having spent time with the
goal keeper, and took inspiration      receive nutritious meals.               families and children most affected.
from Tim Howard, his goalkeeping                                                  These children matter.” Marcus
idol. His career blossomed in his      On May 27th 2016 when he                               Rashford
youth and in 2012 he was part of       broke the record for youngest
the Manchester United Under-15         player to score in his first senior
squad. Due to his success, he has      international match, Rashford
gained attention from many             reflected on the fact that without
people, with The Guardian naming       the kindness and generosity of the
him as Manchester United’s best        community he had had around
prospect in 2014.                      him growing up, he wouldn’t be
                                       the famous 23-year-old English
Despite now being famous and           football player he is today.
wealthy, Rashford did not grow
up in a family that had much           It is estimated that around
money. During the first Lockdown       200,000 children have had to skip
of 2020, Rashford campaigned for       meals during lockdown, and 5
the government to assist families      million people live in families that
on low incomes by providing free       have experienced struggles during
meals for children who would           the Covid-19 epidemic. Over
normally access these at school.       2000 paediatricians supported
Rashford teamed up with a charity      Rashford’s campaign whilst many
named FareShare, to help fight         businesses offered free meals to
hunger and food waste, and has         families in need as a result of
now raised more than £20 million.      heightened awareness.

Determined to reduce hunger and        There is no doubt that largely due
food waste, Rashford wrote a           to Rashford’s campaign and
letter to MPs to ask them to           passion on this matter, local
change their decision of ending        communities, businesses and the
the voucher scheme in the              government have started paying
holidays; within the letter he         heed to the plight of those who
stated, “this is not about politics;   have had to endure hardship
this is about humanity,” revealing     during lockdown. The question is,
his belief that access to food is      will his campaign be able to make
not a political matter but a basic     permanent changes to the funding
human right.                           of free meals for those children
                                       who need it?
Rashford’s passion to ensure all
children receive adequate meals,

                                       17 | "Attitude Determines Altitude" | VOL. 6
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RISING HIGH

WRITTEN BY ASMAA OTMANI

2020 - it has been a wild                  as that is its temporary name
rollercoaster ride for everyone.           unofficially      opened.        Its
The start of this decade is one            construction was meant to finish
that will never be forgotten.              in 2020, however was cancelled
However, as time goes by,                  due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
everything seems to advance:               Built with a slim stem as its spine,
technology, medicine and even              it will have an oval shaped bud
architecture! Here are some                close to its top, which will most
buildings that we would have               likely be used for observation
seen this year, had it not been for        decks. The only thing preventing
the unique circumstances of                this miraculous structure from
2020.                                      being titled the World’s tallest
                                           building is the fact that the
                                           Council on Tall Buildings and Urban
Dubai Creek Tower
                                           Habitat (CTBUH) only considers a
Dubai isn’t prepared to give up
                                           skyscraper as a tall building if
their throne of having the
                                           50% of it is habitable. The Dubai
‘World’s Tallest Tower’ so they
                                           Creek Tower is only habitable in
decided to build another tower
                                           30% of its structure (not as if it
instead. They did not confirm the
                                           will matter to the public media,
height of the tower due to fear of
                                           though).
having competition, but it is
believed that the tower will reach
1345 metres tall. This tower costs
around £777,675,000 ($1 billion)
to build. The building isn’t actually
called the Dubai Creek Tower                                                           Jeddah Tower
                                                                                       Believe it or not, Saudi Arabia
                                                                                       might become the home to the
                                                                                       world’s tallest building in the
                                                                                       world! Reaching as tall as 1
                                                                                       kilometre (3307 feet) above the
                                                                                       ground, its designer (Adrian
                                                                                       Smith) is the same person who
                                                                                       designed the Burj Khalifa itself.
                                                                                       Despite this tower being taller
                                                                                       that the Burj Khalifa, it cost less,
                                                                                       with the Jeddah Tower costing
                                                                                       £956,540,250 ($1.23 billion) and
                                                                                       the Burj Khalifa £1,166,512,500
                                                                                       ($1.5 billion). The construction of
                                                                                       this giant started in 2013 and was
                                                                                       due to finish in 2020 / 2021,
                                                                                       however        construction     was
                                                                                       cancelled in 2017, when only one
                                                                                       third was built, due to labour
                                                                                       issues. The team have decided to
                                                                                       continue the construction of this
                                                                                       terrific tower in 2020 instead.

                                        18 | "Attitude Determines Altitude" | VOL. 6
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                                                                            Dubai Dynamic Tower
                                                                            The designer David Fisher was inspired by
                                                                            New York’s Olympic Tower and decided to
                                                                            create a building that turns 360 degrees.
                                                                            Dubai then decided to take this idea and
                                                                            turn it into a reality as a luxury hotel. It is
                                                                            planned to have 80 floors reaching 420
                                                                            metres above the ground. The building will
                                                                            have a concrete base with each storey
                                                                            created in a factory then taken to the
                                                                            construction site to be assembled onto the
                                                                            building - this will speed up the process of
                                                                            it coming to life. Each floor will be able to
                                                                            turn 360 degrees in the occupants’ desired
                                                                            direction and speed and can be controlled
                                                                            by their voice. There will be special
                                                                            elevators in the concrete core so the
                                                                            people staying in this wonder can park
                                                                            their car on the same floor that they are
                                                                            staying in. There will be solar panel
                                                                            installed on the roof of the hotel and
                                                                            smaller wind turbines on every two floors.
                                                                            If you are already planning a trip to Dubai
                                                                            and wish to live this dream, then you might
                                                                            want to take a look at the price first; per
                                                                            night these range between £3 million - £30
                                                                            million ($4 - 40 million). If that wasn’t
                                                                            enough to put you off staying at the
                                                                            Dynamic Tower Hotel, then here’s
                                                                            something else: it hasn’t even been built
                                                                            yet! What a shame.
Something Closer To Home
Enough about new buildings way out
of our budget range and all the way
in the Middle East! Here's a place
closer to home and instantly
recognisable all over the world: Big
Ben! It has been covered up since
2017 for maintenance reasons and its
British glory is finally going to be
returned to London. Crumbling walls,
leaks and 3343 cast iron tiles have
been removed and repaired over this
time period, however the total repairs
cost has been increased by a third to
£79.7 million as asbestos and bomb
damages from the Second World War
were found and had to be repaired as
well. The removal of all the
scaffolding may take around an
estimated 6 weeks to remove, but at
least beautiful Big Ben will be
returned to our Capital’s iconic
scenery!

                                         19 | "Attitude Determines Altitude" | VOL. 6
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CORONAVIRUS- THE GOOD, THE BAD AND

THE GOVERNMENT

WRITTEN BY SIHAN AHMED

Coronavirus      was     completely   good decision,    even   with   the   “In the UK, not many schools used
unprecedented, and let’s admit, all   backlash.”                            online video conference apps, so I
of us - from your average citizens,                                         think that schools should use that
to the government, to the WHO –       On May 10th we saw Mr. Johnson        and stay closed a bit longer.”
were taken by surprise. In this       laying out how he wanted to re-
article, we will discuss one of the   open the hospitality, retail and      “My opinion is divided because on
most important questions of this      other non-essential industries.       one hand it is easier for children to
pandemic - Did the UK                 Once again, the nation’s views        focus and receive help rather than
government handle the crisis          were divided.                         during online classes. However,
well?                                                                       there is a risk as it could spread to
                                      “I wouldn’t have minded staying       vulnerable people easier.”
To answer this question, we’ll        home longer so the cases could
have to look at countless             really lower to a point where         “I think it’s good to be back at school
decisions the government has          everyone felt safe, than re-opening   because we are actually learning
made the past half-year, so why       the economy so soon.”                 more.”
don’t we start with one of the
earliest decisions they made - the    “I think that even though it wasn’t   “I want pupils to be back in school
nationwide lockdown?                  particularly good for the R number,   but if one child gets COVID-19, it is
                                      it did really help with people’s      hard to stop the spread. I wish the
On March 23rd, Mr Johnson sat         mental health.                        government had waited a bit longer
at his desk at 10 Downing Street                                            before sending the children back to
and delivered a critical speech to    “It wasn’t a good decision; it        school.”
the nation. He spoke about the        happened too early”
entire population having to pull                                            In November the Government
together (in our own households,      “It was structured with achievable    announced a new phase of
of course), to stop the spread of     goals. I thought it was quite good”   Lockdown lasting to the start of
this deadly virus, how the rules                                            December. Time will tell if these
would work, and, well, you know       As we all know, schools were          restrictions will be successful and
the story from there. This            allowed to open for Nursery,          by the time you read this, you will
lockdown was one of the               Reception and Years 1, 6, 10 and      have a better idea of this than we
strangest experiences the UK had      12 during June, with remaining        do at the time of writing this
endured in decades, and for some,     year     groups      returning   in   article!
it wasn’t what they thought was       September. However, school life is
right from the country. Let’s see     now markedly different. The           Clearly everyone seems to have
what various people had to say        government introduced a “bubble       an opinion on the Government’s
about the government’s lockdown       system” where each class/ year        decisions from the start of
strategy.                             group would form a “bubble” or a      lockdown to now. But to what
                                      group that would not have to be       extent have these decisions been
“It would have been better to         distanced where not possible. Of      a success? What do you think?
implement lockdown earlier, maybe     course, we try to distance when
closer to the start of March,         we can, but in classroom settings
because that’s when the cases         this is not always possible. Rows,
started to go up.”                    outdoor breaks, and PPE being
                                      available are just a few changes to
“Apart from the fact that it could    the schooling system. Many of us
have been done earlier, it was a      have different opinions on this.

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HISTORY FOR HARRIS

WRITTEN BY SHANI JOHNSON

By the time you read this, we will
                                         Kamala’s motto comes from her
be about a month away from the
                                       mother: “You may be the first, but make
official inauguration of Joe Biden
                                              sure you’re not the last.”
as America’s 46th President. But
why exactly is his chosen Vice
President, Kamala Harris making
                                         Harris does not like being called the
history? Well, not only will she be
                                          “female Obama.” When a reporter
the United States’ first female
                                          commented that Harris would be
Vice President, but she will also
                                        continuing Obama’s legacy during her
be the first Asian-American and
                                       run for President, she stated, “I have my
the first African-American Vice
                                                     own legacy.”
President.

Here are some facts about the          Kamala has 2 step-children who call her
current Vice-President Elect.                        “Momala.”

 Kamala Devi Harris was born on
  the 20th October, 1964. After       In 2013, President Barack Obama called
     graduating from Howard           Harris the “best-looking attorney general
 University, she began her career     in the country.” He apologised later after
    in an Attorney’s office in                 being accused of sexism.
        Alameda county,

                                                           In first grade, Kamala
   Her favourite books include The Kite Runner by           had to travel by bus
 Khaled Hosseini, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan and            to Thousand Oaks
 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.         Elementary School,
                                                               which was in its
                                                                second year of
   n 2003, she was recruited to the City Attorney of        integration. The bus
    San Francisco. In 2016, Harris defeated Loretta        transported her from
  Sanchez to become the first South Asian-American             her mainly black,
   and the second African-American to serve on the           lower-middle-class
                United States Senate.                           neighbourhood
                                                              where the school
  Her mother chose Kamala’s name as a reflection of             was situated -
   both her Indian roots and female empowerment;              prosperous white
  Kamala means “lotus” and is another name for the                  district.
               Hindu goddess Lakshmi.

                                               So, will the 2020 Elections herald
  As a child, Kamala was heavily influenced
                                               a new start in US politics? Time
  by her grandfather on a visit to India. He
                                               will tell. In achieving what she has
   was a high-ranking government official
                                               done so already, Kamala Harris has
 who fought for Indian independence. Her
                                               certainly made history. Time will
  grandmother was also a key influence on
                                               tell if her policies and actions over
     Kamala, as she was an activist who
                                               the next 4 years will help pave the
 travelled the countryside teaching women
                                               way for future history makers.
from poor backgrounds about birth control.

                                       21 | "Attitude Determines Altitude" | VOL. 6
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WRITTEN BY KAYLA ALVIS

As you may well be aware, the          received much criticism not only
USA is one of the most affected        for refusing to quarantine after
countries in the world with            leaving hospital, but also for not
regards to Coronavirus/COVID-          wearing a mask in The White
19.        Unfortunately,   their      House; indeed, it was revealed
President, Donald Trump, seems         that both his wife and son also
to have done very little to stop       contracted the virus. Could this
the spread.                            have been as a result of the
                                       President’s own carelessness?
At the time of this article being      What message does this send to
written, there have been 12.5          the American people about how
million confirmed cases and            to deal with the potentially
tragically, 258,000 confirmed          deadly effects of Coronavirus?
deaths in America. The spread of
COVID-19 has rapidly increased
                                       Many would argue that under
throughout America and yet few
                                       Trump’s leadership, America has
extreme measures have been put
                                       dealt with Coronavirus very
in place. Compared with other
                                       poorly and has not taken the
countries that have gone on
                                       pandemic seriously enough to
extreme lockdowns and have
                                       protect his citizens. But what do
closed workplaces and schools in
                                       you think? Is Trump being unfairly
an effort to prevent the virus
                                       targeted or is he to blame for the
spreading    further,    America’s
                                       deaths of his own citizens?
strategies have varied from State
and State.

Earlier this year, President Trump
tested positive for Coronavirus
and seemed to have a swift
recovery. However, many people
think that Trump exaggerated his
own recovery from Covid-19.
Some of the treatment used for
Trump was not available to the
American public, but he promised
that they would receive the same                                            Some of Donald Trump's tweets on Coronavirus:
medical intervention at no cost to
themselves, despite America not
                                                                             "HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken
having a free Healthcare system.                                             together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest
The President declared on                                                    game changers in the history of medicine, The FDA have
Twitter "I feel better than I did 20                                         moved mountains - Thank You! Hopefully they will
                                                                             BOTH (H works better with A, International Journal of
years ago!"
                                                                             Antimicrobial Agents)..."

Whilst President Trump claimed
he had a “positive glow” following                                           "The United States will be powerfully supporting those
his contracting of COVID-19, he                                              industries, like Airlines, and others, that are particularly
                                                                             affected by the Chinese Virus. We will be stronger than
                                                                             ever before!"

                                       22 | "Attitude Determines Altitude" | VOL. 6
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MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN

WRITTEN BY REUBEN BOWES

‘Make America Great Again’ has            promotion of capitalism. Such            enter a new golden age with
been the long-standing motto of           things were promoted in Trump’s          Biden’s Presidency, one in which
Donald      Trump,     from    his        run: his talks of “building a wall” is   Trump’s old-fashioned, prejudiced
Presidential campaign in 2016 to          a clear indication of his extreme        views can be countered with
his recent defeat to Joe Biden. At        views.                                   empathy, respect and tolerance.
times, Trump’s antics        have                                                   Maybe 2021 will be the start of a
seemed like a form of strange             The Democrat ideals are more             new golden age for the USA- a
entertainment to us in the UK.            liberal:       protecting         the    time to truly make America great
However, it might be quite                environment, LBGTQ+            rights,   again.
dangerous to dismiss his Twitter          minority     representation       and
tirades and bumbling Press                egalitarianism, or the belief that all
Conferences as the words and              people are equal. Biden is also a
actions of a clown.                       man of great understanding and
                                          experience; however, with Biden
Despite his obviously racist              being the oldest President-Elect
tendencies and countless faults,          to date, some argue that his views
he still earned seventy-seven             are dated. However, surely it
more electoral votes than his             could be argued that Joe Biden’s
2016 opponent Hillary Clinton,            long life has allowed him a range
despite her winning the popular           of experiences, including of great
vote. More recently, as his               loss? His wife and one-year-old
Presidential reign drew to an end,        daughter died just weeks after his
we all waited, the world over,            30th birthday. This loss and
  with bated breath to see the            tragedy gives him a greater level
result. And what an explosive             of sympathy for those who lose
finale it was! Trump was defeated,        loved ones – surely this is an
floored by Biden’s 279 electoral          important quality in a leader who
votes and nearly 76 million total         is running a country so drastically
votes. It is important however, to        affected by Coronavirus?
recognise that Biden’s victory was
not as extensive as some had              Trump, in contrast, seems to have
predicted; in a race that was             no such understanding or even
relatively close to call in the end,      empathy - his brief scare with
what does this tell us about how          Covid-19 did little but increase his
popular Trump and his divisive            arrogance - after all, he’s
views still are?                          “immune” now, and feeling better
                                          than he has in years…
Of course, some don’t understand
the impact that Biden’s victory is        Whilst Trump stubbornly clung to
now having upon the USA. One of           his Presidency as the results came
the clearest differences between          in, Biden delivered a balanced and
these two candidates are their            more generously toned speech, in
political parties: Trump is a             which he called for unity between
Republican and Biden stands for           Democrats      and     Republicans,
the Democrats. Trump sums up              calling them all Americans with a
the Republican ideals almost              shared purpose.
perfectly:    restrictions   upon
immigration, relaxed gun laws,            It is the view of many across the
increased military funding and the        world that America can expect to

                                       23 | "Attitude Determines Altitude" | VOL. 6
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BLACK LIVES MATTER: A MOVEMENT LIKE

NO OTHER

WRITTEN BY JOSHUA ZACK

George Floyd: you’ve heard his         charities. Meanwhile, Harry Styles
name. In May 2020, he was killed       committed to paying off prison
by a white police officer who knelt    bails for protestors. Drake also
on his neck for 8 minutes. This        contributed, donating $100,000 to
sparked worldwide protests, most       a charity dedicated to bailing out
notably in the United States,          black mothers.
United Kingdom and Australia.
The message? Black Lives Matter.       But what does our school
                                       community think of the BLM
Rewind to February 2012.               Movement?
Trayvon Martin, a black teenager,
was shot by a Hispanic police          Reuben in Year 10 says that the
officer when he was returning          message of the Black Lives Matter
from buying sweets at a local          Movement “shouldn’t have to be
shop. 15 months later, the Black       repeated every time someone is
Lives Matter movement began            killed’.
with     the     #BlackLivesMatter
hashtag on social media. The           Ms Cooke thinks the movement is
movement became recognised in          ‘incredibly necessary’, and ‘‘it’s
the United States after protests in    frustrating     and     extremely
2014, when Michael Brown was           damaging when the issue is
shot by a white police officer. You    dismissed’..
may also have heard of Breonna
Taylor, shot on 13th March of this     Mr Carroll even went to the
year when plainclothes police          protests himself, telling us it’s a
officers returned fire on her          ‘very important Movement’.
boyfriend, though Taylor was           Mr Edwards thought long and hard
unarmed. The needless brutality of     when we asked him what the Black
such     stories   indicate     that   Lives Matter means to him. Here is
something very sinister is going       what he had to say:
on, that many have felt the need
to protest about.                      “The image of George Floyd death
                                       and him uttering those words "I can't
The impact Black Lives Matter has      breathe" will forever haunt me. But
had on today’s society is              this image also shocked the world
unprecedented. No longer can           and was the main catalyst that
police brutality be ignored. This      inspired a new generation of
movement has highlighted how in        protesters and campaigners. It also
the 21st century, like a lingering     invigorated the Black Lives Matter
stench, racism in some aspects of      movement.
society - including some parts of
the police - still exist.              However, despite the tragedy of
                                       George Floyd's death and the global
Many celebrities have supported        outrage it caused, what was
the movement. The Weeknd               important was the dialogue that
donated $500,000 to a number of        followed regarding racial

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racial inequalities; especially here in   levels of government to refocus their
the UK.                                   efforts on those recurring issues of
                                          racial inequality.”
In the UK, protesters and
campaigners highlighted our own
issues and experiences of racial          There is little doubt that we are
violence and discrimination. This         living at a time when people
prompted our government to have a         should no longer have to worry
open and frank discussion about           about being targeted for the
some of those issues and attention        colour of their skin, especially not
was drawn to key issues such as:          by those who ought to be serving
                                          and protecting the community.
The Windrush scandal whereby              But tragically, as the names
hundreds of black Commonwealth            George Floyd, Breonna Taylor,
citizens and their children were          Eric Garner and Michael Brown
wrongly detained, deported and            remind us, there is still a very long
denied legal right.                       way to go.

The disproportionate rate of Covid-
19 death among Black, Asian and
minority ethnic groups and factors
that made those groups more
vulnerable, such as employment and
housing.

The over-policing of the Black
community and how black males are
systematically      labelled      as
dangerous, hostile and threatening.

The focus on the education system
and its curriculum, such as the
teaching of the UK’s colonial past in
schools and universities.

The appropriateness of statues and
monuments associated with slave
owners or those involved in
atrocities and oppression of other
races and cultures.

To conclude, whilst the issues of
racial disadvantage and inequalities
have been the theme of previous
government appraisals, the lack of
progress        in       implementing
sustainable long term change has
become a cause for concern and
frustration to many. Therefore, the
Black Lives Matter movement and
protest response serves to pressure
officials and institutions at all

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BLACK LIVES MATTER: A TIMELINE

CREATED BY HONOUR BAILEY

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27 | "Attitude Determines Altitude" | VOL. 6
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