here. - Wilberforce College

CONTRIBUTORS
A huge thank you to all our lovely contributors to this
edition; we couldn't have done it without you! Special thanks
also goes to Jordan Taylor for designing the fantastic front cover.
If you would like to see your work in print, then tweet us
@voxmagwilb with the #teamvox or email us at
[email protected]
CONTENTS
3
News
Ghana Fundraiser
Duffy Knocks ‘Em Dead
Let’s Dance!
Match Report
9
Reviews
Cult Corner—Copycat
Album of the Month
Lucy
14 Your Views
From Page to Screen
Mental Health and Managing Your Studies
Creative Writing
Meet your Student Council
On Friday 19th September,
Wilberforce hosted a special
fundraiser day in aid of Abankuro
Junior High School in Ghana. The
highlight definitely had to be
watching our Principal, David
Cooper, getting gunged for a
good cause!
GHANA FUNDRAISER
There was also an ice cream van, BBQ and
live music performed by college students.
The event raised a fantastic £172.61, which
will go towards computers and routers so
that the children at Abankuro Junior High
can have access to the internet.
4
It only costs
£9 to send a
child to school for the year...
Could
you
make a difference?
Every penny of the money you donate will be spent on helping
children in Abankuru Junior high School,
Ghana. Under the direction of our
representative Claire, you can even choose
what your money goes towards - whether
it is new computers, classroom equipment,
or even sponsorship so that one more child
has the chance to go to school.
We welcome donations of any size. Please hand donations in at B2,
the Public Services Office, or to Student Services if Claire is not
there. Thank you.
What a magnificent performance!
Carol Ann Duffy surprised everyone
– especially the A2 English
Language & Literature class – with
her sarcastic humor and cheeky
remarks at Hull Truck Theatre,
Monday 8th of September, on a trip
with the English Department.
Most certainly, this unexpectedly
relaxed, yet serious, attitude
towards poetry gave quite a
refreshing start for the returning
second year pupils studying English
Language & Literature at
Wilberforce College. There was no
falling asleep halfway through the
show!
The class was indubitably excited
about the event; whenever Duffy
mentioned a poem from the
collection ‘MEAN TIME’ – the text
that the class is currently studying discreet, though elevated, murmurs
rose from the second row.
“It
was an honour listening to
one of the most famous
poets in human history,
sitting barely two metres
away from the artist
herself!”
Afterwards, waiting for
the students, was another
unforeseen surprise;
Carol Ann Duffy agreed to
stay for a book signing!
This meant that students
had the geeky
opportunity to get their
Carol Ann Duffy poetry
collections signed, get
some pictures with their
idol and tell her what a
magnificent poet she is. And
guess what… they did! Judging
from their happy faces, they were
extremely pleased with the event.
I’m sure this event was very
helpful for the students, and
hopefully there will be more
opportunities like this to come
this academic year for all the
students.
Fingers crossed!
“This experience gave me insight
on her work. It personalized her
poems, and placed a voice and
face behind the words.”
The 58 year old professor of
Contemporary Poetry at
Manchester Metropolitan
University happens to be one of
the world’s most famous poets. In
2009, as a first woman, first Scot,
and a first LGBT person in British
history, she was appointed British
poet laureate. As a member of the
Royal Society of Literature and a
Commander (CBE – Order of the
British Empire), Duffy published 4
Award Winning poetic collections,
including ‘Mean Time’, currently
studied at Wilberforce.
Let’s Dance!
Just a few weeks ago, a group of Dance students from Wilberforce College performed in
front of hundreds at Hull’s very own Freedom Festival. We interviewed Georgia Liddle, one
of the fantastic dancers, to find out more about the show.
How many of you were
there? What was your
routine like?
This year you headlined the
dance stage at Freedom Festival.
How did it feel to be up there?
It was great! There were so many
people watching, and it was a
great atmosphere to be involved
in. Students from
Wilberforce were there watching
which really supported us.
Everyone was clapping along and
seemed to really enjoy the
dances. It was amazing! I'm glad
Jayne gave us the opportunity to
do that.
There were seven or
eight of us, including
Beth who was a
student at Wilberforce
but left for university.
There were three
dances, two of
which were
contemporary
which means that
they were quite
slow dances and
the movements
flow together. The
last dance was RnB
which is quite upbeat and got
everyone around clapping.
How would you describe the
atmosphere? What was your
audience like?
The atmosphere
was truly
amazing! We had
loads of support
from the
audience, even
the people who
didn't know us,
which made our
moods even
better. A couple
of people had recognised me as I
was walking around after the
performance and told me what a
good job we had all done and
what great performers we were!
It was a good experience; we
haven't done many things like
that before so for the audience
to give us the response back they
did was great!
You also performed at the Hull
KR V Catalan Dragons game back
in February. What was that
experience like?
The rugby match between
Catalon Dragons vs Hull KR was
very different to anything we had
done before; we were in the
middle of the first and second
half of a game so we weren’t
expecting many people to stay,
but nearly the full crowd did
which was amazing! There was so
much support for us and for that
many people to be watching and
clapping at the end was great!
Despite a winning start to the
2014-15 campaign against Hull
College (4-1), Wilberforce
couldn’t sustain their dominant
composure which was unravelled
in the Cup. The unchanged line-up
fell at the first league hurdle to St
Mary’s college, where neither
side really looked the part
throughout. First team
Wilberforce coach Pete (Pedro)
approached this opening fixture
with attack in mind, deciding on
Hull City inspired 3-4-3 from the
Championship days, whilst
opposing St Mary’s opted outfit
with the classic 4-4-2 formation.
The home side started poorly; St
Mary’s came forward in number,
forcing a save from Wilberforce
keeper Kieran Young resulting in a
corner. A strong header was
powered into Young’s gloves
which could have been lethal. The
home side’s first real attack
formed in the 21st minute,
standing firm on the edge of the
box after receiving a great
through ball, Connor Stephenson
sweetly struck a shot which
fizzled past the post.
Number 7 - Yaw Kwakye
With the game coming in at 0-0 at
half time, the game looked even.
St Mary’s were starting to develop
dominance whilst the home side
struggled for width, and shots on
goal. Team coach ‘Pedro’ for
Wilberforce reverted to a 4-1-3-2
formation at the break, tightening
defences whilst playing the wide
game.
The second half began in similar
fashion to the first, the home
team conceding a corner early on
for it to ease out to nothing once
more.
Then, out of nothing, Wilberforce
had their attack broken down with
Jack Freeman failing to pick out
Stephenson - St Mary’s were quick
on the counter and consequently
raced up the pitch. A scuffed shot
from Matty Start was parried out
by Young only for Mango Mpande
to capitalise on the rebound,
opening the scoring to make it 1-0
St Mary’s. Heads soon began to
drop and morale started to fall.
Captain Kealan Coxon made his
return to the pitch with twenty
minutes left on the clock;
Wilberforce needed a goal.
The final ten minutes proved to be
‘squeaky bum time’ for the
visitors, with not one solid attack
since their goal it was clear to all
that they had well and truly
parked the bus. However,
Wilberforce just lacked quality in
the final third and struggled to
break down the St Mary’s defence.
The final chance for the home
team arrived with 5 minutes to
play - tiring captain Kealan Coxon
struggled to shoot from the
pressure imposed by Ben Stones
and on the follow up St Mary’s
took to the counter. A rapid surge
down the pitch led by Jamie
Forrester found Mpande in the box
to set him up for his second, only
for the danger man to sky it way
over the bar to end the match at 10, in similar fashion to how the first
half ended.
Speaking to Wilberforce manager
Pete after the match, he recalled
the sloppy start made to the game.
“I think St Mary’s worked a little bit
harder than us today, we had no
real tempo to our game and simply
didn’t take our chances.”
Number 7 Yaw Kwakye was also on
standby for a quick word. “Yeah I
was pleased with my performance,
I think we didn’t want the ball
enough in the 1st half and that cost
us. Overall though we definitely
deserved a draw.”
Sneers could be heard among the
fans after the match, branding the
decisive goal as lucky, a rebound
and underserved. Whereas a very
proud away manager referred to
the only goal as “a bit of brilliance”
which gave his team a hard fought
win.
A defeat this time out on home soil
for Wilberforce will soon want to
be forgotten as they look ahead to
their next fixture at home to
Grimsby. The home side will
certainly be on the search for their
first 3 points of the season and
their first league win of the season
also.
Cult Corner
Unsung classics you should definitely check out
Copycat - Review
Copycat is classed as one of the
most underrated 90’s movies of all
time; it came out just a month after
David Fincher’s Seven hit cinemas,
and was swallowed up by the
immediate success of the now
classic movie.
Sigourney Weaver hits the right
notes as the agoraphobic
psychologist, especially at the
beginning of the film, when we
can really see the severity of how
much she has cut herself off from
the outside world. Holly Hunter’s
performance as
a serious and
intelligent
detective is
threedimensional and
fully realised, and she brings a
sense of reason and balance
towards the film, almost like a
safety blanket. Her heroism is
ultimately the ending for the film,
and she proves that girl
detectives are just as good, if not
better, than the male detectives.
“A dark, gripping and largely
intriguing thriller”
The film follows agoraphobic
criminal profiler and psychologist
Dr Helen Hudson (Sigourney
Weaver) as she becomes entangled
with the deadly mind games of
copycat serial killer, Peter Foley.
With the help of two detectives,
she tries to help capture the killer
before he commits another
atrocious murder.
When this film was released, it
should have done a lot better at the
cinema than it did; Fincher,
unfortunately, ruined its chances at
doing amazingly well, but luckily it
became very popular amongst
those people who did see it at the
cinema. Contrary to what many
people say, Copycat is not a Silence
Of The Lambs 2, any other
exploitation flick, or any other
negative labels that have been
foisted upon it. It is a dark, gripping
and largely intriguing thriller that,
surprisingly, has two well acted and
confident female leads, competent
direction, intelligent writing and a
foreboding and spine-chilling score
by Christopher Young, which
compliments the film perfectly.
If there is a weakness in the film,
the rivalry between Rueben and
Nico has to be it. The repetitive
storyline of the fight over the girl
continues even in this innovative
and unique film, as though it is
impossible to escape from. In my
opinion, it is irrelevant to the film,
and could have been easily
dropped or retooled. This did not,
however, dampen my enjoyment
of the movie.
Much credit has to be given to
the director Jon Amiel
(Sommersby, Entrapment) for
pulling off such an adventurous
concept so well, and for
accurately capturing the tension
and atmosphere throughout the
entire film. In addition, writers
Ann Biderman and David Madsen
deserve recognition for their wellwritten and well-researched
screenplay that really did make
their unusual idea come to life. It
is safe to say, this film contains
hardly any clichés, just sharply
crafted dialogue.
Copycat may not be a seminal
classic, but it is a strong entry into
a genre that is often too
consumed by formulas and gore.
Its different take on the common
thriller movie makes it a rare film
that consumes the watcher – it’s
definitely worth a watch.
Jesse Williams
10
Album of the Month
Alt J exploded onto the music
scene in May 2012 when their
fiery debut ‘An awesome wave’
hit the shelves. It didn’t take long
for the four lads to become a
nationwide phenomena,
receiving numerous accolades
like the BRIT for ‘best British
breakthrough act’ and the 2012
Mercury prize. Their popularity
ascended to even greater heights
in 2013, with a month long tour
of the US immediately succeeded
by a string of UK gigs culminating
in a May 17th finish at Brixton
Academy. But tragedy struck in
the form of bassist Gwin
Sainsbury’s departure in early
2014. However, fans were
reassured when Alt J released
their second album, ‘This is all
yours’ on September 22nd. But
does it quite live up to the hype?
And have Alt J managed to
recover from co-founder
Artist
Alt J
Title
This is all yours
Released
22nd Sept 2014
Label
Infectious
Records
Sainsbury’s exit?
‘This is all yours’ opens with the
imaginatively titled ‘Intro’, a soft,
dreamy track with minimal
vocals and a slow paced chorus
of Spanish guitars. The sombre
tone is carried on into the second
song, another mostly
instrumental affair which
contrasts slowly plucked acoustic
guitars with the lilting tones of a
piano. Newman’s whispered
vocals kick in around the 2
minute mark and the careful
blending of music and vocals
combine to create a relaxing,
contemplative start to the
album.
Things pick up a little in ‘Nara’
when we get our first real hint of
a drum beat. Intermixed as it is
with a distorted organ, guitar
and falsetto vocals, ‘Nara’ serves
as a useful introduction to the
next song, ‘Every other freckle.’
Whilst not a stand alone track, in
the context of the album it
serves as a great bridge between
the dreamy opening tracks and
the rest of the LP.
Though not a complete diversion
from the previous tracks, ‘Every
other freckle’ is different- it’s
faster paced, contains a diverse
range of harmonies and lyrically
is much more complex. The
distant ‘heys’ and heavier beat
mark it as something special, a
track worth repeating. It’s
followed by ‘Left hand free’, an
extreme diversion from
everything we’ve heard so far,
and a welcome one at that. The
catchy hook and bluesy feel take
the listener by surprise and
invokes a sound reminiscent of
old school jazz. The flow
beginning to build up is rudely
interrupted by an interlude,
which seems completely
unnecessary only 6 tracks in,
however, it is relatively pleasant
listening. We’re onto track 7
now, and back in the soft-paced
dreamy territory established by
the first few songs. ‘Choice
kingdom’ isn’t a bad track, but
isn’t the albums finest moment.
Anyone who listens to the radio
will have already heard ‘Hunger
of the pine’, a single released
earlier in the year. A firm
favourite of many fans, Hunger’s
hauting music serves as a
beautiful backdrop to Newman’s
vocals, and of all the albums
songs, this is the one in which
they are best showcased. ‘Warm
foothills’ follows this and is
perhaps the most inventive song
of the album. Vocal duties are
shared by all band members, but
not in the typical one line by one
person, the next by another way.
Instead, Alt J takes a novel
approach to multiple vocalists,
with the odd word or phrase
chipped in by each band
member, creating a different,
intriguing sound. And it works‘warm foothills’ is one of the
albums most memorable tracks.
Unfortunately, ‘This is all yours’
suffers from the same flaw many
albums fall prey to- excess. The
last few tracks on the album are
good, but don’t share the same
passion or emotion as the rest of
the album and seem to serve as
little more than filler. It isn’t that
there’s anything particularly
wrong with ‘The gospel of John
Hurt’ or ‘Pusher’, it’s just that
they’re a little dull in comparison
to more memorable tracks ‘Left
hand free’ and ‘Hunger of the
pine.’
But Alt J manage to pull the
album back together in time for a
brilliant finale. The slow piano
intro to ‘Bloodflood pt.II’ appears
to mark it as another dreamy
track, and the sudden emergence
of both electronic beats and an
orchestra seemingly come from
nowhere, serving up an
unexpected surprise. There’s so
much going on in this song that’s
it’s difficult to keep track of
everything, but it’s obvious that
Alt J have pulled out all the stops
to ensure the ending of ‘This is
all yours’ is as memorable as
possible. It’s a standout moment
of the album and one of my
personal favourite songs. The
closing track ‘Leaving Nara’ is a
continuation of the opening
songs, albeit with a slightly
heavier beat. It nicely rounds off
the album and brings it full circle,
leaving the listener with a sense
of closure.
Wrap-up
‘This is all yours’ is a great album which manages to both please fans
and serve as an introduction to the alternative music Alt J are famed
for. The album’s few average points are more than made up for by its
high points, and though at its best when listened to as a whole, tracks
like ‘Left hand free’ and ‘Hunger of the pine’ will be stuck in your
head for days. In short, a worthy addition to your music collection.
Abbey townend
Do you have a passion for music?
Have you got some big opinions to
share? Tweet us at @VoxMagWilb
with the #teamvox or email us at
[email protected]
A film with the brilliant Morgan
Freeman starring alongside the
gorgeous Scarlet Johansson is
hardly a bad start, but great
actors don’t always make a great
film. You need a good story. Even
if the actors have the acting
capability of Kristen Stewart, a
good story still makes a good film;
Christian Bale proved that in the
new Batman films, and he is not
one for facial expressions.
Unfortunately, Lucy was the
opposite of that.
Maybe I am being a little harsh;
everyone else I know who has
seen it seems to be raving about
it. And to be fair, it did start
promisingly. Lucy, played by
Scarlet Johansson,
is going out with a
very-much- belowher-league
boyfriend, a
middle-aged
alcoholic by the looks of things,
who for some reason thinks that
wearing a cowboy hat in the
middle of Taiwan is a good look.
He looked more out of place than
Jamie Oliver buying a takeaway.
But, despite Lucy having exams
the following week, which for me
is the real tragedy here, she
allows herself to get caught and
taken away by some chunky Asian
chaps, who then arrange for a
packet of a new drug to be
inserted into her stomach. She
was then blackmailed, along with
three other men, into smuggling
this drug into four different
countries. Unfortunately for her,
the bag bursts and begins to leak
into her circulatory system, the
effects of which allows her to
access more of her brain’s capacity.
If this drug existed, its sole purpose
would be to prescribe it to Joey
Essex and then at least he would
have a chance of getting a
borderline normal IQ. The action
starts now, and this is where the
film starts to go a little downhill.
It’s at this point where we are
introduced to Morgan Freeman, a
professor who has a theory about
brain capacity and what we
theoretically would be able to do if
we could access more that we do
presently. When Lucy reads his
research, she contacts him. In the
mean time she sets out to stop the
other people carrying the drugs to
other locations, while ‘fighting’ the
Asian Mafia at the same time. I say
‘fighting’ - by now Lucy is
practically God, she doesn’t feel
pain and can disarm anyone with a
blink. It’s like Christopher Biggins
starting a fight with Chuck Norris.
No more panto for Chris.
Lucy has already comprehended
there is no cure for her condition
so she and Morgan Freeman decide
she may as well pass on her
knowledge, something the
Professor is very passionate about
doing and what his lectures and
theories may grow from. She plans
to ‘download herself’ onto a
computer for the professor, while a
French Policeman she picked up
along the way attempts to hinder
the now persistent, yet futile
efforts of the Mafia to stop her.
You would have thought this highly
sophisticated, powerful and
intelligent drug dealer would have
the common sense to realise by
now that maybe a girl who can
switch off gravity is a little bit
above his own capabilities.
So we reach the climax of the film,
with all the explosions and jaw
dropping story twists that leave
you gob-smacked after the film.
Unfortunately, despite our Mafia
friends causing a
little explosion for us,
that was about as
exciting as the
ending got. If you
haven’t seen the film
and don’t want me to spoil the
ending, stop reading now.
To be honest, Lucy turning into a
giant blob of what can only be
described as Alien Poo when she
reached one hundred percent isn’t
really my idea of an ending. And
the amazing, exciting, mindblowing twist was...she was
everywhere! And that’s it, once she
reached one hundred percent, she
vanished, and when the policeman
asked where she was, he got a text
saying, “I’m everywhere”.
Disappointing - she never did sit
those exams.
The Maze Runner
By James Dashner
Release Date: 10th October
Gone Girl
By Gillian Flynn
Release Date: 3rd October
After watching the trailer for this
film I was brimming with
questions- who killed her? Was it
the husband? Is she really even
dead? I’ve been assured by
reliable sources that this book is
much more than a murder
mystery; its psychological take on
the case of a missing wife stayed
at number one of the New York
Times Bestseller list for an
impressive eight weeks. Ben
Affleck pays the role of suspicious
husband Nick Dunne, who is
eager to prove his innocence after
his wife Amy goes missing
(Rosamund Pike). The
Independent describes is as “a
story in which the manipulation
of the main character by one
another is matched by that of the
audience by the filmmakers”clearly, this film is not to be
missed.
First up on the list of must-sees
this season is an adaptation of a
young adult dystopian novel first
published in 2007. As the title
suggests, a group of teenage boys
find themselves locked in a giant
maze with their memories wiped,
and have to fight for their
survival. When the main
character, Thomas, appears, the
whole game changes, and
suddenly the group are in more
danger than ever before. The film
stars familiar faces such as Dylan
O’Brien (Teen Wolf) and Thomas
Sangster (Game of Thrones).
Love Rosie
By Cecilia Ahern
Release Date: 22nd October
I suppose it’s hard to explain why
describing a book or a film as
‘cute’ isn’t degrading to a writer,
so perhaps ‘sweet’ is a better
term- as this photo still of Lilly
Collins (City of Bones, Stuck in
Love) and Sam Claflin (Catching
Fire, The Riot Club) clearly shows.
The changed title, ‘Love,
Rosie’ (the novel is called ‘Where
Rainbows End’) is a nod towards
the novel’s epistolary form, a
narrative created through the
letters and emails sent between
Rosie
Dunne and Alex Stewart. A
childhood friendship is tested
when teenage hormones run
wild, but their relationship faces
the ultimate challenge of long
distance when Alex moves to
another country. The film follows
them through their youth
(naturally this entails an awkward
sex scene) right into adulthood,
with marriage and children taking
them further apart, leaving us
with the question of whether
they’ll live up to the conventional
happy ending of the romantic
genre.
from page...
...to screen
Mockingjay
Part One
Serena
By Ron Nash
Release Date: 24th October
Global domination doesn’t seem
to be a problem for the endearing
Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger
Games, Silver Linings Playbook),
who has teamed up once more
with the charming Bradley Cooper
(The Hangover, Silver Linings);
however, this film has a tangled
history. It was filmed in 2012, and
before this August had almost
disappeared until a UK release
date was confirmed. Distribution
issues aside, it features a stellar
cast and a haunting plot. Set
deep in a North Carolina
mountain range during the
depression era of the 1930s, a
newly married couple plans to
create a timber business.
However, it’s not as dull as it first
sounds, with an illegitimate child,
murder and deceit complicating a
momentarily happy marriage. A
less glamorous take on the
American Dream than the likes of
Fitzgerald, Rash’s novel is no less
intriguing.
By Suzanna Collins
Release Date: 22nd November
The third installment to the
globally successful Hunger Games
trilogy is soon to hit our screens,
and the explosion it has caused in
YA fiction is why I’m not going to
tell you what happens. If you’ve
read it, then you know why the
mockingjay has its wings spread
in this teasing picture followed by
that haunting whistle. If you
haven’t read it, you should
probably go to ASDA right now
and buy the whole box set to
devour this weekend. Go on.
Seriously, your life depends on it.
Kacey Gaylor
Mental Health
And
Managing
Your Studies
Are you finding Further
Education too stressful?
Are you feeling like you
can’t cope with the
workload? Maybe you’re
experiencing low moods, or
you feel anxious since you
joined college. Perhaps you
just feel down in general
and wonder if nobody is
listening. Whatever your
problem, Wilberforce is
here for you.
From counselling to
support with your studies,
this article will introduce
you to the different ways
Wilberforce can help you
throughout the year.
17
Pop down to student services!
If it’s urgent, all you need to do is
go along to the front reception,
and ask one of the ladies at the
desk to arrange a same day
appointment for you with one of
the Student Support Officers.
Maybe you‘ve already met them;
if not, they’re incredibly nice and
supportive. Or if you’re too shy,
or not confident enough, you can
always send them an email using
your college email account:
Stephanie Mayson
[email protected]
Hailey Stovin
[email protected]
Jo Brownlee
Student Services Manager
Counselling support
Just as above, you can ask for
counselling through our Student
Support Officers by asking for
them at the front desk, but if
you’re not comfortable, you can
contact the counsellors yourself especially, if the source of your
problem is low mood and mental
health in general. They are
trained, trustworthy people, who
give the advice and support you
need. The sessions are highly
confidential, and take place at a
private, quiet office on college
premises. The counsellor will
decide what is best for you, but if
you want the sessions to be a
certain way, just tell them, and
they will
adapt to whatever is more
comfortable for you! If you’re
thinking about using this service,
this is who you can contact:
[email protected]
.uk
Alison Moore:
[email protected]
Anita Newberry:
[email protected]
Study Support
If you’re finding your studies too
difficult, there are people who
can help you with them at
Wilberforce. Now, or at any point
in the year, you may face certain
difficulties with your learning. It
may be with a specific part or a
subject in general.
Study Support offers one-to-one
sessions with Study Support
Tutors or University Curriculum
Mentors. The sessions take place
in a calm and quiet environment
in the Study Centre, created for
student that want to feel relaxed
whilst needing to work. Feel free
to come to J105 simply on your
own to finish your work in your
free time.
Jill Naylor
Short or long term, the sessions
usually take place weekly for a
particular subject, but if you want
to discuss a different
option, visit the Centre
Study
and they will be happy to
advise you. You can also contact
the Study Support Manager, Jill
Naylor, about study support,
simply by popping into her office
in J19 or emailing her on
[email protected]
Support Manager
The Study Centre
The study centre is available to all
students at college. You will be
welcomed at the centre by the
helpful staff and the relaxing atmosphere. There are resources
from a variety of subject related
text books, computers, worksheets to improve literacy and
study skills, including time management and essay writing.
There is Dyslexia Screening available, and the advice on the subject, all you need to do is ask the
staff about it.
Dagmara Podsiadlo
Peace
Reconcilable Concord
War, expectations, rivalry, no rights,
Hungry and ill, yet they expect us to fight,
Full of stress, so knackered, too tired to live,
Swimming in anguish, I beg you, stop this.
Surrounded by torment, eternal injustice,
Fiercely praying for a minute of bliss,
Crying and pleading for this chaos to cease;
Wishing for peace,
Integrity, equality, compassion and love.
Instead, we blame everything on the one above.
Exhausted; too tired, to even continue.
No hope, no cure, no. Not even in you.
We’re slaves of evil and this vicious suffering,
Seems like no escape, no solution; this we’re caged in.
But I tell you, there’s rescue, from this bitter life,
Find peace inside you and love; then hide
From immortality, forever, follow the path,
Stay determined, focus, from this track don’t detach,
By corrupt poison do not let yourself be grasped,
No more rancour, wicked thoughts; work together, at last.
Dagmara Podsiadlo
Peace?
What is peace, you enquire?
Where to begin. Well, first of all, it’s just a concept; I don’t believe it’s ever
been achieved and it never will. That’s because, simply and objectively, it’s
not happening now. America and the UK gloat over their supposed one hundred years of peace but, it’s a façade. We are powerful, they are powerful
and we both feel the need to control terrorism, Russia, war…the list goes
on. So what’s true peace? It’s when everyone in this world becomes or is a
pacifist. Countries parade their flags and their peace all over the world yet,
countless atrocities occur within every minute. The killing doesn’t stop,
death never stops, there’s always a way. Murder, guns, knives, robberies,
bombs, torture and war plague this world - if true peace is to be achieved
then all of these must be wiped out from existence. The only way people
should die is from natural causes, the failure of their own bodies. Another
question looms: how do we achieve this? Even more difficult to answer!
You know in class? Everybody is working well and getting on but there’s always that one person, male or female, who has to be a rebel, an utter recalcitrant. They refuse to work - “You’re not the boss of me!” they appeal. The
world over is the same, the pupils are the countries, and there are a few
countries who act differently. No matter how close to peace we get, there
will always be at least one of these countries. For peace, absolute control is
an option, eradiating those that rebel and prospering those who act within
law, but this leads more people to be…unsettled. They are unhappy with
their apparent leader, so more rebellion; it’s a never ending cycle. How anticlimactic. Nothing makes a difference. The struggle goes on and on. Those
brave, passionate, truly fantastic souls who attempt to make a difference
themselves, like Martin Luther King Jr, like John Lennon, are killed, no
longer a problem for the government. Such a waste of life.
I have no more to say.
Luke Johnson
Sunday 21st September was the International Day of Peace. We
marked this at Wilberforce with a special display and an open
competition for work around this theme.
Meet your
Meet your newly-elected student council!
They will represent you , the student body,
and make your voice heard!
Connor De Lisle
Kacey Gaylor
President
Vice-President
Student Council!
Samuel Carmichael
Louis Dobbs
Jordan Fullard
Martin Guymer
Courtney Laws
Ellie Laws
Holly McLeod
Jordan Miller
Andrew Parker
Robert Seel
Peter Skipworth
Paige-Marie Wheatley