HARLINGTON CHRONICLE

ISSUE 3 DECEMBER 2017

The Harlington Chronicle

December 2017

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to the third issue of The Harlington Chronicle, a Sixth Form student-run magazine for Harlington Upper School!

As usual, we have aimed to include something useful or intellectually engaging for everyone, so a variety of topics have been covered in this issue, including film, sports, wellbeing, and more.

We’d love to welcome new students into our writing team, so if you’d be interested feel free to contact us at theharlingtonchronicle@gmail.com, or tweet us @harlchronicle. A big thank you to everyone on the team who spent time and effort to make a contribution towards this fantastic third issue. Another thank you goes out to our readers who make the hard work so much more rewarding and worthwhile!

Editor: Helena Platt

Design: Cherie Cheung

Photography: Naomi Smith

Contributors: Cherie Cheung Abi Denman Georgina Halford Luke Payne Jack Sheppard Octavia Spyrou Faye Tolliday

Thank you to Mr Craze for helping to organise everything!

Enjoy! Helena and Cherie

contents

The Importance of Performing Arts Subjects within Education

Faye Tolliday

Monthly Film Recommendation: Elephant

Jack Sheppard

From Pridelands to Playbill

Octavia Spyrou

What Happened to Amelia Earhart?

Abigail Denman

White Silence = Violence

Georgina Halford

Game, Set and Match?

Luke Payne

Why You Need To Get More Sleep

Cherie Cheung

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‘The world is a complicated place, and there’s a lot of division between people. The performing arts tend to unify people in a way nothing else does.’ - David Rubinstein (social historian). Why are performing arts important? Performing arts are essential as they help students to use their creativity and imagination as well as providing them with invaluable opportunities to learn new skills away from the traditional classroom environment. Most importantly they give students a chance to express themselves in a way other subjects don’t; they get a chance to be whoever they want to be whilst having fun. Students get time away from their desk allowing them to develop their confidence and communication skills through practical learning and team work. This is a unique learning experience which combines the use of students’ imagination and critical thinking, and the refreshing contrast from conventional classroom activities allows them to engage more fully with that they are doing. These lessons in subjects such as Music, Dance and Drama become memorable and enjoyable for students. With many subjects becoming increasingly focused on essay writing and analysis, time away from this even more valuable. Their creativity has a chance to flourish in performing arts lessons when so many other subjects diminish this. The skills that can be gained from interacting in performing arts subjects are transferable life skills which play a critical part in adult life. For example, performing arts encourages the more obvious skills

such as confidence, communication and public

speaking but also develops others such as

memory, through activities like lyric or script

learning; the ability to problems solve; and being

able to work in a team with a variety of people.

Students also have to experience receiving and

acting on constructive criticism from both their

peers and teachers, allowing them to expand on

and improve their work. Furthermore, it also

helps students develop their empathy as they

have the opportunity to play a range of different

characters, all of whom will have very different

backgrounds and experiences. This increases

students’ social awareness of important issues

in modern society and allows them to explore

their beliefs in depth in an engaging manner.

Additionally, consider how much Music and

Drama influence people in their everyday life:

music is used in almost everything from radio to

TV and it often even defines the pop culture of

the time. Drama is also used just as frequently

as music in entertainment, but also in peoples’

daily lives. People are constantly acting, every

day when they speak to others and interact in

society. As Shakespeare said, ‘All the world’s a

stage’. Performing arts subjects are an

immensely powerful creation as they have the

ability to make us feel certain emotions and

influence the way we think and feel. This is an

ability that not many other subjects have and

one that must not be reduced or distracted

from.

Faye Tolliday

MONTHLY FILM RECOMMENDATION:

ELEPHANT

Gus Van Sant is a very interesting filmmaker.

Whether it’s his crowd pleasing efforts in the

classic Good Will Hunting, or the soaring story of

gay politician Harvey Milk- his stories vary from

accessible to art-house to experimental. Notable

entries to his filmography include: his much-

debated remake of Hitchcock’s Psycho that was

precisely shot-for-shot; his Matt Damon and

Casey Affleck art film Gerry, about two men

called Gerry silently wandering through the

desert; and of course, the seminal My Own

Private Idaho that rocketed the late River

Phoenix to stardom and legitimacy in the story

of two male prostitutes. While he may not retain

the batting average of some of Hollywood’s

current greats- with more than a few films either

slipping off the radar or completely crashing into

it- I believe the work of Van Sant is something

immensely admirable. Not many filmmakers

offer such a prolific and wide array of subject

matters and approaches, and any filmmaker who

can make the popcorn cheese-fest that is Good

Will Hunting in the same career as the almost

dialogue-less Gerry is a filmmaker who deserves

credit where credit is due.

Of all these films, Elephant is my favourite.

Based on a short story by Harmony Korine (who

later went on to direct the audacious Spring

Breakers), Elephant is the story of a group of

teenagers, connected by nothing but casual

pleasantries or exchanges, who make their way

around their American high school on what

seems like any normal day. Except, this is the

day during which two disgruntled pupils have

decided to carry out a mass shooting. Now, this

may seem like a spoiler since the film has had

time to ferment (released in 2003), but at the

time of release the subject matter was a widely

discussed controversy. Inspired by the

Columbine shootings, the subject matter was

seen as a sore, exploitative topic, and the film’s

choice to not only portray the shooters but to do

so sympathetically, was divisive. Therefore, this

context, as well as a very obvious and

foreboding sense of dread from the outset,

means it hardly takes away from the experience-

although a lot can be said for seeing this film

with no prior knowledge. Casting mostly non-

acting teenagers and creating their characters

around them (using their real names and

mostly improvisation) the film offers a tactile,

realistic look into the school experience, and

the realism meets perfectly with the dream-

like nature of Van Sant’s wandering camera.

The film is comprised mostly of long,

wandering shots, following characters as they

walk with or without purpose around the

school, sometimes accompanied by music

and sometimes not. This choice is jarring- the

film often tries the patience of the viewer,

filling the frame with sometimes frustratingly

little in the form of content- with many of the

tracking shots clocking up several minutes in

length and offering nothing but the transition

from one environment to another. But this

choice serves a purpose. Not only does the

empty school through the eyes of the

omniscient camera transport the viewer into

its very halls, it also embodies the hollow,

drifting nature of adolescence, of the school,

and of the American lifestyle. The film

critiques the insidious, often violent nature of

American culture- whether it be the shooters

ordering semi-automatic weapons with the

same ease as an online clothes shop, or three

teen girls eating lunch and then forcibly

vomiting it up again in one long, unflinching

shot.

The story often stares the devil in the face, and

the extensive, persistent scenes force the viewer

to keep watching and to assess the meaning

behind what they are seeing. Adolescence is

portrayed so superbly as a baron, sprawling,

nightmarish landscape, where the teens wander

in desperate search of some meaning, or of

anything at all. The portrayal of the shooters as

talented, piano-playing, eloquent individuals is

the epitome of showing how misguided

Americans often go to unexplainable ends to find

that meaning.

The film follows an array of teenagers- from the

jocks, to the mean girls, to the nerds. And despite

the different ways they navigate their

environment, they are all viewed in equal light by

the doom that faces them. One thing Van Sant

does immensely well is play with time- the film is

not linear, and often hops backwards and

forwards without warning. These many threads

and stories are seen to intertwine at subtle and

heartbreaking moments- for example, some

teachers sing happy birthday to a colleague, and

later in the film their singing can be heard in the

background of a conversation held by a couple. A

young girl runs through the background of a

conversation, seen from each participants’ point

of view, before finally (and crushingly) her own.

It’s a choice that for some mystical reason, packs

a deafening punch, as the almost mythical nature

of the way the story moves seems to offer some

light note of hope, underlined by the horror of the

events about to take place. Essentially, it feels like

the agony of what happens is undermined by how

distant yet present all the characters are in each

other’s lives.

MONTHLY FILM RECOMMENDATION:

Elephant won the Palme D’Or at Cannes

Film Festival, as well as Van Sant taking

home Best Director. And while not deemed

as mainstream or widely acclaimed cinema,

this accolade is considered by me to be the

very highest obtainable. Not just the best of

American cinema, but world cinema, and

not just film to entertain, but to say

something rich and deeply meaningful.

Whilst he acknowledges the ability of

cinema to entertain, Gus Van Sant knows

that in this instance, an unflinching

portrayal of the agony of this meaningless

and evil act of murder at the hands of

strangers is one to be endured rather than

enjoyed. But it’s an endurance test I find

immensely enjoyable. Figure that one out.

Jack Sheppard

What do you think? Let us know at theharlingtonchronicle@gmail.com or tweet us @harlchronicle.

What Happened to Amelia Earhart? Amelia Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas

on July 24th 1897, had her first aeroplane ride

in 1920 and was the sixteenth woman in

history to receive a pilot’s license. In 1921,

she bought her own plane, a Kinner Airster

Biplane in bright yellow which she nicknamed

“The Canary”. Earhart became incredibly

famous and inspired many women to become

pilots. She was also a published author and

worked at Purdue University.

June 1st 1937, Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan set off from Oakland, California in the Lockheed Electra; they planned to fly around the world in one trip, a total of 29,000 miles which would have been the longest trip ever made at the time. They made it to New Guinea in 21 days, despite Earhart falling ill.

The next part of their trip began in New Guinea and was destined for Howland Island. During this flight

Earhart was unable to make a sufficient connection with the Island or the coast guard cutter Itasca, which

was anchored just off Howland. Her last communications were at 7:42 am: “we must be on you but we

cannot see you, but gas is running low, have been unable to reach you by radio, we are flying at least 1000

ft”, and another at 8:43 am: “We are running north and south.”, and finally “we are on the line 157337, we

will repeat this message, we will repeat this on 6210 kilocycles”. The problem was that she was able to send

communications but couldn’t receive any which would have made her think she wasn’t getting through to

anyone; it is thought that the antenna could have been ripped off on take-off. Though the Itasca began a

rescue attempt immediately after they lost contact and the search continued for weeks, no evidence of a

wreckage was found. On January 5th 1939, Earhart was declared legally dead.

One theory about what happened to Amelia Earhart

and Fred Noonan was that the whole flight was a

secret mission and Earhart was a spy, used by FDR to

spy on the Japanese, but that when they landed on

Saipan they were captured. Similarly, some people

think that they crash-landed after running out of

fuel, were captured on Jaluit Island and killed. This

theory is supported by eye-witness statements from

many US military veterans. One veteran stated that

when he spoke to villagers on Jaluit about Amelia

Earhart they said they saw her aeroplane and that it

was there until it was destroyed by the US army. One

islander claimed to have transported the Electra

from Mili Island on a barge to Koshu and docked it in

Jaluit in 1937 but that he did not see Earhart or

Noonan.

A US soldier claimed to have seen Earhart’s briefcase

in a safe on the island (you can hear the veterans’

statements in this video if you are reading online:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyED99gnxy4)

There are several more conflicting statements from people living in the area claiming they saw Earhart and Noonan: during an interview in 1980 Bilimon Amaron, a Japanese medical worker serving in Jaluit in 1937, said he was called to Koshu to check Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan’s wounds. Ms. Blas, a Saipanese villager was said to have seen a white female prisoner being driven in a motorcycle sidecar to a nearby tree after refusing a blindfold. She was allegedly forced to kneel and was shot in the chest, falling back into a pre-dug grave. Thomas E Devine, from the US army in Saipan at the time said he “saw her plane and markings on a Japanese jail cell indicating her presence”. He was shown a grave by villagers (many people pointed out the grave as “two white fliers”).

Until recently, no one had been able to prove that Amelia Earhart was ever on these Islands; yet now a possible piece of evidence has been found misfiled in the US national archives.

Abi Denman

Some people think that misfile was intentional so that no one would find out where she went, or it could have been an accident.

In the photo (pictured right) there are two Caucasian people who look very much like Fred Noonan and Amelia Earhart; behind the ship you can make out their plane being towed into the docks. The photo is not dated.

This event is cemented in the history of the

Marshall Islands and is supposedly even taught

in schools. Their stamps have an image of a

plane flying and crashing, as well as one with

two people standing on the wing in the sea.

Another theory is that they landed on Nikumaroro after having missed Howland Island, where they could have lived for a while until they died. People claim that Earhart was sending out distress signals and talking about New York the day after they went missing. This leads some to believe that she may have landed the plane and tried to get help.

This theory started a search of the island that continued even 80 years after she went missing; some items were found on the island which could have belonged to Earhart, such as a “feminine” looking jar said to contain freckle cream (not confirmed), found in five pieces. She often carried beauty products on the plane so that she could look nice for the pictures being taken when she landed. There was also a piece of plexiglass found which matched materials used on the Electra and an aluminium plate that was used as a repair for the plane. The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery is still searching on the island to this day.

Another theory is that Earhart survived, was found by U.S military, taken back to America and given a new identity in New Jersey. People claim she is now a woman named Irene Bolam, who strongly denies this (and ended up suing the author of the book on this theory for 1.5 million dollars). It is theorised that she took on a new life and became a banker while living under this false identity.

Finally the last, and possibly the most realistic, theory is simply that Earhart and Noonan into crashed the Pacific Ocean, were unable to contact anyone for help and so were lost at sea. Whilst it is interesting to consider their possibilities, the fates of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noon may forever remain unknown.

What do you think? Let us know at theharlingtonchronicle@gmail.com or tweet us @harlchronicle.

WHITE SILENCE =

VIOLENCE Trayvon Martin was shot and killed at age 17 in

the February of 2012. George Zimmerman,

volunteer member of his neighbourhood watch

and Martin's killer, was later acquitted for the

murder by a jury, of which 5 out of 6 were white.

It is precisely this that resulted in the hashtag

#BlackLivesMatter emerging in the summer of

2013. What began as a simple online campaign in

response to the unlawful killing of an innocent

black teenager and the ensuing miscarriage of

justice, has grown into something far more than

anyone could have anticipated. Now Black Lives

Matter is an international movement, one that

protests against anything from systematic racism

to police brutality, calling for justice as it spreads

across the globe. Perhaps the tipping point for the

movement was the cascade of tragedy in 2014:

this seems to be when it gained momentum and

became common knowledge. Most notable were

the deaths of Eric Garner, Michael Brown and

Tamir Rice, leading to protests and rioting in

Ferguson with the outcry of 'hands up don't

shoot' and 'I can't breathe', apparent last words

of the former two men before they were

murdered. Even at the peaceful protests, police

were deployed in riot gear, throwing tear gas.

In 2015 the bloodshed only increased, and the

lives of Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray and many

others were lost. An unforgettable event

amongst this violence was that of Dylann Roof's

shooting in South Carolina which resulted in the

deaths of 9 innocent churchgoers. In 2016 it was

Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. In 2017 it

was Jocques Clemmons, and a march for white

supremacy in Charlottesville. There are too many

names to list, and the list goes on. Data has

shown that 99% of the 1,134 police killings of

black people in 2015 resulted in no conviction.

13 of the 100 largest US city police departments

kill black men at higher rates than the US murder

rate. Despite these statistics, deaths have

continued, with no punishment for the

policemen responsible.

Of course, the answering cry to this campaign

was that of #AllLivesMatter. This statement

seems to lack any understanding for the roots

and intentions of the Black Lives Matter

movement, which are to draw attention to

incidents of racially motivated police brutality,

a cause that has been sorely needed for the

last century. In fact, this call for the respect of

'all lives' seems to be an echo of what white

people always do: we change the narrative.

Instead of outrage about the deaths of people

at police hands, it is now an argument of

phrasing, as if declaring that certain lives

matter mean that other lives don't. Then, it is

about us, crying 'racism' as though we are

systematically murdered at the same rate as

unarmed black people, our families denied the

justice of seeing our killers endure what the

law promises its citizens. Grieving mothers

and vulnerable communities are not even

allowed the publicity they so rightfully

deserve, and are drowned out by shouts of

how everyone matters, and 'a few bad apples

don't spoil the bunch', while institutionalised

racism seems to pervade every ruling of the

American justice system. Is this dismissal what

supporters of All Lives Matter want? What do

they think they are achieving? Surely if all lives

really do matter, then so do black lives? If so,

why stand by and not protest their unjust

killings? The answer: all lives don't matter; not

in their opinion. Their cause isn't to stand up

for everyone else, it's to silence and dismiss

black voices that are only shouting so loud

because their families are dying. Maybe those

who support the importance of 'all lives'

should simply give up and join 'White Lives

Matter' instead- for that is more or less what

they are arguing.

Police brutality is arguably one of humanity's

lowest points: murder, abuse of authority,

racism. Black Lives Matter was created to

combat this, to keep the spirits of all those

lost to it alive, and most importantly, to

prevent this from happening to anybody else.

As killer after killer is acquitted, it is

important for the public to remember: those

in positions of authority are not automatically

correct. The law itself is a construct of the

powerful, not of right and wrong. Right is

being lucky enough to see a murderer

amongst the police force be convicted of

their crimes, and for the rate of unarmed

black men killed each year to decrease.

Wrong is going on as we are, silent and

ignorant while prejudice runs rampant under

a President who doesn't seem to care.

Wrong is white people not understanding:

this isn't about us.

Georgina Halford

What do you think? Let us know at theharlingtonchronicle@gmail.com or tweet us @harlchronicle.

The world of tennis is changing. For many years,

the grand slam tournaments have been won

repeatedly by the same names, names which are

now getting older and more injury-prone. The

players I am of course talking about are Roger

Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Britain’s

own Andy Murray. Mention any of these names in

public, and more often than not, people will know

whom you are talking about, which just shows how

iconic they are to the sport. However, their reign

over the grand slam tournaments is nearing its end.

All four of these players are now aged thirty or

over. This gives a huge opportunity for some of the

younger, less-experienced players to battle it out

for the top spot in the Men’s Singles Tennis

Rankings.

(Current Wimbledon Champion, Roger Federer)

In the last fourteen years, there have only been

nine grand slam tournaments winners. These are:

Roger Federer (36), Gaston Gaudio (38 – retired),

Marat Safin (37 – Retired), Rafael Nadal (31), Novak

Djokovic (30), Juan Martin Del Potro (28), Andy

Murray (30), Stan Wawrinka (32) and Marin Cilic

(28). None of these players/ ex-players are getting

any younger. How many of them will be playing in

five years’ time? And who could take their places?

Perhaps the most obvious choices would be

Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Milos

Raonic and David Goffin. All of these are

younger players in and around the top ten

spots in the Men’s Singles Tennis Rankings,

the youngest being Alexander Zverev at age

20. Milos Raonic is the name which stands out

here, having come close to winning some

grand slam tournaments in recent years

already. On the other hand, it is very difficult

to pinpoint a player who could stand out

above the rest once the veterans of the game

have retired. This makes for some really

entertaining competitive tennis where no-one

can predict the winner.

Overall, the possibilities are endless for these

younger players. They need to get their heads

down, work hard and maybe one day create a

legacy like some of these tennis legends have

done, because soon for these legends’ careers

it’ll be game, set and match!

Alexander Zverev Dominic Thiem Milos Raonic David Goffin

Luke Payne

What do you think? Let us know at theharlingtonchronicle@gmail.com or tweet us @harlchronicle.

Why You Need To

Get More Sleep

As teenage students who have to balance studying, social lives, and for some, even work, it’s not a surprise that many of us find ourselves sleeping less than six or seven hours per night, when studies suggest that we actually need at least nine. Although it should be painfully obvious, many of us seem to ignore or forget about the basic importance of sleep. Just like food and water, sleep is a necessity, one that is fulfilled only when we get enough of it. Other than stress, detrimental effects stemming from a lack of sleep include poor memory, increased irritability, and possibly even the raised risk of serious health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, as described by the NHS.

The American Psychological Association reported that 53% of teens stated that they felt sluggish and lazy when sleep was insufficient, and that 32% were unable to concentrate, while 23% noted that they did not feel motivated to deal with their responsibilities. This hindering of our capabilities is quite disastrous, especially as students, for we are at the age where we begin shaping the future with our own hands.

So does the amount of sleep directly affect the amount of stress we are feeling? It would seem so, as the APA also reported the statistic that teenage students with lower amounts of stress slept more hours on average (7.8 hours) than those with higher stress levels, who slept for on average 6.9 hours. Symptoms of stress, such as anxiety and feeling sad or overwhelmed are also more often experienced by teens who sleep fewer than eight hours on a school night. There are many more supportive statistics to be found throughout the APA’s report on stress and sleep.

Not only do your sleeping habits affect your

stress levels, it works exactly the same the other

way around. Feeling stressed naturally inhibits

your ability to sleep; the anxiety and worrying

and bombarding thoughts are hard to escape

even when you’re lying in bed, exhausted. The

APA supports this by analysing survey results to

find that “adults with high stress are more likely

to say they are not getting enough sleep because

their minds race (49 percent vs. 10 percent of

adults with low stress)”. It’s rather clear now that

a lack of sleep and high levels of stress run in a

circle, creating a cycle of exhaustion, anxiety, and

an inability to cope with the onset of these

negative symptoms. It’s also quite clear that no

one wants that.

If you’re experiencing the effects of sleep deprivation, here are some of the NHS’ tips on how to fix this:

Sleep an hour earlier on weekends, when you don’t have to wake up early, so your body clock can get used to more sleep, and allow you to achieve that on school days where you do have to wake up early.

Depending on how much sleep you’ve missed out on, the amount of time needed to make up for it may be quite long, so have patience.

Caffeine and energy drinks can further ruin your sleeping patterns, despite giving you a short energy boost.

Cherie Cheung

If you’re wondering how to handle your current stress, here are some of the APA’s tips on how to cope:

Exercise. It doesn’t have to be extreme, even a 20 minute walk can be beneficial and provide relief for your troubled mind.

Taking a break from the stressor. Step away from whatever is causing your stress and know that having time to yourself is valid and important.

Get social support from friends and family. Sharing your feelings can help relieve stress, so long as you trust the person you speak to.

Meditate. Meditating has been proven to help people relax and focus, even if it is done only for brief periods of time.

To find out more, please visit the APA and NHS websites.