newsy bcn (ies menéndez y pelayo)

Jack Silva, the Magic English Teacher, came to our school the first term of this school year. PAGE 38

Barcelona Mediterranean

capitalAnal ys i s o f the

reasons that made it possible. PAGE 44

_____________________

“Estomacho Gravis” interview

We talk to a music g roup formed by students from our IES that performs concerts throughout Barcelona wi th b ig success . PAGE 29

_____________________

B&B leaves Barcelona

After three years in Barcelona it moves to Berlin. PAGE 7

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Girls school football team

A wonderful team that has come 5th in the first division of the Cadet category.PAGE 41

“Menéndez y Pelayo” school celebrates its 75th anniversary with a new look. After a year of improvements to redesign it, we now have a modern

building that offers new facilities to students.

NEWSY BCN ha s written a special report about i t s pa s t and present. PAGE 3

Magic English teacher interview

NEWSY BCNIES “Menéndez y Pelayo”

75th anniversary

THE FIRST TEENAGE ENGLISH BCN NEWSPAPER

June 2009, Nº 1

A new way of teaching

2 NEWSY BCN June 2009

This is the first edition of this newspaper written by teenagers and aimed at people of all ages. This newspaper has a double purpose. On the one hand it wants to reflect the life of the IES where it was created and on the other hand it aims at helping students to get to know the neighbourhood where the IES is situated, their own neighbourhood and the city of Barcelona. Moreover, the IES, their district and the city have a history. The present moment is an important time in history: as a result of continuous evolution, and students must know about this so they can act as responsible students and citizens. The IES isn’t an “island”, students participate in city events, as well as in school events, this explains this kind of newspaper, it isn’t an ordinary school newspaper.

Students spend their time mostly at school, but when classes finish, they can do a lot of activities in places that perhaps they don’t know about. In this newspaper they will be able to find out what teenagers recommend to other teenagens and also other places that the city has to offer to them.

This newspaper tells you about the main events that have happened this school year at school, in the district and in the city too. Nowadays the students have the opportunity of reading free newspapers every day along with an English website about the city. Students chose what they thought were the most important things to write about.

I want to thank all the students who made this newspaper possible. Small pieces, long pieces, all that is in it has the same value, without it, the paper wouldn’t exist. Many thanks to the students who have contributed their articles. This is your newspaper and I hope it will be useful for you and that you will find it exciting. It is a great opportunity to work together as school members and as citizens for your city.

Finally, I am specially grateful to Mª Dolors Butiñà, the Head of IES “Menéndez y Pelayo” English Department, for the time she has devoted to this newspaper with her ideas, her corrections and overall her inconditional support.

Students who participated in the newspaper: ESO 3: Claudia Buendia, Enric Capel, Carla Bustamante, Merlín Cano, Ramón Cardelús, Iván Díaz, Iván

Duart, Noèlia Fernández, Carla Gimeno, Sònia González, Gerson Herrer, Diana Llongueras, Anastasia Macovei, Pau Marco, Chen Quiang, Brenda Román, Sílvia Rovirosa, Sofía Rueda, Sílvia Sala, Júlia Sala, Bárbara Sanmartín, Oriol Sentís, Pol Solé, Antón Tendero

ESO4: Carlota Alajarín. Rosa Lina Aragón, Júlia Badia, Débora Baptista, Sebastián Baptista, Dídac Barba, Eva Blancher, Shemaila Butt, Sara Cantó, Georgina Carreño, Pol Casanovas, Kilian Castrillo, Chen Cong, Carlos Chipantasi, Laura Cruz, Hugo Costal, Joan Culleré, Berta Elias, Oriol Franch, Maria Garcia, Judith Grases, Lluc Haro, Jéssica Hurtado, Andrea Jiménez, Kevin Cheung, Pol Llongueras, Sofía Maldonado, Alba Marginet, Aurora Marín, Pol Marsillach, Olga Masriera, Pau Matas, Laura Mª Orrego, Daniel Parada, Marina Pérez, Juan Pujol, Juan Romero, Nathaly Ronquillo, Guillem Sol, Natalia Suris, Lissette Tutiven, Kevin Veintimilla, Xavi Velásquez

Students who collaborated: ESO 1: Kyle Pearson ESO 2: Pol Berbel, Brigitte Bernal, Júlia Bolao, María Costa, Laia Ezquerrà, Roger Felip, Marta Nicolàs, Xènia

Nogué, Xavier Rodríguez, Cristina Tienda, Nil Celma, Nina Vanishvili. ESO 4: Lorena Garvín Batxillerat 1: Chung Yven Batxillerat 2: Olga Benito, Alexia Paris, Joana Rahola, Berta Sala

Coordinated by: Rosana Mairal, Mª Isabel Salamanca, Toni Torres Printed by: IES “Menéndez y Pelayo”

Via Augusta 140, 08006-Barcelona http://www.xtec.es/centres/a8013226

This year’s celebrations....p. 3News..................................p. 7Opinion.............................p. 11Culture...............................p. 16Festivals in BCN...............p. 21

Film reviews...................p. 25Book reviews.................p. 28Music..............................p. 29Fashion...........................p. 32Travel..............................p. 34

Education......................p. 35Puzzles...........................p. 39Economy........................p. 40Sports.............................p. 41

EDITORIAL

Contents

NEWSY BCN 3 June 2009

SPECIAL REPORTBy Merlin Cano, Enric Capel, Ramón Cardelús, Chen Quiang, Silvia Rovirosa, Bárbara Sanmartin

“Menéndez y Pelayo” school 75th anniversary

History

Our school’s history can be better understood in two different periods which are divided by a clear-cut historical line: the imposition of Franco’s dictatorship over the Republican regime after the Civil War (1936-1939). This dramatic change was so evident in our school that it meant a change of its original name:

“Nicolás Salmerón” (1933-1939)

“Nicolás Salmerón” Secondary School was created in 1933 by the Second Republic Government. The school’s original name was Nicolás Salmerón, which was the name of the President of the first Republic from 18th July to 7th September in 1873.

In 1933 the building was on “Muntaner” Street and its first Head-master was Mr José de la

Puente Lario. In this year there were 88 students and 10 teachers. In this short but really fruitful period the school offered secular education to both boys and girls coming f rom dif ferent socia l backgrounds.

“Menéndez y Pelayo” ( 1939-2009)

At the end of the Civil War (July, 1939), Franco’s oppressive government changed all the names of the streets, institutions and

schools which were related to Republican politicians representing left-wing or progressive ideology sections.

Consequently, the “Nicolás Salmerón” Secondary School was renamed as “Menéndez y Pelayo” in 1939 . It wa s mo ved to the Blanquerna Educational Institution building, which was requisitioned by Franco’s regime after the war. This institution had been created by Alexandre Galí, an outstanding pedagogue, creator and promoter of the Act ive Methodo logy in

Education. However, his pro-Catalan and progressist ideas were not accepted by Franco’s regime and so he was forced into exile as many other teachers who were l abe l l ed a s Repub l icans and there fore per secuted by the Nationalists.

The school under Franco’s dictatorship was restricted to boys only. These students could start their Batxillerat studies at the early age of 10 to be completed in a long period of 6 or 7 years. Classrooms were then dominated by Catholic crosses and Franco’s portraits.

1975 – 2009: End of Franco’s Regime and

the transition to Democracy

It was not until 1975 that this high school started to accept girls. This coeducational model gradually reopened the school for wider and more varied social backgrounds.

Students in 1949

Building on “Muntaner” Street

IES “Menéndez y Pelayo” nowadays

THIS YEAR’S CELEBRATIONS


Our school at present

“Menéndez y Pe layo” Secondary School is in Barcelona in the Sarrià– Sant Gervasi district, at 140-142 Via Augusta Street. Its s tudents ma in l y come f rom primary schools in the Sarrià and Gràcia districts.

At present there are s ix hundred and twenty-five students registered in the school divided into day and evening shifts. On the day shift there are two hundred and seventy-three ESO students and one hundred and s ixty - seven “Batxil lerat” (post-compulsory education) students, whereas one hundred and e ighty - f i ve “Batxi l lerat” students attend lessons in the evening.

The schoo l o f fe r s three languages (English, French and German) and a great variety of optional subjects in ESO and “Batxillerat”. Students work in small groups in nearly al l the subjects and, if they need it, they have personalized attention too.

There a re a l so d i f fe rent midday activities. Moreover, the school o f fers many spor t ing activities run by professional t ra iners and coaches and i t participates in school leagues in official sports associations.

Finally, we are very happy to have a brand new high school with renewed facilities ! !

10 Multimedia Rooms

Physics and Chemistry Labs

Biology and Geology Labs

2 Technology Rooms

3 Computer Rooms

Language Rooms: 2 English, 1 Fre n c h a n d 1 G e r m a n

Main Hall

Canteen

2 Technical Drawing Rooms

Library

Music Room

P.E. Open-air areas and gym



We interviewed Lluís Sarrado, a senior teacher from our school, who organised its 75th anniversary in co l l aborat ion wi th other teachers like Javier Camacho (a mathematics teacher). Mr Sarrado has worked as a teacher for 35 years, most of which he has spent in our school, a total of 25 years in two different periods. The school probab l y chose h im a s the “Anniversary organiser” because he is one of the most experienced people who has known the school for an important period of time, from different perspectives, not only as a teacher but also as the school’s headmaster for nine years at two different times.

For the celebration of the school’s anniversary there were different activities: firstly there was an alumni speech evening on 16th April in which students from di f ferent generat ions came together to describe what their school atmosphere and student life were like. Those people are mostly we l l -known and ha ve been outstanding professionals. For example, students from 1933, the first ever pupils, who are now e lder l y peop le , but rea l l y enthusiastic about coming back to school. What is more, there are

two people with an important profes s iona l re l e vance , l ike Profes sor Pere Vi l ano va , o r Professor Mónica Terribas, who is the present Managing Director of TV3. However, the school was not so worried about bringing well-known people but rather people who have contributed to society.

Apart from this special evening, there were also other activities: for example, a concert by a very impor tant j azz band ”La Locomotora Negra” and a public race open to all the people from the district. Moreover, an important archive collecting task is being carried out by collecting documents and pictures about the school’s history. By now, we can already see a lot of pictures on the Internet, and people have shared a lot of graphic material which the organisers have classified. On the other hand, a book about the history of the school is being created.

As part of the anniversary’s legacy, we can also mention the filming of the main evening, which will remain as a graphic document of al l the anecdotes and past experiences of relevant people which could be otherwise forgotten in time.

Outstanding ex-students

We can be proud of the fact that a lot of today’s distinguished people were once students at our school. Important examples we can mention are:

Josep Maria Ainaud de Lasarte. Historian who wrote “El llibre negre de Catalunya”

Ramón Boixedós i Malé. President of Gala-Dalí Fund,

Renfe and Corporación Mútua

Dr. Manuel Cardona Castro. Distinguished

physicist who was awarded the “Príncipe de Asturias” in

1988

Oriol Bohigas.

Outstanding architect who

created the “Vila

Olímpica”

Carles Rexach.

Professional football player

Pedro Ruíz.

Actor, TV presenter and

writer

The celebration


Mónica Terribas. Journalist,

Professor and Managing

Director of TV3


This year the city of Barcelona commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of catalan folklorist Joan Amades’ death. We have reproduced for you the “In Memoriam” that was published in the magazine “Folklore Americas”, 6 (Florida, 1959):

The passing of one of Spain’s most prominent folklorists is mourned by his collleagues everywhere. He first became dedicated to folklore about the time of the first World War, and in 1917 published his first folklore article on the origin of a Catalan proverb. His interest in folklore centered on his native Barcelona, but his horizon often extended from Catalan to Hispanic and international folklore.

His keen interest spread over many types of folklore, for his numerous books and articles, which number over to hundred, chiefly in folklore, embrace the fields of legends and tales, songs and dances, customs and festivals, art and crafts, speech and a variety of special themes. He prepared an excellent study on Morphology of the folklore for “Folklore Americas”.

Let us hope that his family, friends and colleagues will see through to publication a number of unpublished valuable manuscripts he left behind. With the imposing body of his publications in our field and his lovable personality that inspired the devotion of all who knew him, he will live in this world as well as in the next.

In 1959 the architect Ildefons Cerdà presented his project named the Cerdà Pla to the city council. It was approved in 1960, and we may argue that in that moment the city of Barcelona, that we know today, was born.

This Plan was thought to allow for the growth of the city. The wa l l s , that sur rounded o ld

Barcelona, were demolished, and big roads (Diagonal, Gran Via, Paral.lel, Meridiana) were designed in order to conect the old routes that led to the near villages.

In the north of the old city The Eixample was also planned in the Cerdà Plan as a large grid layout with wide streets.

Barcelona annexed Sants, Les Corts, Sant Gervasi de Cassoles, Gràcia, Sant Martí de Provençals and Sant Andreu del Palomar in 1897, Horta in 1904 and then finally Sarrià in 1921. Consequently the different neighbourhoods of Barcelona keep their own character and history.

Cerdà’s YearBy Juan Romero

Harriet at Australia zoo in 2002

This year is Darwin’s year too. He was born 200 years ago and 150 years have passed since he published “The Origin of Species”, a book that changed the minds of a lot of scientists.

Nowadays his theory is still controversial. This year his books have been published in special commemorative editions and a lot of conferences about him and his theories have taken place in Barcelona. We add the image of Harriet, the tortoise that, it is said, Darwin brought from the Galapagos Islands, and outlived him.

Darwin’s yearBy Natalia Suris

By Juan Romero



The idea of Bread&Butter was born in July 2001; it is a fashion event, celebrated every year in Barcelona. It exhibits clothes, shoes and other fashion accessories. It is divided into stands.

This year is the last year in Barcelona, because Bread&Butter is going to move to Berlin next year, near an airport (Tempelhof). Bread&Butter was going to be in Moscow or Istanbul next year, but it has been decided to take it to Berlin.

Bread&Butter was first created to travel around the world to cities that begin with the letter B, but when it arrived in Barce lona the organisers decided to keep it here.This year it has had 100 stands less. It has been in Barcelona for three days . In 3 days Bread&Butter brought together more than 100000 people and it has made 100€ million.Ever y year Bread&Butter i s an event that people love but th i s year the number o f peop le attending has reduced due to the economical crisis.The designers and the

organisers have been preparing the whole year. One designer, Armand Basi, died after the event was celebrated. Some brands are: Replay, Desigual, G-star Raw, Antonió Miró, Custo Barcelona, Camper, McLaren…

The person who organized Bread&Butter used the logo: “Don’t Cry Barcelona, stand up and move your future”.

This year the designers said: “To stay in fashion you need to wear cool clothes with good colourful shoes”.

Bread & ButterBy Carla Bustamante, Carla Gimeno, Diana Llongueras

Religious publicity on Barcelona busesBy Juan Romero

In January an atheist publicity campaign started , when two buses drove around with advertisements that encouraged citizens to enjoy their lives without worrying about God.

S l i ght l y l a te r, a chr i s t i an association brought their message in favour of God to the buses with the slogan “When everybody leaves you, God s tands by you . ” The association’s representatives insisted this was not an answer to the atheist publicity.

The campaign lasted about two months. Many people wondered if buses were the best way of spreading this kind of publicity.

Barcelona limits speed to 30 Km/h

By Judith Grases, Aurora Marín, Juan Romero, Natalia Suris

Barcelona’s council will decrease the speed limit to 30 Km/h in 25% of the city in two years’ time. Next year it will be applied in eleven Eixample streets. It has been proved that this plan wil l reduce accidents and reinforce security in the streets.

__________________________________

40-years-old people to live 1000 years

By Judith Grases, Aurora Marín, Juan Romero, Natalia Suris

Geneticist Aubrey de Grey from London gave a talk in Cosmocaixa Barcelona about the project SENS. He has been doing it for some years to prevent ageing. He thinks he needs more scientific knowledge to discover some more information that will make his hypothesis possible.

Poster of B&B 2009

NEWS

To celebrate The International Year of Astronomy, like many schools, we have measured the radius of the earth on the flat floor of the school. We almost couldn’t do it due to the weather: it had to be sunny, but finally we did it. It took a few hours to carry out the experiment. However eventually it was successful and we had a good time.

By Juan Romero


Armand BasiBy Carla Gimeno, Carla Bustamante, Diana Llongueras

Armand Ba s i , c lo thes

des igner and bus inessman , became famous because he created in 1986 his clothes brand “Armand Basi”.

He was born in Barcelona in 1924. His mother Mercé Sabí had a textile workshop. When he finished sixth form he began to study engineering. After finishing

his studies he created a machine to make clothes. He and his brother, who d ied in 2007, founded the company Basi in 1948, following his mother’s work. In 1961 he started to deliver Lacoste clothes to Spain.

He got married when he was 32 year s o ld . He had three children and three grandsons. He died in Barcelona at the age of 85 from cancer. He was important in the fashion world.

He was a friendly and an unextravagant man. Due to this a lot of people don’t know his name, but a lot of people loved him and organised a funeral for his death.

Nowadays the company Basi sells clothes in 11 countries and it manufactures for the French brand Lacoste, among other labels. This year was the first time the brand Basi arrived in London with its new trends: black colours and short skirts.

DHUB By Carla Bustamante, Carla

Gimeno, Diana Llongueras

The Design Hub Barcelona i s a ne w centre o f the Department of Culture of Barce lona de voted to promoting the knowledge, the understanding and the appropiate use of the world of design.

Bread and Butter l e f t Barcelona, but DHUB has arrived to take over. This centre was created to allow people to explore, search information, learn and do a lot of different activities connected with design.

It was created in 2009 and it is situated in Barcelona, in Moncada Street.

Iriscom aids younsters with

paralysed brainsBy Juan Romero, Nataly Ronquillo, Lissette Tutiven

Pedro Palomo is the creator of Iriscom, a system that wasn’t used until now by disabled people and people with other illnesses.

Project Ediris, subsidized by the Industry Department, wants to aid the Communications of 1000 people with brain paralysis through the use o f s i ght . User s communicate moving the computer mouse with their eyes, so they can learn to read or to write with a virtual keyboard.

The l ea r n ing d i f f i cu l t i e s associated with Ir iscom only depend on each one’s personal abilities.

First robot shop in Barcelona

By Eva Blancher, Aurora Marín, Natalia Suris

The f i r s t shop in Spa in devoted solely to robots has opened in Putxet this year.

There you can find all types of robots. They will teach you, help with your housework or behave as a pet.Construction work in

BarcelonaBy Juan Romero, Nataly Ronquillo, Lissette Tutiven

Barcelona’s streets are suffering f rom more works and improvements now than la st summer. The most af fected districts are: Sant Andreu, Sants, Montjuïc and Eixample.

As well as the improvements in the s t reet s , 303 ne w constructions will begin in order to provide jobs for nearly 5000 people. They have to be finished before the 31st December. They include all kinds of works and rebui ldings: schools , footbal l pitches, equipments, civic centres, and restorat ion of h istor ica l buildings, such as Sant Pau hospital.

Strong winds hit BCNBy Eva Blancher, Aurora Marín, Natalia Suris

In January strong winds hit Barcelona and, as a result, a lot of trees fell down in the city, glasses were broken and moreover there were one badly injured and twenty minor casualt ies . Also, four children and two more people died in Sant Boi for different reasons.

NEWS


Gaudí awardsPol Llongueras, Carlos Chipantasi, Sara Cantó, Kevin Cheung

! “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” is, with “El Cant dels Ocells”, the winner of the Gaudí Awards, which is given by the “Academia del Cinema Català”. Chaired by Joel Joan, Gaudí first prizes have been able to avoid unnecessar y controversy and reward those who deserved it the most. The latest film by Woody Allen, recently won the Golden Globe for best comedy film and the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Albert Serra, director of “El Cant dels Ocells”, took three big prizes for his movie (Best Film in spoken Catalan, Best picture and Best director), and with his usual modesty, said that his film was very good. The loser of the night was

“Forasters”, by Ventura Pons, leaving 10 nominations, of which they only took one (Best Actress for Anna Lizarán).

Best director: Albert Serra (“El cant dels ocells”)

Best film in catalan: “El cant dels ocells” (Albert Serra)

Best film not in catalan: “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (Woody Allen)

Best Actor: Jordi Dauder (Azaña)

Best Actress: Anna Lizarán (“Forasters”)

Best Supporting Actor: Pep Antón Muñoz (“Bienvenido a...”)

Best Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz (“Vicky Cristina...”)

Best European Film: “Camino” (Javier Fesser)

Best Documentary Film: “Bucarest” (Albert Solé)

Best Sound: “Eskalofrío” (Jaume Meléndez)

Best Original Music: Giulia/Tellarini (“Vicky Cristina...”)

Best Photography: Neus Ollé/Jimmy Gimferrer (“El cant dels...”)

Best Animation Film: “Rovelló, un Nadal sense...” (Antoni d’Ocon)

Best Film: “Turismo” (Mercedes Sampietro)

Best Art Direction: Jaume Martí (“Transsiberian”)

Best Television Film: “El pallasso i el Führer” (Eduard Cortés)

Best Editing: Jaume Martí (“Transsiberian”)

Best Screenplay: Xavi Puebla (“Bienvenido a Farewell-Gutmann”)

Best Special Effects: Josep M. Aragonés (“Eskalofrío”)

Honor Award: Jaime Camino

TV3 did a great coverage of the awards, broadcasting in live, and reporting it on the news. The Academy did a good job finding presenters, hiring catalan actors and actresses like Clara Segura, Santi Millán, Mercé Sampietro, Josep María Pou, etc...

!

NEWS

We recommend

watching


NEWS

Japan meets Barcelona again By Xavi Velásquez

The second edition of the popular "Japan Weekend" was celebrated the first weekend of March in the "Barcelona 92" room of the Palau Sant Jordi of Barcelona. About 8000 people attended the event and the entry fee was 5€ for one day. The event started on Friday and finished on Sunday.

The event objective was to introduce the Japanese culture to the Barcelona people with the most popular Japanese cultural products such as 'manga' comics, 'anime' films and series, videogames, 'ParaPara' dance and music, JPop music, ...

The event hosted expositions from most Japanese comics, books and films distributors and producers in Spain, 'manga' and 'anime' trivial contests, 'ParaPara' and 'Cosplay' (consists in making and wearing costumes of 'manga' and 'anime' characters) contests, performances of Catalan JPop and chiptune (retro videogames' music) bands, karaoke in Japanese, video games tournaments and even a wrestling tournament.

The main difference to last years’ edition was the connection with 'FiberParty', the main LanParty event in Barcelona organized by the IT students of UPC (Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya). There was a free bus service between Campus Nord and Palau Sant Jordi to communicate both events and the 'FiberParty'

ticket could be used to access the Japan Weekend.Most people talk about "Japan Weekend" as a clone of the most popular 'MangAnime' convention: "Saló

Del Manga". People from Jointo Entertainment (the event organizers) state that "the main objective of Saló Del Manga is to sell comics, DVD's and merchandising, and the objective of Japan Weekend is to approach the Japanese culture by involving the people in a lot of different activities".

!

“La Fira de Montjuïc” received the fourth Barcelona edition of the GSMA Mobile World Congress, the most important event of mobile phones in the world.

The organizers expected 50.000 visitors, 5.000 less than last year.

The number of exhibitors didn’t raise, it even fell: it was kept near 1.300.

In the presentation of the congress, John Hoffman, manager and director of GSMA, said: “this event doesn’t consist of the number of visitors that it assembles, but of summoning the suitable people.”

Between the list of guests we could find the manager and director of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer; the president of the departments of mobiles AT and T, and Ralph de la Vega among others.

The crisis also wants to serve as a point to raise new horizons for the future of the industry. The GSMA appears under the slogan: “to think ahead”.

In “La Fira de Montjuïc” we found: 700 operators of mobile phones from 218 countries. 17400 hotel rooms dealt with the event with an average of 250-300 € a day, everything included.

Mobile World CongressBy Oriol Franch and Alba Marginet


Teenage leisure timeBy Sofía Rueda, Silvia Sala, Júlia Sala

The intention of this report is to assess the results of a survey in which the students of IES “Menéndez y Pelayo” of 3rd and 4th level of ESO were asked about what do they do in their free time. This report outlines the results of a survey carried out to determine the forms of entertainment among young people. As requested, this survey report contains information

compiled from the questionnaire carried out on 22nd January. The data included in this report was obtained by means of a questionnaire given to pupils from 3rd and 4th of ESO, ten students of each level of whom five were girls and the other five were boys. The information below summarises statistics.

What’s the first thing you do when you arrive home?

Of the twenty students who were interviewed, eight of them, when they arrive at home, the first thing that they do is to have an afternoon snack, five of them chat w i th f r i ends on the computer, four of them watch TV, two of them listen to music and only one pupil studies.

Do you do any out-of-school activity?

22.5 % of students don’t do any out-of-school activity, 18 % of

pupils have extra-classes in English, music and they go to do some exercise at the gym. 13.5 % of students play football. 9 % of students do dance (hip-hop, classic dance , contemporar y dance , “claqué”…) and drama and only 4.5 % of pupils play volleyball.

W h a t t i m e d o yo u arrive home?

The majority of the students a r r i ve home a t 18 :00, and a minority arrives from 20:00 to 21:30.

How much time do you spend studying?

A significant percentage of those who responded study an hour daily.

Is it enough?

A large proportion of people surveyed reported that the time spent studying is sufficient to pass the exams. A small proportion of people surveyed replied that time isn’t sufficient.

What time do you go to bed?

Over one ha l f o f those interviewed goes to sleep more or less at 23:15. Over one third of the rest of interviewees goes to bed at 21:30, 2 or 1. The rest goes to sleep at 12.

OPINION


Barcelona, like all big cities, has cinemas, discos, parks and shopping centres. These are the places where most teenagers spend their leisure time. In Barcelona, there are also some special centres for teenagers, called “civic centres”.

The c iv ic centres a re organisat ions which promote activities to young people in every neighbourhood of Barcelona. You can usually find a place to meet other teenagers, to enjoy and par t i c ipate in soc iocu l tura l activities. In some of them, they can also help you to create a youth association and put you in contact with other groups and teenager associations in your neighbourhood.

In these places democratic values, human rights and the protection of the environment are promoted. They also promote making decisions autonomously and responsibly, the capacity of working in groups with participation in co l l ec t i ve pro ject s and identification and implication in the community.

In our neighbourhood there are two civic centres for young people:

Centre Cívic Casa Sagnier – Casal de Joves Casa Sagnier: Brusi Street 51*61, Barcelona.Phone: 934140195.

This school year students of 4th ESO went to visit the Casa Sagnier civic centre, in particular the exhibition “And after the ESO, what ? ” We found out what possibilities we have when we finish ESO and did a role play in order to

apply what they explained in a practical case.

Moreover, they showed us the Centre and told us about all the activities we could do there. We can take interesting courses and they offer to us a space where we can use computers freely, meet each other or take part in our own activities. This year on Saturdays, for example, youngsters who like hip hop culture and are interested in urban culture in all its aspects (dance, graffiti,…) meet.

C e n t re C í v i c C a s a l d e Sarrià – Espai jove de Sarrià: Eduardo Conde Street 22*42, Barcelona. Phone: 932050229.

They want to reach out to the teenagers who live, work or study in our district (Sarrià – Sant Gervasi) through their leisure time activities like: graffiti, hip hop, dj’s, cultural activities, celebrations (castanyada, Halloween, Christmas …). This is another way to spend our leisure time.

What does Barcelona offer to teenagers?By Sílvia Sala, Júlia Sala, Natalia Suris

In conclusion, the survey clearly shows that when teenagers arrive home they spend, approximately, one hour studying and the rest of time watching TV, chatting with friends on the computer, listening to music or, some of them, doing an out-of-school activity like English, gym or music. On the basis of these

findings, it would seem that, in general, teenagers go to bed quite late. The results of this survey reveal that studying one hour is enough to pass exams and that the students from 3rd and 4th of ESO take three quarters of an hour to arrive home.

Casa Sagnier Civic Centre

We asked teenagers from Barcelona about what they do in their city and where they go shopping. They answered with these activites:

Discos: 14-17 years

-Up&down: Numància, 179, Barcelona, Fridays and Saturdays from 17.00 to 21.00h

-Sweet Cherry: Santa Caterina de Siena, 25, Barcelona Fridays: 18.30h a 21:30h //Saturdays: 18h a 21:30h

Places teenagers recommendBy Eva Blancher, Sofia Rueda, Sílvia Sala and Júlia Sala

OPINION


Cinemas:

-Cinesa: There are a lot-Bosque: Rambla Prat 16, Barcelona -Verdi: There are a lot

Cafés & Restaurants:

-Starbucks: There are a lot-Farggi: Pl. Catalunya, 19-Hart Rock Café: Pl. Catalunya, 21-Pans & Company: There are a lot-Pizza Hut: There are a lot

Parks:

-Ciutadella: Pg. Lluís Companys, 2-Moragas: Anselmo Rius street-Parc Güell: Olot street

Shopping Centres

-Maremagnum: Port Vell street-La Illa: Av Diagonal, 557-La Maquinista: Pg. de Potosí, nº 2-Diagonal Mar: Av Diagonal, 3

!

Fashion & Accessories

-All Star Shop: Comtal, 25-Bershka: Av. Portal de l’Àngel, 15-El Camello: Pg. Pujades, 17-Friday’s Project: Pg. de Gràcia, 91-H &M: Pl. Catalunya, 9-Pull And Bear: There are a lot-Quicksilver: Portaferrissa, 25-Stradivarius: There are a lot-Sfera: Pl. Catalunya, 23-Zara: Av. Portal de l’Àngel, 32-34

Cosmetics:-Bodybell: Gran de Gràcia, 152-154-Marionnaud: Balmes, 89-San Remo: There are a lot-Sephora: Pelai, 3-The Body Shop: Av. Diagonal, 555-559-Yves Rocher: There are a lot

OPINION

ProverbActions speak louder than

words.


“Reading newspapers” surveyBy Daniel Parada and Maria García

The aim of this report is to analise the results of a survey in which 352 IES “Menéndez y Pelayo” students from 3rd ESO to 2nd Batxillerat were questioned about their habit of reading newspapers and which parts of them they usually read. This means that twenty-five per cent of boys and girls of each level answered the questionnaire. There isn’t any significant difference between the students of different levels, therefore we only indicate the final results of both, boys and girls.

How often do you read a newspaper?

Regarding the question relative to the frequency of reading newspapers, the majority of boys and girls answer that they read newspapers occasionaly, although thirty-six per cent of 4th ESO girls say they read them almost every day.

What newspaper do you usually read?

Free newspapers are the most read, both ADN and “20 minutos” with twenty-six per cent of readers, the same between boys and girls. “La Vanguardia” with twenty-one per cent of readers, followed by “El Periódico” with eleven per cent, are the payed newspapers that they have at home. The only difference between boys and girls is that boys name sports newspapers too, not the girls. The main sports newspaper read is “Sport”, with sixteen per cent.

From which source do you get most of your information?

There isn’t any difference between the source of the information they have. Both boys and girls say that they believe what newspapers say, however fifty-three per cent take information about current events from televisión and thirty-five per cent from the Internet. Twelve per cent of students take information from newspapers.

Which parts of the newspaper do you read regularly?

Boys and girls both agree about the parts of newspapers they usually read: front page, with eighteen per cent, sports and feature stories. The difference is in the percentage. While thirty-four per cent of boys read sports, only an eighteen per cent of girls do. Twenty-two per cent girls read feature stories and only seven per cent of boys.

In conclusion, we find only a small difference between boys and girls in their habits of reading newspapers: boys read sports newspapers and more sports news than girls and less feature stories.

12%

35% 53%

televisioninternetnewspapers

36%

64%

occasionalyalmost every day

16%

11%

21% 26%

26%ADN20 minutosLa VanguardiaEl PeriódicoSport

18%

22%

7% 18%

34%boys sportsgirls sportsboys featuresgirls featuresfront page

OPINION


Urban culture

I am writing to express my opinion about urban culture and how older people see us, teenagers.

To begin with, some people think that teenagers are going to hurt them only by their appearance, because their clothes are very different. They must be conscious that fashion changes and youngsters are always the most up to date in fashion.

Moreover, some young people’s favourite music is rap. In rap lyrics they sing about how they feel. It’s true that they sometimes use insults, but they also talk about love and everyday problems. They have the same topics as pop songs, but express them in another way.

Apart from fashion and rap , graffiti is the art most youngsters like. It isn’t new, we can already find it in art galleries. Some people identify graffiti with vandalism. It’s true that it’s forbidden to graffiti in the streets, but this year in Carmelo the city council has made it legal to graffiti.

In addition, a new sport is now practised in the streets too, skateboarding. It annoys the neighbours of the places where it is done. For example, in Macba’s square the council is going to make renovations to prevent skateboarders from using the area.

In conclusion, we are living in the 21st century, in cities made of concrete and this fact has created a new culture. In my opinión, it isn’t better or worse than the old days. It simplyexpresses the same human feelings in an other way, the new generations way.

Noèlia Fernández

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

OPINION

Barcelona dirty streets

I want to make a complaint about Barcelona’s dirty streets. We can see the council’s vans cleaning continuously, but, in my opinion, this isn’t enough.

People usually throw paper on the ground. Moreover, there is a lot of rubbish around the bins, whether they are full or empty. People must think that to open the bins is very hard work. What’s more, dog owners leave their pets waste in the streets and parks.

I think the City Council should fine this anti-social behaviour to put a stop to it , so that the citizens shouldn’t have to pay for it with their taxes. It’s unfair.

Lissette Tutiven

The new plaça Lesseps

We are writing to express our opinion about the new Plaça Lesseps. We live in front of it.

Before the redesigning of this square, we had a beautiful space with a lot of trees and a fountain. It was a breath of fresh air for the district. Children could play in its park. People of all ages could sit down on its benches to talk, read,... Now we have a boring concrete square, a designer square, but useless for people.

There are a lot of public spaces in Barcelona that are suffering the same transformation. At this moment a lot of building work in the city isn’t designed taking the residents into account and it is a pity.

We will have a city designed for tourists, but not one to live in.

Eva Blancher, Aurora Marín,

Natalia Suris

We a sked our a s s i s tant teacher Nicola Clarke to tell us about the differences between n ight l i f e in L iverpoo l and Barcelona. This is what she had to say.

There are many differences between the nightlife here in Barcelona, and the nightlife in Liverpool . One of the main d i f fe rences i s c lo th ing . In Liverpool the girls very often wear dressy clothes such as skirts, and dresses with high heels, whereas here the atmosphere is much more relaxed. In Barcelona, fashion and styles vary greatly in the bars and clubs. There seems to be quite a lot of focus on what you

a re wear ing in L iverpoo l , especially in the more expensive bars and clubs.

Another difference is the operating times of the clubs. Generally in England, people go out a lot earlier than here. Most of the clubs in Liverpool open at about 11 pm and by midnight they are quite full! Here the majority of clubs that I have experienced come alive at about 2 am or later.

It is difficult to convey in just a coup le o f para graphs the differences between nightlife in these two cities, they both have their differences but equally are enjoyable experiences!

Nightlife in Barcelona and LiverpoolBy Olga Benito


In memory of Joan Castellanos Vila and Pascual García Molina

The classical ornaments on the façades of our houses

By Lorena Garvín

Open your eyes, look around you! Have you ever walked along Barcelona’s streets and wondered why there are those unknown but beautiful ornaments on a lot of apartment buildings. This city is surrounded by symbols that almost nobody knows what they are.

We who were born and who have always lived here never look carefully at our city: this is a real

fact. Perhaps now is the moment to appreciate our city more and the best way to do it is by deciphering these little decorative symbols that are on our neighbors’ houses or our own flat. What I shall try to do via a small route around Barcelona’s streets, is to show you what symbols are on the buildings, where they are, what their meanings are and perhaps, try to ascertain why the Roman and Greek architecture and ornaments are still alive nowadays.

When you go home, raise your head and look at the pictorial and

s c u l p t u r a l ornaments on the s ide o f the entrance doors, windows, at the top of the façades and balconies.

In Greco-Roman civilization, mythology and gods occupy a vital role, so when we want to explain

the archi tectura l and decorative forms at the entrances and walls of our flats we have to refer to mythology.The s t r ucture o f the façade is a reflection of the t ime when the property was built, the taste of the architect and the purchasing power of the investors. For this rea son , the same ornaments are sometimes used differently, and with g reater decorat i ve features. To beg in wi th the acanthus plant is the most w ide l y used symbol because of its qualities, along with ornamental f lowers d idp layed in different ways: bouquets, wreaths, … and fruits.

According to Vitrubius, it seems that the Corinthian order owes its origin to the following event. A young girl from Corinth had died, but her wet-nurse made an offering of a basket full of glasses filled with the spirits that the girl liked the most. She placed the basket over her grave and covered it with a square brick. When the spring arrived leaves began to emerge from the basket. It had been accidentally placed on the root of an acanthus, and, they

grew all around, touching the corners of the brick: so the scrolls were formed. Calimacus, a famous architect, sculptor and painter, who was born in 444 B. C., by chance walked to the place, where the tomb was, observed the freshness of the acanthus and invented the Corinthian capital. After he built a temple in Corinth with this kind of capital.

Sometimes, and less frequently, you can enjoy authentic works of art. Among them we must mention the ca r yat ids and a t l ant s . According to Greek mythology Atlas holds the sky by the earths po les , and the ca r yat ids represented the virgins who danced in Diana’s feast in Caria’s temple.

Aribau 195-199

Acanthus, flowers, lion. Aragó 214

Atlant and caryatid. Pelai 54

CULTURE and ENTERTAINMENT


The cornucopia is for some a horn of the goat Amalthea who nursed Jupiter. For others it was a horn uprooted by Hercules from the river Achelous. It is represented with flowers and fruits. In classical t imes the cor nucopia i s the attribute of the goddess’ Ceres, Cybele, Fortuna, of rivers, and Abundantia.

The animal we f ind most frequently used as an ornament is the lion, both its whole body and head only. It is king of the animals

for its strength, courage and nobility. We find it in Barcelona guarding doors like in Greek and Roman times. In addition to replicas of real

animals there are mythical animals: griffons, chimaeras, sphinxs. The griffon has a lion's body with the head and wings of an eagle. The

c h i m a e r a s c o m p r i s e o t h e r combinations of body parts not identical to the griffon. The use o f bucranium is related to the use of the ram as a sacrificial animal. The eagle in the Greek w o r l d accompanied Zeus and guarded h i s rays . It a l so c a r r i e d

Ganymede on its wings. The Romans represented their deified l eaders w i th the ea g le . In Barcelona, at Gran Via 604, you find it at the top of the façade.

Wings are used on many occasions on figures: angels or putti (children who represent Cupido, god of love) or the c a d u c e u s o f Mercury. The use o f masks dates back to the har ves t

games in ancient Greece. Later they were used in the theatre and to decorate buildings. In ancient Pompei they used them to decorate pots and utensils. One specific mask is the head of Medusa. According to mythology it is one of the three Gorgons of whom Perseus cut off their head to offer it to Athena as an ornament of her coat. It was believed that the look of Medusa became petrified.

Cornucopia, vase of flowers. Gran Via 448

Mask. Aribau 52

Caduceus. Gran Via 504

Putti. Muntaner 333

Bucrania. Muntaner 322



Regarding the artificial forms in typical architectural decoration of traditional Greek and Roman and utensils too, we find in Barcelona examples of garlands, vases of flowers, roses, foliage, fret types, antefix and anthemion motifs, Cretan, Etruscan and band ornaments.

I don’t want to be exhaustive and so I have only showed you the most essential, otherwise you can find out for yourself if you're interested. I recommend that you

look in a dictionary to find the mythological names you do not understand and read the stories, you'll love them!

Finally, you must take into account that there was a time when mythology and reality were mixed, as in the emblem that we

chose for th i s newspaper. Hercules wa s the myth ica l founder of Barcelona and that is why we find him doing the tasks assigned to him on the façades of houses along

with sculptures dedicated to h im. The coat o f the c i ty s i tuated in the P la de l a Boqueria is of vital importance: at the feet of the city coat, dating from the nineteenth century, are the wooden club and lion's skin, symbols of Hercules.

You already know that we a re surrounded by Greco-Roman artwork. The Greeks and Romans are closer to us than we think, and have always been among us.

Hercules. Pla de la Boqueria

Cretan ornament. Aribau 167

Anthemion. Aribau 45

Garlands. Gran Via 458

Chimaera.Sant Antoni Abad 54

Antefix and band pattern. Pintor Fortuny 19

Fret pattern.Consell de Cent 271



Urban culture in BarcelonaBy Dídac Barba, Merlín Cano, Kilian Castrillo, Silvia Rovirosa, Anton Tendero.

Graffiti is the artistic

expression in urban culture.

When you are writ ing your

opinion or drawing on a wall with

spray you ’ re g raf f i t ing . In

Barcelona It is done by 15 per cent

of young people.

Two of the bes t known

people in the world of graffiti in

BCN are Banksy and Saturno.

Banksy’s graffitis are in auctions,

and Saturno, whose graffiti you

can see all over BCN, lives in Pl.

Catalonia.

People usually write a big

word on the wall and their name

or their nickname.

Depending on the style we

can recognize 3 types of graffiti

(bubbles , mindhem and o ld

school). A big variety of materials

are used to draw on walls, the

main one is spray, which is

different according to the size or

the part of the painted graffiti

(micro, pocket, hardcore, alien,

94, nitro, xxl).

Hip Hop movement arrived in Barcelona in the

eighties with two films “Flash Dance” and

“Breakdance”, so one of its first expressions was

dance. Nowadays, besides hip hop, we can

mention break dancing, locking, popping, new

style and krumping among the most popular

urban dances.

There are many dance schools where you can

learn these types of dance. Just in Barcelona, we

can find 15 dance schools, and in Spain around 180.

All the dancers share the same kind of clothing,

more or less. Loose shirts with wide sleeves, no

special brands, but they buy their clothes in special

shops, pants can be long or knee length but should

be wide and below the waist.

The typical dances related to urban culture are

performed to go with songs of social complaint,

political criticism or personal ideas. They have

their origins in North America. In this type of

dance there aren’t any rules. You only have to make

some certain movements and feel the music.

Competititions in hip hop dance, called “Battles”

are very important and a lot of them take place in

Barcelona.

A dancer of ” break dance”

Urban culture is the culture nowadays in fashion

among young people.

It is the culture created and performed in the

streets and squares in big cities. It covers fashion,

music, painting, style of dancing, sports and cinema.

You could say it’s the youngsters culture of the 21st

century.



Rap music, mainly associated with boys, is the

most characteristic music of urban culture. In the 80’s,

rap was a form of protest demonstration, and only

accompanied by voice. It has its origins in disco music,

funk and R&B.

Rap was born in the slums in North America and it

often expresses what the rapper thinks about a topic or

just rhyming words with a bit of sense. We can also find

improvisations to the music’s rhythm with/without any

concrete topic known as “Battles of Roosters” or “Ready?

No thanks”, where a lot of Spanish rappers take part.

Apart from participating in these competitions they have

CDs.

Joanarman and Rayden in a “rooster battle”

Urban tribesBy Brenda Roman

In its original meaning, "urban tribes" are young city people who share common interests that are, in general, different from the interests of the main culture. The best known are the goths, the skinheads and the punk.

In urban culture fashion, the look of people, isn’t very important and we can find a lot of different styles. Most of them identify people who belong to a certain urban tribe.

We can recognize gothic people by the dark, sometimes morbid

clothes they wear and their style of dress . Ty pica l gothic fa shion includes black dyed hair and black clothes. Both boys and girls wear dark eye l iner and ha ve dark fingernails. Some haute couture designers have been associated with this aesthetic movement.

The general "uniform" of the Skinheads are loose jackets, polo shirts/dress shirts, tight jeans, cap, combat boots and shaved head or c lose -cut ha ir. S ideburns are common too.

Punk fashion is the style of c lothing , ha i rsty le , make -up, jewellery of the punk group. The distinctive social clothes of other g roups and a r t mo vements , including glam rock, skinheads, rude boys, greasers, and mods have influenced punk fashion. Punk fashion has likewise influenced the styles of these groups, as well as those of popular culture. Moreover, punks use clothing as a way of self assurance.

We recommend listening to



This year we celebrated Sant Jordi at our school like every year. On Sant Jordi’s Day we took part in a lot of activities.We exchanged books, did sport competitions, listened to different students playing instruments and listened to a modern music group too. Every year students of all the levels write poetry and prose compositions. The main part in this celebration is to present the literary prizes to the authors of the best literary. We want to congratulate the winners. The winners of Catalan prizes went to radio Sarrià.cat to read their work.

EnglishA Category. 1st Prize: Nina Vanishvili- Purple- 2nd ESO- “Your eyes”C Category. 1st prize: Chung Lok Johnald Yuen Lau- Burning Sky´1st Batxillerat-“In between”2nd Prize: Elena Borrego- Bullseye- 2nd Batxillerat- “London come back”

Catalan1st ESOPoetry: Irene Bañeres- Niobe- “Llàgrimes”Prose: Anna Sopena- L’anxaneta- “Malsons”2nd ESOPoetry: Cristina Tienda- Nimfa- “Mil sensacions”Prose: Nina Vanishvili- L’anxaneta- “Una gota d’aigua”3rd ESOPoetry: Silvia Rovirosa- Brisa de juny- “Les caixetes”Prose: Aitana Ferrándiz- Escudella- “Coses del destí”4th ESOProse: Pau Matas- Cinc Quarts- “Parlar per parlar”1st BatxilleratPoetry: Josep Mª Alabreda- Buda- “Sol, Terra…”2nd BatxilleratProse: Eva Camps- Eva- “1 d’abril del 2009”

Spanish1st ESOPoetry: Marc Tejero- Hell- “Rabia”Prose: Alex Ceano- Víctor- “El despertar del volcán”2nd ESOPoetry: Martina López- La Titiritera- “Tu no eres poeta”3rd ESOPoetry: Cesia Baptista- Oés- “Soledad”4th ESOPoetry: Berta Elias- Fantasía- “Cadaqués”Prose: María Brossa- Phoebe Caufield- “Estrellas en Irak”Miranda Gil- Aij- “La Tormenta”1st BatxilleratPoetry: Alejandro Oya- Rapaz- “Adiós, mi tierra”2nd BatxilleratPoetry: David Boix- Alias Lewin- “Descendiente de un hombre perfecto”Prose: Josep Gómez- Somosierra- “La mancha roja”

Students of our school who sat “Proves Cangur” or the competition “Fem Matemátiques” and reached the highest grades:2nd ESOTeresa Bendito, Daniel Capellà, Laia Esquerrà, Xènia Nogués- 2nd prize3rd ESOEugènia Butori- 1st prize4th ESO Pau Matas- 1st prizeMarina Ciurans, Berta Elias, 2nd prize1st BatxilleratBernat Sopena- 1st prizeSergi de Melero, Vicente Torell- 2nd prize2nd BatxilleratAnna Barcons- 1st prize

Sant Jordi at schoolBy Joan Culleré

The IES choir singing

A student receiving a prize

CULTURE and ENTERTAINMENT-FESTIVALS IN BCN


YOUR EYES

I don’t need any stars, brightingIf I have your eyes

Looking at me and lightingAs the moon does

The beautiful summer nightOn a single island.

Your eyes are a windowTo the other world

A world sweet and magicIt has a name, it is called

“dream world”...There, life seems to be long

There, life is everlastingThere, water is the elixir of love

And the birds are singingOnly for you....

Your eyes are like two angelsWho live above, in the sky,They must shine for agesAnd they mustn’t ever cry

Nina Vanishvili “Purple”2.1

English poetry IN BETWEEN

I close both locksBelow the window,

Worn-out are the clocks,I’m nothing but a shadow

I want to believeThat I’m aliveBut it is strife

Between death and life

I’m less than a ghost,Who has got lost.

I live in a placeWhere I cannot have a face

Although I haven’t a bodyI’m always so moody.

Because you were carelessI am now in darkness

It’s a journey without going backI’m blind, I only see black

I’m deaf; I don’t hear the sound of silenceI’m weak, I have no resistance

I’m dumb, I can’t screamI can’t sleep; I haven’t got even a dream

It’s like being in tortureWhich never ends, like a nightmare

This suffering beganWhen I was shot by a gun

Because you were on your ownNow I’m dead and alone

Chung Lok Johnald Yuen Lau“Burning Sky”

1stB

LONDON COME BACK

There is fire in the sky,It is raining down on me,

This tangled state of mindwill make me cry.

A kiss caresses my skin,This venom of my veins

Begins to boil,And two bitter tearsStart to fall on me.

My room is bare,The night is cold,We are far apart

And I am growing old.

I see you through the windowMy heart starts to beat with yours,

We ought to whisper once moreBecause, it is you who I adore.

Elena Borrego “Bullseye”2ndA

!



Santa Eulàlia feastBy Natalia Suris

Santa Eulàlia is the patron saint of Barcelona. Each year the primary schools of the city organize a parade, where we can see fancy dress costumes made by the students. Moreover a lot of activities take place all over the city. This year for the first time activities for teenagers were organized. It’s a pity that secondary school students are unable to participate in the same activies as children. We hope organizers think about it and create more sessions in order for us to take part too.

Children wearing fancy dresses

Children playing drums

In the place where Sant Medir had his house, many years later an hermitage was constructed.

The history of this pilgrimage started in the year 1830 when a baker from Gracia, grateful for a promise made to the Saint, decided to make an annual pilgrimage to the hermitage on the day of Sant Medir.

Nowadays many groups from Gràc ia and Sar r i à go to the hermitage with every type of vehicle, especially carriages and horses. During the parade members distribute to the public sweets and this has lead to the nickname of "sweet tradition".

Therefore each 3 March, all the population of Gràcia go to the streets to search sweets. The children have a very fun time. However the old people also participate every year on the day of St Medir in the streets and take a lot of sweets and remember the legend of Sant Medir.

St. MedirBy Carla Bustamante, Carla Gimeno, Diana Llongueras

Last 29th of April the students of 3rd and 4th year of the ESO went to the “Institut Nacional d’Educació Física de Catalunya” building and to “Palau Sant Jordi” for gathering of choirs. The encounter was a totally cultural and playful activity. We went there on a school bus. We left our school at 8.30am and we arrived there one hour later. First we went to a hall in the INEFC building where we met another two choirs. There we sang the individual songs of our choir: “Over the rainbow”, “Donna Donna” and “Let the river run”. When we finished the activity, the organizers gave us T-shirts.

After that, we went to Palau Sant Jordi to par t i c ipate in the common songs . We sang “Canticorum jubilo” directed by Manel Zurita, “Alegria”, “La Rumba de Barcelona”, “Els segadors”, and to finish the encounter we all sang together the song “L’hora dels adéus”.

The orchestra was formed by the students of the Official School of Music and the ceremony was attended by Jordi Hereu, the city Major, and Ernest Maragall, the Counsellor of Education.

We enjoyed the sensation of sharing the art of music with students from all over Catalonia.

15th Encounter of choirsBy Júlia Badia and Carlota Alajarin.


"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt


In Febr uar y the 5th annual event of The Influencers’ festival took place in Barcelona. The project by The Influencers began in 2004 and develops some ideas explored in the previous project Digital Is Not Analog.

The Influencers offer a “lab” of ideas, a selection of independent and eccentric proposals, which challenge, deform and pollute what we can define as global pop culture of this time.

They organise meetings about practices of subversion and remix the areas and phenomenona of contemporary communication.

Their 5th festival represents the most visible face of a more extensive project of investigation and documentation.

Nowadays, this project especially influences global popular culture, mass communication, consummer society, immaterial production and publicity

In this festival an enormous graffiti has been painted in Santuari street by the Italian artist Blu. It represents a shark made of 100 € notes. The residents of Carmelo are very proud of it.

The InfluencersBy Antón Tendero

Graffiti in Santuari street


! !!



Last Thursday, October 16th, we went as a class to the Bosque's cinema to see Woody Allen's latest film: “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”. Its length is about 96 minutes. It is a mix of comedy, drama and romance and it was filmed mainly in Oviedo and Barcelona (you can see places such as The Pedrera, The Sagrada Familia, Park Güell and some streets...). The main actors and actresses were (in order of appearance) Rebecca Hall as Vicky, Scarlett Johansson as Cristina, Javier Bardem as Juan Antonio and Penélope Cruz as Maria Elena.

___________________________

It was filmed in BCN and you can see places such as The Pedrera, The Sagrada Familia, Park Güell and some streets. ___________________ The story begins when two young friends: Vicky and Cristina go to Barcelona to spend the summer. One of them, because she wants to study the Catalan culture; the other, because she is studying photography. They were invited by the Nash couple, who live in Barcelona. One day, Vicky, Cristina and the Nash's go to an art gallery, where the girls see a good-looking painter called Juan Antonio. That same day, while

the girls are having dinner, the painter invites them to go with him to Oviedo to v i s i t the c i ty, monuments, galleries and to have sex if it's possible. Vicky, who is go ing to marr y re fuses , but Cristina, who is in love with Juan Antonio accepts; so Vicky also accepts to take care of her friend. That night, the three of them are going to Oviedo by plane, flown by Juan Antonio. They will soon begin a relationship together, unaware that Juan Antonio's wife (Maria Elena), with whom he has a love-hate relationship, is about to re-enter into the picture.

This is an innovative film that combines humour, love and drama. The s tor y i s s imple and the structure is a bit dull but not boring: there are laughs at precise moments to break the dramatic tension. The film has been made intelligently so there is as much fun as excitement. It offers an interesting plot and a lot of details about human behaviour.

___________________________“This is an innovative

f i lm that combines humour, love and drama.”

___________________The acting is terrific, nobody

cou ld do i t bet ter. The representation of the situation of each d i f fe rent character i s excellent. On top of this, the speaking and pronunciation of the non -Eng l i sh character s a re splendid. And also, the guitar music of the group “Giulia y Los Tellarini” is typical of Spain and magnificent.

__________________________“The speaking and

pronunciation of the non-English characters are splendid”.

___________________In conclusion, this film is

or ig ina l , we l l -deve loped and humorous. It has all that a good dramatic-comedy film needs. I recommend this film to everyone who has ever felt touched. They should see the film because I'm sure that they would enjoy it as I did.

“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”By Chung Yven

CULTURE and ENTERTAINMENT-FILM REVIEWS

We recommend watching


“Mamma Mia!” The Movie is an adapted film of the musical with the same name. It contains 108 minutes o f humour, a s sured laughter and a lot of songs of the Swedi sh pop group ABBA. Directed by Phy l l ida L loyd , “Mamma Mia!” the movie has a good cast, including good actors such as Mer yl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgárd.

___________________________“Mamma Mia!” The

Movie is an adapted film of the musical with the same name.

___________________It tells the story of a twenty year old girl, Sophie ( Amanda Seyfried) who is going to get married. However, before her wedding, she wants to know who her father is. Reading her mother's diary, she finds out that she has three possible dads: Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan ) , Bi l l Andersson (Stellan Skarsgárd] and Harry Bright (Colin Firth). Without her mother's permission, she invites them to her wedding on the Greek i s l and o f Kalokairi (Skopelos) because Sophie is sure that she will recognize her father whoever he is. The three men arrive at the same time on the island

and the three of them want to see their ex-Iover Donna Sheridan, Sophie's mother, who is running a hotel on her own. It doesn't take her a long time to find out that Sam, Bill and Harry are on the island, after Sophie has welcomed and has hidden them. Neither Donna nor her daughter know who the real father is and it's a big problem, because someone has to give Sophie away on the wedding day.

As a musical, it mixes the story with songs and dances. All the music and Iyrics that appear in the movie are composed by Benny

Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, two of the members of the group ABBA. Some of the songs, sung by the actors, are "Money, money, money", "Mamma Mia", "Super Trouper " , "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" , "Danc ing Queen" , "Voulez-vous".

____________________________“As a musical, it mixes

the story with songs and dances.”

___________________This is a good film for those

people who love ABBA and the musical. It's really a nice way to spend an afternoon, laughing and ha v ing fun . Of course , the performance of some actors, like Meryl Streep, is really brilliant and worth seeing.

Anyway, I must say that a few less songs would be great; although it's a musical, it has too much music. There are sometimes less than five minutes between the final of one song and the start of the following one, it might be a pain, even for ABBA lovers.

___________________________“Al though i t 's a

musical, it has too much music”.

“Mamma Mia!”By Olga Benito

We recommend watching


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An incovenient truth. By Júlia Badia, Georgina Carreño, Pol Casanovas

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Directed by Davis Guggenheim

Produced by Lawrence Bender

Scott Z. Burns Laurie David

Lesley Chilcott

Written by Al Gore

Starring Al Gore

Music by Michael Brook

Editing by Jay Cassidy

Dan Swietlik

Distributed by Paramount Classics

Release date May 24, 2006

Running time 94 min.

Country USA

Language English

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The film is directed by Davis Guggenheim and it is about a man who shows us the myths and the wrong ideas about the current situation of the global warming and its prevention. That man, Al Gore, was a candidate to be

president of the U.S.A. who after having lost the elections in 2000 decided to change his ambitions by trying to save the planet.

This film shows a funny and open -minded man wi th the intention of enlightening the people of the surprising truth that he calls ‘ the planetary emergency’ before it is too late.

The worst storms in North America took place in 2005 and Al Gore wants to tell us what is happening. The documentar y shows c lea r l y the f ac t s and predictions about the future of global warming. It also tells Al Gore’s history: in the university he was an idealist who began to worry about environmental issues. Later he had to face a terrible family tragedy and after that he almost reached the position of the the pres ident o f Uni ted Sta tes . However he returned to h is passion: the environment.

Poster of the filmAWARDS

-“An inconvenient truth” won the Nobel Prize for Peace.-The documentary also

won the 2007 Academy Award for Bes t Documentary Feature and for Best Original Song: “I Need To Wake Up”.-It also won the “Príncipe

de Astúrias” award for the international cooperation.


In this city pollution affects all of us, children and adults.

We should think about the future that we will have if we don’t take care of the environment. Air, land, water are polluted by all kind of waste produced by human activity.

Due to the fact that we believe that water has a great capacity of purification and that we have enough, we usually throw into it waste produced by our activities: pesticides, chemicals, heavy metals, radioactive waste, etc…

Besides water pollution air pollution is very dangerous for all kinds of life. Chemicals, fumes, solid or liquid particles suspended in the air cause serious illnesses.

We recognize noise pollution as the excessive and very annoying sound produced by human activit ies (traff ic , industries , aircraft, etc…). It causes negative effects in our physical and mental health. Although the noise doesn’t accumulate like other pollutants, it can cause great harm to the quality of life.

The city council has taken different measures to prevent pollution, such as to reduce the velocity of cars, recycle waste and try to ban plastic bags, but in practice we haven’t attained results.

In my opinion we should think about keeping the planet clean and take care of the wildlife living on earth. If we look after the environment, we look after ourselves.

PollutionBy Noèlia Fernández


English writer Louise Cooper visited our school during the second term, and so we read one of her books, “Short and Scary !”

The book tells some short stories that are set in different places. All of them are horror stories.

“Short and Scary”!includes stories of ghosts, monsters , and al iens. There are over for ty

stories in one book - all of them are very, very short!

None of the stories are more than two pages long, but each one of them i s spec ia l and makes you shiver.

The work is based on folk tales, urban myths, and narrative jokes, as well as original stories.

It i s ra ther long , because there are a lot of

stories. All stories are scary and have a dramatic end.

Don’t miss it. It is we l l wor th read ing , although the vocabulary i s qu i te d i f f icu l t for students of 3rd ESO. We highly recommend it, because i t i s ve r y entertaining to read.

Book reviewBy Sílvia Sala and Júlia Sala

This book “Twilight” tells the story of a girl who is going to live with her father in Forks, the most humid and cloudy village in the United States. All the tale is set in this village, Forks. The novel is written by Stephenie Meyers. It is a peculiar love story. This well-written and fascinating book is, currently, one of the most popular novels among all the teenagers in the world.

This story tells the love of a girl, named Bella, and a boy, who lives in Forks, named Edward, who is a vampire. The plot is very thrilling. It focuses on the love of both teenagers

always with the doubt of if Edward will be able to control himself or if he’ll bite Bella. The story begins calmly, but as it advances it takes a more trepidant pace. The plot has an unexpected twist when another vampire smells Bella’s blood and wants it. Edward will have to protect his love.

It is exciting, has a fast-reading script, is fantastically written and has a very beautiful and cute ending.

Don’t miss it. It is well worth reading. I thoroughly recommend it. It is a highly entertaining read.

TwilightBy Júlia Sala.

We recommend reading

CULTURE and ENTERTAINMENT- BOOK REVIEWS


“Estomacho Gravis”By Débora Baptista and Jéssica Hurtado

JOAN

-How do you motivate the public?- Well, by motivating myself.-When you sing do you worry more about being precise or about putting emotion into the songs? - I worry more about perfection. Ha, ha. - Have you ever sung in any other group, for example coral ...?- In the Menéndez coral .... and in the group of " The Prophets " that was a project we had but it didn’t work completely.·Was it you who decided to form the group? When did you start thinking about it?-Yes, was me. The truth is that for a long time I wanted to form a group, and I tried it with the group " The Prophets " but it didn’t work and after two years we created this group that seems to work and will be more successful.-Do you think you are a good singer?-Neither very good nor very bad, I do what I can.

CARLES

-How long have you been playing the piano?-Ufff! Since I was five but I left it for two years and later I began to play by myself without a teacher.- Do you play anyother instrument?- Yes, the guitar. -What type of music do you like the most?- I do not have any preferred music, I like most things.-What do you do in your free time? -Computer programming.-Why did you start playing? -Because I liked jazz - music and wanted to see it from another perspective such as playing.

ÁLVARO

-How long have you been playing the trumpet?-For 10 years. -In some songs you don’t play. Do you consider yourself to be of equal importance to the others?-Yes, we are all equal. -Do you play any other instrument apart from the trumpet?- Drums, I can play the drums quite well.-What style of music do you like the most?- Rumba and Flamenco. -Would you like to sing some more solo songs?-It would be nice ....

CULTURE and ENTERTAINMENT-MUSIC


MARC

-How long have you been playing drums? -5 years. -Why do you like playing the drums? What made you choose this instrument? -Because it relieves stress, ufff ... because they have so many parts. -What kind of music do you prefer playing? -Everything. -Do you prefer improvising or following a score? -Well .. it depends on the circumstances. If I have to improvise I improvise.

GUILLEM:

-How many instruments do you play? -The piano, bass, guitar and harmonica ,waw! -Which one do you prefer? - The guitar.-How long have you been playing these instruments? - 2 years ...-What style of music do you prefer? -Heavy metal. -Do you like to play alone or in groups? - Groups of course! Because there is more noise and a better environment.-Why did you start playing? -Because I liked the music.

ERIC:

-How long have you been playing the guitar? -3 years seriously. -Do you play any other instrument? -None. -What guitar do you like the most? -David Gilmow (Pink Floyd). -Which has been the most complicated song you've played? -Hotel California. -Which music group do you feel, that you can identify with the most? -Pink floyd .-And which song?-“Shine on your crazy diamond”.-Why did you start playing? -Because of Pink Floyd


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CESC:

-Which of the two instruments you play, clarinet and bass, do you like the most? -I like both equally.-Do you play any other instrument besides these two? -A bit of guitar.-Why did you start playing? -Because I love music.-What is most important to you studying or music? -Music.

QUESTION GROUP:

-How was the idea of a group formed? -Because Joan saw a video of “ Els Pets “ and it motivated him! Ha, ha…Because my friends group called Libins motivated me.- You play songs of known groups. Have you thought on playing your own songs? -Yes, in the very distant future .. Ha, ha.-Do you only play one type of music? Would you like to play another different style from that which you play? -We play many styles ... ska, rock, metal .. and lots of jazz.-Would you like to have fans? -Yes, why not ... Ha, ha.



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As part of our article, we thought it would be a good idea to interview an image consultant. We had the opportunity to ask some questions to Miriam, who has studied and works in Barcelona.

- Miriam, why did you decide to study and work as an image consultant?I’ve always felt attracted by the world of image. Furthermore, I think it’s the key that opens many doors in life.- What type of clients does an image consultant have?The target is very diverse. Each consultant looks for the clients that correspond to her speciality.- Approximately, which are the fees of an image consultant?It depends on the work that you carry out. A colour test can go from 100 to 300 euros!! A personal shopper can charge 200 euros per hour and if it’s a complete studio, the fees can rocket. - Do you have previous studies?Yes, I studied hairstyling but I needed a more in depth knowledge so I decided to study image consultancy.- What do you like the most about your job?Well, in my job you can help people and give them options for dressing that they would have never tried!!

It’s gratifying to see their faces when they realise that there is a wide range of colours that really suit them.- Which is your personal style?To tell you the truth, I don’t have a very clear style. It depends on how I feel that day or the place where I’m going but, above all, I need to feel comfortable with what I’m wearing.- How much time do you need to advise a person?The person sets the time. There are people who know what they want and others who don’t even know where to begin, so I need to dedicate more time to them.- What does a change of image consist of?There are two types of consultancy. It can be only physical for a special occasion or it can be something more general that makes you change your image both, inside and outside.- Do you think that people dress differently depending on the region where they live?Yes, that is true. I’m not from Barcelona and I really see the difference. It always depends on the life that one leads and the economy of the city.- The style of which celebrity would you like to change?Gosh! There are so many that need a good image consultant … I wouldn’t know where to begin.

Interview to Míriam Moliner, Image consultant. By Sofía Maldonado and Laura Mª Orrego

Styles of dressingIn their daily lives people

worry about their image and each one has a style that he or she prefers. In the world there are many styles of clothing from the most elaborated to the most tacky. In Spain we notice that in the different communities people have a habit of dressing in a different

way or style. In Catalunya one can find a very urban style among youngsters.

Principal styles in the “Menendez y Pelayo” high

schoolIn our school we can find

different styles, some mixed and others with a personal touch.

Styles of dressingLaura Mª Orrego Álvarez, Sofia Maldonado Matos

Origin of clothingAccording to archaeologists

the earliest clothing probably consisted of fur, leather, leaves or grass, draped, wrapped or tied about the body for protection from the elements.

CULTURE and ENTERTAINMENT-FASHION

By Antón Tendero


Casual: The most important of a casual style is comfortability and natura l co lor s for example sweaters, jeans and trainers. The person with casual style usually has a fresh style and a good image.

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Trendy: The trendy person always wears the latest trends. They are very informed about fashion. In general thir style changes according to the fashion.

Cani: They usually wear gold earrings and gold necklaces. They like motorcycles and sports clothes. They usually listen to music in the street with the mobile phone.

Posh: A posh person is one who has a defined style and seeks perfection. He or she always tries to wear label or designer clothes to be perfect.

Hippie: They usually wear big clothes, big earrings, necklaces and have long hair. The people who wear this style are usually very friendly, but there are different kinds of hippie styles.

Skater: This style is more untidy maybe because they always show their underpants. They always wear very big trainers and they like skating.

Xavi

Silvia

Maria

Bruno

Eva

David

CULTURE and ENTERTAINMENT-FASHION


TRAVEL

Mendeski By Berta Elías, Andrea Jiménez and Olga Masriera

A lot of high schools make some special trips as go ing to Por t Aventura , Tib idabo or t ra ve l somewhere… Our high school Menéndez y Pelayo organizes a skiing week fot the students of 4th of ESO in February. This is a tradition that has been going on for many years.

Thi s year we went from the 2nd to the 6th of February to French Catalonia to learn and practice skiing.

The first day all the students and the four teachers who came, met at the school entrance and caught the bus to go there. We arrived at the hote l in Puigcerdà at 8am and then, we went to rent the sk i ing equipment. As soon as we could, we went to Sant Pere de Forcats to take skiing lessons for two hours and afterwards, we had free time. At the end of the day we were very tired and went to bed early. Each day we went to a different skiing resort. We could go to Sant Pere de Forcats, Les Angles, Masella, Puigmal ... In all of them, the experiences were very amusing and we learned a lot.

After the lessons in the morning, we usually had lunch at 2 o’clock and then we carried on skiing. In the afternoons we had the chance to visit the villages of Puigcerdà and Líbia. We walked in groups and we sometimes bought more food because exercise made us hungry. When we arrived in the hotel after the whole

day, we all went to our bedrooms for a shower and some res t . In the bedrooms we slept in groups of two, three, four or even five people. At half past eight we all had to go downstairs to the hotel’s restaurant for dinner. We ate a lot and then we usually stayed in the hall or in the bedrooms talking

until 11pm, when we went to bed.One day, one teacher organised a pyjamas contest

and we had to choose the best. We laughed a lot.The last night we could stay in the sitting room to

watch the football match until twelve in the night and the last day we were sad because we didn’t want to come back to Barcelona but at 8,30pm we were again in front of our school: IES “Menéndez y Pelayo”.

French Trip By Guillem Sol

On Thursday 5th of May, we went on a French t r ip to Futuroscope to immerse ourselves in the language. Our group was formed by students of third and fourth year at the ESO and the teachers who came with us were Jovita and Patrici together with Marta Bausells (Helena’s sister). We left at 10pm and after spending the night on the bus, we arrived in Futuroscope at 11am. Futuroscope is the park of the images and it’s full of cinemas. They aren’t normal cinemas, there are a lot of different types, for example, one is in 3D, another one has seats that move or another one has the biggest screen

in Europe. The films are usually about 20-25 minutes long but they are very interesting. We had an instructor who took us to the best films and afterwards we had some free time to walk around, see the rest of the park and have lunch. That same day, at 5pm we got on the bus and went to La Rochelle, where we settled in our apartments, watched some TV and went to sleep.

Next morning we woke up at 7am and we went on the bus to Île de Ré. It’s a beautiful island next to La Rochelle where we crossed an impressive bridge over the sea. There we hired some bikes and did

a tour to the other side of the island. It was a long distance, exactly 14 km, and when we arrived we had lunch near the Phare des Baleines. After lunch, we rode the bicycles back to the bus and we went back to the apartment to have dinner. Then we went to visit La Rochelle at night.

On Friday, the last day, we woke up at 6am, had breakfast and got on the bus to go to Tolousse. We arrived there at 2pm and after having lunch we had to complete a questionnaire about the city in groups of three or four people. It was a competition and after that we returned to Barcelona.

By Merlín Cano


RomaniaThe people of Romania and

the people of Spain are not very different.They have extra school act iv i t i e s and they do ver y interesting things, although the number of hours they spend in school and their distribution is different.

People in Romania have a 10 minutes break to relax after each hour, but in Spain,teenagers don’t have time to rest between hours, after each class teenagers in Spain begin another class.

Moreo ver, the peop le o f Romania study until 14 p.m or 15 p.m, but in Spain teenagers study 3 days a week until 17.15 p.m.They have time to eat at 13.45 p.m and at 15.15 p.m they continue studying until 17.p.m. From my point of view, it is very good to study, but to study 7 hours every day is too much.When the boys and the girls go home they don’t have time to do other activities because they have homework and it is necessary to continue studying.They don’t have time do to anything else.They can go to do other activities only 2 days in the week and a t the weekend.Teenagers from Romania have time to do everything because they don’t study 7 hours a day.

In my opinion, to study 7 hours each day is very boring and when teenagers go home they are too tired and they want to relax.It is too tiring to study 7 hours every day and people haven't time to relax and for teenagers it is very important to relax when they go home. With this timetable it is very difficult to do any other activity.

ChinaIn each country there are big

di f ferences , such as c l imate , timetable, dress code, environment and so on.

Each countr y has its own traditional festivals, history, urban style, buildings etc. School also has a lo t o f d i f fe rences . Schoo l educat ion i s necessa r y and

important. Each countr y has different educational methods, education system and so on.

In China, children begin to go to school at the age of seven. It takes six years for them to finish primary school. During this time they a re t aught e lementar y language and science, which lays the foundation for their further education. After primary school, they go to junior middle school without having to pass any exams. Educat ion a t th i s l e ve l i s compulsory. It lasts three years, during which the children learn ba s ic Eng l i sh , Mathemat ics , Physics and Chemistry. When the junior middle school education comes to an end, the students are screened by exams in two ways: those who expect to go to college may choose to enter senior middle school and those who want to work attend professional schools. The senior middle school education takes 3 years and the professional school 2 to 3 years. The senior middle school graduates have to take competitive exams before they enter co l l ege . The co l l ege education lasts 4 to 6 years. For a bachelor degree, students take the four year course and complete a thesis. The master degree students have another two years of study and research work and are given their degree upon completion of another thes i s . Such i s the education system in China

During the first stage, when you go to school, you must wear school uniforms, red scarf and the school badge. School time is from Monday to Friday. In the morning from 7:00 am to 12:00 am, and in the afternoon from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The first hour before class is free time, you can do homework or read a book and so on. On Saturday there are additional classes, which or not compulsory.

Each week there is the flag-raising ceremony on Monday at school. Classes last fifty minutes

and then there are ten minutes of break. In the class if you ask questions or answer questions, you have to raise your hand. When the teacher asks you, you must stand up.

EcuadorBetween these two countries

there i s a b ig d i f fe rence in education.

For example, in Ecuador there are classes only in the morning not as in Catalonia.

In Ecuador there are many classes and so the teachers are very strict and the students speak little and reflect upon what the teacher says.

Early in the morning, all the students and teachers meet in the central courtyard to sing the anthem of the country and the city and then go to class in order.

Students have cards with their name written on them along with a current photo, signature, and the gateway through which they have to leave school.

Also when you f inish the school year, each class takes part in football and basketball matches. There are presentations by each team wi th a g i r l who i s a representative and the winners are given medals and a trophy for the class.

There is a special day which celebrates the independence of the city, and every school has a student band playing the song of each school, and those who do not play behind the band march to the beat of the song. Each school plays and walks through the main streets of the city during the morning. Students with the best grades in school are selected to carry the flags (flag of the city, country, pro v ince ) in the parade and teachers march behind the whole school

In conclusion the education is not very different between the two countries, except for some aspects.

Education in Romania, China, Ecuador and SpainBy Anastasia Macovei, Cong Chen, Kevin Veintimillia

EDUCATION


Many students and teachers in all Catalonia didn’t go to school the last 19th March protesting against the Bolonia plan and in Madrid hundreds of students also protested against this plan.

The last strike on 19th March was the most successful strike among the other strikes against the Bolonian plan. The students of Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida and Girona didn’t attend class in spite of the essential services. The Catalan classrooms were almost empty.

In one school of Barcelona, “CEIP Tabor”, there were only four teachers, and not one student was there. In another school in Tarragona, “CEIP Cèsar August”, there were a hundred students and 13 teachers. In a school in Lleida, “CEIP Riu Segre” there were 21 students and 3 teachers. Finally, in a school in Girona “CEIP Eiximenis” there were 5 teachers and twenty students. These figures show the amount of people related with the educational service that are against this plan.

In Madrid, approximately, 500 university and secondary school students demonstrated on the 19th March, defending state education and protesting against the “European space of superior education”:

the Bolonia Plan. This is another act among many other in all of Spain, like the strikes in Catalonia.

At the same time teachers and students of state secondary schools protested against some points of the LEC.

Finally, here there are some opinions of the teachers and parents of students involved in this conflict:

“The LEC advances towards the privatization in the model of management of the centres.”

“The state school cannot be governed by the same criteria as the private one.”

“The centres are overcrowded and teachers aren’t respected.”

“We are tired of working extra hours, we want quality, not money.”

“A longer school day for teachers will mean less work temporary staff.”

“The counsellor performs like a business agent: he’s very far from the school’s reality.”

“State schools have numerous problems and the LEC doesn’t solve them.”

“The counsellor behaves rushly with precipitation and without the consensus of teachers.”

EDUCATION

Conflicts in educationBy Júlia Sala

El Saló de l’EnsenyamentBy Alexia Paris

El Saló de l ’Ensenyament is a place where you can find a lot of

information about academic and professional options in Catalonia. I think that it is a good chance to get spec i f i c in format ion about university degrees, professional t ra in ing s tud ies , job opportunities… but you can also find all this information on the Internet so, at least for me, El Saló de l’Ensenyament is not a very useful event.

It is clear that there, you have the information; if you want to know where to do your studies, the possibilities in each field, the prices of the studies... they can offer you brochures and leaflets. From my point of view, the staff in the stands were not ver y wel l informed. Moreover, El Saló was crowded and it was, in my opinion, the main problem. You could hardly make your way through all the students and you got tired trying to find and get the information you wanted.

Although it is true that El Saló de l’Ensenyament gives you a good view of what s tudents can do in Catalonia I do not agree with the slogan which promotes el Saló: “Do you have any doubts about your future? Come and you’ll see it clear”. I believe it will not help you decide and I am talking from my personal situation. It is a fact that, nowadays, Internet is a huge source of information and I left El Saló de l ’ E n s e n ya m e nt with a lo t o f brochures with exactly the same information I could consult on-line.

I believe that a place where all the academic options are showed together is not a bad idea but maybe it would improve with a better organization and perhaps, if it was not so packed with people, it could have solved some of my doubts.

A stand in El Saló de l’Ensenyament


EDUCATION

2nd Batxillerat survey: academic and professional optionsBy Merlín Cano, Enric Capel, Ramón Cardelús, Chen Quiang, Silvia Rovirosa, Bárbara Sanmartín

We have carried out a survey to get information about the professional and academic future of 2nd Batxillerat students in our high school. Our work was to ellaborate and hand out a s imple questionnaire for students to fill it in. These are the results and conclusions we got from the survey.

W h y d i d yo u d e c i d e to study batxillerat?

The majority of enquired students (86.5%) chose Batxillerat because they wanted to do a university degree, whereas a smal ler part of them (13 .5%) studied Batxillerat because they wanted to get the certificate. In our h igh school , there are three Batxillerat fields: technological, scientific and social-humanistic. The percenta ges here a re distributed as follows: 24% of the students chose the technological option, 21% the scientific and 55% of them preferred the social-humanistic one.

Their reasons for choosing a field are very different. While 51.9% of students asked chose a specific field having considered their professional future, whilst others did it only because of their

to do a university degreeto get the certificate

14%

87%

preferences (36.5%). Finally, the lowest percentage (9.6%) did it because they were good at most of its subjects.

Have you ever regretted choosing this field?

To this question most part of 2nd Batxillerat students answered that they are satisfied with their choice (57.9%); however, a small percentage admits having regretted their first choice last year (13.5%), and one third of students have sometimes had doubts about their decision (28.9%).

Students plans after Batxillerat are quite different. The majority will study a university degree next year (81.5%) However, one tenth of the s tudents w i l l s tudy professional education(11.5%). A very small part will work next year(1.9%).

Regarding their professional future, 54% of students know what they are going to do. Although 17% are hesitating students who do not know yet and 29% have different options in mind. Within the majority group who have already made a decision, 33% did it a long time ago, whereas 11% decided it

No, never YesSometimes

29%

13%58%

when they started batxillerat, and 33% of them have done it this year.

The majority of them know what university they are going to attend (62%), and just 23% of them have doubts as they depend on their final mark after University Entry Exams (PAU). The main reason for their university choice is mainly its prestige. On the other hand, 5.8% consider it easier to study at their chosen university. Finally, 11.5% had other reasons like: “It’s the only place where I can study what I want to”.However 3.5% admitted that their choice is affected by their friends’ choice and 3.8% say that it is their parents who want them to go there.

The last questions Batxillerat students had to answer was related to the guidance and counselling they got from the school. Here students seem to be quite divided: wherea s 30% cons ider i t appropriate, 40% are dissatisfied with the provided information and finally 30% think it is appropriate but insufficient, especially when it comes to certain academic options.

What are you going to do after Batxillerat?

A university degreeProfessional education to work

2%12%

86%


The Magic English TeacherBy Pol Berbel, Eva Blancher, Brygyth Bernal, Júlia Bolao, María Costa, Laia Ezquerra, Roger Felip, Judith Grases, Marta Nicolàs, Natalia Suris, Xènia Nogué, Xavier Rodríguez, Cristina Tienda, Nil Celma, Nina Vanishvili.

-How old were you when you started to do magic tricks?-I started being interested in magic when I was 15 years old.- Have you ever failed a trick before your public? In that case, how did you react?-Yes, it sometimes happens! To hide my failure, depending on the trick I am performing and at what moment it happens, I do my best to turn the trick into a joke.- Do you like watching other magicians?-I love watching other magicians performing!- Which is your favourite magic trick? And the public's?-I have no favourite trick, but I like close-up magic with small objects , and the trick spectators like the most is the trick with the red balls.- W h o ' s yo u r f a v o u r i t e magician? -There are so many good magicians that it’s not easy to decide which one I like the most. David Blaine and Juan Tamariz are two of them.- Are you the founder of any tricks?-Yes, I have invented a few tricks with cards and coins, and when I perform a magic trick I always try to add a personal touch.

- What kind of public do you prefer? -I have been doing shows for all kind of people, I always love my audience, but performing in front of a small crowd is what I enjoy the most.- Are there any differences b e t w e e n A m e r i c a n a n d European magicians? Not at all! Like in Europe we have bad and good magicians.- If I w a n te d to b e co m e a magician, what should I do?

Where should I go?-It’s not easy to find someone to teach you magic. The best way to learn magic is to visit a magic shop and start with some easy tricks. You can also find some cool and easy tricks on the internet!- You said there were other magicians in your family, how many generations are there in all? -My dad was a magician, but not my grandfather, it was a joke!

Jack Silva, the Magic English Teacher, came to our school the first term of this course.

He grew up in New York and studied Maths, but when he finished his studies he realized he wanted to be a magician.

Jack has worked throughout Europe for different firms performing his magic show (he speaks five languages!)

The Magic English Teacher was created in 1992 and it means a new original and funny way of teaching English. Teachers value the importance of learning English in a didactic way, for example, Jack’s Silva’s show.

EDUCATION

"I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it." Voltaire

"As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live." Goethe

NEWSY BCN June 2009 39

Can you find these Barcelona parks, in the word pool?

Ciutadella Vil.la Cecilia Guinardo Clot CollserolaJoan MiróLaberint d’HortaCervantesMontjuïcCollserolaParc Güell

Word PoolBy Rosa Lina Aragón

CrosswordBy Joan Pujol and Santi Font

1-Name of Barça football club stadium2-Place where the F-1 circuit of Catalunya issituated3- Place where Español football pitch is situated 4-The two highest towers in Barcelona5-Park Güell district6- “Menéndez” school district7- Internet program invented by Martin Dougiamas8- “Palau de la Música” district9-Amusement park in Barcelona10-The biggest district in Barcelona11-Mountain situated in Collserola12- Wax museum district13-The biggest train station in Barcelona

PUZZLES


We have been studying the sports that teenagers of IES “Menendez y Pelayo” practice.

We interviewed boys and girls of different ages, to find out if they practice or watch sports, and what sports they watch or practice.

We surveyed teenagers, boys and girls, aged 11 to 15 years, from our school, to find out a couple of things about different sports.

The first one shows us what sports everybody prefers. And the result was football is clearly the king sport, and basketball was the second; also there is a strong presence of skating, bmx-ing, and other extreme sports.

The second survey was to determine if teenagers prefer to watch or practice their favourite sport.

We have divided this survey up into boys and girls. In the survey of the boys the result was that they

prefer to watch sports such as football, basketball or tennis, and not participate.

With the girls it was the opposite. They prefer to practice sports such as basketball or swimming and not watch them.

The conclusion is that more boys than girls like sport, but all the girls who like sports practise their favourite sport, and not all the boys who like sport, practise their favourite sport.

Teenagers and SportsBy Gerson Herrer, Ivan Díaz, Pau Marco, Oriol Sentís and Pol Solé.

ECONOMY

While workers fight for their rights and capitalists do anything for money, we find a little group of people who live in a fictional world, a world of get up, have breakfast, go to school …where normally they are ill informed or not at all, regarding what is happening and why.

So I asked a few high school students what they think about the economic crisis and they gave interesting answers.

-What do you think about the economic crisis?

-It is time that prices of petrol and houses came down

Here you can see someone that knows about what has been happening recently.

Also you can see people that say things like these:

-It’s a stupid thing.Or-It’s more psychological than realWe can identify with what the second person

said (it’s more psyc…) because the middle class isn’t as affected by the crisis. However there are still millions of people without jobs.

Also there are some answers like this:-The only thing I know is that it affects shops,

supermarkets and commercial centres.

High school kids opinions on economic crisisBy Kyle Pearson


Sports in SarriàBy Pau Marco, Oriol Sentís, Pol Solé

We now ask the question of which sports can you practice in the neighbourhood of “Menéndez y Pelayo”, the neighbourhood of Sarrià.

To answer to this question we have chosen some sports that can be practiced in Sarrià, we have searched which are the best places and clubs to practice every sport.

The best p lace to pract ice football is in Sant Ignasi School in the street Carrasco i Formiguera, 32. There are a lot of soccer fields in very good conditions.

To play basketball and handball, the best place is in the high school La Salle at 41 Lluçanès street.

If you want to do athletics the best place is in Can Caralleu, a modern sports complex at 2 dels Esports street.

But if your favourite sport is rugby you can go to the club Landrus Sarrià.

You can also play tennis in Sarrià in the tennis club Barcino in the street Narcisa Freixas 2-3, with very good recommendations.

You can do a lot of sports there, but these are the main ones. We think that the best place to do sports and swim is the sports complex of Can Caralleu with modern and very nice conditions.

Spectacular, incredible, brilliant…I don’t have more words to define the football that Pep Guardiola’s men play.

La s t Sa turday they showed the i r exqui s i te footba l l a ga in . They defeated “Deportivo de la Coruña” 5 goals to 0, in match that the “Blaugranas” rule everytime.

People enjoyed Eto’o and Henry’s goals, and enjoyed even more the “Miquel Angelo” of football, who is also referred to as another of his characteristics “Capillas S ix t ina s ” , the god o f football, Leo Messi.

No one doubts what the players of the condal city do the most beaut i fu l and colourful football in the world. To summarise, we love this Barça more each day.

A spectacular match

By Daniel Parada

SPORTS

Images of the report “El Escudo”

As one o f spor t s most represented in our society, football is a sport that must render to our school. We should overcome the traditional concept of football as a predominantly male sport and give space to women's football. The girls team will learn the rules, strategies and values inherent in football. We will promote an entertaining, fun and physically active game, and encourage girls teams to participate in inter-level competition playing a ga ins t teams f rom other institutions in Barcelona.

S p o r t s t h a t t h e I E S “Menéndez y Pelayo” are practicing

In our school all kinds of sports a re pract iced . Footba l l and Basketball are the most popular. We have a female football team which is currently playing in the School Advice Barcelona league.

The group is in the 5th place of the Cadet category.

The girls soccer team is very good. At the moment they are winning every game they play.

The basketball team is mixed, also playing in the league of the school council of Barcelona. They play in the categor y of second-year cadets, in 3rd and 4th group.

Apart from these activities the school also practise others after class such as: mixed volleyball, hip hop, mixed basquet, capoeira and theater.

Female football playersBy Pau Marco, Oriol Sentís, Pol Solé


SPORTS

The history of BFCBy Pau Matas

On the 29th of November 1899 Hans Gamper founded the Barcelona Football Club with the help of eleven football lovers.

BFC’s emblem has changed through the years. The first was the same as the city’s emblem, but then the club created a new one that has the colours of the club, the catalan flag and Sant Jordi’s cross.

Amazing, oversome, fantastic : these are the adjectives to describe Barça- the best club in the World!- This year Barça had the opportunity to win the three most impor tant competitions: “Copa del Rey”, “La Liga”, and “The Champions”.

There is only one king: 25 cups. This year BFC is the winner of the “Copa del Rey” . The ne w “dream team” , l ead by Pep Guard io la , ha s beaten : Benidorm, Atco. Madrid, Espanyol , Mal lorca and Athletic Bilbao.

“La Copa” began on the 16th of January in Benidorm and, F.C.Barcelona didn’t lo se any match in the competition.

The first dangerous club was Atco Madrid but Lionel Messi played a very good match and was clapped by Atco Madrid’s fans. That day, Messi scored 3 goals.

In Montjuïc, in the Espanyol stadium, the match was ver y boring, but in Camp Nou Barça won (3-2).

In the semi-final, Mallorca was Barça’s opponent. When Mallorca was in the lead, Messi scored a goal. At the end, Mallorca had the opportunity of winning. They had a penalty in their favour. Barça’s goalkeeper was José Manuel Pinto. That player had only played cup

matches. Pinto saved the goal and Barça won the match!

The f ina l wa s p l ayed in Mestalla (València) and the rival was Athletic Club Bilbao. That team was very motivated and Barça was very tired of the League. When the match began, all of the people were shouting at the Spanish anthem. Barça won the 25th Cup that night. The match finished 4-1, with goals made by Touré, Messi, Bojan and Xavi. That night, Barça won the first competition of the year.

The most impressive fact is the way by which Barça with the aid of

Guard io la won “La Liga” . However this fantastic year for Barça started badly, because they lost the first game against Numancia and the following week only managed to draw 1-1 with Santander. The situation wasn’t good and the people didn´t have faith in Barça, but Guardiola changed this. Sergio Busquets, one of the Barça B players was transfered to the first team and thanks to him the per formance o f Barça improved. Barça played very well over the next months, and in December overcame the greatest challenges and began winning ever y match. However around this time Madrid started to win all of the games in

the second half of “La Liga”, only losing one match. During this period of success for Madrid Barça lost 4 or 5 games and so “La Liga” was still undecided.

The 2nd of May the classic match of “La Liga”, Real Madrid-Barcelona was played. The game was incredible, everyone who loves football saw it. Barça gave the best exhibition of football of years and the result showed its superiority, 2-6. “La Liga” became certain for Barça. After three years Barça has won “La Liga”.

Barça !!!By Pau Matas and Daniel Parada

Our reporters at Canaletes


SPORTS

Today Barça is more important and more well known than a 100 years ago and it also accomodates other sports such as: basketball, hockey, athletics and others.

Barça has always been “more than a club” and in the last few years this slogan has become a reality. Barcelona FC is a sporting symbol as well as a symbol of politics, society and culture.

Over the last 100 years, Barça has won and lost, experienced many epic moments and also sad

moments. but this has helped to create the club’s personality and now it is one of the best clubs in the world.

The club built a stadium in Les Corts that was closed down during the Primo de Rivera dictatorship. In 1950 Ladislau Kubala arrived and turned BFC into the best club of the time. In 1951, 1952 and 1953 BFC won many trophies. The golden season was in 1951-1952 when Barça won “La Liga”, “La Copa”, “The Latin Cup” “Eva Duarte” and “Martini Rossi”. Joan Manuel Serrat composed a song that recalls the players of this legendary team: Basora, César, Moreno, Manchón and Kubala.

In 1957, the club made plans

for a new bigger stadium, The Camp Nou. Their position in football wasn’t good at the time, but the fans loved the club more than ever.

When Barça celebrated it’s 75th birthday, a new fantastic player arrived: Johan Cruyff.

In 1982 , w i th Nuñez a s cha i rman BFC won the “European Super Cup” in Basil.

In 1992 , Barça won the “Champions Lea gue” in Wembley wi th the “dream

team” (1990-1994) and Cruyff as captain.

FCB has had 41 chairmen throughout its history. Josep lluis Núñez served for the longest (1978-2000). Up to now BFC has won 94 trophies.

A lot of footballers have played at BFC. Some of them are legends, because of their football skills.

Ladislao Kubala

Johan Cruyff

Diego Armando Maradona

Romario de Souza

Ronaldo de Assis “Ronaldinho”


Barcelona as the Mediterranean capitalBy Olga Benito, Joana Rahola, Berta Sala

Nowadays, the city of Barcelona is known world-wide. However, do the inhabitants of Barcelona realize just how important the city is? Most of the local population don’t value that they live in a city with a long history and an impressive cultural heritage, being at the same time modern and cosmopolitan.

Barcelona attracts a great number of tourists due to its geographic location and its Mediterranean climate. The fame first came to Barcelona in 1992, when the Olympic Games were celebrated. Since then, foreigners started to travel to Barcelona and discover the excepcional qualities of the city.

The principal tourists attractions are the Modernist architecture, mainly Antoni Gaudí monuments, which are declared as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Another important aspect is the Gothic quarter, which remains almost intact. It is in this place, beside the ancient wall, where there is a sculpture which indicates the establishment of the Gothic quarter. It is formed by the seven letters of the Word Barcino and it is a tribute to the old Roman city. Another important sculpture is “Barcelona’s Head” , made by the nor th -Amer ican Roy Lichtenstein. It is situated on the Moll de la Fusta and it is of a woman’s head with her hair blowing in the wind.

On the other hand, Barcelona has its own culinary culture, which is a very healthy diet based on fresh fish, sausages and olive oil. Moreover, Barcelona

has a really festive side which can be enjoyed by going to the Mercè festival or the holiday celebrations in the districts of Gràcia, Sants or Poblenou, all of which have tradicional roots. Barcelona is also known for its lively nightlife, with all sorts of atmospheres from pubs in Gràcia to exclusive nightclubs in Diagonal,

All these reasons have made Barcelona a very suitable city to be the capital of the Mediterranean. The process started in 1995, when leaders from some Mediterranean nations met in Barcelona and signed a pact of mutual cooperation. Recently, the project of Union of the Mediterranean has arisen again. The objectives of this union are: fighting pollution in the sea, developing use of solar energy, civil security cooperation in case of natural disaster and others. The 43 countries that form the Union of the Mediterranean have chosen Barcelona as the headquarters . It shows the ever increas ing importance of Barcelona.

Barcino, 1995Joan Brossa

Barcelona’s Head, 1992Roy Lichtenstein

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