March 2013
Issue #006
Could you live without them?
Devonport Voice update Is it the end of the road for Rebecca Adlington? Meteor crash in Russia
February 2013
4. Death of the high street: HMV’s demise 5. The sound of church bells 6. Devonport Voice: an update 7. Meteor crash in Russia
Hello and welcome to the March 2013 issue of the Devonport Spectator. The team has worked hard this month to bring you some of the best journalism DHSB has to offer. We do, however, know there is more of it out there. So if you think you would make a good reporter, whether student or teacher, there is a place for you in the Spectator team. Just email spectator@dhsb.org or tweet @DHSBSpectator.
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Are you developing your smart skills?
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How do youngsters cope without their mobile devices
Contributors Greg Hill-Turner 8N Harry Samuels Yr 12 Vikram Ajit Rajan Thirupathirajan 10S Vishal Aksaj Rajan Thirupathirajan 7S
9. How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night
Alifie Carlisle 7W Tom Phillips Yr 13 James O’Connell 8W Miss Croft Editors
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Is it the end of the road?
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Ten Tors: a challenge coming soon
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Steven Rowe Yr 12 Duncan Graham Yr 12
Steven Rowe, Editor
Unsurprisingly, February saw our Education Secretary, Michael Gove, gain his spot back in the limelight. However, what we didn’t predict was that it would be as a result of a massive U-turn on some of his infamous and controversial education reforms. To the delight of many, Gove recently announced his plans to keep the current system of GCSEs and scrap the idea of introducing the English Baccalaureate Certificate, otherwise known at the EBC. But what exactly does this mean, how might it affect you in the future and was Gove actually talking sense? So what exactly were the proposed reforms and what is Gove setting out to do? Gove’s plans set out to implement his vision of a tougher, more-up-todate system of education where pupils won’t fall behind. He aimed to make exams more rigorous and update our curriculum by providing a qualification that the business community has confidence in. The way in which he proposed to do this, however, is what what has caused controversy. Gove proposed that we scrap GCSEs and introduce the EBC, a
qualification which has no modular exams and fewer pieces of coursework, meaning students have to work a lot harder for their grades. This, in his view, was to combat the grade inflation of the Labour government, and to end the culture of low expectations which they had supposedly encouraged.
less able pupils. It was also criticised for ignoring the problem of a lack of vocational education, and not doing enough to guide students into doing subjects like engineering. As a result of this, there were mass petitions by educationalists which called for Gove to abandon the plans to introduce the EBC.
Gove was faced with a variety of problems. Young people clearly lacked skills, and the qualifications they earnt - GCSEs - were rejected by the business community. There was also the need to educate people in things which were important in life, whilst also emphasising the core subjects like maths and English which are vital to enable wider education.
And thus he did. Saying that it was “one reform too far”, the Secretary of State announced his u-turn in Parliament, much to the amusement of the Labour Party. But what does this mean? Well, to put it frankly, it means that we are stuck with GCSEs until the next Government decides to introduce a plan for some hastily thought-up reform. Many reforms will still go ahead however: January modules will stop; A-Levels will be limited to one resit, and the National Curriculum review will still go ahead.
So, the concept of the EBC came into play. Designed to put importance on the core subjects and to prevent further resits, whilst also being harder exams, they were supported by Conservatives and other right-wing education reformers who wished to see an end to twenty-eight years of continual increases in GCSE results with no dips ever. However, it was criticised by teachers for making arts subjects seem unimportant, and for being unfair on
The educational landscape is changing, and our lives will be shaped by it in the future. The question is this, though: are they the right changes, or will the Government live to regret them in years to come? Join the discussion: @DHSBSpectator
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February 2013
With the loss of HMV, has it become clearer that it's more than just our economic situation that is closing down our stores?
Greg Hill-Turner 8N
hopping is not what it used to be. More and more shops are closing down. We no longer go into town to buy things. We just go on the internet and purchase everything we want online. But what does this mean for the economy? Is it really the so-called “death of the high street” or is the media blowing everything out of proportion? I looked into the downfall of HMV to find out what on earth is going on. If you pass an HMV store, you will probably notice posters advertising a “big 25% off” sale. For once, this is not a misleading ploy to increase profits, it is in fact a desperate attempt to get rid of stock before they close down. But how can one of the biggest brands in retail be unsuc-
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cessful? One of the main reasons is, of course, the internet. According to stock market monitors, SAS, 75% of all purchases for electronics are made online. With almost every business now equipped with a website that sells exactly the same things as the actual stores, why should people go out and track down the things they want? Is it that that has led to HMV biting the dust. Another problem brought about by the internet is the well-known issue of piracy. One in six people use sites such as Bit Torrent and Mega Upload to get films and music for free. That’s around 10 million people cheating artists and shops out of a huge chunk of money. If we want to save places like HMV, we must first completely eradicate piracy. Only then will we be able to make the high
street the prosperous place it once was. On a brighter note, many companies are doing very well. For instance the coffee chain Costa has some promising sale figures at the moment. Places like Costa show that if we stopped depending on the web to shop, if we went to high street stores, we may actually be able to save retail from failure. However, it is important to balance between high street and internet shopping to ensure the success of both. So, next time you go on Amazon to buy that new CD everyone is talking about, spare a thought for poor old HMV. If we all heeded this advice, Britain would escape the jaws of recession and become the growing country it used to be…
What is the impact of equal marriage on society and politics? Harry Samuels, School Captain
ossibly one of the most monumental pieces of legislation in past years was debated in the House of Commons in early February. Monumental not just for civil rights, that is, but also monumental politically, as seen by the huge divisions it opened across the country. The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill, very simply, extends the institution of marriage to homosexual couples and transsexuals who undergo gender reassignment surgery whilst in a marriage. It also allows religious organisations to opt-in to marrying gay couples, whilst at the same time expressly forbidding the established church – the Church of England – from doing so, in a so-called “quadruple lock”. Arguments have raged on both sides of the debate. Some organisations including the Coalition 4 Marriage and the Catholic Church have called marriage between homosexuals “unnatural”, and accused the Government of “redefining marriage”. Pro-legislation groups, however, such as C4EM and Out4Marriage, have refuted these claims, arguing that it is a fundamental right to be recognised as equal under the law. Despite the very public campaigns on both sides, however, the public seems very firmly to be on one side – over two thirds backing equal marriage in recent polls. This was reflected quite nicely in the Parliamentary vote then, with the Bill gaining a Second Reading – the House of Commons’ agreement with the core principles of the legislation – by a mar-
gin of 400-175. The political picture is not that simple, though. Almost all 175 of the votes against were Conservative, which is the largest dissent against the official party line in history (though spared the shame of that title by the vote not being properly whipped). The traditionalist wing of the Conservatives was strongly in opposition to this legislation, and it has divided the grassroots of the party perhaps even more than the EU traditionally has. Add into the mix the threat of UKIP with their strong traditionalist stance to the right, and you have a real Conservative conundrum. The Conservatives must ask themselves one question, and it is a highly important one – can they go into the next election and pick up votes from the centre with so many opposed to progressive reforms such as this, but equally stave off the
threat from UKIP on the right? It is a tough question that has no easy solution. As for this legislation, its next stage is in the Committee rooms of the House of Commons, where the technicalities and language itself will be scrutinised. After that, in May most likely, the House of Lords will have their debate on it. This is seen as the most difficult step: the Lords have a much higher average age which predisposes them to disagree with the change, and even Labour peers – the Commons counterparts of whom who voted vociferously for the Bill in the lower house – have been known to be against legislation such as this in the past. Only time will tell what happens now, but the likelihood is that it will pass, and we will have the first same-sex marriages before 2015.
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February 2013
What has Devonport Voice accomplished so far this year?
Vikram Ajit Rajan Thirupathirajan 10S
t’s been a month now since the full new Devonport Voice team, Years 7-12, was chosen. Being a year 10 representative of the team for this year, as well as a normal Year 10 DHSB student, I’ve already noticed new things being considered and taken into action. Work from the new team started in December, soon after the senior Devonport Voice Team were picked. That month, water fountains were refurbished and fees for gym membership were scrapped. So what happened afterwards? Last month, a cheque of £911 was sent off to Water Aid; the money was raised by students and staff from a Mufti Day. Next came the preparation for Comic Relief Charity week,
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taking place from the 11th-15th of March. The Devonport Voice Leadership team will be part of the “Let’s Dance for Comic Relief”, so here is something to look forward to this month! As well as this, there will be other Comic Relief fundraisers, such as: the Staff Cook Off, University Challenge and a Treasure Challenge. Five days later, the equipment for DHSB Radio, led by Mr Butcher and Mrs Wilkinson, had arrived; this will be on air for the school to tune into soon. On the next day, a very productive meeting between year representatives and the senior Devonport Voice team took place. After noticing that using benches in the colonnade might not be favoured by everyone, attention for use of the money was turned to Dyson Air Blades as the new hand-driers for the school; these
are more efficient and more powerful. A vote for either of these things or neither of them should have taken place by now in your form rooms or will do so soon. Finally, Devonport Voice ended on a positive note, having raised more money. This time we all raised £850 for Devon Air Ambulance through the last mufti day. The next mufti day will raise funds for our school! Communication with Devonport Voice has also improved. You can now send your ideas to Devonport Voice through Facebook, e-mail, the Suggestion Box (located at the bottom of C-block), the VLE and by telling your form representatives who will raise it up in meetings. You can now also tweet your suggestion on the Form’s Devonport Voice Twitter page.
Beyond this world Vishal Aksaj Rajan Thirupathirajan 7S
n 15 February 2013, Russia was greatly affected by a meteor that passed by. Around 1,200 people were injured, mostly by flying glass. Over 9,000 people are helping to clear up the damage the meteor has done. Buildings have been damaged with roofs smashed and broken but most of the damage was caused by glass shattering everywhere. Lots of meteors are out there in space, but they don't usually enter the Earth's gravitational pull and come to the ground. What happened in Russia is quite rare and since the meteor was small we could not trace it beforehand. Many had seen the meteor pass by. Trails like those of rockets were left. As the object flew across the sky it flashed really brightly and then a massive explosion occurred where windows shattered, sending glass flying everywhere and injuring many people. The damage wasn't actually caused by the meteor itself but by the meteor breaking apart, causing a sonic boom. Scientists have now found fragments of the meteor at the bottom of Lake Chebarkul along with a large crater. In terms of size, the meteor was 17m wide and had a mass of 10,000 tonnes before entering Earth's atmosphere. This released 500 kilotons of energy as it flew past Russia. The meteor then broke apart 30-50Km above the ground. Later, in the evening, a much bigger meteor, 50m wide, strayed by Earth. This one, however, didn't affect anyone as it was 17,200 miles away, only passing satellites' orbit. This incident in Russia shows everyone what is out there beyond this world. There are many more, much bigger meteors in space than the one that hit Russia and we just have to hope that those big ones don't come crashing down to our planet. We cannot tell but maybe one day a giant meteor will wipe out the us, there's suggestion that it did the dinosaurs. There are lots of dangers out there and we have to be prepared for anything. Meteors as big as city do exist and will cause a lot of damage and one day may even kill us.
Above: Pictures of the meteor crashing to earth and the devastation it caused
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February 2013
As children rely more and more on mobile devices, we ask what effe
Miss Croft
ow many times do you check Twitter a day? Email? Facebook? The exponential increase in smart device usage has been noticeable in the past year, but what affect is it having on our brains? Negative connotations can often be seen in media headlines. Scientists have found that email releases the same addictive neurochemicals as some class A drugs! Morning registration prompted me to look into the effects further. Every day I open the door to a darkened classroom, cheerfully greeting my form group of young vampires, whom I increasingly find huddled over smartphones and iPads. I always switch on the light (bonus points to my form for energy saving in school!). In sixth form classes it is a similar story. Seconds after the announcement of a 5-minute break the majority of the class will head straight to Twitter. But are there actually any negative effects of this smart device use? Well, it is not all bad news. For starters every action you make during the course of a day will have an effect on your brain. Every thought or experience will constantly wire and re-wire your brain in a series of new, or strengthened, neuronal connections. This could be reading, practicing a sport, or playing a musical instrument. If an individual engages in any activity with regularity then the neuronal wiring in this area of the brain will be more
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profound. Scientists famously found London taxi drivers to have larger hippocampi (parts of the brains responsible for working memory) than ordinary folk. Musicians use their motor cortex to a greater extent than most and subsequently have bulges on the either side of the brain; or just one for violinists, who requires the fine motor control of a single hand. So how are smart devices altering our brains? Most students use the internet for games, social media and information retrieval. These actions develop hand-eye coordination, communication skills and the ability to deal with abstract information, thus improving these areas of the brain. Prince Harry actually commented during his recent tour of duty interview that the dexterity of his fingers through gaming gave him the skills to sit front seat in the Apache aircraft. As with anything, the use of smart devices should only be a concern if they are preventing us from practicing some other life skill. Evidence shows however that people with more active internet lives actually have more active real lives when it comes to communication. So I can breathe a sigh of relief that my form are actually developing their team-working skills through classwide online games each morning. However I still am open to debate as to the benefits of funny cat pictures in class. Follow @DHSB_Psychology for new research into the brain and behaviour.
ect are they having on us and could we live without them?
Alfie Carlisle 7W
owadays, especially with the advances in modern technology it's common for many youngsters to own, and regularly use a mobile phone. I went for a day without mine to see what it's like to go AWOL from contact. I have an HTC Wildfire Phone; I don't use it excessively... I check it at break-times and lunchtimes, but I wouldn't call myself attached to it. Although the device holds a wide range of features, I them infrequently. Personally, I found this test very easy as I'm use to not making a lot of digital contact throughout my school day. I arrived in school at 8:10 and locked my phone in my locker. Part 1: Entertainment - Our form room opened at 8:40 on this particular day. On any other day, I might
use my phone to read through BBC News. However today I read my book. In this case, my mobile would have been useful but I could definitely go without it. Part 2: Lessons - I was fortunate enough to have Latin on this day. There was an option to use our internet-enabled phones for research. Here, a phone would have been very helpful but as partner work was encouraged, I managed without. Although, this is a perfect demonstration of how mobile devices can be helpful in education and to improve the learning Part 3: Necessities - On this day, I didn't need to make contact with anyone. I knew how I was getting to and from school so there was no reason for me to call or text home. From a parent's perspective however, knowing they could contact their child would give a 'peace of mind'
should they need to. -Of course, let's not forget the uses of mobile technology, especially in education. This is clearly displayed by our school's iPad Pilot. With the ever advancing smart-phones; internet lookups are quick and easy. Teachers are now being more accepting of these devices in the classroom, meaning pupils can enjoy music or use the internet function of their phones or tablets to perform thesaurus, dictionary and internet searches. In conclusion, anyone can go without their mobile phone but, in individual circumstances it can be useful for some and useless for others. The next time you go online or send a text from your phone; just think of how much you are actually using it and what you are missing in the 'real world'.
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February 2013
There's nowt queer as folk: folk music provides some of the best material for singers and listeners alike! Tom Phillips Yr 13
n most operas, the tenors and sopranos take the lead roles. This means, unfortunately, that baritones, basses and altos get pushed into the background and are given less exciting arias. In folk music, however, lots of the songs are pitched for those with medium voices, allowing some of these unsung heroes to take centre stage. Italy, the birthplace of opera, is the first port o’call for any singer when looking for good folk music. Italy has a rich musical history, and many of its folk songs provide excellent opportunity to practise breath control, voice placement, tone and diction, due to the italian vowels and the uncomplicated melodies. As a result, they are popular among both new and experienced singers. Not only are they a good vocal workout, some of these songs are beautiful. ‘Caro Mio Ben’, by Giordani, was written in the mid eighteenth century and is favoured by many new singers for its simplicity. It is, like many italian arias, in the romantic style: the singer is imploring his lover to stay lest he die of a broken heart. ‘O Del Mio Dolce Ardor’ from Gluck’s opera ‘Paride ed Elena’ is another sumptuous love song, with a more interesting melody, from the same period. It is performed by the character Paris (as in Paris of Troy) as a love-song to Helen. There are two interesting things about this song. First, it is in a minor-key, which gives it its desperate and sincere tone. Secondly, it was written for the castrato voice. The castrato was a boy who was castrated before puberty, preserving the high-pitch of his treble voice. As a result, once grown, he would have the power of a fully-grown man as well as the lofty heights of the treble range. Before the rise of the tenor, castrati
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were almost universally cast as the male hero, which is interesting considering both their feminine voice and physical appearance. After the practice of castration became unpopular, however, the tenor became the new male lead and so the pitch of the lead songs changed dramatically. Juan Diego Florez (a fine Peruvian tenor with a very light and flexible voice) sings O Del Mio Dolce Ardor wonderfully transposed down the octave, of course! One of these tenor male-lead arias is the notoriously difficult ‘Una Furtiva Lagrima’ from Donizetti’s italian opera ‘L’Elisir D’Amore’. It is another minorkey love song, and so shares the same haunting feel as O Del Mio Dolce Ardor. Nemorino, the peasant, sees his unrequited love, the wealthy Adina, crying and sings of his love for her. A very discreet, but one of the most wonderful moments in all opera, is when this song changes very slightly to the major key, as Nemorino realises that the lady he has adored for so long has finally fallen in love with him. The aria is a very humble love song, finishing with a delightfully gentle ‘si puo morir d’amor’: I could die of love. Italy is not the only country to produce excellent folk and opera music, however. Germany, too, has a strong tradition of classical music. Lieder are songs, often inspired by folklore, which are generally arranged for a single voice and piano. They are sometimes gathered into song cycles, known as leiderkreis. These song cycles contain approximately 20 songs, and gradually tell the story of one man’s life, ranging through different emotions and circumstances. Schubert, Beethoven and Schumann are famous for their leiderkreis.
Above: Juan Diego Florez One of the most well loved German lieder is ‘Der Erlkonig’ which tells the story of a father and son riding through the forest. The piano accompaniment is incredibly fast, mimicking the galloping of the horse’s hooves. The son sees a spectre in the distance, the Erlking, but the father tells him that it’s just a wisp of air. As they ride on, the boy gets more and more agitated by this ghost, who starts beckoning to him, imploring him to enter the dark forest. The father rides on faster towards their home, commanding his son to ignore the Erlking. Finally, the narrative voice returns: the father moves through night, the child lying in his arms, dead. The Erlking represents Death, and father was desperate to return to the warmth of their home. It’s a tragic story, but is great fun to sing! Ian Bostridge, an English tenor, specialises in German lieder and sings this song brilliantly. Classical music is full of so many treasures, from the romantic Italian operas to the dramatic and dark German folk music. It’s not all for toffs and it’s certainly not all boring!
What do our sports stars do when they leave the spotlight? James O’Connell 8W
hen our sport stars leave the spotlight, what do they do? Retirement for some sport stars is the end of the world because they often feel as if they have lost all their fame from no longer being in the limelight. The longer the athletes career, the harder it is to say goodbye to something they have been doing all their life. In the light of the news that Rebecca Adlington is retiring at the age of 23, I have decided to look at what some of our most famous athletes do once they retire from their busy sporting careers. Gary Lineker and Sue Barker are both very famous sports stars for football and tennis respectively, with careers spanning a great period of time. Since they retired, they have both gone on to have very promising TV presenting careers. Lineker has since appeared as presenter of Match of the Day on Saturday evenings, a very popular show looking back on the day’s football matches. Also, Linekar did some coverage work for BBC Radio 5 Live in addition to the BBC’s golf coverage for a period of time. Due to one of Lineker’s sons having to battle a rare form of leukaemia at a very young age, he was inspired to fundriase for charities such as CLIC Sargent and Leukaemia Busters, who with his wife, were the charity’s patrons.
The successful careers of Gary Lineker and Lord Coe show that the future isn’t bleak for the newly retired Rebecca Adlington
Barker, a Grand slam winner, similarly to Lineker decided to move onto the media industry. She became a commentator and sports reporter in Australia before moving to Britain’s Sky T.V. For the last twenty years Barker has hosted the two-week long Grand Slam event, Wimbledon. As
well as Wimbledon, Barker hosts all the tennis events the BBC covers as well as doing the famous Quiz Show, A Question of Sport once a week. She has expanded from her expertise in tennis and is now a broadcaster for a host of horse-racing and athletics event, as well aspresentign the 2012 summer olympics. Martin Johnson, England captain of the victory team in the Rugby World Cup and the only ever person to captain the Lions on two separate tours, has also had a great carer after retiring from sport. In 2008 he took over as England coach and overall had a successful time as head coach. He won the Six Nations in 2011 as coach. Although in the World Cup, later on in the year, England had a poor performance on and off the pitch in New Zealand. He had never coached before he took the England job and showed a lot of character to maintain England’s high standards. Many athletes go into coaching after they retire because they can pass on their knowledge as well as get a new take on the sport they love. Many find it hard to leave the sport altogether. We also have people such as Sebastian Coe, who is now a politician. The former middle distance runner won four Olympic medals, but is mainly known from his career because of his sporting rivalry with fellow Brit Steve Ovett. Since then, he has become very well known for being head of LOCOG (London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games). Coe is also vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, Pro-Chancellor at Loughborough University and is chairman of the British Olympic Association.
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February 2013
A challenge coming soon!
Vikram Ajit Rajan Thirupathirajan 10S
ince 1960, Ten Tors has been an annual challenge organised by the British Army for up to 2,400 young people each time, testing their endurance, navigational and survival skills. The event is approaching this May and the school has now started to select the participants for the event. But Ten Tors is more than just a weekend hike on the moors… There are three different distances that the event shows: thirty five miles, forty five miles and fifty five miles. However, all the distances have to be covered in only thirty four hours. With a total of twenty routes available for the whole event teams of six (one team will participate from our school for each distance) visit ten tors, where there is a checkpoint
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on each one. To qualify for a medal, the teams must visit the tors and finish before five o’ clock on Sunday evening. So on the Thursday or Friday before the event, all the teams arrive at Okehampton Camp where they are given a safety briefing and equipment check. Then on the Saturday, the teams all start on the cannon fire. Along with the short time limit, the teams all have to stay within other rules. Teams are not allowed to pass a checkpoint between 8:00pm on Saturday and 6:00pm on Sunday. They are also not allowed to pass the ninth checkpoint before Sunday. Those doing the 35 mile can camp at any tor while those doing the 45 of 55 mile can camp anywhere on the moor. But as well as the challenging terrain
and long distance, Dartmoor’s unpredictable weather also plays a serious role. The event could be a sunny weekend as well as a tiring journey with all the rain. However, that is exactly what Ten Tors is testing for. It’s testing for the skills to navigate and survive in all types of conditions. The medal that you get will represent your sheer effort and will be credited greatly. Along with this, the event is also a chance for young people to go outside and admire nature at its best. So what will the school do now? Well, there is a selection walk for all who are interested in doing the 35 miles. After that, a team will be selected for each distance and the training for the challenge begins! We wish this year’s team the best of luck!