MAY 2020//ISSUE 4 ; VOLUME 15
. S T N E D U T S Y B / / S T N E D U T S R O F
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A NOTE FROM T H E E D I T O R S Well this is a bit weird isn't it? I don't even want to
say the word because it's been in the news so much but at one point I'll probably have to mention it. If somebody had told me three months ago that all social interactions would be through "Zoom," a "night-out" would entail going to the kitchen and we would see people clapping at the sky most Thursday nights, I would of thought I was dreaming or I would of called a doctor...one of the two. What has happened to our way of life is awful, but these changes are such a necessary endeavour to protect those who are vulnerable in our society. The way in which we as students learn has changed drastically and many of us are faced with challenges far beyond what we could of imagined in life prior to now. As a nation we have witnessed those around us falling ill and for some, losing the battle against the virus. Though we may feel that things are not improving, light is most certainly on the horizon and life will slowly but surely return to normal, a normal in which I am sure nobody will ever take for granted. Look after yourselves, your families and enjoy the summer. All the best, Alex Byrne - Editor of The NCP
A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS
I hope everyone is holding up ok in this weird world we live in. I don’t think anyone was expecting any of this. Me, I’m worried about the economy. Sometimes I feel like I’m an irrationally worried banker. That’s beside the point. I would like to say a huge thank you to all of the contributors in this issue, you should all be extremely proud of yourselves as there has been a very high standard of articles included. On the other hand, I hope that this issue can give a few people some much needed escape in the middle of this exam season. I don’t want to mention the elephant in the room but I will say that I hope we all are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the light being a great summer ahead! Ciara Munnelly - Editor of The NCP
LATEST WHAT I MISS ABOUT LIFE BEFORE CORONAVIRUS BY ANONYMOUS QUARANTINE STRESS & ANXIETY BY CIARA MUNNELLY REPORT: THE FIGHT FOR LIBERTY & JUSTICE FOR ALL BY ALEX BYRNE YOU ARE NEVER ALONE BY JOANNA LIPSKA POETRY: PAUL DURCAN BY 5TH YEAR ENGLISH MY VISION FOR THE FUTURE BY LILY CRAWFORD OF MICE AND MEN - REVIEW BY ETIENNE THOMPSON LIBRARY PREFECT PICKS - WHAT TO READ DURING LOCKDOWN BY SARAH MACKAY
WHAT I MISS ABOUT LIFE BEFORE CORONAVIRUS Our lives have been forever changed by the Coronavirus. The Coronavirus effects every one of us, personally, or economically. Hundreds of thousands of people have died all around the world, and many Irish people have lost their jobs. We have been in full lockdown for nearly seven weeks, and we haven’t had school for ten weeks. I think I can speak for the majority of us teenagers when I say, we really miss our lives before Coronavirus. We never expected our school year to end on a random Thursday in March. We didn’t really know how serious the lockdown would become, or how long it would go on. Most of us were quite happy with school closing for “a few weeks”. Little did we know it would be a lot longer. The Coronavirus Lockdown has changed so much for us teenagers. We went from our normal routines to having nothing to do all week. We are so used to seeing our friends every day at school, and then at the weekends outside of school. This is something I really took for granted, because now we can only see each other through Zoom and FaceTime. We can only see our extended families through the screens too, as they’re quarantining, and our grandparents are cocooning. We all know that it is to keep each other safe, but we all feel nostalgic for the freedom we had before lockdown. We were able to go anywhere, meet up with friends, and do whatever we wanted. Now we can’t, we’re all stuck in our houses, every day, for seven days a week, and for many weeks. I think we all go a bit crazier with every day that passes, I am sure we all know some people who try to distract themselves by making piles of banana bread. Apart from the obvious reasons such as friends and freedom, there are many other little things that I miss about life before Coronavirus. I miss being able to go out to dinner, meeting up for a coffee, going to sports training and the gym, and going shopping without having to worry about who you’re standing next to in the queue. I think we all miss having a routine, we don’t know what’s going to happen next, when it’s going to end or when we can see our friends again. Our summer will be very different, we won’t have our concerts, festivals and other big events we were so looking forward to. We will just try and make the best of it. Our lives have changed so much because of Coronavirus, but before we know it we’ll be back, to somewhere near a “new normal”. Written & Submitted Anonymously
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QUARANTINE STRESS & ANXIETY One of the biggest things that I've gotten out of quarantine hasn’t been the chance to take up a new hobby, to bake or even to get a chance to be bored. Being a fifth year student during quarantine has brought incredible stress onto my shoulders. I'm certain that my classmates have been going through the same as me, and I really hope that this article can give someone some sense of relief. As a disclaimer, I'm not assuming that I'm in a different or worse circumstance to anyone. That would be completely against what I'm trying to achieve with this article. The consequences of our online schooling manifest themselves in small and unfortunately very big ways. Probably the most stressful thing about online school is trying to keep up with parents and your own expectations. Summer exams for fifth years are, from an outside perspective, irrelevant to your Leaving Cert or a reflection of your personal progress. Nevertheless, the exam season still comes with a lot of unnecessary pressure for students. The Leaving Cert, in fifth and sixth years, is constantly renting a space in your already overcrowded brain. At the moment, my brain is looking similar to a shanty town. As much as we would blame the teachers, the board of education, the people who even make the exams; it's not their fault either. We have to do this huge exam. It's not impossible. However, it is hard to find the light at the end of the tunnel sometimes. I have found myself barely scraping by in quarantine in terms of schoolwork. The summer exams are coming and I find myself stressing about things that - let's face it - don't matter at the risk of a negative mental wellbeing. My solution to the overcrowding of our brains is one of self love. No matter how embarrassing it sounds, you have to give yourself some leeway in a time like this. No one alive has ever experienced something like this before. It’s a global pandemic for god’s sake! Give yourself time to adjust to life and make sure that your brain is happy. Simple things like taking a break from your phone for a couple of days or watching your favourite movie can really help in my experience. Make sure that you give yourself time to relax because it IS scary, and it IS hard! Written & Submitted by Ciara Munnelly
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THE FIGHT FOR LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL
I’ve always been fascinated by America. Land of the free, home of the brave and all that. I've been lucky enough to visit the US with my family a couple of times. My last visit was 2016, the people were friendly, the food was great and there was generally a great vibe about the place. But it would not be forever that I’d perceive this seemingly vibrant place in such a light. This article serves in no way as a means to generalise, it is a report on a common point of view to which many people, including American’s have on society in the States.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…” US Declaration of Independence. Every morning in the US, before class, students stand and face the flag and pledge allegiance to the flag. The words “indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” are usually uttered. In recent years, there seems to be a trend of students refusing to pledge that allegiance. NFL player Colin Kaepernick landed himself in hot water as a result of his reluctance to stand and sing the national anthem before NFL games. These are just some of the thousands of cases where Americans have staged a protest against their country. Thousands of protests but one commonality. A disgust with the way in which minorities are treated in America. In 2019, 1,099 people were killed by the police in the US. Of 365 days, there were only 27 days in which there was not a killing by the police. Black people are three times more likely to be shot than white people. (Continued on the next page...)
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It is hard to believe that this is the disgraceful reality that African-
THE FIGHT FOR LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL It is hard to believe that this is the disgraceful reality that AfricanAmericans are subject to everyday. How insulting must it be to be expected to utter the words “with liberty and justice for all� every morning in school when 99% of police officers from 2013-2016 have not been charged criminally as a result of their brutal and unnecessary use of violence? Ahmaud Arbery was a 25 year old African-American man who was out jogging and gunned down by Gregory and Travis McMichael. Ahmaud was unarmed. His story painfully resembles those of countless other fatal shootings. Again, of unarmed black men. When those accused of these killings are brought to court, they all seem to defend themselves in the same way. A claim of selfdefence is put to the jury. In essence, the accused was apparently threatened by the deceased such that brutal force was apparently deemed necessary. However, CCTV footage from cameras attached to police officers almost always shows a different story. An unarmed black man in America is 1.3 times more likely to be shot by police than a white man. According to statistics, there is a direct correlation between where you live in America and your chances of being killed by police. The same is true for wrongful convictions in the criminal justice system. As at statistics from the National Registry of Exonerations in the US, black people are seven times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder and twelve times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of drug related offences compared to white people. There are numerous reasons for this, two of which include flawed investigations carried out by the police and flawed forensic science. (Continued on the next page...)
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THE FIGHT FOR LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL Possibly one of the biggest scandals to ever face the American criminal justice system was that of the “Lynnwood Vikings,” a white-supremacist gang based in the Lynnwood station of the LA County Sheriff’s Department. This essentially was a police-run gang that sought to imprison and even kill minorities. On January 18th 1991, a man called Donald Sarpy was fatally shot while conversing with a group of black men in a quiet LA suburb. The shooter reached out and pointed his gun at the group and aimlessly shot. Upon investigation of the shooting by the Lynnwood Sheriff’s Department, it was found that Franky Carillo, a young hispanic man was the killer. A police investigation undertaken by this corrupt sheriff’s department had subsequently led to a lengthy conviction and the “killer” was imprisoned. The problem? A flawed investigation meant that Carillo would spend 20 years in one of the toughest prisons in America. He would lose the chance of watching his son grow up for a crime that he did not commit. The eyewitnesses were strategically led to choose the same person from a collage of suspect photos. The cause of this flawed investigation is not due to a lack of training, the cause is racism. In many cases, particularly murder, flawed forensic science leads to many wrongful convictions. Of those wrongfully convicted by this cause, the majority are black. Thankfully with improvements in areas of science such as DNA analysis, the number of those who are being freed from prison after being wrongfully convicted is on the rise. But this was not always the case, there have been countless stories of self professed “professionals” in forensic science taking the stand in criminal courts to tell juries that the accused is guilty. In actuality, the accused is not guilty but due to the readiness of the jury to believe a so-called “professional,” a guilty verdict is delivered. (Continued on the next page...)
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THE FIGHT FOR LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL These are stories of real people, of families and communities torn apart by small-minded racists in a country that claims that it is “indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.� However, in such pain and despair there is a beacon of light. A movement of like minded people who are fighting for the freedom of those who are wrongfully convicted and for the voices of the marginalised to be heard. Though there is division at the moment (which may be partially to do with the current presidential administration in the US) I am hopeful that in years to come, this nation across the water from our island will truly live up to the promises of the Declaration of Independence. If you would like to know more about those who are wrongfully convicted in the US and their stories visit www.innocenceproject.org , an organisation of lawyers fighting for justice and freedom of the wrongfully convicted. There are organisations out there that allow you to write letters to prisoners. Know their story. Be a part of the movement in the fight for equality for minorities. Written & Submitted by Alex Byrne
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YOU ARE NEVER ALONE BY JOANNA LIPSKA
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THE POETRY OF PAUL DURCAN
Recently 5th year students studied the celebrated Irish poet Paul Durcan. Some of Durcan’s poems are extremely long, others are incredibly short. However even when the poem is short, these little nuggets are bursting with content and finely crafted style. Durcan is a master of the very short poem. Here are some examples: Ireland 2002 “Do you ever take a holiday abroad? No, we always go to America.” ******** En Famille, 1979 Bring me back to the dark school – to the dark school of childhood: To where tiny is tiny, and massive is massive. ******** Madman Every child has a madman on their street: The only trouble about our madman is that he's our father. They often work like punchlines or visual gags. We stare for a minute or two before we get the true meaning. He manages to pack a great deal of meaning into a couple of lines. They often work by juxtaposition i.e. placing two unlikely statements side by side. (continued on the next page...)
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THE POETRY OF PAUL DURCAN These poems confront us with a question and often a very unlikely answer. After studying Durcan's poetry, one fifth year class wrote their own short poems mimicking the themes, style and format. Here are some examples of their work…commenting on current world events. Teams Teacher’s assignments are like a fine cheese. And I am lactose intolerant. ******** Liberty 2020 We walk along the shoreline, free as can be: but that was two months ago. Ireland 2020 And so, they sat still to save the lives of the old, A favour which perhaps will be returned by standing up for the futures of the young. ******** Teaghlach Every family has that funny kid, Yes that’s my brother he is funny looking. ******** English Poem In all chaotic beauty lies a wounded work of art Beautiful but torn, wreaking havoc on my heart. ******** Short Poem Only one road, few miles long. Don’t stop he said. ******** Ireland 2020 Where are you going on holiday this year? Nowhere. Stay inside. ******** Written & Submitted by 5th Year English
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MY VISION FOR THE FUTURE My vision for the future. What does that really mean? It means a bright and hopeful future. A future of joy, peace and love. A future of gender equality and equal pay. My vision for the future is of a future where women are treated fairly and with dignity. Pope Francis declared that women will never be priests. Why is that? I’ll tell you the answer, it’s because people don’t like change. Change always seems to be for the worse, but why can’t it be for the better? Apparently, there is a shortage of priests, why is that? It's because there is only one gender permitted, and that’s male. Women should be free to be whoever they want to be, and shouldn’t be restricted by the ridiculous laws of the catholic church which are in desperate need of an update. I recently discovered that in the most recent women’s football world cup, the winning team got $4 million. Meanwhile, in the men’s football world cup, the winning team was awarded $400 million. Please will someone explain to me how this is fair! Exactly, no-one can! And please don’t say “Well there is more money in the male football industry...”. The women and men are putting in the same amount if effort and work and as a result should get equal pay. In conclusion, my vision for the future is a future where women have equal rights because they deserve them. This is something that I am extremely passionate about, and I want to see a change made. Never forget, one voice has the power to change.
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Written & Submitted by Lily Crawford as part of The NCP Writing Competition.
OF MICE AND MEN - BOOK REVIEW
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LIBRARY PREFECT PICKS - WHAT TO READ DURING LOCKDOWN Wonder by R.J. Palacio: If you’ve never read the modern classic 'Wonder' then you definitely should! It follows the story of 10-year-old August Pullman, an ordinary kid born with a not so ordinary face. Auggie must brave school for the first time after being home-schooled his entire life, trying to make friends and fit in along the way. He must endure bullies, isolation and being treated differently due to how he looks, but he eventually makes friends and finds his way. The story gets told through Auggie as well as his sister and his friends, who all share about their relationships with Auggie and the struggles they go through. The book contains many wonderful messages and a lovely story about how you should not judge a book by his cover. The book has also been made into a film, and has a sequel titled 'Auggie and Me', which is told through two more of Auggie’s friends (and one of his enemies) who we didn’t get to hear from in the original novel. One by Sarah Crossan: 'One' is the emotional story of conjoined twin girls, Grace and Tippi, completely told through free verse poetry, written from Grace’s perspective. Grace and Tippi have a lot to deal with: attending school for the first time, an alcoholic father, a sister who doesn’tget enough attention, and the family not being able to afford their huge medical bills. Grace and Tippi try to live a normal, 16-year-old teenage life despite the odds, but their fragile body is weakening. This moving story will drag you in from the first page and captivate you until the bitter end. Katy by Jacqueline Wilson: A modern re-adaptation of the classic “What Katy Did” by Susan Coolidge, “Katy” is the story of an 11-year-old girl called (yep, you guessed it) Katy Carr. Katy is the eldest of six children, and has always been the energetic, in-charge older sister. But after an accident, Katy finds herself unable to walk again and in a wheelchair. Katy struggles to return to her normal life, to go to school again, and to be with her siblings again. (continued on the next page...)
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LIBRARY PREFECT PICKS - WHAT TO READ DURING LOCKDOWN
She fears that she may not be able to be herself again, and that people will treat her differently now that she is disabled. “Katy” is told through Katy’s perspective, and is written in a lovely, down-to-earth way, as if Katy is speaking to you herself. The book has a lovely story and some great messages about resilience and being yourself. Divergent by Veronica Roth: The 'Divergent' trilogy takes place in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian future where the entire world is divided into factions. These factions are groups of people who believe that the lack of a certain trait - be it selflessness, kindness, honesty, bravery or knowledge - is what causes war. Every person must choose which faction they belong in, and pass that faction’s initiation, or become factionless; doomed to live in the streets. When 16-year-old Tris Prior takes her aptitude test to find out which faction she belongs in, she receives three different results, meaning she is divergent. Divergents are a threat to the system, and so Tris must hide her true identity whilst helping to fight a looming war between the factions. The three books in the series, 'Divergent', 'Insurgent' and 'Allegiant', have also all been made into films. The Maze Runner by James Dashner: The 'Maze Runner' series begins with a boy named Thomas waking up in a strange metal room, with no memory of who he is or how he got there. He eventually gets pulled up into a massive, four-brick-walled courtyard, filled with other teenage boys. They call the place, which is surrounded by a terrible maze, the 'Glade'. No one knows why they are there or how they got there. But when a girl arrives with a message, Thomas and the others must try to find a way out. The series has 5 books, 'The Maze Runner', 'The Scorch Trials', 'The Death Cure', 'The Kill Order' and 'The Fever Code', and the first three have each been made into films. Written & Submitted by Sarah Mackay
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The editors of The NCP would like to thank all those involved with this issue. In particular, we would like to thank Ms. McCluskey and her students for their continued support and contribution and Mr. Doyle for his much appreciated help and guidance in making this issue of The NCP. Look after yourselves and enjoy the summer! Contributors: Sarah Mackay Ciara Munnelly Alex Byrne Joanna Lipska 5th Year English Lily Crawford Etienne Thompson Editors: Alex Byrne & Ciara Munnelly.
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MAY 2020 //ISSUE 4 ; VOLUME 15
. S T N E D U T S Y B / / S T N E D U T S R O F
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