THE HIGH E D I T I O N 8 4 | O C TO B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 9
NEW LOGO:
Illustration by Zoé Poinssot
A PRICKLY ISSUE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Suhasini Mehra DEPUTY EDITOR
Khwaish Vohra
EATING HABITS
CLIMATE CHANGE
US ELECTIONS
This article is a snacc
And I oop-
Welcome to the circus
2
EDITOR’S LETTER So, that logo, huh.
A
s ever, the new year brings change. A new phase of school for Year 10; the first Big IB Project for Year 11; the start of the DP for Year 12; the thrill of illegal pingpong rings for Year 13. And, yes, the new logo and its inexplicable migration onto our apples. You’ll read all about that on the next page. This year’s changes don’t end with our strange, cultish little logo, of course. Protests are sweeping the news, from Hong Kong’s fight for sovereignty to Greta Thunberg’s climate marches, and turtles are finding unlikely allies in the rising generation of VSCO girls. Strangest, and perhaps most importantly, NASA has decided to give us a 13th (and entirely unwarranted, in my opinion) zodiac sign. You’ll find these stories in this edition, too.
EDITORS Poppy Harrison - Opinion Ellie Parsons - Opinion Elif Civelekoglu - School News Tom Secheyron - School News Joseph Nobs - School News
Suhasini Mehra
Amidst all this change, however, some things have, perhaps unsurprisingly, remained quite the same. The American elections continue to be, in Athan’s words, a bit of a circus (read more about that hot mess on page 13). Meanwhile, terrible books, movies, and music albums continue to be terrible (we’ve compiled some of the worst just for you), and Years 12 and 13 continue to glare silently at each other across the chasm of one year’s DP experience. So flip through these stories, too, and take comfort in the constancy of global stupidity. Although it’s about a month too late: welcome back to school, everyone, and happy Friday. Eight more hours until the weekend. P.S. for all my DP fam - turn to the back for our new IB Stress Bingo. Hang in there, guys. It’s all downhill from here.
Jade Tan - Graphics; Arts & Culture Tanvi Anand - Arts & Culture Salim Markabi - World News Athan Massouras - World News Rohan Reagan - Layout
TABLE OF CONTENTS New logo DP Mixer Seasonal sports Eating habits UN Climate Summit VSCO girls Iran - Saudi Arabia Amazon fires
03 04 04 05 06 07 08 08
Hong Kong Watch, Listen, Read Phones Anthropocene Google US Elections Sports Horoscope / Word search
09 10 10 11 12 13 14 15
3
NEW LOGO, WHO DIS?
T
here’s no denying that there was a huge surprise waiting for the students of ISL as they were welcomed back to the new academic year. Not only was there a huge influx of new students, but something that had stood for the International School of Lausanne for many years had been drastically changed: its logo. Although the logo is not necessarily integral to the way that the school was run, it was what the school was known for, thus being quite integral to the school’s identity. For the long existing members of the community, the change was certainly a shock, a jolt that took a little while to get used to. The traditional shield and red, white and blue colours were long gone, replaced by a new and certainly more colourful pattern of lines, or, as it became commonly known, a porcupine. The logo received a wide range of responses, varying from acceptance from the open minded (and typically more recent additions to the school) to absolute horror from the stubborn traditionalists, who couldn’t quite grasp why the school felt the need to fix that which wasn’t broken. Hervé Peitrequin was the main driver of the new logo. He explained that it was changed for three main reasons. Firstly, according to Mr Peitrequin, the old logo was thought to be “too complicated to use for modern-day communications”. Secondly, it was not unique; there was nothing about the shield that made ISL stand out. And finally, the logo was “outdated” and “did not reflect the progressive image” that the school has developed over the last 50 years. The development of the logo was a process that he explained took over a year to complete, something that he believes is quite significant to bear in mind as “the logo design is a small part of the work and comes at the end of the process.” The logo is supposed to represent the three pillars of the ISL community: the students, the parents, and the school. The interwoven lines are representative of a sundial, symbolic of all the wonderful hours that we spend at school together. Although the sentiment behind the logo is powerful, and quite sweet, a rather compelling argument put forwards by the students is: if an explanation is necessary for the reasoning behind the logo, is it really an accurate representation of the school? The reaction from the students was very mixed. Despite some students welcoming the modern logo, a survey with over 200 responses revealed that 67% of secondary students felt that the old logo was better than the new one. This means that approximately two-thirds of our population felt that we would have been better just leaving the logo the way it was before. An unfortunate, yet rather unavoidable consequence of this is that the negative reviews are usually the most vocal, so as the students returned to start a new academic year, the corridors were filled with groans and complaints about
Poppy Harrison is blue and red and white the “dull” and “boring” nature of the logo. A criticism made by one student was that they “think it doesn’t represent the cultural diversity that ISL has.” Obviously, representing the diversity present at ISL would be an immense ask of a logo, especially as the designers are limited to a small canvas and tasked not to over complicate the pattern; nevertheless, the series of lines do leave something to be desired for the portrayal of cultural diversity. Perhaps the most frequent comment made was that, while the pattern of the logo was nice, it held absolutely no connotations to ISL. Students argue that it looks like the logo of “a university” or “a cult”. One student even went as far as to say, “This is a school, not a nightclub.”
Responses ranged from open-minded to absolute horror However, not all the feedback was negative. Some students felt extremely happy with the changes made, claiming that “the new logo looks more professional, modern, and welcoming.” This student continued to explain that “it visually surpasses the previous one”. A large barrier that the logo had to overcome was the students’ difficulty with adapting to change. Realistically, a lot of people are reluctant to relinquish their views on old sentiments and open their minds to new developments. Potentially a reason that the logo initially received such pessimistic views was that the students did not like being blindsided by a new logo. Perhaps if a survey was sent out now, the responses would be different, as the students have had the opportunity to grow accustomed to the bright colours present around the school. Unfortunately, the logo turned down a less serious path as the school tried to integrate their new symbol using colourful t-shirts. This resulted in girls tucking the bottom of their shirts into their bras, trying to give some sense of style to the shapeless tee, and many of the boys tying their oversized shirts into comical “thot-knots”. Nevertheless, there was a definite sense of community as over 1000 members of ISL gathered together to wave cheerily, although somewhat mockingly, at the camera placed overhead, positioned to capture the future of the school. Overall, the new logo has been on a bit of a rollercoaster, but there is hope yet, for who is to say that the student body reacted well when the old logo was first released?
4
AH, PATHETIC
I
want to thank all of the Year 12s who showed up to the DP Mixer - all 6 of them!” states Ellie Parsons, Executive Director of the Student Council Events Team. In September, the Student Council Events Team decided to organize a unique event never seen at ISL before: the DP Mixer. Open to all students in Year 12 and Year 13, the event was designed for DP students to get to know their peers and strengthen the bonds between Year 12s and Year 13s, along with music, drinks and food. “The goal of the DP mixer was to integrate the year groups better. My year did not have a good relationship with the year above, and I feel like we missed out because of that,” explains Ellie Parsons. ”It ́s nice to have someone who has already gone through what you’re going to go through to talk to.”
The afternoon of the DP mixer, decorations had been set out with snacks, and a set of speakers were present: a clear amount of thought and effort put in by the events team. However, when the clock hit 16:15, there was a notably small number of Year 12s present, if any. It felt like a Year 13 gathering rather than an event where Year 12s got to know the Year 13s. “It was a shame that they didn ́t come and it gave us an indication that as a year, we did our part and they chose not to do their part,” says Maya Kumar in Year 13. “It sucks that they don’t want to socialize with us since we don’t want to have the same problems we did with the year above, which caused a lot of unnecessary rivalries.” Relationships between the year groups are important because through these two hardest years of school we need to
Tindra Österling support each other and the Year 12´s could use someone to guide them. As the oldest year groups in school, we should be role models and be a true representation of the school’s values. These relationships are reflected in sports teams and school events, thus affecting the overall school atmosphere. As a whole, they impact the overall DP experience and make it more of a struggle than it already is. An anonymous Year 13 student explains, “Honestly, Year 13 made an effort and the majority of us were present at the mixer, and they refused to acknowledge that. Why should we keep trying to get to know them and go to their party if it’s not going to count for anything. DP mixer was FREE and they try charging us 10.- for a party with year 11s, and expect us to show up.”
SEASONAL CHANGES
S
ports are integral to ISL’s school life, and up until last year, they were an option for the students for the entirety of the academic year. However, this year, the school has changed its policy, and changed the scheduling so that the sports are only competitively available for one term. Despite the change to seasons for all competitive sports, the intensity of the trainings have not increased, as the practices are only as frequent as they had been in previous years. This means that instead of being able to focus on one sport, and commit to the competitive nature of the training, the majority of all possible sports have been squeezed into the first term. Although the facilities offered at ISL provide a limitation to the amount of training time available for each of the teams, it seems that the opportunity of sport at ISL has just been drastically cut.
change to seasons was done for a series of reasons. The first of which is fairly obvious, the scarcity of facilities and time. The ASA department is trying to accommodate for almost 1000 students as the “numbers have gone up by another 120 this year”. Mr Kilminster continued to justify that “if we had another football pitch” it would be possible to increase the trainings. Secondly, attendance of competitive teams began to drop in the third term, meaning that it was difficult for the coaches to continue running proper training without enough people attending training. The final, and arguably the most significant reason, was due to the difficulty with funding, as the ASA budget was one of the largest spending departments in the school. The cost of hiring a bus and paying coaches to attend tournaments was becoming too expensive to remain feasible.
According to Daniel Kilminster, the sports competition coordinator, the
These reasons are valid and reasonable; unfortunately, they were not very
Poppy Harrison
clearly construed. Many of the students were under the impression that ISL changed to seasons because all schools in our leagues and tournaments had made the same change. This led to teams feeling slightly scammed when they went to one of their only tournaments of the year, only to discover that some of the other schools, such as La Chat and LGB, were still competing over the whole year. Mr Kilminster explained that “the Geneva schools had always competed during the whole year” and that it was actually a rather unusual choice made in comparison to the other local schools, who had already made the change to seasons. The seasons may be difficult to adjust to, but it is something that competitive athletes are going to have to wrap their heads around as it seems that the change to seasons is going to be a permanent one.
5
FOOD FOR THOUGHT Tanvi Anand and Alyssa Wei
It’s an immense amount of freedom. In fact, there’s the option to not even have a meal altogether: there are a multitude of snack items that many consider as their “lunch”. As their eyes scan the shelves, they reach for a single chocolate bar, a cup of fruit, or nothing at all. This is just a part of their daily routine; and everything has become normalised. According to an anonymous survey sent out to random people in Year 11, for around half of all respondents, this is a reality. While it was sort of a behavioural pattern many have noticed, people are yet to comment about it. Truth is, it’s more prevalent than expected. 40.2% of respondents answered that they do not regularly have a full meal for lunch. Out of the people who eat a full meal for lunch, one of them claimed they eat lunch because they “usually don’t eat in the morning and [are] therefore really hungry for lunch.” Many of those who do not eat their lunch claimed that it was out of not feeling hungry. However, skipping meals does have its implications. In a 1996 study by the University of Texas School of Public Health, 60% of students agreed that skipping meals have had a negative impact on their school performance. In the same study, trying to lose weight was the most common reason for skipping meals. When outlining one of the reasons as to why they skip their lunches, one student said: “[I skip meals] when I begin gaining weight because it causes me to eat less than usual.” This kind of behavior is extremely concerning. But the reasons for skipping meals are complex and can’t be boiled down to one cause. For some, it’s a financial issue. “I typically eat a full meal because I am accustomed to eating a lot,” said one student. “Also, I typically have sports after school so I must eat a bit. However, on some days I overspend so as a result I only eat a cookie and/or a drink the other days.” When asked about how their peers eat, most people responded that they eat a full meal at lunchtime. However, one student responded that most of their friends “don’t eat lunch.” Most of the students surveyed, including those who skipped meals, claimed that their eating habits are not in-
fluenced by their friends. One student remarks, “I used to feel like I shouldn’t be eating what I ate at lunch (which is a normal sized lunch) because none of my friends ate but now I just don’t really care.” A study published last year shows that these silent pressures have long term effects. Those who had been pressured to exhibit behaviours like skipping meals and dieting were 25 percent more likely to be overweight and 37% more likely to be obese going into adulthood compared to those who ate normally. Skipping meals is not beneficial for teenagers from a health perspective. However, it also has social implications. Eating a meal together forges connections and serves as a way for people to talk together and catch up with one another. It has also been linked to academic success and overall satisfaction. One student said that pressure from friends helped them in a positive way. They said they stopped skipping lunch “because [their] friends want to make sure that [they are] eating well.” When asked about their self-image, the survey respondents had some very touching things to say. No one reported having a positive self-image. One student said that their self image could be better and they would “prefer to lose weight over gaining it.’’ In our society, gaining weight automatically has a negative connotation and it is clear that the students of ISL have been greatly affected by such bullshit pressures. This is only the beginning of a conversation what will hopefully extend into classrooms and even family dinner times. The subject is not talked about enough for many reasons such as fear of judgement or simply not recognizing the issue.
Illustration by Manon Libine
I
t’s 12:35. The lunch bells go off. Students stuff folders and books into their bags then rush to their lockers to put their stuff away. Friend groups congregate in the hallways, and together, make their way down to the lunch line. As the teacher lets them into the cafeteria, they are presented with a plethora of choices. There’s the fridge, abundant with sandwiches, smoothies, ready meals, sushi, and yogurt. There’s the salad bar, the pasta station, the soup table, the pizza menu, the vegetarian menu, and the menu of the day.
6
HOW DARE YOU? Kaia Grabowska strikes while it’s hot
C
limate change. Where should I start? The first climate conference took place in Geneva in 1979, 40 years ago. The Paris Climate Agreement was signed by 186 countries in 2015, its main goal being to keep the increase of global temperatures below 2°C and preferably below 1.5°C. Greta Thunberg started protesting outside of Swedish parliament in August 2018 and initiated global school climate strikes. There is a lot of discourse about global warming and saving our planet. However, the United Nations predicts that, if our emissions remain as they are now, the world will heat by 3°C by the end of the century. This could be devastating, because any increase in global temperature over 1.5°C “will lead to major and irreversible damage to the ecosystems that support us,” states the UN Secretary-General António Guterres. So apart from talking, is there any significant action being taken against the Climate Crisis?
Isn’t the climate crisis an issue worth a president’s attention? On the 23rd of September, the UN Climate Action Summit took place in New York. It brought together presidents, prime ministers, corporate executives and climate activists to present real plans to reduce emissions. Three days before, on 20 September, 4 million people gathered to protest against climate change, making it the biggest strike in history and putting pressure on upcoming negotiations. During the summit, Greta Thunberg delivered a powerful call to action, where she underlined that her generation - us - will be the ones dealing with the consequences of the climate crisis, and that our governors are “failing us”. But were the negotiations on the summit another meaningless discussion or did they help establish a constructive climate plan? During the summit, the only countries that took the stage were the ones who were coming with solutions and increased climate plans. China, India, France, the UK and Germany were some of the speakers. France announced that it will not sign any trade agreements with countries that have policies that don’t correspond with the Paris Agreement. The UK promised to double its international climate finance before 2050, and Germany agreed to become carbon neutral by 2015. China is on its way to meet its goals stated in the Paris Agreement, although it doesn’t show any interest in further tackling the climate problem or introducing stricter regulations. One of the reasons for that is the lack of inter-
est in addressing the climate crisis from the side of the US, which is responsible for the second largest carbon emissions in the world. Donald Trump didn’t plan to attend the climate summit. When asked if he was snubbing the world, Trump responded “No, it’s not a snub at all. I’m very busy. The floods are very important to me, and, uh, climate change – everything is very important.” It is obvious that the US president is busy - however, isn’t addressing the biggest Climate Crisis an issue worth a president’s attention? Truthfully, climate change is a difficult and unsettling issue, because it is simply too expensive and no one likes playing for something they don’t see as profitable. Many world leaders don’t see spending money on renewable energy as an investment, because it doesn’t bring short term benefits. Greta Thunberg expressed her frustration by saying that her dreams had been stolen by politicians’ “empty words” and underlining that the world’s major figures only “talk about money and fairytales of eternal economic growth.” In order to tackle the climate crisis, governors need to be ready to outweigh long-term benefits over short-term ones. However it is clear that no one wants to be the first one to do that. Understandably, China doesn’t want to spend excessive resources on fighting with global warming if the US shows no effort at all. Climate change action has been limited for a long time because the topic was distant for people. They couldn’t see any changes in their environment and therefore simply didn’t think about it. However, now, with an increase of global climate strikes comes a realization that it is a real issue. Even if the weather in Switzerland hasn’t significantly changed, other continents experience extreme warming, which may cause migration to Europe. It is simply impossible to isolate ourselves from the problems, because our interconnected world, fortunately or unfortunately, makes some problems that seem individual - global. Obviously we can choose to not believe in climate change however, is it a smart choice? It’s up to us to decide if we want to act upon the Climate Crisis and our political views and values should not impact this decision.
Illustration by Manon Libine
7
VSKSKO GIRLS VS TURTLES
N
ow that “hot girl summer” is over, a new species has emerged from hiding: the VSCO Girls. The meaning behind a VSCO Girl is much more than teenagers posting photos on the photo editing app of the same name: they are also warriors for the climate. VSCO girls’ concern for the environment is fascinating, but are their actions genuinely beneficial? For many young trendy teens, VSCO has become a personality trait. A stereotypical VSCO Girl would be someone that wears scrunchies and Birkenstock sandals, drinks out of a Hydro Flask, carries metal straws, and wears seashell necklaces. However, being a VSCO Girl is not just about looks, they use certain phrases such as “and I oop-” after dropping their hydro flask, or “sksksk” as their laugh. Though these VSCO Girls are described as shallow, they strive to save the planet and marine life: turtles in particular. They are extremely environmentally conscious, especially when it comes to their use of plastic. However, do all the products they use actually “save the turtles”? Plastic has grown to become one of the environment’s greatest threats. Many companies have taken action to find sustainable solutions to reduce plastic use. One of the more popular solutions is the Hydro flask. This product is beneficial in many ways. For one, as they are mostly made of recycled stainless steel they reduce waste in landfills by almost 90%. However, the manufacturing process itself is not taken into consideration. In order to collect the materials for stainless steel in the first place, chromium and nickel must be mined. Unfortunately, these happen to be a few of our finite resources. Producing that 300-gram stainless steel bottle requires seven times as much fossil fuel, releases 14 times more greenhouse gases, demands the extraction of hundreds of times more metal resources and causes hundreds of times more toxic risk to people and ecosystems than making a 32-gram plastic bottle. In the long run, Hydro flasks will be more eco-friendly, but there should be an even better solution that doesn’t require the use of finite resources altogether.
Ayana Challagalla drops her Hydro flask The average elastic hair tie lasts for one to two months before the rubber begins to fray and slowly deteriorate. What happens to these hair ties when they are thrown out? They’re absorbed into our ecosystem, or consumed by birds and fish and deposited directly back into our soil. Conventional, plastic hair ties aren’t made to last which is why they come in packs of 10 or 20. Manufacturers treat them like they’re disposable when really, they’re one of the least disposable products on the market. American women spend approximately $2.5 billion on hair accessories each year. Most hair ties barely get any use before breaking or disappearing. When most people toss a plastic bag or bottle in the trash, they never think about it again. Hair ties are exactly the same. Considering the average 24-pack of hair ties costs $6, that’s $550 million worth of hair ties purchased every year. If the same number of hair ties are discarded or lost daily, that’s 9,000 kilograms of elastic dumped into our planet each day. Synthetic hair ties take a minimum of 500 years to decompose and end up in landfills or oceans, harming the environment and marine life. This is an interesting contradiction to what a VSCO Girl would normally strive to do. Here’s the tea: VSCO Girls have the spirit, but it’s time to take things seriously. It may seem like these products are making a real difference in benefiting the environment, but no product is perfect. Where it gains sustainability in one area, it lacks in another. Not only is this ignored by many but also shamelessly promoted by these VSCO Girls. Switching to semi-sustainable products is a good start, but it is still not enough to effect proper change. The planet is heating at an incredible rate, and something more needs to be done than using metal straws and reusable water bottles. Hopefully, these VSCO Girls will live up to their name and stand for what they believe in. They have talked the talk, and now it’s time to walk the walk.
Scrunchies have finally come back into fashion, but are people aware of the materials used to manufacture them? They are quite simple to make. All one needs is fabric, scissors, pins, needle and thread, and plastic elastic. At first, this doesn’t seem like a big deal. After all, they are reusable, right? However, the durability of the elastic inside the fabric is extremely low. Illustration by Sherry Chen
8
BLOODY OIL
D
espite being neighbors, Saudi Arabia and Iran have long been bitter rivals, mostly over land, but their feud has extended to their religious differences. Saudi Arabia’s population is more than 80% Sunni Muslims, while Iran’s is more than 80% Shia Muslims. Events from the past few years have led to even more tension between the two, such as the Arab Spring, where a series of revolts against brutal Middle Eastern governments led to an unstable Middle East. Iran and Saudi Arabia used this instability to their advantage to expand their influence. Iran accomplished this in Syria by sending millions of dollars in aid and military resources to the Syrian government to help them fight the rebels. Recently, there was an event where all these tensions seemed to boil over: two Saudi oil refineries were hit by drone strikes which originated from Iran. When the strikes were made public, the US immediately blamed Iran. This is un-
surprising; the US is allied with Saudi Arabia, and is ideologically opposed to Iran. A Yemeni rebel group known as the Houthis took credit for the attacks. The Houthis are close allies with Iran, who have the drones, the targeting information, and the motive to carry out an attack. A question remains: why would Iran decide to do something so provocative, when it has many powerful enemies to contend with? Some thought it was a rather ill-advised move purely motivated by a grudge, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. This attack was thought out on every level. One concerning question comes to mind: how and why was Iran capable of plotting and carrying out an attack on one of the biggest oil refineries in the country that produces the second-largest amount of oil in the world? Despite only hitting two refineries, the attack slowed down Saudi oil production significantly, causing damage to the Saudi economy. The attacks sent gas prices
AMAZON: BLAZE IT
T
housands of fires are burning across a southern swath of the Amazon. They belch smoke and soot, blanketing those who live downwind with thick, dirty air -- destroying wildlife in their path and destroying part of one the most important carbon storehouses left on the planet. About 76,000 fires were burning across the Brazilian Amazon at last official count, an increase of over 80 percent over the same time period last year, according to data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research. By last week, before the rains started, about 7,000 square miles of the forest was in flames, an area just smaller than the size of New Jersey. The fires themselves are destructive and devastating, but their primary cause is more concerning, says Ane Alencar, the director of science at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute. “The majority of the fires we’re seeing now are because of deforestation,” she
says. “It’s crazy. We reduced deforestation by almost 65 percent in the past. We proved that we could do that. And now we’re going backward.” Brazil has long struggled to preserve the Amazon, sometimes called the “lungs of the world” as it produces 20% of the world’s oxygen. Despite the increasingly strict environmental protections of recent decades, about a quarter of this massive rainforest is already gone – an area the size of Texas. Just like the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, there are various natural calamities that are taking place all over the world right now. These destructions are not only affecting the wild plants and animals -- they are also affecting us. We must act and react and do something about the changes in the environment before the crisis gets out of hand. Social media has decided to take the lead for raising awareness: the hashtags #PrayforAmazonas and #AmazonRainforest are trending on Insta-
Salim Markabi up in the USA, halfway across the world. This was a warning to the world - Iran has the capability to seriously cripple the world economy. If it had launched a serious attack, it could have ground Saudi oil production to a halt. The attacks also sent a message to US allies in the Middle East - while the US used to have a major interest in protecting the Middle Eastern oil flow, massive oil production within the States has made them the new #1 oil producer in the world, meaning they are much less vulnerable to disruption of Middle Eastern oil. The disruption of oil flow and subsequent price increases also benefited other producers (i.e. Russia). These attacks, in short, are not something world powers should ignore, as ignoring it would empower Iran to continue. The USA, in particular, has a responsibility to act, as the country is currently the security guarantee for many Middle Eastern countries against Iran.
Neha Chakraborty gram, Twitter, etc. This is one great initiative as most people use social media as their main media to stay connected to the world, using these hashtags raise awareness in the social media society bringing a big impact in the big world. So what can you do? ISL is a podium where one can raise their voice and help raise awareness by creating small initiatives. One strong initiative that had been well received was Greta Thunberg’s #FridaysforFuture. This was one challenge that everyone accepted in order to bring changes to our daily routines. Even small things like taking the bus, shared transports, being vegetarian for a day, etc. can help the world to be a better place. Why don’t you start today? Start by helping natural calamities, like the destruction of the amazon forests by simply not purchasing plastic for a day, taking the public bus or recycling paper. Remember: small steps make impactful changes in the bigger world.
9
BROKEN CHINA Carlijn Van Der Weijst peeks behind the mask
L
et me guess, you’ve seen the stories in the news. You’ve heard people talking about it. You’ve seen the Instagram stories, and various pictures. However, what you probably don’t realise is that the current events in Hong Kong are affecting more than just the people that are protesting. As an ex-student of South Island School (one of the many international schools in Hong Kong), I have personally experienced some of the protests that took place and have seen multiple friends caught up in the middle of the chaos that Hong Kong has become. Firstly, to be able to understand everything that has happened over the last couple of months, it is important to comprehend the situation between Hong Kong and China. In 1997, Hong Kong and China agreed to a deal that allowed the state of Hong Kong to remain a part of China but, simply with a different political system. This contract was made to last until 2047 and is still intact nowadays; however, from personal experience I can tell you that there are significant differences between the Chinese culture and the culture that is expressed in Hong Kong. Of course Hong Kong still has deep roots of Chinese customs within it, but there are a majority of stark differences. For example, something as basic as language: in Hong Kong they speak Cantonese while in China they speak Mandarin. Additionally, Hong Kong has larger aspects of the western culture than China does, and there is also a larger presence of English within their community, and many other small differences. However, the greatest difference that I found between the two places is the people. Throughout Hong Kong, the people identify themselves as Hong Kongers rather than saying they are Chinese. People in Hong Kong therefore categorize themselves differently compared to people in China and see themselves as their own nationality rather than saying they’re Chinese. This is the reason why Hong Kong is in a state of chaos at the moment.
Over the last couple of months, the controversy started when the Hong Kong government proposed amendments to the extradition laws with China. This meant that China would be able to take any Hong Kong and Taiwanese fugitives and prosecute them under Chinese jurisdiction. The reason why this sparked so much outrage within Hong Kong was because Hong Kong citizens were afraid that this would lead to China holding more power of Hong Kong thus depriving it of its current independence. On June 15, Carrie Lam, the current chief executive of Hong Kong, indefinitely delayed the extradition bill which led to her finally announcing the formal withdrawal of the extradition bill on September 4. The formal withdrawal was only announced after several weeks of protests including the delayal of over 100 flights due to protests within the airport, and the release of tear gas on protestors by the Hong Kong police. However, the withdrawal of the extradition bill hasn’t stopped the protests in Hong Kong. The protests have continued to disrupt Hong Kong as the protestors have five demands: to withdraw the bill, for Carrie Lam to step down, to investigate in police brutality, for those who have been arrested because of the protests to be released, and for there to be a greater democratic freedom. Sadly, only one of these demands have been met and the protests will continue until all demands are met. These protests have damaged Hong Kong greatly. It has caused multiple buildings and systems to be shut down and disrupted. This includes the MTR which is the biggest public transportation system within Hong Kong carrying around 4.97 million passengers daily. Hong Kong’s economy has been damaged as well as levels of tourism has decreased greatly due to Hong Kong not being seen as ‘safe’ anymore. Due to the ongoing protests, multiple citizens of Hong Kong have been suffering from the chaos that has erupted, including some of my old peers. A student at South Island school said that
“basic everyday things” are affected by the protests. She said that people in Hong Kong “have to be careful where you go and which way you’re going if you need to get to a specific place”. This just shows that everyday students like us are affected on a daily basis due to the chaos that Hong Kong is in, showing how important it is to stop these protests. An ex ISL student said that because of the protests there has been ”there is spray paint in the middle of the road everywhere usually saying phrases such as ‘Free Hong Kong’” (Luna Boot). This may lead to Hong Kong’s buildings being vandalised which would surely lead to significant amounts of disruption throughout the Hong Kong community. Overall, Hong Kong has been damaged greatly by the protests and the actions that have to be taken to halt this destruction of Hong Kong are unclear. Nobody in Hong Kong is sure as to what the state will become and how badly it will have changed once the chaos is sorted. However, many people are already taking action and making plans of leaving Hong Kong and giving up their passports. Most importantly Hong Kongers are proud to be from Hong Kong and do not identify themselves as Chinese citizens. What will become of Hong Kong is still unknown and multiple people are starting to take precautions for the future. Image by Gladys Wong
10
THE DO NOTS
Tanvi Anand
READ:
LISTEN:
WATCH:
Trigger Warning William W. Johnstone (2018)
Philosophy of the World The Shaggs (1969)
The Room (2003)
This book is not a safe space. In fact, considering that its plot revolves around the struggles of The One Sane Man Left to save his special-snowflake classmates from a campus shooting, this book is a decidedly unsafe-space. Meet Jake Rivers, who will someday go down in history as the most compelling, well-rounded protagonist of the 21st century, and follow along as he rails against the oppression of trigger warnings, safe spaces, and transgender bathrooms. It’s a mess. A beautiful, beautiful mess.
The story of this album is a peculiar one: Austin Wiggin Jr. had a vision. His 3 teen daughters were destined for musical stardom. Despite not having any musical knowledge whatsoever, he took them to a studio and made them record music. The result was absolutely atrocious. Their songs are so wonderfully atonal and their lyrics are nonsensical. The album was found in the late ‘80s and became a cult classic among punks. It’s no surprise that Kurt Cobain listed it as one of his favourite albums of all time. It’s not bad, it’s avant garde, obviously.
IPHONE - I FOLD
N
ear the end of September, Samsung and Apple released their latest smartphones. Both of them are some of the best phones ever made, but which one should you buy next? The iPhone 11 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Fold were both developed based on cutting-edge technology but their features are completely different. The iPhone’s three cameras make it a goto for photography, but the Samsung’s folding design optimizes it for video-watching. With an insane zoom range, three cameras, and smart HDR, the photos taken on the iPhone 11 Pro look professional. Its wide, ultra wide, and telephoto cameras combine to make an impressive zoom range as well as balancing exposure and colors to produce the best final photo possible. It can also record 4k video at 60fps, which is some of the best video quality for a smartphone. The iPhone allows you take monochrome and portrait photos, as
well as high-definition selfies, with an improved front camera featuring a shallow aperture to make the subject stand out. iPhones have never been known for their long battery life, which is one of the main user complaints. That’s most likely coming to an end with the Pro’s 12 to 14 hour battery life, an hour longer than the iPhone XR. Apart from the camera and battery, there are few upgrades to the software and the Pro is visually similar to previous models. Apple’s competitor, Samsung, has also just released their latest phone: the Samsung Galaxy Fold. It took a few tries, but the folding tablet is finally ready. It transitions from a mobile to a 7.3 inch tablet with a multi-view option to open several apps simultaneously. It’s six camera system is also impressive, similar to the Pro. The Fold also has Samsung’s first dual battery which allows for a longer lifespan, but using the device in table mode for longer periods of time will shorten this.
This movie absolutely sucks. This is why it is absolute genius. It’s as if someone made a movie without ever seeing one. The plot itself makes no sense, and the acting is absolutely tragic. It’s a good movie to laugh at, not to watch.
Olivia Kurali and Pavi Venkat Sridhar
The Fold is Samsung’s first foldable phone. It is designed to maintain its snap using magnets and the hinges are smooth and simple. The screen is flexible, clear, and relatively durable. It is also designed to reduce the amount of blue light emitted from the screen. The Galaxy Fold isn’t seamless though, as there is a noticeable crease where the screen folds. It’s also not the best fit for your pocket because of its bulky form. Now it comes to the big question. Which one is better for you? Is it worth the upgrade to have access to these advanced features? The iPhone works great as an everyday device for photography and videography enthusiasts, while the Fold is for those who are willing to compromise convenience for the latest technology and to enjoy movies. It’s up to you to decide which one is best for you.
11
ANTHROPOCENE Elif Civelekoglu checks Earth for parasites
W
hen you were a young child, just beginning to learn of the wonders of our world, how did your parents choose to teach you? For me, my friends, and most readers, the go-to method was documentaries. Anyone who has watched a nature documentary can agree with me that documentaries typically have similar features. “In the hot African savannah, the hungry lion roams for food”. Pretty standard. Pair that with some shots taken by a drone of the area, the animals walking around, and some guy narrating, and you have yourself a solid documentary. As a child, or even as an adult viewer, we do not necessarily entertain the idea that what they do in their day-to-day life affects the far off places they’re not likely to see anyways. The lakes will always retain their magnificent blue tone, the forests will always be lush, and the animals will never be disturbed by invasive species. In an ideal world, this would be the case. However, ours is a world that is as far from ideal, and so here’s the truth: the lakes that have not gotten toxic, dirty, or dried up most likely will in the next few decades. Around 18 million acres of forest the size of Panama, a country in Central America, is lost every year. And as for the animals, getting disturbed by invasive species (also known as humans) is quite minor compared to the massive extinction rates. Dear reader, welcome to Anthropocene. Anthropocene is what scientists call the current geological age: when us humans, specifically human actions, are the dominant influence on the environment. As you may have guessed, our influence is not exactly positive.
Think of all the animals that have already gone extinct Sometimes what you need to do is to show people that a problem is actually happening, as they will not be convinced otherwise. This is exactly what the documentary Anthropocene: The Human Epoch aims to do. It is the third installment of the trilogy that includes the films Manufactured Landscapes and Watermark. As written on the Anthropocene website,“the film follows the research of an international body of scientists, the Anthropocene Working Group who, after nearly 10 years of research, are arguing that the Holocene Epoch gave way to the Anthropocene Epoch in the mid-twentieth century, because of profound and lasting human changes to the Earth”.
The documentary was shot in a wide range of locations, bringing the viewer from Kenya to Russia as well as Italy to Florida, and many more places.. As different areas of the world are revealed, the documentary allows you to reflect on just how much the world has been changed by us humans-and to what extent you caused the change. The camera reveals one by one how many geological features we take for granted have been tarnished. Be it the destroyed mountains, such as marble mines in Carrara, Italy which have now been reduced to giant blocks, or the pools that are now chemically bright green due to lithium extraction in the Atacama Desert in Chile. Even areas that first appear to be untouched by human activity are revealed to be sites of massive extinction. This is shown in a nature reserve in Kenya, where the tusks of 10,000 elephants are being kept. The sheer scale of the operation is utterly chilling, despite there being constant news coverage on illegal ivory trade. As the traders set fire to the tusks in order to destroy evidence, one cannot help but think of all the animals that have already gone extinct, and those who will soon. Overall, the media response to the documentary was well received. The documentary gained 10 nominations and 3 wins, most of which were Canadian due to the film having premiered in Canada. Online ratings are also quite high, with the average rating of 80% or more. Additionally, the film has been discussed in articles in newspapers such as the New York Times and more. Personally, after the film ended, I was still thinking about it. It’s not every day that you get slapped across the face with some cold hard facts accompanied by footage that truly shows that it is real. Perhaps after being bombarded by the sudden influx of pro-green talks of the world dying, we sort of filter it out as being “just another emergency”. Actually seeing the impact we have had on the planet is far different to hearing about it from others. To conclude, Anthropocene gives the viewer some serious food for thought, and I would highly recommend watching it.
12
GOOGLE IT Khwaish Vohra goes behind the screen
T
his summer, I spent a few days in San Jose, California, with my aunt and cousins who live there. While we were there, my aunt asked me if I would like to tour the Google offices as she has a friend that currently works there. Seeing this as an opportunity I could not miss, I said yes. Silicon Valley has a certain ambitious ring to it. Home to many of the biggest companies in tech today, it is booming with innovation. Known for its intense yet highly rewarding work environment, many come here with the hopes of starting up their own businesses and only a few succeed. Like everything, however, the valley is not without its flaws, having faced several scandals relating to the lack of work-life balance, the alleged ‘bro-culture’ present throughout, and data privacy mishaps. It is a place that is still growing and, as it does, is learning how to deal with the magnitude of the power it possesses. Keeping this in mind, I got into the car, ready to tour the Google premises. I was excited, yet slightly apprehensive. As we pulled up into the Google driveway, we met my aunt’s friend and introduced ourselves. He set the scene for us, we were currently standing in front of the company’s main ‘campus.’ This struck me as unusual; when I think of multinational corporations and the space in which they work, the last word that comes to mind is campus. Instead, I think of words like ‘office’. However, through using the word campus, I began to associate Google with an educational institution like a school or university. As the tour progressed, it became clear to me that Google was unlike any organization I knew of. For example, as my aunt’s friend explained to us, the work culture is extremely democratic and project-based. Every single deci-
sion that is made within a group or the company is voted on. As he explained, “Here everyone has a voice: interns, employees, managers, etc.” This is in stark contrast with the traditional topdown approach of most organizations where you are told to do a task or a project without much discourse. The benefits of such a structure are numerous and include increased innovation and productivity; in a place like Google, constant innovation is a must. Another unusual thing about the company? The amount of facetime employees get with top executives such as Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Sundar Pichai. The company organizes a weekly event every Thursday after work for people to come together and discuss ideas, as well as bring up any issues they are facing at the moment. It is a popular event and these top executives are there frequently. This theme of investing in employees and hearing out their concerns can be seen elsewhere throughout the campuses. On bulletin boards, you see posters advertising cultural groups like ‘Latina Women in Tech’. Nap pods and game lounges can be seen throughout the space, giving employees the chance to unwind and relax, in order to combat the effects of the intense work that they do. All of this gave me the impression that Google is aware that it does not exist within a vacuum. It is actively trying to take and foster initiatives that are pertinent in today’s world. This is evident as well within the diversity present throughout the company. You could see different ethnicities present, different languages being spoken, and different food being served in the many cafeterias and food trucks on campus. Oh yes, they have food trucks, and ice cream stations, and juice bars, but I digress. It is clear that Google encourages diversity within its community. In fact,
according to my aunt’s friend, each and every team within a project is checked to see if it is both ethnically and gender-balanced, to make sure all perspectives are being heard and accounted for. In general, employees have more control over the work that they do. Everywhere you go within the campuses, there is an opportunity to learn something new and to share your knowledge with others. All of this results in an environment that reminds me of our school in many ways, an environment that is culturally and ethnically diverse, as well as where the philosophy that you never stop learning is truly imbibed and reflected. It results in a culture that is becoming the norm in Silicon Valley. However, it is important to remember to address that even if Google has certain ideals they believe in - like ‘don’t be evil’ - they don’t always meet their goals. The most recent example being when the company was fined $170 million for collecting child users’ data without the consent of their parents. Overall, my visit to Google was enlightening and exciting. It was encouraging to see the ways in which large companies, like Google, are taking the initiative to change the way they approach the world that they exist in with a purpose larger than just profit. However, it also reminded me that organizations always have room to grow. It is easy to get wrapped up in the glamour of the work that the Silicon Valley is doing, but it is important to remember that having ideals isn’t always enough. It is important to constantly reflect upon them and imbibe them - something most organizations could work on.
13
SEND IN THE CLOWNS
F
or those of you not currently following the news, it’s presidential election season in America again. While ballots won’t actually be cast until November of 2020, the American election cycle started a few months ago with both the Democratic and Republican primaries taking center stage in US political discourse. We are currently in the stage (the primaries) where an array of different politicians come out of the woodwork to try and become the party’s singular candidate. In 2016, for example, Hillary Clinton beat Bernie Sanders (and many other candidates) in the Democratic primaries to become the party’s nominee and run against Donald Trump in the general election. This is where the nominee from the Republican party and the nominee from the Democratic party face off against each other to see who becomes the president. So why talk about this now? Even this early in the election cycle, there have been serious developments in the 2020 race that are worth talking about. So let’s talk about them. The Democratic primary this election cycle has been a bit of a circus. More than 20 candidates have put their names forward within the Democratic party: an unprecedented number. This gives voters a lot of choice as to who they vote for, and has led to some very atypical candidates with some very atypical ideas (Andrew Yang, for example, is an entrepreneur who wants to give everyone in the US a thousand dollars a month as part of a “Freedom Dividend”). Broadly speaking, however, the Democratic candidates can be divided into two camps: the establishment and the progressive Democrats. The socalled progressive wing of the party is something that is relatively new in recent American politics. And depending on who you ask, can be thought of as either pie-in-the-sky communists out to destroy the West, or a group of brave anti-status quo warriors set to save the Amercian people. Either way, progressives are more left-wing than their es-
Athan Massouras weeps for democracy
tablishment counterparts, and tend to support policies that increase taxes on the rich and redistribute the money to the lower and working classes through things like free healthcare and the expansion of welfare programs such as social security. In the 2016 presidential elections, only one popular progressive candidate really existed: Bernie Sanders. This time around, however, people like Elizabeth Warren, Tulsi Gabbard, Julian Castro, and Andrew Yang have added their names to the list of progressive candidates, and now form a more influential part of the party.
coming months.
The other wing of the Democratic party are the so-called establishment Democrats (otherwise referred to a centrist democrats or neo-liberal democrats). These are usually older Democrats who have controlled the party since the Bill Clinton administration in the 90’s. While progressive democrats are generally in favour of totally uprooting the status quo, establishment Democrats tend to be more friendly towards businesses, and less willing to implement drastic social change like the one proposed by progressives. In short, while they are socially left-wing (supporting abortion and equal rights, like their progressive counterparts), they tend to be more economically conservative (in favour of smaller government and more leniency when it comes to big businesses and Wall Street). In this election cycle, this philosophy has been championed by people like Joe Biden, Peter Buttigieg, and Kamala Harris.
The Democratic primary this cycle has been a circus
When it comes to the Democratic party, some conclusions can be drawn, even this early in the election cycle. For one, it looks like the race has been narrowed down to Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders, as these are the only three candidates that are consistently polling above 10%. In addition to this, several candidates (Jay Inslee, Kirsten Gillibrand, e.t.c) have already dropped out of the race officially, with more expected to drop out in the
The Republican party has the opposite querk than the Democrats: it only really has one candidate. Donald Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee, with only one other even slightly popular candidate running against him (Joe Walsh). However, Trump has sky-high favourability within the party, meaning that he is basically guaranteed to be the Republican nominee. To be clear, this isn’t unusual. In 2012, Obama ran almost entirely unopposed in his campaign for reelection until the general election.
One question still remains, however. Why should you care? I believe that even if you aren’t an American citizen, what happens in America still concerns all of us. For one, many people leaving school plan to study in the US. This means that, for example, a proposal to make university in America free is of direct concern to those people. In addition to this, America is the most powerful country in the world, and its foreign policy affects all of us. “The US is arguably the most important country in the world,” one year 11 student said, when asked why they cared about the election. “Everything the president does has a ripple effect on the rest of the world.” So even if you don’t care about politics, and care even less about the US, maybe it’s worth having at least a surface level idea of what is going on, as it may be more important to you and your future than you may think.
14
SPORTS ROUNDUP Tom Secheyron goes higher, faster, stronger
T
he last few weeks in the sports world have been full of legacy-defining moments for athletes of all kinds. From the speedy track athletes which took part in the Track and Field World Championships in Doha, Qatar to the ongoing Rugby World Cup in Japan, there has been a huge amount of sports all over the globe. Here’s a roundup…
World Triathlon Championships in Lausanne
With numerous ISL students present on the day of the Finals to volunteer at this international event, the World Triathlon Championships completely took over our city during the last weekend of August. While the open races on the Thursday and Friday only gathered small crowds, the Place d’Ouchy was absolutely packed on Saturday and Sunday, as the best triathlon athletes in the world ended their season on the shores of Lac Leman. Covering 1.5 kilometers of swimming, 40 on bike, and 10 on foot, the two individual winners on the day were Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt for the men, and American Katie Zaferes for the women, who was highly favored for the crown coming into the race. Despite his win, Blummenfelt had not performed well at earlier ITU Triathlons, and was tenth in the final Series rankings. The season champion was Frenchman Vincent Luis, who had been the most consistent throughout the season, with great performances at Yokohama (winner) and Leeds (2nd-place finish). For the women, winner Zaferes was leading the overall Series rankings coming into the Lausanne event, and only strengthened her grasp on the title through her victory.
Rugby World Cup in Japan
The group stage of the Rugby World Cup, organized in Japan for the first time ever, has been eventful, and there are sure to be more surprises coming up. The hosts kicked off the tournament with a win against Russia, defeating them 30-10. Just a couple of days later, a clash between two favorites for the title, New Zealand and South Africa, proved to live up to the anticipation which surrounded it. The two teams put on a
world class showing, potentially previewing the final on November 2nd. New Zealand did come out on top however: 23-13 in favour of the defending champions. The biggest surprise of the tournament so far took place in Shizuoka, when Japan edged out Ireland to potentially claim first place in Pool A. Shocked by this loss, the Irish, however, went on to crush Russia 35-0 and are almost guaranteed a place in the quarter finals. Other strong teams followed what was expected of them. England, for example, have won all of their games and are guaranteed a place in the quarter finals, despite not having played their final pool stage game against France. That matchup will take place on Saturday, October 12th and will decide the eventual winner of Pool C. After that, the quarter finals will surely bring even more spectacle to a well-organized World Cup in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Track and Field World Championships in Doha
In contrast to the Rugby World Cup in Japan, the Track and Field World Championships in Doha are now finished. Despite receiving a significant amount of criticism due to lack of attendance in the earlier stages, these Championships were extremely interesting and had many glued to their TVs. One highlight came during the Women’s 400 meter hurdles, when Dalilah Muhammad broke her own world record, with an astonishing time of 52.16 seconds. The Americans were dominant in the sprints, both for men and women; young star and Florida-born Noah Lyles claimed the victory in the 200 meters, running a time of 19.83 seconds for half a lap. For Great Britain, Katarina Johnson-Thompson brought back the gold in the heptathlon (6,981
points) and at the same time broke Jessica Ennis-Hill’s national record. In the long distance events, it was a Norwegian show, with the three Ingebrigtsen brothers present in at least one event each. 19-year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the younger of the three, was especially under the spotlight with his performances in the 5,000 and 1,500 meters. One more fact which surprised many was that due to the heat in Doha, the marathons had to be run from midnight to three in the morning, something which didn’t stop men’s favorite Lelisa Desisa to triumph, but did cause 18 runners to drop out of the race.
World Cycling Championships in Yorkshire
While some athletes were suffering from the heat in Doha, others were drenched by the wet and stormy weather during the World Cycling Championships in Yorkshire. Under these daunting conditions, it was cyclist Mads Pedersen who surprised everyone by claiming the victory for his home country of Denmark. He was aided by an early-stage crash involving pre-race favorite Phillipe Gilbert (Belgium) and was able to outsmart more experienced and wellknown cyclists like Nairo Quintana or Julian Allaphillipe. The last few kilometers were hotly contested, as Italian Matteo Trentin had a teammate paving the way for his victory, but through grit and a hard-fought sprint finish, it was Pedersen who became the first Danish world champion for cycling. He will now proudly wear the rainbow-colored world champion tunic throughout 2020 on some of the most prestigious tours in the world, including La Vuelta (Italy) and the Tour de France.
15
SIGN OF THE TIMES
W
hat’s your zodiac sign? Whether you believe in astrology or not, you probably think you know the answer. Well, I’m here to tell you, depending on your view of the zodiac, you may be wrong. A new sign was discovered recently by NASA which shifted the dates for all the zodiac signs. NASA learned that the calculations done by ancient astrologers was actually incorrect about there being twelve signs. There are actually thirteen astrological signs. This means there is a chance that you may not be the sign you originally thought. This new sign is called Ophiuchus and is for people born from November 29th to December 17th. Earlier this year, NASA made a blog post revealing a lot of new information
about astrological signs. When ancient Babylonians created zodiac signs over 3,000 years ago, they wanted the signs to correspond to their twelve month calendar. The problem was, however, that there are thirteen astrological signs, so they decided to not include Ophiuchus for the signs to fit nicer. You may be upset that this new sign has shifted all the dates. However, NASA revealed that the Earth’s axis has shifted its direction over time changing the position of the constellations drawn by the ancient astrologers. So, in the end, all the dates of the different signs have changed anyways. There are people who do not believe that this new sign is not valid and should not be thought of as a legitimate addition. Here is their reasoning
WORDSEARCH
Rohan Reagan behind it. Western astrology does not follow the constellations in relationship with the Earth. They instead follow the Tropical zodiac which uses artificial constellations. This follows the apparent path of the sun instead of the movement of the visible stars. To put it simply, Western astrology uses the Tropical zodiac which follows the seasons, not the constellations. Many astronomers agree with these claims and do not consider this new version of the zodiac that includes Ophiuchus to be true. After seeing the uproar caused by their discovery, NASA released a statement, “Here at NASA, we study astronomy, not astrology. We didn’t change any zodiac signs, we just did the math.”
16
PUFF SAVES THE PLANET
Illustration: Zoé Poinssot Story: Sharmila Joy
STRESS BINGO Didn’t leave the house for 48 hours over the weekend
Binged an entire TV show
Cried yourself to sleep
Showed up to school with a RedBull high
Counted the chances of failing the IB
Posted a crying selfie
Drank coffee past 12:00am
Asked for more than 2 deadlines for the same task
Dropped from Math HL to SL
Dropped Math SL to Studies
Pulled an all-nighter
Slept for over 12 hours
Tallied and compared # of breakdowns with a friend
Cried on the way to school
Slept in the Y13 lounge for 30+ mins
Took a mental health day
Died.
Drank at least 3 cups of coffee per day
Skipped school to study/do homework
Cried in the school bathroom
Fallen asleep in 3 classes in a row
Cried to Ms. Vivian
Fell asleep during homeroom
Had a teacher ask you, “Are you okay?”
Made a stress bingo instead of working
0-5 Good luck with Personal Project! 5 - 10 Do you even IB? 10 - 15 Multiply your score by 2 to get your IB point score 15 - 20 vcaggiari@isl.ch 20 - 25 You’re in Y13