LEIGHTON PARK’S STUDENT LED NEWSPAPER
The Acorn I S S U E
Featured
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articles: •
The Discussion - By Fin Walker
From Short Stories to
Marathon Movies •
This Autumn’s Poetry Picks
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Going Green with the Eco Team
Inside this issue: Talking tech - Apple Updates
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Pitch Perspective
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House drama Highlights
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House Heroes: The Face Behind the Name
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Puzzels Corner
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Libya Loses Thousands For most, Sunday 10th of September was a normal day but for Libya, it was a completely different story. After facing one of the harshest storms Libya had ever experienced, the 40 cm of rainfall was becoming too overwhelming for the Derna dams. The city of Derna itself dates back to the 15th century with many historically significant structures and is a mostly Hindu region. But unfortunately, when cracks began to show on the Derna dams, most of these sites were wiped away. In a matter of minutes, Derna was flooded with water so deep, cars were submerged never to be seen again.
It was estimated by the UN that 4,000 died in the resulting carnage. Areas near and even far from the dams found themselves in over 30 metres of rain. The water ravaged nearby hotels and flats that scaled 40 stories high which left a difficult job for rescue workers. Initially, it was only Libya and UN aid being used in the aftermath of the flood with no European help of any kind. It was only 3 days later that France and Germany sent their relief. Throughout the recovery phase, 3,000 bodies were located with 1,000 still missing and presumed dead. When aid started leaving and people began to fully reconcile with the tragedy, it was later found
that (due to climate change) the annual rainfall had increased by 22.5 metres the previous year. The flood has recently disappeared from major news outlets and the public mind is leaving Libya to clean up the mess of a city that once was. This event is set to cost the Libyan government over $50 Billion in rebuilding costs for an already economically crippled nation. The flood will go down in history as one of the worst pieces of evidence for climate change.
The Discussion - By Isla Walker
Rishi Sunak Stumps Tory Policies The prime minister of the UK is supposed to be an upstander in their policies, but Rishi Sunak seems to want out. Leader of the Conservative party, Rishi Sunak was elected in by the party members in 2022 and has since focused the nation on lowering inflation and rebuilding the once large British economy. Behind his mild-mannered demeanour, Rishi Sunak’s announcement was an excoriating demolition of the Conservative governments that came before his, some of which he was a member of. Already Rishi Sunak has said that people will still be
able to buy new diesel/petrol cars until 2035 and no new energy efficiency targets on homes. The actions taken by Mr Sunak could hurt the future of the Conservatives as election season rolls around. Labour promises to stick with the original 2030 goal for petrol/ diesel cars but agrees with Sunak on postponing the boiler replacements until the new date. He has also dodged many questions about the future of the high speed HS2 rail road which runs from London to Birmingham then to Leeds but is now cancelling the railroad so it does not go to neighbouring Manchester. HS2 has already cost the general public
over £10 Billion in taxpayer and treasury money, but is yet to provide significant progress. Many had land forcibly bought from them by the government in order to construct, which could prove pointless and costly. HS2 is meant to support business into the north but the constant delays that the construction has had is more likely to push large enterprises away. Ultimately, whether Rishi Sunak and the Conservative party can follow through on any of their policies seems, to some, unlikely.
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Talking Tech - By Thomas Battye
Apple Updates
The new iPhone 15, costing an average of £1000
First up is the iPhone. The iPhone 15s have come out featuring the new Dynamic Island, which debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro last year. The dynamic island allows for data to be displayed in the area previously occupied by a notch.
Roadside Assistance and Emergency SOS via satellite are now available to iPhone 15. Disappointingly the event launch for the iPhone 15 was filled with greenwashing, simply showing how much of the iPhone 15 was recycled.
The iPhone 15 now features a 48MP camera, which also debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro last year. This means that you can take higher quality photos and use 2x zoom because it simply crops the image to allow for the effect. Disappointingly, Apple has chosen to use last year's SoC (system on a chip), A16 Bionic, which debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro. This means that whilst it will be faster than A15, it will not be as fast as the A17 chip.
iPhone 15 Pro has fewer new features, however, it now comprises a fully titanium body and significantly more rounded edges. In addition, the bezels have been reduced even more, to allow the iPhone to become smaller. The iPhone 15 Pro also has a new action button, which can be programmed to open an app or run a Siri shortcut. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is almost entirely the same as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, except for a few key features, the first of which being the Action Button.
A much-wanted feature, USB -C has now debuted allowing you to charge your phone, Mac, and iPad with the same charger, allowing you to connect with more accessories for your iPhone.
The action button is somewhat useful, though it does sacrifice the much loved silent button. Sadly the action button is far from perfect, being that if you want
to use certain functions you are required to unlock your phone before the action occurs. In addition you have to hold the button for approximately 2 seconds to prevent accidental presses. This does contribute towards making the action button less than perfect. The titanium body of the phone does make it feel slightly lighter, and it is also significantly smaller, with some of the smallest bezels on the market at the moment. Beyond those features there are not any real other changes beyond slight performance improvements. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is, in a nutshell exactly the same as the previous Apple Watch Ultra, even the new Double Tap feature can be replicated through using the AssistiveTouch function.
Overall this year's new Apple Products are underwhelming, though show promise if improved on.
Talking Tech - By Saarvi Sarawagi
The Battle For Eco-Tech
Artificial intelligence needs to join forces with nature and create green technology
The world moves on and it moves on fast. Only years ago we were introduced to the concern of climate change, and now it will soon be too late to stop it from destroying our planet. As every second we step into the future, the technology only grows and sometimes it can harm our environment by emission and waste our energy. But there is always a solution. We can innovate some kind of technology that helps to reduce our carbon footprint. A new type of technology has been introduced which is green technology. Green technology helps to use technology in a way that can
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reduce human impact on our natural environment. It also acts as an efficient tool for carbon neutralisation as they specialise in energy efficiency. The research and development cycle is too slow compared to the pace of climate change. In order to keep up, it is essential to adapt from the effective strategies that have been formed before. Biomimicry is one of the concepts that follows the theory of adapting. Scientists try to imitate life by learning from the environment and trying to regenerate the characteristics of a plant in a lab. Biomimicry consists of three core values: Emulate,
Ethos and (Re)Connect. Emulate means to research and replicate the environment. Ethos signifies the philosophy of understanding life and creating designs based on that. Finally, (Re)Connect combines the two values and means to connect with life on Earth to understand it better and research more efficiently. Through biomimicry, we can restore the air, water and soil instead of degrading it. It is a fast concept which can help with pace and it focuses on conservation of many environments. But the most important part is that it brings some hope for saving our future through all its elements.
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Reviews Segment - By Leander Bartsch, Hailey Tang and Dillon Sondhi.
From Short Stories to Marathon Movies Blue 4eva Written by Saba Sams In 2022, Saba Sams won the 2022 BBC National Short Story Competition with her piquant short story, Blue 4eva. It is a raw portrait of patchwork families and young queerness. In her own words: “I first wrote Blue 4eva in rainy Manchester when I was a student, though it was very different then. The story was very short, more of a vignette, but I had fun with it.” Thereafter, the story gained depth, focusing on “what it looks like to be a young woman” and how “we’re constantly looking to break free.” The writing is akin to Sally Rooney’s flat, muted prose (which famously lacks quotation marks). For this reason, some critics argue that Sam’s lacks originality. Perhaps it does lack originality, but the honest depiction of a young girl is incredibly satisfying. It really does allow women to “break free.” In the story, a patchwork family (including remnants of divorced families) forms, with Stella, the twelve-year-old protagonist, and Jasmine, her halfsister. Stella meets Blue, Jasmine's friend who she has brought on holiday. Stella and Blue begin to form a friendship amidst Stella’s arguments with Jasmine. It is a chaotic backdrop, engaging and touching, which allows the ending to be particularly poignant.
The Queen’s Gambit - Directed by Scott Frank Based on the novel of the same name (by Walter Tevis), The Queen’s Gambit (2020) was released in the midst of COVID and was an instant hit with households across the world. The audience follows orphan Beth Harmon, who navigates her dream of becoming the best chess player in the world in the face of sexism and doubt from her male counterparts. However, as her career flourishes so does her dependency on alcohol and drugs, sending her into a spiral of addiction. The Queen’s Gambit is an excellent example of a short series that intertwines excellent cinematography and thrilling plot to create an engaging viewing experience. The series brilliantly emphasises the difficulties with growing up, as it fully embraces its place within the coming-ofage genre. The representation of 60s American culture is shown heavily, and main character Beth Harmon embodies all the glory of retro shapes, prints and glamorous accessories. It also embodies a Dark Academia aesthetic to attenuate the darker themes represented in the film. Overall, The Queen’s Gambit is a short and sweet watch, however, it will leave you with an everlasting impression. Similar shows include: Anne with an E (2017), Sharp Objects (2018)
Thanks for Annual Open Morning! A huge thanks to everyone who helped with Annual Open Morning this year. It was our biggest yet with over 200 families visiting the School. We had students helping as guides and departmental ambassadors with the opportunity to share positive experiences of life on the Park with our visitors.
Oppenheimer Directed by Christopher Nolan Oppenheimer is Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated drama based on the life of the father of the atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer. While the film does largely focus on the Manhattan Project, it primarily explores the life of Robert Oppenheimer, as it is set between the years 1929 and 1954. Because of this, it covers events from Oppenheimer’s life both before and after the Manhattan Project, as well as the detonation of the atomic bomb itself. While the film is a biopic, it is based on the 2005 book by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin, American Prometheus. While the film does not share the same name, it does make reference to themes present in the book, even featuring lines of dialogue, quotes, which make reference to such mythology. Upon the release of the film (21st of July, 2023) it became an immediate hit, with people flooding into their local cinemas to see Nolan’s new 3 hour biopic. The film grossed $80.5 in the opening weekend and has become the new second most successful adult -rated film of all time.
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Sporting Success - By Ella Lake
Pitch Perspective
New Zealand beating Ireland in their match on the 14th of October
The Rugby World Cup 2023 has been home to many surprises this year. In a turn of events, New Zealand prevailed on the 29th of September with a score of 96 to 17 against Italy proving that they stand another strong chance of bringing home the final trophy.
have made a massive comeback from previous years. One to highlight is the up-and-coming French team with their first game against the All Blacks winning 27 to 13. They are comfortably sitting at the top of Pool A with New Zealand and Italy close behind…
This year many countries
In other news, David Beckham, one of the most revered and famous players of all time, has released a docu-series titled, ‘Beckham’ after having retired 10 years before. Unlike the well known resilient player he is known to be, this documentary exposes the abuse he suffered for being sent off in the 1998 World Cup.
Sustainability Segment - By Lilia Abassi
Going Green with the Eco Team On Wednesday the 4th of October, the Sustainability club held a collect about future endeavours, but what was discussed?
Student and parent volunteers getting stuck in to the building of the allotment by Fryer House
A plan to place recycling bins around the whole school and in the boarding spaces has come to fruition this term, encouraging people to think carefully about what they throw away and where. By recycling one ton of paper we can save 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water and enough energy to power a home for six months. Always remember: Is it paper though? A sustainable house fashion competition is also in the pipeline, with creativity and sustainability at the heart of it. The houses will be divided into 3 sections: Fryers, Juniors and Seniors. In order to promote equality between all houses, every house will be funded with a £100 budget to create 3 sustainable outfits. The event will take place at the beginning of Easter Term, during which all outfits will be showcased. With recycling and fashion accounted for, did you
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know that roughly 3⁄5 of our school’s CO2 footprint comes from Oakview? This equates to each of us producing 2.79 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year, while meat accounts for nearly 60% of these emissions. The consumption of meat can be lowered by eating smaller quantities of it or adding a vegetarian option in your diet; let’s try to meat halfway! Food waste continues to contribute to our carbon footprint, so bokashi bins, which can turn food waste into compost, are being introduced. In these, the food waste undergoes fermentation which helps to build amino acids, antibiotics and vitamins into the compost without releasing any greenhouse gases in the process. Furthermore, many of you will have noticed the tall grasses growing along the paths which are creating flourishing ecosystems. Cambridge University conducted a study relating to grass species and the correlation to biodiversity which revealed that a patch of grass that had not been mowed supported 3
times more species, bugs and plants than the mown one. We have also been working on the allotment and the greenhouse. On the 30th of September, many volunteers began construction of the greenhouse and now, it is almost complete. We can’t wait to finally start with the allotment which will contain our own school vegetables and various plants! We are proud to say that a group of students will represent Leighton Park at the Sustainability Governor’s Committee this October and we can’t wait to get involved with the upcoming COP28 summit activities as a school. All of the wonderful events above forge our future in becoming a greener school. Therefore, we encourage each and every one of you to get involved, be it in joining our sustainability club, helping out with sustainable projects, or even reducing meat consumption. Let’s do this team LP!
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Arts Section - By Max Cartmill
This Autumn’s Poetry Picks In light of National Poetry Day on the 5th of October, this edition will highlight some poems recommended by the members of the Poetry Club and The Acorn. Thank you to Alex Leighton , Alex Bradshaw and George Verry for their contributions. Watch out for more information about Poetry By Heart—a recital competition which YOU can be part of! Parting - Emily Dickinson My life closed twice before its close; It yet remains to see If Immortality unveil A third event to me, So huge, so hopeless to conceive, As these that twice befell. Parting is all we know of heaven, And all we need of hell. Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that it's sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed. And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains. Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.
A Dog was Crying Tonight in Wicklow Also - Seamus Heaney
‘Human beings want death to last forever.’
When human beings found out about death They sent the dog to Chukwu with a message: They wanted to be let back to the house of life. They didn’t want to end up lost forever Like burnt wood disappearing into smoke Or ashes that get blown away to nothing. Instead they saw their souls in a flock at twilight Cawing and headed back to the same old roosts And the same bright airs and wing-stretchings Each morning. Death would be like a night spent in the wood: At first light they’d be back in the house of life. (The dog was meant to tell all this to Chukwu.)
Then Chukwu saw the people’s souls in birds Coming towards him like black spots off the sunset To a place where there would be neither roosts Not trees Nor any way back to the house of life.
But death and human beings took second place When he trotted off the path and started barking At an other dog in broad daylight just barking Back at him from the far bank of a river. And that is how the toad reached Chukwu first, The toad who’d overheard in the beginning What the dog was meant to tell. ‘Human beings,’ he said (And here the toad was trusted absolutely),
House Polyglot The House Polyglot competition designed to tie in with National Poetry Day was a fascinating blend of literature, languages and drama as the four Houses presented their group pieces on Monday 2nd October. With the theme of ‘Refuge’ students crafted poems that captivated the listener with their messages of compassion and the added richness of multiple languages, reflecting our diverse, international community.
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House Happenings - Livi Randall
House Drama Highlights
Fox House taking to the stage with ’Persephone’
From modern versions of Shakespeare to retellings of Greek mythology, this year’s House Theatre Arts had something for everyone. The competition, held on Thursday 12th October, fused drama and dance as a celebration of the theatre and was a roaring success for all involved. Bentsi-Enchill performed first with their piece ‘Shadows’, a beautiful commentary about a girl with difficult family circumstances learning to cope at school. The decision to physically realise each character’s emotions using masked dancers was bold,
eye-catching and incredibly effective, providing the narrative its multifaceted aspect. Next up were Cadbury, with a laugh-out-loud modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, ‘Roman and Julia’ that had the audience in fits. The performance also stood out for its finale dance to Dance The Night Away from the Barbie movie. Fox and ‘Persephone’ creatively retold the classic Greek myth in a very watchable way and despite some technological difficulties, the cast pulled together for a wonderful show. Congratulations to
Charlotte Coyle who won best lead actress for her performance as the title character! Finally, Tubman brought ‘Arty and the Knights’ to the stage and took the win overall. Loosely based on Arthur and the Round Table, Tubman gave a high energy, hilarious performance about a struggling band, a magical guitar, Elvis Presley and a whole host of fans. What a show! Congratulations to everyone involved and thank you to everyone who made the evening possible; we can’t wait to see what happens next year!
House Happenings - By Charlotte Parker
House Heroes: The Faces Behind the Names Fox
Each of our houses have a unique namesake with an incredible life. Let’s celebrate our history!
Fox house is named after the founder of Quakerism. George Fox. George Fox was born in July 1624. He left home at the age of 18 in search of satisfying religious council. He began preaching to individuals or to groups as he travelled England. He travelled by foot and groups of seekers worshipped him and his message. He shared his message and in 1652 he created the Society of Friends or now more commonly known as Quakers. Tubman
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Tubman is named after the brave Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman was born into slavery between 1820 - 1822. She was 27 when she escaped. She had Narco-
lepsy and suffered from dizzy spells for most of her life. When she escaped she knew she couldn’t leave her family behind so she went back for them. She then dedicated her life to helping enslaved people escape using the underground railroad. A code message used to help enslaved people escape. She rescued 700 people during her lifetime and her help toward the underground railroad helped many more. Cadbury During her life Helen Cadbury was an author, philanthropist, Head of the Barrow Cadbury trust and Old Leightonian. She wrote 4 books in her lifetime. Including ‘Bones in the Nest’, ‘Forever, Now’, ‘Race to the kill’ and ‘To Catch a Rabbit’. To Catch a Rabbit was her first ever novel which ended up being chosen by the
Yorkshire Post in 2015 and was joint winner of the northern crime award that year. She also trained as a teacher and taught at two inner-London comprehensive schools. BentsiEnchill Bentsi-Enchill was an Old Leightonian and used to be head boy at our school. What we know about him is more personal to the school and the local school because he attended the school. Another OL stated that he was diligent and gifted for the time. “He was always good fun to be with, cheerful and caring.” After his years at LP even with multiple offers from multiple good universities in the UK, he decided to go back to Ghana. Where a friend commented “He was indeed a gem.” He became a partner in a law firm in Ghana and was very successful.
Feel like testing your brain? Want to get your mind in a muddle? Welcome to Leighton Park’s very own…
Puzzles Corner Global Perspectives Glory - By Antigoni Mavroudi –guest contributor
Cystic Fibrosis Fiesta For our GPP project, our group wanted to focus on a global health matter. We were inspired by the story of an OL, Olivia Beaumont and the book “Five Feet Apart” which our group has all read. Our aim was to raise more awareness of people living with Cystic Fibrosis and encourage investment into affordable yet effective treatments. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition that causes a mucus build up in the lungs and digestive system. This significantly decreases someone’s life expectancy and freedom as they’re also more prone to infections and malnutrition. Olivia B, an OL with CF, came
to Leighton Park in year 9 as a boarder in 2004. Every day, she visited the Health Center to receive physiotherapy and her medication, whilst also trying to balance her lessons and commitments of a normal school day. Olivia used her passion for music to express herself and through the strong online CF community she met Alice Martineau, a songwriter and singer who also had CF. However, Alice sadly passed away two years later and Olivia’s song “Alice in Wonderland” was dedicated to Alice and her story. To raise awareness for the condition, we presented to
the Year 7s as well as sharing Olivia’s story and the song’s powerful message. This was then continued as they partook in an interactive installation. We designed a pair of massive wire lungs where each student got to attach two colourful paper flowers. Our project was a great success and provided an alternative approach to learning visually which year 7 enjoyed. To help raise awareness for cystic fibrosis, please consider donating to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
(Story contributed by a Year 11 GPP group.)
Year 11’s wire lungs in all their finery after the presentation