dear past self

Makenzie Robertson and Seraphina Katta

Past PLC…

PLC is known for its vast and adaptive school rules from having to wear a kilt with brown shoes to now having to wear black shoes (and we think that is a very good decision.) It was founded in 1887 and is now in its 134th year of educating girls. The location of the PLC Armidale campus has changed several times and in 1960 the starting stages of building the current campus was initiated. The school wasn’t always called Presbyterian Ladies College and it wasn’t until 1941 when the College was obtained by the Presbyterian Church of New South Wales that they changed the name. In 2005, PLC Armidale joined in alliancewith PLC Sydney, making the two sister schools as they still are today.

The college has always offered a wide range of extracurricular activities and continue to encourage students to have a go at creative arts and sport. As a regional, all-girls school, PLC Armidale plays an important role in the community by providing an exclusively female education system. The school’s motto was originally Lux Per Studia, meaning ‘Enlightenment Through Study’ but was later changed to Ad Astra which means ‘To the Stars’. The school still follows this motto and continues to remind girls that they should “reach for the stars” and aim to fulfil their dreams.

“You’re going to have so many people in your life and they’re going to come and go. You have to accept that you’re not going to be friends with them all, but everyone is your friend for a reason and each one is in your life at a specific time for a purpose, don’t push them into a time in your life that they are not meant to be included in.”

“That kid you thought you were in love with when you were twelve… girl, what were you thinking…” “Don’t chug lukewarm tea”

“Don’t reject great opportunities, just say Yes!”

“Don’t be afraid to do things, don’t let the fear of failure or rejection hold you back from giving things a go. Sometimes you’ll only get the opportunity once”

“Don’t be afraid to do things, don’t let the fear of failure or rejection hold you back from giving things a go. Sometimes you’ll only get the opportunity once”

“Even though things got challenging and you started questioning, things turned out all good. Plus; your discovery of bubble tea has been life-changing.”

‘Don’t forget to feed the dogs’

“Don’t let school run your life. Work hard for the things you care about, and then don’t let it leak into time that you should be spending with friends. We’re teenagers, and we’ll be in school for a long time, so don’t let it swallow you up.”

Past Experiences Past experiences are events that have shaped our life up until now. They can be both positive and negative events. We can learn a lot when we take the time to reflect on our past selves and experiences. Everyone has memories that they would like to forget because they’re embarrassed by them or know what they did wasn’t the right thing to do. The truth is that when we reflect on these memories we can learn from the mistakes we made and know what to do differently in the future. We can learn life lessons that will help us in the future and what we’re currently doing. We can also use these lessons to talk to other people and teach them what we wish we’d known. If you’ve been in that person’s shoes you may well have invaluable advice for them. We can look at how our past selves reacted to a situation and figure out the most appropriate way to respond the next time. This is a useful skill to have as when we’re caught off guard we can reflect on past experiences and navigate the confusion we feel in the moment. It’s also important to reflect on our past selves so that we can accept what has happened in our past and move on, whilst implementing the lessons learned from these past experiences. Reflecting on our past selves is a time for self-growth and seeing how knowledge from our past experiences can help us in future situations.

Just like PLC, we move on, but we always adapt to changing times. We always reflect on our past, but it is important not to focus on regret but on self-growth and how our past experiences may help others overcome the struggles they’re facing in a given situation. It’s important to know that reflecting on our past selves can be a time of reflection and learning as they allow us to better ourselves and live better lives in the future.

Written and illustrated by Harriet Gilpin

I don’t think Christmas beetles are very popular. In fact, the widespread opinion seems to be that they are a nuisance; and it doesn’t help that beetles aren’t beloved animals in the first place. But the Christmas beetle population is declining rapidly and no-one seems to know, or care much about it.

First of all, are Christmas beetles really bad? Christmas beetles are considered a pest, because they descend on gum trees in swarms and eat large volumes of leaves. However, they generally prefer to eat older, more mature leaves rather than fresh ones, and if the beetles are stripping trees entirely, it means they have nowhere else to feed. The damage Christmas beetles do to the trees in our garden is a product of the damage that has been done to their original habitat.

Why are Christmas beetles disappearing? Christmas beetles lay their eggs in soil and rotting logs, which then hatch into white larvae called curl grubs. These grubs eat roots and dead plants, and then turn into adult beetles. However, climate change is disrupting the environment Christmas beetles (and many other animals) need to survive. Australia is getting hotter and drier as time goes on. Drought and bushfires are becoming more and more common and when the ground is extremely dry, Christmas beetle larvae do not come out. Those that do, face a depletion in food sources that can be devastating, as fire spreads quickly through gum forests, burning leaves that these beetles rely on entirely. However, climate change isn’t the only thing pushing Christmas beetles out of their homes. Urbanisation eats away at the edges of Australia’s natural forests, and unlike forests damaged by fire, those trees aren’t going to grow back.

Why should you care about them? The same reason you should care about any other native animal! Beetles may not be as liked as koalas or wombats but they are part of the local fauna nonetheless, Christmas beetles are a type of scarab beetle (the cool ones you see depicted in ancient Egypt) and they come in many different shiny colours, from golden brown to greeny blue, even purple if you travel north enough. Think of them as little flying Christmas baubles. If you really don’t like them, that’s okay, but you can still respect them.

What can you do to help? If you want to do your bit to help the Christmas beetles come back, consider planting more gum trees in your garden for the adult beetles to feed on, and native grasses for the grubs. You can also help by visiting and respecting your local national parks or donating to the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife to protect and sustain these areas. If you’re unable to do any of these, simply turning off your lights and pulling down your blinds at night stops them from flying into the window at night. Remember that even though it might seem like a small contribution, these little acts can save even a few beetles, and a single fullgrown tree can feed countless!

Maya Hess and Annicha Waters

Q1 What was significant in Australia in 1967?

A. The 1967 referendum

B. ACDC released their debut

album

C. The Scope was born D. The Hula Hoop was invented

Q2 What organization is investigating Gladys Berejiklian, the 45th Premier of New South Wales?

A. NSW Ombudsman

B. ACIC

C. ICAC

D. AFP

Q3 Which city has endured the most number of days in lockdown during the covid-19 pandemic? A. Buenos Aires

B. Melbourne

C. Rome

D. New York City

Q4 What is the most purchased album on all time?

A. The White Album - The Beatles

B. Thriller- Michael Jackson

C. Back in Black- ACDC

D. Like a Prayer- Madonna Q5 How many gold medals did Australia win in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics? A. 32

B. 27

C. 16

D. 21

Q6 Who was the first Indigenous artist to be awarded Australia’s

Archibald Prize?

A. Emily Kame Kngwarreye B. Vincent Namatjira C. Minnie Pwerle

D. Ricky Maynard

Q7. The Aboriginal culture is believed to be one of, if not the oldest culture in the world. How

many years ago is new evidence suggesting the culture began? A. 100 000 years B. 20 000 years C. 60 000 years D. 120 000 years

Social media has had a profound effect on our society, with forty-five percent of the world’s population using some sort of social network. The industry has exploded as many more people have turned to the platforms for a way to connect with others, to gain information and to express themselves. The term ‘social media’ is widely used; however, it refers to computer-based technology that enables people to share ideas, opinions and information with others through online networks. Most people have found that social media has positively impacted their wellbeing as it helps them keep connected to others. Our cultural trends have also been transformed by social media, through sharing thoughts and ideas, as well as creativity. However, no matter how many good things have come out of social media, there is no hiding the fact that it also has a dark side. Like a doubleedged sword, social media has also detrimentally affected the wellbeing of people through the posting of hurtful or inappropriate comments and images. These platforms also allow users to heavily influence, and even discriminate against other people.

In modern day society, we care about our mental and physical wellbeing, as it allows us to function better and live a happier life. This concept has influenced our lifestyles and how we view ourselves as human beings. Social media platforms enable people to communicate with each other and help achieve a better wellbeing. It has also given people the opportunity to find new networks of people who share similar interests and ambitions. Platforms such as Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat and Facebook also give people the ability to showcase their creativity and selfexpression, which may help them realise their talent and spark further aspirations.

New trends have emerged due to the use of social media, which has overall changed our culture to one that allows for fast communication. The upside of this is that it has enabled people to share important news quickly to a specific audience, and for international businesses to grow rapidly through marketing. However, the most important thing that has occurred, is that it has allowed and encouraged people to have a voice and speak up for what is right. ‘Dove' is a global and well recognised brand that focuses on personal care, however, what has made the brand so unique is that it has taken social media campaigning by storm. Dove has built campaigns such as #ShowUs and #RealBeauty around its core values of inclusiveness, natural beauty and positive body image. Its campaigns allow women to comfortably open up about their true beauty and fight against the conventional beauty standards that have harmed generations of women. There is an abundance of campaigns like Dove’s that cover many different issues in the world today, and these social media campaigns are helping change people’s toxic Lauren illustrated by

ged sword

Williams Anviti Sinha

views and opinions, or encouraging people to take action against certain issues such as climate change and discrimination.

Amongst the people watching cute videos of puppies and kittens for hours on end, there are trolls, scammers, and all their nasty companions lurking in the shadows, waiting for their next prey. Even though many people state that their life has become better and happier with social media, there are many people whose lives have been unfairly ruined or made worse. It has been reported by the Child Mind Institute that people who spend more time on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are more likely than others to become depressed. This was highlighted in a study which showed that the rate of depression increased from 13% in people who view social media for a normal amount of time, to 66% in people who were on social media much more often. These effects can include feeling inadequate, isolated and lonely, anxious and depressed, or experiencing the fear of missing out, cyberbullying and self-absorption. These awful experiences have brutally affected children and teenagers as they depend on the platforms to stay connected, as it has become ingrained in their nature to be dependent on it.

Even though social media has been beneficial towards positively changing our culture, there have been many instances where it has done the opposite. Platforms such as Instagram and Tiktok have created new celebrities that have have the power to influence our opinions and lifestyles, by constantly promoting products in their widely viewed posts. Kris Jenner openly said that her “famous daughters can make up to six figures for each paid Instagram post” with them being able to charge more for items that you eat, drink or put on your skin. The downside of this is that many people, especially people who want to jump on the bandwagon, do not properly research what is being advertised and believe that the product must be good if the celebrity has agreed to promote it. We are being constantly surrounded by endorsements in Instagram posts that have a negative effect on our culture.

Tiktok has come under scrutiny by black Tiktok creators for being racist. The platform’s algorithm also sparked anger as somehow it had been making posts by black creators nearly invisible to viewers, even though they had been published. Tiktok denied all the accusations of the platform being racist or discriminatory, saying that there must have been something wrong with the algorithm, and in future they would try to be more inclusive.

It is important to recognise the positives and negatives of social media before committing to any platform, as they can impact your lives for the better; or worse. From the research, it is clear that social media has been more beneficial to our lives than we have ever realised and that the risks of a bad experience are less likely if you are cautious. Because of this, it is all right to use social media as long as you are aware of the risks and use the platforms responsibly.

Nevada Guiance Illustrated by Bella Waters Utilising the Electromagnetic Spectrum for Diagnostic Imaging Both X-rays and MRIs utilise the electromagnetic spectrum in a nonintrusive way to obtain internal structural information about the body. The electromagnetic spectrum is a continuum of energy which travels as waves of different frequencies.

X-rays are powerful enough to eject electrons from their orbits around the nucleus of the atoms in our body (meaning they are a form of ionising radiation) and when this happens it can damage our DNA. For this reason, an X-ray is only used when it is necessary for diagnostic purposes. To put the exposure of a medical X-ray into perspective, 38 chest X-rays would be required in order to receive an amount of radiation close to that of the normal background radiation that everyone is exposed to in a year. During an X-ray procedure, denser materials, such as our bones, absorb X-rays. This is why they show up distinctly on a scan, rather than the lessdense soft tissue surrounding them. Another imaging technique for ‘looking inside’ is that of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which uses magnetic fields and radio waves. Radio waves are also part of the electromagnetic spectrum. They are a low frequency, long wavelength type of non-ionising radiation. An MRI image depicts tissues and organs rather than bone.

Over time, diagnostic imaging has developed greatly - with some other examples including Computed Tomography (CT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Ultrasounds.

Science in our everyday lives Diagnostic imaging techniques help us to ‘look inside’ without having to perform surgery to diagnose a medical condition. We now have the technology of harnessing 'invisible' electromagnetic radiation, the engineering of the use of patient-friendly diagnostic instruments and the maths of the safe limits of radiation exposure. And as a result, our methods of diagnosis are more efficient and treatment more comfortable.

Tilly Almond Illustrated by Bella Waters

At this point we are all pretty sick of hearing about COVID, right? Honestly I wish I could just ignore it, but it is so important that we don’t, even though we are just coming out of lockdown and vaccines are rolling out.

We must work as a society to follow the rules which will minimise the spread, and simultaneously minimise the time spent in lockdown. If we have all worked so well together to get to this point, we have to question what motivated individuals or groups to work so hard against the progression. For example, during the protests in Sydney and Melbourne against lockdown where the police had to arrest hundreds of people, it was like we were witnessing the situation worsening. They were protesting for freedom, but what was the outcome? These people are thinking only for their individual self and how they feel in a particular moment and not how they could possibly be hurting others.

It does, however, raise the question of cause and consequence, and how far we are willing to take the law. Despite there being no mandate for vaccinations, I am so thankful that my grandparents are vaccinated as they were one of my main concerns with this virus. After all, it is our grandparents who are most at risk, and are one of the reasons why I follow the rules and hope others will too.

While some of our population have legitimate reasons against vaccinations, we have to ask ourselves; what is the consequence of this individual versus society conflict? We have seen the worst of society, and the best, and perhaps, into the future, the ‘individual’ and ‘society’ can work together to make holistically beneficial changes.