CHANGE OF SCENE

lower compared to the same time last year.

New York’s levels of pollution have reduced by almost 50 per cent from this time last year, and carbon emissions fell in China by 25 per cent at the start of 2020.

And, in Europe, nitrogen dioxide emissions are fading away over northern Italy, shown by satellite images. Spain and the UK are looking to follow a similar pattern as well.

Whilst in this short time it looks like COVID-19 restrictions are making our global climate look a little better, could this be a long-term phenomenon, or will it not affect the pathway of global warming in years to come?

According to an international study led by the University of Leeds, these short-term restrictions will not massively affect the Earth’s climate. However, we can learn from this event and use it to find new ways to help stem climate change.

We would like to thank current St George’s pupil Sofia Toub (Lower Five), for sharing her analysis and observations of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on climate change. This is a topic of extreme importance which must be addressed in our society today to support those of the future.

UNIVERSITY LIFE IN LOCKDOWN

In our last edition, we shared the extraordinary experiences of our Sixth Form pupils – all preparing for the final year(s) at school and then faced with lockdown, supported home learning and cancelled exams. Their experiences were common to so many other young people across the world, and they, like their peers, faced many challenges. Learning to adapt to a different teaching environment and being away from friends, sports, music, drama and other, previously normal, everyday activities brought a huge range of emotions and reactions.

We were very grateful to those who shared their thoughts and experiences willingly and showed optimism and bright spirits as they looked ahead to the future. We were keen to provide an update on those stories and asked one of our contributors, Hannah Monk, to give us a flash forward into the future as she begins her university career. An exciting and daunting prospect, starting out in university life brings a mixture of emotions, but add a pandemic into the mix and it is an experience few of us can imagine.

Hannah has started first year at the University of Strathclyde and is studying chemical engineering. We were so pleased that she has taken the time to share her experiences so far.

HANNAH MONK

Class of 2020

Since your last contribution to the Dragon you have left U6. How were the last few months for 2020 leavers?

All our leavers’ events, including Speech Day, were online. Although this was quite different from the events everyone expected, the staff did well to still give us some events, including different ones such as Taskmaster challenges, which we really enjoyed.

It was a difficult transition from seeing friends throughout the school day to being at home and not seeing anyone except on a

few calls. After a while it became easier to get used to, but it was, and still is, quite difficult. It has, however, shown how not to take being able to see friends and family for granted. Particularly for me, I always made myself so busy with schoolwork and clubs that when lockdown started and I had time to myself, it showed how much I appreciated that and made me realise I needed to restrict my societies at university so that I still had some time for me. Maybe at the time it felt hard, but it certainly provided some valuable lessons.

What have you gone on to study and where?

I am currently studying chemical engineering at the University of Strathclyde.

How are your classes being taught?

All my classes are currently online. For our chemistry module last semester, we were allocated into small groups for a skills day

lasting the whole day to do two experiments so that we had some practical experience. This was the only in-person class I have had. All my modules have a mix of prerecorded lectures, end of week quizzes and/or tutorial questions with a live lecture and live tutorial session each week for the two chemical engineering modules.

I enjoy the flexibility of online learning. However, it [is] hard to make friends on the course. I know more friends in the mountaineering society through online socials.

Are you able to participate in extracurricular activities – are they all digital?

I joined the callisthenics and mountaineering societies at the university. Callisthenics is a form of bodyweight training that focuses on flexibility, coordination and strength. The society has sessions twice a week run over Zoom and has also run a few socials for chatting and playing games over Zoom or Discord.

Mountaineering struggled a bit more due to its nature. While the restrictions were more reduced, although the society themselves couldn’t run sessions, people could go to the climbing or bouldering walls at their leisure. However, when the lockdowns came back into effect, the walls also closed. The society has managed to run a few socials over the semesters, with chatting, films (including some climbing films) and games.

It would be nice for at least tutorials to be in person so that we could meet friends from university, as currently I just have a small group chat of a few people from the course.

[I have] a good balance of work, socialising (online) with societies and the small group... from the course [as well as] keeping active

What is the student experience like for you?

For me, I enjoy the flexibility of online learning. However, it has been hard to make friends on the course. I have got to know more friends in the mountaineering and especially callisthenics societies better than I have on my course, through the socials and callisthenics sessions.

Are you managing to strike a sustainable study/life balance in your first year?

Even though chemical engineering is a very intensive course, and there were multiple societies I was looking to join, I limited myself to two. This has given me a good balance of work, socialising (online) with the societies and the small group we created of a few people from the course, and getting fresh air and keeping active. During the first semester I moved into halls and was able to find time to socialise with my flat mates and also spend time away from work to cook, for example. However, I haven’t managed to get back to the flat this semester.

Are you still managing to keep up with the languages that you started learning during lockdown?

I was hoping to take my German further at university as my elective but unfortunately this wasn’t offered. My German has been harder to keep up as it is difficult to do without knowing anyone to communicate with in the language. However, I did manage to take Spanish as my elective last semester, so I was able to improve that. Unfortunately, the elective only lasts one semester, so I haven’t finished the course. It’s not the easiest approach to keep the language up but it can be hard to find people to speak with in the language.

What do you hope for in the 2021/22 academic year?

To be honest, I feel online, pre-recorded lectures work well for me, as you can work at times that suit. For example, one of my modules has the live lecture on the Monday and the live tutorial on a Tuesday. I always watch the pre-recorded lectures on the Friday or Saturday before for both my modules as it gives more time to think of harder questions during the time given, and this structure works best for me. It also means lectures can be completed at your own pace. However, it would be nice for at least tutorials to be in person so that we could meet friends from university, as currently I just have a small group chat of a few people from the course, and we aren’t able to actually meet and see each other. Personally, the societies are more important for me to start up in person, especially as it is impossible to do mountaineering online!